Elyse and Bo - engagement

we met elyse and bo early in the morning on a friends ranch, just outside santa maria, ca for their engagement shoot.


now, mind you elyse had said they are planning a wedding that celebrates their love of everything "cowboy". so their engagement shoot was to be no exception...it was helping their good friends with over 300 heads of cattle. everything from branding to immunizing...i mean everything! right out of the gate karen and i were on a ride like nothing else this side of los angeles.


i've been all over and back again and still never cease to be amazed of the color of our nation right in our own back yard. how much fun did we have.?! boy, what a ride. i was sooooo impressed with elyse and bo's riding skills. they made it look so effortless.


however; judging by their boots...they have done this a time or two. one of my favorite images that came out of our day with elyse and bo was an image that embodied beauty, strength and security...all in the arms of the man she loves. congratulations ya'll.

Hufford Family Portrait

my mother once told me that "do what makes you happy and others will see you as you are and want to surround themselves with your spirit." case and point with the hufford family.


karen and i photographed the families niece/cousin's wedding a few weeks back and so they contacted us to photograph their family. honored, not only a compliment but knowing that the family has not had a "family portrait" since the youngest was an infant. the youngest is now a senior in high school!


it is because of all the things that occupy our lives that we sometimes can't stop the locomotive to catch ones breath, let alone slow it down a bit to take a moment to capture our family on canvas.


for this very reason, the choice to simply not take pictures and call ourselves photographers but to capture the essence of ones heart...this is what makes our photography and philosophy so poignant.

Quote of the Month

"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. ."

-Walt Disney