Carrie and Phil - engagement

carrie and phil on-line proofing website

sometimes the hussel and bussel of life can make us a bit crazy let alone make us forget what's important. carrie and phil have been on a world wind tour across the globe organizing their once in a life time event...their wedding. soooooooooo, when we met for their engagement session i knew exactly the thing to do...give back, to them, some TIME.

we climbed into my jeep and headed out to the canyons of malibu. i knew exactly what they needed...to "re-connect". we found a nice field of wild mustard and set up some quiet time.




probably the BEST thing for carrie and phil and fortunately for me, just what i was looking to capture for them. i have to say, i enjoyed watching the two of them shed their stress right before me and see them enjoy the simpler things... like being in each others arms under an umbrella in the middle of no where!

i often talk about giving a few minutes to our brides and grooms so that they can take it all in or "exhale". well, i left carrie and phil alone a bit longer this time to really give them some quality time before getting back into the thick of things.







the images, i believe, reflect a serene time in their wedding preparations that transfers so nicely on film.

i enjoyed my time with carrie and phil and so look forward to sharing in their wedding day festivities REAL soon.

-joey

Aubrey - Expecting Mother

so who ever said pregnancy wasn’t sexy?? well, they haven’t met aubrey! pregnancy is sexy, especially the second time around. aubrey has placed a whole new meaning to that. in their la home, she has a grace and poise in her pregnancy that would make any mom want to put on an evening gown.

aubrey on-line proofing website

flashing back a few years - who said once a bridesmaid always a bridesmaid...ha? not this beautiful expecting mother, no way! well, we have to admit the circle of life is rather amazing and connected in ways that are beyond unique. take for example aubrey.. she participated in the bridal party of not just 1... not just 2... but 3 of the weddings we have photographed over the past couple years.

first dressed in “beach attire” on the island of saint barths fwi for sasha and mark’s wedding (and by the way the gorgeous necklaces were hand made by her in this photo... oh and she was pregnant with her first child, a girl!)


second, she was lovely in green in cara and chad’s santa monica wedding along with her flower girl daughter “caoilin” who stole our hearts as she came down the isle.




aubrey and her husband bobby translate their relationship very well to print film, simply sexy.


third, brooke and danny’s mission hills wedding dressed beautifully in chocolate (brooke too, appears lovely in green in cara’s and chad’s wedding above and yes, cara too is lovely in chocolate in brooke and danny’s wedding below... no your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you and of course you will be quizzed later... small world you say... not so much). the circle of life that brings them all together is called family!!! as we get ready to celebrate the birth of aubrey and bobby’s second child any day, any moment...


jumping forward - a glance in the mirror to sneak a peek to acknowledge... i love my body, i love being pregnant.


mother and daughter share a quiet and peaceful moment together before baby “cael” arrives.


her tattered and worn columbia football ”sleep shirt “ is so apropos... it’s a boy!


bobby didn’t know how amazing his white van heusen would look on his beautiful wife. the shirt will never look quite the same on him, sorry bobby!


as we celebrate a new life coming into the world, we celebrate this beautiful expecting mother and feel so fortunate to document this incredible chapter in their lives.


lastly, i have to say if any of you know joey and when he sees an image and is excited about it, he let’s you know... and i quote aubrey after she snuck a peak at some of the images in the back of the camera... “joey, you can toot your own horn, it’s okay.” love that!

thank you for the incredible hosted luncheon and the gargiulo vineyards wine we shared. simply priceless.

congratulations aubrey, bobby and caoilin. can’t wait to hear the news!

-karen and joey

Michelle and Bill - engagement

michelle and bill on-line proofing website

it is really nice to have a connection with our brides and grooms and findinig out simular likes and dislikes. like, i found out that michelle and bill played in the band...marching band that is. i also played in marching band. i found out that a buddy of mine went to hawaii on a band trip and thought that it was the coolest thing.....so, i spent the whole summer "splitten" my lip on an olds trumpet my ma bought me at a pawn shop down the way. i got good enough to sit in, at times, third and second trumpet in my high school marching band. pretty cool experience and made some life long friends.

when i found out that bill played the trumpet i immediately asked him if i could create a portrait for him that emulated a great portrait of chuck mangioni on the cover of his "feels so good" album.


the reserved, quite demeanor of both michelle and bill added an allure of attraction to both of them that i thought translated wonderfully on film. as we strolled through the halls of the santa barbara courthouse i spotted an "ol school" telephone booth that only made for what was calling out to me as one hell of a sexy portrait.





what i enjoy the most is sometimes enjoying in others what they enjoy in each other.

think about it.

Adrienne and Christian - santa barbara, california

adrienne and christian on-line proofing website

intimate moments grace us when we are amongst those we care for deeply or when we are surrounded by those who care so deeply. adrienne and christian's family are all passionately intimate.


when i was invited to photograph adrienne and christian's wedding i was told that their wedding would be a very private ceremony set on the cliff side of the Bacara Resort and Spa - santa barbara, california. they would host 11 of their immediate family members to an outdoor ceremony and family style dinner in the Miro' restaurant's wine cellar.

the serene landscape, clear skies, warm and gracious family, not to mention a tear jerker of a wedding, made for a beautiful, beautiful day.




i often tell our brides and grooms to take "inventory" or to take it all in throughout the day because your wedding day is a day that takes soooooooooooo much planning and the day comes and goes within a blink of an eye.






christian, without hesitation embraced his wedding day with a grace and style that poignantly stated how much he loves adrienne.



the surprise of the night came from a moment that all eyes were on the bride. not because she was absolutely beautiful (evident in this portrait i grabbed of christian holding his bride's bouquet as he watched adrienne walk towards him)





but all eyes were on adrienne because she surprised christian with an acoustic version of shania twains - from this moment. on my way to say good night i immediately unpacked my camera and captured a truly "spur of the moment" collage of this incredible moment.





thank you adrienne and christian for embracing me and inviting me to celebrate your wedding day through the lens of my camera.

Salute!

Something EYE think is Beautiful

every now and again i (EYE) see something beautiful that makes me take notice. it might be a child's smile, a sunset, a random angle of a building, a humingbird or even a bouquet of flowers. so, as random as this might be i wanted to share what EYE thought was beautiful.

every month, along with our "quote of the month" posting we are going to share with you our life, as we see it. however random, subtle, overt or gracious beauty might present itself taking a step back to take notice is my goal. noticing beauty is a greater challenge than having it presented to you. again, taking notice is my goal.