As I was editing these images, I was wondering what a “normal” family looks like these days.  When I think about family, I think of a nice clean family tree complete with appropriate branches…  you know, grandma and grandpa – married only once and FOREVER.  Followed by their children, including my father… married to my mother, again only once and FOREVER.  Followed by me and my brother and sister, where I am married only once and forever, and so on.

The truth about my immediate family is that my parents were married and since divorced and remarried.  My dad had a daughter with my step-mom, my mom was done after my brother and me. I was married, had Jordan, divorced, married Heather, had Grace and have Michael on the way.

TYPICAL?

As a wedding photographer, I get the distinct honor of being let into a family for a day, a GREAT day.  I get to learn how the families are made and how they grow and of the most recent weddings, many of them are blended families.  I have seen step-mom’s dancing with their step-sons and big families getting bigger through marriage, kinda like the Brady Bunch

So back to these images and the story behind them.  Heather, Jordan, Grace and I were headed to meet with Jordan’s mom Katie and his sister Alexis at a local park.  I had my gear there and took the opportunity to grab some images.  From the outside, seeing a blended family is a little weird…  I mean how awkward is it?  Do they get a long?  In our case, we are not awkward and it is totally cool.  Heather and Katie talk a lot.  And since Grace is Jordan’s sister, Alexis considers Grace her sister too.  Ask me back in the early days if I thought Katie and I would be able to get along like this and I would have liked the thought but would have also thought you were crazy.  I sure am glad we are grown up enough to have worked out the situation we have now.

So, we are FAMILY – even if the tree is a little ornate

I am pretty stoked right now   thanks to Mike Colon for the opportunity and for sharing my work.

Recently, I attended Mike Colon Atlanta Workshop.  Aside from it being a killer educational opportunity, the second shoot afforded us a chance to be published  Take a look at the post on Southern Weddings Blog .  Here are the images that I submitted and on their site you can see what made it to their blog.  I would have expected to be published from a wedding before anything else but being published is just a blessing.

Here’s a little update on the education and my path to becoming a standout southern california destination wedding photographer…  About 2 months ago, I began working closely with Mike Colon in a kind of a mentorship.  Well, not “kinda” – a real mentorship.  I will blog a bit more about how I find this level of education valuable but for now I will say that it is eye-opening, humbling and a challenge but I LOVE IT!  I am working every day to better my business, my technical skills and my network.  So if you find yourself in southern california and want to shoot together, or need a helping hand, let me know.

Now for the images…

Thanks to all the Vendors: Styling and decor: Joy Thigpen / Models: Susanna and Kenneth McMillian / Makeup and hair: Lauren Bricken / Invitations:Paisley Papers / Gown: Allie from Impressions Bridal / Lead photographer: Mike Colon / Location: Waters Mill Weddings and Events

This weekend I was pleased to photograph a great model and all around cool person in some NEW gowns!  I met Justine at a shootout with an Alice in Wonderland theme and we have stayed in touch, collaborating on some shoots.  We were able to pull this together in kinda shot order thanks to creative minds and flexible personalities  I originally wanted to shoot at the OC Performing Arts Center but that just was not in the cards… I could not afford the $5000 shoot fee, $2000, maybe …  kidding.  So we opted to go to the Mission Inn in Riverside.  I have shot INSIDE the Inn before but never around it and I have to say that I think I found my favorite spot to shoot in Riverside County!  There were arches, doors, brick, trees, flowers, lights, windows and water!

I want to thank Elizabeth Luna for joining us and originally diving me the idea of the location.  Also, I am thankful to Jaime Elyse Stephens for letting me photograph some of her more recent work – BEAUTIFUL stuff!!!  Ladera Flower Shoppe provided the bouquet – Thanks Terry!  And also big thanks go to Jessica Hale for the wonderful work on hair and makeup.  P.S. – Thanks for rocking this shoot with me Justine!

Now, for the pics!

Not the movie

When we sat down a few years ago, I realized that I have known Lydia Morgan longer than anyone outside of my family.  I had to think about it for a while, but for sure…  I have known her for 13 years.  The runner up would have to be my friend Jason and his wife and we’ve known each other for going on 9 years.

Anyway, our lives have not kept us physically close, even when she was in California, she was either in Long Beach or Bakersfield.  A while back, she moved to work in D.C. holding a couple different roles. She met Dan there and this past weekend, they were wed at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandri, VA.  John Morgan, Lydia’s father officiated the ceremony.

I had such a good time.  Not only was it a reunion of sorts for the wedding families but I felt great seeing some familiar faces too!

Here is a sneak peek from that day – Congratulations again Dan and Lydia!  I am so happy for you!

P.S. – Thanks for all the Chinese grub!  I think I am STILL full…

I had the pleasure yesterday to talk a walk with a couple of my friends last night.  Of course, I also brought my camera  I have not been to Casper’s Park in a while, as a matter of fact, probably 10 years.  I camped in a tent and I remember the park being much smaller.  Now we have a nice camper to roll out to our favorite places but I am thinking we might add Casper’s to the list.  If you are not aware of the park, it is off the Ortega Highway in Orange County, CA.  Here is a map.

Back to the lovely couple…

I met Lewis at WPPI this year.  He is a friend of a friend and a wedding photographer and I liked him right off the bat.  He’s kinda quiet but once you break the ice, you’ll learn how nice and fun he is!  I met Monica for the first time yesterday but unlike Lewis, her personality reaches out to you like an old friend.  The two of them are cute - nauseatingly cute  Even after like a hundred years together, they still love to hold hands, cuddle and (ewww) kiss!  I found it refreshing to see the two of them together, showing their love for each other like they just met, when in reality I believe they have been together over 15 years and have been married for nine!

At some point Lewis mentioned pancakes and I couldn’t get those darn fluffy, sweet, carb-laden gifts from God off my mind so afterwards, we hung out at a local IHOP for a meal.  I learned how Monica stalked her future hubby, how lewis drives and how they support each other.  I enjoyed their company so much that after an hour and a half of food and conversation, the time felt like too little.  I am glad to have such quality friends and I am proud to show them off to you!

P.S. Even though the pancakes were good, I still craved a nice lemon dessert!

I really cannot say enough about the workshops that Mike Colon puts on.  If you have the chance, I recommend this workshop, or any from Mike.  He is so approchable for someone with as much experience and success.  Even among 20 attendees, he is still there to help you take your skills to another level.  The conversations during the lecture times were very valuable.

I have to say though that one of the best outcomes of the workshop was meeting all the cool folks!  It is great to be able to find people to connect with all over the country and I have to say that some of my favorite people (personalities) are from the south.  Not only is there sweet tea in abundance but there are sweet people!  Even though the workshop took place a while back, I am still in touch with many of those that I shared time with.

I hope stil to attend a longer, intensive workshop.  I think having all that extra time with the other attendees would be great, 2 days just was not enough!

There were so many people involved and below is the list but I want to personally thank Reggie Joiner for his hospitality.  The location was top notch, and Reggie, well, is the man.  His generosity was and is greatly appreciated.  Thank you Reggie!

Day 1

Day 2

Sorry, can’t show those yet!

Some behind the scenes images

Grace has been to Disney Land a few times now.  Heck, I’d go as far as to say she is a pro!  But until this past friday, she has not seen the fireworks.  So I joined the fam at the park for some roller coasters, ginormous turkey legs and capped the night off with some fireworks.  Now, just to keep is more chill for the little one, we stayed outside the park.  We just found a nice spot and plopped down!

Every now and again, My Aunt Barbara (Aunt B) comes over to visit.  When she gets with Heather and Grace, they have so much fun.  They often go to Disneyland together, to Grace’s classes and sometimes, just hang out.  I love seeing my aunt because:

1. She has great hugs
2. She has a cool relationship with Grace
3. She loves showing Jordan that she loves him
4. Being around her makes me feel good

This Monday, she came down with her friend Yuko and her son Ryosei and they joined Heather and Grace at the Zoomars Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano.  I pretended that I was too busy to join them and I showed up a little later with camera in hand to capture some of their fun!

I was invited to a shootout from Elizabeth, we recently met at the Mike Colon 7 Workshop. This shoot was an Alice in Wonderland theme nestled in a nice park in Murietta. Jordan joined me along with about 30 other photogs and we spent the better part of  the day clicking away with a great group of beautiful and handsome models. This is the first shootout I have been a part of and I LOVED it!

I did not know what to expect really with a shootout but Elizabeth and the gang had things dialed in pretty tight. We were moved through 5 stations where we got to photograph models on a bed, couch, in a neat vintage chair and with a full table setting – complete with flowers, place settings and lighting! the only complaint that people had was the local insect wildlife… oh, and the occasional doggie-doo! I enjoyed this so much that I plan to do as many shootouts as possible. I would not mind doing another Alice in Wonderland themed shoot either

The attendees seemed to be a mix of pretty seasoned photographers that work in the wedding and portraits. It was great to network and to collaborate. Having so many photographers in one place kept my creative juices flowing.

Today I spent some time trying to nail backlit images. As a wedding photographer, we don’t always have the luxury to setup lights and get lighting perfect for every shot, but we are free to move the couple into better light. I have seen some great images that are backlit and I was working to get more practice so that mine can rock as much as theirs! I found that the more I helped my new friends, the better I was at seeing what I needed to do to nail my shots. Slowing down seems to pay off.

This is also the first time I have done a SDE – or Same Day Edit.  It is almost midnight but I am glad to have gone through the images. I learned that I need to get a new firewire card reader to speed up the import, USB 2.0 just ain’t cuttin’ it ya’all!

Now, before you see the images, I want to give a shout-out to some folks that contributed today:

Make Up Artist: Crystal Roberts http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=crystal&init=quick#!/profile.php?id=100000450687414&ref=search&sid=1401680116.2273976089..1

Hair Stylist: Jessica Hale

Stylist Coordinator & Florist: www.amadoreventsanddecor.com

Hair accessories: www.rachellarraine.com http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=373429045751#!/profile.php?id=1077188077&ref=ts

Gowns: www.elysereuben.com / http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1401680116#!/profile.php?id=1049155036&ref=ts

================================

So here are mine but BE SURE to scroll to the bottom image list for Jordan’s work:

And these are from Jordan:

About a month ago I met and had lunch with Lori Davis.  She is the owner of Elle Couture Designs in Costa Mesa, CA.  We met over lettuce wraps, Moo Shoo Pork and Mongolian Beef at PF Changs – I am ready to go back for that meal!  Well, long story short, we arranged a shoot this weekend and I photographed her favorite model (Monique is her daughter) in a beautiful gown!

Our shoot began as a little adventure since it took place in Temecula and I am not familiar with the area.  We – I should mention that Kyle Serra was with me too – drove around for a bit scouting areas that might work.  We hit up a couple wineries, an open area and we tried to get into a regional park.  I was a bit miffed at the *policy* of the lake we were headed into.  They require a paid permit to photograph there!  All this time, thought that I was already paying for the State parks…  guess not!  *snrek*

We ended up in a small local park with just the right shade, and shelter from the wind.  Here is what we captured:

On a side note, Monique designed the dress with it’s unique braided, triple asymmetrical straps – very cool!  I hope you enjoy, comment are welcome… I might even pay for some