Congrats to Philip and Tonya. A fantastic wedding at the Mission Inn in Riverside with a wild party at Indian Hills Golf course. I just started editing and chose this image for their opening album page. Perfect for a couple of golf nuts!  The proofs will be up shortly, enjoy your honeymoon on the links!  And remember, no mulligans allowed!

Here’s a few favorite images from a recent portrait session.  During any session I always try to shoot something that will work well for a Christmas Card.  If there’s a pet, hey, they are probably the center of attention most of the year, so why not include them.

Color is standard these days for family portraits, but I really love the timeless Fine Art quality of a fine Black and White print.  Most people don’t realize how good they look in Black and White.  Without the distraction of color, the image is all about light, shadow, and emotion.  That’s why I always include a couple Black and White samples with each session.  Color makes it on the wall for the large portrait, but my Black and White images are always their personal favorites.

The Holidays are here and so is portrait season.  Family portraits are always a great gift, but parents are usually nervous about getting their kids to cooperate.  Kids can be antsy when posing for a family portrait shoot. They usually have more energy than all of us put together.  I always try to alternate from formal to fun and relaxed.  Formal is great for grandma, relaxed works for your own family memories.   By letting the kids ham it up a little for the camera between takes, they get some of that nervous energy out of their system.  While I’m editing the final images, I take the best moments of these out-takes and create these little composites as surprise gifts.  Great for Grandparents on Christmas, and an easy way to get the little munchkins to calm down.

I travel so much for weddings, it’s nice to have one in my backyard.  It was all local for Darlene and Fernie Saturday.  After the ceremony we met up at central park for pictures using the changing leaves of the trees and rows of restored Craftsman style houses as backdrops.  For the reception we met at Dattilos, my favorite Italian restaurant.  Great food, fantastic design, and a family atmosphere.  While they are off to Hawaii for a honeymoon, here are a few of my favorite images.  Enjoy!

One of my favorite trends in today’s weddings are the personal touches couples add to make them more relaxed and more about family.   Erica and Gerardo really hit it out of the park Saturday.  An ”In and Out” truck pulled up to provided the catering, creating a family picnic atmosphere.  A clown, a face painter, party favors and balloons kept the throng of kids thoroughly entertained while everyone else spent the evening hopping on the dance floor to the sounds of a kick ass band.  Erica and Gerardo succeeded in creating something very memorable for all lucky enough to attend.  Congrats!  Here’s a few favorites from my initial edit.  The proofs should be online by the end of the week.  Erica and Gerardo will have the password.  Until then, Enjoy!

And a few fun images from the end of the day!

Terri-Lynne and Glen are off to Tahiti for their honeymoon.  While they are off in paradise, here are a few of my favorite images for everyone to share while we await their return.  Enjoy!

It’s fall and wedding season is winding down as we prepare for the holidays and family portraits.  Having a newborn is the perfect time to create something special for yourselves as well as your family.  Here’s a few samples from Vince and Maryanne’s recent session.  Enjoy!

The fun thing about intimate weddings – they are very personal, relaxed, and real.  It’s just your immediate family and friends.  Plenty of time to visit, and no rush to keep to a timeline.

It’s been asked to design a Black and White album with a little twist.  I decided to give this one a vintage antique look and feel.  My goal is to create a fine art book with the look of old snap shots.  I know the trend today is color and magazine layouts, but I think a unique wedding deserves a look all its own.  I’ve been looking for a few weddings that would fit this treatment.   Here are a few of my initial experiments.  Enjoy!!

Congrats to Jaime and Phillip.  Here’s a favorite image from their wedding at Knots Berry Farm.  A perfect day.  Your proofs are up.  Enjoy!

Raina and Carlos threw the ultimate Kick A** bash for their wedding Saturday night at Los Coyotes Country Club.  The fantastic reception design, decor and lighting courtesy of Anna Nguyen of Parasol of Design.  Hair and Makeup by Pricilla de Guzman Here’s a sneak peak of a few favorites images.  You also might want to check out the the images from The best Father-Daughter dance EVER,  I have posted on Facebook.  Their proofs should be up in a week.  check with Raina for the password.   Until then, Enjoy!