I love photographing the milestones of my clients.  What I love even more is photographing the milestones of my family.  From maternity sessions to family sessions to weddings.

I was lucky to photograph my cousin, Elahyna, as she begins her journey from teenager to adult.  She is also one of my Class of 2013 Senior Reps!

To my wonderful cousin:  The future may be uncertain, do not fret.  Uncertainty can sometimes be exciting and full of great surprises.  And lots of lessons to learn along the way.  The future may be frightening, do not fret.  For we are made to over come fear with tenacity and you will conquer it.  No matter what, being your older cousin, I am here for you every step of the way :).  Love you!

Okay, on to the photos!

You still have time to get your senior portraits done!  It is such an exciting time and having it documented can be such a great way to remember it.  I had my portraits taken back in 2009 when I was graduating college and it felt great to have a memory of what I felt.  Of how it marked a pivotal point in my life.  I look at those photos now and remember college, the friendships I made, the professors that influenced me, and how young and promising I looked.

Sure the cap and gown photo is classic, but senior photos are about you and what makes your time in high school or college memorable.  It's a time when you can represent yourself and all that it means to you.  

It's about standing out and being you.

So there is still time to have them done before the big day arrives!  Contact me for more information and available dates 951.732.7039!

If you haven't caught an episode of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera yet and you're a wedding professional... then I am going to assign you one task.  Watch three episodes of this series and then come back and read this blog post.

If you have seen the show, then this will make sense to you.  I am sitting here watching the show in a small corner of the screen as I edit and felt it was necessary to write about it.  As a wedding professional, as a photographer, what you will learn as time goes on is that this profession is all about customer service and serving your clients and really being genuine about it.  

This is where David Tutera comes in.  In every episode, the first question he asks is "what do you see for your wedding?"  Right out of the gate he is focused on getting to know what the bride is envisioning, how she feels, and her personality.  He lets her talk, say all she needs, gets her excited, and builds trust.  He takes what makes them special and what they want and turns it into a dream wedding.  Through out the episode, you'll notice he constantly asks "what do you think?" and "how do you feel?" He nods and takes it all in.  Filing it all away.  

The wedding is usually breathtaking and a complete reflection of the personality of the bride and groom.  But more than that, what you will walk away with is how David really CARES about his couples.  He genuinely and whole heartedly cares.  He's excited for them and never puts on a fake face.  He puts himself into each and every couple.   More importantly, he becomes their trusted friend.  No faking it, no fronting.  He is open and is always smiling.

There is one thing that resonates with brides and speaks volumes is when they know and feel that you are genuine and actually care about them and their wonderful day.  Because for them, this is the beginning of a new life for them.  And when you care about it as much as they do and know how special it is, they appreciate it.  And they appreciate you.  

The show always reminds me of what is important as a wedding professional.  It's not the photography, it's not how many weddings, it's not how big they are, how much brides spend or if they'll refer you.  It's about caring and really serving your couples genuinely, openly, and whole heartedly.  It's about guiding them, educating them, and becoming a real friend.  

"I love making these weddings happy memories for everyone."

 -David Tutera 

Happy Friday!

When a bride refers another bride to me I get nervous.  Did they warn them that I ramble on and on?  Will they notice that I talk too loud and get squeaky when I am excited.  And will they notice that I am shaking underneath the table?  But mostly I am anxious to get to know them. Because if a bride of mine referred them, then I know we'll click and get along perfectly.

That was the case with Laura + Eddie.  They are sweet and loving and you'll see the way they look at each other.  I also know that they're so in love with each other.  Not more, not less, but just right.  And when he took a knee at Disney World and asked her to be his forever, little did she know that they would live happily ever after.

Location:  Disneyland

Hair & Make Up:  Xelle Hair & Make up

Okay, who else is insta-crazed?  And by that, I mean Instagram.  I don't have an iPhone, since I really can't justify spending $200 on a phone, but I did get an iPad for my birthday.  So I downloaded the app and I LOVE IT!  The filters, the tilt shift blur tool, the way you can share it on instagram, facebook, and twitter, all at the same time.

All I know is that I'm hooked!

I took this before photo last week and yesterday, I decided to chop off my hair.  It's been, I don't know like 4 or 5 years since I've had short hair.  Thanks to my sister at

Xelle Hair & Make Up

, I've got a new look!  What do you think?  I like the change :).

Happy Friday!

There are rites of passage that every person takes.  These rites are what lead our lives down various paths.  Sometimes uncertain paths, other times very clear paths.  Graduating high school is a rite of passage.  A bridge leading towards college and the future.  A bridge, when crossed, opens a whole new world, leaving the young teen age behind us.  I know that when that time came for me, I was more than ready to walk over that bridge and start something new.  Something different.  Ready or not, nothing could be more intimidating and scary.  You feel out of place, awkward, and young.  After the first college course, I felt ready to take on the world.  Some how changed, grown up, and on my own.  Nothing is more exciting and motivating.

I had the pleasure of photographing Ali & Lexi for their Senior Portraits.  A time when they are transitioning into young adults.  Full of promise.

Girls:  there are more photos to come, don't trip (inside joke!).  Although you don't know it yet, I know that you two have bright futures ahead of you.  Keep your humor and humble spirits as they will guide you as you grow and mature.  I loved getting to know you and cannot wait to see all of your potential come to fruition and change the world.

I've been a little stressed and nervous about something personal and I've allowed it to take over my life.  In a teenager-meltdown dramatic kind of way.  Something  changed when I woke up this morning.  I was more energized, ready to carpe my diem to the max.  I even blared my Pandora station before the clock even hit 8:30am.

Went for a jog, had lunch with my best friend, and came home to find that some flowers were in bloom in the yard.  So I picked them and put them in a jar.

Instant happiness.

Tomorrow, will be even better.  

P.S.  The photo was taken with my brand spankin' new 85mm.  I love this lens!

When I make purchases, let me rephrase that.  When I make BIG purchases, I mull over the decision for weeks, sometimes longer.  When it was time to get my new computer, I weighed the options between laptop or desktop.  Screen size.  I even looked on Craig's List to see if there was anything cheaper than what Apple was selling them for.  I ended up saving money and buying it new.  Then, buyer's remorse kicks in.  Did I make the right choice?  Was it too soon?  Maybe I could have gone with out it a little longer... and well, you get the idea.  I get buyer's remorse baaaad.  Like, let me take it back and get the green cash back.  Luckily, I needed the computer and it's been a godsend these past two years.

Recently, over the last 4 months or so, I couldn't decided whether to get the 70-200 or the 85.  I normally rent the 70-200 because that lens is like $2k!  To be fair, all of the lenses are usually around that much.  But then, I read an article reviewing the more cost effective alternative of the 85mm.

The 85mm 1.8 USM.  Sure it's not an L series, which for me isn't a deal breaker.  Nor was the 1.4 because I hardly ever shoot completely wide open.  Unless it's low light or a detail shot.  Trying to get two people in focus at 1.4, good luck!  The $2k version also has image stabilizer and really, I NEVER use that.  One because it doesn't make the image look any better and at 1.8, I wouldn't even need it.  So that wasn't a deal breaker either.  After reading a couple more reviews, I learned that it was a pretty sharp lens for more than half the price.

Finally, last week, I went for it.  And I can't wait to start using it at my portrait sessions!  Just look at that bokeh!  This was shot at 1.8 and at 100% it is tack sharp.  Of course I had to test it on my favorite model :).

Both of these were shot at 1.8 and at a very high ISO because by this time it was 7 o'clock at night.  Even with the grain, they're both 100% sharp.

So if you're looking for a more cost effective lens that is guaranteed to be your power portrait lens, get this one.  I can't wait until I get to use it this weekend!

Happy Wednesday!

I got a tiny taste of what it was like last year when I was only a trade show attendant.  This year I wanted to make some of the classes.  There are so many incredible photographers who dedicate their time to teach, hold workshops, shoots, and shake hands with the not-so-incredible (yet!).  Photographers take over the MGM and it's like WPPI blog posts everywhere for like a week after.  And... I'm not going this year :(.

I'm sad because I don't get to go to those classes, shoots, workshops, etc. and absorb all the knowledge being thrown out.  I've read that these conventions are more for networking, but I'd rather just learn.  And if someone cool sat next to me then I'd be okay with that; but that would not be my focus.  Although, because this convention happens EVERY year, I'm sure that next year, I'm going to make it.  So let's put a happy face on that :).

Also, I've blocked off this weekend to unplug.  To be offline for a good three days and just enjoy myself. I have been on overdrive since before the year started and I think it's time to cool my engines and just read a book, enjoy a movie, and eat good food.  It is also a good time to reflect on my business.  Usually, it's best to do this at the end of the year before starting a new.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to do that.

So if you email me, send me fb message, or tag me on twitter... You will get a response on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Recently, my cousin gave me a small crate full of film cameras.  I acquired three new sx-70 cameras, a few land cameras, one Canon automatic 35mm camera, and a few more that I have no idea what brand they are.  Some look like they're from before 1960 and some a a little newer.

What I love most about shooting with these cameras is seeing how different each one develops.  And film is just so beautiful.  Sometimes I contemplate ditching the digital and using these cameras instead.  But being that photography is now my job, I think keeping film my hobby :).

This is an Ansco 35 with a fixed "color corrected" lens.  Photo taken on my phone.

And here are some of the photos it produced.  I have to remember it's a rangefinder camera which means that I have to compensate for the offset of the viewfinder and lens.  Which is why some of the photos have funky composition.  But I gotta say, I love this little camera!  The film that came out looks amazing!

My mother getting ready to garden.  See how it cut off half her face.  That's the rangefinder issue.

I took a trip to Disneyland and thought it'd be a great place to test out the camera.

My favorite photo of the day!  A little jazz band was parading through New Orleans Square and look who happened to be there with them!

Happy Wednesday!