Shannon and Barry's wedding at Sassi

Wow, what a gorgeous wedding! For those of you who don't know her, Shannon is so incredibly sweet AND beautiful!!

My absolute favorite from the whole day is right here!!!


But how can you go wrong with a beautiful girl in such an exquisite dress??


And a great location like Sassi for the setting!

The flowers were simply wonderful! This is the second wedding I've shot with this vendor, Artistic Flowers and I have to say how amazing Heather made everything from the bouquets to the boutonnieres. I would definitely recommend her to any bride!


A few orchids for the girls' hair...


They looked so great! It was pretty cold outside with no jackets but the girls toughed it out! :0)

And a few of the guys...



And the newlyweds!!



Shannon has the best smile- Barry you are a lucky guy!


I'm so glad I was a part of your day. You truly are two wonderful people who'll live happily ever after!

All the little ones! :0)

Ok, I have to say it... Is this the cutest thing ever??? I love this little girl- she just gives me the cutest looks when I'm helping out at the preschool and I know she knows exactly how sweet and adorable she is!! :0)

One of the mom's at our preschool was checking out my website and told me how much she liked this image below! Well, I've been meaning to write photo tips on my blog and she has given me the perfect oppertunity!

There are a few things going on in this image. First there's the wide angle lens. That's why his hand and the cricket (or is that a grasshopper??) looks much larger than the rest of him. It's a perfect way to characterize something specific in your photographs! The second is the depth of field. Notice how the cricket (oh, now does that thing still have all it's limbs??) is emphasized while the boy and the woods behind fade away.
There are a few ways to control this! One is setting your aperture. This may sound over simplistic to gearheads (like myself!!) But the lower the number the smaller your depth of field! Try your camera on an AV mode if you have it- the camera will compensate for you by setting the shutter speed and your exposure should be great! Another thing to try is zooming- for those of you who might not have manual controls on your camera, try zooming in and walking back! It creates a shorter depth of field too.
Just experiment! In these digital days, there will be no prints hiding in storage- just try something interesting!! Who cares how it turns out? And be sure to take another one the very next second! :0)

Here's an awesome image with the same ideas in mind...


But I mean seriously, how can you go wrong with such a cutie??!!!

Pismo Beach

Wow, what a weekend! I had the great pleasure of shooting with so many awesome photographers! I'm heading out of town again this weekend but I wanted to post a few images before I head out again.
Special thanks to these folks :0)
Jose Villa, John Michael Cooper, Erik Dugan, Colin Michael, Robin Pesa and JT

Serendipity

This week has been awesome! I was feeling a little bit empty- spiritually speaking and even had a deep conversation with my friend Carol about it. All the little things I do lead up to another. I took some pictures at a Christmas party and printed them up for a few parents. One mom, Oriana e-mailed me asking about a family shoot and I noticed her information was from Make A Wish! I had volunteered for them about 5 years ago and mentioned to her that I'd love to do it again. She knew just who to get in touch with and now I'll be helping out again. I was looking for something just like this and didn't even realize it! I can't wait to jump right in!

Then just last night I got a call from the church Ascension Lutheran where I send my kids to preschool. BTW- I just LOVE the teachers there and was absolutely blessed to have found it. My children and I would not be where we are today without them!! The church received a grant to produce some artwork and chose six artists to represent chosen scriptures and I am one!!! I am sooo excited! The best part about this is that I have no idea what we will be doing and the possibilities are mind boggling! I can't wait to see what scripture I'll get to discuss and work with!

To top off my busy schedule I am going to Pismo Beach, CA this weekend for a pretty big gathering of photographers. (We are calling it an Un-Conference! Way to be unconventional!) :0P We even have some models set up at a local winery and I will be teaching a photoshop workshop!! I have so much to be thankful for and believe me, I am!! I can't wait!

So here they are, A few images from my 5D, just messing around :0)



This is the one I've been waiting to take- this was done with no flash and a very dark room. The 5D is awesome in low light and there was hardly any graininess at all! Doesn't she look so peaceful!

Just wait till I get back to see what images the weekend will bring! It looks like rain but I really don't mind I'm just t

Pin the tail on the Skeeter!?!

But... skeeters don't have tails!!!

I don't know how he does it, but my son came up with this game for his birthday party! We had a great time with the family. When we get together it's a party in itself! We have nine kids between myself and my brothers all 7 and under!

So here it is- my husband drew a mosquito and the kids all drew body parts to stick on... mostly wings and stingers :0)


Followed up by a nice game of tag!


Even my Aunt Paula came from Michigan with her traveling bunny!

And one of my favorite images is this one of my niece...


I love these days where all the kids need for a great time is each other!