shannen norman photography

lynnea + joey // engaged

2011-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

So excited for this coming weekend! I'm back on the West Coast for about a week which includes seeing some amazing friends in the Bay area and then the great celebration of this lovely miss and her handsome man tying the knot this weekend. What started out as resident advisor and resident relationship turned into a great friendship with one of the funnest girls I know. She also has one of the best laughs known to mankind...seriously. We now affectionately call each other Snugs which tells you a bit about our comradery. Joey is an amazing guy as well...love it when two 'amazings' end up together :) It was so fun to see them start dating and make their way towards this point. Congrats to Snugs and Joey...can't wait for Saturday!

NYC // one-year-versary

2011-09-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

View from the top of our building with my phone - thaz right ;)

melissa + randon // wed

2011-08-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

Hawaii's on my mind. I just got back from my first trip to the islands and am already trying to figure out when I can return. The sooner, the better. There's a reason (or a million) why people flock there for a little R&R. Melissa and Randon (see the gorgeous couple below) met and were wed in CA but moved to Hawaii, where Randon's from, shortly after. These two are some of the nicest around. I wasn't able to see them during my short time there but next time an Aloha is definitely in order. Here are just a couple favorites from their beautiful wedding that I never had a chance to blog during the last crazy wedding season.

jenny + chad // engaged: on the lake

2011-06-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

The second half of our trip included a great litt'le sunrise on the docks with some pancakes that made it seem like Jenny could have a career in food styling in her lifetime. We literally had the vinyl going with some Bon Iver around 6 'something' am out on the dock...and while it was early, it was beyond glorious. The still, glassy lake reflected all that surrounded it and echoed the beauty of the tall trees and rolling hills within its own image. Is it just me or do you always forget how incredible and just 'worth it' it is to wake up to enjoy the sunrise until you actually do it? I'm telling you all...do it. It's so worth it. I see sunsets all the time, but the quiet and stillness of the morning is a most lovely thing to savor.

The rest of our day included a little boat ride to a cove where Chad fished for a bit, some rock skipping, and a little hike to the best viewpoint ever...complete with fallen tree chair. I told you these two were a good time.

jenny + chad // engaged: roadtrip to the lake

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

What to say about this one? Jenny and Chad are dear friends from college that always bring a good time wherever they go. Jenny's a fellow photog and wanted to make sure that this wasn't simply a shoot but something that was really just a fun experience for all of us. She and Chad put together a little weekend getaway that included roadtripping to her family's lake house in Chad's wonderful 4runner with the top off and the breeze in our hair. We took the opportunity to make little stops throughout the trip to shoot here and there...basically wherever we felt inspired. Our first stop was literally a random pull-off that ended up being magical...no it really was. The trees, the creek that ran beside it, the shenanigans we had there. Unrecreatable, but I so wish it was...like every weekend of the summer would be nice. After we made it to the lake, we spiffied up a bit and went out to dinner in historic Jamestown. We made it just in time to catch the sun set and share some delicious grub with a cold brew together.

Watch out in the next couple days for part two...sunrise breakfast on the lake, some fishing fun, and más :)

this.is.summer.

2011-06-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

Nice to see you dearest warm weather season...

jj + tiffany // engaged

2011-06-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

Spring has been great, has it not? NYC spring has been such a different experience from CA spring...I've loved it so so much. With spring comes shooting season, so things are definitely in full swing again. I always try to show as much work as possible on the blog, but honestly I have so much that I'm excited to share but just haven't had time to blog yet. I'm glad to show this lil snippet of goodness with you all for now though! I really enjoyed shooting with JJ and Tiffany a couple months back for their engagements. Tiffany suggested this amazing location which fit really well with them and was great to shoot at. So excited to shoot these two's wedding this weekend! Sending an early congrats their way!

jen + ben // wed

2011-05-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peak into a wedding I shot for an amazing couple I connected with last year. Ben and Jen had thee most gorgeous wedding in the Carmel area of the central coast of CA. They live in Pacific Grove which is a little gem I highly suggest anyone go visit. I'm seriously trying to find an excuse to go hang out with them again. They are such great people...so fun, incredibly kind, and they have awesome style. Jen's dress fit her so perfectly and spoke of her chic aesthetic. Ben bought his suit which complemented his gorgeous bride's ensemble. Seriously, if you're in that area find them and become friends with these two...they're great. Today's Jen's birthday, in fact, so a big happy birthday to the beautiful mrs. bannister :)

*

*Image of four groomsmen's suits is from my fab Bay area 2nd shooter, Jenny Phebe

spring roadtrip // lake tulloch

2011-05-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Totally out-of-the-norm post for me but I couldn't help but share. This past weekend I flew to the CA bay area to shoot some good friend's engagement photos. Jenny, Chad, his brother Adam, and I all road tripped to Jenny's family's house on the lake. A ridiculous amount of fun was had and we got some a-maaaaz-ing shots that I can't wait to share, seriously...ace. For now I thought I'd let you get a little sneak peak into our fun weekend of photo shoots, jet skis, and riding in the back of Chad's perfect road trip vehicle. I shot this all on my phone, crazy enough, but I loved the feel that it gave...sort of in the moment.

Shooting season has begun, it's gonna be crazy this year but I can't wait! So excited to have a part in all the awesome weddings I have lined up this year...so many great couples, couldn't be more thankful. Old friends, new friends, and all...

agnes + raymond // engaged

2011-04-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun engagement shoot I did with a great couple in NYC from last fall. I had talked with Agnes and Raymond for a while over email and we initially were going to do the shoot in LA before I moved. However, a family emergency came up right before our Cali shoot that they had to leave town for which derailed those plans. So we ended up shooting in NY when they were there for Thanksgiving...easy peasy, no big deal ;) I'm glad it all worked out the way it did. We had a great time finding cool spots in the Brooklyn Heights area and of course thee bridge of NYC bridges.

How classy are they? Best fitting tux I ever did see.

heidi merrick // ss 2011

2011-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I always love shooting for Heidi Merrick and this shoot for the SS 11 collection was no exception. She recently introduced a Home collection which complements the Heidi Merrick lifestyle rather well I'd say. I love all the texture Heidi incorporates into her pieces...she really knows how to pick her textiles. The silhouettes, as always, were lovely. Enjoy a peek into Heidi's Spring 11 collection and feel free to check out her new site that recently launched here.

Model: Jeanne Johnston - Ford
Styling: Samantha Traina
Hair & Makeup: Sunnie Brook Jones

carly + kyle // engaged

2011-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Carly and Kyle. Where to begin? Carly is pretty much my very first friend that I ever had in college. She took me under her wing and introduced me to her friends when I was but a commuter student. She let me sleep on her roommate's bunk bed who went home on weekends, later letting me move in with her and her other roommates semi-illegally. All that to say, Car's been a long standing friend :) When Kyle entered the picture we were all excited for her but also curious to find out who this guy was and what he was all about. We soon found that there couldn't be anyone who could be a better match for her. We later met Kyle's son Micah who is a just as great as his Dad...the three of them together are picture perfect. So excited for Carly and Kyle to tie the knot next month!

annie + dave // wed

2011-03-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to finally be sharing the wedding of Annie and Dave! Their wedding was the first NY wedding that I shot last fall and I can't believe I haven't shared it before now. I've really enjoyed the city weddings I've gotten to take part in thus far and the couples I've met in NY have been really great. Annie and Dave were so so fun and the perfect introduction to NY. They enjoyed each other so much throughout the day in such an honest way and I think it really showed through the images we captured together. Dave just adooores Annie and is so transparent about it, it was really sweet to watch. Annie so obviously loves him in a really sweet way as well. They married in a historic church in Chelsea that was overflowing with character and then headed over to SOHO for the reception in a cool non-profit bookstore and cafe there called Housing Works. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to NY than Annie and Dave's celebration of matrimony. I'm so thankful to have been a part of it.

Cheers to Annie and Dave and the joy that they share with each other and all that surround them...

snow day deux // nyc

2011-02-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

A few more shots from my wintery Central Park meandering...

snow day // nyc

2011-02-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago after being couped up in my little abode I took a stroll through Central Park for a bit of a breather. It had snowed the previous evening and dumped over a foot of snow all over the city. It was so beautiful and in turn, inspiring. Here's a few bws of my time there that day.

ashley + josh // wed

2011-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! I thought I'd share the long awaited wedding of Ashley and Josh on such a day as this. I've known these two for awhile and their love is rooted deep, but not only was their love what brought their big day together but that of their closest family and friends. You'll see that they were married on a gorgeous California ranch. However, it wasn't just a venue rented out for the day, it's a ranch that's been in Josh's family for over 25 years. Needless to say a working ranch isn't quite 'wedding' ready on any given day, so they had many family and friends that had worked to transform it for the 6 months leading up to the wedding to make it the beautiful setting that it was. The day started sunny and bright, only to last just through the ceremony when it let out a downpour at the beginning of the reception. It lasted a bit and then cleared into a gorgeous evening in which everyone danced their way well into the night and celebrated the newlyweds in full on party mode.

Congrats to the handsome, Mr. and the stunning, Mrs. Waldon!

martha's stamp of approval // features

2011-01-10T00:43:00.000-08:00

Early on in 2010 I opened a fortune cookie that had that little piece of paper that always holds those generic positive phrases for the individual who just ate a bit too much Chinese food. This time mine said 'A thrilling time is in your immediate future.' I'm not one for reading too much into fortune cookies but I held on to that little piece of generic positive affirmation because I knew what was coming that year was going to be fun, so why not let the fortune cookie be a marker for it all. Well, it really was a great year and I'm so excited for what this next one holds.

A bit of fun to recap from the past few months...
I was lucky enough to get Martha's stamp of approval on The Bride's Guide. I actually received the email from them asking for the use of the photos on my birthday...a pretty good present I'd say.

I'm also lucky enough to have a photo in this February's Lucky magazine. Thee most talented and gorgeous hair and makeup artist, Sunnie Brook Jones, had a two page feature and in it they used a photo of mine from the photoshoot we worked on together for designer, Heidi Merrick's spring 11 line. It's nothing big, but really fun...and I even got an image credit, so my name is realllly small on the side of the page crediting image 4 haha.

Super grateful to be listed on Green Wedding Shoes Favorite Engagement Sessions of 2010. Insane.

Also to note...
Grey Likes Weddings liked Emily + Steven's beautiful and fun affair.

The beautiful new mom, Joanna, of Cup of Jo made my blog traffic soar when she linked to the triplets and Lauren & Brian's engagements.

Polka Dot Bride celebrated Rona + Mike's fun San Fran engagements.

More to come that haven't been put up yet too, but I think that's enough tooting of thee horn.

the kellys // christmas 2010

2010-12-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away, I hope you all are ready for it! I don't often have time to do family portrait sessions but since these guys are friends we made it happen before I left for NYC this past fall. We had a great shoot despite a bit of a run in with some angry yellow jackets...they were troopers about it. The girls were so easy to photograph and lots of fun...pretty sure we ended the shoot with them singing Bieber tunes...of course. I used to work with Tricia awhile back and since then she and Dave have opened their own clothing stores in Redlands (DenM & Nectar) and Claremont (Nectar) in CA. If you're in the area definitely check them out...as you can probably tell they know what they're doing in that department. I got to see them this past weekend as well and they rock ugly christmas sweaters pretty hard too ;)

Soooo Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all lend your thoughts for a bit to what is beyond the glitter and gifts and instead dwell more on what this holiday is really celebrating.

My mustache is bigger than your mustache.

julie + jared // wed

2010-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

So glad to share with my dearest blog readers a bit of the celebration that was Julie and Jared's wedding. You'll see that the whole day was gorgeous...full of great details, many beyond what I've shown here, and lots of good fun. I think with the industry being the way it is, it's really easy for brides to get wrapped up in the hoopla of wedding planning and all that it entails. While there were so many great diy projects, gorgeous decor, and lots of things to keep guests entertained I could truly see how the day was so much more than just a big event for Julie and Jared. Many times throughout the day Julie would make mention of wanting to 'soak in the moment'...right before the first look she literally stopped and took a deep breath not wanting to rush anything for the sake of really taking it all in. I admire that...and the day was really enjoyable for me as a photographer because of that.

Enjoy the small peak in to the day. Congratulations to the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins!

amanda + stephen // engaged

2010-11-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

This past summer I met up with Amanda and Stephen to have a little fun at the OC Fair to shoot their engagements. We had a great time and really got some images that show off their fun personalities and charming manner. I'm so glad to finally share this on the blog and am really looking forward to shooting their wedding next summer!

Enjoy.

emily + steven // wed

2010-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Soo the blog is in desperate need of updating from the many summer weddings I had the great opportunity to shoot. What better way to start than with that of Emily and Steven :) This was such a fun wedding...one of those celebrations where everything just felt like a big party. Emily and Steven are so so great together. I'm so happy to let you visually share in the beautiful day when they tied the metaphorical knot.

Cheers to the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Harrison!

hello fall // seasons

2010-09-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

So glad that you could join us...

Big News // California & New York

2010-09-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

So as the post title alludes to, there is a lot going on in my life right now. Besides this busy wedding season being incredible there is something else that I'm excited to share. The "big news" being that I am moving...to New York City!!!

I've lived in SoCal my whole life and had really hoped I'd experience city living at some point but really didn't expect that it would all happen as quickly or smoothly as it is...I feel so blessed and am so grateful for the opportunity. I'm not sure how long I'll stay, definitely a year and then we'll see after that. I can't wait to shoot in a different area of the country and experience all of the seasons (although I'm sure I'll be soo over winter once I'm in it for a couple months). I'm excited for the new surroundings, new people, and hopefully many new opportunities.

All that to say, I now have the great opportunity to shoot on the East Coast on a regular basis. Also to note, Europe and the Caribbean are a lot closer ;) I will be frequenting California often for jobs and would like to continue doing business in the golden state since family and friends are here. I'm excited to book some gorgeous East Coast weddings for this coming spring and summer and meet all the great people the area has to offer. My first wedding in the Big Apple is in a couple weeks...I couldn't be more excited!

And no one likes a post without an image so here's one from last year during a trip to Asheville, North Carolina in the fall....guh-or-geous. If NYC fall is even a tenth as lovely as fall in NC then I'll be in bliss.

Happy Friday!

ashley + josh // engaged

2010-09-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

These two are a great duo, another pair of high school sweethearts, and another pair of good friends of mine. I know, I know, I have a lot of friends getting married right now. I'm just glad I get to have such a big part in the festivities...always honored to do so. Ashley and Josh are getting married next month at his family's ranch and it will be gorgeous...no question about it. They're from up in Central California and are moving down South this month, right as I'm about to make a big move myself (more on that later). Enjoy the photos of these two lovebirds..

jamie + nathan // still

2010-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jamie and Nathan tied the lovely little knot two years ago. These two are some of my closest friends, the kind that you know are forever ever long friends. I can't even begin to describe how amazing they are because we'd never get to the images. For the shoot we went out to an incredible location, enjoyed each other's company and had some fun before the sun went down. Enjoy the view from the outside in.

nicole + zach // wed

2010-08-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last month I shot the long awaited wedding for these two OC-Denver transplants. When I first met with them I knew their wedding was going to be quite an event. Nicole and Zach's wedding met and far exceeded my expectations, not only was the design gorgeous but everyone had such a great time (partially thanks to such an amazing DJ), I'd almost classify it more as a party than a wedding reception. Needless to say these two were great...cheers to the newlywed Lowerys!

Loved this! During the dancing portion of the reception they had old John Wayne movies playing on a projected screen...so awesome.

Venue// Camarillo Ranch
Event Planning & Design// Sharlene Griffith Event Planning
Print Design// Brandon Proff
DJ// Michael Antonia of The Flashdance

aiden + bella + liam // introducing

2010-07-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Triplets. Two handsome little guys and one precious little girl. I must say photographing babies, let alone three babies, is quite a challenge haha. Each obviously has a mind of their own and there's no directing babies like I can with a couple. However, the unexpected and unplanned is usually what makes a shoot so great, and so it was with these three. Nick and Ginny definitely were surprised when they found out they were having three babies, not just one. They have their hands full...more than full, but they couldn't be happier to be outnumbered by their little ones :)

lauren + brian // wed

2010-07-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to let you share in a small inkling of the goodness that Lauren and Brian's wedding was. The dearest of friends, incredible location, lots of fun...this wedding couldn't have been any better.

Lauren and Brian decided to have a 'first look' so that we could take all of their pictures before the ceremony and have plenty of time to do so. For this reason we were able to really soak up the coolness that downtown Tacoma, WA had to offer. The blue mustang was what Lauren used to drive in high school...Brian and her dad fixed it up just in time for the wedding. We made good use of it I'd say. Congrats to the newlywed Lauren and Brian Jack!

They were married in the church above their old high school where they met (yes high school sweethearts, it doesn't get any better than these two). The photos below were taken in their old science class room, some things never change...

green, grey, and a cup of jo // features

2010-07-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm ever so grateful to have received some really nice mentions and features this past month or so from some awesome blogs...click on the banners below to see the write-ups.

Lauren & Brian's woodsy engagements were featured over at Green Wedding Shoes...

Candice & Geoff's wedding as well as Lauren & Brian's rainy engagements were featured over at Grey Likes Weddings...

A nice mention from the ever-so-fab Joanna Goddard in NYC...she's rethinking camping now thanks to Lauren and Brian :)

heidi merrick // SS 2010: in studio

2010-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few quick shots we grabbed around Heidi's studio after the main shoot posted below. Heidi's clothes give off that effortlessly chic vibe...I'm pretty sure if I lived in her collection people would think I'm 100xs cooler than I actually am.

heidi merrick // ss 2010

2010-06-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

I received the opportunity to do a shoot with the darling Heidi Merrick, a clothing designer based in LA. I've followed her designs for a while and was so excited to have the chance to shoot her line. We shot her entire spring/summer collection in a half day...it was a feat but we made it happen it and had a great time. Check out more of her designs here.

Here are a few images from spring/summer...more fun stuff coming later this week from the shoot.

emily + steven // engaged

2010-06-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Really enjoyed shooting with these two...we went up in some backhills in the local area expecting to find lots of blooming yellow flowers but alas they were not there. It really didn't matter, it was gorgeous anyhow and these two made it work like nobody's business. Only a couple months until I get to photograph these two as they tie the knot!

It's not just a prop...they really do like playing backgammon (did I even spell that right?!) and wanted to make sure the playing pieces were in a 'realistic fashion' for the pictures haha

travels & upcomings // the inbetween

2010-06-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy lately (honestly, I sorta like things that way). In the past month it's been one place to the next and I've thoroughly and completely enjoyed it...from roadtrippin' up the coast through Ca, Or, & Wa, to Israel, back to Wa, then to Canada..I'm finally home for a while. Although, I'm sure I'll be itching to travel again soon, destination wedding anyone...anyone? ;) There's plenty to show from landscapes, to engagement/wedding sessions, to a fun new project...it's just not all ready yet. It goes without saying that I'm playing a bit of catch up, so stay tuned...

And since I know no one really cares about the above, here's a pic of the lovely Gina on the Sea of Galilee.

lauren + brian // engaged: part two

2010-05-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

As promised, part two of Lauren and Brian's engagements...mountain edition! These two are from Washington so both of the shoots we did were quite fitting. Enjoy!

lauren + brian // engaged

2010-05-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Alright my dearest blog friends, I must apologize I had a hard time narrowing down on this one, in fact there's going to be two blog posts to cover all the goodness to be had. These two were so easy to shoot and they're good friends which makes it a breeze all the more. We had plans to do a shoot in the mountains and at the last minute after seeing rain in the forecast decided to also go out a day ahead of time just for a bit to have some fun with the weather.

I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding next week in the grand state of Washington. I just roadtripped up the coast with the lovely Lauren a few weeks back and was able to experience the great state for the first time...it's guh-or-geous! Anyways..enough chitter chatter, on to the images which is what ya'll are here for ;)

and here comes the rain... :)

candice + geoff // wed

2010-04-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

This wedding was so great! Candice & Geoff were so easy going and so fun. As you'll see the details in the event were awesome...the flowers were to dieee for. The team from In The Now Weddings & Events did an incredible job. Congrats to the newlywed Mr. & Mrs. Brouillette!

hailey // grad

2010-04-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hailey and I had a nice morning together out in a field to get some grad pics...despite the early wake up call everything was quite fun :) She'll be walking away all 'grad-ed up' with a bachelor's degree in less than a month! Here's just a few of the lovely miss Hailey...

rona + mike // engaged

2010-03-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of flying up to San Francisco a few weeks ago for Rona and Mike's engagement session. It turned out to be quite the crazy day together as our plans ran a bit awry when their keys and my equipment got locked in the trunk. A couple hours later we were back to it just in time for the last bit of great light :) They handled it like pros and we ended up getting more than enough great shots together. Looking forward to spending more time with these two in July at their wedding!

jacqueline + jeff //engaged

2010-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

I had a great time getting to know Jackie and Jeff running around a few spots in DTLA for their engagements and love all that they brought to the shoot. Looking forward to their wedding in Santa Barbara wine country this summer!

happy valentine's day

2010-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

While i may be a single lady myself I still am so thankful for the many friends and family that send their love my way daily...I often feel so lucky when I step back and acknowledge that I have no shortage of love in my life. Cheeseball to the absolute max, but so true (sorry if I made you gag). Hope everyone enjoys their Valentine's Day!

candyce & daniel // castle green: pasadena, ca

2010-01-31T16:06:00.001-08:00

The long awaited... Sorry for the absence here on the blog, life has been non-stop lately!

Candyce and Daniel were married at the lovely Castle Green in Pasadena right after Christmas. The wedding was ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous and everyone had such a great time. I'm so glad that I was able to capture every step of the way for them...everything from the proposal all the way to the wedding. Enjoy seeing these two in their wedding best.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. McCloud!

And to think it all started here... :)

Published

2009-11-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

This past week I had a couple fun things happen that I thought I'd share with my dear blog friends! Candyce and Daniel's engagement and proposal was featured on the fabulous Green Wedding Shoes.

I also had my first published image in print! A headshot I took of Mel McGowan appeared in a feature for The Leadership Journal.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T21:22:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone had a great day and a great feast with family and friends!

candyce and daniel // engagement

2009-11-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I had the chance to document Daniel's proposal to Candyce, you may remember it from this post. We went out again for some fun engagement shots at a couple different locations. We had a lot of fun and I can't wait for their wedding in a couple months!

denise and ryan // newport beach, ca

2009-10-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Denise and Ryan were married on a yacht at Newport Beach last month...that's right, a yacht :) The setting was awesome, such a great vibe to the whole wedding. The whole event was a lot of fun, partially because Denise and Ryan are just great and don't really need any explanation beyond that, and partially because they had an awesome guest list that kept the party going til we docked.

Thanks Denise and Ryan for asking me to shoot your wedding, you guys are the best :)

Their 'We just got married!!!' faces ..

Some details...

sarah & peter // fullerton, ca

2009-09-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Peter got married last month at the Muckenthaler Mansion in Fullerton, CA. Sarah and I emailed many many times and made plans for me to shoot her and Peter's wedding months before. Little did I know how amazing it would be. I met with Sarah a month or so before the wedding to discuss details and was taken back by her beauty and kindness. Peter was equally as great. The wedding was perfect...great venue, great style, incredible guests, and Sarah and Peter were absolutley amazing...so easy going, so fun, and so in love. See below : )

Congratulations to the newlywed Borruds!

The First Look. This is becoming a popular alternative where the bride and groom decide to see each other before the ceremony usually so that there is more time to be used on pictures of them as a couple. I love it when couples decide to do this and have never heard of anyone regretting it. Below is a montage of both mine and Josh's point-of-view on Sarah and Peter's first look. View from left to right :)

happy birthday tef

2009-08-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

My beautiful seester Stephanie turned 19 today. Below is a pic of her I took not too long ago..she's so lovely and I respect and admire her in so many ways.

Crazy...I can still remember walking down the hospital hallway to go see my brand new baby sis. Time flies and we still have a lot of fun together. Happy Birthday Tef :)

Mel McGowan

2009-06-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

Just a couple shots from a while back that I took of Mel McGowan, President and Founder of Visioneering Studios, an architecture firm based in Irvine that PlainJoe works closely with on many environmental design projects.

I always wanted a fro for a day.

2009-06-08T23:53:00.001-07:00

A little while back a good friend of mine agreed to be my test subject in front of the camera because I wanted to play around with some lighting set ups. As you can see, she really got into character which made for some really fun pics. And if you're wondering... yes...it's a wig ; )

I think there should be a show about this...who hasn't wanted a fro for a day? There might be a Made episode about it already..I wouldn't be surprised haha.

bryce and holly

2009-05-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

My last semester at college I remember starting to hear the name Holly come up in conversation when talking with my friend Bryce every so often. Me and my friend Jamie, forseeing what was about to happen, basically put our money on the table that Bryce and Holly would eventually date. What we didn't forsee is that they would fall head over heels for each other and now be getting married. I couldn't be happier for these two. Their affection and adoration for one another was spilling forth during our shoot, it was great : ) Congrats Bryce and Holly!

Here are just a few favs...

lindsay

2009-05-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

A little while back my friend Lindsay and I went out to get some picturas because she was going to be graduating from college. We ran all over town and had a great time together. Below are just a few of my favs... way to work it Linds.

The Wallingfords & Parkers

2009-05-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I headed out to good ol' Laguna to meet up with family friends, the Wallingfords, and their friends the Parkers. I was told to go to this beach by a friend who neglected to tell me that this was the beach that ALL ... literally ALL, OC photographers go to haha. Needless to say we drifted away from the alcoves and rock parts of the beach that the 30 other photographers were shooting at and headed straight to the sand. We had a great afternoon together and I love what we were able to capture.

Kayla and Rachel were one of my first shoots I did... they just keep getting cuter.

a morning with the gillettes.

2009-04-12T02:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went out with my dear friend Megan and her beautiful family to do some family pictures for them...we had a great morning together battling the fog that was so reluctant to let the morning sun delight us in it's splendor. They were a joy to hang out with...so fun, so easy to shoot. At the end of our morning together I felt like I was one of them (I was even donning a purple shirt unknowingly ;)

The family was in bright spirits despite some very difficult news they had recently received regarding Rick's (Megan's dad) health. They found out he had a brain tumor and would be having surgery the next week to try and remove it. The surgery went well and will allow the family more time together but unfortunately, as of now, it looks like the cancer will continue to spread. They all are so grounded in faith and are standing tall in the fact that God is good even in the midst of difficult circumstances. It's like they're all reacting in the way you're told you should react if something like this happens but no one ever really does...they're incredible.

Please keep Rick and the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Melanie and Kirt // 2.14.09

2009-02-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

This past Valentine's Day I had the opportunity to shoot an incredible wedding for an awesome couple. If you remember correctly the week prior to that Saturday was terribly rainy and cloudy...not prime for a rooftop wedding at the beach. We ended up having fantastic weather and a great time shooting together. Melanie and Kirt were a lot of fun to hang out with the whole day. Not only was it a gorgeous wedding but they had wonderful company to top it off, everyone there was great. I'd be lucky to get to shoot 10 more weddings just like it.

Here are just a select few from the beautiful day...

the hakes

2009-02-21T12:31:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I went and snapped some shots of mister Daley Hake, thee photog, and his wonderful fam. It was a bit of collaboration as Daley schooled me in his use of lighting which gives a whole different feel to photos, as you'll see in the diff between the two below...very cool. The fam was a lot of fun to hang out with along with a close family friend whose friendship came out of unusual circumstances. I recommend you go read Cyndi's blog from beginning to current...she's an amazing woman.

cheecago

2009-01-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with my work. I've never been before and thought that it would be an awesome opportunity to see the city but we were only to be there for one day in meetings. I decided to stay three extra days by myself to stay and explore the city. I booked what turned out to be a fab hotel through hotwire in the middle of the 'Magnificent Mile', walked and took cabs to every place my lil heart desired in the windy city. I had an incredible time and had no issues being there alone, I definitely kept busy. I met up with a couple friends that live out there, saw some theater, went to the art institute, saw wrigley field, was hooked up with free improv ticks, ate some 'cheecago' style pizza (sauce on top...so weird), and much much more. One day I ate lunch bartop at Pizza Due's a historic pizza place, ended up talking with the bartender who originally was from San Bernardino, small world eh?!

The city is incredible...really incredible. The river that runs through the city is so sweet and made for some awesome pictures. I loved that I could walk or take a short cab ride to so many different neighborhoods and areas of the city...pretty sure I was made to live in a big city at some point in my life. I'm hoping that wish will one day come true.

I apologize in advance as this is a huge post with all cityscapes, not the most exciting for y'all but I really enjoyed going through them :)

This was in the River North neighorhood, where I'd one day looove to live. Where else do you see a neighborhood actually decorate their mailbox with a couple of super cute planters?!

THEE BEAN. I kept seeing pictures of this when I was researching what I wanted to do and see and thought this was the dumbest thing ever, was definitely not into it. I stumbled upon it walking to the art institute and it's actually really awesome. It's so ginormous and the reflection of the city is sweet to look at. It was also a great spot for self-portraits ha.

I ate lunch at 'Potbelly's' one day. It's like a cool historic subway/quiznos. Even had a chick with a guitar singing some sweet melodies up in the rafters.

River North neighborhood. Ridic awesome.

To the right you'll see one of the many options of my future residence. 55 W. Elm Street. I left a gift basket on their door step hoping they'd invite me over for new years...they never called. haha

This was in the theater district. Oddly enough the one with the coolest sign was home of 'video games live'.

All of these teenage guys and this one little guy who's probably no older than four played drums on their five-gallon buckets all over the city. They were daaang impressive. The lil one would do drum solos and money would come flying towards them, you really can't resist. Pretty sure they were makin bank.

Home of the best popcorn eveeeeer. I was told this place is famous among locals. it was a brisk 30 degrees when i stopped by and there was a line out the door and around the corner. I was told during christmas the line can go a couple of blocks. in line i chatted with a couple of older super classy ladies wearing their furs. They had lived in the city for some twenty or so years and raved about it. They were encouraging me to move there "You'd just looove it dear!" they said over and over...too cute.

a ring that sings of love come round

2009-01-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I received an unexpected phone call with some very exciting news from mr. daniel himself...he was going to give candyce some very important bling and he hoped I would be there to capture their moment. An unwavering "Yes, yes of course!" hopped out of my mouth before he could finish asking if I could be there. I enjoy these two sooo much and was so glad to be part of the actual engagement.

The day came and Daniel took the unsuspecting Candyce and friends geochaching where they ended up in Redlands at the beautiful Kimberly Crest in which he had hid a box the day before with a note to Candyce in it. She found the note and realized the proposal was coming as she read...her reaction is frame-by-frame below...it couldn't be any cuter...so ridic! We ended up taking a few shots after the actual engagement and had a great time togetha'

I'm so excited for these two and can't wait to see them tie the knot this year! Congratulations again you guys!

good times // oak glen

2008-11-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago some of us went to Oak Glen for a nice little autumn Saturday. We had a nice time surrounded by the apple extravaganza and getting a first taste of the chilly weather fall should offer. I had my hopes set on some tomahawk throwing and archery but we didn't have quite enough time...we'll hopefully make it up there again before the end of oakie season.

Until then...

Lauren was a little bummed Brian wasn't there for her couple picture... ; )

an ode to m and m

2008-09-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Mister mark and lil miss megan got all dressed up in their wedding garb before they left to turn into Minnesotians in the land of Piper and Goldy Gopher. It's taken a while to get them all finished with the new job and a ridiculously slow computer, but alas they are finally complete. The day was quite enjoyable. We toolied here and there and everywhere... from lil old Redlands where gardener's are so inclined to kick my lil photographer booty off the property to laguna beach where we had many a'stares and finished off the day with BJ's (as my days somehow always do ; ). Anywho, it's been nice editing these lil guys since I don't get to see my dear friends much thanks to the two-THOUSAND miles separating us. They're beautiful people inside and out and have unshakeable character that I so admire.

Raise your glasses to mark and megan...

prego a la playa

2008-08-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage"....yes I remember teasing many o friends with that one in elementry school...and it all started with 'k-i-s-s-i-n-g' haha. Well that little song is actually playing out as one of my bestest's is soon to have a lil bundle of baby boy joy. I'm so excited for her and her hubby, Dan 'the Man.' I was in their wedding a couple years ago, a marriage which the Lord has so evidently blessed. They went from thinking that they'd be moving to Oregon to ultimately buying a house a couple months ago in Beaumont, close to where my parents live. Lil Ryan is already loved by many...and I mean looooved, I added the extra o's to make my point clear. Bekah's baby shower was this weekend and the lil guy already has more stuff than he needs....no...seriously, you would've thought he has 25 grandmas all there to spoil him with the amount of stuff crammed into the living room and tumbling out of the zillions of baby gift bags colored with blue.

Well Bekah and I went down to San Diego a couple of weeks ago to visit another of our bestest's Melody who lives down there. Bekah, Mel, and I all went to the same church a few years ago but didn't really become friends until we all worked at Club JA in Redlands...okay it's not really a club it's an Aveda hair salon. We had many fun times there together and grew pretty close somewhere in between cutting foils, making appointments, and deflecting the drama of working in a salon ; ) We've continued to be the three amigos as life has shifted, Bekah now married and prego, Melody now married and moving to New Mexico (boo), and I now graduated and doing the working thang 24/7. Anywho, we went down to visit miss Mel and had a great time at the beach and then hangin down by her house at mission beach on the lil boardwalky. I brought my cam along to get some pics of Bekah's baby bump in action, which really couldn't be any cuter : )

What I did at work this week.

2008-06-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

Soo I haven't really talked about it yet on this here lil blog but I started a "real" job three weeks ago as a Project Coordinator at PlainJoe Studios. It's a boutique studio that focuses on strategic branding, interactive media, and environmental design...basically they do a lot of really sweet stuff all the time. I'll tell you more about it all in an upcoming post and hopefully get some pictures up of how absolutely incredible the place is that I work... but for now just know I looove my job. What's not to love? They already took us on a "team building" trip to Disneyland and the owner surprised us by getting us all annual passes. Who does that?!

Anyways I thought I'd just show you all something I've had a chance to work on this past week. Basically many people in the PJS team have been working to put together 40 customized ipod touches for a client that is giving them away at an investor/launch meeting....wish you could be one of those guys? Yeah, me too. I basically put together all the packaging that was branded for this project which was really cool to see come together. My newfound photography friend, Ed, let me help photograph the swag and I managed to get the shot below. If you can't figure out the copy reference its per the one and only John Lennon's picture being displayed on the front of every box.

Welcome to college lil seester.

2008-06-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

My one and only and bestest sister graduated high school a couple weeks ago. I'm so proud of her and all she's done and encountered through life thus far. I'm excited to see her pursue a nursing degree and know she'll make the most incredible nurse ever. Seriously, she's going to be Ammaaazing. As for the graduation, it was lotsa fun. We made a nice big Hoo-Rah! A couple of air horns and some screamin vocal chords made for nice support...the kind of rachet that every graduate hopes for. Tef received her diploma, shook a couple hands, and was glad to be moving on to the next part of life. I'm super glad for her and can only imagine what the next four or so years will bring.

Soo I have to include this side story about my Dad....just have to. My poor dad...you know how some schools release birds as some sort of attempted act to be inspirational. You can see where this is going already im sure... Well they say the lil mantra "And you will soar on wings like eagles" and they released the doves (not sure why they didn't just get eagles). Well this one bird decided to single out my dad for a little drop zone if you know what I mean. Yes, the dove dropped a turd right on him. We felt bad for him, but really no one could stop laughing.

Goin to the Chapel // Sarah and Adrian

2008-05-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

So my dear friends Sarah and Adrian were married a couple weekends ago. Okay so when I first heard they were going to be having the wedding at First Baptist Norco I wondered how they were going to pull it off. But it turned out absolutely incredible, with style and artsy flair to match their personalities. I wish I had more pictures of all the details, but you might be able to catch those soon on Zack's blog, he was the actual photographer, I was just an imposter, actually being in the wedding party. Sarah was sooo beautfiul and Adrian was quite the dapper groom, I was glad to be a part of their day. Anywho, I am excited for the pictures I actually got in and I'm even more excited to be friends with these two as they continue on through life as the Martinez family ; )

Sorry Jordan, I should've gotten this to you before Mother's Day...would've been perfect.

Minnesota, please welcome Mark and Megan...

2008-05-13T02:31:00.001-07:00

Soo this past weekend we threw a farewell party for our wonderful friends, the Schaaps at Jamie and Nathan's. Putting aside the sadness of them moving to Minnesota so soon, we had a wonderful 'vunderful' time. We ate a lot of yumminess ranging from smores toasted over the bbq to the same type of cake they had at their wedding...we pretty much all felt sick after the gorge fest.

To help them remember their freakin awesome friends in cali, we had a lil photo sesh with M and M of which you'll see below. For some reason Mark and Megan can rock a sad face better than anyone out there, and I was made fun of for my lack of ability...whatev. After taking our turns with the guests of honor we played spoons and another card game that was new to me called 'Mow Mow'. Now I was warned that everyone would be fighting, and if you've ever played this game you know why.

The girls were crying, the guys were brawling, and many people threw down their cards and walked out.

Okay so that didn't really happen, but It really is one of the most frustrating games in the wooooooorld! We ended the night with the cake I was talking about earlier of which we lit up with candles and serenaded them with our version of "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow." I'm pretty sure as they blew out the candles they wished that they could find friends in MN half as great as we are ; )

Stay tuned because later on this week Megan and Mark are going to get all dressed up in wedding garb and do a "Trash the Dress" sesh with me before they leave. Sooo excited.

My Gooorgeous Seester. Part Two.

2008-05-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Finally! Here are a few more from my sister's senior photos. My Teffie is about to graduate high school and then move on to college...It's so weird to think about how I just ended that part of my life and she's just about to begin it. I hope it's even better for her than it was for me.

I love her soo much and can't think of anyone else I love being around as much. Fretel and Gretel, Suzanne Wong, Mama Boobik, Pootie...they're just a bunch of weird words and names to all you reading, but to her and I they're fun and crazy memories that I hope we'll remember forever and still be laughing about twenty years down the road. I can't tell you how great she is...how much she teaches me. If you know her at all you know she's just about the most selfless, caring, and kindest person out there. I love her.

My Gooorgeous Seester. Part One.

2008-05-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went out to get some pictures of my sister to use for her graduation coming up in about a month. Yup, we both were seniors at the same time...her high school, myself college. Precious, right? Anyways, as you'll be seeing she's a stunna' and I'm so excited to post the rest but for now I'll just leave a lil teaser with one of my favorites.

Cap, gown, and some dang good carne asada.

2008-05-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Soooo I am a big bad college grad. Yesh, it's true. I've been done since December of last year but with many family birthdays and Christmas I decided to walk in the spring with all my frien's : ) I'm glad I did. I thought it would be weird since I hadn't been in school for five months but it wasn't a bit. Suprisingly it felt so good to walk across the stage and grab my empty diploma tube. It gave a feeling of completion. Too bad 7500 people had to sit in the scorching sun and listen to about 500 names called to give me that feeling, I say it was worth it.

After I finally found my family in the midst of thousands, we headed home to 'the Beau' and had ourselves a fiesta. In my casita we indulged in some mighty fine food...a little taco bar does everyone good right. I've never seen our house so packed. My momma throws a mean party. It ended up being an awesome day and I was blessed to be surrounded by so many family and friends. Here's a few pics from throughout...

So nice of the guy behind me to stick out his tongue for this picture. Thank you, sir.

Lil Rachel & Kayla

2008-04-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sooo a couple of weeks ago my sister and I took a couple of cuties up to Oak Glen for some fun and a bit of a photo sesh. We had a hay day playing in the itchy grass, trompsing around in the bushes, and saying hello to the 'sheeps' and goats of course. They're soo stinkin cute, I was absolutely loving their pig tails. Rachel has the most beautiful eyes that are always giving this curious lil look and Kayla's just so adorable, she kept biting her bottom lip...I think she was a lil camera shy. Here's their blog debut, enjoy some pics of the cutest lil girls out there!

Oh my Jame Jame...

2008-04-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

So my dearest Jamie, who to me will always be my Jame Jame, and I her Shan shan, was married to the wonderful Nate Nate a couple weeks ago. I love them a lot a lot. Jamie and I share this secret silliness that doesn't come out with all people but freely flows when we're together. We share a lot of similarities from our perfectionist tendencies to the one thing that can make us bawl in an instant and everthing in between. And Nate Nate, he's gonna be a great husband, such a great leader, so loving, patient, and silly too. I just love how he loves my Jame Jame. They're going to have a great life together. I'm going to miss being her favorite roomie ; )

Oh and as for the wedding, after months of perusing blog after blog looking for inspiration and direction it went off without a hitch. And my jame jame...honestly, the term drop dead gorgeous falls short of how beautiful she was. Stunning. Truly stunning. You'll see in a minute...

Sooo maybe I overposted....but I really couldn't help it. Like I said people I love my jame jame.

Sarah Rooomie and her Lova' Boy

2008-03-25T00:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm finally a real live blogger. Yow yow!

And my first post goes to my wonderful and b-e-a-utiful friend who has the title of "Sarah Rooomie" in my cellie. I love her so very much and am so stinkin excited for her and Adrian to be hubby and wifey so soon! Congratulations to my friends with one of the cutest love stories ever, all starting with some anonymous flowers being left at the door by her secret admirer.
He pursued her. He won her heart. She won his.

.......Sigh and swoon ladies, you know it's stinkin adorable.