I heart WPPI!  (seriously, it’s one of my favorite things ever.)  This year I went with my good friend/second shooter, Lindsay Long!  We got to stay with some amazing friends, take photos of Aley, go see “O” at Bellagio, attend classes, get lost/overwhelmed at the trade show, and attend some super fun social events put on by WPPI.

On the first night, we attended a live demo put on by Jerry Ghionis….yes, I got pulled out of the crowd (possibly unwillingly) to pose!!!  It was pretty awesome (though I was shaking like a leaf the whole time because I was so nervous!)  Jerry is an amazing photographer and it was pretty great to be up on stage with him! 🙂

Thanks Chris and Bryan for grabbing a photo of this for me!

During the week, Lindsay and I attended over ten classes.  We learned so many different things from so many different people.  We got to grab this snap shot with Susan Stripling, she is just one of the amazing speakers we got to listen to.

On our second day in Vegas, we took a break from classes to photograph Aley!  We went to the old strip and had a blast with her!  It is always fun to photograph friends!  Check out her aweosme model self below!!!!

Even though we were pretty much constantly exhausted, (and running on Starbucks) Lindsay and I attended some fun social events at WPPI.  I don’t know what the party theme was with these guys on stilsts, but we sure had fun posing with them! 🙂  We are such goof balls.

On our last night in Vegas, we meandered over to Bellagio to see “O”!  I was so excited because I have been DYING to see this show for a few years now!  We had seats in the lower section of the audience, center!  It was soooooooooo cool!  If you have never seen a show before, go see this one!!!!

On our way out, after listening to all of our speakers talk about seeing things differently, we ran across this Chanel sign…..and posed.  We managed to start a small trend because when we walked out the doors, all the people that were around us, started taking pics on the wall too!  (I wonder if they knew to turn the flash off????)

After an entire week in Vegas, it was pretty nice to come back home….but you can only bet that I’m already ready to go back again!!!!  Every year we leave with new friends from all over and completely inspired to put all that we have learned into action!  Lindsay and I left with some super fun ideas that we can’t wait to share with all of you!!!! 🙂

Till next time WPPI.

“There is a place.  Like no place on Earth.  A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger!  Some say to survive it: you need to be as mad as a hatter….which luckily I am.” -The Mad Hatter

I’ve decided to start telling stories through stylized photoshoots…..and nothing would be more me than to tell Disney stories.  Let’s start with a little madness because, after all, we are all a little mad, aren’t we?

Enjoy.

“We are all a little mad sometimes….but I’ll let you in on a secret….all the best people are”.

Makeup by: Ande Castaneda (she is amazing, btw!!!!)

When I tell people about CiAnne and Matt’s wedding, I describe it as a “Pinterest Dream.”  Everywhere I turned, there were details to photograph.  There were italian string lights, pumpkins on the tables, wine bottles, mason jars, beautiful wooden chairs at the tables, a really cool cake table and lots of little hand made decorations and signs.  (Even the groom’s socks were totally awesome and needed photographing)  Their wedding was a small and fun, intimate backyard affair in their own home with a bridal party that consisted of a Maid of Honor and a Best Man.

We had a blast photographing at the Padre Hotel and all over their house….and I might have had a slight love affair with their red front door and their OWL CAKE!!!!  Though I couldn’t get enough of their red front door with the giant peep hole, CiAnne’s dress may have been my favorite wedding detail from the day.  I just loved the texture, polka dots, and one shoulder strap. Everything about their wedding was personal, intimate, and soft….from their outdoor sunset ceremony to their small bridal party to the handkerchiefs that CiAnne had embroidered for her Mom and Mother-in-law.

It took me entirely too long to get their wedding up on my blog, but here it is….the “Pinterest Dream” wedding of CiAnne and Matt.

Congrats you two and thank you for letting me tell the story of your special day!

Flowers: bought from Carol Jones (at the downtown farmer’s market on Saturdays) & designed by the Bride and Mother of the Bride

Groom’s Cake: Sugarbaker’s Cake Shop

Cupcakes: Sweet Surrender

Dress: Carmen Marc Valvo

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik

Tables/Rentals: Walker Lewis Rents & DIY decorations

I think I have been living in a whirl wind since the beginning of December.  I never thought my winter months would be so busy!  This Christmas/New Year season has been filled with vacations to Vegas and Oregon, a New Years trip to Pismo, a wedding, three birthdays, a trip to San Diego, an under water engagement session, a trip to Santa Barbara, and coming up….a BRIDAL SHOW!  At the beginning of December, I expected my life would calm down after the wedding, but I was wrong.  It’s a blessing really….but I’m really excited for a day in the future when I can just relax.

My life, and office, seem to be in chaos.  Hurricane Ashley has blown her way through in preparation for tomorrow’s under water engagement session, Friday’s visit to Santa Barbara to help my former teacher with a class, Sunday’s family shoot at Alisal Ranch (in Solvang), a model shoot that involves coordinating many people for next Thursday, and an upcoming bridal show on January 27th!  Yup, that’s right, I’m doing all of this in the next two weeks!  I’m so excited that my head seems to be spinning and is in ten different places right now bombtechgolf.com…..I really don’t know what else to say, except that I promised some pics from Justin and Allie’s wedding. (yay for instagram)

ALSO, come see me at the Kern County Bridal Association’s Bridal Show on January 27th at the Kern County Fair Grounds!!!!

We had a BLAST at the wedding…..posing for pictures, doing a choreographed bridesmaids dance, drinking shots, and dancing the night away to the music that rocked my prom in 2005!!! (Yes, that’s right…..we went old school…kinda)

Below are my awesome phone pics….

Allie and all of her girls!

Me and Cecilia before the wedding!

me and the lovely bride making lovely faces while waiting for the wedding to start. (it’s our thing)

she’s so pretty

the church.

Congrats again Allie and Justin! 🙂  We all love you!

Do you ever pick up Glamour magazine and flip straight to the “Hey it’s Okay” page?  I do…pretty much every time.  It is seriously my favorite thing about that magazine.  It’s great that someone out there in magazine publishing land is reminding me about these things that are okay to do.  Well today, I’m going to be the random person in magazine publishing land and give you my own hey it’s okay.

A few weeks ago, I did a shoot just for fun!  I was on my way home from San Diego and stopped in Santa Monica to shoot with my friend and amazing model, Brooke Howard.  We had such a blast just playing dress up and figuring out the pictures as we went.  It was so nice to just have fun while I was shooting….the pressure was off and we just rolled with the punches.  It really keeps the creative juices flowing to do something just for you every once in a while.

So I’m here to say….hey, its OKAY….to stop and do something for yourself!  This applies to almost anything, including wedding planning.  If you are stressed, stuck in a rut, or just sick of explaining to every other person what your dress looks like and what the color scheme of your wedding is….go do something for yourself!  Because, hey, it’s OK!

Grab your girls and have a no wedding spa day, go out and drink, attend a sporting event, or do my favorite thing to blow off steam/relieve stress what are average carpet cleaning prices….RETAIL THERAPY!!!!  Nothing says I’m feeling better like a new pair of shoes or that really cute jacket that you have been eying for two weeks!

You need to keep fresh to really be on your game for whatever it is in your life….so take a day for yourself….cuz (and I know I’m getting slightly repetitious here) HEY, IT’S OKAY!!!!

ps. Check out what I did with my hey it’s okay, just for me photo shoot!!!! 🙂  (Brooke totally rocked it!)