The essence of Fall in a Child's eyes... {Big Bear Child Photographer}

This little guy is one of my favorite kids to photograph. He's generally easy to bribe, he is really easy to play "make believe" with and he just happens to be my nephew. Lucky me! He's been visiting for a little while to help give his momma a break since she also has has a 6 month old and an 18 mo old...YIKES! He's not always this cute however. Like the time..{the other day} *cough cough*, when I went upstairs to find that he had chewed along the top edge of my very nice media center with his teeth! Argh! Why do they have to have to teeth this young when they are not responsible enough to use them properly!!?? I have to admit that at that moment I really wanted to pack him in the car and drive him the 2.5 hours back home. Actually I wanted to put him on a bus. Hehe. I asked him yesterday what it is that he should NOT do and he said "I not chew on your furture LaLa". LOL! Anyway, he redeemed himself yesterday when I took him out for a little shoot. Here he is enjoying the beautiful gift of Fall in Big Bear.

Johanna and Nathan {Joined} Big Bear Lake Wedding Photographer

When I start a wedding post I always have the first thought of "I had the honor of"... But really it's a given. It's always an honor to capture the love and commitment of two people in love and Johanna and Nathan were no exception. Johanna shared with me that she had a crush on Nathan in grade school. I thought that was a priceless memory for her to have while standing before her soon-to-be husband as she recited her vows. The day before their wedding there was tons of rain and thunder and the storm threatened to dampen their day but I have a feeling that all the prayers of all of their family and friends were heard because there wasn't even a drop on them. The clouds made for some beautiful light and drama in the mid-afternoon and I am so happy that I was able to capture moments for them that they can look at for always. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek Johanna and Nathan and that you are having a wonderful time together!



















Vendor info:
Flowers By: The Little Green House Florists

Venue: Inn Der Bach

Catering by: Old Country Inn (909) 866-4521

{Joined} Video surprise for Shayla and Rhett....

I haven't done a video in a while and I really wanted to surprise the newly married Blackwell's with a sweet video of their day. This is just a small sampling of what I was able to capture but I hope you enjoy it!
If you have trouble viewing it just hit PAUSE for a few moments and then hit play again.

Kristina and Daniel - Catching up... {Southern California Wedding Photographer}

This post has been waiting around on my PC just itching to get out here on the blog. The problem was that the day after I shot this I left on vacation and then came home to some huge life changes including moving. By the way....how on earth do people live without internet!!? I was without it for the past 10 days and nearly didn't make it!
The story behind this wedding shoot is really cool. I hope that it inspires you to not be afraid to ask someone who's already awesome at what you love to help you to grow and be the best awesome you can be too. :) With that said I have admired the work of Zenia Anderson for a while. Especially her wedding work. It's so clean and tells the story of a day that can never happen again so perfectly. So one day I emailed her and asked if I could tag along. Sure, I totally was prepared for her to be annoyed and reject me but to my excitement, she did not. She was happy to have me along and willing to let me learn from her and I cannot thank her enough. She is really good with her clients and really fast at getting them right where she wants. She is the perfect mix of sweet and assertive. And I am very thankful for the experience with her. Here is what I saw on that awesome day....



I was beyond thrilled when I learned that she had arranged a First Look with the couple...the moments captured in a First Look are priceless.

{Married} Shayla & Rhett - Southern California Wedding Photographer

When writing a post I usually let the words flow right onto the keyboard. But when writing a post with such deep connections as I have with this family there are literally too many words to choose from and I get traffic jam in my heart. I also was too shy to toast at their wedding so I'll just do it right here....

These three are special. They aren't just special they are cherished. They are encouragement to those around them. They are love to all they know. They are giving and selfless. They are meant to be together. I was not only their photographer but I am a friend, a sister, an aunt. So as I type this I am overwhelmed with happiness for these three. I say three because they also have a son, Jack, who I am the proud aunt of.
Their wedding day was so beautiful and there were so many people who love them that came to their sides to make this day happen. I was so impressed by the people in the background who were there serving them. Not only both of their families but also their closest friends. I saw people serving food and stocking drinks. Turning on lights and taking care of the all the little thing that made their day amazing. They have obviously given of themselves to those around them to be given such love in return. Shayla and Rhett, you guys mean so much to me and I am honored to have been there to witness your love and to caputure it for you. Thank you for letting me be a part of it!
I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!!

Shayla and Rhett - 9/18/2010 Lake Hughes, CA
Vendor information -
Flowers by Nikolai Weddings
DJ service by Jared Larsen - (661) 609-1219
Catering by Jared Combs of Mobius Catering - (661) 713-8957

Sweet Sienna {Big Bear Photographer}

I have been running behind on blog posts lately. We were on vacation for about a month and towards the end of it I got a message on my phone from this sweet one's Mom. Her session was a nice welcome back to work for me. She is a sweet and beautiful baby and she did so well for being 3 weeks old. Her Mom and Dad were just a sweet, sweet couple and they are so blessed to have Sienna in their lives now. Here are a few from their session...enjoy!




{Big Bear Photographer, newborn, family}

God Made Dirt.... {Big Bear Photographer}

And dirt don't hurt.

I can't tell you the number of times I remember this phrase being spoken when I was little. Whether it was by me or by another kid who was covered in dirt it's a phrase I'll always remember. I can't muster up one bad childhood memory of dirt. Mud pies, good memory. Dirt hills, good memory. Dirt pools for the G.I. Joes, good memory. So it was really hard to be mad for too long after opening the back door to these smiling faces, who really had no clue what they actually looked like.
I thought I was sending them out to play so that I could get some time alone to clean and pack. I thought it would pass the time for them and help me at the same time. I WAS WRONG. The cleanup after this was pretty much a muddy bath and dirty footprints all over the tile. Not to mention the load of laundry. But it's a good reminder to me that no matter how busy I get it's important to allow them the grace and freedom to explore their world and most importantly, to make memories. They were still pretty cute once I cleaned them up. And they were clean for all of about 5 minutes.