gorgeous couple + gorgeous location + plaid + pom poms = <3

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My dear friend Emily is getting married this year and I am so thrilled that she asked me to photograph her wedding because not only will it be AMAZING (for reals), but she is also a wonderfully talented photographer & often my partner in crime at weddings. And it always an honor to photograph fellow photographers!

Everything about this shoot was magic though. And sexiness (are you KIDDING me with that first image?!) And fun (love the pom poms!) AND, FILM! As I shoot more and more film at weddings & shoots, I love it more and more. A good number of these images are film and I couldn’t be happier. :)

“It feels like a really good conversation. There’s an exciting chemistry that runs through my body. Have you ever been on a really good first date? Or maybe spent hours on the phone with a new boyfriend and not even realized it was three a.m? I am energized and smitten. I am in love.”

- Tiffany
Dancing Branflake

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Perfecting technique is something that every dancer strives for. This is how they improve and grow. While it is essential in dance, I find that it’s only part of the equation to a talented dancer. It’s only part of the equation to dancing itself.

The other part, I think, is to let go.

When I approached Tiffany for my dance photography project, I was excited because I have known Tiffany since high school, and we went through a part of high school dancing together in our marching band’s colorguard & winterguard. She is a beautiful dancer, and a wonderful soul; eager to dance, and ready for whatever I threw at her.

I asked her to dance barefoot on the grass; dance in pointe shoes on the cement. I asked her to picture herself in different scenarios; to dance for specific people in her life.

I asked her to let go.

I asked her to let go of perfect technique. Let go of how things look. And let her spirit fill the moves.

Letting go, I think, is vital to dance because it allows our true selves to come out in our dance. It allows each extension, each step, each breath, and each movement to be from something else deep down inside of us. We are no longer thinking about what we are doing, we are just doing. And from that an energy emanates from us, from our souls.

My goal is to capture that life, that energy that comes through. Because it is who we are deep in the core of us, and when we see it come through in dancing, it’s like magic.

. . . .

When I first began this project, I knew I wanted to photograph dancers. I knew that I wanted to photograph them differently than I had seen in the past. Maybe not in a completely revolutionary way, but in a way that meant something to me. In a way that would show how it felt to dance. Like what Tiffany said above, it’s much like a fantastic conversation – you feel energized, smitten and in love. I want to continue to explore this, and to share with you all my discoveries in capturing this energy in images.

I do hope you enjoy these images of Tiffany, dancing her heart out, letting go & just being. :)

. . .

Be sure, there are much much more dancers to come. You can also check out the last dancer I photographed, Emily.

amazing, amazing, amazing people + style galore + a day filled with exploration and fun = <3

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I heart these two like no other. Jasmine & Scott are two friends of mine that I cherish dearly, and love them to bits. (Jasmine is the lovely lady who often photographs my Facebook & Twitter profile images, and is a fantastic graphic designer & photographer herself.)

Since they were already technically married, we decided to make it more of a couples/lifestyle session, than a regular engagement session. I spent most of the day with these two, going to their favorite locations in the little area they live, Normal Heights. We walked around the neighborhood and went to furniture shops, popsicle shops, food spots, and best of all, their home.

There is definitely something to be said about shooting in a location that means something to the couple.

Their wedding, which was this past month, proved to be fantastic and quite possibly the best weddings I’ve ever been to. Filled with joy, love, and most of all – wonderful human spirits. I’ve fallen in love with just people again thanks to all the wonderful souls that were there.

<3

la crescenta & pasadena, california.

early morning wedding + absolutely no sleep + salt of the earth people = <3

These two are salt of the earth people. Truly, truly. One of the things I love about weddings are the amazing people I get to meet and get to know, and these two are close to the very top of my list. People who are open, and surround themselves with the same type of open & amazing people make wedding a pure joy to photograph. Especially when I had absolutely NO SLEEP the night before. Yes, you heard me right. The night before this wedding was one of those nights where I just simply could not fall asleep and it was an early day, so we shot the day on pretty much no sleep. And I have to say, I couldn’t be happier with how it all came together. Of course, when you have such wonderful people, it just makes your job easier :)

My favorite part about almost all these images? Everyone’s expressions. So genuine, and so filled with love. It makes me filled with warmth. :)

ceremony . st luke of the mountains . la crescenta, ca
reception . rococo room . pasadena, ca

P.S. If you have noticed, yes, this wedding isn’t recent at all. I’ve been furiously trying to catch up on blogging, and I really want to blog everything I have shot. But it’s super hard when you’re as behind on blogging as I am. So what I’m planning on doing from here on out is mixing recent shoots with past shoots. Hopefully this will allow me to catch up properly. :)

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Oh gosh, I just love film. Love Love LOVE it. This last batch from the last wedding I shot had me gushing all over the place. The colors are so gorgeous. And the last image was a total double exposure accident, but I sort of really love it because it gives it this mystical quality. Yea, I love film.

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So thrilled to announce that I have been published in the San Diego Magazine for the shoot that I did with Sweet Paper! So thrilled for the ladies of Sweet Paper, and definitely thrilled because it’s just so fun to get published! You can find this issue in newstands now, or read the article online here. :)