Lady Gaga Styled ShootOut {Redlands Photographer}

I had a fabulous opportunity to attend a Lady Gaga meets Desperate Housewives inspired shoot with a bunch of other ridiculously talented photogs.  The amazing Michelle Cunningham and Heather Skelton completely styled the shoot.  These ladies worked it out…not only did they stylize the shoot, but one was a group leader and the other was a model.

A HUGE thank you to John + Monica McEntee who graciously let about 60 photographers and models traipse through their gorgeous Orange County estate – without them the entire shoot would not have been possible.  Also a huge shout out to the fearless group leaders: Hanssie Trainor, Matthew Saville, Garrett Davis, Michelle Cunningham, Verone Pangilinan, and Jeff Alquist.

The hair + makeup for the shoot were absolute perfection! Kudos to:

Makeup:

Tianna DeGuire

Mona Malaki

Hair:

Kylee Heath

Diego Ortega

And the models…simply rawked it out! Check out some favs….

Backyard Blast {Redlands Family Photographer}

I simply adore this family!  Jared and I have so many fond memories from high school {though I’ll spare the blog world + our adult reputations the details of our mischief} and, for whatever reason; we are always able to catch up in no time flat.  So when he looked me up to take headshots for his successful real estate business and his consulting business, I could hardly resist hanging out with his amazing wife and children, too.  H has grown up so much since I last saw him – I can hardly believe how big he’s gotten.  I love how he proudly totes around his baby sister and affectionately lavishes her with hugs and kisses.  And little Miss E invites and appreciates her big brother’s warmth and fondness.  I couldn’t picture Jared with a more perfect wife than J; she’s FABULOUS!  She’s a magnificent Mom who gives her children her undivided love and attentiveness.  And I adore how relaxed and calm she always is, even during a family photo shoot – it takes most Moms {myself included} years and years to get there. 

J + J, you have a wonderful family!   I had a blast hanging out with you guys!  Here are some favs from the day…

RAWR! {Redlands Boudoir Photographer}

Here’s another post to pay tribute yet again to one stunning, thoughtful wife who has an incredibly LUCKY husband!  When S contacted me to inquire about a boudoir session as a gift for her husband for their one year wedding anniversary, I was ecstatic!  Celebrating a woman’s beauty and her love and passion for her husband just makes me smile {…so do fishnets + sexy pearls by the way}!!  

S chose one of my favorite hotels, The Viceroy Palm Springs, for her session.  And although she claims a boudoir session isn’t something she would normally do {nudge nudge wink wink}, I think she rocked it out like a pro.  And as for her hubby…he is getting a truly extraordinary anniversary gift!  RAWR! 

So while there are plenty of photos I would love to share with you because S is simply stunning and amazing, my clients’ privacy comes first and foremost.  So here are a few I can share…   

Redlands Allstars are Section Champs! {Redlands Photographer}

My eldest son, Chase, has had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing Pony Allstar team for RBY.  The entire team is crazy talented.  These kids are only seven years old, but they make me incredibly proud.  They play so well together, they all have great attitudes and sportsmanship, and every single one of those kids eats, breathes, and dreams baseball.  And did I mention that they have the best cheering section EVER?? We get animated   It’s exciting!

Last night we traveled again to the dustbowl of all Pony fields (we left every game COVERED in gritty dirt) in Murrieta knowing that if we won, we would be the Section Champions, and if we lost we would have to play a really tough team to determine who would advance to Regionals.  We painted the windows of our SUV with pride.  We gathered the cheering support of grandparents, great grandparents, brothers, cousins, you name it.  To say this tournament was exhilarating does not even begin to give it justice. It was a blast watching those kids play their hearts out.  And all the hard work and great coaching paid off…Congratulations to the Redlands Pinto Red Allstars for their victory over Murrieta in the Section Championship!  WoooWhooo!  Next stop…Pony Regional Tournament!  I’m so proud of those kids!

Strawberry Superhero {Redlands Children’s Photographer}

Sugar + Spice and all things nice…that’s what Little Miss Katie is made of.  I just love this little girl so I squealed with delight when her Mom asked me to photograph her.  She’s energetic, bright, whimsical, polite, she has the most gorgeous bright red locks EVER, and I’ve even heard she’s a superhero!

This was definitely not her first time in front of a camera, so she knew the drill.  I would point the camera in her direction and you would have thought I said “cheese.” Ready…aim…CHEESE! HA! But that’s not how I roll (:  So we played games and talked about American Girl and this cutie patootie barely even knew I was taking her picture.  Just the way I like it…incognito!  Enjoy a look at our session…

Ooh la la {Redlands Boudoir Photographer}

I cannot think of many better ways for a bride to surprise her groom-to-be on their wedding day than with a book containing intimate, classy portraits of herself.  And K did just that.  RAWR!  We shot at the Viceroy in Palm Springs…the place is decked out Hollywood Regency style. Can you say HOT HOT HAWT?? 

K + her groom are HUGE hockey fans.  In fact, K’s new hubby still plays so, unbenounced to him, she borrowed one of his hockey jerseys and a hockey stick signed by none other than Wayne Gretzy himself and we personalized this session accordingly.  This was such a fun session to shoot because seeing another woman feel empowered and AWESOME about herself gives me warm fuzzies!  And I love that this boudoir session was truly a gift from the heart.  Because of the nature of the shoot, I did a little creative cropping to give you a peek. 

PS…her groom luv LOVED! his book.  A LOT!!!

Paradise {Riviera Maya}

I’ve been missing in action lately. I’ve had two uber-hawt ‘Ooh la la’ sessions (that I have yet to blog), school let out for summer, and just to make things crazy hectic (and relaxing at the same time), our family left on vacation. Our resort is nothing shy of fabulous…each year we have so much fun doing almost nothing. And every year we eagerly anticipate coming back and hanging out with the friends we have met in years past. And before it’s gone again for this summer, here’s a glimpse at our piece of paradise…

Cowboy Casanova {So Cal ShootOut}

Yeehaw!  I heart me a great shootout!  I had another fabulous opportunity to shoot with a bunch of talented photogs.  It’s always exciting to shoot with and be surrounded by such a fantastic group of crazy talented people.  Hanssie Trainor and Matthew Saville deserve a gynormous THANK YOU for organizing the event and sharing their wealth of knowledge and perspective.  The amazingly talented Rob Ninja deserves a special shout out for dedicating his time and being our guest speaker…and did I mention that he came all the way from Delaware?  It was an honor to have the opportunity to pick his brain and aspire to have even a fraction of the talent he has.  Thank you Rob for enlightening us. 

The Cowboy Casanova themed shootout would have never been a success without the generosity of the following vendors:

Venue – TCR Ranch in Temecula

Coordination – Kim Lefebrve of Six2Six Events

Hair Accessories – Heather at Bows N Berries Hairbands

Makeup – Kacee Geoffroy Makeup Designs

Makeup – Brandie Bedell

Hair – Hair by Melody

I feel enormously indebted to all the uber-talented lead photogs: Matthew Saville, Derek and Sarah Frenzel, Dana Grant, Erin and Gavin Wade, and Yvonne Lebrun.  Thank you so much for your willingness to teach and share.  Lastly, a huge ‘thanks’ to all the gorgeous models.  This group of magnificent women stood in uncomfortable heels and graciously put up with all our ridiculous posing requests without complaining a bit {{and one was even nibbled by a horse!!}}.

Here are a few favs from the afternoon…

Dustin + Dana {Wedding}

This post is much anticipated and long overdue!  Thanks for being so patient

There’s something about Dana that just makes Dustin melt.  It could be her sparkly, sweet disposition…or the clever banter they share…or that she’s drop dead gorgeous….or maybe that she loves him just as much as he loves her.  It’s the way they look at each other that just makes you know they belong together….FOREVER!!  I can only hope that my boys marry a girl who looks at them like Dana looks at Dustin….cuz she’s head over heels for him and she means it!

I was excited and honored to be a part of their BIG day at Pine Creek Gardens.  The garden venue was gorgeous and bursting with bright flowers.  Beautifully bloomed wisteria was hanging from the trellis, fish swimming in the ponds, and a lively frog croaked during the sunset.  All the little person affects the bride + groom poured their hearts into to make their day special were evident.  Dreeaammmmyyyy!  But no matter how dazzling the scenery, witnessing these two love birds committing to spend forever together was by far the most beautiful sight.

A huge thanks to Cheryl Frey of Moonlight DJ who made sure the party kept rockin’ all night! And D+D and their family and friends definitely know how to close a place down.  Everyone partied all night long! What a fabulous day!

Without further ado….Congratulations Dustin + Dana!

Long Hair

Originally I was adamantly against it – little boys with long hair. Each of my three boys’ first visits for a haircut was before they each turned two.  At first it was the traditional little boy cut, then they had styled hair and faux hawks, they buzzed their heads, and I even allowed my eldest to try color when I was getting mine done. I was reasonable; after all, I didn’t want hair to be a mood point.  But my kids were not going to be those long-haired hippy kids.  Absolutely not!  …and then it happened!  I switched up my hair routine – deciding to stick with a color closer to a la natural – and time between my visits extended…I didn’t schedule them a visit when I had my hair done the last time…and now it’s just finding the time to get their hair cut.  Really, it’s grown on me and, although I hate to admit it, I kinda like it.  With summer looming, I know it’s only a matter of time before the boys decide they’d like to buzz it all off.  So as we were flying out the door for Easter dinner, I made these monkeys indulge me for a minute while I snapped a few pictures.  Happy belated Easter!