stars are aligning!

so back to trade show talk in vegas. i knew i was in the market for some textures, actions and effects for a select handful of pictures for weddings and other shoots. i came across the booth of the awesome marcus bell from australia. not only is he one of the most amazing and well accomplished photographers in the world, but also speaks at seminars, book author and now is creating the most amazing photoshop and lightroom products. one of his team members spent a ridiculous amount of time with me until i felt i knew how to use this stuff....poor him...yikes i talked his ear off and played 50 questions with him. so i was sold and bought the whole set up which i LOVE so much more than i thought i would. i love the textures and effects but was so leary about buying them, i was afraid that my images would look different, my shooting would have to change, but this program can be so subtle yet so explosive on certain images. i spent a good day or 2 glued to my computer playing with this, poor sarah's phone was lighting up most of the day, yet with more questions until i got a good feel for what i was doing and understanding....you rock sarah, ty!! so i decided to send this marcus bell my finished product and of course the huge thank you for eating up so much time with his fellow shooter....much to my surprise, HE WROTE ME BACK! he liked my image so much he asked about posting it on his blog as a before and after sample of his software. to get recognition from such a leading photographer in the industry...in the world.....is beyond my wildest imagination and beats any ad, or any contests, or any other accomplishment i have done in this business. i am truly beside myself and so honered to have any mention in his blog.
you can visit his blog.....AND SEE MY PIC ....and of course he lists all his fabulous software that i bought and love using.
WOOOOW!!

Marcus Bell / Studio Impressions

christina & doug's valentine wedding

this wedding was nothing short of pure class!! christina and doug were married on valentines day at whitney oaks cc. not one thing fell short on this day...best of all we had NO RAIN! we started their day at their home....their BEAUTIFUL home right there at whitney oaks. i got a good sense of what kind of peeps they are with all the decor, i thought this image fit perfectly with their personalities...classy yet subtle. i could go on and on about this day, lots of different things going on. christina was as beautiful as it gets, her miosa dress...aww elegant of oh so soft....her makeup was flawless of course, it was my very fav makeup artist in the world, cynthia uranga with eye for detail artistry. no sit down dinner, they had the best of the best horderves, oh that shrimp was to die for! the reception was lit up like disneyland, we had chandeliers, candles, votives, twinkle lights and everything in between. besides sonny g with exquisite entertainment dj bringing in all this awesome lighting, he also brought in tall boy stools, and some pretty damn cool lounge furniture that i have never seen before at a wedding. when christina first met with me she was describing how she wanted her reception to look more of a lounge night club scene....and it did! the place was packed and sonny had the dance floor moving all night. party concierge took care of all those amazing florals, her bouquet was to die for! and her cake, masterpiece, seriously it glittered everywhere!! (have to get the baker on that, sorry) everything was just a perfect fit this couple. thank you guys for letting me share such a neat wedding with you and your awesome friends and family!.....i ended up getting some super cool portfolio material here :)

Childrens Cancer Organization

yesterday i had the pleasure of getting am email from a childrens cancer org. volunteer and aspiring photographer getting ready to graduate from sac state. GO NICHOLE! i was asked if i would like to donate any services to this local fundraiser they are having in august.....and OF COURSE i am always up for that, and anything that goes along with helping children. they are looking for donations for this awesome event. if you can give anything, you can visit this website that nicole provided to me. i know this event will turn out to be a huge success, thank you again so much for contacting me nichole!

Keaton Raphael Memorial

go green disk packaging

aww i just ordered my new cd/dvd holders. i saw these at the vegas show and fell in love them instantly.....for those of you that know me i cannot get enough of lucky brand anything.....and this so reminds me of them! yes, its all go green stuff here and its beautifully trimmed up with this simple gorgeous bead. oh i cant wait!! its the little things that makes my world go round :)

back from vegas

awww the vegas show was awesome! i was so wrapped up in the tradeshow it was ridiculous! i did find tons of new stuff though:) i found theee album i wanted, i also found a couple others i liked as well, will be ordering those next week. a few new flash goodies, but most of all i did grab up those actions/filters/and textures i wanted. they are really simple, and really subtle, exactly what i wanted for those super cool images that just need to extra oomph! ill be posting some oldies and goodies of my favorites over the next weeks to come - i have played around with a few images that have come out really pretty!! i would imagine in the next few months i should have this thing together in my head and whip things out pretty quickly!! rick and catherines maternity session will be my first project, catherine is up for being my super awesome guinea pig, i know the slideshow will be amazing!! i had the best time ever with thais, beth, sarah, and andrea.....we ate A LOT!! and bought A LOT!!
and ty ty ty sarah for showing me a few tricks of the trade and thanks for tagging that image on facebook cute andrea so i could rip it!!

out of the office

i am off to vegas starting tomorrow thru wednesday! i promise to return any phone calls and emails when i get back! i cant wait to share all the new goodies i am looking forward to getting! i will also do a blog post later in the week about christina and dougs fabulous valentines day wedding at whitney oaks.

proud mom!!

my oldest has been truly busting her butt on the softball field!! today we found out she made her high school j.v team as a pitcher and infielder. seriously, can the life of a high school freshman get any better!! pics will be coming!! YAY for my kae kae!!

viva las vegas babey!

the last couple of weeks have been weirdly busy for this time of year....not complaining though! i will be away in vegas on the annual trade show slash seminar stuff starting next monday thru late late wednesday (feb 16-18). if you need to be in touch, please do so before i leave but i promise to get back to you by the end of next week. i have much much work to try to get out by the 16th which includes NO MORE BLOGGING!! staying on schedule and afloat of post production is one of the biggy goals this year!
im so excited to see all the new goodies out there for us photographers, a couple of new style albums i am looking into and whatever else i can find out there. aww its going to a GREAT time!!

baby jake is here

jake was just as beautiful as i knew he would be! what a special baby boy this little guy is!! the session was great, it included lots of pooping, eating and a teeny crying here and there but we nailed this session completely!! isnt the smell of a fresh new baby the most amazing thing you have ever smelled, maybe its a mom thing but personally i love it!! congrats to you and your familes on this special new addition!!

dianna and ralph post bridal session

OMG!! todays shoot was awesome, the wind was making things that much colder but this couple here were amazing troopers to get this thing done! there are so many great images, my head is spinning a bit and really i am all over the board with digging and looking and post processing. dianna and ralph ate up the camera as much today as they did when they got married. you guys just plain ROCK my WORLD!! a HUGE HUGE HUGE shout out to shannon with flourish designs, she came up with some gorgeous bouquets that really completed this session. and tomorrow, i get to FINALLY photograph baby JAKE!!

catherine & rick's maternity session

my couple here wasted no time in starting that family, they were married just last april. catherine has about 7 weeks to go and then baby will be here to delight us!! i love when i can shoot in home sessions rather than the stale in studio stuff, we can really bring in so much more personality and avoid all that heavy flashy strobe stuff. their home is BEAUTIFUL! it was 1915 this home was built, and it has all those cute nooks and crannys....i had no idea they made stoves that are the size of doll house furniture...seriously! check back in a couple months when this precious new baby is here!

brooke and jim

this amazing couple got married about a year and half ago at the ryde hotel. that wedding was amazing and just fun! we got so many great candids, true sign of a happy couple!! i just finished up the design of their album, i know brooke is sitting on the seat of her pants waiting to grab a hold of this book! busy busy weekend this weekend, i have a maternity session today with some of my very favorite people ever, and tomorrow, well as long as our weather holds up- i have the most amazing post bridal session scheduled that knock your socks off!

mike regan/mr. dj service slideshow

alright...ive been waiting a bit to get this posted and up----this session just plain freakin ROCKED!
view this super coolness here
mrdjservice.com 916.988.6979

sound image entertainment

ok so i got this slideshow up REALLY fast. i had the pleasure of photographing brandon, kam kam, devin dylan and dustin of sound image dj's yesterday- they were much in need of some new fam pics, the last time we did them was about 2 years ago. i work with these peeps a lot a lot a lot and i LOVE them!! if you are looking for a dj for your wedding or event, visit this awesome husband wife team....ck out this super duper fun slideshow here. i so love when my slideshows come to life!

my super cute kid

i was able to grab a couple shots of my kae kae while waiting for our fam shoot yesterday, kaela has been doing quite a lot of shooting with me lately ...mostly e sessions, a couple of weddings last year, and she is becoming quite the little assistant. its happened 2 times that my brides have chosen an 11x14 for the wedding signature matt that was kaelas shot, yah her head was pretty big. look out in the next few years, yet another photographer blooming! gosh she almost 15, where has the time gone. hug your little ones tightly, its a FAST ride and before you know it there all grown up.

storz family

i had the cutest family shoot ever yesterday with brandon, kam kam and thier 3 D's....(dylan, dustin & devin) super cute slideshow coming soon.