San Juan Capistrano, California.

Grace and Angel were married at Rancho Capistrano in Orange County. The venue is set outdoors with beautiful greenery and a mountain backdrop ideal for photos. I wasn't surprised by this since I could tell that photography was important to Grace and Angel when I first met them. The wedding party was a fun group of people, the live band was fantastic, and the day was great. Here's a preview of the photos...

We were walking up this hill and it was difficult for Grace in her heels. I thought it was cute how Angel was helping her by holding the dress up this way.

My favorite shot of the evening, on the red bridge above the pond.

The plaza where the reception was held was adorned with red flowers and served as a gorgeous backdrop.

We didn't meet Sarah and Noah until the shoot, but we hit it off right away. I say this a lot, but they seriously are such a sweet and fun couple, not to mention adorable and photogenic! We met them at a beach near the Batiquitos Lagoon in Encinitas by their place. The day started off extremely hot, but we waited until sunset to capture them in gorgeous soft natural light. Their wedding is coming up really soon and I'm so looking forward to it!

Sarah decided to improvise a little by kicking some water up which, if you look carefully, ended up on the lens filter. I love this shot, and like I told Sarah, my equipment is fine. The high-end Nikon cameras I use are tightly sealed and the lenses all have filters on it that protect the lens.

I usually don't bother with photo competitions, but this is for a good cause so... I'm entering images in the WedComp International Wedding Image Competition to benefit Thirst Relief International.



For you photographers out there: Get recognition. Help a cause.

Kerry and Jason wanted to surprise Jason's grandpa with a family portrait session for his 70th birthday party in Seal Beach. We counted almost 30 people for this shoot, my largest portrait group ever! Everyone was so nice and having fun with it, so it was a blast. Here are just some of the shots from last weekend.


Underneath the pier.






The birthday boy!






They are such a fun group.



We took Kerry and Jason aside for a quick romantic shoot.

Trabuco Canyon, California.

You have to enjoy shooting a wedding when the father of the bride inducts you into the family. That's precisely what Rick did while we shot Annalisa and William's wedding at the Dove Canyon Courtyard in Trabuco Canyon, next to the Coto De Caza Country Club.

I started off at Annalisa's parent's house and became acquainted with her family immediately. Her father, Rick, was comedy relief the entire time (sorry Annalisa, I know you told me not to encourage him, but he is funny). What I found out though, through a fun car ride with the family to the wedding, was that they had an open and genuine love for each other. It made for a lot of funny and touching moments througout the day, and to able to capture that is why I love doing what I do.


If you know me, you'll know that I always gravitate towards dogs. It was feeling left out of the festivities.



























Waiting in the room.



Mom gets dad ready for the big moment.



Rick protected this door like a secret service agent, checking all visitors upon entrance. Most of the time, he was making the whole room laugh by providing funny commentary on the guests walking by outside the room. Here, he is quiet as he gazes at his daughter the bride.






























My favorite shot, unposed.






"The perfect pear."





Click here to view Annalisa and Will's engagement session