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One of the things I loved most about WPPI week was that it allowed me to attend a variety of different shoots to experiment with lighting, posing and composition. Here are some images from a fabulous shoot out organized by Melissa Diep Photography.
Make up & Hair by Spencer Lopez and Lissy.
This is Shelby Valine. Isn’t she gorgeous?
And this is the lovely Karen Henning. What a sweet model.
I really like the double reflection in the escalator.
Jihyun (aka: G) and I have been good friends since our Chiropractic school days. She introduced me to the wonders of good roasted coffee and endless hours of Korean soap operas. She is one of the most kindhearted girls I know. Phil and G met through a mutual friend, and hit it off right away. I am so happy that she met Phil, because I couldn’t think of a better match for her. He’s warm, caring and silly…and of course, he absolutely adores her. Here are a few of my favorite photos from their wedding last week in Southern California.
G & Phil ~ Congratulations on your wedding! I am so honored to be your friend.
Aloha! Sorry for the radio silence; I spent the past week photographing a wedding in Los Angeles and attending WPPI (an international wedding & portrait photography conference) in Las Vegas. During the week, Victor Sizemore (an extremely talented photographer from Los Angeles) organized this swanky photo shoot in the middle of the desert. A big thanks to Victor and his talented team for making this all happen!
Design & Styling by Summer Watkins
Cactus props provided by Historical Jewels
Hair & Make Up by Jill Guin of Darling Bride
Video by Elysium Productions
Meet Anna Lake. She is stunning!
Gayle & Rich, who are from Portland, were recently vacationing on Maui. This extremely cool couple just got engaged! After staying at the Sea Breeze Villa (what a beautiful place to celebrate!), they decided to change their wedding to a Maui destination wedding (and who can blame them?). I couldn’t personally think of a better place to get married, although I am biased, since my husband and I tied the knot here. But I am a firm believer that Hawaii is a little slice of heaven, with its exotic volcanic rocks, blue turquoise waters and warm soft sand.
Rich has a great sense of humor, he’s always making Gayle smile & laugh. And Gayle has an infectious smile that could light up any room. Their tropical wedding is next February, at the luxurious Sea Breeze Villa. Here are some photographs of their engagement session.
Here are the images from the Southern California photo shoot! Jodi and Matt were great to work with. Jodi is an aspiring model who is a natural in front of the camera. These two were fun & flirtatious which made photographing them a breeze.
Models: Jodi & Matt Newton
The gown: Joan Shum
Make up: Vivian Tran
Flowers: The Treasured Petal
Jewelry: Noaki Jewelry
A big thanks to Jasmine* and JD for making this all happen.
Every year on Maui, Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center throws an amazing gala & benefit auction. Last year’s event was Bollywood-themed and this year’s theme was “Bourbon Street.” It was exciting to see everyone dressed up and taking part in such a great cause. All the proceeds from Art Affair benefits The Hui’s youth programs, which gives Maui children access to high quality arts education (classes, workshops, lectures, exhibitions) and also provides scholarship programs for families unable to afford tuition.
There was both a live and silent auction of fine art and service packages (the live one led by auctioneer Kip Toner) and mouth watering Southern food (gumbo shooters, oysters rockefella, seafood & sausage jambalaya, and pecan crusted catfish) created by Bev Gannon. Guests danced to the music of Raw Silk (featuring Kelly Covington and Fulton Tashombe). And to top it off, there was an entertaining tap dance performance by Maui Academy of Performing Arts!
From this year’s event, the Hui managed to raise well over $100,000. Everyone was very generous in their donations and it was a huge success!
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer couple. These two are having their wedding in Maui next February! We took some time to do their engagement session at Sea Breeze Villa. Guess who their Maui wedding photographer is going to be? Yes, lucky me!
Time flies, it’s inevitable. Rana has been my best friend since 3rd grade. I grew up with this girl all the way through college at the University of Minnesota. We have been through it all — birthdays, graduations, a telemarketing job (never again), our first experience with tequila (which I still have an aversion to), pulling all-nighters cramming for exams and meeting our first loves. Fast forward 10 years, and she’s living in San Diego, happily married to a great guy and pregnant with their first child. Rana has always loved kids. I honestly thought she would have had 5 kids by now and then adopted another 5 on top of that. She’s just that type of woman — a nurturer, incredibly kind, gentle, and full of love.
I haven’t seen her in quite some time, sadly, yet it’s great that we didn’t skip a beat during my visit. Seeing Rana all grown up and being able to take some photos of this special time in her life was really touching for me. I will always have a special place in my heart for Rana; because of her, my childhood was full of laughter and so many great memories.
Congratulations, Rana & Brandon!
While I was in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Charie and Matt. These two lovebirds are engaged, and are getting married this September at Gannon’s on Maui. They met back in high school and have been inseparable ever since. They are both are so natural in front of the camera, which made this engagement session a blast. Since they are from Glendale, we decided to do the engagement shoot in Old Town Pasadena. Old Town has a lot of old brick buildings and the architecture has a lot of character. (I actually lived there for a couple of years too!)
I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking them! I’m looking forward to being their wedding photographer in Maui this September!
Our friends Courtney and Jay welcomed their baby boy Makoa into the world on December 23rd. I couldn’t think of a better Christmas gift than this bundle of joy. Shortly after the birth, I went over to their home to meet him. Baby Makoa is such a little cutie-pie! While I was snapping away, he just stared into the camera, perhaps intrigued by the sound of the shutter. When I moved him around, he didn’t mind a bit. Watching Courtney cuddle and shower him with love was especially sweet to witness. I know she’s going to be a fantastic mother. This boy is super cute, with big blue eyes and big lips to match. I can definitely see his baby modeling career taking off!
