Fashion Forward - San Diego Fashion Photographer

I really, really love my job. Taking care of my daughter and home and taking pictures for people is seriously a dream come true. I am so fortunate to be able to do my dream job. I've always been an artsy person...graduating high school with the goal of becoming an art teacher. I was majoring in art classes, focusing on painting. I loved watercolor and credit that to my old 5/6 teacher, Mrs Kurimoto. People always told me growing up that I could do whatever I dreamed of doing...but I just felt like they had to say that. Mrs. K really made you feel you like could do anything. No matter how big your dream was, she made it feel as if it was in arms reach. My painting slowly moved towards my love for photography. I remember just going to the SLR section of any camera department and playing with them. I would sit there and play with the manual focus on one composition, but focusing on different areas of that frame. My husband would always say "One day baby, we'll get you one...let's go!!!" I finally made the investment about a year before my daughter was born, and my camera never left my side. Yes, I would carry my SLR IN MY PURSE, EVERYWHERE. It took me a while to find my eye and figure out all the settings other than auto, but once I did, I knew I had found my thing. Out of all medias I've used, digital film is by FAR my favorite.

Fashion photography has to be one of my favorites...Okay wait...back up. I know I always say that after every shoot. The only explanation I can come up for that is because I seriously LOVE pictures! But back to what my point was, I love doing fashion shoots because I feel like I can be completely creative. I don't have boundaries, and people don't expect me to have them for these types of shoots. I love everything involved in it. Thinking of an inspiration, styling the shoot, being Alaina's assistant (Passing bobby pins to her, ripping her hair foils and feeding her chips while she works! LOL) for hair and makeup, doing the actual shoot, and the post processing. Every single aspect I find so enjoyable, there's no way this could be work for me!

This weekend, Alaina and I teamed up again. (Alaina, just move to San Diego already, you're pretty much here once a month!) We completely transformed Amanda, (brother-in-laws girlfriend) from a typical teenager to a model in one day. And she did SO great! Amanda took direction so well...we'd tell her to pose one way, and she got it the first time. She was completely aware of her body and it made our job so much easier and allowed for more looks to be achieved. Must be the dancer in her! :) The day before, we all went to the TO mall and searched for clothes and accessories for Amanda. The next day, we started our morning at 8 am, drove to Hollywood where Alaina's salon is. We ran into the LA Marathon which was runing parallel to Melrose, which was where we needed to be! It took us an hour to find a way to drive two streets down! Alaina worked her magic and achieved the look we were going for as quickly and carefully as she could. We didn't finished the shoot until 8 pm. It was a long day, but we got some really amazing shots for Amanda. I am so excited to show you all! Doesn't Amanda look like she belongs in a magazine?! Thank you for being so patient and sweet with us, you look so...vogue! :)

Here are a few of my favorites, and I will have your personal gallery up tonight! Look out for an email with your password!

Blessings, Opportunities, and More Blessings! - San Diego Photographer

I have so much to be thankful for... I am thankful for my family, my friends, and being able to do what I love as a job! I am grateful for the challenges and learning experiences that are being thrown my way because in the end, you learn most from your struggles. You learn who your friends are, what's important in your life, and what kind of people some are... Learning something negative about someone's character, it's something to be thankful for...you know to stay away from them! And surrounding yourself with genuine people who have great hearts is what I'm all about.

Remember Tom Renaud's album shoot I did in January? Well, the CD is about to be launched, and he's looking to get a grammy nomination!!! How awesome is that?! It is well deserved for a great, great artist and person who has really worked hard to where he's headed. It's really inpirational! God has opened a lot of doors for me, and I'm getting closer to my goals I have set for myself. Thank you everyone for fueling my fire and helping me make that leap to the next level. Don't know where I'm going, but I do know I'm not stopping any time soon! :)

I have been lagging on sharing these pictures from Savannah's first birthday party, but here are some of them! I wish I had taken more pictures of the party details, but I was in such a rush. There was so much to do and so little time to do it, I didn't get to document it as thoroughly as I would have liked. But Savannah was such an angel and good girl the whole party. She didn't cry once, but rather, was a bubbly little baby girl who was just so giggly! The weather cooperated (somewhat) so we were able to still have the party outdoors as planned. It didn't rain, but it was pretty breezy. It eventually died down, and we were all able to enjoy spending time in the sun with all the important people in our lives to celebrating our daughter's first year of life. It was a great day.

All the decorations are available for rent by Kathleen, who hand made everything. That's right, everything! She does parties and events for great prices so keep her in mind. The wonderful cake was made by my good friend, Chrystal, who you should also keep in mind. You can contact me for either one's information. :)

LOL!!! Love Sarah's face in the background!!! Savannah was laughing and laughing and had no idea.

Stunning Boudoir - San Diego Boudoir Photographer

I have been so busy, and my next few weeks are just going to get crazier! In between doing shoots, being on both sides of the camera, birthday plans, family visiting, and my husband coming and going, I haven't had time to sit down and really take it all in. But, I'm enjoying keeping busy and growing my business...never forgeting who is responsible for all these opportunities coming my way. God is great!

Jessica, a fellow marine wife, contacted me to help her make a birthday present for her husband. What husband would not absolutely love to recieve boudoir photos of the one person he loves as a gift??? It's a great one ladies! I can't wait for him to see the pictures, he's going to LOVE them.  This was my second boudoir session and it was such a drastic change from my first.  I am constantly finding ways to challenge myself and make my work unique. As an artist, you should never stop learning and get comfortable which unfortunately happens often. I will never, ever settle for mediocre.

Alaina did the hair & makeup which came out awesome as always. I really, really encourage my clients to get "done up" as a part of their boudoir experience. The difference it can make in your photos, both finished and the confidence it brings out is just phenominal. I always tell my clients that my style of boudoir photography should look like you're in a fashion magazine, not a mens magazine. There is a fine line between trashy and sexy that sometimes gets blurred by photographers. Remind him that you are his QUEEN! :) I never show too much, because you always want to leave some for the imagination.

So, I have come to the conclusion that for my boudoir sessions, I will work exclusively with Alaina. We are coming up with different packages, but all will include full hair/makeup. We will offer styling, creative direction, hair & makeup, you name it. We're the one stop shop for your couture boudoir photos! :) I want my clients to have the best, so I will only offer the best!

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot with Mrs. Jessica. While taking her photos, I coudln't help but see Victoria Beckham & Alicia Keyes! You look absolutely stunning!!! Thank you for a great time, lots of laughs (thanks to your little one!) and I can't wait to hear what your husband's reaction is when he gets surprised with your gift! I'm looking forward to shoot the little cutie I met yesterday. Maybe we can have him bring that lollipop he so luckily found! Hahaha! Enjoy!

Fixed Contact Page!

Well, my baby girl turned 1 yesterday! Honestly, I had a lot of mixed emotions about it, but I'm already over it! Lol. So happy that she's growing, and learning new things everyday, but I just want her to sloooow dowwwn! I can only imagine how quickly these next 18 17 years will fly judging from this last year... But, you gain some, you lose some, right? She may outgrow her babyness (not a word, I'm aware of that! Hehe!) but I'll gain so much more in the future from her. We both had a nice surprise last night that just topped off the day in the best way possible. My husband surprised us and came home two days earlier than expected. Needless to say, he could have given me a heart attack walking in like that! Thank God I didn't hear him walk into the house since I was giving Savannah her bath and the sounds were muted by her splashing. I would have locked our bedroom door and called 911 if he didn't give the warning "Baby?" in the hallway. Hahaha.  Savannah was so happy to see her Daddy that she was trying to crawl out of the bath tub to get to him. What a great birthday present. :)

On another note: I have recieved two messages asking if I ever received emails from my contact page through my website. I shrugged the first one off as a random technical problem, but when another brought it to my attention, I checked with the admin of my site, and got it resolved. Within the next 10 minutes, I had a new inquiry!!! Who knows how many I've missed these last  two months? So please, if you have tried contacting me through my website, please try again, and this time I assure you I will get it and respond back! :) Thank you for your patience and check back after this weekend for Savannah's birthday party pictures! (That is, if it doesn't rain) Have a great day everyone!

Here's a picture when Savannah was 7 months old. Warming up for her aerobics class. ;) Time flies...