Laughter makes me happy. It keeps me smiling and creates such positive energy that is incredibly infectious. 

In my seven months of being married, I have spent many amazing moments laughing with my new husband. Our laughter fills my heart with joy and reminds me of how blessed I am to be his wifey.

So you can imagine my joy and excitement for Cynthia and Ron who are constantly laughing and filling their lives with so much joy- they are definitely one of  the most wonderful couples I have ever had the pleasure of photographing.  Our goal for the photo shoot was to retrace the steps of their first date some years ago. We started our amazing Downtown Los Angeles adventure at Curry House in Little Tokyo where they had dinner together for the first time. We then wandered around Downtown and found some really wonderful urban locations that I will definitely be returning to. 

It was an incredible pleasure to spend such an incredible afternoon with these two! They are getting married this May and are going to live happily ever after. I can tell.  

They met and fell in love on the campus of UC Riverside. Kristen and Luc were both undergrads there, and chose the campus as the location for their amazing engagement session this past weekend. 

Our Sunday afternoon started with some Boba which I had never experienced before. I know, I know- how could I have gone four years in college without having boba? I don’t exactly know. I guess it’s because I never particularly enjoyed small slimy balls in my beverages. I tried it, I kind of liked it and I will probably have it again. There, I said it. 

We then made our way to some great locations, got some amazing shots AND Jordan charmed his way out of a parking ticket. I didn’t think he could pull it off- but he did! I will never doubt my devistatingly handsome husband again. 

We were so happy to have had the opportunity to photograph Kristen and Luc- we are honored to have been chosen to document their love for each other. They are such determined, passionate and genuine people that are perfect for each other. Their love is so organic and beams from them when they are near each other.

We are so blessed to have spent such a lovely day with you two! Thanks guys! 

STAY TUNED FOR KRISTEN AND LUC’S SLIDESHOW- it will be posted soon!

     Moms are the best. They are like living, breathing scrapbooks of the best (and worst) moments of our lives. You can count on moms to keep our fingerpaintings from kindergrten and have photos from the most embarassing times in our lives (ready to show our friends at any moment). Kristen’s mom has one particular photo in her wallet that needs some updating. It’s a photo of Kristin and Brian at the homecoming dance circa 1999- that’s last century people!

     These two handsome people allowed me to photograph them today in Old Town Pasadena. We wandered through some really beautiful alleys and basked in the perfect golden light that exists just before sunset. We took advantage of the beautiful antique brick and soft light coming through the tree branches to get some pictures of just Kristin for her parent’s mantle and a few of her with Brian- goodbye prom pose! Thanks for hanging out with me today guys, I had a blast!

When I was really young, my mother and I would take weekly trips to Venice beach and walk north towards the Santa Monica pier. The Santa Monica Pier happens to tie for first in my “favorite place in the world” contest; I love to people watch and ride the ferris wheel after a good helping of cookie dough Dippin’ Dots. Upon our arrival at Venice beach, I would always hold my mothers hand and greet the sea by putting my toes right where the highest wave could barely reach them. I would inch closer and closer until I was knee deep and then make the decision to jump in or stay put. More often than not, I would leap into the frigid waters of the Pacific and dive under waves until my teeth chattered so much that I couldn’t speak. 

I always wondered why my mom never stopped me from leaping into the ice cold water- I suppose it’s because she wanted me to learn to make decisions and learn from my mistakes (or triumphs). I would realize that it was probably a mistake to get in the water just after I got back into my clothes and had to walk four miles in wet jeans. Ugh, wet jeans- no bueno. 

Today was my first visit back to a California beach since I moved back to LA from San Diego. It was wonderful to put my toes at the waters’ edge and take in the crisp ocean air. I was at the beach to photograph a new friend, Chelsey, who is an amazing yoga instructor in Los Angeles. Our afternoon portrait session turned into a real California adventure and I loved it! I had the opportunity to hear all about Chelsey’s life in LA and what she’s been up to. Let me tell you something- this girl has had more jobs than anyone I have even known. She is fascinated by so much, and tries it all. I admire that she has learned from all her experience and realized at a really young age, what she was meant to do. She is an absolutely lovely soul who is so brave to pursue a career that she is truly passionate about! Go check out her website and sign up for some of her classes, you won’t regret it. 

Oh, by the way- I chose not to jump in today, I was wearing jeans. 

Chelsey- thank you so much for trusting me to photograph you. You are amazing and beautiful and a snack goddess! I am blessed to know you! You totally could be a model if you wanted to! Look at this last one, it could totally be an ad!

Stay tuned for the second part of Chelsey’s portrait session, we have got some amazing yoga poses in store for you!