Well, kids, it's another Tuesday. So it's time for another Tuesday Top 5!!1. Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Did I ever mention that I love all things HALLOWEEN? Because I do. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I love dressing up. I love candy. And I really like all the scary, ghoulish stuff. I dunno why exactly. It's just fun! One thing I particularly love is haunted houses and mazes. I used to LOVE going to Knott's Scary Farm every October, but a few years ago I realized that I had been so many times that it kinda stopped being scary. So ever since I have been on the hunt for new, fun, haunted attractions. This year my friends and I hit up the LA Haunted Hayride which is at the old LA Zoo at Griffith Park. Oh man, it was AWESOME!!! It was a different experience (I've never been on a hayride before) and yet had all the scary trimmings I enjoy! It wasn't the scariest thing I ever been to, but it had a few good moments. And it was really fun! I recommend it to any fellow Halloween lovers out there!! ;)2. Crepe'n Around. I had my 3rd food truck encounter this week...with Crepe'n Around!! I love crepes so this was practically a no-brainer. I ordered a nutella crepe, and, well, it was as heavenly as a nutella crepe could possibly be. Which is to say, it was AMAZING.3. Life As We Know It. I went to see this movie with my mom this weekend. I actually wanted to see Paranormal Activity 2, but my mom vetoed that. I gotta say, I was skeptical of this movie. But I kinda enjoyed it! Sure, it was predictable. Sure, I hate when Katherine Heigl (one of the most gorgeous ladies on Earth) plays gals that can never seem to get a date. Sure, it was a total chick flick. But hey, I liked it. It was funny, yet at times a bit sad, and cute and sweet. It was a feel good movie. And sometimes that's all you need!4. Family Dinners. I have always loved big family dinners. When everyone gets together and catches up. Its so hard these days that everyone in my family can find one date to get together. So when these moments happen I cherish them. My family had dinner on Sunday, and though I feel awfully sorry that we probably drove the waitstaff at the restaurant INSANE, it was so much fun. At one point I was laughing with my uncle so hard that I literally slid off my seat! Classic. I love being with everyone so much, and it's memories like those which I will always treasure!5. Rocky Horror Glee Show. TONIGHT! Tonight is the Rocky Horror Glee episode, and to say I am pumped would be putting it mildly. I can't wait to see what they do with Rocky Horror, and I can't wait to relive my glory days. Yes, when I was 15 I spent every Saturday night at the Nuart, dressed in vinyl, partaking in Rocky Horror goodness. Was I dork? Most definitely. But I was awesome too. The whole thing was awesome. And I miss those days sometimes. So tonight, I shall relive it all, and celebrate like a wild and untamed thing!!
Left to right: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride logo and Hollywood sign from official site, Crepe'n Around truck image originally uploaded by LeandroF, Rocky Horror Glee image from official Glee site, Life as We Know It image from Warner Bros website.
So I'm rolling out a new feature here on the blog! It's called "Inspired Ideas" and it's for the brides out there who need a little bit of fabulous inspiration for wedding day plans. There are SO many great wedding blogs out there with so many great ideas...and while it is terrific that there is so much out on the interwebs for brides these days, it can also be a little overwhelming I'm sure. How can one bride ever keep up with all the info?So I've decided to highlight, on a regular basis, some of my favorite ideas, color palettes, templates, downloads, and DIY projects that I've come across in the blogosphere, and hopefully point my brides in the right direction for some super cool wedding inspiration!For my first "Inspired Ideas" post, I am excited to tell you all about this SWEET free retro wedding invitation download by The Wedding Chicks. The Wedding Chicks are always offering cool customized downloads for all kinds of wedding stationary. One peruse of their site, and you will be hooked I am sure!! And these latest invite downloads do not disappoint...in fact they are AMAZING! Look:
Click here to download your customized retro wedding invites from the wedding chicks now!And of course stay tuned for more Inspired Ideas for your wedding! :)
When I was 16, I refused to get a digital camera. All the cool kids were doing it, but I refused. Why? Was it a love of film and its qualities? Kind of but not totally. Was it because I was afraid of learning a new system? Nope. Was it because I always refuse to give in to trends? Eh...No... So why? Because I absolutely LOVED getting my film developed, and that feeling of getting pictures back from the lab and flipping through them. That feeling? It was THE BEST. Nothing could beat holding your memories in your hands and then getting them framed and enjoying them. I was super afraid that if I went digital, I would be too lazy to print out my pics and I would never be able to enjoy looking at prints again.So clearly, I am a firm believer that pictures should not just live on a disc. Pictures are made to be held, to be looked at, to be displayed, to be preserved and cherished. I just don't believe that can really happen when a client walks away with only a disc. All to often, I hear stories of clients who have their pics, and love them and love having the disc, but never get around to actually printing or displaying the images! And I totally get that life can get in the way, and a disc can just sit in a drawer untouched...which is why I offer some super awesome prints, canvases, and albums for my clients! I encourage clients who have already invested a significant amount in professional photography to go the extra mile and get a professionally made album or canvas or set of prints. And the clients who have taken my advice thus far have been totally thrilled! :)Over the coming weeks, I want to showcase more of the products I offer here on the blog! I have also been re-thinking my collections, and how to get more fabulous products into each collection so that brides at every price-point can walk away with something more than just a disc!! How does that sound? More on that later...But for now I want to talk about one of my favorite products that I offer, and one that has been a HUGE hit since I started offering them at the end of last year...and that is....::drumroll::BOUDOIR ALBUMS!Boudoir sessions are very special, most of my clients invest in these pictures as a gift for their wedding night, anniversary, significant other's birthday or even holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day. I know that my clients have gone the extra mile to create some fabulous boudoir pictures. They invest in not only the photography, but also hair and make up, sexy outfits, cute props, a fabulous hotel room, and often times take off work for the session just so their man won't suspect anything! After they have invested so much, I want to make sure that the final images are presented in a beautiful way!
Of course, the books are also printed at a professional level with the highest quality inks and photo paper! Clients always tell me how they are blown away by how vibrant all the colors look and how crisp the photo quality is! You can not get that level of quality when you purchase consumer market books via companies like Blurb and My Publisher!And also, the books are acid free and archival quality. They images will not fade or yellow! These books are guaranteed by the company who prints them to last a lifetime!
Here's a look at another recent album. Notice how we designed the cover a bit differently! It's still super modern and stylish, and we featured several photos instead of just one big one!
Again, I LOVE full page spreads. They seriously are breath taking! Can't you just imagine your sweetie's jaw dropping if he flipped through his book and saw something like this?!
Before I start this Tuesday's TOP 5, I'd like to tell you a "bottom" 5...or 1...cause it's just one thing getting me down today and that is.....THAT THERE IS NOT A NEW GLEE ON TONIGHT!! Ugh. Glee, don't you know you MAKE my Tuesdays?! Even worse, I am so excited for next week's Rocky Horror episode that I can't hardly stand it! Glee, you are in the dog house this week! Deal with it!Anyways, in happier news, here is my TT5!1. Soup. I think soup has been in the top 5 before, but I will give it another holla, because really? SOUP IS AWESOME! Nothing like getting cozy with a bowl of delicious soup to warm up a cold and rainy day. And it seems we have been having a LOT of cold and rainy days here in LA lately. But I am okay with that, as long as it means more soup!2. Home made salsa. A few weeks ago, AJ borrowed Rick Bayless' cookbook from the library and ever since he has been cooking up a Mexican storm in the kitchen. And I LOVE it because I LOVE mexican food. I LOVE it. And I don't mean gringo Mexican food. I mean the real deal. In the past few weeks AJ has made chilaquiles, rajas con queso, mushroom and goat cheese tortilla soup, and enchiladas. But my most favorite thing he has made has been TOMATILLO SERRANO SALSA! It's so good. I think I ate a pound of chips and salsa yesterday and guess what? I'm going back for more today! Right after I publish this in fact! Holla!3. The "irresistible" face. I've always been good at making an "irresistible" face. You know, a face the men in your life just can't say no to! I definitely had one for my dad whilst growing up. With AJ, he definitely really likes me, and pretty much never says no to me, so I never really needed to have one with him. ;) But yesterday, I was begging him to make me more salsa because we had run out of batch numero uno (hahah I told you I liked that salsa) and he was kinda not giving in. That's when I discovered a brand new "irresistible" face! One just for AJ. And it worked. He was superman and my face was kryptonite. As you see in paragraph #2, I gots my salsa! Heeeeels Yeah!4. Oysters. Do I really need to explain why? Oysters. They are so delicious. I had a few this past week and I wish I could eat them EVERY week. I am obsessed with how they are briney yet sweet. And how the pop in your mouth. And how they melt in your mouth too. Yep, oysters, you are damn sexy. No wonder everyone wants to eat you!5. The Bazaar by Jose Andres. OMG. OMG. OMG. Last Friday my momma and I went to Bazaar as part of Dine LA. We had been there before so we knew. We knew that Bazaar is amazing. I mean really, it is the hottest restaurant in LA right now. Definitely one of the "in" spots. It's so amazing. The ambiance is incredible. The decor is by Philippe Starck and it is to die for. So chic and surreal and unexpected. And the food? Well that is to die for as well. We tried some old favorites as well as some new dishes. We LOVED the "Japanese Taco" which was eel and shiso all wrapped in thin cucumber. We LOVED our oysters. We LOVED our tuna ceviche roll. And we LOVED our garlic shrimp. Then there was dessert. That was also amazetastic! We shared a molten chocolate cake with cardamom, and also a flan that was better than any other flan I have ever had. It was heaven. Dear God, before I die please grant me a last meal at Bazaar first. Seriously, it's THAT good! You must check it out!! :)
Left to Right: Photo of Carne Asada tacos (with the homemade salsa!) taken by AJ, The Bazaar By Jose Andres signage from thebazaar.com, Rick Bayless' "Mexico One Plate at a Time" from rickbayless.com, and still from upcoming Rocky Horror Glee episode from fox.com.
Happy Friday everyone! Today is an extra happy Friday because Dani + Tony's fabulous Mr. and Mrs. session has been featured on Perfect Bound!Perfect Bound is one of my favorite wedding blogs right now because they focus so much on fashion, and glamorous and vintage details! If you are a bride you simply must check it out! You will totally be inspired!!Why not start getting hooked today?! And check out Dani + Tony on Perfect Bound!!
Here is part two of Vanessa and Pat's Hawaii Trash The Dress session! I think this is the part everyone has been waiting for...when Vanessa jumps in the ocean in her wedding dress! LOVE! You might think it's kinda scary or sad to trash your dress but I gotta say, Vanessa and Pat had a ton of fun with it! Vanessa was smiling and laughing and loving being in the warm waters of Lani Kai Beach! She was having so much fun, in fact, that I was totally jealous. If I'd had my wedding dress, I definitely would have jumped in right beside her!!! Really, I would have!! It looked THAT fun and liberating! Just see for yourself!We trashed the dress little by little. First, they walked on the shoreline as the water lapped up on their feet.
A little bit of fun dancing...
And then BAM! Water! In wedding clothes!! Fabulous!!! See what I mean about fun and liberating?!
Vanessa worked it in the water like nobody's business! Fierce, I tell you! FIERCE!
Trashing the dress doesn't have to only mean being in the water you know! Not at all! For example, you can get sexy in the sand!
REAL sexy!!!
Oh. Em. Gee. I am in total love with the fabulousness here. The sky! The light! The water! The most gorgeous and ferosh couple ever! Love. Love. LOVE!
And back in the water! 'Cause, really, being in the water is SO FUN!
Work it out you two! Work it oooooouuutttttt!
I love this!!
This shot was the PERFECT way to end the session! I just LOVE it!
Another Tuesday, another top 5! Let's get to it!1. Pumpkin Carving. Last Wednesday, I went to a pumpkin carving party with my friends and it was SO fun! I love Halloween and everything that goes with it, so of course I love carving Jack-o-lanterns! It was so much fun to sit with a group of friends while we all worked on our pumpkins and just chatted away! I was pretty pleased with how my pumpkin turned out! He was scary! I love a scary pumpkin! And one more cool thing is that AJ's parents grew this pumpkin at their house!! How neat, eh?!2. Dine La Week. If you read this blog, you have probably realized I LOVE food. I really do. I love all types of food, but I gotta say I am a big fan of the gourmet/fine dining scene. So naturally, when Dine LA Restaurant Week comes around I am all over it. For those who don't know, during Dine LA week some of LA's best and fanciest establishments offer specially priced, 3 course, prix-fixe menus. It's a great way to try new places and save some pennies while doing so! I have already hit up Meet French Bistro and the famous Mr. Chow Beverly Hills. Both were AWESOME!! Friday I am ending Dine LA with a bang at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, The Bazaar By Jose Andres! Woot woot!! :)3. Old friends. I am a lucky girl. My job has made it so that I am constantly meeting amazing people and therefore I am good at making so many great new friends. I am so thankful for that aspect of my job and I wouldn't change it. But between the work involved in running my own business, and being married, and keeping up with new friends, it can be hard to make time for my old friends. You know, the friends that knew me when I was a high school drama nerd and just liked playing with cameras for fun! Last week, I saw my close friend from high school, Liz, and it was wonderful. I loved catching up and I realized how important it is to make time for old friendships! I will definitely take the time to slow things down and do this much more often!4. Good neighbors. AJ and I have lived in the same place for four years, and I finally feel like we really know our neighbors. And I really like that! It feels so nice to be a part of a community and be able to hang out with the people who live just next door! Definitely a good thing to have a few friendly neighbors to count on! :)5. IndieCade. Last weekend Downtown Culver City, which is where we live, hosted an Independent Gaming festival. It was set up kinda like an Art Walk...except it was a Game Walk! Cool eh? It was pretty fun walking around and just seeing people play all kinds of games! I really like the idea of it! Most of the games were of the video and computer variety, which isn't my most favorite. I am a board game kinda girl. But AJ really loved it! And it was definitely a unique experience!And since posts are always better with photos...Here's a look at my pumpkin that I carved...WARNING: He is SCARY!!! hehe ;)
Boo!! Only 19 days till Halloween my friends!!!
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When I found out I was going to be in Hawaii this summer, I just KNEW I had to set up a photo shoot there. Specifically on Lani Kai Beach in Kailua, because seriously? It is one of my most favoritest beaches ever. In the whole entire world. Lani Kai is just one of those magic places to me. The kind of place that defines paradise!My fab photog friend Pinky agreed to shoot with me, and being a Oahu local, made all the arrangements! She got her good friends Vanessa and Pat to model for us! Vanessa and Pat have been married for eight years! So this kind of worked out to be an anniversary session for them!! :)What struck me the most about Vanessa and Pat was that they acted like newlyweds all day. They were in young, puppy-love!! I love that they were having so much fun together, and how Pat can make Vanessa laugh so easily! And I loved that these two were in their own little world and pranced on the beach like it was just the two of them! I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect couple to photograph on the most perfect beach. It was truly an incredible experience and I am just in love with how the photos turned out!So in love that I will be posting more from their session later this week! So stay tuned for that! But for now, please check out round one of Vanessa and Pat's Mr. and Mrs. session on Lani Kai!We started the session off on the sand. We wanted to work our way up to getting them in the water! So first they rocked it out on the dry parts of the beach! hehe
Vanessa has the best laugh!! Her face totally lights up and it's totally contagious! When she starts laughing, everything gets brighter! Love it!
Aughhhh! Vanessa! You are GORGEOUS!
I love how these two can just let loose and be themselves in front of the camera!
Vibrant. Fabulous and Fierce. Totally my style. Totally in LOVE!
Pat you are pretty handsome yourself!!
Vanessa! Work it out mama!!! You are so stunning!!! Pat is a lucky man!!
There's that laugh again! This photo is so fun and joyful! I just love it!!
Ahhh! That light!!! Swoon!!!!
I have been meaning to write this FAQ post for awhile. A LONG while! It is intended for my clients and potential clients that want clarification on exactly how processed the final images they receive on disc will be. But if you are a fellow photographer, I am hoping this will help you out as well!! I know I had a lot of these questions when I was first starting out! So here goes, a few FAQ on post processing!What is your editing style?My editing style is vibrant but still classic and true to life. I like my photos to be timeless, and therefore I try to stay away from trends. Ever noticed how mom's wedding album from the 1980's looks so...dated? Sorry, mom, but it does! I NEVER want my clients to look back on their images and cringe and say "Ugh, what were we thinking?!" So I personally am not a fan of textures, antiqued images, or selective coloring (when most of the image is black and white and a part of it is left in color) or any other hot trends. If you like all those effects I just listed, that is totally fine! It just means I am probably not the photographer for you!All in all, I really believe that if I edit my images to look just like a slightly enhanced version of how the photo looked when I shot it, if I edit my images to stay true to life, the photos will feel more real and genuine. They will last the test of time. And they will ultimately best document exactly how things were on your wedding day. And that is super important to me!How many images from my wedding will I receive?A typical 8 hour wedding will yield somewhere between 800-1000 images. Think of it this way, I shoot about 100 images per hour!Will the final images I receive be edited?All of the 800-1000 images you receive from your wedding day will be color corrected, which is a form of editing. You will NEVER receive anything straight out of the camera. Rest assured that all your images are given attention, care and have been enhanced in some way. Now here is where things get a little confusing...The images you will see on the blog, in your slideshow, and also the images that will go into your album will all be fully edited by me!Most brides get a little confused on what the exact difference is between a "color corrected" image and a "fully edited" image. I'm hoping to clear up that confusion. Here is an example of the same image going through the three editing stages. The first image is straight out of the camera (abbreviated "sooc"). This image has NOT been altered at all. It is exactly how I shot it. As you can see, it is exposed properly and the colors are more or less pretty good. There isn't a TON that needs to be done to this image. Mainly what I see here is that I want to warm this up a bit, add a tad of saturation/contrast to make it pop a little bit more, and also brighten this image a bit (specifically the skin of the bride and bridesmaids). I almost ALWAYS feel that I need to slightly brighten skin tones when I see a sooc image.
Below is the "color corrected" image. For you photogs or photography enthusiasts out there, the color correcting is done in Lightroom. I actually do not color correct the images myself. I send them to Kenny at Fotofafa because he seriously makes my images fab and makes my life and my clients so much happier (more on that below). Anywho, ALL the images my brides receive from their wedding will be COLOR CORRECTED. And this is where most brides get confused...what is color correcting and how is it different than a full edit? The color correcting isn't quite as fine tuned as a full edit, but as you can see it is pretty close. The colors are much warmer, a bit more vibrant, and the image is much brighter. I think we can agree this image is an improved version of the sooc image! It is simply prettier! And I want to make sure that ALL the 800-1000 images that my brides get from their wedding are pretty images!
Lastly, we have the fully edited version. All the images I blog and put in your online slideshow are fully edited. You will receive these bonus edited images (which usually ends up being between 40-75 images) in addition to all the color corrected ones. Additionally, ALL images that go into your album will be fully edited. Any prints or other products you receive in your collection, or that you choose to buy, will all have been fully edited by me.So how is the fully edited image below different from the color corrected image? Well as you can see this one is a little more fine tuned. Instead of brightening the whole image, I was able to JUST brighten the skin of the bride and bridesmaids. I also slightly upped the saturation/contrast of this image and slightly warmed it. I did not choose to warm it up quite as much as the color corrected image. I like this version best because it is the most natural looking to me, while still being bright and having vibrant colors!
Here is one more example of one image going through all three stages:
As you can see in the example above, the sooc image seems a little dark because they were back-lit. Also the colors are a little cold and blue-ish. The color-corrected image is much warmer and brightened just a bit. It is definitely an improved version of the sooc image! Lastly, the fully edited image is a bit more fine tuned. I not only brightened the entire image, but I also went in and brightened the bride and groom's skin which gives them a little more pop! I warmed the image but very subtly and also added a subtle amount of contrast and saturation. I love that my final edit is classic-- the colors are true to life, but still very vibrant. Which is a defining aspect of my style. I also love how the bride and groom pop a bit more than the original sooc image!Brides also often ask me if I retouch skin or edit out pimples and such. To be honest, I don't usually need to do this much. I shoot in such a way (with the lens wide open) that seems to make every one's skin look creamy and smooth. I also always try to overexpose the skin just a TAD, which is another little trick that makes skin look smooth. Our eyes read brightness as smoothness, so if the skin is just a tad bright our eyes read it as smooth and delicious! However, if someone does have a blemish they are unhappy with I will go ahead and take it out when I fully edit an image (for the blog, slideshow, album, canvas, or professional print). Color corrected images, however, do not get treatment like blemish removal.My final note on this whole retouching thing, I really try to keep your images looking natural. That means having YOU look like YOU. Sometimes I get requests like "can you edit me so I look 15 pounds thinner?" or "Can you make my nose smaller" etc. The thing is, and I am gonna keep it real here, I am a PHOTOGRAPHER, I ain't a magazine retoucher so, no I really can't do that. I just don't have that skill. But even if I had that skill, I'd still have to say no. Because I want you to look like you in your pics. I want you to feel confident in who you are. I want you to see that the beautiful girl in your photos and know it isn't retouched, it really is YOU. Exactly how you are! Because seriously? All my brides are gorgeous inside and out!What about engagement, mr. + mrs. and boudoir sessions? Are those images color corrected or edited or both?For an engagement, mr. and mrs., or boudoir session you will receive 50 images. All these images have been fully edited by me! You will not receive any images that have only been color corrected from one of these shoots. For boudoir sessions I spend the most time hand editing the photos to make sure everything is looking its best, which is also why boudoir sessions cost more than regular portrait sessions! But again, no magazine retouching here!Why do you outsource your color correcting for wedding images? How does it benefit me as a client?I outsource my images for a few reasons. For one, it is a MAJOR time saver. Color correcting around 1000 images takes some serious time on my part. And in the thick of busy wedding season, I can get really backed up with edits. Before I started outsourcing it would take me wayyy to long to get my clients their images. And really, that's not how I roll. I don't like taking a long time to show my clients their pictures. I mean, I remember what it was like to be a bride! Waiting to relive your day is AGONIZING. So anything that helps me turnaround images faster to clients is my friend!The other reason I outsource is because honestly? I am not a specialist in color correcting. I did not get into photography to become a color corrector...I got into photography to take fabulous images. And to work with happy, fun, vibrant people. So while I can do a basic and decent job at color correcting, it's neither my strong suit or my passion. But the cool thing is that it just so happens to be someone else's strong suit and passion. And that means they do a way better job than me. By outsourcing to someone who is more skilled in-- and more passionate about-- color correcting, I am able to deliver my client THE BEST product possible! Which is what I aim for in every aspect of my business....I hope this post was informative and may have answered some of your questions regarding how I process my images, and for my clients I hope you have a better understanding of how your final images will look when you receive them! If anyone has any more questions on this topic, or even any other FAQ they'd like to see answered here on the blog, please let me know below in the comments section! I am happy to help!
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting Liz and Robert and shooting their engagement session at the Griffith Observatory! Liz and Robert are good friends of Dani and Tony, so I knew their session would be FAB and they definitely did not disappoint!Liz and Robert define the term whirlwind romance! They met in April, and they are already engaged and will be married next July! But you know what? When you know, you know. To quote my favorite movie ever When Harry Met Sally, "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." I think that line is SO true and totally speaks to Liz and Robert's relationship.And really, these two are perfect for each other! The entire session they were in their own little world. When they look at each other they just beam and get all smiley and giggly. It's so sweet! I barely had to give them any direction because the way they were with each other was just too darn cute. For realz. Liz and Robert, you make my job easy peasy! Thank you both so much for letting me document your love! I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it!!! ;)And now onto the photos!
Yay! I am back on track with a new installment of Tuesday Top 5! And I'm not too too late in the day either! Woop Woop! Okay here are this week's top 5 picks!1. Gardens of Taxco. Have any of you been here? I went for the second time last week and I just love it! It's such a fun and festive little Mexican restaurant and a true LA establishment. This really isn't your typical Mexican place. They serve Mexico City cuisine and have a 5 course prix-fixe menu. Except their menu? It's not printed out! It's this one little waiter, with like the cutest accent ever, and he has worked there FOREVER, and he just recites the menu to you. You don't understand, this is like half the fun of going. Him reciting the menu. The same way each time. Using the same funny, colorful sayings to describe the dishes. "Chicken A La Crema is borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn in theee sauce!" And my "garleeeeeeeeek shreeeeeemps are not hot but spiiiiiiiicy." And AJ's chicken mole is "the best moleee in town!" Hehe! I love it! I also love it because the food is mighty deeeeelicious! And they give you so much to munch on! Gotta say any place that gives me pickled veggies and fresh chips y salsa is gonna get some major props in my book. Throw in a funny waiter and succulent garlic shrimp and I am IN LOVE!2. Komodo Truck. I don't know what on Earth took two foodies like AJ and I so long, but we are finally on the food truck bandwagon! And we ain't falling off anytime soon. Following our Kogi excursion, we tried the Komodo Truck. I really dug this truck. The two of us were able to get 4 tacos for $10 and share which made the perfect lunch! I had the spicy shrimp tacos and they were super good! But very spicy! And I think I can take a lot of heat! But these definitely had me sweatin'! AJ got a steak taco with corn salsa which he LOVED and a fish taco which we both agreed was pretty interesting. It had grapes on it so it played up on that whole savory/sweet thing. It was pretty good, but not as good as my shrimp! hehe! I would definitely go back to Komodo! It was the perfect little lunch for the two of us! And for a great price!3. Ticket to Ride. I LOVE this board game. I love board games in general, but when I played it for the first time I really fell in love. It's kinda complicated when you first start but its one of those games that you get the hang of fast and has a lot of strategy to it which makes it pretty fun! It is kind of an obscure game but I finally saw it at a game store yesterday! However I was bummed to find it retails for $50. IS IT MADE OF GOLD?! Hahaha! I kid. I'm not really a cheap person, but I gotta say $50 for a board game is a bit of a shocker. I think it will be the perfect thing to ask Santa for this year! After all, 'tis almost the season!!!4. Rainy Days. I am sure you heard everyone and their mama talking last week about HOW HOT LA was. No really, it was hot. I have lived in Los Angeles my whole life and never experienced such a thing. It was NUTS. But then yesterday, the weather did a complete 180 and got chilly and rainy. You know, what you might expect in October! It was a pretty welcomed relief and I am really digging getting all warm and cozy and drinking pumpkin spice lattes. Perfection!5. Dexter. OMG! Dexter is back and this season has me biting my nails, kids! I keep wondering if Dexter is gonna get found out...That Quinn just seems up to no good, you know? I really love this show, but after last season's game changing finale, I have NO CLUE how things will pan out. But I am enjoying having it back on air and going along for the ride. Michael C. Hall is one of my fav actors ever and he is not disappointing! Love it! What are your thoughts on this season?? Let me know in the comments below!
Images used from Starbucks website, Dexter official SHO site, Ticket to Ride site, Gardens of Taxco site, and Komodo Truck site.
Last Thursday, my friend Sarina and I headed over to The Smog Shoppe in Culver City for Hitched Event. Hitched is kinda like a bridal show. But for hipsters. And like 10 million times cooler than your average bridal show. There weren't exactly booths per se for each vendor. But there were little displays here and there that gave you the idea of what your wedding could look like at The Smog Shoppe and also gave you a taste of each vendor's style and goods. Although I am no longer a bride planning a wedding, I wanted to go to meet new vendors, see what is up and coming in the wedding industry, and to see Smog Shoppe in person. It's right by my house and I had heard it was a gem of a wedding venue. But I had never seen it, so that HAD to change! heheI gotta say I really dig Smog Shoppe as a wedding venue!! Like, if I can pleaseeee book a 2011 wedding at Smog Shoppe I will be an incredibly happy camper!! It's a super hip indoor/outdoor space. Very modern but also a little vintage. There's something about it that's just FUN. It's definitely not a very traditional or elegant venue. But it is definitely a great spot for brides who want something different, modern with a hint of vintage, vibrant, chic and fun. It's an elbows on the table kinda venue while still being classy. And that is just so my style.I really, of course, enjoyed the Enjoy Cupcakes trailer! I was lucky enough to get to work with Amber and Kevin of Enjoy and Jenni and Jamie's wedding! There cupcakes are DELISH and their set up could not be cuter. I was recovering from my tummy flu that day so I couldn't try all their samples (gosh darn it) but the two cuppies I did manage to have were divine! Seriously brides, run don't walk to Enjoy Cupcakes!I also enjoyed looking at the display Lo Boheme and Untamed Petals had up. Both girls make sassy bridal hair adornments and I am in LOVE. I love love love sassy hair adornments on brides. Flowers. Birdcage veils. Feathers. Augghh. Just swoon.Another major highlight was all the different tablescapes that were set up. Each one was so unique and had such great style. Any bride would be lucky to work with any of the event stylists and floral designers that were featured. There was seriously some really lovely work. My favorite was probably by Jesi Haack (a planner/stylist that I am just dyingggg to work with) and Dandelion Ranch (amazing florals) because theirs was so very dramatic and clever. They created a hanging centerpiece and used tin cans as the vessels for all the flowers. It struck me because it was so beautiful and yet, it could probably be done on budget as the main motif was tin cans. I know money is tight right now for everyone and every bride has a budget to stick to...but brides! You don't have to sacrifice good design and style. If you think outside the box even tin cans (which you can easily collect over the year of planning) can look so chic as wedding decor! So yeah, Jesi + Dandelion Ranch rock on with your vision!Lastly, Sarina and I had our kicks in the Smile Booth which is a portrait style photobooth. They don't do prints on site but you can download them on their site after the event. Which is what I did. I love that they had such cute props available for us to use...I mean how can I turn down a sign that says "Ride Em Cowboy!"
So all in all I really liked Hitched Event and I hear they will be doing round 2 soon! So 2011 brides, you should consider going! They had a lot more fun, creative ideas than your average bridal expo. And really hip vendors!! I would seriously be happy to work with ANY of the vendors showcased at Hitched. All of them are A+++ So follow Hitched's blog and go to the next one! It'll get your planning juices flowing!
I know I have been bad...again...with Tuesday Top 5. I'm thinking of changing it to to Friday and make it Friday Top 5 but that just doesn't sound as good now does it? When I first created TT5, I wasn't doing photography full time so my workflow was a bit different. Now Tuesdays seem to have me knee deep in edits. But so many of you have told me you love TT5 soooo I don't know what to do? Move it or try my bestest to keep it? Thoughts?Welp, while I am here I might at least give you the rundown of this weeks 5...and we can ponder if next week it should happen on Friday.1. Kogi Truck. I don't know what took me so long, but I FINALLY tried the Kogi Truck. And it was BOMB. AJ read on twitter that the truck was parked about a 10 minute walk from our place. So he said, "you wanna go try it?" And I was all "HEEELS YES!" It was a really hot, sweaty walk and then a long, sweaty wait in line. But it was so worth it. I got the tofu tacos and AJ got the pork burrito. We were very satisfied and I can still kinda taste it in the back of my mouth. Nummy num. I will definitely go back for more soon!2. Glee. I don't know why exactly it took me so long to jump on the bandwagon. I mean, I was a major theater-geek in high school. I LOVE musical theater and choir and all that kinda stuff. But it wasn't until a week ago that I buckled down and rented and watched all of season 1. Its official now I am a GLEEK! I LOVE this show! I cannot WAIT for tonight's Britney episode! It is gonna be tiiiight.3. Sloopy Jell-O. Okay I am admittedly weird. I like Jello. But I LOVE Jello when it's all..."sloopy." You know, before it sets all the way. It's kinda jello but its kinda soup. I'm talking like halfway through the setting up process. That is when Jell-O tastes the BEST to me. And I had some nice, cold, fresh, sloopy Jell-O last night as I was trying to beat the heat. And it was SO GOOD. Just thought I'd share.4. My Mom's Swimming Pool. Thank the good sweet lawd for my mom living 5 minutes away by car and for her having a swimming pool. It was over 106 degrees on the westside of LA yesterday, which is TOTALLY unheard of. Our 2nd floor apartment has no a/c and I was dying! DYING! Then I remembered a remedy: go to my moms and swim. It was definitely a good way to cool off for a few hours. For that I am thankful!5. My Husband. A week ago I missed Tuesday Top 5 because I was sick. Really sick. With the tummy flu. It started late Monday night. After complaining of a tummy ache I suddenly barfed up my entire dinner. It was NASTY. Even nastier it happened so fast I didn't make it to the bathroom. And who swooped in and saved the day yet again? AJ. Tuesday and Wednesday I was in bed with a fever. AJ bought me Gatorade and made me Jello and even made me Matzo Ball soup! He took such good care of me. And that is love. Taking care of your wife when she isn't pretty or cute or sexy. Taking care of your wife when she is downright germy and gross. Love is being there for the good, the bad, and the ugly. SO many times my hubby has shown me that he can handle the ugly times just as well as he can handle the good. He is amazing. And I am so lucky he is my husband!
Glee Images from official Glee website, Tofu taco image from KogiBBQ.com, and Jell-o from official site.
I was so excited to wake up this morning to find that Serene + Mike's beautiful Bacara Resort wedding was featured on The Wedding Yentas!! The Wedding Yentas is a wonderful blog for Jewish brides and grooms looking for inspiration as they plan their wedding! As a Jewish girl myself, I am really excited to have this wedding featured on Wedding Yentas. Every time I look at their site I learn, like, 10 things I didn't know about Jewish culture. It really is a great blog, and even if you're not Jewish, there is still tons of eye candy for readers to look at!Check out Mike + Serene on Wedding Yentas
When Nicole contacted me about shooting a boudoir session for her hubby's birthday gift I was giddy! We had a lot in common, such as we are both Sagittarius and our hubby's are both Libras! hehe! It's always fun to connect really well with a client because it makes an intimate photo session feel just like a girls' day out! Like we are just old friends playing super model!And really, I couldn't have asked for a better super model! Nicole was confident in front of the camera! She totally worked it and showed me so many different sides to her-- from playful and flirty to ferosh and diva! I LOVED it! I also loved that she brought some cute props (like two fabulous burlesque feather fans) and even cuter outfits and accessories!! I had so so so much fun at this session and it really affirmed once again that I am SO LUCKY to do what I do! I love that I get to meet and hang out with such fabulous, strong women, and get to make them feel like super models!
Jeanette and Pete are such a fantastic couple. They are truly beautiful inside and out and I have loved working with them so much! I remember when I first began talking to Jeanette about her wedding, she told how her and Pete had been together forever. They had two beautiful baby girls. They were already a family. And really, that was all they needed. But they had decided they were finally were ready to make it official. And I am so very honored that they trusted me to capture this very special day!Jeanette was such a giddy bride! When I arrived to the bridal suite she was glowing and excitedly told about all the little details she wanted me to capture! It was really exciting seeing all of Jeanette's plans come together and it was even better watching her and her lovely bridesmaids giggle and ooh and ahhh as they got ready! One thing that was so sweet was Jeanette's "something borrowed" was a necklace and matching earrings that her friend Erika wore on her wedding day. Jeanette asked me if they looked familiar and I knew exactly that they were indeed from Erika! Seriously girl, I remember wedding details! Especially JEWELRY, mmm kay! ;)
For more beautiful pictures from Jeanette and Pete's wedding watch the SLIDE SHOW below:
Christina and Syl finally tied the knot last Saturday at the beautiful Vista Valley Country Club in San Diego. I say "finally" because Syl said in his toast that he had been waiting for this day for 22 years. Yes, 22 years people! Syl saw Christina for the first time in the third grade. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. So, one day he summoned up the courage to ask Christina if he could walk her home from school. Apparently she shot him down. But Syl didn't give up. He knew she was the perfect girl for him.Later in life, Syl became best friends with Christina's brother. But still she didn't give poor Syl the time of day. But one day everything changed. She was finally ready to let Syl in to her life and realized everything she ever needed had been in front of her all along! I absolutely LOVE that! It may have taken over twenty years, but Syl just proves that good things come to those who wait! And, I loved witnessing these two commit to each other forever & ever! It was truly a happy happy day!!Thanks so much Tina & Syl for trusting me with your big day! I LOVED meeting your sweet friends and family and documenting your joy! Also thanks to Sarina Love so much for second shooting with me!And now....onto pictures and a slide show!LOVE this dress shot! Thanks to groomsman Danny for helping us get the dress to hang from the chandelier! :D
It's that time again! Another round of Tuesday Top 5 for your reading pleasure!1. Jasmine Star on Creative Live. So I don't know if y'all know, but if you are a photog you probably do...Jasmine Star did an amazing FREE online streaming workshop for 5 days. It was put on by the amazing Chase Jarvis and Creative Live team. Creative Live puts on all kinds of free online workshops for the art community, but seriously? The Jasmine Star event may have been the biggest thing they have ever done! Jasmine not only walked through how she runs her business, lots of Q&A, but she also shot an ENTIRE wedding LIVE so we could see exactly how she shoots a big day. And then the next day she showed us her entire edit. It was SERIOUSLY AMAZING. And I learned so much. It was a great thing for me because I saw that I do many things similarly which was an affirmation that I do things right and know what's up. But it also showed me some things I never knew about and also areas which I know I can improve. And really, that was the whole point of watching. To learn, and challenge myself and GROW. Thank you so very much Jasmine for being a complete open book! You have helped the community (and me as an individual) SO much more than you know! And thank you so much to Creative Live for putting on this extraordinary event! WOWZAS! Y'all rock! ...and clients? Y'all should know this experience has pushed me to grow and dream so much farther! Ashleigh Taylor Photography is ONLY going up from here! :)2. Kimchi. I have been working A LOT lately and I really needed a little date night. AJ asked me where I wanted to go and we ran through our list of usual places. Then he said..."I know, you want Tofu-Ya, right?" And internet, I was shocked! Cause that boy just read my frickin' mind! "How did you know?" I asked. His response? "I saw kimchi floating above your head." LOLZ forever. Yes, sometimes I crave kimchi and tofu soon and apparently it floats above my head like I am a cartoon character. We waited nearly 35 minutes to get a seat at Tofu-ya that night but it was SO worth it! :) That kimchi totally hit the spot! Mmm mm mmm mmm good!3. The Switch. On Sunday I went to see The Switch with my mom, and OMG, I LOVED it! Ok so is it a cheesy romantic comedy and therefore somewhat predictable? Yes. But you know what I really don't care. It was really cute. And super funny. And ummm the little boy in that movie is ADORABLE! I want a little boy JUST LIKE THAT! Cause that kid? He was stinkin' cute and sweet! I came home telling AJ about it and went through a "awww I want a baby phase." Then AJ reminded how much work children are and how you have to change their diapers and I was all...oh yeah I'm still so not ready for that! LOL. No, one day I do wanna be a momma. Hopefully to an awesome cute little kid. But right now? Soooo not ready. Maybe in about 4 or 5 years. Unless another romantic comedy messes deeply with my mind before then! hehe ;)4. InfoMania. Do any of you watch this show? AJ and I LOVE it! It's on Current TV and it's a clip show...kinda like how Best Week Ever used to be...only this is a bit edgier and smarter. I LOVE the social commentary segments like Brian Safi's "That's Gay" but I also just like the pure hilarity of Brett Erlich's "Viral Video Film School." Oh and don't forget Sergio Cilli's "White Hot Top Five" and "Music Intervention"! I love it! It's a super funny show and I totally suggest trying it out if you like funny stuff and TV. hehe ;)5. Aarti Party. So I am like a HUGE Food Network nerd and I could not have been happier when Aarti won Next Food Network Star. Fun facts: Aarti and I both used to write food reviews for LAist.com at more or less the same time. We also live around the same area and like some of the same Indian food joints. So what I am trying to say is, clearly, we are BFFs and I was rooting for her! Now home girl has her own show, and I LOVE it. I have been saying forever that I wish there was an Indian cooking show on Food Network because dang I love me some Indian food! And now it has happened! Oh happy day! Oh happy day!
From left to right: Aarti from FoodNetwork.com, The Switch movie poster from the official website, Infomania cast from the official website, and tasty kimchi from the kimchi wikipedia page.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Dani and Tony and photographing their Mr. and Mrs. session at The Griffith Observatory! Dani and Tony recently had a very small wedding in Las Vegas, baby! But there wasn't much time for pictures, so when Dani got back home she realized she wanted a few more pics to celebrate her marriage! And really, I can't blame her. When you look THAT cute in your wedding outfit you pretty much need all the pics you can get!! ;)Dani and Tony have a dynamic to their relationship which reminds me of me and AJ. Dani is such a fun girl! She has an amazing sense of style and knows how to rock the camera. I love how confident and outgoing she is. Tony is more the quiet, shy type. But he is so caring and strong and always watching out for Dani. He gives his hand when she needs it, he has a strong shoulder for her to lean on, and gives her tender kisses on the cheek just to show his love. It is so very sweet and I was so giddy to get to document this exciting phase in their relationship! I am so happy I got to meet such a stylish, sweet and fun couple and I cannot wait to see where the future takes them! I know there is a lot of excitement ahead!!! ;)And now, photos!!!Dani brought cute little props which I LOVE LOVE LOVE! It's the little things that can really add some extra fun flavor to a session!
You two are STUNNING!!!
Dani, you are GORGEOUS girl!!!
Mmmmhmmm. These two are steamy! Yep it's true!
Tony you are not so bad on the eyes yourself! ;)
To view more of this fun Griffith Observatory Mr. and Mrs. session, check out the slide show below!!
Christine and Tyler got married at the beautiful Temescal Gateway Park in the Palisades last Saturday. The venue was such a perfect fit for them as it was completely set in nature. Trees and brush and leaves and grass everywhere you look. And I thought it was perfect because when I think about these two I think about nature. Maybe it's because of our engagement session where we hiked through the bluffs by UCSB (and apparently they still laugh about how I feared I might trip and fall to my death on the hike). Or maybe it's because Tyler is getting his Masters in Environmental Studies and hopes to work in public policy (which I think is so totally AWESOME). Or maybe it's just because they two just keep it raw and real. They are two of the most genuine people I have ever met-- never putting on a show or striving to be the center of attention. They just care deeply about those around them, and the world, and each other...and that is what makes these two so very special!Tyler and Christine met at UCSB and have been together ever since. Tyler and Christine are definitely the type of people who do everything with their full hearts and take commitments seriously. So when they found each other, I think it became clear to everyone around them that this relationship was something special. During the toasts, every one who got mentioned how they knew from the get-go that Tyler and Christine would eventually become husband and wife. Tyler's friends and family knew it was different with Christine. And Christine's friends and family? Well, they knew it was different with Tyler too. It really had been a long time coming for these two, so everyone was so very excited and filled with joy as they watched these two tie the knot. And they celebrated accordingly!I loved seeing Tyler & Christine's families come together and unite as one. Tyler and Christine both have such loving families and you can just see why Christine and Tyler turned out so darn good! ;) I was really touched by the love everyone had for each other. And I was also really touched by how welcoming they were to me and AJ. And apparently we scored brownie points for liking kimchi and other Korean delicacies. Christine's aunt Judy said I was 50% Korean! SCORE! But she told me AJ was actually 100% Korean, because he knew about k-pop bands High Five Of Teenager and Super Junior. That AJ, always showin' me up! ;)So without further ado, please enjoy these photos from Tyler and Christine's beautiful, emotional day! And be sure to also watch the slide show below!I loved the deep purple color of Christine's shoes! So lovely!
