Engagement: Kim & Ryan

Alright ya'll.. here it is. The grand finale of Kim and Ryan's engagement shoot with a new slimmer blog layout for all of you iphone viewers who weren't able to see all of the pictures before.   Ta-da!! 
A little bit about the first location: Franklin Canyon Park in Los Angeles, CA (near Beverly Hills). I found this place completely by accident years ago.. and remember thinking "how in the world is this place smack in the middle of L.A. and at the same time feel like its in the middle of nowhere?!"  Never been back since and had forgotten about it. Then while I was doing some online scouting for this shoot... I came across an article about Kirsten Dunst being shot for a spread in Allure at this remote location called.. you guessed it.. Franklin Canyon. Done and done. On the afternoon of the shoot, I got there before my clients did and drove around, making notes of all of the different little nooks and crannies I wanted to use for the shoot. All my hard work paid off later when Ryan asked me "How did you find all of these cool spots?"  Answer: Because when you love what you do.. you do everything you can to put everything you have in to what you're doing. Thinking ahead.. planning.. paying attention to detail.. doing the footwork.. and loving every second of it. And oh how I love what I do!!
If you've seen and read the previous posts on this couple.. you know I have made a big deal about how easy it was to shoot them. How their natural chemistry makes it easy to get great shots. Some other things I saw between Kim and Ryan that I wanted to compliment them on.. that I think are way more important than natural chemistry: humor, consideration, communication and.. patience. (You have my permission to roll your eyes here, as long as you keep reading.) I remember noticing how Ryan was getting eaten alive by every kind of bug there is (slight exaggeration but seriously.. bugs love that guy!) And yet.. there was always a smile on his face, an overall concern for Kim and her comfort, and a patience with me (the photographer making him smile and sit still while he was being eaten alive). Then there is Kim.. who would look beautiful in a paper bag.. but made some effort to pick out some cute clothes and get her make-up and hair just right.. only to end up getting soaking wet and covered in sand. Yet there was no diva response.. no complaints and no concerns. Just laughter.
Those two were always checking in on one another.. always thinking of the other.. always speaking gently and patiently (even with me)... and always having fun! Couldn't ask for a better way to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon then shooting these two lovebirds. It was such an incredibly awesome day.. and I am so honored and thrilled that they hired me to shoot their wedding this coming April. For now.. enjoy these. Let me know what ya think! As always.. they were shot and worked on with so much love!

 

Intermission for a wardrobe change. But lets give it up for that adorable polka dot dress Kim was wearing. So cute!!

You can't tell.. but the bugs were at a feeding frenzy at this point. So we put the shoot in fast forward mode to get to Ryan's safe haven (aka The Beach) as quickly as possible. But we couldn't leave until I had made them dance in a tree. These two crossfitters and adventure lovers didn't have to be asked twice.

What can I say.. I like feet. There is something so personal and sweet about their feet hanging off the tree like that. Love it! At this point.. we said goodbye to Franklin Canyon (sun had set there because of the mountain range).. and we made our way to the playa just in time for sunset. Before they could change into their casual/cute beach look I had to snap some of them doin some more dancing...  :)

2nd and final intermission. Re-introduction to Kim and Ryan with portraits. To get these shots, it took Kim one to two takes. However Ryan apparently did not think he was capable of having a good photo taken of him. So he made silly faces.. and then he stopped.. just for a second, and 'click' .... GQ without tryin to hard.  Love the contrast between these two!

Things got playful and fun super quick. Yes.. that is a picture of Ryan SKIPPING through the water. That's what love does to a guy! :)

So after they played in the water.. they took a little walk..

 ...came back and played on the sand! :) Ryan is trying to use altitude to make-up for the flexibility he doesn't have. Notice how Kim's foot is still a liiiitttle bit higher.

Finally, I told them I was running out of light.. and just wanted them to chill for a bit. Wet, sandy, and happy cuddling.

Ending this amazing post with hands..  and feet.

Kim and Ryan.. I loved spending the day with you two. And I cannot even tell you how beyond excited I am for your wedding day!! Thank you for being such great sports.. for being open to all of my suggestions and demands... and for bein fantastic models and clients! Enjoy your engagement.. say "my fiance" as often as possible.. and continue loving one another as you have been. Don't let the cynics, the eye rollers or the "get-a-room"ers.. taint the good thing ya'll got goin.   xoxo - Andrea

Bridal Shower: Christine

If you recognize this bride-to-be's face.. its because you've seen her here before.. not once, but twice! (You can see those posts here and here.) Christine is engaged to Isaac.. and they are getting married TOMORROW! And just a couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Christine at her bridal shower. I wish someone had been taking pictures of my face as I walked into the backyard and saw all of the gorgeous details that were put together in celebration of Christine's upcoming nuptials. Needless to say.. I took A LOT of photos. There was just so much to take in! So this'll be one of the longer posts I've done.. but there was no way around that. I hope that no one (especially Christine) will complain about that. :)

So here it is. Hope ya'll like them! 

From Rachel (who hosted this shower along with her sister, Rania and Christine's mother, Laila):

"We wanted to create a french vintage theme.. using pink and gray as the main colors."  

So here's a little buffet of details that shows you how they managed to do just that! 

 I adore this pic of Christine.. and can you believe that set-up?  I die! 

It was a warm and sunny day.. not a cloud in the sky. Perfect backdrop to this gorgeously transformed backyard!

Part of the dramatic transformation is definitely in part to the decision to have those chandeliers hanging from inside the tent. Such a dramatic and perfect addition to the event. 

I love the contrast of these gray striped runners with the light pink tablecloths. And see that gorgeously detailed place card below? Rachel and Rania designed and created those themselves!

The fabulous hostesses incorporated a rustic feel to the pink and gray frenchiness.. which they did so well with the pitchers, loose, gorgeous flowers and.. birds. In love with that ceramic bird! Oh.. and the table settings? All perfectly placed and set by Rachel and Rania.

All these lovely flowers were chosen and arranged by Rania, who doesn't do it for a living.. but obviously has quite the talent for it! 

Not only does this pretty birdcage add to the theme, it also served a purpose! Guests were asked to write marital advice to the happy couple, then to place those cards in the cage. How cute is that?! 

I feel weird calling these shawls "party favors".. they are just too grown up and pretty! So I'm going to go with "parting gifts" instead. Rachel and Rania rolled these up and tied DIY "Merci" tags on them with a bit of string. Then below is the shower invite.. colored and designed to set up the theme of the shower.

As any photographer would tell you, we love it when a spot has been purposed for portraits. A vintage couch and pretty details were arranged to create a perfect backdrop! 

And here are some of those portraits! Starting with two of my favorites of the day: Christine and her lovely mother Laila. 

Had a chance to grab a group shot of Christine and her guests.. and one of Christine with her bridesmaids. Love! 

After catching up with her guests and having some drinks.. it was time to eat! Ground beef stuffed potato balls anyone? If you've never had one.. you are missing out! 

Love the vintage frames with the food place card. Just as yum as the food looks! And as they ate they enjoyed some live acoustic music. 

After great food and music.. it was time for some traditional shower games. Love Christine's smile in these shots! I want to point out that a lot of the younger guests at this wedding were accompanied by their mothers. Multiple generations all hanging out and having a great time. Yes, even taking some shots!

And you can't really have a party without some dessert! Rachel and Rania did a fantastic job designing the dessert table, er.. I mean, the Patisserie table! I especially love this detail as shared by Rachel: 

"Christine loves peonies, but they were out of season. So we were so excited to find a few of them! There weren't enough to include in the arrangements, so we decided to decorate the cake with them." 

So wonderfully thoughtful and the outcome is just so pretty!

Every single one of the deliciously sweet treats were accompanied by a little frame with a DIY description like this one:

And one of my favorite detail photo arrangements to date.. gray striped straws, a C for Christine on just about everything, complimentary colors, and oui! those pink macaroons! I swoon!!

Finally, it was time for Christine to open all of the gifts her loving friends and family had brought. After all, what is more french than lingerie?! Ooh la la!

How perfect are those last two photos of the gorgeous Bride?! *happy sigh* 

So.. if you were impressed with all of the work that was put into this shower.. all credit should be given to Rachel and Rania. And when I complimented Rachel on everything they had done, she admitted it had been a lot of work and added: "I honestly was so happy to do it for my best friend." She added: "We've been best friends since 1st grade and I'm so happy for her. I wish Isaac and her the very best!" So really, this isn't just about Rachel and Rania's amazing talents.. its really about their love for Christine.

Christine... you have quite the entourage! Your family and friends are so incredibly sweet and loving.. and wow do they know how to laugh and have fun!! I'm so blessed to have met you guys.. and consider it an honor to have been a part of such important moments in your lives!  Isaac.. you are an incredibly lucky man and I wish you and Christine nothing but many happy years celebrating a wonderful life.. together!! May your wedding day be everything you dreamed of and more!!

xo- Andrea

Where did all the cute stuff come from?

• Flowers - Rania Shenouda
• Table Runners -  Sur La Table 
• Tents, Chandeliers, Tables, Chairs, Plates and Cutlery - Town & Country Event Rentals
• Cake - Some Crest Bakery
• Sweet Treats - Vanilla Bake Shop
• Lunch & Catering - Porto's
• Vintage Decor - Rachel DeLaMontanya 
• All paper goods and cards - DIY Rachel & Rania

Love on Film: Luke and Felicia

I love digital cameras. I love that you can shoot all day and as long as you've got enough battery power and flash memory, there is nothing stopping you. I love being able to see the photo instantly and I love how easy post production is. I even love how accessible it has made photography to the general public. Despite what most people think, I think it actually has done a service to professional photographers. Slowly but surely people are starting to realize that even if you have awesome equipment, you still have to know how to use it!
And with all that being said... oh my goodness how I LOVE film! I loved the classes I took to learn how to shoot with film.. I loved all those hours spent in the dark room learning how to process film and develop pictures. I love that grainy look.. the sound the camera makes when you snap the picture.. the way every single detail is captured.. and how no matter how good your digital shot is or how amazing your photoshop skills are.. it is almost near impossible to make a photo look like it was shot on film. But.. just like most fine arts.. film is expensive. The materials, time and processing all cost quite a bit. You can't just drop your film off at CVS and expect to be blown away. So.. for now I only dabble in film. Every now and then on a shoot I'll bring some along with me and will take some shots when I think the light is just too good to pass up.
And a few weeks ago I went on a shoot to get some headshots of my friend Felicia. Her hubby Luke came along as the lighting assistant, and because they are just so cute together and the light was so right.. I had them model for me for a bit. The light screamed for film, I did my thing, hoped for the best, dropped off the film at ProPhoto in Irvine (they are awesome by the way), had them scanned at large resolution, waited, and.. I got these emailed to me today.
This is how they came out. No editing. No photoshop. Nada. Just raw, amazing detail of two gorgeous people in head over heels love taken in dreamy golden light. *happysigh*

Right??!!! These make me want to run out and buy out Kodak.. build a darkroom.. and sell my digital cameras.  Seriously.  Don't get me wrong.. I really love all the photos I've shared with you on this blog (the vast majority of them taken with my digital camera).. but there is something special about the process of shooting with film. It is so incredibly satisfying. Anyway, I could go on all day about this.. when the truth is that these pics speak for themselves!!
Luke and Felicia.. so happy that you get to have these. Your love and energy is so incredibly contagious. Thanks for being so awesome and for being so ridiculously good looking! :P

1st Birthday Party: Sweet Annie

Red, White and Sugar. Perfect recipe for a sweet birthday party! And that's exactly what Annie got to celebrate her first year of life. Proud mama just started her own dessert business (The Flouring Artisans), and I could definitely see why she felt driven to do so. The treats were incredibly yummy (Yes, I did get invited to take some home thank you very much!) and she did such a great job designing the dessert station!
And just fyi, a couple of posts ago I shared pics I took of the invites to Annie's birthday party (you can see those here).. and now I'm happy to be sharing the pics from the party itself! Enjoy!
Starting off with simply sharing a few of my favorite shots of the day of some of the treats, the thank you x-large lollipop included in the goodie bag, some of the party deco, anndd.. the birthday girl and her proud parents. (How adorable is that child?!)

This is what I meant about the design of the dessert station. Casey actually made a drawing of it before putting it together. So impressive!

And here are some of the sweet details.. I especially loved the that polka dot wagon the party favors were placed in. So cute!

We took a minute to shoot some family pics in the backyard.. and I love how they turned out. The word "sweet" may be way overused in this post.. but I just can't help it! These are toothache sweet!

Just. Stop. IT. Anyone who's tried to take family portraits with a toddler knows how priceless the larger photo below is!

And how could I not include some portraits of the birthday girl? Sweet dress, some grass.. and a bunny of course!

Switching gears.. the party was held at Annie's grandfather's home in Sierra Madre. It was a gorgeous day.. not too hot.. perfectly sunny and gorgeous. I got a chance to walk the grounds and just had to share a few of those shots.

A few more location shots..

And it was a 1 year old's party.. but there was something for everyone!

 And just a few more candid snapshots because they are way too yummy not to share!

And then it was time for cake! Grandma got the honor of holding babygirl Annie while friends and family sang Happy Birthday to her. Gotta love her dad, trying to get her excited about her cake!  And then.. Annie got to dig in to her very first birthday cake!

And had to give this cake the attention it deserved. Ta da! (Plus a quick look at the invite). And yes, Annie's mom Casey made that cake from scratch!

Finally it was time for everyone to go home. But not before Annie got a chance to get some snapshots with family and of course.. a ride in that awesome polka dot red and white wagon!

When I look at that shot of Annie and her friend in the wagon can't help but caption it with "Girl!! Where did you get that dress?!! Too cute!" haha (I may be spending way too much time looking at these pics.. but it made me laugh so there!)

Anyway.. the only thing that could have made this post better was to somehow be able to provide ya'll with samples of Casey's handiwork. Delicious! Other than that.. I do hope ya'll loved them!
Casey, thanks so much for hiring me to cover this special day. You have an incredibly sweet family and have been blessed with such a precious little girl! I wish all of you tons of health and happiness!!