Friends, Family and a photo collaboration

This is a total throwback to April 2012 and I am excited to finally have some catch up time on the blog to share some of the things I do in between my commissioned shoots.

1.  Travel
2.  Create new projects to shoot and practice
3.  Spend time with my loved ones

I travel frequently up to Mendocino County in Northern California because I have family in that area and they are so great in referring their friends to me for work, so it's a double win!

I was so excited for this trip in particular because I had been planning a "meet-date" with Sarah Wolfe of Sarah Wolfe Photography, she is quite talented (check out her work here) and lives in Seattle, Washington.  Sarah is friends with my cousin, Nadine, who has graced the blog with her beautiful face a few times over the years.

We had planned to do an afternoon of shooting and I was excited!!  It was so great to watch another photographer shoot and learn from and vice versa.  I admit, I was nervous being watched as I photograph because it's such an intimate thing for me, but I had a blast.  I feel through every shoot I do, I get to know each individual through the lens and on a more personal level than just through simply talking, it's a bit difficult to articulate exactly what I mean, but I hope that these images will explain that.

Sarah is a fantastic person to spend time with and I so appreciate her taking time to be in front of my camera and have fun.  She also photographed me, which I usually get anxious about, but had a great time!  I also had the pleasure of meeting Ashley Roberts, an aspiring and talented makeup artist.  She is absolutely gorgeous and was totally model-worthy, I loved it!

Enjoy :)

 The beautiful Sarah Wolfe.

 Meet Ashley Roberts, love her jacket and hair.

 These gals have been friends for many years, so sweet!

 My cousin Nadine (on the left) is so beautiful, such a sweet person.

 In love with these two frames, ah!!

Turlock Journal Reader's Choice Award 2012

As I write this, I am sitting here with a huge smile on my face because I am so honored, humbled, overwhelmed, excited and touched.  An emotional jumble, but a good jumble.

I was notified yesterday afternoon that I was selected as "Turlock Journal Reader's Choice Favorite Photography Business".

Me!  Little ol' me, out the many talented photographers in this city, I was voted by the people of Turlock as their favorite!  Tears welled up in my eyes reading that last sentence.  

What a surreal feeling.  Absolutely surreal.

I had to re-read the email I received about 10 times to make sure it wasn't a joke and when I read it aloud to my husband he responded with a resounding "HELL YEAH!!"  and a high five, gotta love him :)

So this has definitely kept the wonderful high from my recent trip to Hawaii going.  I'm so blessed to do what I love, day in and day out.  Because I know that I would continue to do photography even if I wasn't being commissioned to do so because I love it so much!

The people I've met on my journey in photography have been incredible, without them I would have no business.  I attribute my success thus far to the many clients, family and friends who have believed in what I do, love my work whole heartedly and love me, it is because of you all that I am where I am in photography right now.  I am just at the beginning of this wonderful road of photography, I am so excited for what is to come!

Thank you to everyone of you out there who have taken the time to vote for me, it means the world.  I am truly honored.

Cheers!

Birthday Wishes: My Awesome Husband

I am so happy to share about one of my most favorite people:  my husband, Arnaldo.

He is the coolest guy and I just adore him to pieces.  We've been together for 10 years this year, married for 3 of those fantastic years and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us!  Time has flown by and we have had so many great experiences, travels, endless laugh fests together, it still feels like we've been together for such a short time, I so look forward to the adventures we will experience in the near future!

He is my biggest supporter in life and all that I do.  He cheers me on in my business every day, such a great listener when I need to bounce ideas around or when I just need to talk, loves me unconditionally and makes me laugh 24/7, he's so awesome!!

It's Arnaldo's birthday week, we celebrated yesterday and if were up to me, we would be celebrating all month long like I do for my birthday in November :)  I love celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, special moments and any reason to celebrate any milestone with all family members and friends, so prolonging Arnaldo's birthday, a little bit,  is awesome! 

Here's a look back on the last few months of some of my favorite pictures of this awesome guy!  Happy Birthday hon, you are the best, I love you!!!

In Hawaii earlier in January, what an awesome time we had!!

    

Feliz Cumpleanos mi amor!  (Happy Birthday my love)

Aloha 2013!

2013 is going to be an incredible year!

2012 was a year of immense blessings, growth, love, life and amazing-ness and I am so looking forward to this year even more than last!

I began this month working in Hawaii, photographing a wedding, making new friends at the airport who have now become friends for life, having a second honeymoon with the love of my life-my incredible husband and taking every second to enjoy this life I've been given.

A couple of years ago I never would have imagined I would be where I am today being able to do what I love day in day out and actually being good at my work.

Dreams have been realized and have truly expanded my perspective on life, future goals and new dreams and all this by looking through the viewfinder in my camera.  I realized that this is just the beginning and I'm so excited for the journey I am about to go on!

I spent the first couple of days in Hawaii last week in absolute awe and amazement because planning this trip was a little over a year in the making and to actually be there breathing in the fresh Hawaiian air and sharing a meal with my husband, I actually began to tear up.  Tears of joy, of course, because I was actually living my dream life, as a destination photographer.  It's everything I've dreamed of since I first picked up my camera (well, my mom's camera) when I was a kid.

Wow.

I will be catching you up on the fantastic shoots I did in the fall time, weddings, family portrait sessions and so forth, but for now, let's enjoy the view.

Aloha.