Alyce + Austin

This week has been incredible!! I spent extra time with family from out of town, took a trip that was unexpected yet so awesome, spent time with my sisters and I was able to spend time in one of my most favorite places: Monterey.

I met up with Alyce and Austin in Monterey for a photo shoot and we had such a great time, not to mention the weather was killer! Bright warm sun, fresh air, lots of laughs and of course our favorite, clam chowder bread bowls.

Alyce and Austin were such a fun couple to photograph, so easy going and willing to just have a great time, even when I acted like a dork!

Here are my faves, hope you enjoy!

Spring evening: Nadine

The weather has been so awesome recently, spring and fall are my favorite seasons, and living in California makes me feel so blessed that we can enjoy such sunny days.

Easter time is always so special to me, spending time with family, eating awesome food and of course the most important--giving thanks to our Awesome God for offering his son, Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. I spent a lot of time in prayer and being thankful for my life, my spiritual gifts, my physical abilities and talents. We can never give enough thanks to God, I am always saying "Praise the Lord" "Thank You God for another day of life" "Thank You for all You have provided".

I am most thankful for the ability to see and capture life through my lens. Without sight I am not sure what my life would be like, much different but enhanced in other ways. I am also thankful so much for my wonderful family members. My cousin Nadine came to visit this past weekend, we have too much fun when we're together! On Easter Sunday we did a sunset photoshoot and had a blast! She has the most gorgeous hair and such a beautiful smile and she has the best sense of humor ever! We have laugh fests for hours (sometimes about nothing, it's awesome!).

Here's to Easter, blessings in life, my sight and ability to create with my awesome tool-the camera!

Prom 2011

Wow, time definitely flies when you're living life and having a blast! The first weekend in April my youngest sister, Stephanie, went to her senior prom. She is going to graduate in May and I am soooo proud of the young woman she has become.

I remember when I was younger dreaming of the days when my sisters would be older so I could do all the fun things with them that I did with my girlfriends (share clothes, jewelry, go shopping together, travel together and so forth!). We have always been very close despite our age differences(Andy and I are 8 years apart and Steph and I are 9 years apart) and I love my sisters to pieces!

It has been so fun to be a part of these special milestones, it takes me back to the time when I was their age and how I felt in that moment...wow what a treat, to be there with both of my sisters and what a special time in a young girls life!

Steph asked me if I would photograph her and friends before they headed off to dinner and I, of course, said yes! So we did some getting ready pictures and then headed over to On Broadway with Two Guys for a quick mini-shoot with her group and had a blast! They had dinner at Two Guys Red Brick Cafe, the restaurant within the facility and then were whisked away via a lovely limousine to dance the night away.

Enjoy!

For Japan With Love

The past week has been full of tragedy and loss for the people in Japan. I have been reading online articles and watching clips on the earthquake/tsunami aftermath and every time I am in disbelief and shock at the damage and loss of life. I have been praying daily for those who are missing their loved ones and that they may find strength in these days and weeks to come.

We are all so blessed to be alive and have our family close by or a phone call away and I don't know what I would do if we had disaster strike here and I was separated from those I love the most. We take these basic things for granted (family, home, life) and are only reminded of what really matters in time of loss and need, but we should be thankful daily, giving God praise for another day of life every morning.

So how can we help those in Japan?

By clicking on the link below for a disaster relief fund created by Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged called For Japan With Love, an online fundraising site for Japan.

Do check out the website, every dollar helps, even if you may not think it does. Ever Ours has explained how every donation counts:

"ShelterBox provides shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items." 

What a fantastic way to help those who have lost their homes, have no home to go to and to help restart their lives.  Even if you are unable to donate at this time I do ask that each and every one of you pray for those in Japan who are searching for their families, who must move on even though they have no home and who are in the midst of this horrific disaster.  Every prayer makes a difference. God is always working, always listening and always taking care of His children. Please help spread the word via Facebook and Twitter and re-tweeting this effort for Japan.

Please join me in making a difference.

Friday, March 18, 2011,  has been declared Bloggers Day of Silence.  I will not be posting any blogs tomorrow out of honor and respect for those in Japan.

Ana

I am so excited to share these pictures with you! Ana is the newest face to debut on the blog and let me tell you this girl has the most gorgeous smile, I love it! I have known Ana for quite sometime, I consider her family, she is friends with my lovely cousin Nadine (who was featured on the blog back in Nov/Dec) and they are so much fun to be around, never a dull moment and always cracking jokes!

I love her style, her energy and her laugh, she is just such a fabulous person, one of my best models yet! She really rocked the session with her great style and ease in front of the camera. Thank you Ana for being so fantastic, it was a blast!

Here are my faves :)

Project 52, week 6

This weeks theme was 'hearts' the alternative was 'obsession'. So in honor of that special day of love right around the corner, I figured it would be oh so sweet to post some of the hearts I found while out and about.

Enjoy!

Project 52, Week 5

Can you believe it, it's February!! Time is definitely flying by in the new year, I am so excited for all the wonderful things to come, this is definitely going to be a year to remember!

This is week 5 of my Project 52 and I am very excited to share with you all that I am posting this before the beginning of next week! I hope this is a new trend for me, haha!! The theme for the week was "shadows" and "delicate", we could choose either as I have noted before. I went for a walk downtown with Andy, cameras in hand, ready for anything! I am teaching her how to photograph, starting with the basics: 35mm film and fully manual camera--very old school and very fun!

Close to sunset provides long, angled shadows that can create wonderful repetition, great tonality for black and white images and not to mention gorgeous color for the evening! Enjoy!