Love on the runway with Lindsay & Brandon!

So here's the scenario...Lindsay and Brandon are lookin' to do the engagement shoot. Well given that Brandon is a flight instructor who has access to planes, a plane hangar, and the airport in general, it's safe to say that we were as ready as Maverick was to buzz the tower on this baby. We actually shot for almost two hours; you could say we got carried away. So first things first, Lindsay & Brandon show up in an immaculate black Audi S4 that you could eat literally eat off of it was so clean. I'm already impressed. Then we head over to the plane hangar and give them a ride in our dog hair covered car, embarrassing. Now we're at the hangar and decide to get some shots in front of it since it's pretty daunting in size and makes for quite the backdrop. So then we pull aside the 2 huge steel rolling doors to unveil the brand spankin' new Cessna plane and pull it out to crank up the propeller and take a quick stroll over to another area of the airport for some killer shots. This plane was seriously nice inside, the aroma of the leather combined with the color screens and engine roar made me quickly realize how bad I wanted to take off and spend some air time in this baby! So we ended up shooting all sorts of stuff around the plane and shot until the sun basically went down. It was a good time for Marissa and I because we had so much open space but also such a freakin' cool prop (no pun intended) to shoot with. Lindsay, Brandon, BRAVO! You guys rocked this shoot. This couple IS saucy as stated in the video. They worked it out and the shots speak for themselves.

Lily & Chris' Wedding! Balboa Park, El Cortez, and more!

Lily & Chris' wedding was really cool because the wedding bounced around quite a bit to different locations throughout the day. From Lily's house for getting ready shots, to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church for the Ceremony, to Balboa Park for all sorts of portraits, to the El Cortez for a seriously beautiful reception. Lily and Chris make you smile when you watch them together, they have an unspoken connection that is immediately identifiable. What's also admirable is that they're friends and family are so tight-knit so taking photos of everybody was effortless. We just let them run the show, gave some pointers and came up with some shots that we absolutely love! The people we work with continue to leave us with such a sense of appreciation for keeping the ones you love close. Well done Lily, Chris, Family, and Friends! Enjoy the slideshow. Be sure to let us know if anyone has any trouble with the slideshow feature. We're giving it a try since posting every shot individually isn't working too well for us anymore.

Wedding stories....

I thought it would be fun to post some of our latest wedding albums that we have designed these past two weeks. Weston and I have two different ways that we design albums. One is what we call a "Storybook" design where a higher volume of photos is used to tell all the details of the story. See examples in the links below. The other way is the "Art Book" design, in which less photos are chosen and laid out in a very simple design to showcase the art of the very best images. This too creates a lot of emotion and provides a huge "wow" factor. The choice can be difficult at times, but we are here to help you figure out which direction you want to go in.

Here are "Storybook" examples:
Bekah and Tim
Erin and Dan

Kim & Dan...lookin' good!

So here we are making the most of San Diego down at La Jolla Cove. I'd have to say that we've shot more engagement shoots at La Jolla Cove than any other location; and for good reason. It's really taught us to think outside the box in the sense that we deliberately try to shoot it different than any time prior. Initially you would think to go for an all sunny colorful look but with the light quality there and different areas of the cove you can get some really interesting vibes that aren't of the norm. Kim and Dan fully impressed Marissa and I with their comfort level in front of the camera. Tourists were gawking at times, almost curious as to whether they were celebrities or not ;). Kim and Dan definitely have quite a presence to them; and they're extremely accessible and warm in conversations. They took direction incredibly well and just went for it by having fun with every shot and we couldn't be happier with the results! Marissa and love to make our couples look their best; I think it's one of our main strengths. We love that editorial, Calvin Klein black and white and moody feel. I always try to think of that Chris Isaak video "Wicked Game" for inspiration in the back of my mind when trying to go for that sexy, grainy, black and white taste in the exposure. Sheesh, that reminds me I forgot to add grain to these shots! What a dope, oh well, forgive me and just imagine they're grainier for now :). I'll add it when they go in our main site's eng gallery. I suppose the high iso gave it some grain though. Can't wait for the wedding you guys! By the way if you can believe it there are like 300 other shots that I can't wait for you guys to see. Nice job you two!

In Laguna Beach with the lovely couple Melissa & Adam!

The shot above is one of my faves in a long time (Click on it to enlarge). I just love her expression and the way the wind blew her hair across her face and the way the sun lit everything from that direction. Then adding the mysterious tall, dark and handsome Adam sealed the deal. :)

We don't leave San Diego too often to do engagement shoots but when it's Laguna Beach on a practically private beach, all that goes out the window. So we meet up with Melissa and Adam at the Montage Hotel Bar/Lounge and we were stoked to see that they were chillin' having a drink before the e-session began. We always think a drink takes the edge off and everyone becomes a bit more relaxed in front of the camera and more willing to have fun with it. But go beyond a couple drinks or more and then you're askin' for trouble. Lucky for us, Melissa and Adam took the conservative route.

Whoa, got sidetracked there...So in a nutshell, Adam & Melissa's photo collection were one of Marissa and I's absolute favorites. There were at least 150+ photos that I was totally stoked on. I wanted to put them all up on the blog! We felt so comfortable around them and I kept thinking to myself, I could totally hang out with these two. They're so relaxed, positive and have a great sense of humor. We loved their dynamic as a couple, just so happy to be around each other and in the moment. Yet another couple that we're totally impressed with. Sometimes when I'm driving behind bad drivers I'm certain that I've lost all hope in humanity but people like our clients remind me to reconsider. Well...until I get behind them on the road I suppose ;p. Anyway I'll stop blabbin', check out the shots...

Here's Marissa in action. Yes I purposely left her bubble butt in the shot for my own amusement. What?! It's my wife I can say stuff like that right? or? hmm.

The shot above cracks me up. Adam's boxers have that Gnome from Travelocity on them and it says "Rollin' with my Gnomies". That's genius in my opinion. Stupid, but genius. I love humor like that.

Christy and Tyson!

If we could get married again... we would steal all of Christy and Tyson's ideas. We love their creative style. Guys, we are working on your photos and loving it! Here are a few more teasers to hold you over. These two got ready at the Hard Rock Hotel in Downtown San Diego. It really has some killer photo spots that we were able to take advantage of. Their ceremony was in Balboa Park and the reception was at Admiral Kidd. Loved it guys!

Stacey and Kevin 's Wedding at the Darlington House, La Jolla

I am sure Stacey is saying something hilarious as usual here.

Meet Stacey and Kevin. This oh so kind and sweet couple made our day a blast. Their ceremony and wedding was a "The Darlington House" in La Jolla. Here a few teasers to hold them over as we finish working on their images.