Love is... | september

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, THIS is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson



Due to being on tour, I apologize for missing the month of August, but this month's Love is... charity was started by a fellow photographer named Scott Harrison in his quest to make a difference with his life. I am so impressed by the impact one person has had in a simple two year span.

Allow me to introduce you to: Charity: water.



You tube: Charity Water: september

Ariana + Dany | long beach, ca

I have tried to sum up the experience shooting Ariana and Dany's wedding but often found myself at a loss for words. Their love is pure.. simple..and contagious. It deserves to remain unexplainable without attributing any labels or cheapening it's power by attaching words to the emotion. But I can tell you that I RARELY see a man look at his girlfriend, fiance, or bride with the same sparkle and utter adoration that is obvious in Dany's eyes. I saw the complete definition of adoration in every interaction between the two of them.

The priest said something during the ceremony that I haven't forgotten...
"30 years from now you may drive the same car, have the same crappy job, live in the same two bedroom apartment, but if you have Ariana by your side... that's success."
Isn't that so true? It isn't about accolades, accomplishments, or tangible perishable commodities. It is about something inexplainable, undeniable, and ultimately unavoidable.

:)

Ariana's nephew was overwhelmed with emotion

After the ceremony we ran back to the house because Dany just wanted to carry his new bride over the threshold. Dany bought this house, fixed it up and then proposed to Ariana in it. Now they will begin their new life there...

And a slideshow too! **click here**


A HUGE special thanks to Abi for joining me on this wedding. Working with her brings a smile to my face every time.

A lil' Anne, a lil' Martha, and a lil' boat.

My sweet friend Annemarie came out to Boston to play this weekend.
And even though we spent the majority of her trip out on Martha's Vineyard shooting a wedding, our adventures were glorious none the less.
Accompanied by my friend Suzanne, the three of us ladies staged a hostel takeover of the island.
[Well, sorta].
We just decided to get a little adventurous and stay in a hostel instead of a hotel since we were extending our trip a few days anyway. If you know me, you know I prefer the adventurous stuff so why not?! We had the place to ourselves and truly lived the life. Wine out of plastic cups is truly classy, right? ha.

Anyway, yesterday morning we woke up early for a little hair/make-up session and then snuck out before the rain hit for a few photos of my lovely friend. Due to time limitations, we wrapped up the shoot on the ferry...where I think we got the best shots!

What's up with my guilty pleasure of fashiony shoots. I just can't get enough.

oh, and sorry gentleman...she's taken ;)

Rain Rain...run.

Shot a beautiful wedding on Martha's Vineyard this weekend and the forecast called for torrential downpours. The rain held off allll day UNTIL we decided to chance a quick portrait session down on the jetty by the lighthouse.
As soon as we were a significant distance from the car, we were impaled by sideways rain and literally soaked. haha.
TOTALLY worth it.

I was running backwards shooting and found this image amidst my downloading. Just a quick sneek peek at this weekend's fun!
Plenty more to come soon!

:)

Justin and Mary | photographer-models-extraordinaire

I rail-roaded it on down to New Haven CT yesterday to prepare for a shoot with my dear darling friends Justin and Mary Marantz. We worked all day and the light didn't wait for us so we really only had 30 minutes to shoot but it was awesome nonetheless.
Words cant really express my adoration for these two... I am truly thankful to have them in my life as friends, colleagues, mentors, confidants... the list is endless and so is my appreciation.
Together we talk some mean politics, drink some mean margaritas, and shoot some mean pictures. :)

Being photographers they know how to work the camera...and being like minded, they know how to throw back some post-shoot ice cream too! The day couldn't be better...fun photoshoot, yummy ice cream (which is healthy by the way ;]) and great friends.


Oh, and I decided to just do all B&W for today's post..... no good reason except I felt like it :)

Spontaneous Random Adventure

Wednesday's text message conversation went something like this:
me: So, I know this is last minute but it looks like my Connecticut trip got rescheduled... wanna run away together?
friend: YES!
me: perfect, lets go.
friend: want to go buy some firewood and tent it up in Andover?
me: YUP!!

It was as easy as that. We grabbed the tent, sleeping bags and a few sweatshirts and 20 minutes later we ended up here.... [Need I reiterate how much I love New England? ;) ]

I love spontaneous random adventures! We had a waterfront campsite and no one else was around so it made for pure bliss. I turned off my phone (except for when I responded to a few emails last night) and brought a brick of books..... we just enjoyed life. I love simple friendships like ours where we can just sit by the campfire and soak in nature.... no make-up, "outfits" or high heels, just dirt under our fingernails, vain attempts at 'roaring' fires, and pocket knives! We both agreed that a night in a tent trumps a $500 Fancy Suite any day.

Two nights and one full day in the great outdoors was a perfect recharge........now, back to work! :)

Dreena | model shoot

We all know how much I love shooting lifestyle fashion, so when I had the opportunity to shoot aspiring model/actress, Dreena, I squealed a little bit I think. ;)
The shoot was aimed at building her portfolio so the concept was "athletic" or something like that. haha...
All I know is that I love that I have the opportunity to get so caught up in the overwhelming emotions of passion, excitement and pure pleasure that comes with each shoot... I still don't understand why I am so lucky to be so head over heels in love with my 'job' or rather that I get paid to do what I love. People search years to find this feeling and I often don't feel worthy of such favor.

Enough about me, onto our model!
Let me warn you that Dreena JUST turned 16... yeah, Im still trying to wrap my head around that but whatever.

enjoy :)

and one more from when she got dressed right before we left :)

**EDIT** I shot with Doug yesterday and he finally posted pics! He did everything with flash... some of the shots looks like ads, check him out.

Abi + Ryan | just plain hot

I danced and smiled all weekend long as I played with my new 5-Delicious.

I figured the best way to get acquainted with my new friend was to test its skills out on a few fun shoots. A little styling and location scouting quickly ensued and the sucker was put to the test.
All I have to say is move over Ewan... EOS-5d had replaced you as my new crush.


So, you may be familiar with Abi and Ryan....
Abi was on the front page of my very first website.


then last summer they asked for me to shoot a one year session....




And this year they asked for a two year session.
Not only are these two beautiful people with hearts of gold, but I am proud to call them friends. What started through photography has grown into a friendship I am truly thankful for. In the last year, Abi has decided to pursue photography herself and not only is her biz totally taking off, but she is grooming Ryan as her assistant. (plus she has graced me with her presence on all my LA weddings this summer...she is seriously FABULOUS!)


so my friends, year two...

Annnnnd, I couldn't help myself.... **CLICK HERE** for the slideshow! ;)