Thursday, August 28, 2008

Boy or Girl? We finally KNOW!


You may recall my previous update about the gender of the baby and the lack of cooperation from our child... ;) Monday's appointment turned out to be no different BUT we had an ace in the hole on this one - the prenatal cardiologist.

For those who don't know, my husband was born with a heart defect (officially called a "co-arctation of the aortic valve") that required open heart surgery when he was just 18 months old. He's had several procedures over the years to repair the problem and keep it in good shape - all of which has been quite successful. However, there is about a 5% chance of this defect being passed on to our baby, so we were assigned a specialist and this was round one of the special testing that they'll do. And that's where the ace in the hold comes in. Part of this first series of tests included a full & detailed anatomical scan. ;) And Peanut sure wasn't shy today!

So, besides finding out that so far everything looks totally normal and healthy with everything (heart included, though they'll keep an eye on it since it's so hard to diagnos at this age), we most definitely DID find out the sex of the baby......

Drum roll please.......


..............................


IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!! Most definitely a BOY. The due date is still set for January 27 and the name we have chosen is Cameron! Happy bday to ME. :)

We're both very excited, but it's a definite gear shift! Stay tuned for more baby updates, pictures, and details about baby showers, etc. :)

~B

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Mark & Joy ~ Wedding ~

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

On Sunday the 17th, I was so blessed to get to shoot Mark & Joy's wedding at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu (one of my favorite venues to work with)! Due to some tragic events, their original photographer was unable to shoot their wedding, so we met last minute and I ended up shooting their wedding for them. I can't tell you how glad I am that I had that pleasure! Mark & Joy are positively overflowing with laughter, fun, and good cheer (and so are their families, let me tell you!). They truly laughed their way through the entire day and it was infectious. You could tell everyone there was so happy for them. I took along my friend and fellow photographer Nathan Board - here's just a bit of what we got!

First for some details....
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The bride and her father heading down the gorgeous isle
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Told you it was gorgeous. :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The beautiful Matron of Honor. Even though you can't see her face in this shot, I just loved it. I love the colors, the light... I love all of it.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Mark's mom looked on while he read his vows to his bride. She was very proud I think (and looked great!)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Everyone shared a good laugh when Joy pulled the strip of ribbon she had written her vows on out of the front of her dress.... It's not like those wedding gowns come with pockets you know!
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

THE Kiss.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Some ring action fun with the cake topper. :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Always laughing together.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Everyone seemed so thrilled for them - and it wasn't hard to tell where Mark got his fun personality from...
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

And a little motion shot of their first dance. They definitely came into the Reception to "I'm Too Sexy", but danced to "Fly Me to the Moon". :) My kind of peeps.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Thanks to Mark & Joy for letting me be a part of such a beautiful day! It really was an awesome pleasure to be there and witness such joyful wedding! Hope you're enjoying Bora Bora!

Btw, if you want to see their full slideshow, *click here*!

~B

Friday, August 22, 2008

Melissa & Daniel ~ Wedding ~

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Melissa & Daniel had been dating for an INCREDIBLE 14 years before tying the knot. High school sweethearts, these two have been through a lot together - including the recent move to California. Even though they were camera shy, Jessica and I managed to get a few great moments. :) I'll start with a few details.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

I love the recent trend of providing fans for the guests.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The lovely bride and her comical father (trust me, he was hilarious at the reception).
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The ceremony location was pretty breathtaking. Minus the guys in speedos walking by (which you fortunately couldn't see if you were seated), the view, the sea air, and the sound of the surf was downright magical.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Some gorgeous light at sunset right after the ceremony. :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

One last image from the day.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Ok, off to bed for me. I'm headed out tomorrow to shoot a wedding with William Innes down in Redondo Beach nice and early. I'll be posting images from one of my FAV weddings of all time (last Sunday) later this weekend!

~B

Coming soon....

I think I'm booked pretty solid today, but before I run out to shoot with the Alemany Football Team, I wanted to post a little teaser from last weekend's August 16 wedding with Melissa & Daniel! The full post is coming soon (hopefully later today)!

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

~B

Thursday, August 21, 2008

April & Steve ~ Wedding ~

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Last Saturday, August 9, I had the pleasure of working with Neil Vance from Pasadena. I hadn't worked with him (or his wonderful wife Gretchen) before, but I had a blast! I love working with new photographers and learning about their styles - I always learn something new. Neil also managed to book a FANTASTIC couple in April & Steve. They met at the Alta Dena Country Club (where they also held their reception) as lifeguards. In fact, many of the people in the wedding party also worked there. These two definitely had the vibe that only being together regular for a few years can bring. It made for some magical portraits too.

I got to start with the gentlemen before the wedding. We headed over to St. Francis High School where the groom and all 3 of his brothers attended. It was a gorgeous campus and it was cool to hear about all the changes that have taken place in the 15 years since Steve was there.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Actually, where the guys are walking above apparently used to be a pool. Crazy.

Steve had to take care of some last minute details (I think he was arranging the limo pickup at this particular moment), but it made for a funny candid shot. The other guys totally had to tease him.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Hanging out by the lockers...cuz they're THAT cool.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

I loved the lights in the back of the church. It made it dark for shooting, but I loved the effect the light had on the mood as she was waiting to head down the isle.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

My favorite shot during the ceremony
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

And this would be the shot that I got snapped at by the coordinator for taking. It was an honest mistake, but goodness, I have NEVER been given the "church lady snap" during a ceremony before ever. Or frankly at all since I was like 5. At least it was a good photo. :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The cutie-patootie ring bearer. He thought this was what he was supposed to do when a camera was pointed at him. :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

And now for some DETAILS.... :)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Here's Neil getting his bouquet on. Schnazzy....
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The beautiful couple
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Thanks again to Neil & Gretchen for bringing me along and best wishes to Steve & April!

~B

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Khris-Liane & Santiago ~ 8.08.08 Wedding!

Ok, as promised, I'm finally getting caught up on some of my blogging! I had two weddings again this past weekend, so there is A LOT coming your way! Let me backup to the day of the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics (seems like forever ago now somehow...). I had the pleasure of working with Khris-Liane and Santiago down in Redondo Beach at the lovely Crown Plaza Hotel. Khris-Liane and Santiago had a beautiful wedding ceremony on top of the hotel on the Harbor Terrace overlooking the gorgeous marina and bay in Redondo. It was a great location and the weather could not have been better.

Here's Khris-Liane getting into her dress before the ceremony. Now, if you haven't been inside of a wedding dress before, let me tell you, it is WAY more work than it looks like. It takes a lot of maneuvering, a lot of people, a lot of breath-holding, and a whole lot of laughter & patience.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Khris-Liane was all laid back and smiling until she saw herself in the mirror for the first time. Then the tears start. There is something sort of overwhelming the first time you see yourself as The Bride on your wedding day. The girls tried to help save her makeup. ;)
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

A moment of calm before the wedding storm...
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

They made a smart choice to use tiki torches instead of candles for an outdoor ceremony overlooking the beach - they actually staid lit during the entire ceremony!
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

More details...
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

The MEN:
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

That happy newlyweds
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

What a ring!
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Ok, that's all for now! Best wishes to Khris-Liane & Santiago! More wedding stuff (from 8/9, 8/16 and 8/17) coming your way!

~B