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Roman Family ::Creative Couture::

Whenever Liz calls me, I get really excited. Like silly, giddy excited. I guess you could say that, in my photography career, home girl and I go way back. Liz has been coming to me for her family photography needs for a while now and it's seriously so much fun to work with her, her husband and her kiddos. I've had the pleasure of watching little Izzy spring up in front of me since she was just months old to now being 2! Vanessa has grown into a beautiful young woman (these girls seriously look like their mom!) and I was lucky enough to shoot Liz & Alex's awesome Leap Day wedding. So, yeah, when she calls me, I get pretty happy. :)

This year, for their family portraits and Izzy's 2 yr. portraits, we headed back to Big Tree Park in Glendora. By the way, if you have never been there or haven't ever driven by it, when they say "big tree" they should probably say GI-HUGEMONGOUS. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but goodness gracious, it's ridiculously big.

We started with Izabel's portraits in her cute-o red dress.




Awww, sisters....


Time for some family shots...








I don't like to talk about my flare.... (that's for the Becker fans out there)


Not hard to see where the good looks in the family come from with parents like this!


Mom got some extra special love. :)


Thanks again for letting me work your family! You know I enjoy it every time and I can't believe how grown up the girls are now! Looking forward to the next time. :)

::b::

Amari ::Kids Kouture::

Meet super adorable cutie-patootie 4 year old Amari! I love doing Kids Kouture shoots - especially when I get to work with such fantastic people like Amari and his mom, Amani. Amari came prepared for his shoot too. He had three outfits and four toys all set to show me (not to mention his Taekwondo moves and some killer dance skills). We met up in Pasadena near the Rose Bowl and jumped right into it!

I try to encourage parents to help prepare their kids for shoots by hyping it in a positive way plus I ask that parents let their children bring a few items that they really like to "show off". It usually helps loosen kids up a little bit and it always makes for more enjoyable photos. I was excited to learn from Amani that Amari did really well for his school photo after his experience with me - I'd like to think that part of that comes down to just providing an enjoyable experience for kids to just be kids in front of a camera. Plus you get to see their real personalities come out - which is so much more fun. Check out what I mean about Amari's adorableness and some of the toys he decided to bring!





I had to show Amari the only cool move I knew.... crab walking. :) He was instantly a pro.




Amari is a total Laker's fan (a kid after my own heart!). His favorite player is Kobe - so this is his "Kobe face".


Ahhh-Yaaah!


Dance moves - no music necessary. :)


He had to show me his push-ups - he's gotten good at them in Taekwondo classes...


Just because he's cool.




Surveying his kingdom. :)


Special thanks to Amari & Amani for letting me be a part of documenting such a cute time in Amari's life! It was truly a pleasure to work with you both - I hope to have the chance to do it again in the future!

Holiday Time!: Corban ~Kid Kouture~

Corban is probably one of the cutest 3 month olds ever. Until Cameron is born and hits 3 months anyway... ;) But UNTIL then, Corban definitely has the market. I love doing holiday portraits, especially fall portraits, and this little guy was amazingly cooperative. Christen (Corban's gorgeous mommy), Corban and I headed to Lombardi Ranch in Saugus (one of my favorite places ever) and took some great "first fall" photos. Now, understand when is say I love this place, know that it's sort of a ridiculous understatement. My husband rolls his eyes, but I seriously come to this place every year - I even drove out during college because it's practically sacrilegious to buy pumpkins anywhere else. And now I have the added bonus of thinking to myself that I can't WAIT to bring my kiddo here. Seriously so much fun for me and my little wacky brain. :)

Check out Corban's flirty over-the-shoulder-come-hither look.


He wasn't entirely sure about this whole being held up when there are clearly other things to do thing, but he did pretty well!


But then, to entertain himself and us, he did one of the things babies do best:


And one more cutie shot with a little help from Mom - this time with pumpkins his size. :)


More portraits coming soon! Can't wait to blog some shots from yesterday's portraits in Pasadena with Amari - my new favorite Power Ranger/Kobe Bryant fan. :)

~B

October 11 Wedding Teaser

My husband has whisked me away out of town for the day today (for some relaxation and a hockey game with friends... yes, those two can go together...), but I still have my laptop and I wanted to post a little teaser from yesterday's wedding! More from Lisa & Dali's wedding will be coming soon (I promise!) and I can't wait to share it with you. Everything was simply gorgeous! In the meantime, this will have to do!

Ron & Anna ~Wedding~

Warning: This may end up being the longest blog post of my blog-life so far. ;)


This past weekend, Anna & Ron were married at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. It was seriously one of those weddings where everything came together - the kind a photographer like myself dreams about (literally). Everything was gorgeous - the people were beautiful, the bride was stunning, the wedding party was hilarious and energetic, the details were personalized and fabulous, the setting was amazing, the weather was perfect.... I know they always tell you (when you're a bride at least) that something WILL go wrong, but if anything did for this wedding, I definitely didn't see it.

We started at the Marriott Residence Inn in Beverly Hills for some beforehand prep and details.


Anna's makeup and hair (and most of the ladies in the bridal party as well) was provided by the very talented Marlou Colina. All of the ladies looked flawless.


Anna's gown was completely custom. She even had it sent to the Philippines for extra beadwork on the antique lace bodice and detailing along the bottom of the skirt. It was fabulous, fit her like a glove and had a very Luhlier feel to it.


The lovely ladies in their very fashionable deep purple dresses. Their personalities were evident from the very beginning.


Anna really did look amazing. Of course, when you're that gorgeous to begin with, a wedding gown and all that is just icing on the cake.




Ron & Anna opted for a "First Look" before the ceremony. I LOVE it when couples decide to do that. There are so many benefits. You get a nice private moment to enjoy each other's company when you see each other for the first time and you actually get to talk to each other. From my personal experience (my husband and I opted for a First Look before our ceremony as well), it was so special knowing that my husband saw me FIRST - before any of the guests did. Plus, it takes a lot of the stress and tension out of the photo time and you get amazing shots.



And even with a First Look, Ron still started tearing up when Anna walked down the isle to him. The whole time she was walking, all the groomsmen were whispering to Ron, saying things like "Dude, that's your WIFE!" - they were all pretty impressed with how stunning she was too.



More details.


They held the ceremony in an outdoor courtyard that overlooked the mansion and all of downtown LA and Beverly Hills. Breathtaking.








Ron is such a stud (this theme is re-occurring btw.... you'll see more of why that is later...). He's also a poker player, so while he was sweeping Anna off her feet for their first kiss, his family and friends were all shouting "double down!" to get him to kiss her again. ;)


Newlyweds!


Wedding party fun.


Their adorable twin flower girls were embarrassed by the PDA....


The gentelmen... and Ron showing off his new bling.


More Ron & Anna cuteness....












It should have been a hint of what was to come when Anna had already put on her dancing shoes...


Seriously, check out that bling! What a gorgeous ring!




When I shot Anna & Ron's engagement session, they managed to find a cute little miniature golf course that had an Eiffel Tower on it. That was perfect because guess where Anna & Ron are going on their honeymoon.....(no, it's not to a miniature golf course...). They picked one of the Eiffel Tower shots to blow up and display plus they had a full guestbook made of their engagement images for guests to look at and sign.


After they were officially introduced and made their grand entrance into the reception (held in the courtyard located in the center of the mansion itself), they launched into their first dance. It started out romantic and it was clear they had practiced steps and lifts and dips...


However, mid-way thru their romantic 98 degrees song, the song came to a screeching halt and switched to "Jump On It" and then they really broke it down!


After getting their groove on for a while, the song screeched back to the end of their romantic song and Ron ended it well again (more stud action). Everyone was thoroughly impressed.


After dinner and the sun began to set (and Ron had sung "I Wanna Grow Old with You" as a surprise to his new wife), Anna changed into her second dress of the evening - a hot little short number - to cut the cake and make her exit with her husband in. Btw, they couldn't decide on cake, cupcakes or baby cakes, so they pretty much had all three. :)


Ron decided one bite wasn't enough and decided to finish the slice they had cut.


Once the sun had totally gone down, the real surprise of the evening aired. Ron & Anna told everyone that they were going to do a video montage "you know, with baby pictures" to show to their guests. No one except the wedding party knew what they had actually prepared. Anna & Ron shot a full movie trailer version of "The Matrix Engaged" starring themselves and their groomsmen. It was seriously amazing!


I was totally blown away at all the work they put into it. Kristopher J. Evans (who also agreed to play Morpheus) produced the film along with his company Corner 10 Productions. He also put the full trailer online, so you totally should go here to watch it!

After a bit more dancing, Anna & Ron made their goodbyes and snuck out.


Hope you guys have an AMAZING honeymoon in Paris and Rome!!! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed myself at your gorgeous wedding! Best wishes to you both!

PS: Told you it was a long blog. :)
~B