Andrew, Annie, Matteo, Sofia & Mary

When Andrew's mother Mary asked for family photos, Dick and I were thrilled that our friends Andrew and Annie came to us. The setting at Balboa Park was comfortably cool and bright as we walked the gardens and paths to take photos of the family. In fact, I can't think of a better way to have spent last Saturday morning.

Here are just a few from that day...

As you can see, they're certainly cute kids. But Matteo and Sofia were well-behaved too! (that's a nice bonus for family photos)

Sofia's first Polaroid experience.

Annie and Andrew - thank you so much for thinking of us. We had a great time!

Lynn & Steve

We had an absolute blast shooting Lynn and Steve's wedding. Both active Navy, they met on the way to Iraq. Four years later, their two families came together for a beautiful celebration of their connection. All day long we laughed (and I even got a little teary here and there) as we captured the party. Even days later as I scrolled through the images from that day, smiles kept taking over my face.

Thanks you two for allowing us to be part of your day. We had a great time!

Lynn and Steve were married at the Admiral Kidd Club in San Diego. We always enjoy photographing weddings here, but they've recently made some really nice updates to this venue which made it even better than it was before.

I LOVE that they sang to each other while they danced.

Primo of Primo DJ was off the hook!

Amanda & Nathan

I'll admit that it can sometimes be unnerving showing up to photograph a wedding when I haven't yet met the couple. But I have to say, the moment Dad and I arrived at the salon where Amanda was getting her hair done I was immediately struck by what a sweet, warm person Amanda is.

Next we followed her to the hotel where she and her bridesmaids were getting ready, and the rest of the group was every bit as lovely. Amanda had a large entourage with four bridesmaids and four junior bridesmaids (now her little sisters-in-law). Each was so kind and considerate of the other and it was truly a joy to spend the day with them.

Amanda and Nathan were married in the Ellipse Chapel at Point Loma Nazarene University.

Amanda and Nathan decided to see each other before the ceremony so that we could get formal photographs done without making guests wait. This could not have been a more ideal plan on this day, particularly because the rain started to pour during the ceremony. Had we waited until after we wouldn't have been able to take these bright outdoor photos.

The reveal: we brought the two of them outside to capture the moment when Nathan first saw Amanda in her dress. I think you can see that not only are they great people, they're also a whole lot of fun.

This was taken right before Amanda and her father made their ceremony entrance. I'm a sucker for a sweet father-daughter relationship.

The kiss.

After a short break the group celebrated at the Oceanview Room on the submarine base in Point Loma. The wet and windy weather prevented us from being able to sit outside to enjoy the stunning views, but the party inside didn't miss a beat. This gang kept the dance floor filled!

Amanda's sister designed all of the silk boquets and reception decorations. The 'tea party' theme was particularly cute, with tea cups and topiaries at each table. Amanda and Nathan also gave a special tea bag and message to each of their guests.

life snippets

a.k.a. a love letter to my iPhone

There are schools of thought that say a photographer should bring her camera everywhere she goes. Well... as much as I agree that's a great idea, I really don't follow that school of thought as much as I probably should (my camera is a bit of a beast). However, I do bring my iPhone with me most places I go. Consequently, I get shots of random life-stuff from time to time and will post them on Facebook. I just took a look at that small collection of thumbnails and it made me smile.

fountain in Phoenix while I was on the road | Dad helps a stranger by installing her battery | Mom on her birthday | something actually living in my back yard | Mugen peeking over a mountain of bills | our Bridal Bazaar booth | lovely freeway view from my Los Angeles hotel room | my umbrella in the neighbor's back yard after a recent storm | rainy sunset from my back yard | Fuu being sassy | my discovery that bone china has bone in it | sunrise | coffee time with Mom | cousin Jesse's 30th birthday | a new bouncy ball | coffee at Denny's with Dick | about to bake some cupcakes | packing up Christmas | Dick bored at the fabric store | sleepy Mugen

Most are happy little insignificant moments that would have otherwise gone unrecorded and unnoticed. Thanks to the iPhone and social media, they're now out there as a mini-reflection of what I'm all about.

By the way, I'm not going to pretend that the idea to post iPhone thumbnails was all my idea. I follow photographer Jasmine Star's blog and she posted her iPhone photos of a recent New York trip.

Sunday Morning

Hey you - that's my side of the bed.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

What a great day! Dick, Mom, Dad and I all took the Amtrak to San Juan Capistrano for Mom's Birthday lunch. It was dreary and wet in San Diego that morning, but after just a short ride north we were greeted with crisp air, blue skies and white puffy clouds.

I think we take for granted what beautiful colors we can see in February.

Mom listens as Uncle Bob wishes her a Happy Birthday

She makes me smile

...and back in San Diego again.

A beautiful day for a fantastic lady.
I love you Mom.

spilling candle

We were headed out the door after having a delicious dinner at Mike and Christina's house, when I noticed an overflowing candle on their mantle. The pattern it created was just too cool to pass up.

Thanks again for dinner, guys - it was fantastic as always!

Sean and Nicole's elegant album

I had the privilege of hand-delivering Nicole and Sean's album to Nicole's mom this weekend. Before I handed it over, I took a few photos of it. I love the elegant simplicity. And the splash of red on the inside cover was Nicole's idea - brilliant!

Thanks to our friends at Leather Craftsmen for doing such a lovely job on the construction.