We’re happy to announce our new blog! We’ve been working on it for months and are very proud to share it with all of you now! So please stop by and check it out and be sure to update your RSS feeds! All new posts will go on that blog going forward! We’re sooooooo excited! Leave us some love by commenting and letting us know what you think!
I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours! We are so thankful for all of your support and love during this past year. We are truly blessed! Have a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year! We have tons of new and exciting things happening in 2012 and we hope you’ll join us during the journey!
We absolutely love it when one of our brides wants to experiment by shooting something new and creative, so when we were approached by Rachel to do a “Trash The Dress” shoot we were so excited!!!
For those of you who don’t know, Wikipedia defines “Trash The Dress” as:
“A style of wedding photography that contrasts elegant clothing with an environment in which it is out of place. It is generally shot in the style of fashion and glamour photography. “Trash the dress” is the art of destruction or deconstruction of a brides wedding dress to create a new “artwork” that the bride would be proud to display on their wall. This new “masterpiece” is formed in the creative destruction of the dress. This will normally be portrayed in a sequence of images or simply a single image.”
So, in the spirit of “Trash The Dress”, we headed for the beach to attempt the destruction of a dress and to create some amazing artwork for the bride and groom. We had a great time shooting and Rachel and RJ were so open to trying everything we suggested. It was such an awesome time! Thank you Rachel and RJ!
So brides, if you’re feeling creative and don’t mind messing up your dress a little, we are ready to try something new! Now take a minute to look at the shots we captured. We love them and we hope you do too! Enjoy!
Love. Texture.
An honest loving moment
A little hideaway and a bird who wanted to contribute to a beautiful photo
There was un unmistakable sense of joy that we felt as we went down the hall listening to the laughter echoing down the corridor approaching the bride’s room. We entered the room to a vibrant, laughing, beautiful bride getting ready whom was in a state of complete joy. Heather’s face glowed with the happiness. Probably because she was surrounded by nothing but positive energy, laughter, and most importantly love. It was this influx of emotions that were preparing her for the day she would marry her best friend.
Matt was waiting patiently at St. Joachim’s Church in Costa Mesa. His cheek-to-cheek smile gave away his anticipation to see his bride, partially because he hadn’t seen her in the few days before the wedding. Yes, Matt is that kind of guy. A guy who would walk to the ends of the earth for Heather. A true romantic and an outstanding friend. Those same qualities that would soon make him a great husband.
Matt and Heather, your love for one another resonates in everything that you do. We feel so honored to have been part of your beautiful wedding. You made us feel so loved and I’m pretty sure that every one at your wedding felt the same. May the same love, energy, and laughter from your wedding day continue to surround you and your marriage forever. Thank you! Joseph & Anna
Here’s Heather. Glowing.
Her shirt says it all.
Found a piano in the lobby of the hotel and I had to take a shot of her shoes on it.
Love the energy in this shot!
Palm Trees in this shot are awesome. Anna is full of great ideas.
The boys.
Here’s the groom looking sharp!
Confidence.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Congrats! You look so happy!
My favorite shot of the day!
The setting could not be any better.
Love.
The Center Club in Costa Mesa was an amazing venue. Great Service. Beautiful location.
Be sure to watch the slideshow below. There are lots more photos in it. Enjoy!
Months ago I met Jenna and Stuart and I was immediately drawn to their personalities. They are both fun loving individuals who want everyone around them to have a great time. They are the type of people that you want to be around, because you know that they will bring the party to them, no matter where they are.
I was asked to photograph Stuart’s surprise birthday party. Jenna had called me way in advance to make sure I could shoot it and to make sure that Stuart didn’t know what was going on. On the day of the party, Stuart was completely surprised… kinda. The party was going strong; Stuart was repeatedly surprised when he saw that many of his relatives from England had flown in to celebrate his birthday. Jenna had done a great job organizing it all. But what Jenna didn’t know was that Stuart had a little surprise of his own for his birthday. A short while later, Stuart gave his “thank you” speech to all of his guests followed by a marriage proposal to Jenna. Now, she was the one that was completely surprised. It was such a great day. I got to capture it all and I was smiling the entire time. Happiness was everywhere.
Going into their wedding, I knew that it was going to be an amazing party. Both Stuart and Jenna had smiles on their faces that wouldn’t go away. Stuart strolled into the ceremony to his favorite song “Some Kinda Rush” fist pumping, high five-ing, and dancing… like always, bringing the party! He really set the tone for the day. It was a day filled with fun, love, and energy and I will never forget it.
Thank you Jenna and Stuart for choosing us to be part of your day! We had such an amazing time. You made us feel like part of your family, especially when you gave us a shout out during your “thank you” speech. We are truly honored to have been part of such beautiful experience. We hope that you enjoy these images for the rest of your lives. We wish you a life full of fun, laughter, and love! -Joseph & Anna
You can see his energy in this photo.
A little bit of England and a little bit of America.
Loving the lines and contrasting colors in this shot!
Classic. Such a beautiful and honest moment.
Here are the girls bringing the energy too!
I told them to smile while I took this shot of their feet and they all did it.
It just doesn’t get much cuter than this.
Love.
Ahhhh- mazing details.
Gotta love the duck face.
Their love is on F-U-E-G-O. Love this shot.
The Maya Hotel in Long Beach is so amazing. Great location!
Bride and groom with the honor court.
Awesome dance between the bride and her father.
Absolutely in love with the bridge lights in Long Beach.
Siblings.
Anna and I with the bride. We couldn’t get the groom off of the dance floor for enough time to take a picture!
Make sure you also watch the slideshow below for tons of additional images. We hope you enjoy watching it!
As I entered the groom’s room, it was filled with laughter, pranks, and lots of witty remarks. The guys were totally relaxed and ready to get the party started. Danny looked confident and ready to get the show on the road. The jokes kept going. At one point I was laughing so hard, I was having a hard time keeping the camera straight. As I roamed around the room, getting images of the guys, they started joking with me. Danny told me I looked like Johnny Cash, because I was dressed in black. I almost started to sing the song “Ring of Fire” to him since it fit the theme of the day and all…
In a not too far away room, Kelly was getting ready with her bridesmaids. The tone of the room was fun, just like the guys, but it was much more calm in there. There was an aura of love and happiness in the room… and it seemed to surround Kelly. She was collected and happy. As she sipped on her glass of champagne, the smile on her face would not disappear. You could already tell that she was experiencing the happiest day of her life.
During our creative shoot, as we photographed Kelly and Danny, we got to see them and experience their relationship in private. Danny cracked witty jokes and made Kelly laugh. They would hug, kiss, and peer into one another’s eyes. It was as if I was a fly on the wall while they got to have a private moment together for the first time as husband and wife. There’s only one word to explain what I saw… love. Unconditional. Undeniable. Inspirational.
Kelly and Danny, you are a phenomenal couple. Your love for one another is remarkable. We are so grateful for being selected to be part of a your special day. Everything about your day was perfect. Thank you for making us feel like part of your family. We hope you cherish these images for the rest of your lives and that they always remind you of that beautiful love you have for one another.
The stage was set. Everything was ready. All of their closest friends and family joined them to celebrate the most important day of their life. All that was left was for Jaclyn and Jesse to say “I do”. As she walked down the aisle, you could see it in his eyes. His undeniable love for Jaclyn was written all over him. Jaclyn’s smile got larger as she approached him. It was the look of love. When their hands finally met and they were joined at the altar, there was a sense of calm. It was as though time stood still for Jesse and Jaclyn and they were completely engulfed in the moment. That day they vowed to love one another forever. At that very moment, the world could not be more perfect.
Jaclyn and Jesse, you are such a beautiful couple! Thank you for allowing us to be part of your wonderful day and for welcoming us like we were part of your family. Every part of your wedding day was so amazing and we are so honored that you chose us to join you on the day that you married your best friend. Enjoy one another and treasure every part of being a newlywed. Much love and appreciation to you both! Love, Joseph & Anna.
A beautiful note from the groom to the bride almost made all the girls in the room cry.
The bride is ready to see her groom!
These shoes are sweet!
The boys were dressed to impress.
The groom and groomsmen all wore labeled socks… just in case they forgot their role in the wedding later that night.
Stunning!
The wedding styling and floral design by Teri Diersing was phenomenal. Excited to work with her again!
It just doesn’t get more classic than this shot. I hope Anna and I are as cute as they are when we’re that age!
The light in this shot is stunning!!!
Love capturing moments like these between the bride and groom.
Love Old Ranch Country Club!
The bride’s details were stunning. She looked beautiful.
Love.
Love these Spanish style stairs!!!
Old Ranch Country Club is full of cool textured walls and awesome spanish style benches. I wanted to make sure I captured both in this photo.
Their first dance as husband and wife. I’m sure they will never forget that moment.
A toast to the beautiful new couple!
Don’t forget to watch the slideshow I made with some additional images from the wedding day! Enjoy!
It was a really busy day in Laguna Beach. It was sunny, there were a few scattered clouds in the sky, and the temperature was in the mid 80′s. It was the perfect day to be at the beach! If there’s one thing you can guarantee every time all of those variables come together, it is that there will be tons of photographers out on the beach. So we headed out to hoping for the best. All along, Jaclyn and Jesse were completely chill… like my favorite chilled snack, otter pops… yummm… but I digress. They were cool and relaxed and they really set the tone for the entire shoot!
As we arrived at the beach location, as expected, there were tons of photographers with lights, shades, assistants, models, etc. There was little space to work with. We took a few photos and then decided it was too crowded for us to shoot there. Reluctantly, I told Jaclyn and Jesse that we should go and find another spot. I probably could have predicted what they were going to say because of their usual cool demeanor… and their response was “yeah, let’s go!” and they followed by saying “we’re open to go anywhere”. So we took off to our second location and it ended up being even better than our first. The sunset was beautiful and we found a unique little spot. They loved it. We loved it. It couldn’t have turned out any better!
Jaclyn and Jesse you are such a beautiful couple. Your love for one another is so abundant, it shows in your facial expressions and actions with one another. It also shows in your interactions with people around you. You both have wonderful, calm, and collective attitudes that will definately be a huge asset to one another when you are married. Thank you for your hospitality and geniality. Those characteristics will shine through on the day of your wedding as well! We feel excited and completely honored to be part of your engagement and your wedding! Congratulations!
We shot a few photos at a location near the beach. It was beautiful and the trees created the perfect frame for this shot.
Perfection!
The look of happiness.
Love this shot. Beautiful love. Perfect flowers.
Stunning!
After a quick wardrobe change, we made it down to the beach. Anna captured these moments perfectly!
We snapped this photo in the first crowded beach location. And it’s my absolute favorite!
Ahhh-Maaaa-ZING!
Love this!
What an amazing setting.
We accidentally found this location with a small pool on it. It worked perfect for this shot!
Growing up, I was raised to always say please and thank you… no matter what. As a kid I remember thinking that it was such a task to remember to say “thank you” after EVERYTHING.
As I raise my daughter, I find myself constantly telling her to say “thank you” after everything as well. I feel like a parrot when I repeat it 20x times a day so that she gets the point. But one thing is for sure… I really want to get the point across to her that she absolutely has to say those simple words… because they mean SO MUCH.
After years of having the words “thank you” drilled into my brain and not understanding what the reason for it, I totally get it now. Those seemingly insignificant little words mean so much to some people. For me, when someone says “thank you”, it shows me that the person appreciates what I’ve done and acknowledges it. It shows they respect me. It shows me that they are happy.
When we get little notes like the one below, we feel so fortunate. We are fortunate that we can do what we love (photography) and people love our work. We are fortunate that we can be ourselves and people appreciate us for it. We are fortunate for having our loved ones teach us how to be truly thankful and share that with others.
We got this sweet little note from one of our bride’s mothers a little while ago. Both Anna and I felt so incredibly special when we got it because it was so sincere. These simple words on a small piece of paper put a huge smile on both of our faces.
A handwritten note always takes the thoughtfulness to an extra level. Thank you, Mrs. Peet!
With that, I want to say thank you to all of you who have helped us grow. We appreciate your loyalty. We appreciate your kind words. But mostly, we appreciate your support. Your kinds words and motivating comments encourage us work harder every day . Thank you!
It was moments before the wedding. I was setting up to make sure that I was in the perfect position so that I can capture the perfect photographs of one of the most important moments in Hilary and Mitch’s life. When I look over, I could see Mitch. He looked great. But besides his physical appearance, you could see that he was at ease. Confident. Poised. Ready for Hilary to arrive and get married.
In another room was Hilary. She looked beautiful. She had this tranquility surrounding her that was undeniable. As she stood and awaited her big moment, you could see in her eyes that she felt so much love from both her family and her future husband. This was her moment. The accumulation of all of her hopes and dreams had finally reached the day when they would come true. And everything about her day was perfect and beautiful.
Hilary and Mitch, you are an example for true love and an inspiration to everyone surrounding you. Your love for one another is truly extraordinary and we are so honored to have shared in such a special moment between the two of you. We’d like to thank you for choosing us to capture your amazing wedding. We wish you both a life of love, laughter, and happiness. We hope you enjoy your images and much as we do! Thank You!
Such a beautiful dress.
And some amazing shoes to match.
Getting ready for the big moment! The bride and bridesmaids are almost ready!
The grooms men’s boutonnières we’re out-of-this-world!
Moments before the bride sees her groom.
Stun-ning!
We found a little spot to capture something different. I love this setting.
We had a great time shooting and Rachel and RJ were so open to trying everything we suggested. It was such an awesome time! Thank you Rachel and RJ!
