Project Playlist: I Do.

I'm so excited to announce the start of something new! Kristen Booth and I have been working hard on a new project and we can't wait to let others in on our little secret.

On the ride home from Las Vegas after an amazing time at WPPI, we were playing a little game with her iPod on shuffle where we would make up a category and whatever song came on would be the answer {like, "this is the song that you'll walk down the aisle to..."}! After playing this game for awhile we realized how music gave such great ideas for photoshoots, and we started getting more and more inspired with every song that came on the stereo. We came up with Project Playlist in the last 20 minutes of the car ride, and we are very excited about it. Be sure to check out Kristen's view of  our new project here!

Basically, the project is a series of styled shoots we'll put together based around songs. We'll interpret the mood and feel of each song, and maybe even copy some of the details in the lyrics, like poses and locations, how the models dress, etc.. Music really makes photographs come alive as we think you'll see in the slideshow, which is why project playlist is so exciting to us. We LOVE the way that music can make us feel, and the way photos show how others feel. What an awesome combination!

Our first Project Playlist session went better than I could have imagined. We decided on using Colbie Caillat's new song "I Do". Kristen's friends Bobby and Nicole volunteered to be our {ADORABLE} first models. We styled this shoot pretty last minute with a few things from Kristen's closet and we found the most perfect little carnival to shoot at. We had such a great time enjoying the carnival and watching Bobby and Nicole have fun in front of our cameras. This was one of my first night shoots and I really enjoyed using all of the carnival lights. We finished the night just talking and enjoying the company at Johnny D's Diner.  The vintage carnival theme was perfect for the song "I Do" and the fun feeling the song gives really complimented the feeling of the entire night.

Bobby and Nicole, thank you for being our project playlist guinea pigs! You two were so awesome and SO adorable to watch. It was great to meet you and I hope we get to hang out again sometime! Hope you two love the pictures. :)

Enjoy!











I loved this carousel!



Aren't they just too cute?





Of course we HAD to get them on the ferris wheel! :)



Sharing a Shake to end the night...



So... What do you think of this new project? Love it? Hate it? Comments? Suggestions? Questions?
Leave it all here in the comments box! We would love to hear your opinion! :)

Temecula Senior Portraits: Brittney McClellan.

So it's that time again, Senior Portraits time! It's so hard for me to believe that a year ago I was just starting out with my Rebel and taking photos with my friends. Also, it's very hard to believe that it has almost been a year since graduation. I'm now coming to realize the full effect of the phrase "time flies when you're having fun!{or when you're just really really busy!}" But seriously I have been having fun.

The other day while I was reading my news feed on facebook, I was seeing some of my friends posting about how they are almost done with their first year of college. That time has gone by so fast. I can hardly believe it. I started to get a tiny bit jealous because they were getting closer to their degrees and off experiencing new places and things at college. But then I stopped to think about my life and what I have done since graduation. It has been a wild ride, but I have shot my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd weddings, gone to a life-changing workshop, made some awesome new friends, bought my first pro-body camera, opened a business account, photographed some amazing families who have blown me away with their support, and Went to Las Vegas parentless for the first time {and came out alive!!!!}, and have realized that God has the most amazing plan for my life. I would not have it any other way. I have been truly blessed in my first year of life after high school and I'm so thankful.

I have such an amazing support system that allows me to follow my dreams and helps me to make them happen. So thank you support team, {you all know who you are!} Because most likely if you're reading my blog.... YOU'RE IT! :)

Now enough with the mushy stuff all about me... Here's to the lovely and OH-SO-SO-SO TALENTED Brittney McClellan.  This girl has a very special place in my heart, because she was on my yearbook staff last year and worked her booty off in that class to make sure that it would be the best it could be. All of that hard work paid off and now this year she is the Editor in Chief! I'm so proud of her and excited to see what she has done with the book. But thats not all, this girl is a rockstar. She plays softball, has awesome team spirit, and is an AMAZING artist. Seriously, I hope to hang some of her work in my office one day. {I also hope I get to shoot her with her art someday!}

Brittney, thank you for choosing me as your photographer. It was such a joy to get to photograph your fun personality, and through everything, you NEVER complained or told me I was crazy. And for that I love you. I can't wait to see where you go in life. I know someday you'll be amazing at any place in the medical field you decide is right for you. I know you'll help save a lot of people, and that is exciting stuff!

God Bless Girl!


I was so excited when Brittney said she wanted to do a shoot with an urban feel, and her Mom chose the absolute perfect location!



















I love long grass!









Some in her letterman's jacket of course!







Brittney, you are FIERCE! :))





So Gorgeous, Looking like such a lady!

Yo-Ho Yo-Ho: A Pirate's Life for Me!

As you might have heard me speak about before, during Christmas 2010 me shipmates decided to give the gift of time. We made a  bunch of brown paper bags and placed random objects inside them to be translated as a theme for a parrrrrty. From the bags each person picked, the family could choose their favorite prop and build a party off of it. Sounds fun, right? IT IS. :)

I have the proof here people and I'm very excited to share it with all of you! The first party was put on by the Potts Family, and they set the bar, HIGH. :)

We entered the Potts Family Ship and it was a pretty awesome sight to see. They had decorated the entire house with fun Pirate details and Booty. Here are a few details!





At the start of the party we had a great time just hanging out and talking in Pirate Language.. Not an easy feat. But talking like civilized people got you into trouble with the Potts Crew, and resulted in a piece of yer booty being stolen!



{Can you tell we love our baby girls??}

When it was finally time to eat we all sat around our giant table ready for a delicious feast! I was shocked when my aunt brought a big pan over and just started to pour the food on the table! no silverware, plates, or napkins to be found! Just us the corn, whole potatoes, and shrimp! So much fun! Who knew it would be so much fun to eat like uncivilized pirates??

At first the Captain gave the Cook a bit of attitude, and she threatened to throw him out of the dining hall, no one messes with the Captain's First Mate!





Captain didn't like me having my gun out at the table, as you can see him threatening to duel with me during dinner!



After dinner was finished we had an awesome time playing a game called Quelf, the game of random. If you haven't ever played this game, its a blast, and I highly recommend it if you're up for being silly and doing a lot of, well, random things!



Just a few silly things the game made us do, including a staring contest, and a crazy form of twister!



My Nana courtsey-ing, My cousin Kenny pretending to be a photographer {luckily we had the perfect prop! :p}and my sister wearing something that was not supposed to be jewelery as jewelery.. We called her Pirate Gaga.



Even Rhay got into the Pirate Spirit, after she warmed up to the Pirate version of us.. it did take some bribing and convincing that we were gentle pirates!!



Here are my Nana and Grandpa checking out my Momma's new phone. I love how much they are in love. They are such amazing people and they inspire me with their love not only for eachother, but their love for the world around them. I'm blessed to call them my grandparents.



Of course no Pirate Party, {or any party for that matter} can be a hit without 2 things.. Dessert & Photobooth Awesomeness!!!

Sarah and her awesome fruit dessert masterpiece!







WARNING: Here comes the sillyness....









I'll close with a family portrait, Pirate Style!





I'm so blessed to have such amazing shipmates to sail through life with. We have such great times when we get together, and this year I have a feeling is going to be one of our best yet. Keep an eye out on the horizon, I'll be sharing some more of our fun theme parties as the year goes on!

Be Blessed and Be Thankful!

WPPI 2011: Living the Dream.

I remember sitting at my computer in 2007, looking at the awesome Stephanie Fay's blog after she shot my cousins wedding. I was amazed, I spent hours looking at the photos that told love stories, and I felt like I was falling in love with each couple as I watched their stories unfold through gorgeous images. I wished someday I could do something like that. I remember reading about how each year there was a photography convention in Vegas called WPPI, althoughI had no idea what it was, I knew it must have been cool, and I hoped for the chance to go, someday.

This year I was given that chance. After spending an hour searching for lost keys, Kristen Booth and I set out on a 3 day adventure to Las Vegas, we were excited but we had no idea how much fun was in store for us!

Because we got a bit of a late start, we headed straight to the convention. After getting registered we headed straight up to hear Bob and Dawn Davis speak on business. They were so inspiring and such a great way to start off the trip. They talked a bit about the principle of Ask, Believe, and Receive. It was a big eye opener for me because I'm often afraid to ask for anything, because I just feel so blessed to be where I am!! But I've realized that I need to be courageous, and be vocal about my dreams, and who knows! I'm sure in the "asking" process, I'll get alot of no's. But one day, I believe it will be a YES. And that excites me! :)

After the first class we were super pumped about the trip and couldn't wait to see what more would come for us! We walked from the MGM Grand to a "twisted-southern cooking restaurant called Hash House a Go Go with a few friends. At this point I was feeling almost weak with hunger (okay, a little dramatic.. but seriously, I WAS STARVING!) and I figured I would be able to eat most of anything I ordered. But we had no idea how much food was about to come my way! Kristen and I ordered pork sandwiches. Check these babies out. Seriously... we should have shared. The whole table got a kick out of seeing how we would navigate these sandwiches that were about 2x's the size of our heads!



A man from another table even had to come up and take a photo of Kristen pretending to eat it! A little creepy? Yes. :)

We finished off the night at the [B]school Party. We had a blast taking some photos in a photo booth and making our own High Desert Dance Party. haha. :)



Oh Yeah. We're cool alright. :)



Hahah. These crack me up!

Monday we were up bright and early to be at Bobbi & Mike's 8a.m. class. While we were exhausted, It was totally worth it to go. We had an absolute blast listening to Bobbi & Mike's fun personalities playing off of eachother. We learned about making clients comfortable not only in front of the camera, but with the person behind the camera as well. It was great to meet them later on and spend a few minutes over lunch chatting and laughing at the guys.

During our wait in the lunch line we met Chase Jarvis the inventor of the Jarvie Window since Kristen and I had no idea what the Jarvie Window was... He just had to run and get his camera to show us... man did he show us, up close and personal! But so much fun! Check us out! haha.



Later in the day, we went to see Jasmine Star's platform class: Untold Stories. It was a great message, very challenging and inspiring. Challenging us all to make changes, in business, in shooting, and in life. Changes are scary. But by being willing to do the scary stuff... I believe there will be big improvements and rewards. And by being proactive and making these changes. We will be making edits to our own stories. Telling them the way we want them told. Not letting them be told for us. :)

After the class we went over and met her. Jasmine was so sweet and took time to say hello to every single person that waited to meet her. That really spoke to me. In the world of photography, she is kind of a big deal. But she was so down to earth and humble and took time to meet people, lots of people.



See what I mean? Jasmine Star. You are Fabulous. :)



After all of this I was feeling on top of the world. I could have gone home happy with my experience that night. But there was still an entire day left! That night we went to an event called PhotogUnite. Basically a group of about 300 Christians squeezing into the Showit Lounge and glorifying the Lord, right in the middle of Sin City. This was definitely a highlight of my trip. I was just taking in how amazing it was to be surrounded by other photographers who love Jesus. Plus we were in Vegas and we were living it up by getting into the word. ;)

The last day of our trip was spent relaxing, going over notes, seeing the trade show, and hanging out with friends. We went to hear Roberto Valenzuela speak on shooting and posing. Roberto's work is so beautiful and his story of paying his way through college by giving guitar lessons (when he didn't even know how to play at first himself!) was so inspiring. I learned a lot about the importance practicing, and making photos rather than just taking snapshots. I learned so much from this single class.  I said once again, now I can go home!

Kristen and I finished the night off with an awesome mexican food dinner and even better conversation at Diego. One thing to say about Las Vegas Dining.. I love the presentation! I hope someday I can present food like they do it in Vegas! haha.

This trip was such an amazing experience. I'm so glad I was blessed  enough to be able to go and learn from such talented and inspiring people. I'm constantly surprised by God's abundance of love and provision in my life. A year ago if you would have told me where I would be today I never would have believed it! And I still have SO far to go. But I'm thankful, hopeful, and excited to see where his plan takes me.

Kristen and I were so pumped from all this, that on the ride home we talked the whole way, and came up with a new little project you'll be hearing more about in the near future!
Sorry, I know this post was painfully long, but I wanted to remember all of this, and I think that the things I learned can go not only for other photographers, but for anyone who has dreams for their life.
ASK. BELIEVE. RECEIVE.

We can do it!

P.S. I have shamefully stolen most of these photos from other blogs/phones. I spent my time in vegas learning rather than shooting, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I linked to everyone.. So hopefully that makes up for my sins! lol! :)