The Golden Goddess.

Hi everyone! I’ve been taking a break from working on Education.com projects to do a little bit of fashion stuff recently and I’ve absolutely loved getting back into it.

This Golden Goddess shoot was thought up by Hendryx, the model. She had a talented crew contributing to this one, with Megan the hair artist and Nickie the makeup artist.

We first shot on a black backdrop, then took some shots by the pool. I played around with the editing on some of them, just to try something new. I think they turned out pretty great.

Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Elizabeth and David at Santana Row.

I met Elizabeth on the first wedding editorial I shot a few months ago. We really hit it off. Soon, my husband and I were hanging out with her and her boyfriend, David.

We all have similar interests and senses of humor, so we’re easily entertained by each other haha! They are a blast to hang out with, so one weekend I decided I wanted to shoot a little session with them at Santana Row. It was a lot of fun, but it was a super hot day. We had brunch around noon, then had our little photo session. Then, we did some shopping of course!

Here are some of my favorites from the day! Thanks Elizabeth and David!

 

Yosemite.

Last week I went to Yosemite with my dad for three days. It was a beautiful trip. The weather was perfect, there weren’t too many people, and we got to marvel at all of the “big rocks, big trees, and big water” as my dad said, the whole time. I’m not a nature photographer by any means. And my 28mm lens hadn’t been delivered by the time I left, which would have been a useful piece of equipment! But I think I do okay. First, we drove around the valley floor, with our necks getting sore from looking at the 7,000 foot high waterfalls and rock formations. That’s my daddoo. We stayed right outside the park at Yosemite View Lodge, right on the Merced River. Ribbon Falls.         El Capitan. Yosemite Falls. Then we headed to Yosemite Village for some lunch meats and cheeses which is all I pretty much eat these days haha! Then we headed to the Awahnee Hotel. It is an historic building and has some really great information about it, but most importantly, it’s in a beautiful location. This is the view of Yosemite Falls from the hotel. AMAZING! The PERFECT area to take bridal portraits. Quick, someone get married here so I can take photos! When the sun started to set, we headed back to the lodge. But I got a few snapshots along the way. Half Dome! The next morning I got up super early to get a photo of the Merced River without the harsh sunlight on it. And since we were up (haha, sorry dad! I wake up early!) I “suggested” we go to Bridal Veil Falls. Might have been more of a demand… I’m not sure. Walking up to the falls the run-off is beautiful. Back by the parking lot we saw some deer! Next, we were going to hike to Mirror Lake. We took a little detour, though. Got a shot of Yosemite Falls from a little path, then we headed to Happy Isles. Trail to Happy Isles. GORGEOUS Mirror Lake. That was a long walk in the heat. Only 4 miles round trip, but we did get a little lost on the way back to the car, thanks to the Leatherman Sense of Direction my dad and I share. Then we needed a huge meal, showers, and sleep. The next morning, before we left, we headed to the highest look-out point to get a view of the whole valley. It was incredible. Then, the hike to Lower Yosemite Falls. Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. Lower Falls with a rainbow!!! I had a lot of fun and it was great to spend some one-on-one time with my dad. I hope you get the change to go sometime soon; it’s an incredible place.

Tara and Travis’ Engagement Session at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!

There’s one really obvious thing about both Tara and Travis when you meet them. And that is that they have really big hearts. Travis always has a smile on his face and his joie de vivre is reflected in Tara’s eyes. They just make each other so incredibly happy, you can’t help but smile when you’re with them.

Tara and Travis have a lot of hobbies they share. They both love to read, fly kites at the beach, and play tabletop games. Last Thursday, I was joined by my lovely assistant Elizabeth, as we met Tara and Travis in Santa Cruz for a session at the Beach Boardwalk. It was an incredible amount of fun. I’m so lucky I get to have this much fun while I work.

We all had a great time, and I smiled the whole time I went through these photos. I hope you do, too.

 

 

And just a little side note… Travis has Cystic Fibrosis so sometimes it can be hard to balance work schedules with medical treatments and I’m so glad everyone was doing well on this day! If you have some time, stop by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website.

A Little Walk Around Japantown.

Good Friday afternoon! Last Sunday, Alice Bui came over and we walked to Japantown in San Jose. She was kind enough to take some photos of me for my new website that will be launching in June!

We mostly walked around to look for a good place to take portraits, but ended up at the farmers’ market on Jackson Street where I took some photos.

 

 

Ann, from Half Moon Bay Orchids, obliged when I asked for a picture haha!

 

 

 

AND here are some of the shots Alice sent to me! I absolutely love them! She did a fantastic job!!! Thank you Alice!