It’s off to the races today! Jeff and I are taking a much needed break from the office today to do two things: (1) hang out with our most favorite hair stylist in the world, Miss Gretchen, to tame the crazy poofs that are currently ruling our heads and (2) try out our luck at...
After the ceremony and the dancing, the presents and the honeymoon, the journey of your love story continues. A new home, new habits, some new date nights, and lots of new adventures. Before you can even start breathing into your new life, six months passes with the clink of champagne over a homemade dinner and...
Welcome back to the last day of Ally and Katie’s destination wedding in Lucca, Italy. After recovering from the wedding festivities for a few days, they got back into their wedding garb and we hit the streets of Lucca for their Day After session. It was so fun having these two take us on a...
It’s a quiet and steady kind of love between families. It’s spoken in languages that only a family member can understand. The warm touch from Mom and the strong hands of Dad make everything safe and free. Walking across the street and through the crowds of people isn’t so scary when you’re following behind the...
After the cake and dresses and music and limos and bridal showers and bachelor parties, life becomes sweet – and wonderful and exciting – because there is someone next to you to share all of those little moments with. Instead of dates and dinners you’re sharing chores and bills, but somehow even taking out the...
Jeff and I were standing in Millennium Park in Chicago nearly a year ago on a cold June afternoon. It was our first time in the big, bustling midwest city, and we warmed our hands in our jackets, sipped our lattes, and studied the brick and stone buildings around us. It was rainy, gloomy, and...
As you saw yesterday, Casey and Andrea have one of the coolest families we’ve ever photographed. Not only are these two incredible photographers from Palos Verdes, CA, but they’re fantastic parents and wonderful people. We were able to steal them away from the kids for a little while and capture the love between just the...
There’s a lot to see between the moments of family. There’s the fun moments, when Dad throws you 1,000 feet in the air because he’s the strongest man alive, and you could fly all the way out into the solar system. Or when Mom lets you throw off your shoes and smear on strawberry flavored...
We know about dreams. We know how close they can feel, like you can reach across the world and feel the soft joy of them between your fingertips. We know the patience it takes. We know the successes and disappointments, the stress and the hard work, the joys and the fears. Oh those fears that...
If you’re allowed to have favorites, I pick Sarah. She was the first of Jeff’s cousins that I met, and it was right before our wedding. Jeff asked if his awesome cousin Sarah could help greet guests and hand out programs at the ceremony. I asked if she was a cool girl. His reply? “Yeah,...
Life can be a lot like curls and bathing suits. They’re messy at three years old, but it doesn’t matter, because they’re curls and a bathing suit. They mark the fun parts of life. Like jumping into your dad’s arms in the swimming pool, feeling safe and strong, like you could conquer the world. Or...
That’s the thing about Costa Rica. It just keeps the goodness flowing. Our final installment featuring Chuck and Laura comes today with their fabulous Day After session in the streets of San Jose, Costa Rica. Most people would think of Day After sessions as “Trash the Dress” sessions, but Jeff and I aren’t firm believers...
Almost four months of travel, and we’re finished. We made it home. I’ve already unpacked and worked through the mountain of smelly laundry we came back with. Well, this “laundry” was more like a pile of sweat and dirt that smelled like our hike through the cloud forest and the horses we rode to get...
Welcome back to Part Two of Laura and Chuck’s “day-before” session at Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. We took these two out for a casual lifestyle shoot a few days before their wedding in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, and it was so much fun! And as promised yesterday, we have...
I sat in the middle of the circle and drank it all in. I was caught in a sweet mixture of girly laughter, warm light, thick air, family love, English phrases, and Spanish dichos. Laura had invited me to her bridal shower just a few days before her wedding in San Jose, Costa Rica, and...
We’re back with more of the impossibly-cute Leonard family! After the girls were dropped off with a babysitter for some play time at the beach, Mark and Jill stole away for some quality time in front of the Youngren cameras. Mark and Jill run a photography studio in Redlands (check out their fantastic work here),...
It was one of the nicest emails we’d ever received. We had never met Mark. We had never shaken his hand or even seen any of his images. But we somehow had seen his heart in an email. Through the internet void, we felt the passion in his words and the beauty in his soul....
He’s cute. He’s adorable. Chicks love him. Bands play for him. Gucci wants him. His diapers even get excited to be a part of him. My nephew is officially the cutest thing in the world. What I can say. Its in his genes. Two years ago my sister told me she was pregnant. I was...
Welcome back! After a round of gorgeous headshots with Cristy, we added in her husband, Jake, and their chocolate lab pup, Mya. If the heashots weren’t amazing enough, just add in an adorable couple and a puppy. You can say it, “Awwww….” Mya tends to do her own thing sometimes (always), but that’s what made...
The lights slowly dimmed in the theatre, and the stage lit with anticipation. I remember seeing her walk out onto the stage – no, she took control of the stage – and a beautiful song came belting out of her gut. She was classy, funny, and utterly talented. That was my sophomore year of college...
All of the signs were there when we walked in. A table full of freshly baked pumpkin pies sat in the kitchen nook and the countertops were mounded with cookies cooling from an afternoon of baking. The dining room table was set with their best holiday china, surrounded by candles and fall decor. Although the...
Welcome back to the Swartzlander family! After we got some great portraits by the Del Mar surf station, we headed down to the beach for the best part of the sunset. Jeff and I had a blast running around after the kids, Logan and Faith. I think that these family sessions will definitely tide me...
It burns in their eyes. The spirit of family. You can feel it in their laughter – not just hear it, but feel it. Its the pure love that they have for each other as mothers, daughters, wives, husbands, sisters and brothers. And this love is being passed down. You can tell by the free...
We see new love all of the time. The kind of love that is exciting and fresh, that thrives in the middle of two lives that are changing and growing. The thrill of first dates and first kisses, the emotions of the proposal, the wonderful stress of planning the perfect wedding – Jeff and I...
The world is wilder at two years old. The rocks are just a little weirder, the cool steel of a train track feels colder and stronger in your palm, the railroad ties are rougher beneath your feet, and the crunch of a dry autumn leaf crinkling in your tiny hand sounds infinitely fascinating. The wet...
The trees bent down a little closer as she cuddled into his chest, her cheeks flushing with a deep joy to be in that very place at that very moment. The leaves warmed at our feet while he stroked her hair and pulled her just a little closer, as if to feel just a little...
Jeff and I are not what you would call “morning people.” Let’s begin with that. When our alarm went off in our hotel room at 5am for the third day in a row, my body all but revolted. Suddenly my arms nailed themselves to the bed and my eyelids turns into mini-anvils. My feet had...
It all started with my college yearbook staff. Long hours, endless editing, and sleepless nights were always accompanied by Courtney’s bright smile. Her hugs kept me warmed, and her laugh kept me encouraged. It grew with our English novel course – arguably the toughest class of my college career. Our blurry eyes from reading 400...
She is soooo cute. She is so, so cute. And soooo adorable. When I start saying the same thing over and over again in my head when I’m shooting, it has to be true, right? But there’s more when it comes to Julie. Not only is she sooooo, well, cute and adorable and amazing, but...
I always remember the warmth the best. The smell of homemade cinnamon rolls, the morning sun pouring through the old glass ornaments that hung on our dangerously leaning tinseled Christmas tree that we cut from our back yard. The three of us kids running through the living room with sprays of ribbon and wrapping paper...
Jeff started this photography business in the worst way possible. He’s had a camera since he was ten years old, and he photographed anything and everything until he went to college. It was then that he put the camera down. He loved photography, he knew he did, but it wasn’t something he could live on....
Okay, I’ll admit it. I love being a crazy Uncle. When our dear friends Dave and Jenny had their 1st daughter Ivy almost two years ago Erin and I drove to the hospital in the middle of the night to meet her for the first time. I remember so clearly holding her that night and...
Rocks are fascinating, mud is delightful, bugs are monsters, and nap time is constant. Being a kid is, in a word, awesome. Dave and Jenny are some of our best friends, and their little girl, Ivy, is our little jewel. Jeff and I don’t do family portraits very much at all, but when it comes...
Jeff and I are looking for a fabulous couple to photograph for a private workshop that we’re hosting on Tuesday, May 26. We’ll wave the portrait session fee (normally $500) and all the images we take will be yours. We’re looking for a cute, fun couple (married or not) that is totally in love and...
“She rounded the corner and turned into the warm shade beneath the corridor, holding her dress, stepping softly. The warm browns of the walls bounced off her skin and her dress sparkled lightly as the sunlight cascaded through the vineyards, down the hallway, and onto her dress. She looked up at the figure standing with...
Their beginning was not love at first sight. Aaron and Krista met over coffee after a friend suggested they hang out. As shoppers rushed past the door of the Coffee Bean at the Irvine Spectrum, Krista took a sip of her coffee and Aaron fiddled with his coffee sleeve. They chatted, she smiled, he laughed,...
The rhythmic slap of the water on the lake shore calmed his mind as he allowed his thoughts to wander. He lay his book aside and watched the sun fall through the afternoon sky. Where did he ultimately want his life to go? Not just in the short term, but in the next 80 years?...
***This is the fourth and final installment of our Honeymoon Shoot in Venice, Italy, with the beautiful John and Christie. Go here to see the first, second, and third installments.*** For our final shoot in Venice, we wanted to do a creative and unique Lifestyle session with John and Christie, and we had heard fantastic...
***This is the third installment of our Honeymoon Shoot in Venice, Italy, with the beautiful John and Christie. You can see the first installment here, and the second installment here. Enjoy!*** After hours of fun in the Venetian streets during the afternoon, the four of us retreated to our hotels, danced with delight, took a...
***This is the second installment of our Honeymoon Shoot in Venice, Italy, with the beautiful John and Christie. You can see the first installment here.*** After wandering the alleyways surrounding St. Mark’s Square, we finally made our way to the majestic and picturesque Rialto Bridge that overlooks the Grand Canal in central Venice. Like St....
They’re finally ready!! I know that there have been at least two or three people (and yes, that includes our moms) that have been waiting ever so patiently to see the images from our Honeymoon Shoot in Venice, Italy. It has been the craziest two months of our lives, so I apologize that its taken...
It’s that glance. It’s this touch. It’s that kiss, and that look. It’s the certain deep something about true love that speaks across languages and travels through borders. Love is universal, and nothing can hinder its expression when it is real. But when that love meets the most romantic city on earth, magic ignites… Gondolas,...
Jeff and I love to play when it comes to photography, and every so often we’ll take the chance to set up our very own photo shoots with hand-picked models and hand-picked locations. This helps us stay inspired and keeps our creative juices flowing. Back in November, we convinced one of our favorite couples to...
She says he kept calling her. He says she kept calling him. Whatever the truth may be, when Gary met May, he knew that he couldn’t let her slip away. Her intense eyes, her sweet smile, her beautiful laughter – everything about May captivated Gary’s heart. Once those phone calls turned into a loving relationship,...
I love being a wedding photographer. Its seriously a cool job. What I love most about doing what I do is all of the cool people that we get to meet. For example, Sarah and Thomas are rad people. We took some rad photos for them. And Sarah and Thomas know rad people. Enter Gary....
He had just bought the ring, but he couldn’t ruin the surprise. Over the next few weeks, whenever the topic of marriage came up, he shrugged it off. He was happy with how things were, he lied. Why did they need to get married? She didn’t know what to think. Confused, Sarah tried to convince...
I think its the way he makes her smile that I love so much. Pam is GORGEOUS, but when she glances over at Aaron, her smile radiates something genuine and wonderful. He laughs, and she glows. He gives her a kiss, she softens. Their baby girl will forever know how in love her parents were....
Matt & Jourdan are seriously one of my favorite couples ever, and for so many reasons. Erin & I photographed their wedding back in March of 2007 and since then we’ve been so blessed to have become great friends, and we were so excited when they agreed to come down to San Diego last weekend...
The day before Heather & Ryan’s wedding in Tahoe, Bronson and I convinced Heather to throw on her dress and run around in the field behind her parent’s place – and we had a blast! We shot these all in about 10 minutes before people started arriving to the house for the rehearsal dinner; this...
Erick didn’t want to admit it until she asked the question. “So who are you going to date now that you’re single?” Erick thought about it for a minute and decided to be honest. He turned to his friend and said, “Well, while I’m here studying abroad, nobody. But when I get back, I’m kind...
By the time I was eighteen, it didn’t bother me anymore. Every morning, at 7am (I repeat, 7:00 in the morning) the dogs in Idaho are fed and they bark right outside of my childhood bedroom window. All fifteen of them, including the puppies – the shrill yapping not-quite-barking-more-like-howling puppies – take part in their...
Its the kind of love that I don’t understand yet. But with one look, she knew that this was forever. With the first touch, he knew it too. As soon as his eyes fell on her beautiful cheeks and his fingers wrapped into hers, he was in love. He would do anything for her. She...
“Are you ready?” I asked Erin as we pulled up to the Starbucks in Point Loma two years ago to meet our new “marriage mentors” that our church, The Rock, had paired us up with as a newly married couple. We both couldn’t have been more excited as we walked in and saw them –...
She rounded the corner and turned into the warm shade beneath the corridor, holding her dress, stepping softly. The warm browns of the walls bounced off her skin and her dress sparkled lightly as the sunlight cascaded through the vineyards, down the aisleway, and onto her dress. She looked up at the figure standing with...
“Did you see the mother/son dance?” asked a member of the country club staff. “Of course,” I replied. He looked away for a second and shook his head. “I watched it from the hallway, through the window in the doorway, and even from that far away, I have never felt so much love in my...
Stan hadn’t seen a girl like her in a very long time. He had been in broken relationships and his heart wasn’t ready to love again. But this girl. He just had to be around her. She was pure energy, pure fun, and most of all, pure joy. Her undaunted faith in the Lord kept...
The boys were running late. The ceremony was supposed to begin in fifteen minutes and they were nowhere to be found. Tess’ hands wrapped calmly around her bouquet. Dress on, lips retouched, hair triple pinned, she sat in the bridal suite and simply smiled out the window. People rushed around her, texting and calling to...
This past weekend Erin and I traveled out to Bloomington, Indiana to celebrate my brother Dan’s college graduation from Indiana University Bloomington, and I couldn’t be more proud of him! Dan is absolutely brilliant, and if you’ve met him I think you’d agree that he is one of the funniest people around. He triple majored...
While we were in Vegas a few weeks ago, Erin and I got together with the super-talented and awesome Paige Elizabeth for a really really really cool shoot that I can’t wait to share with you. When we were heading to the shoot, me in my suit and Erin in her gorgeous dress we couldn’t...
A few weeks ago I got to spend some time up in San Clemente with Kelly & Jon doing a sweet portrait session. I first met Kelly at Martin & Theary’s wedding where she was one of the fun awesome bridesmaids. Her husband, Jon, was serving overseas in Iraq, so when he got back we...
I’m going through and putting the finishing touches on Kelly & Flips wedding from a few weeks ago up in San Juan Capistrano, and I just had to post up some images from the time I got to spend with Kelly one on one. She was absolutely a breathtaking bride, and she is so much...
I love these two! Dave and Jenny are some of the most awesome people I know, and as soon as I found out they were going to have a baby I was immediately ecstatic because that means I get to be an uncle! Well, an unofficial one, at least. Dave is one of my best...
Ok, so I’m going through and I think I’m going to just catch up on random stuff, in kind of a random order. I promised my friend Stacy Cross that I’d give her a shout out when I started posting again, so I thought it was only appropriate that I do so in one of...
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