Jonathan and Lisa will be celebrating their five year anniversary this year, and my favorite thing about photographing couples that are already married is the deep connection between them. There's no upcoming wedding or bridal showers or bachelor parties. The only thing that's on their mind is everyday life. And we get to cut through that everyday life and give them a bit of romantic cuddle time.

And cuddle time is a pretty powerful thing.

Jeff and I have always been active teachers in the wedding photography community, but we taught our very first intensive two-day workshop for wedding photographers this past week - yay! It was such an incredible two days, and we can't thank our devoted, smart, and ambitious attendees enough! You guys rocked it! As part of the workshop, the attendees got the chance to watch us shoot, so Jonathan and Lisa stepped up to the plate to model. These guys were not only cute, cute, cute but they were so open and honest with their emotions and their love for each other. They were the perfect fit to demonstrate our authentic and emotional style of shooting.

How beautiful is this field out in Del Sur? We chose to shoot during a time of day when the lighting would be a little bright and harsh so we could teach our attendees how to shoot in less than ideal conditions. But with this jaw dropping location and the picture-perfect Lisa and Jonathan, we seriously couldn't do any wrong!

I love how Lisa totally rocks the boots!

These are some of my favorites. So soft and romantic!

I'm totally jealous of Lisa's hair. I can never get my curls to look that perfect. Sheesh.

Speaking of 'sheesh' - check out those eyes. It's like the god of crazy beautiful eyes and my camera got together and made the perfect baby.

The awesome attendees! Love you guys tons!

We asked Lisa to be flirty and she gave us this wink. YES.

Love this! Our attendees got the chance to pose and shoot the couple, and this was one my of favorites.

Rockin' it!!

Towards the end, we demonstrated how we do the First Look at weddings, and it brought back so many memories for Jonathan and Lisa who also did a First Look at their wedding five years ago. It was actually really emotional for them to remember and relive one of their favorite moments of their wedding.

A few last gorgeous shots...

How come the last shots are always my favorite?? Jonathan looks GOOD.

Lisa and Jonathan: Thank you so much for opening your hearts to our attendees and being so honest about your love and relationship. Your marriage and love for each other is incredibly inspiring and we're so excited for what's to come next for you!

We'll be blogging more about the behind the scenes from this two-day workshop for wedding photographers over on our photographer-only blog, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Also, check out more information on The Youngrens Workshops here. We're bringing the workshop to other cities around the U.S,. and we'll be announcing those dates and locations soon!

Hugs,

Erin

So it was over bags of rich roasted beans and the whir of the espresso machine that they met eyes. He showed her how to make the perfect cup of delicious, flavorful coffee, and she taught him how to laugh. He opened up a whole new world of art to her, and she brought a whole new level of joy to him. And less than a year later, their whirlwind coffee romance turned into marriage.

Three years later, marriage has turned into their wildest dreams with travels around the world and a thriving photography business. Cory and Jackie are wedding photographers in Indianapolis, and we met them back in October when we came out to their city to speak and they plopped themselves directly across the table from us at the local brewery afterward (love it!). We were so excited when they asked us if they could come out to San Diego and have us shoot their new headshot material for their brand new website and blog. We took one look at her adorable freckles and his crazy blue eyes and couldn't help but say, 'Heck yes.'

What did I tell ya? Cute, cute, and more cute!

Still cuddly after three years of marriage - and going strong.

A favorite! We let them borrow Jeff's very first camera - a Canon AE1 - and it was such an adorable prop!

Cory and Jackie are huge lovers of Banana Republic and J.Crew, and they did such an amazing job picking out their classic but cute outfits. The sea foam dress, the crisp khaki pants, the perfect pair of Sperrys - oh my!

Cory was lookin' GOOD.

What did I tell you about crazy blue eyes??

And Jackie is simply adorable with her smile and freckles.

I really love this one - it makes my insides smile.

Love, love, love!! Can they get any more perfect?

Ha! We found this old book from the 60's at our house and just had to bring it along! The perfect ending to the perfect shoot...

Cory and Jackie: Thank you so much for trusting us with your brand and your love story! You guys are simply adorable and you're going to go so far in this business. Thank you for teaching us how to make crepes, for the amazing conversations over happy hour, for the incredible wine, and for all of the mind-blowing coffee! We can't wait to see you again in Indy!

Hugs,
Erin

Jesse's strength is the soft kind. The kind that allows a girl like Rena to move him with her sheer delight. He's the branches to her breeze, the leaves to her sunshine. He drinks it up. But when she needs a deep breath, a shelter from all that life throws their way, she finds rest in his arms.

Jeff and I needed some models for a quick teaching session we did this week, and it took T-minus two seconds and a Facebook message for Rena to jump up and down with both hands in the air and a "pick me! pick me! pleeeeeeeze!!" They were so incredibly cute and fun! These two are DELIGHTFUL. She's a bouncy ball full of energy, and Jesse is a quiet thinker that drinks in his beautiful, spunky girl.  Even though this was just a quick teaching session, it was non-stop fun, fun, fun!!

Rena says her favorite thing about herself is her legs, so I love the perfect pair of blue heels that she paired with her hot pink number to show off her calves. The color also helped to match Jesse's perfectly preppy look. A+ on the style you two!!

Jesse knows exactly how to make Rena laugh.

I love how confident this girl is. She WORKED IT in front of our cameras.

Jesse was lookin' so GOOD. His girl couldn't keep her hands off of him.

We couldn't keep Rena from laughing, even for a few seconds.

Love these ones!

Even in between shots, Rena was nothing but smiles.

Two words: Bomb. Shell.

Jesse and Rena: Thank you so much for taking the time to be our fabulous models for the day. You simply ROCKED IT. It was such an honor to watch you two delight in each other and delight in your marriage. Never lose those eyes for each other! Love you guys!

Hugs,
Erin

He's a producer, a lover of online gaming, and the humblest guy that's on his way to the top. Seriously. The stories he tells with the most unassuming manner...

And now, there's been an addition to Team Masthammer. He loves to smile, he hardly ever cries, and his deep baby belly laughs could melt Everest in January. He's the cutest, chunkiest four-month-old you'll ever see. Dear bloggy-blog, meet Beckett.

You may remember Josh and Kate from their adorable and Etsy-fied destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas in 2010 (check out Kate's Etsy shop, Camlie Inc - she's now making adorable colored mason jars for weddings that I LOVE). Jeff and I love our sweet couples to death and we're always so excited to follow their lives beyond the wedding. Watching them create strong marriages and start their families makes this job worth every ounce of sweat and tears. Jeff and I hardly ever shoot families or baby portraits - we LOVE couples and specialize our skills in that area. In fact, I did all of the shooting here and Jeff was my doting assistant. But when one of our most favorite couples has such a charming guy like little Beckett, we couldn't help capturing this next step in their precious love story.

Kate decorated the nursery so well! She didn't want it to be too babyish. She figured that she would be the one enjoying the room the most, so she gave it a modern, cozy flair with a few baby details.

Kate looks soooooo good after having a baby!

I loved Beckett's Sophie the Giraffe. I hear that this teether is MAGICAL.

Remember these two lovable pups from their engagement session? Kylie and Camden are the cutest huskies in town!

I loved the wall art that Kate found on Etsy.

Time to change!

This guy can SMILE. He's such a flirt!

One of my favorites!

Another favorite - look at that guy laugh.

Beckett zonked out at one point, so we cuddled on the couch for awhile.

Time to update Kylie's profile pick! She wore pearls for the engagement session and now she's rockin' the casual bling. So versatile.

Camden stuck with a tie, but this time went vintage. And we had to give him a treat for smiling so big.

The whole fam.

Ha! This makes me laugh.

Josh and Kate: Congrats on this big step in your life together! Beckett is downright awesome and SUCH a cutie. He's definitely gonna be a ladies' man someday because he's already charming every girl he sees. You guys are incredible parents and your love for each other and for Beckett goes way beyond the walls of your home and deep into the hearts of those who are lucky enough to get to know and love you guys. Lots and lots and lots of loooooooooove from San Diego!

Hugs,

Erin

While we were in Philly for our four days of marathon shoots, we were able to set up a one on one mentor session with the sweet Ashley of Ashley Erin Photography, a budding wedding and portrait photographer from Bangor, Maine. Ashley wanted to do a shoot for her mentor session with us, so Ryan and Liz from Baltimore - the husband/wife wedding photography duo of Elizabeth Ryan Photography - stepped up to be our beautiful models for the shoot. Love these two!

These mentor sessions are so stinkin' fun for us. We get to spend a few hours teaching the ins and outs of how we work during a shoot, everything from the deep, dark in-camera technical stuff to setting up a cute couple to look their very cutest to how Jeff gets super emotional with his grooms. We get to bear our souls while dishing all about what goes on inside our heads when we have a camera in tow. I must give Ashley major props for soaking up the buckets of information we dumped on her! (If you're interested in a mentor session with The Youngrens, check out the details here and CONTACT US here.)

But not only did we get to pour into an amazing photographer, we got to capture the love between Ryan and Liz, two people that are head over heels in love!

I loved Liz's outfit and especially her leggings. In fact, I loved her leggings so much, that I bought some the very next day in Philly and have been wearing them ever since! Ha!

Squeeeeeeze!

The cute and adorable Ashley doing her fabulous thang!

These shoots tend to be 40% shooting and 60% teaching, so there was tons of instruction on lighting, posing, connection, and camera settings.

Ashley got to do her fair share of posing and directing, and she did an amazing job!

Ryan and Liz brought along a blanket as their prop - I thought it was such a creative idea!

My hubby is so brilliant. I love these shots he grabbed through a cafe window.

Of course, we were always around!

We came upon this Bentley outside of a coffeeshop and Jeff tracked down the owner to see if we could use it. Not only did he let us do a few photos with it, but he let Ryan and Ashley inside! Yay!

Love these!

The owner was so sweet, I couldn't help but give him a cameo.

A few more snuggles in the park.

Ryan and Liz: Thank you guys so much for being so open and honest in front of our cameras. Your hearts were so real with us and with each other, which is what made this shoot so amazing for both us and for Ashley. Thank you for being willing to get all emotional with us and for demonstrating what a wonderful love looks like!

Ashley: You. Are. Amazing. You are gonna go so far in this business and we're so proud of your hard work! Keep up the shutter clicking and never give up on this dream. You've got what it takes and we can't wait to watch you soar!

Hugs,

Erin

I guess that's just the magic of babies.

I know, I know - what's with all the babies on the bloggy-blog lately? I don't know to be honest! I promise that I don't have baby fever or anything. There's just a lot of really cool people having adorable babies lately. Don't worry, Jeff and I are still wedding photographers at our core - we're not going to jump the wedding ship and set up shop in nurseries anytime soon, but when there's a cool story to tell - like two becoming three - I'm there with camera in tow.

Today we're featuring Brianne and Chris, whom you may remember from their fabulous maternity session a few weeks back. Well, maternity has turned into nursery with the arrival Beckett, so I made the trek back up to their place a few days after Beckett was born to capture this brand new little one. A big thanks goes out to Julie, the newest addition to the Youngren team, for helping me with the shoot.

Brianne brought out a bunch of little meaningful details for the shoot. The cup, spoon and fork, and beaded hospital bracelet were all her father's when he was a baby. Don't you wish hospital bracelets were still that cute?

Brianne said she decorated her nursery with the help of Etsy, Craig's List, and Urban Outfitter's. I'd say she did a fantastic job!

A doting mom and the brand new man in her life.

I love how doting these guys are as parents. They're so cute to watch!

A guy's gotta have a sweet pair of shoes at all times.

It's so fun to watch these guys laugh - Beckett was a little wiggly!

Big eyes and teeny fingers.

Major props go out to Chris and Brianne for having awesome furniture, and for letting me rearrange their entire living room. Thanks for being so awesome guys!

Beckett made the cutest faces while he slept!

And then the wiggles set in, which always make for adorable photos.

Once we played with Beckett to our heart's content, we let mom and dad hang out some more.

Ha! Never underestimate a baby's poop!

Chris and Brianne: You guys are going to be some seriously awesome parents! It was such a blessing watching you guys love on each other and on your brand new Beckett. Your warm hearts and gentle spirits are going to make your family a loving bunch!

Hugs,

Erin

And yet it's still peaceful.

Jesse and Bethany have been friends of ours for five years now - in fact, they got married a month before we did - and little Kensington has just arrived. And even though a baby changes everything - I hear that exhaustion and selflessness become dear friends - there's something about a sleeping newborn that makes everything ok. The air almost stands still. It's the most tranquil, warm, soothing experience I know, and Kensington was just about the cutest little package I could ever imagine.

I loved the dandelion motif that Jesse and Bethany incorporated into the wall - if a sleeping newborn doesn't relax you, then a cute purple nursery with a drifting dandelion will!

Seriously - I have no idea how Bethany looks this amazing already!

Oh my goodness - look at that smile!

I have a feeling Kensi is going to be daddy's little girl...

A sleeping baby...

A big yawn...

And it's time to wake up!

Big eyes...

Lots of wiggles...

And teeny toes. Perfect!

Since we specialize in couples and their love stories, I always like to capture two people in the place they're going to spend so much of this part of their lives - the nursery.

Kensi is so little! I love it!

Ha! These ones crack me up!

More big yawns...

And more of those big eyes!

Jesse and Bethany: Thank you so much for being a part of our lives over the past five years. We're so excited for you two in this new journey and can't wait to watch little Kensi grow up into an amazing kid and wonderful person! Here's to many more memories together!

Hugs,

Erin

Soon enough, this thoughtful Reno boy and outgoing Texas girl were married.

We met over midnight beignets in New Orleans. Tiffany and Dean sat down across from us with a stack of beignets as we were plowing through our own plate of pastry goodness, and through the cloud of powdered sugar, Dean looked us in the eye with the kind of childlike smile that doesn't happen very often on a grown man and said, "I LOVE these!"

Soon enough, these San Diegans and Reno photographers were besties.

You may recognize this bombshell blonde and handsome artist from Brian and Susi's Lake Tahoe destination wedding we recently featured here on the bloggy-blog. Tiffany is Brian's sister, so we got to hang out with Tiffany and Dean and her entire Texas family for the weekend of the wedding. And if you know anything about Texas, we were part of the family instantly!

Tiffany and Dean are the Reno wedding photographers of Follow Your Heart Photography and good friends of ours that we met at our favorite photography conference, Pictage's PartnerCon, in New Orleans in 2009. We have been so blessed by their honest, refreshing, loving, caring friendship. If we ever need encouragement or an honest opinion, we can always turn to these guys! So the day after Brian and Susi's wedding, we headed out to the most beautiful meadow we could find in Lake Tahoe and photographed some new head shot material for their blooming photography website.

What did I say about a dynamite smile? This girl GLOWS. A big thanks goes out to Corey Rowe of The Decorated Bride for the amazing makeup design. The earrings were a gift from Dean for Valentine's Day, and the dress came from J.Crew's summer line.

Dean's smile definitely has that charm we all love.

My favorites of Dean, shot at f/1.2.

Together, these two are off-the-charts adorable!

Jeff and I were in HEAVEN with the golden meadow, the aspen grove, and an amazing couple.

Love, love, love!

I am so tempted to move to the mountains and tromp around in fields all day long!

These next ones are some of my favorites.

Major props go out to Tiffany and Dean for sitting in the weeds for us while we filled our creative appetites. You guys rock!

Dean and Tiffany: Thank you SO MUCH for your friendship. It's people like you that make this the best industry to be a part of. We cherish your artistry, your thoughtfulness, and your insight. Thank you for always being there for us when we need it the most, and we're so excited to be friends for years to come!

Hugs,
Erin

Danica brought along the perfect outfits for the shoot. I've fallen in love with stretchy dresses for maternity photos (much like Brianne's striped number and Crystal's raspberry dress), and Danica is so short and teeny that the long flow-y skirt gave her clean lines and long legs. Also, the feather clip for the hair added just the right amount of sass and style.

Good grief - this girl is dynamite! And her eyes are so crystal clear and gorgeous!

This soft flow-y top gave us a little more variety with the outfits. It was super easy to just slip over the black dress.

Danica is pretty much a rockstar. When I asked her to walk with her eyes up towards the light, she worked it like a seasoned model!

Absolutely stunning!

I loved this fun outfit for some bare belly shots.

Danica's toes matched her top which was so stinkin' cute. And we kept laughing because she couldn't see her toes over her belly! Ha!

Loved the baby boy shoes. They know they're having a boy, but don't have a name picked out quite yet.

We headed down to the beach at Cardiff by the Sea, where we had a beautiful golden sunset.

Some of my favorites!

I loved the pink dress and the bright earrings.

Beautiful!

Perfect photos to end to the day with!

Danica: You are gorgeous through and through and it was so inspiring getting to photograph you and your adorable belly! I can't wait to meet the little guy, and I hope that the last few months go well. Love you and Chris tons!

Hugs,

Erin

A few years later, Bryan married that cute girl he saw through the car window. Apparently when Bryan decides to woo a girl, it works pretty stinkin' well.

Not only did Bryan and Crystal attend the same college as Jeff and me, but they're also adorable married photographers here in San Diego. So when Crystal asked if I would photograph her baby bump, I just couldn't say no.

Everybody, meet Crystal. A sweeter-than-sugar musician, teacher, and photographer.

And now meet Bryan. The quiet yet hysterical woo-master himself.

Together, these two are a pretty dreamy pair.

My favorites from the session. I love the close-in moments and creamy, fun-filled portraits of these two.

Breathtaking.

Love, love, love!!

After an outfit change, we headed back out to the meadows to play.

Crystal chose the perfect outfits for this session - I loved the natural colors with a bit of bling in her first choice, and the bright color and flattering shape of this raspberry dress. It's just enough to frame her bump and still make her look like her fabulous self.

Bryan is an incredibly loving guy. I love this moment I caught of him making sure Crystal looked perfect in her photos.

And she definitely looked perfect!

Bryan and Crystal: Thank you guys so much for opening your hearts up to me and for making this session so creatively inspiring and downright fun. Your calm spirits and your love for each other are going to make you amazing parents! Love you guys!

Hugs,
Erin