I love Infrared Photography!

Here's some of my favorite images I took on vacation with my Infrared camera (a Canon 10D I had converted) while in Pittsburgh, PA

My totally cute nephew, Grant

And equally cute niece, Paige

From Mexico: Día de los Muertos

My beautiful sister, Kat

I loved using her home and garden for infrared pictures

She has a bunch of the cutest shoes!

My daughter Annelise and Sister, Kat in Pittsburgh, PA

My nephew, Joe, demonstrating "the agony of defeat"

Kat in front of the old stone house in Ohio

One of my favorites.  I love how she is lounging with the dogs on the old fashioned couch.

The old stone house, Fredericktown, Ohio

Brother-in-law Scott, Chloe, Aidan and Sister Mary

They wanted a family portrait, but we made it much more interactive because I didn't want them looking at the camera, because with infrared your eyes turn black!

Kat at home with her awesome kitchen window

On the drive to Ohio

The back door of the old stone house in Ohio

I love this one with her in the sunlight and the dogs looking out the window

Funny how they all called this a "creek"   I think of a creek like what I have behind my house.  They were all tubing down this!

The upper portion before the rapids

Kat doing that thing that she does so well

An old wooden suspension bridge.  A lot scarier than it looks to cross!

Check out some of our new cool backgrounds!

The black and white tapestry

A beautiful blue and brown tapestry

I love this one "The Desert Sunset"

The garden backdrop

Kind of a hippie-ish blue and purple thing going on here!

This one was called "Tuscany Column" 

Check out these amazing Wedding invitations!

A wedding invitation tea towel!

A movie premiere invite!

How about a circus theme invitation?

I'm loving the comic book cover invitation!

Are these flip flops adorable or what??

Wow - I wish I had heard of ideas like this when I was married.  Mine were on a pale pink paper with the Scriptina font I believe.  SO creative...I know! But it was 25 years ago!!

Ms. Planet Beach International Spokesmodel Search

This Friday night! Prelim contest at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, W. Stockton Blvd, Elk Grove. Contact Pb Waterman for tickets!
Each year, Planet Beach Contempo Spas worldwide hold preliminary competitions to launch the search for Planet Beach's next spokesmodel. This is where BEAUTY meets BRAINS. The Ms. Planet Beach International Competition, a charitable event, is aimed at finding someone who truly represents the Planet Beach brand and lifestyle. Contestants from across the globe compete for a chance to win the following prize package valued at $150,000:
*$50,000 cash
*a one-year spokesmodel contract
*Franchise license valued at over $30,000
*Feature in the Planet Beach Marketing Campaign
*Feature on the cover and throughout the Annual Ms. Planet Beach International Calendar
*Numerous travel, business and networking opportunities
*And so much more!

Lisa and Darren's Sun-sational wedding!

Here's a sneak peek of Lisa and Darren's Wedding at Sun City Roseville last month!

 Lisa and Darren kiss after their "first look"

 Lisa and Darren's family were great to work with.  What a fun group of people!

The ceremony at "the rock" at Sun City Roseville.  It was one of our super hot days this summer, around 105 degrees that day! Luckily it has been a really nice summer.  Not very many days over 100 this year :-)

 The Virassammy's formal bride and groom portrait.  Such a gorgeous couple!

 I am such a sucker for romance.  I love capturing a couple's intimate moments!

 The girls modeling like tigers around the hot Mr. V!

 And Mrs. V is being treated like the queen she is.  Keep her cool, boys!

 I just love Darren's expression here. Adorable with a capital A!

The awesome wedding party.  We loved them!

Darren jamming on his bass with his band, the Caribbean Jazz Quintet!

Vera Wang Spring 2011 wedding dresses: an exclusive sneak peek

OMG! Looking at these beautiful dresses makes me want to get married all over again!  I don't remember seeing ANYTHING like these when I was dress shopping, a mere 25 years(!) ago.  Love them! 


"Vera's trends for 2011 include white and ivory wedding gowns, as well as grays, blushes, and nudes. The colors are soft and the fabrics are sumptuous. Vera uses loads of silk and tulle to create these gorgeous designs. You will also see lots of layering, ruching, belted gowns, and a touch of lace here and there. Floral designs make an appearance, but not in a bold way. Every detail on these dresses are meant to be subtle. They are just breathtaking." - the Boston Bridal fashion Examiner

Click the link below to see a slideshow for more of her collection:
Vera Wang Spring 2011 wedding dresses: an exclusive sneak peek

Check out this adorable + totally modern bridesmaid's dress!

Short & Sweet Saffron
(with Pockets!)

This short & sweet dress is perfect for bridesmaids this month and well into autumn.  I love the color and the adorable sash in the back...and the POCKETS!  I am such a pocket girl, and one of the things that drives me crazy about women's clothing is the lack of pockets!  Being a photographer and out on location, I use pockets a lot, but finding cute clothes with them can be challenging at best.  I would buy this dress even though I am not a bridesmaid! 

{dress by weddingheaven}

So you think you got a good deal hiring a cheap wedding photographer?

I thought this video was pretty interesting to watch.  The photographer obviously doesn't know much about photography - she can't even answer a basic question like "how fast is your lens".  The bride is close to tears over her bad photos and even the judge is questioning why is she calling herself a "professional".   I take my job very seriously and wouldn't even consider photographing a wedding until I had many years of photography classes, good professional equipment, back up equipment, an assistant, and knew about how to plan the day with my brides. Maybe it is my background in being a RN for 14 years, but I believe in planning, knowing what you are doing and going above and beyond for my clients.  I realize that this is a one-shot deal, and you can't do a re-take of a wedding day.  I was also very disappointed with MY wedding photographer (August 11 is my 25th anniversary!) and I STILL regret that I didn't research photographers more and invest more into my wedding photography.  I remember thinking, "he must be good, he has nice pictures on the wall and has an office" and  also didn't realize there was such a wide variety of photographers out there.  We didn't spend any time planning, he took a super long time taking all of the photos, we did nothing ahead of time so the guests were kept waiting and waiting, and to top it off he was grouchy and arrogant.  Great memories, huh??

The Mullen Grandchildren!

This was such a fun photo shoot held at my outdoor studio in Citrus Heights!  My former bride, Andrea Mullen, set up a shoot with her children and her brother in law and sister in law's children as well. Here is a sampling from the session: