O.K...I thought i would let you know that yes, I am still alive and kickin', although I have been a total slacker with my blog! I have SO many exciting things coming up that I cannot wait to blog and share with you. I have an engagement shoot in Napa, Santa Monica, I shot a wedding with a rock star, and next week I am going to be a part of a very exclusive wedding show at The Balboa Bay Club called The Wedding Studio. If any of you are interested in getting passes from me, please contact me! Tickets are $35 pre-sale and $50 at the door, so let me know if you want on my VIP list!!! It's going to be crazy cool! Can anyone guess where Aron and I are in this picture? This one is easy, but stay tuned, and I will be throwing you some tougher ones! Happy Thursday!!!!

Last night was an AB-SOL-UTE blast!

Melissa and Mike got married at the Hacienda in Santa Ana.
They met on a missions trip through their church. They were traveling to Mexicali and Mike actually thought Melissa was a high school student!!!
The rest is history..
They couln't be more perfect for each other!

Shannon Lott was my second shooter for me and aside from her sharp eye and great personality, we always seem to have so much fun together and laugh together throughout the day...what else could I ask for???!!!

I also had the pleasure of working with Peter Merry from Merry Weddings and Jeff from Elysium Productions...we had a great night!

Melissa and Mike's love was evident from the minute I met them and saw their connection!
I am honored to show you a re-cap from their day....

Through my eyes...

The Ring:

Melissa applying the final touches...

Melissa was a gorgeous bride! She was so relaxed and ready for what was to come.
I love when my clients put all of their trust in me because it makes the portraits GENUINE & NATURAL...exactly what every photographer strives for in their career.

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When Mike and his groomsmen showed up, they were ready to roll!
Again, very relaxed...

Here are some of my favorites that I shot of just Mike and Melissa. Things were running a little late, and we literally only had 10 minutes to shoot their romantics. I am so happy with what we got!!!

Melissa's grandparents...I can only DREAM of having this picture of my own grandparents...they look SO mischievous!!!!

Details:

O.K...Now her is the best part of the evening: Peter Merry, of Merry Weddings, is THE MOST AWESOME wedding disc jockey... EVER!!!!!
Let me tell you why....
Not only have I worked with him in the past, but he makes every one of his clients' wedding receptions unique by personalizing things like the grand entrance with funny (no, HILARIOUS) digs to all of the bridal party, and then even manages to have fun with the bride and groom in such a way that Peter has the ENTIRE room rolling in laughter!
Check out the bride and groom cracking up before their grand entrance....

Then, the funniest part of the evening...

Not only does he play the most amazing songs for dancing, he manages to pull this off:
When it was time for the garter toss, he did something that I have NEVER seen an entertainer pull off...
He used one of Mike's saved voicemails that Melissa had left for him one night...be careful of what you say on someone's cell phone!!!
Well, Mike had saved it especially for the garter toss and let me tell you...it was HIL-AR-I-OUS!!!!!

Listen to the voice-over and then check out the funny shots I got while the voice-over was playing:
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THANKS goes out to PETER MERRY for making their reception exceptional!
You can see how happy Melissa is with his uncompromising work!

Then, to end the night perfectly, Melissa and Mike had the sparkler exit...
They are so happy!!!!

Just had a thought and wanted to see how many fellow photographers would be interested in a monthly group gathering to discuss industry topics, business, and ways to stay inspired in our little (BIG) world of photography. I know a lot of you who juggle a lot in your lives as well as try to have a successful business, and sometimes you just need to know that there are other people like you trying to wear all of the same hats at the same time...I know I struggle with that a lot!!! So if any of you are interested in getting some inspiration, I would be more than happy to host a monthly group for a night of insight and networking! I know that it has helped my business tremendously, so I thought I would see what kind of response I might get. I live in Claremont, so please let me know (leave me a comment or email me) if you are interested!!! Happy Wednesday!!! Julie

I know I haven't blogged in a week or so...and I am so sorry!
BUT....this adorable couple will make up for my laziness!

Today I had an engagement session with joss and mike.
They were so much fun to photograph because they were so relaxed and
put all of their trust in me to capture them having fun and just being themselves.
I met joss and mike a few months ago when I photographed Joss's twin sister's wedding, Jen.
Some of you may remember jen and jesse (on my website in featured weddings).
So it was nice to see joss and mike again, but this time, to focus on them together!

You will see that they had a few wardrobe changes which I thought was fun and kept the shoot interesting.
The evening ended with the two of them taking out their surfboards into the water.
They had intentions of getting in there without their wet suits, but it was just too chilly to deal.
They still had a good time...

Today I did another photo shoot for Julianne Saltzer of Tattle Tails in the very quaint village of Claremont!
Her website is currently being developed, and is ALMOST live, so check out her website soon (I will post her web address as soon as it goes live!)

Here are just A FEW of my favorites that I took today.
All of my models were SO cooperative. We had a blast!