Icing on the Cake....

"The Happiest Day Of My Life " is an expression most of us have heard people use when talking of their wedding day.....the day that lays down the roots for a new tree of life for many couples. I imagine that lots of people didn't think they could ever feel happier....until their children come along : )
With this in mind I've decided to call my articles featuring these little blessings as " Icing on the Cake".
This is beautiful Grace Capri, and you can see more of her with mom and dad, Lori and Mike in this slideshow.....

Just another day in the neighborhood....

After her wedding..... and before she dry-cleaned her dress.... Stephanie chose to have one of my Vogue Bride ( Trash the Dress ) photoshoots.
I live next to a beautiful lagoon and some lovely architecture, so we were within 2 minutes walking distance to all of the outside locations and fortunately Stephanie had two wedding dresses to work with. Lucky me!
Stephanie is fast becoming a pro in front of the camera.....climbing into an old abandoned boat, wading into the lagoon in her dress, lying on the ground.....nothing was too much to ask of my "model".
Here is her sexy slideshow....

Fiesta

I find destination weddings to be really inspiring, creatively. The senses are heightened when you are in an unknown environment, especially with a different culture. Colors, scents, sounds......all the senses are ignited and alive.
Rusty and Stephanie's 4-day, event-filled wedding in beautiful Puerto Vallarta was a joy to shoot. On the itinerary.....zip-gliding through the jungle; a spa day; an evening boat trip to a torch-lit island; rehearsal dinner; and an evening welcome party that featured a beachside massage therapist and a custom cigar-maker!
With a mariachi band playing at the ceremony, cocktail party on the sand, firedancers and a band playing into the night....Rusty and Stephanie's wedding really had that fiesta atmosphere. Take a look at their slideshow to see for yourself!!

Vogue Bride

With Trash the Dress sessions becoming very popular with today's modern bride, I thought it was time I stepped up to the plate, and indulged my "Passion for Fashion" Photography.
These post-wedding fashion shoots really are wonderful for the new bride. It's not often a girl gets to wear such a beautiful, couture dress......and now she can stop worrying about her guests, she let her hair down, put on some killer heels....be more sexy and playful. The dress certainly doesn't have to get damaged in any way.
The day after her wedding, Lisa even arrived late to a post-wedding brunch because she just had to have one of my Vogue Bride ( much nicer, don't you think?! ) shoots while I was still in Connecticut.
So I had an extra cup of coffee that morning, forgot all about my aching body and throbbing feet ( all you wedding photographers know what I'm talking about! ) and got ready to bring out Lisa's inner Diva, before catching my flight back to Los Angeles.
I give a lot of guidance and direction during these shoots to show my ladies at their most beautiful....every girl deserves to feel that she's fabulous enough to grace the cover of a magazine.
I think I might well be on Lisa's Christmas-card list forever when she sees her shoot. Ha!
She looks very sultry.....it almost feels as though we shot it in some balmy, Southern bayou rather than Connecticut : )
Take a look...

Rockstars!

I had a wonderful time recently at Lisa and Jared's wedding in Connecticut.I was practically doing cartwheels ( across the expansive lawn! ) when I saw the location, Saint Clement's Castle.
It looked like a beautiful English country manor house....complete with statues, ivy-covered walls, wildflowers growing in a secret garden and a vintage rolls royce in the driveway. Being British, I felt quite at home : )
Unfortuntely.........the weather was also typically English! On the morning of the wedding I couldn't even see two feet in front of me as I drove in the pouring rain to the salon where the girls were getting ready. The bride was still all smiles though....maybe this was why the rain stopped and the sun came out that afternoon!
Lisa and Jared are great fans of classic British music. Jared got an extra bonus when he discovered that I am from Liverpool since the Beatles featured heavily in the choice of music.
The ceremony overlooked the stunning Connecticut River and a violin played a beautiful, haunting version of "Across The Universe" as Lisa walked down the aisle ( in her Vera Wang dress and Christian Louboutain flats! ).
The same musicians played David Bowie's " Ziggy Stardust" as the new bride and groom left the ceremony site, and later Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was their choice for their Grand Entrance! Excellent choices...so different from the norm.
As guests danced the night away, a huge vide screen featured corresponding music videos........ Lisa and jared looked as though they could star in their own when they changed into " something more comfortable"!
Here is the slideshow telling their story...

Knockout

Sometimes I shoot editorial pieces for the Beverly Hills Times Magazine. Usually, they feature businessmen or doctors so it became a lot more interesting when they told me that the subject of the shoot were the Knockout Girls.
These sexy girls are all boxers.....even though they could have a second career as models...and they raise a lot of money from their events for underpriveliged girls. One of the Knockout Girls is Pavarti Shallow, who some of you may know won Survivor: Micronesia.
Shooting at Crunch gym was a little challenging ( having only 20 minutes to work with and trying to make sure that none of the gym-goers tripped over the lighting cords! )
The girls were thrilled with the results and I love the fact that they have used one of the shots for their website and poster : )

2 Hot Tamales

Rusty and Stephanie's wedding was to take place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and they intended to play their engagement shoot slideshow at the reception. With this in mind I wanted to keep their shoot very Spanish-looking, and so I took them to the San Gabriel Mission for it's beautiful architecture ( painted tiles, crumbling walls, twisted wrought iron ) and sense of history.
These two were naturals in front of the camera.......Stephanie was such a good sport, she even climbed into the fountain at one point! I love it when they trust me and go for it : )
Hope you enjoy the complete slideshow!