Elizabeth+Drew : Wedding at Falkner Winery, Temecula

All I can say is ... we love going to Temecula wineries ... even when we don't get to drink :). The weather and temperature were absolutely perfect all day long in the valley. We started out with Elizabeth and Drew at South Coast while getting ready, then shot over to Falkner Winery where they met each other in the vineyard before the ceremony. These two looked amazing and if our photos are an accurate reflection how they felt, they must of had a blast too!

*** Paul and Leanne trivia time. Did you know that we almost got married at the Churon Winery in Temecula? Our love for wine and French-like countryside almost sealed the deal, but we shifted gears last minute to jet to NYC with our closest friends and family ***

A Must Read

Cradle to Cradle is a one of kind book by authors/architects William McDonough and Michael Braungart. It challenges the currently-fluttering-through-society popular trend of "going green" and becoming energy efficient and offers the idea of completely rethinking design. The greatest thing (among many) that I took from this book is the idea that instead of trying less bad ... can we try to be good (?). For example, instead of trying to create a car with zero carbon emissions, can we create a car that exhausts positive nutrients that benefit plants and animals? Let's try to use human creativity and ingenuity catalyst a whole new eco-effective paradigm, not just hang onto the dying traditions of recycling and reducing to be eco-efficient. Because efficiency is still just delaying the inevitable.

The future never looked so bright :)

-Paul

Our Kitty

Well, he's about one years old, so he is quickly losing his "kitty" title. Leanne and adopted him two weeks ago and he has been a total gem so far. We knew right away he would be the perfect cat when he rolled over in the cage at the adoption fair so Leanne could rub his belly. He is a Manx, so he has a stubby tail and pointy ears. I want to say that he's our little wild cat ... but when he runs, he hops like a bunny ... so we've come to the conclusion that his parents can be none other than a feral bobcat and pet store rabbit.

We love him. Being that we don't plan on having kids for a while ... you'll probably see more photos of this "baby" show up on the blog (or worse, in our wallets :)

-Paul

Joshua Tree 5.23.09

Who says photographing a wedding is the end of the relationship with our bride and grooms? We try to keep in touch with all of our past clients as best we can (photographing their families, building photo albums, or sometimes even hanging out). Leanne and I knew we would stay tight with and see more of Sayeh and Esmo, but who would have thought only a a week after their 3 week honeymoon in Turkey (!!!).

We actually had a Saturday free so we decided to brave the heat and head out to Joshua Tree for some hiking, climbing, and lounging. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded at all. We had no problem finding a campsite and didn't have to wait for any of the popular climbs. Sayeh and Esmo met us in the early afternoon for some hair-raising climbs and a drink at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneer Town.

*click on the photos for a larger view*

For the wild, Paul

Leanne avoiding the heat under our makeshift shade structure. It wasn't too hot, but high 80's low 90's can beat you up when you're in it for 10 hours a day.
Beautiful Beavertail Cactus we found blooming in a few secluded spots. I love the color of the flower
Sunset, facing east
Notice the rattlesnake creeping by the native american pictograph. Yeah, I almost stepped on him (her?) until I heard the rattle and dodged it narrowly.
Me leading a climb called Southwest Corner near Ryan Campground. The winds were really moving on Saturday, I was pretty sketched out leading it (I imagine Leanne and Sayeh were a bit nervous about it cause they don't climb as often. They climbed amazingly well despite the conditions :)
Leanne half way up and coming down the backside. No walk off this one ... rappel or belay only
Sayeh and Esmo prepping the climb
Sayeh on the left looking like spiderwoman and Esmo at the dihedral on the right
More climbing

Leaving Pappy and Harriet's around 10PM. That place was a trip. If you ever find yourself in Yucca Valley and you want to see an eclectic group of honkytonks gathering at a time-warped roadhouse bar, this is your place :)

Kha+Minori : Tustin Ranch Golf Club

Okay, this was a wedding Leanne and I were really looking forward to. We knew right from booking that Kha and Minori were a little shy in front of the camera (well, who isn't?) and might need a little bending and prodding. However their engagement session was a total blast ... they had a lot of fun together and looked like models from the start (seriously, go back to our April archive, their e-session was amazing). Needless to say Minori looked like a true gentleman and Kha was unequivocally elegant. Thanks to the guys at Invisible Touch for playing an awesome set of music to keep everyone dancing. 

Congratulations to you both!