Megan + Jonathan : San Juan Capistrano Mission Engagement

We had a lot of fun with these two ... Megan knew right from the start that she wanted her photo session to take place at the mission. And who can disagree, with light and color bouncing off of meticulously maintained gardens and purposefully crumbling walls, one can't go wrong. We're now on the SJC mission's photographers list, so we'll be shooting there more in the future for sure. After the mission closed (way early I might add, 5pm during summer!) we jumped up the coast a bit to change looks and walk along the bluff at crystal cove. It was kinda windy and stormy ... so that made it challenging ... but the light coming off the water was simply brilliant.

Congratulations Megan and Jonathan, we can't wait for your wedding at Pelican Hill this fall! Oh and you're both off limits from procreating in the future ... for fear your child will be so beautiful the world won't be able to handle it ;)

-Paul

New Blog coming soon

We are very pleased to announce a new (wordpress powered) blog to host our current photography and musings. It will match our website better, easy to leave comments, and will be social network connected. Stay tuned .... we hope to get this up and running very soon!

Paul + Leanne

Griffith Park : Engagement Preview

Too much awesomeness to post it all right now. Very soon though ;).

Leslie + Daniel : An Engagement off the beaten path

Leslie and Daniel knew the day they got engaged that they wanted something special for their photos. Lovers like these two come along as often as a blue moon, so we pulled out all the stops for them. Since they are incorporating a lot of their found vintage objects into their wedding, they decided to bring a few things along to the shoot (and our little yellow table :).

We originally intended to rent a row boat over at corona lake, but after conversing briefly with the entry attendant, we weren't that impressed (he also warned us quote "the 80 mile an hour winds will blow you over and you might be attacked by a mountain lion"). Needless to say he must not have wanted us there. No worries though, Leslie brought some beautiful items for a vintage picnic, we just needed an open spot.

After about 20 (kinda stressful ;) minutes of searching, we found the Lake Eslinore Military Academy. Built in the 1920's and abandoned since the 70's, the magnificent building hides behind two sets of barbed fencing, a massively over grown landscape, and its own faded and cracked facade. We knew we had to get in, but thought sneaking in would be tough, so we (luckily) befriended the caretaker and spent the raddest hour of our career wandering around taking pictures.

-Paul

Creating an Album from 1975...

Our good friend and bride named Jen came to me recently with a request I have never had before. She wanted me to design an album... for her Mother's wedding. Her Mom's album was deteriorating, the pages wilting and warping and the photos falling out of place.

She had this idea to create an album that would face the test of time, something that her Mom could show off proudly. For me, this was an amazing opportunity! I loved looking over these old photographs, feeling the history and seeing the way wedding photography has evolved, yet has remained the same. It was fun to scan the photos and tell a story from long ago. I also decided to scan the old album's cover and use it in the design. Although I am creating a more durable and long lasting album, I couldn't let myself part with the beauty and nostalgia I felt when I held the old one. <3

What really gets me about this project is the importance of photography. Everyday I create images and I create memories for other people. It was fun to go back to a time before me. It is fun to think that someday our children will look back on our photos and wonder what it felt like to be here.

~Leanne