Lindsey & Josh's Engagement Shoot. We had the Hollywood Bowl all to ourselves...

When Lindsey texted me that she wanted me to do her engagement shoot I was so excited and honored!

 I have known her and Josh since middle school and they are one of the most adored and loved couples I know. They are surrounded by friends and family that really show you what it is all about. Love, loyalty, and friendship and I consider myself lucky to be in their circle. Josh had the most amazing proposal I have ever seen. I think I watched this video at least 5 times. Watch this..trust me http://vimeo.com/65026014

When I asked her where she wanted to do her shoot she replied "The Hollywood Bowl".

"Huh?" I replied. I secretly worried that there would be too many people there and I had never shot there before, so I was a little nervous, but in typical Lindsey fashion, she did all her homework beforehand. We showed up to an empty house. Literally not a soul in the entire park. I was thrilled, we had the place to ourselves...the entire Hollywood Bowl, and we were gonna have some fun.  They of course brought along their beloved Potato as pictured below. He is such a good boy, behaved so well and you can really see how much they love their baby. When I pulled up they introduced me to Potato, informed me that he was their child and in fact goes to daycare twice a week.

I think I got the picture :)  

They were so much fun to photograph. Not too posey, they were just themselves. They dont take themselves too seriously which I love and they laugh alot which is the best for me as their photographer.

These are some of my favorites from our shoot together.

 Perfectly posing for me...thank you Potato.

 How amazing is this? The whole stage to themselves.

 Giddy with love.

 Love how silly they are.

I've got my eye on you.  

 How cool are these numbered benches? Every corner you turn at the Hollywood Bowl has a new amazing setting for a shot.

 They love to mimick Potato and it makes for a pretty cute picture.

 Tender moment caught between all the laughter.

 The real star.

 Another amazing backdrop for a photo.

 Secret makeout caught!!!

 The bride-to-be. My beautiful Lindsey!

 We would just walk through the park and constantly see new places to stop and shoot.

 Could they be any cuter? I think not.

 This was hilarious. Lindsey you remember exactly what Josh said in this moment to make you laugh this hard.

 Stop it Josh!

 Taking it all in.

Time to celebrate!

Love you two! Thank you for allowing me to capture these moments for you.

Princess Madison Turns 1!

This past Saturday I was hired to photograph the sweetest little princess you have ever seen. Her name is Madison and she was celebrating her 1^st birthday. Her Mom Jenny (who I went to high school with) did such a fantastic job putting this party together. She did all the décor and the sweets that you will see in the photos below (with the exception of the cupcakes she was quick to remind me). Jenny has a very loving and involved family as I was able to witness that afternoon. Madison is adored every which way she turns. She has a very sweet demeanor. She is calm, playful and she sure does love to eat. Most photos of her are with either a piece of broccoli, goldfish crackers, a white chocolate covered pretzel or a beer (cap on of course) in her hand. She was covered in head to toe baby pink tulle and with her sparkly blue eyes and beautiful blond hair, she was truly a vision. She takes after her Mama.  

Look at all of this yuminess.

Pretty in pink. Those sweet little baby feet are just so adorable.

Madison's head to toe look.

She had a party of one with her balloons. It was pretty adorable.

Madison's adorable group of friends.

Love

Two princesses.

Mmmmmm, nothing like a cold beer on a hot summer day.

Upside down baby

Happiest with Mommy and Daddy.

Twinsies

The birthday girl sure does have alot of presents to open!

What a spread.

The whole gang.

She sure does love her goldfish.

My favorite shot of the day. I love how the sun is shining on Madison as she begins her "cake smash" which by the way she did in the most dainty way you could imagine. 

The Melores Comes to California

The Melore family lives across the country and I have only been able to spend time with them a handful of times in my life, but I feel like we are so close somehow. We are family after all. We share in our love for Orly, Mike & Conor . They are our common denominator. Leigh traveled across the country with her three beautiful children, Kevin, Katie & Jack (NY Jack we call him). They stayed with Orly and Mike and bonded with the newest member of our family, Conor. This trip was all about spending time together, enjoying the beautiful CA weather and just loving on Conor. Her kids are so amazing. They clicked with my boys instantly and it was so fun to watch them play together all day. We were lucky enough to squeeze in a photo shoot during their visit. I haven’t worked with kids this age in awhile and I forgot how wonderfully cooperative they can be. Don’t get me wrong, I love photographing and chasing babies and toddlers, but big kids are just way easier. Check out a few shots from our late afternoon photo shoot.

Sahar & Vala's Engagement Shoot

Sahar and I have been best friends since the 7^th grade. She let me sit next to her on the bus(big deal in the life of a 12 year old) which as you know can be a scary time and place. The rest is history really. We have been best friends ever since. We have stayed true to each other through thick and thin.

Sahar has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She is the most amazing friend to everyone. You think it is just you and you are somehow the special one to have her as your best friend, but really, she somehow is this way for everyone in her life.

She had dated her fair share but nobody in that dating pool was worthy of her yet. I knew it and she knew it. Until one day….when she met Vala. They met at a party but then a friend took her to a BBQ he was hosting and that is when their beautiful story began.  Everything changed on that day. It was that Ah-ha moment when it clicks, she could feel it and we could all see it. She knew Vala was the one and Vala knew it too.  It was beautiful to witness. Vala is amazing and he expresses his love for Sahar in the most lovely ways. They have glided through all the stages of a relationship with such ease. Moving in together, getting a dog (Kooba) together, traveling, planning a wedding and nurturing all of their other friendships too. I don’t know anyone that does it better. Sahar never got so wrapped up in her love that she neglected her friendships.

After 18 years of friendship nothing makes me happier than celebrating her and Vala during this exciting chapter. I was so honored to do their engagement shoot. It was a casual and laid back shoot with their bike and Kooba running around. They didn’t need much direction, their love speaks for itself and shines through in the photographs. Take a look.