Raj + Mindy {Engagement, San Luis Obispo}

Raj and Mindy are one of the sweetest couples on the face of the planet! They booked me like 2 years ago because they had to have a longer engagement to prepare for the wedding. It was really fun seeing them again after what feels like forever ago.

We started out at Camp San Luis at an abandoned incinerator from WWII. Yeah; seriously! We arent exactly sure what they incinerated in there but it was pretty cool and yet slightly creepy. From there we ventured to Montana De Oro. They took us to these long branched trees that cover a hillside with their limbs as if they were too tired to reach towards the sky. The entire engagement session was magical and inspired. Thanks for the awesome time; you guys are beautiful!

Dont Play YMCA! {mywedding.com/blog}

If you are in the market to hire a DJ then you should read my recent post, Dont Play YMCA, at mywedding.com.

Charlie + Autumn {Engagement, Seattle, WA}

The day after we photographed Marty and Sarah we made the drive to Bainbridge Island where we boarded the ferry to Seattle. We felt like locals commuting to the city for a day of work. We really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere aboard the boat. People were reading newspapers or chatting with friends. We agreed that it is way better than rush hour traffic in L.A.!

Charlie + Autumn met us at the ferry and led us around the city after a tasty little lunch at an Irish pub. We started out in Post Alley getting shots near the brick walls where we discovered an awesome 3 piece street band composed of 2 saw players and a crazed guitar player from the 70s.

Then we ventured around in the Seattle Library. I never knew a library could be so bad-ass. We took the elevator to the red-room where we found some sweet polka-dotted door. A red polka-dotted-see-through-door-are-you-kidding-me?! We made our way to the book section where Charlie and and Autumn picked up a couple of scripts. They were reading randomly and Charlie was cracking us all up including himself. I love the shot of him doubled over laughing! (he may hate it, but I loves it!)

We finished off the day at a monastery across town. It was a nice peaceful way to end the session. We had so much fun exploring Seattle and getting to know Charlie and Autumn. We look forward to the big day!
















On our way back to Bainbridge Island we got this classic shot of Seattle. The B&W makes it look old; I love it!

Marty + Sarah {Engagement, Port Angeles, WA}

We had so much fun meeting Marty (my long lost 3rd cousin) and his bride to be, the beautiful Sarah. I wrote all about meeting the Ingalls side of my family for the first time in my previous post. It was truly amazing to meet these people that share my blood and my heart and who are really awesome as well!

We walked miles down a muddy trail around a lake to get these beautiful engagement/family pictures. It was definitely an adventure, but totally worth it! The boys were monkeys and they all played their age. The oldest was too cool for pictures while the younger two pulled faces anytime they were in the spotlight.

Sarah is really Gods redeeming grace to this family. They have been through so much over the years and Sarah has completly embraced them as her own. It was amazing to see the special bond that is already forming between Martys boys and Sarah. Since this marriage involves more than just Marty and Sarah, we wanted the engagement session to as well.


So they are getting married at this crazy art gallery that has a bunch of art pieces on display all over the property. These starched kids sweaters were really creepy. Creepy enough for a family picture even. ;)


We hiked around some lake on what was supposed to be a short walk to some bridge next to a devils punchbowl that Marty remembered going to years before. We slugged down the muddy trail for MILES and found a few little amazing spots. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it!












Marty was a bit disappointed that we didnt have any sunlight to work with. By the time we drove back to town the Port Angeles sunset had emerged from the high cloud layers. I am told that most overcast days end in an hour of glorious sunsets. We drove downtown chasing the light, loosing it behind buildings and hills. Finally down one ally we found the sun peaking over a warehouse. The only way for me to capture it was for them to climb up a dumpster; which they were more than willing to do. I love what resulted!







I freaking love you guys! Thank you for welcoming me into your family as family. I am so glad that you found me. Here is to many more years ahead of us to build friendship and memories that our past has robbed us of.

Long Lost Family in Washington

April is officially the month of engagement sessions for me. We started out flying to Seattle for a double header. I am shooting 2 weddings back to back in July and wanted to come up for some hang time and the chance to capture the couples in their everyday wear with gorgeous Washington backdrops.

The amazing part of it all is that one of the couples, Marty and Sarah, are actually related to me! I know for most people this wouldnt be an amazing thing, to hang out with relatives in another state. But this was HUGE for me and I will tell you why. When I was little my parents got a divorce and my father died when I was 7 years old. My dads parents passed away early on as well and he only has one remaining sister who has a family that I have only seen a handful of times in my life because they are in Army. This has left me with the feeling that I dont have much of a family. I always thought it bizarre when friends would talk about their cousins and family reunions. It has even been a bit difficult of an adjustment marrying into a bigger family; and yet a wonderful adjustment.

About a year ago Marty (my long lost 3rd cousin) emailed me to tell me that we are related and that he found me through my website. I thought it was awesome, but didnt really understand the relation because all my life I have known nothing of my Ingalls heritage. Then Marty calls up one day and says he is getting married and wants me to shoot his wedding this summer. I was encouraged that not only did they want me there because I am family, but because they really see me as an amazing photographer. I am humbled and honored to be their photographer.

So Anna and I packed our bags and made the journey to Seattle. We rented a car at the airport, drove onto the ferry and cruised a couple of hours through the most amazing forests to Port Angeles where my long lost family lives.





I guess you could say it was like a {family union} because we have never met. Immediately we felt welcomed and at home. Martys mother Carol (my fathers direct cousin) made me a scrapbook of the Ingalls history. I learned that my Grandfather was raised in Regina, Canada. His best friend, Clarence, sat behind him in grade school and grew up to marry his sister Florence. Clarence and Florence had Carol, who had Marty, who is responsible for bringing us all together. This is my great Uncle Clarence. He was so excited to meet me that he was beaming! He just kept telling me how great a man my grandpa Cam was; the man I was named after. I heard stories and caught glimpses of a family history I never knew existed! It was truly a moving and significant trip for both of us. I feel like I met my family for the first time; probably because I did.

My Wifes Blog!

My wonderfuly talented wife, Anna, recently posted some amazing pictures on her blog. Sveva is the newest addition to Joe and Cyndis lives. I shot their wedding a couple of summers ago. When they called me to photograph their baby I passed them onto Anna. It was fun to see her get excited and start planning the shoot. We have this beautiful overgrown backyard and she knew right away that she wanted to photograph Sveva in the clovers. Anna did such an amazing job getting Sveva to light up in front of her lens. She really has some magical gift with children. It takes seconds for her to earn their trust and to get them giggling. I am so blessed and amazed that Anna has found my passion for photography as her own and that she is blazing a new trail for herself. Check out more pictures on her {BLOG} and if you want to stay up to date then subscribe.

Mike + Jen {Engagement, San Luis Obispo}

The first moment I laid eyes on Mike Newsom I think he was less than 14 years old playing guitar in the late great band {Watashi-wa}. He was a frivolous, showy, and an all over-the-place guitar player; he had natural born talent and loads of potential. Today Mikes brother, Jeff, tells me that he is a phenomenal guitar player! Its been fun seeing Mike grow up a bit over the years and I am so honored to be photographing his wedding this summer.

Mike and Jen are like 2 peas in a pod. They have been together for 7 whole years! If you hung out with them you almost wouldnt know they are engaged to be married. You might just think they are best friends because of how incredibly comfortable they are in each others presence. And that is what is so awesome about their relationship; it is a best friendship kind of love that propels them into spending the rest of their lives together.

Mike reminded me that he isnt good in front of the camera. When I photographed his band years ago he was always the one with a big fat grin covering his face while the other band mates were trying their best to keep it cool. Mike is just perpetually happy. He said Tooth and Nail used to get mad at him because he couldnt hold a straight face. I told him that he didnt have to worry, because I wanted to simply capture who he is; who they are together. Knowing that PDA really isnt their thing we strove to get a lot of photos that showed off their awesome best friendship. We took our time exploring orange orchards and the sunlit forestry regions of the San Luis Obispo back roads.

Tie Tuesday

While working on Mike and Jens engagement pictures yesterday I was inspired to celebrate International Tie Tuesday. When Mike was here for their engagement session he tied his tie in a sweet Double Windsor. I got so excited because I always want to know how to do the Double Windsor. So I asked him to teach me. I was proud of my office outfit yesterday complete with Double Windsor so I thought I would share. Its not every day that I dress up to go to the next room to edit photos. Thanks Mike for the lesson and inspiration!

Phone-tography {Top 50-ish}

I am a phone-tographer. Its really more of a hobby than a profession. I love the fact that when I am not carrying around my big camera, I can at least get a low-res snapshot and catch random life moments. Tragically, people never get around to doing anything with their phone-tographs and some pretty amazing moments can get lost when a phone takes a dive into a puddle of water for example. So I figured I would finally do something with my favorite phone-tographs by posting them for the world to see. Here is my life over the past couple of years as seen through the lens of my Palm Treo.

This is perhaps my favorite phone-photo ever. I took my nephew Sam to the bathroom at Costco one afternoon. I really wish I had shot this with a camera something more than 2 mega pixels!

Overlooking Las Vegas with Jaydon Broyles from a hotel room at Mandalay Bay.

This trip to Vegas is where I coined the famous saying; When in Vegas; Be Vegas!

Ran into Dog The Bounty Hunter on the strip. He said to me, {Im working bruda, Im working.}

Before I was married to Anna, I would send her self-portraits anytime I was out of town.

An invitation for a pancake dinner is best sent by text. Unfortunately Jeremy said no. I havent offered him pancakes since.

Sleepy Sam.

Disco party?

A couple of years ago Jeff Newsom and I toyed with the idea of joining forces and adding a high-end option to our packages so that our clients could get an Ingalls-Newsom hybrid product. We created a business name and a morphed version of our faces. We were going to call the company {William Scott} the combination of our middle names.



Text to Anna: Should I buy this jacket?

The most divine and beautiful rainbow experience of my life and all I had to capture this fleeting moment was my trusty camera phone. It looked 1 million times more amazing in real life!

Cheek kisses.

So volatile! And who is that lady in the background?

Sunset over Shell Beach.

Sunday after church BBQ with the boys.

Car S-A-E-L! {Im embarresed that this is actually where I bought my car years before this photo was taken}

Kate on skates.

Uncle humor.

Good friends Sunnie and Simon Jones. When I shot their engagement session a few years ago it changed the way I took pictures.

I took Anna on a surpise 25th birthday adventure to the Magic Castle in Hollywood. We had dinner upstairs and then watched a couple of magic shows. When the magician asked for a volunteer. I waved one arm and pointed with the other to Anna and shouted {Its her birthday}. She was humiliated and we loved it! She had to choose a card which its identity was later revealed on a piece of toast. We werent allowed cameras in the castle. Luckily I was packing my trusty camera phone.

Knitting Factory in Hollywood. The band Hem opened up for Over The Rhine and practically stole the show. I have a Hem song that plays on my website.


The quickest way to a girls heart. Muscle messages.

Anna and I get our hairs done at Reveal Salon. She is going to love me for this!

Guissepes Martinis with smoky dry ice and friends.



More self portraits sent to Anna on the way to Boston for a wedding.



Simon and I wandered the city one night and ended up playing pool in a non-touristy bar with a bad open mic night going down. We loved it!

For our first Valentines day I bought Anna this tandem cruiser secretly because it was a gift for both of us and I kinda thought we would stay together. This bike later became the symbol for our wedding invitations. Marriage is all about working together. As fun as riding this bike was it was also frustrating and scary at times. Frustrating when you felt like the other person wasnt pulling their weight and scary when sitting in the back seat. Riding this bike has showed me how at times I need to lead and at times I need to follow and both of us need to trust and communicate in kindness, love and patience.

Sunburned and shooting a wedding in Florida loving my 70-200 and sending yet another self-portrait to the girl of my dreams.

Debra is a pirate.

Watching Pirates.

Newsom deformed.

Newsom on scooter. I shot this while driving his wifes scooter. Really glad I didnt crash or drop my cell phone!

A tribute to the Newsoms and the awkwardness of CCWP. Enough said.

Before we {dated} we rode a lot of bikes. I was just hanging out with my best friend.

Flying to NYC. For Anna.

First time in Time Square.


Watching my new brother in laws wedding video made me lol! I had to pause it and message this shot to Ryan and Joel because they both look so young!

Curly Joe and Mullet Maloney. This photo shoot was for Anna when I helped her set up her myspace account. I phone-o-graphed a shot from my desktop. The start of a beautiful life together.

The beard had a life of its own. I look like a dirty street person wearing Annas earring. The night we started dating was the night I kissed her for the first time and the last night I had my burley beard.

My bachelor pad version of a highchair.

Joel Limpic and Ryan Delmore at my themed bowling birthday party. Ryan didnt comply with the theme. Joel did but I cant remember what the theme was. All I know is he was wearing Harry Potter glasses.

Jenny and Anna at the same party that I still cant remember the theme to.

A good friend and a good cup of coffee are things that you can take for granted every day but when your friend Chris Clark lives in Oklahoma City it becomes a real treat!

Jesus Rules! Catholic weddings give me lots of time to look around and shoot a couple of phone-tographs.

Simon Jones and I at Genoa, Nevadas Oldest Thirst Parlour. After Matt and Pams wedding, they and some of their friends headed across the street to this watering hole and we did too. Simon played pool with some drunk lady with serious anger issues who slammed her cue across the table when she sloppily missed the balls. I was afraid Simon was going to get killed!

I love this shot of Anna and I. She is wearing a necklace and earrings that I bought her in OKC. This was back when we were still just dating. I was wearing clothes that are now too small for me since we have been married for a year and now I eat more than 2 meals a day.

Well, thats all folks! If you are a fellow phone-tographer and you have a blog, do share your favorites with me!

Rolando + Megan {Wedding, Chaminade, Santa Cruz}

Rolando and Megan got married at a beautiful resort in Santa Cruz called Chaminade. It is on a hill top surrounded by eucalyptus trees with a view of the town below and the ocean beyond. They requested to have their photos taken beforehand so that they could participate in their cocktail hour as much as possible. We had a good hour before to get as many shots as possible of them together. We had a lot of fun being creative and exploring the meadow below the resort.

All I can say is that Rolo and Meg were totally into their wedding and each other the entire day. We had so much fun getting to know them during their engagement session that we just couldnt wait for their wedding. Their family and friends were awesome. They are much loved!








Meg had no problem pulling a bit of the model look.











Rolando is a dancer. Not like a ballet dancer; like hip-hop. Right after the grand entrance for the reception Rolo surprised Meg with a choreographed groomsmen dance. It was awesome-sauce!




Almost every wedding I meet some guest who asks if anyone has taken any pictures of the photographer. I usually just hand the person my camera and let them go to town. This time I got cornered in a Rolo-Meg dance sandwich.