Sean + Beth {San Luis Obispo}

Sean and Beth had a most excellent quintessential Central Coast wedding. I rarely use the word 'quintessential' because it sounds pretentious; but it just came out. We started off shooting at Shell Beach, made our way to the historic Mission in Downtown San Luis Obispo (just a block from my office) and then had the reception out at The Holland Ranch. It seems I've been shooting a lot out there as of late and I can't complain one bit. The mountain scenery is majestic, enchanting and downright beautiful!

Laurel from Adornments not only provided the gorgeous flowers and décor, but she also coordinated the entire wedding and reception. There was this fabulous tent set up in front of the barn where all of the guests dined in proper Cinderella fairy-tale style. It was amazing how Laurel transformed the whole feel of the reception just with fabric and flowers!














Looks like the flower girl likes the taste of shiny things!

Christa + Paul {Montana de Oro}

Because Christa grew up locally and has since moved to the Bay Area she really wanted her engagement session photographed with some Central Coast Vistas as the glorious backdrop for their love story. She knew right away that she wanted majestic oaks, ocean-scapes and rugged coastline. Montana de Oro is just the place! I love venturing through this national forest, which is just 15 minutes from my house, to share all of it’s beauty with a new couple.

Because I shoot in these locations often, I force myself to approach it with fresh eyes, through the reaction and relationship of the people I am shooting. It was fun to watch Christa and Paul trip out about how beautiful and peaceful the forests and beach were. I think these images reflect that reaction. They are full of beauty and peace; great ingredients to begin a lifetime to come of love and marriage.










They had some silly humor-t’s to end out the session!

Brandon + Erin {Avila Beach}

Had such a fabulous Saturday shooting in the California sunshine at the Lighthouse Suites in Avila Beach. It started out being such a warm day and cooled off a bit as the ceremony was underway. We kept taking trips in groups to the beach for photos, starting out with the bridesmaids, then the groomsmen, then the couple after the ceremony. About an hour or so into dinner I took the couple out again for a sunset shoot. It turned out that the sun was just dipping behind the mountain. As we walked up the beach we were able to keep a bit of light peeking over the horizon. It was a really fun wedding because Brandon and Erin met at Cal Poly and had all of their fraternity brothers and sisters in the wedding. Those guys know how to party!

Thanks Brandon and Erin for being so much fun to work with!




Out of control!


This guy liked to pick people up to express his overwhelming amount of excitement. He even picked me up during the reception. I’m just glad he didn’t kiss me. ;)

As I was shooting this shot a little girl walked right in front of the camera, hoped onto the wall and kept on her way; looking back at the last second. I happily kept shooting!

Marisa + Pelt {Fall in Love… Workshop!}

My first one day workshop was a success! We had 7 photographers with one of them being a husband and wife team, so we had a total of 8 students. It was wonderful to have the group small so that we had ample time for discussion and questions. All of the photographers that came were amazing people full of love for weddings, photography and people. My aim was to inspire, encourage, enrich and teach. I talked a lot about what it takes to run a business for the long haul. How to find your voice as a photographer, and how to work with ‘ordinary’ people to capture both real and extraordinary images. I really tried my best to make the workshop about the students journey rather than about my own. As I shared my story we took breaks for them to reflect on the gifts they have been given, what their dreams are and how they define success and failure. My hope was to challenge and encourage them to overcome any obstacles that blocked the road to their success and to give them some tools to grow their gifts.

Discussion time was held in the beautiful offices of the 805 Collective. Cana VP + Samuel Potter Photography were generous enough to lend us their meeting space. While we had lunch on the back deck of Novo, Sunnie Brooke Jones was doing hair and makeup for our afternoon engagement shoot. Instead of hiring models we used Marisa + Pelt, a real couple who’s wedding I am shooting this summer. I wanted to demonstrate how to take an actual nervous couple, who claims not to be photogenic, and get the most real and beautiful images possible. It turned out to be easier than I expected because Marisa just lit up in front of the cameras; all 9 of them! Because of this, I had greater difficulty explaining to the class how I help my clients overcome awkwardness and insecurity. Thanks Marisa! ;) Pelt said during the shoot that she has been studying my work for so long that it was no wonder she knew exactly what to do.












Jen Slot working it; nice form!
Ellie Grover getting up-close and personal.
I unleashed the wolves…
We had lots of incredible support from some great friends and vendors to make this workshop all that it was. These people offered their time, resources and products to the students and to me. A big fat THANK YOU is in order. You guys rock!

Models: Marisa + Pelt
Hair + Makeup: Sunnie Brooke Jones
Print Lab: Pro DPI
Web + Design: 805 Collective
Mobile Websites: Mobile Digs
Meeting Space: Cana VP + Samuel Potter Photography
Wedding Photography Unveiled: Jose Villa
Flowers: Adornments
Engagement Session Venue: Holland Ranch
Operations Coordinator (A.K.A. Hot Assistant!): Anna Ingalls

The class from left to right. Click on their links to see their shots from the workshop. Jen Slot (+ husband Antoine), Samantha Gardner, Me, Pelt + Marisa, Katie Scott, Terilee Dawn, Ellie Grover, (bottom row) Emily Perello, and Lori Chambless.

What an amazing group of photographers you all are. Thanks so much for sharing your day, your hearts and your lives with me. I hope that you were as challenged and encouraged as I was. May you continue to fall deeper in love with people, photography and weddings and may your business be blessed for many years to come!

Austin + Allison {Paso Robles}

Austin + Allison were married in the heart of wine country. Their ceremony faced miles of vines and their reception was in Meridian Vineyard’s barrel room. I just loved the light, colors, and love that were spilling all over their day!

I had the pleasure of working with Laura from Touch of Style Events who serves Southern California as well as the Central Coast. She did an amazing job of coordinating the day. Jenny McNiece made everything so beautiful with the floral décor and Mike from AMS Entertainment got the party going. It was an awesome day!