Now that I’ve put the sizzle on the steak, NOT, I am still hopeful you will take two hours of your life to be educated on this act that occurs every year from September to March.  If you choose not to see this documentary, here is the cliff note.  In a remote cove in Taiji, Japan there is the slaugher of over 20,000 dolphins each year.  These “fisherman” make horrible pounding noises on nearby boats that scare and intimidate dolphins luring them from the sea into a dead end cove where it becomes so shallow they can close it off to pull out their best catches.  The perfect, beautiful ones are sold for over 150k to places like Sea World, swimming with the dolphins places, etc then the rest are sold for $600 a piece and slaughtered, then sold as meat (which is heavily saturated with high levels of mercury not suitable for human consumption)  It is the most disturbing process, unbelievable to witness.  The government in Japan is well aware of this, our government and other nations all know of this yet no one has mandated this brutal killing. These film makers risked a lot to plot this filming and expose what they have hidden from anyone to see.  They literally put up plastic sheets to block anyone from being able to see, they’ll harass you, scream in your face, chest-bump you and bully you out of this area if they see you anywhere near this!  Ironically the man, Ric O Barry, who has led this battle worked in the 1960’s in training porpoises at Miami’s Seaquarium.  He literally worked with the 5 dolphins who played Flipper!  His intuitive connection so closely with these animals taught him of their similar feelings of humans and just how brilliant they are.  His turning point was when the dolphin he’d grown to love died in his arms.  It actually committed suicide by choosing not to breath air through it’s blowhole.  Unlike us, dolphins choose to breath outside of water, it is not a subconscious occurrence like we take for granted.  This poor thing was so depressed, hopeless and unhappy with it’s life it chose to not live.  From that day forward he’s devoted his life to the crusade of freeing captive sea life.  He made the very first Earth Day in 1970 the beginning of his life’s work.  Dolphins are extremely intelligent mammals, they have saved human lives, they are beautiful and a very important piece to our worlds kingdom.  This is truly a travesty!!

I have never been to Sea World before and am so happy to know that I unknowingly never supported the captivity of an animal not meant to be housed as such.  You’d think by now there would be enough ‘incidents’ at Sea World to prove that this is not entertainment to these dolphins, killer whales, seals, etc.  One would think with such proof and education such places wouldn’t even be allowed to operate let alone supported by us patrons!  All big things happen by awareness, so even if you do not take the time to watch this amazing documentary, with what I’ve described I would hope it would be enough to at least sign this petition (see link below) There are only 3 days left to put your name on it before it’s submitted to President Obama.

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/252?m=e3173521#sign

To learn more about this topic here is their official website:

http://thecovemovie.com/

I believe that nature, animals, the delicate balance and beauty of all things living is what makes my life worth living.  I will always remain humbled by the majesty of this.  Learning of this has sat on me wrong all day.  I cannot stop thinking about it!!!  These are the times when I wish I’d win the lottery, not to go buy a sportscar, never work again or all those obvious reasons.  But so I could make a difference when it comes to important issues of tolerance, humanity, our ecology, environment…  I’d be on a mission to stop this personally!  I feel the best way I can make a difference in my position today is to spread the word and awareness to others like myself who 24 hours ago was completely oblivious.  Hey, don’t support Sea World!  Don’t pay a boatload of cash to go swimming with the dolphins!  Sign this petition!  Check back to their website and see what they are working towards next!  Forward the petition to your friends and family!  Strength in numbers!!!  If you have half a heart this should upset you too!!

Good news.  Animal Planet has green-lighted a series based to this to raise the education and exposure up a notch.  It will be called Dolphin Warriors with Ric O Barry leading the crusade.  I am sure people such as myself will be rooting on the good guys who are going to be exploiting these Japanese murderers.  ”What has happened now is that they’re not killing dolphins in the cove; they’ve moved offshore,” O’Barry said. “They’ve created an artificial cove out of nets, and they drive the dolphins in there and kill them so we can’t photograph it. But we have some drones and small planes and things to prove it.”

It’s officially September now and it’s happening all over again for the next 6 months.  I go to bed again tonight with a heavy heart…

Nikki is she’s a senior in high school who wanted to not only capture a senior portrait session but possibly something to test the waters of modeling too.  She couldn’t possibly be sweeter, what a great girl!  I wish I wasn’t such an old lady, I’d love to set her up with someone worthy!!  My guy friends are all too old for her-haha.

These type of shoots take me back to my roots.  As you may know from my bio I actually started my career in shooting fashion.  I so love to create modeling portfolios and shots that sell to talent agencies.  I always say even if nothing ever comes of it your worst case scenario is you have beautiful photos of yourself to capture this time in your life.  I think everyone should do a shoot like this at least once or twice in their life, if not often.  I told Nikki that I don’t even consider this type of photo shoot work… it’s really fun for me too.  I spend so many shoots, mostly weddings, always keeping one eye on the time and managing what I can create in a matter of minutes, rounding up families, grabbing the action of candids, dancing, all the nuances of a wedding day.  This feels so relaxed and easy!  We really had a great afternoon.  One outfit change morphed into about 4 looks just because it’s like playing when you have a beautiful subject, a gorgeous day, cool location and all afternoon.

I am so excited to hear what Nikki thinks of her shoot.  I have a feeling she’s going to have a blast sharing them with her friends and family.

I’ve known his Mom, Ellen, since 6th grade.  We’d lost touch in high school when I went into my rebellious stage and she was still a scholarly student… in hindsight we never really realized how and why we drifted apart except probably none of the same classes (I was the artsy fartsy photo girl, she was in all the AP courses)  Thanks to my darling bride Samantha who works with her husband we were reunited.  Sam described her wedding photographer and it instantly struck a chord to her!  So now here we are 20+ years later right where we left off.  Only now she has a husband and son, we both have mortgages, taxes, careers… but never lost our zest for giggling, planning our next outing, even the simple things like swapping recipes!

So one day out of the blue Ellen says “I think Mattias has reached the terrible two’s stage”  I didn’t really believe her until she started sharing stories of his defiance, then our photoshoot the other day where his favorite two words were “no way!”  Although we bribed, we begged, we tried to make it into a game, sang songs, even my finger puppets didn’t magically give me a few winning smiles.  He didn’t really even want to sit down anywhere!  Ellen’s candy bag was the savior to what you see below!!  We have a lot of ‘Abercrombie’ looking faces, very fashionable this kid.  His piercing eyes would steal my breath in the few moments that he would look at the black box covering my face.  Gotta be fast on the trigger with this age!  I consoled his Mommy that by the next shoot it’ll be a totally different experience.  This age is truly the most difficult for capturing kiddos.

I had to blog this because I am extra proud of what we got considering just how much he was on the go.  The best part about children is although it seemed we were torturing him to change into his outfit, or try to sit him down, or make him go from spot to spot, when all was said and done we went to Ruby’s after… he didn’t hold an ounce of a grudge to the camera lady who tried to be so controlling of him!  Children remind me of dogs, their unconditional loving ways no matter what just happened!  I got a big hug and a “goodbye Auntie Jen Jen” as we parted.  Awe!!!

I photographed Raquel and Justin’s wedding day almost one year ago, and here they are with a baby boy on the way!  I’m so happy for them.  I got to know them a little better than usual because we went all out for their engagement session prior to the wedding.  They are one of the few people to get me outta bed before sunrise to be up in LA to shoot outside the Staples Center when the Lakers were in their last stages of championship (posters everywhere, gold and purple banners, etc) then along the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for an old movie style look.  We were laughing about it yesterday because they always want to do locations that are difficult to pull off, ones where we’ll possibly get kicked out of and places that make me go renegade!  I’ll do anything for a killer shoot so they got their girl!!!  Plus I just always have a good time hanging out with these two.  They’re so funny!  Raquel is this feisty, quick witted spitfire, Justin is the guy that goes along with it all and gets entertainment from her.  At one point Raquel said to me “one of the reasons I really like <shooting with> you is because you take charge and tell us what to do”  Justin then mutters “And I like anyone who tells Raquel what to do”  Can’t you picture that same convo when they’re 80?  Such old soulmates…

Yesterday was at yet another secret spot which Justin has childhood memories of.  I loved it!  It was tricky to find the perfect lighting along the way, but when it was good it was very very good.  And so much variety, color and style!  Raquel loves a vintage look, anything that feels like it’s stepped out of time.  I thought their look was a little 50’s but with a bit of Hamptons East Coast flair.  I love so many from their shoot I couldn’t resist a post!  I have been shooting a ton lately so I’m trying not to bombard my blog too much, but this one is a winner-winner-chicken-dinner!  Hee Hee

Can’t wait til their baby boy arrives to create for them again!

Back to this awesome couple, so they met lifeguarding years ago.  Have been together for a long time, I think she’d said 7 years (correct me if I’m wrong Tawny?)  They are like peanut butter ‘n jelly–these two!  And the funny thing is they’re not the PDA type of couple, so some of the shots in the engagement shoot were a bit of a stretch!  But now is the golden window in their relationship where they get to ham it up and document the romantic novelty of almost married, just not quite yet.  Their wedding date is October 3rd of this year, just around the corner.

We originally did their shoot along the coast of the Montage resort, very similar to a recent post of Steve and Sara that they loved.  We killed it with beautiful scenics of the ocean, the sunset, all those beachy goodies.  BUT, we lost light just a little early.  The sun went into a hovering cloud along the horizon line of the ocean and we were cut short about 10-15 minutes of the sweet light.  In case you haven’t noticed already I LOVE what I do.  And my philosophy is to give too much, never too little under any circumstance.  So on the spot I offered to come back with them and give them their money’s worth with a quick completion of their engagement shoot.  They took my offer immediately!

Where the story bends is that between the time of their first shoot and the scheduled date of their add-on I got tipped off on a new location that screamed their name!  I couldn’t believe there was a niche in Laguna that I actually didn’t know of growing up and living here my entire life.  But thanks to John Doe (the tip-off remains anonymous) I had to go see it for myself.  It’s blew my mind to see this cliff that had so many colors and character, as if it were spray painted by God!  Because they appreciate the wonders of nature this rock wall seemed to be a perfect addition to their collection. They trusted me in describing it to go from their original choice to this new place and thankfully they loved it too.

I can’t wait to go back and do more shoots here!  I can totally imagine a really contemporary family shoot.  Especially with the right styling/clothing this could completely go high fashion.  I have one client in mind that I’ve been photographing for 10 years now, she loves anything unique and we struggle together each year to make her Christmas card of her family be a stand-out amongst her friends and family.  I’ll be emailing her to come see this blog, so maybe I’ll be posting her shoot in the near future too….

On to the soon to be Mr and Mrs Morehouse–check out this dynamic duo!

My clients/friends Matt and Jen have remained in touch with me since their wedding one year ago.  In fact, right as the wedding was approaching they were in the process of trying to lock in a beautiful home in Laguna Niguel just minutes away from me.  Their dream came true at the first of the year closing escrow and remodeling, congrats to them!  And what better addition to make a house a home then a puppy!  They found Kali, a yellow lab with a white coat!!!  Once I started seeing puppy shots on their Facebook pages I knew I had to come meet her and click off a few.  A neighborly gesture if nothing else!

She is a bundle of energy and love.  I had the best time hanging out and catching up with Jen and Matt, but I also had a great time meeting and playing with their kiddo.  We do shoots of our kids, our vacations, our events, why not do a few shoots over the years of our best friend?  Certainly I do, but am hoping this will inspire you to consider a special photograph of your animal.  I am only a phonecall or email away from planning it with you!!!

Luckily I have always stayed in touch with them although they moved away to Florida.  Had they not relocated I am sure I would have gotten to be friends with them.  I love hanging out with these two!  My kinda peeps!!!  Sam is a fireman and had to do service in Iraq, so hard for Deri.  But being the positive, fabulous woman that she is she turned that into an opportunity to do something amazingly special for Sam.  We schemed and planned a beautiful sexy shoot complete in a Leather Craftsmen album as a gift for him while he was gone.  I believe I blogged it at the time if you want to search backwards, Deri looked stunning!

So when Sam came home along came baby Jackson 9 months later (I’d like to think our shoot played a part in his conception-haha)  He is so darned cute!!!  Full of personality, especially for only 2 months old.  And watching them as parents made my heart smile.  I love that Jax (his little nickname) spit up all over Sam and they both just started laughing!  They take it all in stride which I truly believe makes for an easy going baby.  They’re such cool people, of course they would take on this addition to their life with such ease and teamwork.

I am honored to be back with them doing a family shoot while they were in town visiting.  I hope they come back often enough that I get to see Jackson as he grows!  I am trying to talk them into a snow shoot this winter, plus a little snowboarding with Sam, just to get to hang out with them as friends… let alone the finished result of a cozy session with snow flocked trees and a white blanket around them.  Jackson will be about 6 or 7 months if they come out in the New Year which would certainly show how much he’s grown!!

Congrats to Deri and Sam, their new little dude is such a blessing…

Cindy came to me through a mutual friend, Nicole.  In the first 5 minutes of meeting her I loved her energy, her style, her quick wit… she’s just one of those magnetic human beings.  We had a two hour meeting and before I knew it she signed on for my biggest package with all the bells n whistles.  Her taste is seriously incredible, I felt truly complimented that she chose ME!!!

Because of our friend in common we ended up on a happen-chance Vegas run for New Years 2010 which was my first experience meeting her beau, Nate.  Nate is definitely the more quiet of the two, but the great sense of dry humor, the comedy and the personality is overflowing from him as well.  I normally hesitate, even when I immediately adore a bride and groom, to become fast-friends.  I tend to hold off until the wedding is over so they can 100% know my level of professionalism and care I put towards their big day.  There are times I am bursting to go to drinks, lunch, even in this case an entire trip but tell myself to hang tight until the wedding passes.  This was one of those rare exceptions where all caution went to the wind, I mean c’mon we’re in sin city here, and we all got to see the wild-n-crazy sides right off the mark.  Oh well!  Next thing I knew I was counting down to midnight with Cindy and John Mayer!!!  (Nicole and Nate both went “night night” before the 12 o’clock hour–pace yourself people!)

So here we are friends and doing business together, but rules were made to be broken…

Planning their engagement shoot has been quite the saga.  Her inital idea was to fly off to San Fran for it, one of their favorite cities.  I was all for it!  I’ve done a wedding there, done another engagement session there before and of course gone there many times for fun.  I had it all visualized in my head.  But as the wedding approached and Nate’s work schedule got more hairy it downsized to something less intricate.  Poor Nate has to travel for his job sending him to another state for weeks at a a time.  That plus planning a beautiful, detailed, decor-filled wedding at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu plus a brand new puppy (love you Wiley!) brought us to a location which they enjoy together and have spent much time.  Santa Monica 3rd Street and Pier became our backdrop.

I’ve been to this area many times as well and switched gears to imagine what we could create along this stretch of coastline.  We spent 3+ hours hopping from place to place, changing clothing, watching as the sun melted into the pacific ocean as we clicked away together.  Of course there were many jokes, laughs and fun throughout the process, that goes without saying.  I’ve photographed many friends weddings over the years, but never started with strangers who became friends so fluid and effortlessly all before they even made it to the isle!  Yet another job perk, striking up really good friendships with people who cross my path.

I didn’t meet Suzy and Kevin in time to do their wedding, but am so glad that we’ve found each other for the special moments that are in their life now and hopefully all to come.  They’re expecting their first child, already knowing it’s a girl they’ve named her Sophie.  Adorable right?  I always tease that no one names their daughters Jen anymore…. guess my name is officially dated.  Anywho, Suzy came to me because she was originally looking for a photographer to cover her amazing baby shower that Marla Lackey of Cheers To You Events will be coordinating.  Her shower isn’t until September so I am still looking forward to it, but in the meantime we decided to do a session of her and Kevin as her baby bump grows.  She expressed that she wanted something “garden-e” but then in viewing my presentation fell in love with a sunset silhouette image I took down on a beach.  I instantly knew I should take them down to “the office”  It’s what I call my favorite secret-spot cove in Laguna because I am there so often.  I love my office!!!  A beautiful neighborhood, very reclusive above it for flowers, garden and a european flair then a private beach below.  It’s a slam dunk of a shoot.  Every.  Single.  Time.

I hope to meet baby Sophie when she arrives and work with them as long as they’ll let me!  Suzy is just so beautiful inside and out.  So sweet, kind and a truly gentle human being.  Kevin is an up and coming photographer (no pressure for me right?) and we clicked talking shop (pardon the pun)  He actually really inspired me in the two hours that we worked together!  He stumped the Laguna girl!!!  He described a beach location that I’d never been to.  It got my goat so good that I actually went down today and found it-LOL.  It’s a great spot, looking forward to the first time I find the right occasion to use it.  It reminds me how much I enjoy the company of other photographers in the biz.  I actually caught myself explaining and describing what I was doing and why, just seemed natural to share the method to my madness as I moved about, posed and worked with them.  Poor Suzy had to hear the nuts n bolts that no one ever has to know about, but hopefully Kevin enjoyed it!

To Mr and Mrs Hackworth, I am so happy we’ve met!!!

Jeannie Ward of  The Wedding Jeannie was how Asia and Byron found me.  I remember when she originally had met with them and the excitement in her voice as she told me the theme they had in mind, how he’s from New Orleans and wanted to actually have a 2nd line marching band play their wedding.  She’d described Asia’s flair as appreciating the historic aspect of LA complete with a church built in 1926.  I knew immediately this was something I could really sink my teeth into!

I felt like I got to know Asia fairly well throughout the process, even bumped into her at the movies one evening.  But Byron, well, he was much more of a mystery man.  Asia’s Mom had come with her to our first meeting, then throughout the process I spoke with either Asia or her mother and of course Jeannie as we planned and finalized their dream day.  I’d heard all about the guy, but until I finally got the opportunity to shake his hand at the church did I see what a great fit they are.  He’s FUN!  We went from strangers to having a great time shooting together, then seeing them ‘cut a rug’ during the reception only confirmed that they seem to have a blast together.  Isn’t that what your spouse should be all about?!?

As you scroll down you’ll see a few highlights from their beautiful church ceremony then on to the Park Plaza, yet another 1920’s historic building, where they danced and paraded with the sounds of the streets of New Orleans.  I loved the umbrellas and props!  All of their guests had such a unique experience.  All the way down to the food the theme carried through.  I always know when I walk into a Jeannie Ward creation that there will be creativity, style and things that will not only ‘wow’ the guest list, but even surprise us vendors who see dozens of weddings per year!