The past few weeks, I've been shooting up a storm, and I'll be spending some time this weekend and early next week cooking up a TON of new blog posts for you. Because it's Friday, and I like for Fridays to be extra pretty, Here's a little bit of what I've been working on.
In other news, I'll be heading to LA today for my semi-annual haircut! I try to go right before WPPI and then again in October for my hair appointments, and this time, I think I may need a bit of a change. So--bangs? no bangs? Super dark hair? Back to red? Help me, and SOON!!
Oh right, the shoots--that's why you're here! Well, first there was this beautiful couple who is pregnant with TWINS! Mandey is due really soon, so hopefully by the time I post their photos, I'll have some adorable baby photos to go along with it!
Then there was the little mini-session with Little A, the daughter of my friend Kate, Florist Extraordinaire. We only shot for about 10 minutes but there were a few gems:
I can't forget about Katie & Ryan, who modeled for the Weddingchicks style shoot! You'll see that one in the next week or so:
This drop dead gorgeous couple is one of my 2010 couples whose wedding I'll be shooting in October! I can't wait for this one:
And it's always a good day when I get to photograph Braedon & Lindsay, especially for one of my workshops!
Last, but certainly not least, if you haven't heard, we are launching FOUR BRAND NEW SHOOTSAC COVERS AT WPPI! Not going to WPPI? Don't worry--this new cover and it's three best buddies will be up on the shopping cart on March 8th! Make sure that you are on our MAILING LIST, because I have a feeling that these are going to sell out really quickly:
And that's it for now! I'm shooting a bridal shower for superstar Leila Khalil on Saturday, and it's got an amazing team behind it so I'm sure that will be fun to share as well :)
We saw the location from the side of the road. "NO TRESPASSING", declared the sign in the front, but we willfully pulled our car into the snowbank on the side of the road and unloaded bright scarves, hats, and a gorgeous couple.
We were renegades.
Because really, how can you pass up a spot this good:
Of course, the homeowner showed up a few minutes later, once we had set out the cake, the flowers, and had the bride all dressed up and ready to go. Being of the "Ask forgiveness, not permission" sort, I'd been here before. This time though, we had someone better--Darren! He's the kind of guy that you just have to love when you meet him, and he went to have a chat with the owner. "No problem, have fun", the owner said, and we were good to go!
Thanks Darren :) You are very nice, and you look great in these photos:
When you've got such a great guy, you know that close by, there must be an equally or greater girl. In this case, her name is Alex:
Alex, you are SUCH a trooper! Not too many girls I know would stand out in the freezing cold and SNOW, and pull it off as effortlessly as you do! In my defense though, you did have Darren to keep you warm:
Now, what good would it be to treck all the way out to the mountains and into the snow and not bring some gorgeous decor? The incomparable team of Jesi Haack and Carissa of JL Designs created the table design, look and feel of the shoot, and of course the GORGEOUS flowers!
By the way, those white flowers are the new hot flower this year--they are called Anemone's and I think we'll be seeing a LOT more of those beauties!
Jesi brought a fab table with her, but when we saw this run down old picnic table, we were in love:
The table wasn't only good for the decor--it was also a perfect spot for the CAKE! Melody of My Sweet and Saucy created this gorgeous work of art to give us the perfect touch for our shoot:
Oh Melody. You are SO good.
Back to the table setup again for a second! Can we just take a moment to say how fabulous Jesi made it look? Thank you Jesi and Melody for designing and styling something so beautiful! Wrapping the containers for the flowers was pure inspiration.
Olive Hue Paper came up with some beautifully printed goods, including these awesome "he" and "she" place cards! Love them:
One more of the bouquet, just because it's pretty, and I like pretty:
Back to Alex & Darren for a minute:
Look at the boots! They belong to Jesi:
Fun fact: The sweater vest that Darren is wearing came from a thrift store. The arms were used to wrap the flower containers, and having him wear the "vest" was a game time decision:
Alex's hat is mine, from Urban Outfitters:
Changing up the style a little bit. Alex's hat is mine, from Heritage (division of Forever 21):
These make me feel cozy!
Fun fun:
Loving the bright pop of color here:
My two faves of the day:
This one is my #1:
A few portraits:
Some more prettiness:
Proof that you can get people to do anything when you're holding a camera:
Jesi, Carissa, Melody, Olive Hue, Alex, and Darren--you are all superstars! Thank you so much for indulging me in doing this winter shoot--can't wait to work with you all again soon!
**for all the brides that have emailed me regarding where Alex got this dress--sadly you may be out of luck! here's what she had to say":
"My dress is Jessica McClintock lol it's a dress they had for a vintge inspired prom dress line and never sold any! I got the last one in the store, they had sent all the rest back. I bought it at the K Street Mall in Sacramento at a JM store."
So there you go. Living proof that expensive doesn't mean good and good doesn't mean expensive! Good luck to all the brides searching for this one :)
"How do you get into shooting Destination Weddings?"
My answer?
"You need a couple like Teresa and Preston."
Back in 2004, I was still living in North Carolina, had just started my own business, and was determined to make it. I got a call one day from a coordinator who told me about a client she had who was considering flying me to Cabo for her wedding! Needless to say, I was extremely excited, and jumped at the chance. This couple, Preston and Teresa, turned out to be the single most instrumental couple in my whole career.
After shooting the wedding in Cabo, Teresa immediately got onto The Knot destination chat board, which was very new at the time. I think she was one of the first brides to bring a photographer with her to her destination wedding, and when she posted the photos, the other girls on the board were really excited that such a thing would be an option!
That same day, I probably got 50 inquiries for destination weddings.
And that is how I became a destination wedding photographer :)
Now, that was six years ago, and a lot can change in six years. Moves from North Carolina to New York City, and to Connecticut. Teresa now has her own interior design business (you should check out her blog, The Stamford Wife--she's amazing.
More importantly though, Preston and Teresa have added a gorgeous, smart, adorable little boy to their family! On my trip to New York a few weeks ago, I was able to meet up with them to shoot a few photos of their family in the city and the parks of Manhattan. We had a blast, even with the freezing cold (now I'm a spoiled So. Cal girl).
We started off at a coffee shop, where I was introduced to the star of the show, Grayson:
What an adorable little monkey!
We decided to shoot inside for a bit, so we cruised over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where what Gray really wanted to do was ditch the stroller and walk around:
And fly. Of course he also wanted to fly:
I love this series of Preston helping to teach his son to work those stairs:
Seriously, he could not be any cuter:
But, alas, it was time to head outside:
Teresa, you are even more stylish than you were six years ago as a bride, which I didn't think was possible:
Bye bye!
Grayson loves to be up high!
And is very curious about what Mommy and Daddy are doing down there...
This little area of Central Park was so cute with its swings! While Jeff and I walked to the shoot, it was SO STINKIN' COLD, but bu the time we got back outside, the wind had died down and it was really nice out:
I hope that they will look back on these photos and love the feeling of them:
This was Grayson's first try in the swings! He was a bit dubious at first...
Not quite sure what was going on....
...But he LOVED it!
With mommy:
Seriously, he was begging for more! the kid might have a bit of a daredevil streak:
We decided to steal just a few more minutes outside, even though the cold was starting to return:
Only a few more months till they'll be running after this guy:
He is just so much fun!
The cold was starting to get to his little cheeks, but he didn't mind:
Off on his own:
Preston & Teresa, you have the most beautiful family! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your lives :)
**If you are interesting in having jessica claire shoot relaxed, casual family photos in your city or in orange county, california, please shoot us an email at clients@jessicaclaire.net
I met Jill when I was in Mexico for the Jose Villa Workshop--you can **click here** for the post. Every now and then I'll be talking to a newer photographer and I will just see it--that certain something in their work where I just KNOW that they're going to be amazing and make a HUGE splash!
Well at the time, Jill didn't have a ton to show me as she was in the process of getting her new blog and site designed and putting together her branding, but still, even though she had little to show, I could tell that she had a fully formed idea of what she wanted her brand to be. And I got it. And I LOVED it!
So I suggested that when we got back from Mexico, we put together a great shoot that would really capture the feel of her brand--retro, film, orange, offbeat, and cool!
Jill has finally launched her new blog, so I can finally share these! You can see her site here: Jill's blog. Congrats Jill, and I hope you love these!!
I can never resist shooting getting ready, even when it's not a wedding!
I LOVED the colors in this vintage VW Bus! I think Jill might have to pick one of these up sometime soon...
This color--yum!
Jill swears she doesn't photograph well, but I beg to differ:
A little collage of yumminess:
I love this portrait! It just seems so fresh and clean looking:
Jill brought in literally HUNDREDS of oranges for this shoot! We didn't harm them, and Jill was actually able to return them to their rightful owner!
More deliciousness--why am I loving film so much?! Oh yeah, because these are all straight out of camera, no photoshop whatsoever.
One last shot of Jill. This shot to me is perfect:
I also shot a bunch of photos on the Instax, just for fun, but I LOVE them! Check it out:
Happy Monday! I'll be getting ready for the first JC/OC Workshop of 2010 that will be happing on Wednesday and I can't WAIT to show you that one! I have a feeling it's going to be awesome.
Just so you know, I don't always blog or twitter when I am having a workshop--the mailing list gets the first crack at spots. By the time I blog or twitter, there may only be a slot or two left!
I shot the CUTEST, most fun portrait session yesterday of San Diego wedding photographer Jill Thomas. I am not going to link to Jill's site today because she is about to launch her new blog and brand, which is why we shot these photos! She is almost ready to go, so once she launches, I'll post the full shoot for you to see!
The idea behind the shoot and behind Jill's brand was two concepts: 1. the 70's and 2. ORANGE! These two elements are what Jill is gearing her brand around, so I suggested she rent a VW bus and get a busload of oranges to go with it so we could bring both ideas together. I have to say, I LOVE IT!! I can't wait till Jill's blog launches, because I absolutely cannot wait to share more of these with you!
*the rounded corners are for Jill--the rounded corner action was sent to me by Will Duris. Will's got several production actions available and they are inexpensive ($5 or $10 each!!), and super cool. Check them out!
This is Jill. She should have been born in the 70's :)
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