This evening I am sitting indian style on my bed full of quilts.  Next to me is my phone and a glass of pinot grigio.  Outside it’s that time of day when yellow and gold permeate the sky.  My friend is in the kitchen cooking something that’s crackling on the stove.  It’s simple, and quiet, yet I feel so thankful.  Thankful for my bed (which is sooo comfortable), thankful for a glass of cold wine, thankful for friends that come over to hang or to simply cook a quick meal, thankful for yet another day that I get to share life with a community that loves in truth, patience, and grace.

Have a beautiful evening:)

Two lovely people I get the privilege to call friends.

About three years ago I was hanging with my friend and Sarah Shreves one day in San Diego.  As we were chatting about our lives and dreams she was backing up images from a recent shoot–”what does ‘backing up images’ mean”, I asked blindly.  (This was back when photography was more of a distant dream in my life).  Needless to say to do a test shoot with her a few weeks ago was kinda a little dream come true.

Over the past few years Sarah (along with our community) has pushed, challenged, and encouraged me to not just ‘go for’ photography, but to RUN boldly after it.

Sarah, you still are one of my most favorite people as well as one of the most actively creative people I know.  You push the envelope, think outside the box, and view your life, your career, your faith holistically.  Thanks for getting creative with me.  I eagerly await our next project together darlin:)

PS.  Sarah took some shots of me as well; it’s a totally different story being on the other side of the camera. I was honored to be in front of this woman’s lens.  Take a look at her blog and the images HERE.

Christmas time in Laguna Beach, CA.

There are leaders, and there are those who lead.  Leaders hold a position of power and authority, but those who lead…inspire us.

Simon Sinek, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” TED Talks

Why do you do what you do?

Why do you get out of bed in the morning, and why should anyone care?

Simon Sinek in his terms has ‘code-ified’ some of the most successful people and companies in the world.  He calls his theory ‘The Golden Circle’.  The outer circle is the ‘what’.  All of us know what we do.  100%.   Some of us know ‘how’ to do what we do.  BUT a very small percentage of people know why they do what they do.  Why not in the terms of profit, but in the terms of what is your reason, purpose, belief, cause.

Simon says (no pun intended) that people don’t buy what you do, but why you do it.  And what you do simply proves what you believe.

Martin Luther King didn’t give a speech on ‘I have a plan’, he gave a speech on ‘I have a dream’.  His dream empowered, inspired, and actually changed history.

…So over the last several months I’ve taken so many pictures that my thumb and index finger actually have started to ache on a regular basis.  In some ways I felt like I was becoming a photo robot…just getting the shot…putting in the time, doing what I had to do.  Then I stumbled upon this video, and it stopped me in my tracks.  I knew the what and the how, but somehow misplaced the why.

What I do:  Photography.

How I do it: by clicking a bunch of buttons.

Why do I do it…that became the tricky part.  I forgot why I began taking pictures in the first place.  One of my biggest fears is that I will wake up in 20 years, and have nothing to say for my life but that I lived safe and comfortably and bought new things.  That’s a poor story, and it’s a poor reason to what I do.

So here’s a peak into why I decided to take pictures, and please please push me to pursue this cause.  Push me to pursue this when all I want to do is hang around the status quo, and buy a new pair of shoes.  Hell, slap me if you need to. I just don’t want to forget the why.

I want to change culture with photography.  I want women to see pictures of themselves, and see absolute beauty.  I want to reclaim in our society what beauty is.  Beauty is not defined by size, clothing label, color, popularity, status.

Beauty just is.

I want to take the fashion world by storm, I want to see lives changed in a really hard and at times very dark industry.  When I do shoots and interact with people, I want them to know they are valued and loved, not because they have something that I want or can use, but simply because they are human beings.  And human beings matter.

And when I work with models, I want them to know that I see them as a person not just an object or prop for my shoot.  I want people to know that they are a part of a bigger story where they have a vital role.  That the world needs them.  That I need them, and they need me.

This is my why.  Now how I’ve decided to do that is by pressing buttons, and what I do is take pictures.

Chances are I know your what…tell me what your why is.

Last month Mike and I were in NYC  with Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine for Bridal Market Fall 2012.  On Sunday afternoon I slipped out early from the shows to meet with John and Kathryn in Brooklyn for their engagement session.  When Kathryn and I chatted for the first time on the phone, months ago now, I knew we would be friends.  She is so genuine, and easy to talk to…and she has like the prettiest hair ever!  I could not wait to get to the East Coast to meet and take some pictures of them.  Even though we’d never met or seen each other, as soon as they walked into the coffee shop in Brooklyn, I knew it was them.

John and Kathryn and I ventured around Brooklyn talking about life, them telling me stories about growing up on the East Coast, and stories of how they met.  In-between the lines, and in-between the stories so easily I could tell that these two were such a good fit.

Their February wedding in New Jersey is going to be fabulous.  I can’t wait to see y’all again; it’s going to be here before we know it.  Kathryn and John thanks for letting me take your pictures, and thank you for being open to trying my silly ideas.  Y’all rocked it!

Kathryn, you are so lovely. Seriously.

Hands down my favorite shot from the day.  I love how happy they both look.

Good-bye New York.  Be back soon.

Erin and Kyle have such a sweet love.  It is real, genuine…and contagious.  As they went throughout their wedding day at the Ambassador Mansion’s in Pasadena, laughter, hugs, kisses, and connectedness seemed to follow them wherever they went.  To say it was a gift to get to capture their day is an understatement.  Erin and Kyle, y’all are precious, and a joy to be around.  I’m so excited for your life together, thank you thank you thank you for letting me be apart of your wedding day!

Erin’s Jenny Lee gown was shall I say…umm…amazing.

Kyle almost saw Erin through the window, and she literally threw herself into this little nook; it was one of the funniest moments of the day!

I’m such a sucker for the red soles.

I had the privilege of assisting this oh-so-fabulous wedding with the uber talented Aaron Shintaku.  Check out his post on the wedding HERE.

Details

Venue:  Ambassadors Mansion, Pasadena, CA.

Gown:  Jenny Lee

Shoes:  Christian Louboutin

Bridesmaid dresses:  Amsale

PS.  Erin and her bridesmaid created all of the lovely details for the wedding.  I am utterly impressed!

Yesterday we were featured on Style Me Pretty for TJ and Stephanie’s unbelievably fabulous Pelican Hill Wedding.  When you think of the dream couple to work with, these two were it.  Together TJ and Stephanie are so loving, kind, generous…they’re the type of people that can make anyone feel like a million bucks within the first five minutes of getting to know them.  Be sure and check out Style Me Pretty’s feature on their Pelican Hill Wedding HERE.  To see the full post from the wedding, check out Mike’s blog.

PS…Here’s the little blurb I wrote for Style Me Pretty about TJ and Steph:

As the ceremony was quickly approaching, there was this quiet murmur of excitement throughout the guests while they waited with eager anticipation for the wedding to begin. Stephanie kept peering out the window of the bridal suite at Pelican Hill Resort as the guests filed into their seats.  This was the day she was marrying her best friend, the guy she met at college that years later turned out to be the love of her life.  On the other side of the property, TJ was just so ready for the day to begin.  He had been waiting to marry Stephanie for a long time, and to say he was thrilled that this day was finally here is an understatement! Not once or twice, but all throughout the day I overheard guests saying how much they loved and adored Stephanie and TJ.  The way this couple love’s each other and those that are in their lives is honest, real, and intentional.  For this reason people flew in from all over the world to celebrate their marriage.

After an intimate and sweet ceremony, the guests moved to the Pelican Hill lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean for a cocktail hour, before being let into the main ballroom for an evening of exquisite food, dancing, and laughter until the early hours of the morning. Stephanie and TJ we adore you, we adored your wedding, we adore the way you love each other, and are honored to be apart of your journey.

This wedding was filled with some fabulous vendors; it made our job soooo much fun!  We cannot wait to collaborate with y’all again:)

Wedding Coordinator:  Gail Garceau (who had a smile and bounce to her step the entire day).

Location:  Erin of Pelican Hill Resorts, Newport Coast, CA. helped create a beautiful flow throughout the day.

Florals:  Nisie, Enchanted Florists.  (This woman is such a talent…she creates such elegant dream worlds).

What started out as a small team of committed individuals working out of a Phildelphia apartment, has exploded into NYC based glasses company, Warby Parker.  Neal Blumenthal, founder of Warby Parker, along with 3 other guys launched Warby Parker in January of 2010.  Get ready.  Within 4 weeks of the company’s launch they surpassed their entire 2010 sales goal.  That’s one month.  In one month this apartment based all-american vintage inspired glasses company surpassed what they thought they were going to do in a year.  That’s huge.

What is unique about Warby Parker is their approach to affecting change within our culture.  The team over at Warby feels so strongly that no one should ever have to pay more than $100 for a pair of quality glasses.  They have made a strong commitment to price all of the glasses (including frames and prescription) to $95.  Even more uniquely for every one pair of glasses you buy a free pair of glasses is given to a person in need through the non-profit Vision Spring.  PR Coordinator, Kaki Read, explained to me that while the forefront of the company is to offer a quality product and service, their backbone is social good.

Why do I think this is a big deal?

1)    We live in a time period where we actually have the opportunity to make strong value claims with our purchases.  I care where my money is going and foundationally what it is supporting, and I believe more and more that there is a generation of young people that do as well.  Companies like Warby Parker give me, the consumer, the opportunity to have a quality product alongside investing into social good; it’s a win-win.

2)    Simply put:  my decisions have the power to impact multitudes, even culture at large.  This is a principle, I first learned through my time at Invisible Children, and advocate deeply for in my life.  Warby Parker shares not only shares this vision, but executes it with class and integrity.

Why do I love Warby Paker?

1)    You can go online and virtually try-on glasses, and then they send you a box of 6 at-home try-ons for a week…for free.

2)    Their customer service is impeccable. Kaki, helped me figure out which glasses would go best with my personal style, gave recommendations, and helped me pick out the best pair of glasses for ME.  In a day and age where online shopping, and automated 800 numbers seem to be taking over the world, I am simply impressed with the care and attention Warby Parker gives to each customer.

3)    Ummm…have you seen their glasses.  They’re rad.

Now go get a pair.

Rachael is wearing the Zaggs.

Johan is wearing the Preston’s.

A few months ago I was approached by Christine from the Long Beach PUG group about speaking at their monthly gathering.  After having a slight panic attack, and visions of me walking into a room full of people with toilet paper stuck to my shoe and my zipper down…I came back to reality and accepted.

I am so excited to be speaking tomorrow night, July 19th at 7:00p.m. about ‘How to Plan a Styled Shoot’, and I’ll also be talking about how to get published.  It would be an honor to see friends and familiar faces…and I’m also just pumped to get to meet new people!  To get more details about the evening CLICK HERE.

Otherwise, see you there!!

What:  Long Pug and South Bay PUG

Where:  Tuttle Cameras 4019 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA. 90807

When:  Tuesday July 19th:  7:00-8:30p.m.

Why:  Because I’ll be talking about Styling a shoot and how to get published, and it’s going to be really fun!!

I’ve been sitting at my computer for a good ten minutes now, and just realized that I still had my sunglasses on.

The pair of jeans I’m wearing today has an unfortunate zipper that never seems to stay up for more than an hour.  I become ‘that girl’ with her zipper gaping open in public…ya know the one where you have this sort of moral dilemna:  do you tell the girl who seems to be using her hands an awful lot while she’s talking to that cute boy that her zipper is down, or do you just let her be in ignorant bliss throughout her conversation?

What person are you?  Do you tell me, or not?

Random…I know…but I need to know where our friendship stands world.  What kind of friend are you?!  That’s not too much for a girl to ask….right!?!?

Happy Friday Folks…and please please tell me if my zipper is down.

And also…don’t journey into your weekend without checking out Death Cab’s latest Single, You Are a Tourist.