I have had a great week and have had a lot of fun doing some secret Mother’s Day shoots of Dads and kids.  Way to go Dads…great thinking, the ladies in your life will love the planning and photos of the ones they love most!  Make sure you show the Moms in your life how much you appreciate all that they do next weekend and it doesn’t take a lot of money…remember that in these hard times!

I am so lucky!! That’s what I kept thinking Monday afternoon!  I was in Dallas visiting family and got the opportunity to do an engagement session in Historic Carrollton for an amazing couple, Don and Emily.  Don is a great friend and talented photographer himself, based in the Dallas area so it was great to talk shop as we went along! I got there early and was able to scout out some interesting areas just outside of Downtown, I had fun getting lost and doing a little off-roading! I found this great colored siding, railroad bridge, and field which was right next to a gun range we found out half way through the session when the gunfire started…only in TEXAS!! Heehee! I can’t wait for Don and Emily’s Santa Barbara wedding this summer, I’m sure you can see why!!  Amazing couple, gorgeous, and couldn’t be nicer!  Thanks for spending the afternoon with me guys!!

For those of you who haven’t been introduced to her yet…this is one of my loves – my niece Maddie!  I have been gathering up fun new backdrops and props for kids and I thought today was a great day to steal her away from my sister to test some of them out!  We had a blast, she was a fantastic and cooperative little LA Model!  Isn’t she great?!

Just wanted to let everyone know about a really exciting event this summer in Los Angeles.  Chelsea FC and Inter Milan will be playing at the Rosebowl July 21st for the 2009 World Football Challenge.  This is an amazing opportunity to see top class European soccer up close and personal; not something to be missed if you are a lover of the “beautiful game”.  I hope to see all of you out there!

For tickets visit www.lafcsoccer.com and click on the 2009 World Football Challenge link!  Also keep an eye out on the LAFC site for the 7 vs 7 youth tournament leading into the game, it’s going to be fantastic!

I can’t believe it is 2009…and now March is upon us…wow time flies!  I am off this weekend, recovering from surgery last week and enjoying this ridiculously warm California “winter” weather.  My mother is in town from Montana this week visiting and she actually said that today is, “too hot and she can’t wait to get back to Montana where it is 30 degrees”…ungrateful right?!!!  Hee hee!  I think her body is in shock from the temperature fluctuations and obviously it is having an effect on her brain!!

All of us photographers are in heaven and those of us shooting outdoors this weekend are thinking, what did I do to deserve this incredible shooting weather, man I love this place!!

I hope you are all having an incredible start of the year, have a great week everyone!

I got up super early one morning to get the best light and headed over to Flintridge Family Chiropractic in La Canada to photograph Dr. Rion adjusting a patient!  Just kidding obviously…he decided to do a cute and funny card for the holidays.  It turned out really great, can’t wait to see what he comes up with next year!

Here is a small sampling of the wonderful families I got to work with this Holiday Season.  I will post a couple of the fun Holiday cards I got to create as well, it was a blast and a very busy November and December.  I am doing my best to get caught up still.

I promise I will before I leave for Vegas in a couple of weeks, the big annual WPPI (wedding and portrait photographers international) convention & tradeshow is happening.  It is a great big photo geek gathering – I think last year there were 7000 of us, it is wonderful and inspiring – I can’t wait!  I always come back feeling refreshed and excited about the coming year of being in this fantastic industry!

I know, I know, I have been horrible.  I took a break to unwind from the last quarter chaos of 2008.  I promise I will be back to the blogging very very soon!  I hope all of you had fantastic holiday fun!

To be a teenager again!  Wouldn’t you just love that?  I would!  Anyway, here’s a wonderful boy, Gio, who I had the pleasure of photographing today for some headshots.  If you don’t see him on billboards soon for ads, you will hear his name in the soccer scene sooner or later, this boy is going to be a world-wide soccer star!

This was a wonderful evening of Hawaiian traditions and family fun!  Thanks for the awesome memories guys!  Sorry Kib and Liz, for some reason I didn’t get a shot of you guys this night!!