BEFORE WE START: I have made it to the final round of the Pacific Weddings Magazine “Hit me with your best shot!” contest. Basically, if my shot of Helen and Tyler wins then it gets a full page spread in their Winter/Spring edition. Voting ends on Oct. 23rd (yeah I know, I have NO idea how they think they are going to manage counting all of those comments with a contest that long but… hey!) so if you haven’t already and or you have and you want to give a 2nd opinion head on over to:

http://pacificweddings.typepad.com/love_notes/2009/10/vote-photo-contest-finalists.html

and leave a comment with something along the lines of, “My vote goes to With This Kiss!” … or whatev…

Onward!

I have been looking forward to sharing this shoot because I just love the feeling these images evoke! When Andrea emailed me and told me her and her sister Amanda (who was in my graduating class at Pres. and used to swoon over BSB and NSYNC and whoever else with me during free period) wanted to get some cool portraits of themselves done as a gift for their mom the ball started rolling with tons of fun ideas as to what to do for their images- they totally get what I am about and were ready and willing to have as much fun as I asked for! Thanks so much for such a great afternoon guys!

Awhile back- like awhilllllllllle back I got to spend a sunny afternoon in Beverly Hills photographing some of the cutest kids ever in some of the cutest cotton shirts and onesies! Maile, the owner of Underglaze, has searched high and low for some of the most environmental friendly elements to sell only the most pure products. The cotton’s super soft since it’s peroxide-washed instead of bleached (better for the fabric, better for the environment) and is from a responsible co-op in India. She describes them as, “antiquarian prints hand-printed onto organic cotton clothing.”

The animal images featured on the clothing are all 19th century and were done as scientific studies. Maile loves the irony of how, through our modern eyes, they don’t look scientific at all, they just seem completely innocent and charming — perfect for kiddies.

The sports/leisure prints are also 19th century, mostly illustrations done for popular magazines of the day, a few of the images for girls come from sheet music or fashion magazines.

I think these pieces have such a timeless, vintage, quality about them and look so fresh and whimsical!  Here are some of my favorites from the day- If you’re interested in them check out Underglaze on Etsy @ underglaze.etsy.com.

When I first met CJ and Dustin at The Farm in LA’s The Grove we cliqued instantly. Spent the morning chatting about wedding plans and life plans and drank lots of drinks with caffeine in them. (I think Dustin had had two coffees and a Rock Star before he even showed up at brunch!) CJ and Dustin told me about Dustin’s daughter Alyssa and how she loved photography and how they loved her and how much they wanted her to be a part of their big day. We talked about how they wanted to incorporate her into their engagement images and decided to plan a shoot in their neck of the woods and blend engagement images with some family flair! I think we accomplished just that- can’t wait for your November wedding guys! And Alyssa- I checked out your DeviantArt page- that blue hair is something else and those flower photos are gorgeous- you rock, love!

Yum! Hello rays of sunshine!

Kate and Jason are no strangers to this blog- their engagement images are here, I unfortunately had to skip their wedding, but followed up with Kate’s pregnancy photos here. And it is with pleasure that I now introduce you all to their newest addition- Ivy Cat! After a long unpredicatble labor Ivy Catherine Schatz Pontius entered this world on July 1, 2009! We are all so happy to meet her and are prepared to shower her with absolutely nothing but love for the rest of her life. I’ve never shot a newborn before- I consider myself a pretty well rounded photographer but have really been focused on primarily weddings for the past two years so this was an experience! She was definitely easier to handle once she entered into a food induced swaddled coma. She better get used to having her photo taken because lord knows I can’t wait to document her life! Congrats Kate and Jason- all my love.

Thanks for trusting me, Kate. Worth it!

The afternoon my best friend Aubrey called to tell me her sister, Kate, was pregnant I started planning this session in my mind.  You  might remember her from this engagement session. Kate got pregnant shortly after her wedding to the lovely Jason and we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of her and Jason’s little Ivy Catherine Schatz Pontius- or Ivy Cat for short.  I think Kate wears pregnancy beautifully and it was such a joy to photograph and document this exciting time! (even if it did mean stripping down in a strangers barn…for her.. not me..) Kate is currently writing a blog about her adventures in pregnancy- check it out here!

I can’t wait for Ivy to arrive so I can starting documenting her life!