Stormy Clouds Make Nicer Soft Boxes Than Rainy Clouds

i peeled my left eye open first, to begin to alert my senses, anticipating the cry of our newborn. typically lincoln's grunts and squeaks float through the tiny hallway separating our two rooms at about 7:30, before he decides to finally let us have it, around 8am.

thinking of how excellent of a father i would be, should i be there for my infant son the moment he needed me, i had no more time to ponder the thought before i let the soothing drone of the fan lead me back to sleep.

sure enough, 8 o'clock on the nose, lincoln let us know he was ready to start the day.

jumping from our bed, i quickly put on my uggs, a hoodie, and a bit of guilt for missing my internal patriarchal clue, and swept into lincoln's room for a morning cuddle session.

it was at the moment that i was drawing lincoln from his crib that i noticed the pitter patter of rain from outside, and thought how fortunate it was that we made our little outing yesterday. otherwise, who knows when we would have had the time AND weather on our side to shoot a couple images of our own little family.

so, thank you Lord, for not only urging us to take the quick outing yesterday, but also for providing those glorious football-field soft-boxes in the sky for our shoot.

enjoy.the.holidays.

mommy and lincoln.

daddy and lincoln.



my favorite.

our new photographer friends, carrie sandoval and brittany woodall from baby as art, might say the best way to keep a newborn sleeping for a shoot is with a warm room and white noise... although, the cold air and crisp breeze seemed to ironically send lincoln off to la-la land, despite our best efforts to wake him.

and alas... we busted out the ol' tripod and self-timer for a couple photographs of our new family unit. we are the davis'.



view my portfolio. contact gabriel & carlie.

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When is the last time YOU got on the other side of the camera

it's 3am, and you decided to opt out of opening Old Navy with the hordes of turkey-drunk bleary-eyed bargain-hunters, and stop by my li'l ol' blog instead.

i'm honored.

really... even if it happens to be a few hours later and your sitting in front of your computer, watching football with a turkey sandwich next to your keyboard, i am honored.

carlie & i have so much to be thankful for, most obviously, the birth of our son, lincoln.

so... inspired by a thankful heart, and our new friend jodi anne, i thought it would be of value to a handful of you, specifically my wedding photographer friends, to share my skills and experience.

• first off, although you & i can both take a mean self-portrait, capable of winning awards across state lines, we really want a few great photographs of ourselves, and preferably not showing our forearm extended to the sky, when marketing our services online.
• second, we crave the assurance that we are on the right track with our business... or at least, that we are going in the right direction.

so, my photographer friends... here is my black friday answer...

contact me before the clock strikes midnight tonight, and type in BLACKFRIDAY in the "referred by" box, and we'll work out the details for a personal editorial-style-photo-shoot[slash]business-consult. what exactly do you get?

.::. 1 hour on-location editorial-style photo shoot
.::. a disc of all the hi-res digital proofs, including...
.::. 10 images of your choice to be re-touched for your marketing efforts
.::. coffee for 1 hour directly following the shoot, to discuss whatever questions you have related to your business as a wedding photographer

.::. the investment: $500

so, when do you want to schedule your shoot/consult?

It's Never Too Late to Take Wedding Photos - Jodi and Frasier

after weeks of emailing back & forth, the weekend was upon us. and though it had been years since their wedding, jodi was just as excited, as any bride, to pose for my camera. she rested in the coat of his arms, confident in her self and in their love.

i just can't say enough about jodi! armed with her joyful & passionate spirit, she embraces life as a loving mother & wife. she also happens to be a professional photographer [which is always an honor and privelege], based out of las vegas. so, when she contacted me for a potential photo-shoot, i was immediately excited!

after a few emails we realized 1 photo-shoot wouldn't be enough, so we actually made a weekend out of it, and completed 3 different shoots: a family shoot, a marketing shoot for her own photo business, and a day after shoot.

when it came to the day after shoot, i was thrilled. i have heard similar stories all too often... of a friend of a friend, who was disappointed with her wedding photographer, or the photographs themselves, or simply the experience, and it was all too late to correct. or is it?

though it had been years since their wedding, jodi & frasier were just as excited, as any bride & groom, to pose for my camera. and i am honored to help take them back, and enjoy their story.

p.s. thank you kristin at the treasured petal, for providing this incredible bouquet. your floral work is always stunning.

and, much thanks to the incredibly talented stylist, tiffany patton, for rocking out on jodi's hair & makeup.





















custom gallery featuring ALL their photographs: Jodi-Anne-Photo-Gallery

view my portfolio. contact gabriel & carlie.

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Los Angeles Wedding Photographer - Rachael and Ryan

the fog began to peel back over the sea, giving way to the warmth of the sun as if changing shifts. but, the blanket of calm and excitement did not change with the weather. today would be the perfect day.

upon arrival to the shade, an intimate & luxurious boutique hotel in manhattan beach, my assistant and i found carissa of jl designs laying down the canvas for rachael and ryan's big day. shortly after finding rachael, preparing herself for the day ahead, one of my favorites, paper tape films showed up to add a cinematic & vintage perspective to the day.

since their engagement shoot only weeks prior, i looked forward to the wedding day. rachael and ryan maintain a sense of calm & confidence in front of the camera, because they simply are who they are. they are in love with each other. they know who they are. they know who their family are. and they love it all. they love the uniqueness's.

often, my biggest challenge as a photographer is to pull the person-in-the-person out, and showcase the real heart of a bride, a groom... a couple... a heart. but, with rachael & ryan, they are so unabashedly themselves, photographing the two of them was a dream.

so, here it is... the last gabriel.ryan. wedding of 2009, and well worth the wait. rachael & ryan, thank you for the invitation.

enjoy.the.story.








moments before meeting her groom.

the wait.

the embrace.





ashley rose snagged this little gem during the portrait shoot.









an intimate bridal party.

ashley caught these next two moments, too.





the transformation from wedding ceremony to reception, with much thanks to wild flower linens.

the morning of the big day, i learned that ryan has a weakness for doughnuts. so, you can imagine his excitement when surprised with a dougnut-tree groom's cake.

man and wife.


custom gallery featuring ALL their photographs: Rachael-and-Ryan-Wedding-Photo-Gallery

view my portfolio. contact gabriel & carlie.

and, if you want to stay current on all things current with the gabriel.ryan. story follow me on twitter.

Orange County Engagement Photographer - Lacey and Robby

12 days ago, our life was hijacked in the most exciting way possible; our baby boy, lincoln roe davis, decided he wanted to join the party a couple weeks early. and for myself, being a strong type-A personality, liking order and strategy, our early surprise threw me for a loop. my to-do list dropped like a brick, my email inbox ballooned, and i checked out. instead of cruising on the work train, i swapped the projects of the past 12 days for some much needed cuddling.

now, i don't mean to stop the cuddling all together [seriously, laying with your newborn can be one of the greatest treasures in life], but i figured now was better time than ever, to jump back in the saddle and get to work. so, here it goes...

last month, i met lacey & robby at the rose canyon cantina in trabucco canyon for their engagement shoot. the sun lingered down near the crest of the canyon's bordering hills and the three of us took a walk up the winding mountain road passed the cantina.

pause.

we noticed the silence and calm, not often escaped by myself or my los angeles counterparts. we noticed the calm, enjoyed the woodsy air, and let the carefree aroma of the canyon guide the next two hours.

she pulled her bangs back across her forehead, and he glanced over his shoulder at his bride to be... the woman he would marry next summer. needless to say, lacey & robby made my job easy. when a couple is in love as much as these two, and are comfortable in their own skin, my belief is that those qualities shine through their photographs, and can not be replicated or manipulated by any type of photoshop. lacey & robby are the real deal.

after the shoot, carlie met us at the cantina for margaritas, which then turned into a meal, which then turned into an epic conversation about love, life, and the future. lacey & robby, thank you for the invitation; the invitation to your story. i can't wait for the big day next july at the st regis in dana point.

in the mean time i must returned to some much needed cuddling.










a little yin & yang.



purrrrrrfect light.







seriously, lacey was rockin' it the entire shoot, but towards the end, robby couldn't be outdone and struck this GQ pose like he'd been doing it for years.




custom gallery featuring ALL their photographs: Lacey-and-Robby-Engagement-Photo-Gallery

click here to view my portfolio. click here to contact me. and, if you want to stay current on all things current with the gabriel.ryan. story follow me on twitter.

Love In Pain

there was a calm about the room. only the sound of her breath lingered. and she labored for it... she labored just to breathe once more.

it's hard to believe that it has now been 3 years since i lay in that hospital room, grieving the journey my 19-year-old baby sister was taking. and i feel odd in sharing this truth, but those few days at the UCLA medical center, tirelessly crammed in a room full of family, were some of the best days of my life. for those few days, nothing else mattered. the pain of our quickly approaching loss, anchored the love we felt for my sister; anchored the love we felt for each other. so, even though those moments were some of the hardest of my life, i look back on them fondly.

fast forward 3 years, and i find myself once again, laying in the calm of this room. only the sound of his breath lingers. and i find myself in awe of the same God that gives and takes away.

yes, i am tired. yes, carlie is tired. yes, our baby boy is a lot of work, and at times even painful. and, yes i have never felt so much love in my life, as i do now. so i have a sense, with the love that i feel now, these will be some of the moments in my life that i will look back on fondly.

enjoy.the.story.

Lincoln Roe Davis

3 years ago today, i had my first conversation with carlie renee davis. today, she gave me a son.

lincoln roe davis was born at 3:22pm, weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces, and 19 inches. and we couldn't help but share a few photos, before the day is set to rest.




















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