Pinch

i can only imagine...

life has already changed so much over the past few years, and even continues to currently, yet in 131 days life is sure to shift course once again.

...and i couldn't be more excited.

i pinched myself when carlie & i stepped into her doctor's office earlier today. i kept looking at each person in that office: the receptionist who processed our payment, the elderly woman reading her romance novel in the waiting room, the ultrasound tech that would show us the progress our son has made over the past 22 weeks. i kept looking at these people, and thinking,

don't you understand. don't you realize what's going down.

seriously! i mean... i know that women have been giving birth for thousands of years; that before pre-natal vitamins or la maz class were ever brought to the table, God has been making babies. i get it. i'm not the first father to hit the stage. but, seriously... don't you realize what's going down?!?!

i get to be a daddy. i get to be excited about first steps and going big potty all by himself. i get to teach him how to play catch and how to show mommy love. i get my surfing buddy.

i'm absolutely certain that none of this makes sense, and most of you are probably wondering what the heck i am rambling about. but, i guess i simply want to share how stoked i currently feel. for me, the near arrival of lincoln roe davis has sent me off the richter-scale in terms of the radness i feel.

i haven't even had the chance to look you in the eye or hold you yet [carlie still gets that role for the next few months], but i love you, lincoln.

p.s. thanks ashley & jeff for hanging out with carlie & i the other week. red velvet is my favorite, and the packaging was a nice touch :)

Gabriel Ryan In Print

to get to do what i love, i am thankful. to be paid to do what i love, i am blessed. to be recognized for what i love, i pinch myself.

i think back to the days, not long ago, where the thought of creating a business that would add value to the lives of others, was simply a dream scribbled out on the back of a napkin. i think to those first few meetings at peets coffee, where i met some of the most incredible couples; couples that wanted to mark the start of their story together with something unique.

i like to think that much of the blessing bestowed upon carlie, me, and our business, has been the direct result of hard-work. i am a workaholic, and the feeling of achieving a certain level of creative productivity fuels my desire. but, at the end of the day, when i am honest with myself, i realize that i am just flat-out blessed to have come to know some awesome people. jasmine star and dane sanders, were two of the first, that made the effort to add real value to carlie & i, in this journey.

and because of a handful of these incredible people, for the first time since the birth of our studio, gabriel.ryan.photographers. has hit the news stands.

i believe it was late 2008 when carlie & i met the incredible wedding publicist, from inspired by this, leila khalil, and uber-fabulous event stylist, carissa jones, over coffee. their conversation engaged carlie & i, and really helped us dissect how we might better find our place in this whole wedding industry. so, girls... thank you.

so, without further adieu, i am more than stoked to share our most recent collaboration, which was featured in the summer 2009 issue of the bride & bloom.

for more photos, head over to carissa's blog.

and, lastly, thank you to all of the pros that helped rock out this shoot! we couldn't have done it without you:


melody from sweet and saucy shop
allison from invitation innovations
megan from classic party rentals, orange county
desiree from wildflower linens

The Awesome

i'm not a big fan of teasers... but every once in a while, i am sorting through thousands of images from someone's special day, when a single image reaches out, grabs me by the back of the neck, and whispers into my ear "i am The Awesome."

the following was such an image.

now, back to work.

Noel & Brett

stoked! stoked!! stoked!!!

i love my job, and i love noel & brett. noel & brett are the kind of laid-back, yet thoughtfully stylish kind of people i love to shoot. and though carlie & i already had the chance to meet noel last fall, at one of our favorite spots in the oc [the gypsy den @ the lab], we had yet to meet the man she fell in love with.

so, when we pulled back up to costa mesa for their engagement shoot, carlie & i were excited to get to know brett a little more. his calm demeanor seemed to bring out even more of noel's personality, and now it was obvious...

these two were meant for each other.

check it. engagement shoot complete, roof-tops and all.





my first car was a 1969 vw beetle...

...but not this one.











down for the cause.

Emily & Braden

emily & braden exude my favorite adjective: intentional. every word, every touch, every detail, seems specifically chosen in context. and yet, they are not stuffy. in fact, emily & braden are... well... simply put... perfect.

they plan on-purpose, yet respond to the moment with true passion. their friends and family adore them, and strangers grow to love them, quickly becoming friends. and, in it all, they love story. as a gift that has passed back and forth during their dating & engagement days, emily & braden have archived their story in a journal; a journal that tells their story, from their heart.

when dealing with such intentional & passionate people, the pressure rises from within. i want nothing less than to honor emily & braden's story through the photos captured, and i pray that these images stamp their mark on this particular chapter.

emily & braden, you are now man & wife. and, carlie & i couldn't be more excited for the two of you.

The Icing in the Cake

when you finish watching, make sure to go check out melody @ her sweet & saucy shop [your taste buds will be stoked you did]. thanks melody, for making the best red-velvet cake to ever cross the threshold of my face.

and jasmine, thanks a million for your friendship & for the occasional favor ;) and, though it has been stated a thousand times in countless other blogs & personal conversations, i can't help but say, you are fabulous.

and, of course, THE woman that lets me be me, and still chooses to stick around. carlie renee davis, you are it for me. i love you more than words... that's why i thought a video might work.

enjoy.

Jenelle & Byron

they make a quaint little family: jenelle, byron, and blitz. so, when we pulled up to their home on that warm early-summer afternoon, carlie & i were excited to meet the whole family.

we had already met jenelle & byron, when they took the short trip to our home studio & client lounge in ladera ranch. but, as for blitz, we had only heard stories. and, after a brief introduction, inclusive of sporadic barking & sniffing, blitz welcomed carlie & i to capture a few frames of their quaint little family.

and though, blitz, you won't be joining us for the trip down to cabo next month, for jenelle & byron's destination wedding, you will be missed my friend. i'll make sure to have a margarita for you.

and now for the hotness, also known as jenelle & byron...





hops... imagine what he could do with some jordan's.












enjoy.the.story.