LISSY.AND.MARK.::.THE.INTRODUCTION.

she laughed. he smiled. she smiled. he laughed. i think it is evident from the photos, that our experience with lissy & mark flows out with life.

we met on busy afternoon in santa monica, and chatted about life over a burger and fries. he was from california. she was from south america. they were head-over-heels for each other. and it was one of those times where carlie & i just felt at ease with our new friends. not too long into the conversation did we find out that lissy's sister lia had also passed away from cancer, as did my sister courtney in november of 2006. it was sad recounting the two lives lost to this earth, both whom were so full of passion & love. and at the same time, it was wonderfully exciting to share the joy found in being chosen by another, carlie & i approaching our one-year anniversary and lissy & mark planning their wedding.

you could say it was a common thread [or two, or three] that was weaving each of our stories. but the similarities of circumstance aside, i know we would have felt just as comfortable with lissy & mark. it is the connection that i crave with all of my clients, and with my friends for that matter... i guess that is the best way to put it [and i even think i might be stealing this from our friend jeff]... if i am going to shoot your wedding, i want to know that we could be friends. because if we could be friends, the photos will take care of themselves.

so, here are some photos of our friends.





see what i mean... lot's of laughing.


i wanted to take it back to the old Tmax days and pull together a little black & white series.

carlie was pretty stoked on this little gem.

made for walkin.

sacrifice. so, as i was shooting this, left eye shut, right eye thru the viewfinder, i couldn't help but feel as if i were hovering three stories above [slash, i thought i was going to tumble over the railing which would have undoubtedly ruined the shoot and ended my life]. good news... i made it out alive... and got the shot.


but i still love a good ol' blue sky behind a candid moment in the cross walk.



big.


lissy & mark requested that we do a tribute piece for lissy's sister & angel, lia. the moment captured below was nothing short of real. one of my favorite photographs taken in a while.



fun.


and here's a few more...

THE.BEAT.OF.YOUR.STORY.

i know it has been said over and over by other professionals, but slideshows really are a powerful tool. and they aren't just the low-cost-mass-marketing tool that i hear preached from the soap box of a tradeshow floor but really also, for story telling. in fact it is the intrinsic value of their ability to tell story that lends whatever leverage is given in the marketing arena. and from most of the brides that carlie & i have come in contact with, that is what they are looking for; for their story to be told.

in our short career as wedding photographers, i can't recall the number of teary-eyed mothers, excitedly-anxious brides, and even random friends-of-friends-of-friends that fell in love with the story pieced together with a few images and some music. and though carlie & i are the ones behind the camera, it is not us that they are falling in love with. the slideshow points back to the couple. and for that moment, we are able to take our eyes of ourselves [and everyone else in the room] & honor their story. and that excites me.

i couldn't leave without sharing a show, so i thought i would pull out stephanie & mike's. [and stephanie, i hope you like the song selection for your show]

enjoy.the.story.

FROZEN.CAKE.

i just wanted to drop a quick post to let our clients, friends, and family know that carlie & i are taking a little hiatus. my bride's wonderful parents gifted us with a stay at their timeshare in vegas, so we will be enjoying life poolside for the next few days. we may or may not pay attention to our blog/email/phone during the trip, so, at the latest... we will be returning to the 'real world' on saturday.

and, in case you were interested, frozen-one-year-old wedding cake isn't really that bad [thanks mom for the extra special care in preserving a little part of our wedding day from last summer]. although we are looking forward to our fresh anniversary cake from the most exquisite bakery in the world [yes... the world] let them eat cake.

365.DAYS.IN.[LOVE].

they say it's the hardest. they say that, and to be honest, i wish i knew who 'they' were. in fact, i am calling out the 'they's... right here... right now. i mean, how are you going to make a statement like that and not follow up with some hope.

for me, i will cling to hope. i have been called silly and illogical for trusting a God that, to be honest [again], i don't even always believe is there [or if He is... that He cares]. i have seen the looks from strangers when i make a comment about 'my wife,' knowing that they are playing out the odds in their heads of two twenty-somethings tying the knot. i know what the world says. but i will cling to hope.

this past year has not been the easiest by any means. but this year has given me clarity into my soul unlike any other time during my short 26 years on this earth. and i owe most of that to my bride.

the love that carlie renee davis draws out of me comes from the deepest parts of my heart, the parts that i didn't even know were there. so, babe, thank you for choosing me. i love you through the sadness of my own selfishness and in spite of your own. i choose you, just the way you are. i couldn't be more excited & anxious to spend the next 60 years by your side. you are it.

our friend dane shared some advice with us as he walked us through the process, preparing for marriage. he said, 'if, at the beginning, you knew what you were getting yourself into, you would never choose marriage. but, at the end of your days, you wouldn't trade it for anything in this world.' i think i like that one better.

so, here's to year #1 [and thanks again to jasmine, our off-the-charts, rock-star, incredible wedding photog for the moments that you captured]

MY.RIGHT.HAND.[WO]MAN.

i couldn't resist. i was in the middle of sorting through our last [and incredible] engagement shoot, when i ran across a few of these. she is the reason on this earth why i want to be a better man. she can crush my hopes, or make me feel 10 feet tall and full of life, with a single look. her touch is what i look forward to more than anything else...

...and if you leave us alone more than a minute or two on your shoot, we may just have a little fun ourselves.

WEEKEND.WITH.THE.FAM.

carlie and i just arrived back at our place [which is only 'our place' for another week & a half... we are so stoked for our new place come the 1st of august], after spending saturday and sunday with my folks in sleepy santa paula... well, maybe not so sleepy when you have an 11-month-old/alarm-clock in the next room over. nonetheless, it was great spending a couple days with the rents, my sister, her hubby, and the following rock stars...

happy sunday!

KACIE.AND.GREG.::.THE.INTRODUCTION.

if you don't believe in soul mates, you need to meet kacie & greg. there first meeting could have easily been there last; it was there & then it was gone. the two happened to be seated near one another at a church service, and their interest was peaked. but when the service was done, kacie was overtaken by the rest of the crowd, and greg thought maybe he would see the light eyed girl in the row in front of him next week. next week came, and the second meeting didn't.

but, what some call fate, others call divine intervention, i like to think is God's handiwork, His intentional hand in crafting two stories together. thru eharmony, kacie & greg happened to set up their first date at the santa monica pier. one date turned into another, turned into another, turned into another...

so, when these two asked carlie & i to shoot their fall wedding in napa, we were ecstatic to oblige. here are some of our fav's from their engagement shoot, back at the location of their first date & their second meeting.




















here is a glimpse into the awesomeness of kacie & greg, to the music...

I.AM.AN.IPHONE.

for the life of me I can't figure out how to blog a photo from this sweet new piece of technology that only cost me two and a half hours of my monday. for now, you will have to simply enjoy the following link... twitpic.com/49hc.

enjoy.

106

not a bad day. not a bad day at all.

after sleeping in, i got the call from aaron and it was on. surf + cheese steak + golf. a little mancation right in my own neighborhood. i won't bore you with the details. instead, i will leave you with a few moments from our day of awesome.

the man clan: dillon, aaron, darren, donnie, and me [clicking the shutter]

take notes young grass hopper.

dillon waits for the rest of the boys to catch up.

donnie knockin' another one out of the park.



the squirrel whisperer...

... finds his friend.



pretty much exactly how aaron felt about his game.