Karey Michelle Photography

New Blog is LIVE!!

2009-04-24T01:30:00.000-07:00

This blog is now officially retired :)

Head over to www.kareymichelleblog.com and update your Google Reader to the new address, and I'll see ya over there!

Wait for it...

2009-04-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

There is a BRAND SPANKIN NEW BLOG on the way!! YAY! Just a little bit longer and I will be back in the blogging world again.

Wait for it...

very very soon!

:)

Dinangat Tribe Tour

2009-01-26T14:35:00.001-08:00

Ok I suppose I should add a little commentary about this trip right? Where to start...!?!

In November, I had the opportunity to join a team from Hume Lake Christian Camps to Papua New Guinea and put together a camp for the missionary kids who live over there. If you aren't sure of where Papua New Guinea is, think Indonesia! It's just north of Australia, about one degree off of the equator so the rain came like clockwork every night around dinner time. We spent most of our time in the Eastern Highlands in the city of Goroka, which is about 5,000 ft-ish in elevation, and absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen a place so lush and green in my life... and that goes for the whole island. But it's also very 3rd world, and can be a bit of a shock to your senses at first. Things I learned about Papua New Guinea:

~If you get in a car accident, don't pull over! Drive straight to the police station.
~Cultural hierarchy puts: 1. Men, 2. Pigs, 3. Dogs, 4. Women, 5. Children.
~When in the marketplace, watch out for rascals.
~Oh and when a local clotheslines a rascal for stealing your camera and gives it back, consider yourself VERY lucky, and don't be surprised when the whole market crowds around your van. You are now a spectacle. (It wasn't my camera, but still it was a bit scary.)
~Coffee in Papua New Guinea is probably the best in the world. Blue Mountain coffee at your disposal! Can we say heaven?
~Decaf coffee doesn't exist much. It's expensive.
~The nationals *LOVE* to have their picture taken! Just make sure to show them the back of your camera.
~The pilots that fly into the bush are the best in the world in my opinion. We landed on a grass runway on a mountain-side. AMAZING.

Speaking of planes, in order to get there we flew through Tokyo for a 12 hour flight, and then flew into Port Moresby for another 10ish hour flight, and then we finally arrived in Goroka after another hour flight. Sounds horrible? I SLEPT the whole way!! It was great. So anyways we left on a Friday and arrived on Sunday, and at what time that was I can not remember. Monday we just got adjusted and planned some stuff out for camp, but I was soo excited for Tuesday... our trip into the bush! That's what most of these pictures are from. We just spent the day there and it went by wayyyy too quick. These are some of the images I took as we were getting a tour around the tribe...

More of the boys from the last post, they were too much fun!

That should be enough for one post, the next one will be the meal they prepared for us. They were quite the gracious hosts!

PNG... Dinangat Tribe Kids

2009-01-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

I just melted for these kids! There was a complete language barrier so the only communication was laughing and smiling and then watching them get a kick out of seeing themselves on the back of my camera...

Papua New Guinea Sneak Peak...

2009-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

Just the beginning of a series from a trip that changed my life and perspective forever. It was in November but am still processing... for now enjoy..

I'm getting a brother!

2009-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Ok I mean brother-n-law, but that just makes it all the more exciting :) In November, while I was in Papua New Guinea (which I'll have a couple posts to dedicate to the trip later) my sister was proposed to by her amazing boyfriend Jake! They told me as soon as I got home...

Here's the story:

Having just flown from half way across the world from PNG with layovers in Singapore and Tokyo, I was ridiculously tired and a little out of it... so when they told me Jake was driving up from San Diego to have dinner with us at our family club house restaurant I thought nothing of it. Hmmm... it's a Tuesday night, Jake is driving an hour and a half just for dinner, and we're going to eat some super good food with the whole family. Totally should have picked up on that but I could barely keep my eyes open at the time :)

We sat down at our table and before we even get our menus Katey and Jake look like they are going to burst, and so they blurt, "WE"RE ENGAGED!!" Needless to say I woke right up and there were tears and hugs and wedding plans being shared for the rest of the night. So beautiful and I couldn't have been more excited to hear it. Cried like a tired little happy baby. I don't know if those exist, but that's my best shot.

Jake and Katey met while at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and are such the perfect compliments for each other. I have to tell you that I have never seen my sister so happy! It's like she has had the sugar high of her life, and if you know my sis, well you get it. I got to do their engagement pictures recently and we chose Jake's house. I mean his boat. He lives on a sailboat and I think its the coolest thing in the world... definitely something I would love to do someday. Here are some of my favorites of them...

Ok so we aren't on the boat yet but this is in the marina he lives in...

I had thought out loud... hmm I wonder if this is climbable... and Jake says yes it is!

They are getting married September 12, 2009 in San Luis Obispo and I'm SOOOO excited! I love SLO, it's probably one of the best places on earth. It just fits them so well too since they are some of the most active and outdoorsy people I know and SLO is the place to be for hiking and bouldering and rock-climbing and FUN. I mean these kids got engaged on a camping trip where she saw the ring on the other side of a rock she was climbing over and he was on the other side on one knee. SO great. I'll be the Maid of Honor so I'll have a bit of different responsibilities to hold on the wedding day, should be fun! Jake, I'm so excited to have you in the family and absolutely adore spending time with the two of you. Congratulations Katey and Jake, LOVE YOU!!

Erica and Deven

2008-10-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of shooting Erica and Deven's wedding in San Diego, and wow what a gorgeous day! Erica is a wedding photographer as well, (Acres of Hope Photography) and so I once again found myself shooting for a photographer friend and absolutely enjoyed every minute :)

These two are such a perfect pair... they are both adventurers, passionate about life and enjoying the outdoors, and just are really engaging and wonderful to be around. You can't help but feel excited for their future together, because you know that when two people like this find each other the rest of the world will be better off because of it. It's such a beautiful thing. And while we are on the subject of beauty.. just take a look at this bride...

Whenever I show up on the wedding day, it seems like once the dress is on it starts to actually hit that THIS is the day...

She was absolutely STUNNING.

Beautiful bridesmaids...

And some good-lookin' groomsmen...

Ok so fast forward to the ceremony... Here is Deven as he sees his bride for the first time walking down the aisle...

And Erica mouthed "I love you!" as she walked towards him, with the biggest smile!

They did it!!

And then we had some photo time..

Congratulations and thank you so much for having me! I hope Hawaii was absolutely amazing :)

Rachel and Mark...

2008-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, I'm baaaaaack! I hope you can forgive my blog hiatus, it was a crazy summer and I can't wait to catch this little blogger up to speed. The wedding that I'm choosing to bring my blog back to life with is the one of my dear friends Rachel and Mark.... Rachel is one of my closest friends and I respect her so much as an amazing photographer, and she just has one of the warmest and sincerest hearts EVER. When she asked me to shoot her wedding I think I just about died. I mean, when one of your close photographer friends asks you to be the one responsible for capturing their day, its such a big deal that it compares to the feelings I had when I shot my very first wedding. Super excited and super nervous. It was so much fun though and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Here are some of my favorites so far...

(and there's a LOT!!)

The dress..

and oh my gosh Rach was a GORGEOUS bride...

love this one the best...

The handsome groom Mark!

Right after the first look...

they couldn't stop looking at each other... so stinkin cute :)

They're pretty much models.

A little stop on the way to the beach..

One of their flower girls workin' it...

a fave..

another fave..

They got married at Mariners Church in Irvine...

SUPER touching ceremony...

They did it!!

Prayer over the newly weds...

hearts!

Rach and I :)

Sunset...

And they are off to Hawaii...

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I love you both!

New Site is UP!!!

2008-09-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Huge smiles on my face right now. Last week I killed it trying to get it live, and then this week my hosting company saved me a couple tears by bringing it back to life! I had hoped to get it up in time for the Pictage PartnerCon in LA these past couple days but its better late than never I guess. I'm still finishing up the galleries section so you'll see some improvements on the way but I was just too excited to wait and share it all. Go check it and let me know what you think? Thanks so much! www.kareymichelle.com

P.S. I have a lot of awesome weddings to post here in the near future; this last weekend I had a wedding at Hume Lake on Saturday and another one at Rancho Capistrano on Sunday! And now my head is spinning from the greatness of the PartnerConference with Pictage in LA... so much to post! Some day I'll catch up :) Until then, check out the new site!!

Dan and Angel

2008-08-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Shooting Dan and Angel's wedding was such an absolute blast, I just felt so blessed to play a part in their beautiful day. I am lucky to call these two friends! Here are some of the fave's from the day...

This was in Angels car :)

We did the "First Look" before the ceremony and had a couple hours to play around and enjoy the day. It was so fun to see them see each other for the first time, to feel the joy and excitement just spill into every moment. The two of them have so much fun together, I love it!!

And here is their slideshow...

And this was my absolute favorite from the day:

Thank you Dan and Angel for just being the amazing friends you are, congratulations!

Dave and Netra Part 2

2008-07-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Dave and Netra had the most beautiful day in Dana Point for their wedding which consisted of two ceremonies... first an Indian Ceremony and then a Christian Ceremony... both were absolutely gorgeous. I had such a hard time going through their images to find my favorites that my first time I went through their images I tagged over 200! Holy cow! To top that off, I had my good friend Greg Bumatay shooting with me for the day so I'm just overwhelmed with how awesome the day was.

Dave and Netra are in Costa Rica enjoying their honeymoon right now, so I hope you two are having the most amazing time ever!! Enjoy your slideshow :)

Wedding Party Feature...

2008-07-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've been getting featured on the Wedding Party Blog every once in awhile now and it is just such a treat to see my work over there! It's a really awesome blog that helps anyone planning a wedding come up with some great and creative ideas from the featured posts... you'll find weddings from all over the world with all of the latest trends! So cool, and how fun that Erica and Deven's engagement shoot is on there today :)

And last week Amy and Travis were featured!

You can check out the Wedding Party Blog here: http://www.weddingparty.com/blog

Have fun!

More teasers...

2008-07-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

So last weekend (Sunday the 13th.. still behind I know!) I got to hang out with my new friends Erica and Deven in the Cayumaca Mountains and shoot their engagement pictures which was such a blast! Erica is actually a wedding photographer herself for her biz Acres of Hope Photography, and so it always adds a little extra pressure shooting for another photographer... that said, I couldn't have had more fun or felt more inspired during my time with them. Here are a couple teaser images for now...

I was so excited to post these and holding off until the other weddings were up but I just couldn't wait much longer :) It's going to be another marathon week for blogging so buckle up!

:)

Teaser...

2008-07-11T23:36:00.001-07:00

This is a quick little teaser post from last weekends wedding with Dave and Netra in Dana Point! I hoped to have more by today but it was one of those days if you know what I mean :)

Netra was stunning....

And now I'm off to shoot a wedding in San Juan Capistrano's Basilica and will have more up soon! Sheesh it is crank time around here!

Amy and Travis

2008-07-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

I'm on a roll for once with these blog posts, yayyyahh :)

Here is Amy and Travis's wedding that was at the Marbella Country Club in San Juan Capistrano... beautiful location, gorgeous light, a good-lookin' couple and super fun friends!

HUGE thank you to Jered Scott for helping out... He's so awesome that he was just published in AP Magazine with a ginormous 6 page spread documenting his travels across the states with bands like Thrice, MxPx, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday... you've just got to check it out. Congrats Jered!

And now for the faves....

This one is probably an all-time favorite!!

Day 4 of blogging this week, Check!!

Kellie and Andy

2008-07-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some fave's from Kellie and Andy's wedding up at Weston Meadows in the Sequoia National Forest/Kings Canyon area which was awesome! Enjoy!

The awesome dress...

Gorgeous bride as she's getting ready!

The first look...

One of my faves!

Oh wait this one too!

Buck Rock!

I just love the light in this one, and those are some pretty lovely ladies too...

I love this little guy!

He's hammin' it up for sure.

So precious!!

Ellie is just so darn adorable.

My friends... Kari and Pk. Kari, I think you look adorable too!

Kellie and Andy had bug spray out for guests to keep themselves mosquito free :)

And there was a table set out with a picture and story about each person in the bridal party for guests to look at during the cocktail hour... loved this idea!

But before I talk about the cocktail hour maybe I should post something from the ceremony?!?

And they are married! The end!

Congrats you too!! Thank you so much for having me play a part in your GORGEOUS and so-much-fun day!!

Day 3 blogging, check!

EDIT:: I can't forget to tell you about my amazing 2nd shooter Eric Turner! He rocked it on this once again and I had such a blast working with him. For a later post I'm going to have to find the pics of him climbing a tree for a shot. He always reminds me how to think outside of the box, and that climbing trees and rooftops are the only way to go. Thanks again Eric!

Joe and Chrissy the next day...

2008-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

We met up early the next morning after their wedding at their hotel on the waterfront to get some pictures of them on the beach before they left for their honeymoon! It was so much fun and I loved some of the images we got... enjoy!

This one is my favorite... the colors remind me of a Manet painting I studied while in school in London. I by no means consider myself anything close to an artist like Edouard Manet at all, I'm just completely inspired by him or any impressionist painter for that matter :)

Day two of the blogging, check!

Last weeks favorite piece...

2008-07-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

from So You Think You Can Dance was definitely by Katee and Joshua with their contemporary piece. The song is gorgeous, Hometown Glory by Adele, but the choreography just took it to a whole new place... it's about two selfish people in a relationship unable to let go of themselves and experience life as one. It's just a beautiful yet painful piece of art, beautiful for its lyrical movement and painful for its truth. Stuff this good can only come from experiencing it first hand so it makes me sad to think about what inspired it, but at the same time I love it's honesty and ability to make me feel the disconnect they are dancing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

See ya tomorrow :)

Joe and Chrissy

2008-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Holy cow it is time for me to get back on the blogging train! This week I'm going to have to blog at least once a day in order to get caught up so buckle down and get ready...

One of my favorite couples to hang out with is Joe and Chrissy... from the first time I met them at Mario and Mina's wedding last year I knew these two were going to be fun to be around! They chose to have their wedding at the fabulous 7 Degrees in Laguna Beach, which I have to say is one of my favorite places to shoot at EVER! There is just so much amazing art, textures, colors and architecture to work with, its just a dream. Here are some of my favorites...

So fun! Stay tuned for a fun ocean sesh we did the next day... :)

So You Think You Can Dance!

2008-06-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

...is my FAVE show right now!! It's almost ridiculous how much I love it. I have a little bit of a dance background, not much, but enough to be hopelessly in love with dance and dreaming of the day I can get back into it. The last time I was on a stage it was at Cal Poly in 2005... Yikes time flies!! My favorite is usually contemporary (or modern) but this week on the show there was this hip-hop dance that was so brilliant it left me almost in tears by the end, and then watching it 10 times over! It's not very often that a piece can move you in such a way but this one really did. Mark and Chelsie just rocked it...

And then from the week before I LOVED this one by Courtney G and Gev. I watched it like 10 times over too. It's just so beautiful...

They are worth watching, PROMISE!

Today I am off to shoot a wedding for Amy and Travis in San Juan Capistrano so I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend :)

Jen and Aaron

2008-06-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

This was the wedding where I was privileged to shoot alongside the fabulously amazing Dane Sanders a couple weeks ago, the Fast Track Photographer Extraordinaire who has written a book that's almost hot off the press! Check out the Fast Track and make sure to sign up for his newsletter to find out when you can get your hands on one. It's going to be ridiculously good and something to drastically impact our photography industry in the best way possible.

Shooting in Santa Barbara with Dane was probably one of those pivotal markers for me that I will be able to look back on for its impact on my photography as well as in me personally. I don't know anyway to explain it other than, HUGE. And getting to work with a couple like Jen and Aaron was just the icing on the cake... they just have this breeziness about them when they are together. They are so warm, joyful, and have this deep and calm strength together.

Here are some faves from their day where we started at El Capitan Canyon Resort, and then made our way to a gorgeous ranch for the ceremony and reception overlooking the ocean...

(there's enough for a slideshow here! beware :)

The gorgeous dress...

Jen's girls getting her all ready... she never even needed to look in the mirror they were that good!

The first look!! This is seriously such a great idea so that you can just go straight to your reception and enjoy your cocktail hour.. all the pictures can be done beforehand and you get tons of time with just the two of you together :) It gives plenty of time so there's waaaaayyyy less stress, and time to get creative and have the best photos possible. If it sounds like I am selling you something, yup, I am ;)

Then there's time for photos like this!! Which is totally a big fave :)

Here's the table setup...

As a surprise Aaron sang to Jen as she walked down the aisle towards him...

And then there's time after the ceremony for a couple more pictures too...

So this is rad. Jen and her helpers hand-made each and every one of these paper cranes. Impressive and gorgeous! This was where all of the guests walked down from the ceremony down to the reception area.

And then the party started...

With one of the best cover bands EVER! Senior Year.

The lead singer knew how to rock it. He had everyone dancing the night away from song number 1.

There was a call to the crowd for a harmonica player, and one of Jen and Aaron's friends stepped it up and brought the house down! They thoroughly enjoyed it!

The whole day was simply amazing. A million thank you's to Dane for including me :)

Amy and Eric

2008-06-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

This wedding was such a favorite. I had help from my UBER talented friend, the one and only Eric Turner who is just always a blast to hang out and shoot with! Thank you Eric for being AMAZING!

One of the coolest things about the day was during the ceremony when a whole flock of Pelicans swooned over us all. It was like they just sent a little love from the heavens and sealed the deal on an absolutely PERFECT day.

Here are (A LOT of!) faves from Amy and Eric's incredible wedding in Santa Cruz...

This is the way to go. Rainbows are the best!

Eric (the Groom) had made his ring himself. Impressive!!

That last one is totally a fave. Look closely for a funny. Or maybe you just had to be there...

Thank you Amy and Eric for welcoming us so warmly, I can't wait for Sarah's wedding in August!!

Here is the slideshow in case you would like to check it out... (once again it's set to load completely so just be patient) :)

The new office building...

2008-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

At the Turnip Rose!!

I LOVE it.

There it is!!

So pretty..

The entry inside...

Entry into the offices...

The waiting room...

And then the actual space is still being fixed up. I'll post those when it's all ready for you to see!

The best part is the story... this building used to be a school house back in the day before it just sat around unused for years... then they renovated it and the Turnip Rose used it for weddings. The funny part is that my dad used to actually GO to the elementary school in this building! Fun little history right there. Meant to be? Hmm... :)

I LAG!!

2008-06-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

It has been ridiculously too long since my last post.

These last couple weeks have been absolutely AMAZING. I have shot a wedding in Santa Cruz with Amy and Eric, gone to Santa Barbara to shoot with my friend and favorite photographer Dane Sanders, and last week got to shoot at a venue I have been looking forward to in a LONG time.... 7 Degrees with Chrissy and Joe! The next morning we even did a "Trash The Dress" session out in the ocean in Laguna Beach. The images are coming soon... promise. To top it all off, I've officially moved into my NEW OFFICE!!!

This last year and a half has been such a blur with how fast things have taken off that coming to this next stage has been a bit unsettling. I never expected things to happen so fast... the biggest blessings have been working with my clients who continually believe in me as well as my photographer friends who are constantly inspiring me to grow. It's been a bit of a challenge to fully embrace it all, fears of failure, fears of success (weird?), facing weaknesses... the whole enchilada... but after wrestling through some of that with Dane recently I've been challenged to not let those things hold me back from really committing to who I am as a photographer and how that translates in my business. Everything he talks about within Fast Track Photographer just all of a sudden clicked... I knew the words, understood the concepts, but it all of a sudden made sense for me. It's been a really great growth spurt lately and I am so thankful for Dane and the other Founders. If you are a photographer and are reading this, I can't recommend signing up enough. It's by far one of the greatest investments I have made in my sanity and my biz. :)

So, after all of that, I find myself sitting in my lovely new office free of distractions and giving my blog this badly needed update. I have MANY more posts to make before I leave for another destination wedding this weekend, but until then here is a fave from Amy and Eric's wedding in Santa Cruz...

Happy Tuesday!

Details and a Sneak Preview...

2008-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I helped out the Fabulous!! Greg Bumatay for Bryan and Maura's wedding at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach, and it was one of the most amazing days and I just felt completely blessed to be a part of it. Every detail was carefully considered from the black chandeliers to the one-of-a-kind orchids found in Maura's bouquet. The weather forecast was to be rain and grey skies but *of-course* what do you think we got?? Blue sky and white puffy clouds. Sweet! Here is a little sneak peak from a BEAUTIFUL day...

What I loved the most about this one was that Bryan was singing from The Phantom of the Opera the whole time... it was so romantic!

If that's not cute enough, these two are phenomenal dancers and it just so happens that they met on the dance floor. Here they are practicing for their first dance Salsa style!

There will be more to come later, for now I'm off to Amy and Eric's wedding in Santa Cruz! Another beach wedding, SO EXCITED :)

Kathy and Ryan

2008-05-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with Kathy and Ryan at a fun museum in LA! The morning of our shoot I woke up to some rain and grey sky, but it passed and left us with some beautiful weather with blue skies and white clouds. Loved it. Ryan lives on the East Coast right now so he flew out for the Memorial weekend to spend time with his bride-to-be. I don't know how they do it, but my hat is off to them for being able to handle the distance! When we met up for their engagement session it was really fun to see them just enjoy their time together and explore a new place that they've always wanted to visit. They are getting married at Rancho Capistrano in September and I can't wait for their day, it's going to be so much fun! Here are some faves...

Thanks so much you two for the fun times! Hope you had as much fun as I did!

Message of the Day

2008-05-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

James and Megan

2008-05-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday I headed up to Santa Monica's Jonathan Club at the beach for an engagement session with James and Megan (pronounced Mee-gan), and I had so much fun with them! When I arrived, James greeted me to a beach front oasis that was a welcome site after the 405 freeway's unruly traffic. This was where they had met and so it made perfect sense to meet here for their engagement pictures. It was a gorgeous location, on the beach (totally my fave!!), and with a couple that couldn't be more in love. I can't forget to mention that they are super good-looking too! :)

Can you guess what James does for a living? :)

I'll be posting up the slideshow a little later, so enjoy for now and have a great day!

**James and Megan, thank you SO MUCH for dinner and for a wonderful time with you both. You two are absolutely perfect together and it was so refreshing to see how much fun you have! Can't wait for the wedding!

Ryan and Mattie's Slideshow

2008-05-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Mattie at 1 year

2008-05-13T17:21:00.003-07:00

And here is Ryan's older cousin Mattie! The last time we went out for a shoot she was Ryan's age and couldn't move around much.. this time she was on the run! It was so fun... there were a couple times where it just turned into a game with her and she would think she was being all sneaky running away from the parents, she'd get caught, and give the greatest smile and little squeal! It was absolutely precious. Everything was such an adventure, whether it was the flowers that looked like good food or the crazy looking cactus that... well, looked like good food too! She is at such a fun age!

Two shoes are totally overrated...

This is when the flowers looked like good food but something about them just didn't look quite right! Love her expression.

Run run run!

Mattie has the greatest cheeks..

She may be super hungry but being thrown in the air never fails a smile!

This could sum her up for me, all smiles!

The happy fam...

The break-away!!

I just love this one..

cuteness!

Thank you so much for having me Jenny and Saudri, you are the greatest and it was fun to see you guys again! Happy Birthday Mattie!!

Ryan

2008-05-13T17:09:00.004-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting my friend's little Kiddo's together since everyone was in town! Amy, Jason and Ryan came out for Mothers Day from Arizona and so we got Ryan and her cousin Mattie together for some pictures. Each one of these cuties is going to get her own post because there were too many favorites to choose from and I can't quite narrow it down. To have all of them in one would have been ridiculous!

Here is precious little Ryan at 9 months old! (You can view her in a previous post HERE.)

She is so stinkin' cute! She totally flirts with her gorgeous smile...

She can stand up on her own too, as long as she has something to hold onto. Ryan will probably be walking super early!

I just love this one.

Amy is so fun to watch with her little girl... they both have the best smiles.

Cabbage patch!

Flirt!

The fam...

Thanks so much for having me guys! Can't wait till you can come back out again :)

A new friend...

2008-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was lucky to have some time off so I headed out with my dad to Newport for some surfing! I went three mornings in a row and my second morning we met a new friend in the water...

Poor guy, the red tide made him sick so he was just hanging out on the beach until he felt better again.

As you can tell the surf wasn't ridiculously big which is super good for me! I'm still such a learner. Although I do have to share that on Sunday I purled and after my board smacked my face I ended up with a bloody nose and fat lip. Pretty!! I feel like I have had a collagen injection or something! Oh well, I guess it's just one of those things that happens and I can't say that I'm walking away from surfing any time soon. It's teaching me SO much... there are lessons out there on the water that translate into my life so perfectly... I'm learning how to be patient and wait for the good waves, find balance, rhythm, the ideal position for me in relation to the wave, how to fight through the white-wash, to anticipate the timing correctly, and most importantly to believe I can do it. It's so funny because I'll be out on the water in the morning and whatever the lesson of the day is in the ocean will reappear back at home while I'm working! I'm so grateful for those lessons and the growth it provokes. I'm really growing in how to focus better and find balance. What are you learning? How is it helping you grow? Feel free to share in the comments, it feels so much better for this to be a conversation :)

Time to get back to the working part, have a fabulously beautiful day!

Craig and Kristin

2008-05-01T10:31:00.004-07:00

I walked into Kristin's hotel on Saturday afternoon to the warm welcome of her bridesmaids, but as I walked through the suite to where Kristin was I followed her voice saying, "Karey... I'm sick!" She had woken up to a cold the day before her wedding but she was in great spirits and she looked absolutely stunning. Good thing you can't tell if you're sick in pictures right? It was a day full of joy, beauty and plenty of warm fuzzies! Speaking of warm, it was pretty dang warm that day (over 100!) but yet again no complaints and we found some creative ways to get cooled down. :)

Getting ready pictures...

The gorgeous bride...

The handsome groom..

Fun ring shot...

Craig and Kristin's ceremony was at Canyon Hills Presbyterian Church which is where they met! Both of their families grew up going there, and a long story short, their wonderfully wise parents set them up... you know the rest! My favorite part during the ceremony was when their minister was sharing about getting to watch them start their relationship together... it made me almost tear up a bit too!

[FUN FACT: This wedding was the first time I got to have my wonderful intern John Woods along to second shoot with me. He's so fabulous! I'd be lost without him and he did a great job being my second pair of eyes. He's getting a blog going too so check it out here.]

Ok we're back:

Bouquet and Cake...

It was just such gorgeous light and the scenery breathtaking once we got to the reception so I was really happy that Craig and Kristin didn't mind grabbing a couple extra pictures... these are probably my favorite from the day...

The reception was at Orange Hill, which is one of my favorite restaurants that has a spectacular view of Orange County. The food was amazing! I loved so much getting to know Craig and Kristin's friends and family a bit more, and they made me feel so appreciated! Their friends Dave and Netra were there as well, whose wedding I get to capture in July which I'm HUGELY looking forward to. I walked away from the day just feeling super blessed to have such amazing clients that just so warmly invite me into their day and allow me to capture it. What a gift.

To the new Mr. and Mrs. McMillan: Congratulations!! There is a warmth and realness to you that just shines so bright in you both, it's absolutely beautiful. You made my day such a joy and I hope you are having the best time enjoying Costa Rica! Can't wait to see the zip-line pictures :)

Catching up and sharing some faves...

2008-04-29T14:26:00.018-07:00

It has been quite a couple of days! This weekend I had an incredible time with Craig and Kristin on their wedding day on Saturday, and then Sunday I helped out my friend Rachel with her event at the Segerstrom Concert Hall. Today I was on Biola's campus with the Nursing class of 2008 (including one of my favorite bride's, Haley) for their class picture! Kinda fun randomness is that I get a phone call from Mark Brooke who happens to be on campus there too! So fun. It's been a crazy couple of days but so fun and I'm loving every second. I'm just a little behind with the blogging so bear with me and I'll be getting some new posts to share what's been in front of my camera recently :)

I do have some fun new music to share as well as a new site that my friend Darin mentioned today on his blog called Twistori: http://twistori.com/

It's pretty fun to watch as it puts live twitter feeds into these categories....

Super interesting.

And some new music FAVES:

The song "Love and Doubt" runs through my head on repeat a lot :)

The major favorite one is Thrice so I'm trying really hard not to play it *too* much... it's REALLY good and you're going to love it. Promise.

Have a fabulous day!

Ciao,

Karey

Gas costing a bit much?

2008-04-22T23:07:00.010-07:00

Those smart cars in Europe are going to start lookin' pretty appealing don't you think? My fave was the first one :)

David

2008-04-21T12:02:00.002-07:00

This little Kiddo is so CUTE! And not to mention such a sweet little heart. David and his family and I hung out a little bit ago to capture him at 9.5 months old [which is by the way one of my favorite ages!] and we had such a great time together. This little one is so loved and attended to... just watching him with his family made me wish that everyone could know the feeling of being this loved and attended to. I just fell in love with his thoughtful blue eyes, big happy cheeks, and his sweetly calm nature.

He has two little teeth coming in too!

David and his mom... so sweet...

And with his dad...

Being a true 6 month old... looking for what he can put in his mouth next!

Here's the whole fam with Grandma and Grandpa too! I love this one, you can just see David feel so loved...

Totally a fave!

Thank you all for such a great afternoon together, it was such a treat! And thank you Mrs. Bruck for the picture of me and David... so sweet. My wild hair went a little nuts but I love it regardless:

:)

Ciao!

MADE at Hume Lake

2008-04-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since I've posted, yikes! I returned home to a computer a bit out of whack after getting it fixed from the mac store... everything was supposed to be PERFECT [I dream, I know] but low and behold that stinkin' law of Murphy just got me again! [as in everything that can go wrong will go wrong. ick!] I'm happy to report that I *think* things are back to the norm after spending hours on the phone with Epson today to get my printer driver installed correctly :) I also have all of my software reinstalled so I'm crossing my fingers that it's smooth sailing for now!

All of that disaster-ness aside...

There is Hume Lake again... it's full, gorgeous, and my favorite thing is to sit out on those Adirondack chairs in the warm summer with a good book.

I am so excited to say that my weekend at Hume was a complete breath of fresh air and everything I hoped it would be. The girls really responded so well, and my dear friend Jayne who headed up the conference did an incredible job pulling everything together. I wish so much I could post the pictures of the Jr. High girls I got to know but in all of the craziness I never got their direct permission to post them so I have some details to share for now...

Jayne's centerpieces that I LOVED...

And this is of one of my girls who I got to hang out with! She was so cute and had written this on her arm after one of the seminars... the name of the conference is "MADE," and I love how she just owned it! :)

It was the perfect weekend, and once again felt like home.

I'm out!

2008-04-11T12:00:00.002-07:00

This weekend I get to be at the fabulous Hume Lake Christian Camps again for a weekend of counseling Jr. High girls and I am SO excited! It isn't very often that I get to take a step outside of my photography world so I consider this a huge gift and a very special privilege. Jr. High was probably my LEAST favorite time in life but I know that they are dealing with issues completely beyond what I ever experienced... they need to know more than ever that they are a work of art and perfect as they are instead of trying to measure up to an ideal portrayed on magazine covers that in real life just doesn't exist.

Forgive me, I think I need to get off my soapbox! :) I just hope so much that this weekend I can come away with some amazing stories of how these girls have grown, been challenged, loved, and whole-heartedly inspired to see the beauty and value they possess naturally.

Hume is a beautiful place so I'm expecting some great things! I'll be back on Tuesday so Ciao until then!

Karey

Corinna and Chris

2008-04-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last week Greg Bumatay, my intern John Woods and I all headed out to Pomona for an "Impromptu" shoot to practice our *Anti*Skillz* we learned from the workshop in Las Vegas. Greg's past clients Corinna and Chris were up for being our models so we all grabbed some lunch and then headed out and about! It was such a blast and I can't wait for the next time that we put something like this together. Corinna and Chris were an absolute dream to work with and I loved just getting to know them throughout the day.

Thank you both for your being so generous with your time and joyful energy, I hope to keep in touch!

Karey

Angel and Dan

2008-04-09T00:01:00.004-07:00

This weekend I spent some time with Angel and Dan down in Newport for some good times! We met up at a place that was requested by Angel (I love shooting in completely new places!) and I fell in love with the area. It might be a new running spot that I'll hopefully running into Angel on.. no pun intended. :) They had spent some great times just talking up a storm while waiting for the sun to rise and I can only imagine how many joyful laughs they shared in. The entire time we were hanging out just felt so easy and carefree... just like the two of them are together.

The scenery was gorgeous!

And I just loved their shoes they chose :)

A fave for sure...

This one too!

Here is a fun little collage that I thought would be fun... my favorite picture of Angel is in here of the bottom left hand corner. Lovely!

Thank you Dan and Angel for such a great time, I am so excited for your wedding! It will be such an honor to capture the day for you both and watch you say yes to each other. Hope you enjoy what you see so far!

Much Love,

Karey

Cory and Cadey's Slideshow

2008-04-05T13:42:00.003-07:00

Here it is! Enjoy!

[just be a little patient, I have it set to load completely before it starts so that way it doesn't stop and get uber frustrating in the middle of it.] :)

And the song is called New Soul by Yael Naim... love it!

Cory and Cadey...

2008-04-02T17:54:00.003-07:00

Are MARRIED!! And wow, it was an incredible day on Saturday up in Bakersfield... the weather was perfect, the people were quality, and I was SO excited to be the one to capture the day for them.

Cadey picked out an AMAZING dress by Paloma Blanca... it was breathtaking on her.

Emily and Jessica, two of her bridesmaids, were rockin' their sweet shades...

Here's the beautiful bride as she's about to get ready...

And again after she's ready to go!

She looked absolutely amazing!

This is one of my favorite portraits of her, and probably my favorite picture from the day...

The two precious flower girls...

Oh wait! I think this might be my favorite image from the day too...

I loved her RED shoes! They were so much fun, and I love love love it when the shoes are above what you would expect. So CUTE and so Cadey!

This is when "The More the Merrier" comes into play, what a great group of girls! They were so amazing, a couple of them friends already, and I really enjoyed being around their joyful energy. Thank you ladies, especially Jennifer (note the cute red shoes for being the Maid of Honor!) for being so attentive and making me feel so cared for. You are so great and I appreciated you so much!

And here are the crazy fun MEN who made up Cory's entourage... willing to do anything and really made my time with them fun. More friends in here too!

Here's the handsome groom Cory!

I love how happy they are here...

We took a stop on the way to the reception for some pictures at the Bakersfield Golf Club and it was PERFECT timing for the sunset and some gorgeous scenery for their pictures...

Cadey has the greatest eyes!

Love this one too...

Off to the reception!

Ok, SO... this wedding had to have the best DJ I have ever seen! He had everyone on the dance floor while he was on stage giving the moves to get the party started. He knew SO MANY dances it was unreal. He even had everyone dancing the moves to Crank That by Soulja Boy! SOO FUNN!! He was so good I want this guy at my wedding someday. Seriously he was that fun! *will be updated with his info here*

There he goes!

I'll sign off with this picture here of me with my amazingly fabulous friend Jayne. She is super quality and someone I'm so thankful for. Since Cory and Cadey met at Hume Lake where I used to work, there were A LOT of friends and Hume family there for the wedding so I was really enjoying it!

That's all for now! I'm working on the slideshow so that should be coming up soon. I pulled out 259 favorites but that's definitely too many for a 3 minute song so I have to do some whittling tomorrow.

Cadey and Cory, thank you SO MUCH for including me in your day, it was such an honor and I hope you both have a ridiculously great time in the Bahamas!

Ciao,

Karey

FotoCabina

2008-03-27T14:35:00.005-07:00

On our last night in Vegas, Jen Disney, Rachel Williams and I stopped by [b]ecker's party for a little bit. He's such a wonderful host! There were sooo many people it was a bit overwhelming... but it was such a blast to run into some old friends, make some new ones, and play around in the fab Foto Cabina... which happens to be a sweet option to include for weddings too. You can get all of the info HERE. It's basically a huge and classy photo booth that you can fit up to 10 adults in... this is the snapshot from their website:

You get a 4x6 print to keep right away, and the digital negatives are available in an online gallery or can be given to you on a disc after your wedding. [You can keep all the files that your guests took!] Definitely some memories worth keeping :)

Jen, Rachel and I had some fun with the props they provided as you can tell...

Can you tell who is in that last picture? So fun! It was a great note to end my trip to Vegas on.

It's been refreshing to be home and enjoy Easter with the family, but now it's time to hit the road again. Tomorrow I head out to Bakersfield for a wedding that I have been looking forward to for quiet awhile with Cadey and Corey! After the wedding is over I'll be heading to Hume Lake to visit with my past clients and enjoy the mountains, so I'll be back in the office on Tuesday April 1st. I'll be available by email through Saturday, but Sunday and Monday I'll have limited access so you can expect a response by April 1st. If anything comes up and it's *urgent* just say so in the subject line and I'll get back to you as-soon-as-is-in-the-mountains-is-possible. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T10:50:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was such a breath of fresh air... I love my family and getting to spend time with them, especially on a day that we celebrate what we live for. It was a beautiful day and I wish we had a whole week to slow down, stop, and celebrate together.

No pictures for today as I'm off to San Diego with Rachel Williams for another workshop/seminar... I think this might be last one for awhile so I can actually *implement* what I have been learning so far :)

But more pics to come soon, and I hope you had a refreshing weekend too!

Ciao!

Night Shooting in Vegas

2008-03-20T15:02:00.003-07:00

One of the nights in Vegas I headed out on the strip at 12am for three hours to practice some anti-workshop techniques as well as hang out with some super fun people. Greg Bumatay got us all together and my photographer friends included: Crystal Goss, David Baxter, Josh Solar, and Erwin Wijanto. Our models were Ed and Monica Pingol... and since I am in my own world, my ignorance of who Ed is was bliss during the shoot! He is a photographer himself and a master of off-camera lighting. So, to photograph someone who could knock me out of the water with his mad skillz and then to visit his blog and find out he's in the running to be the 2008 Best Photographer (by the way VOTE!)... SHEESH! Stinkin' amazing. Here's my best attempt with no flash night-photography using available light from the Venetian Hotel...

That was so fun! Thanks for the good times everyone :)

[Thanks to Greg especially for the invite and for getting us all together!]

Anti-Workshop is AWESOME!!

2008-03-15T22:23:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple images from one of our shoots we did... all I have to say right now is that the Coopers and the Boutwells are freaking amazing. More to come later, I'm off to bed to rest up for ANOTHER workshop with the fantastic Dane Sanders tomorrow.

Ciao!

Vegas Here I Come!

2008-03-11T12:34:00.003-07:00

Actually, that title makes it sound like I like Vegas, when in all truth every time I go there I swear it will be the last time. It's just not my cup of tea. But, this time around I'm feeling like I'm going to experience the place in a completely new way... I am very excited to go right now because I'm on my way to another workshop which is going to be AWESOME! This one in particular is not your everyday run-of-the-mill photography workshop, so it's been appropriately named The Anti-Workshop; hosted by the Boutwells of Boutwell Studios and the Coopers of Altf Photography. I've looked up to these guys for awhile now and followed their work, stalked their blogs, and now its time to learn from them and push myself forward with my business and creativity. I am stinkin' excited :)

[for those of you photographers out there... check out the Boutwells Totally Rad Actions... they are awesome!]

I'll be back in the office next Thursday the 20th, so if you need me just shoot an email to kareymichelle@gmail.com. AND, since today is Tuesday, my proclaimed Fun/Rest day, I'll be enjoying the scenic route up the 15 and enjoying a book on tape! Some you might need to watch out from a phone call by yours truly so I can keep my eyes open.

Have a fanstastic day!

Rachel's Engaged!!

2008-03-10T20:00:00.004-07:00

For this entire last week I've had to find ways to avoid my dear friend Rachel Williams out of fear for spilling the beans! Her now fiance Mark, gave me a call to let me in on his plans to propose to her so needless to say I've been SO EXCITED for them and counting down the days for when it would happen.

Rachel and Mark walked hand in hand down the beach for what she thought was just a fun stroll before dinner. They made their way over the rocks and out on the point was where Mark got down on one knee, offered her the perfect ring and asked if she would choose him too. I don't know what it is about watching two people say yes to each other but I think my heart was pounding almost as much as Mark's before it happened! The anticipation of the moment and the beauty it possessed was just an experience beyond any words I am capable of expressing. It was as beautiful as the sunset.

Rachel, you are so beautiful inside and out and your friendship has been an incredible blessing to me. I'm so thankful that God had our paths cross last September, and how awesome that we were practically neighbors! Mark just seems like such the perfect fit for you and I am so excited to see you two grow as one. Congratulations to you both again!

And I think this sums it all up perfectly...

Tuesday = Sunday

2008-03-05T10:58:00.005-08:00

I've been reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss and despite its trite tag line the content is a very refreshing analysis of our American work culture. He has a lot to say in regards to outsourcing and the like, but I think the part I am enjoying most about the book is his understanding that life is not meant to be lived on the weekends or spent on a job that's only purpose is to pay the bills. There is so much more to experience beyond the 9-5... and then to slave away precious years in order to save the fun part of life for retirement just seems to fall so short of how this life might best be lived.

Each breath we take is such a gift... and yet I have never been given a guarantee that I'll get the typical 90 year life span, so why do I assume those years are mine? It's so easy for me to just work work work and get so involved in my little world that the bigger picture just gets completely out of focus. There is so much out there that I want to be so much more involved in, and this recent reading is helping to put my finger on defining what that might look like for me. I really and truly believe that the resources I've been given are not meant for me alone. My money, my time, and my gifts are to be used for the benefit of others and its exciting to think of how I might continue to grow in this.

My favorite of the read so far:

One cannot be free from the stresses of a speed- and size- obsessed culture until
you are free from the materialistic addictions, time-famine mind-set, and
comparative impulses that created it in the first place... Learn to slow down. Get
lost intentionally. Observe how you judge yourself and those around you. Chances
are it's been awhile. (Ferriss 236)

I love that! It reminds me of being in Hawaii, and what a foreign task it felt at first to embrace "island time." In the realization that I need more of that pace of time integrated in my life, I'm making an effort to break the mold once a week and not work on Tuesdays. It will be hard but I think that working out of rest will actually bring more efficiency into the days I do work. I'm going to do a test run for a month and let you know how it goes :)

Yesterday I spend the day down in SanO with my dad, enjoyed the surfing and loved how being out in the water just doesn't allow time to constrain me. I don't know what it is about the ocean but the site and smell of it just calm me from the inside out.

I have to admit that coming back in during low-tide wasn't the easiest thing but I will say that it was worth it.

Hope you are enjoying a new read, getting inspired, or simply are enjoying the moment!

Chrissy and Joe

2008-02-28T19:50:00.002-08:00

When I think of these two I think of FUN! We have been looking forward to their engagement session for quite awhile, so when we finally met up this week I had such a blast getting to know them a little more. Joe and Chrissy enjoy each other so much and just hanging out was a great treat.. and speaking of treats we even took a break at Ruby's for a shake! Such good times. I am even more excited for their wedding coming up this summer at seven-degrees in Laguna Beach! Can't wait!!

My Hawaii Photo Journal...

2008-02-24T23:07:00.003-08:00

Get ready for the longest post of my life, don't worry there are PLENTY of pics ;)

I can't believe how fast the time flew by in Hawaii, and I LOVED being on "island time." Even just driving down the two lane highway never became dull or boring for the beauty that surrounded me was just breathtaking. We definitely made time for some adventure in addition to the relaxing, as I had the chance to go out in the ocean on a waverunner over some pretty large swells! It was SO much fun, and I don't know if I can ever take one out on a lake again for anything else will probably be too boring. :)

Thanks to some new friends that I met through my awesome friend and roommate, Josh who was also in Hawaii for the wedding, I learned how to surf tandem and I can't even tell you how much more I fell in love with surfing after that. Usually I head down to San-O (old mans) with my dad but the waves usually end up being a bit bigger than I'm comfortable with so I kind of just do my best to get through the break and then float around to catch my breath... then I try a wave that's too big for me! This time though, the waves were nice and small and with Rush's paddling we were catching almost every wave we tried. It was AMAZING. Rush and Brandee were so much fun to hang out with, so if they end up reading this I just have to say thanks again you both for the fun times!

This is the beach we were at, well it's to the left of the beach we were surfing..

At one point we went to Matsumoto's for the best shaved ice ever... and don't even try to compare it to a snow cone, this guy comes without that ice crunchiness and has ice cream on the bottom.

Not to mention the gazillion different flavors you can try...

I got a large, I don't know what I was thinking!!

On another day we were hanging out at Waimea Bay and we could see some whales off in the distance just spoutin' about..

And of course one of the stops in Oahu had to be at Pearl Harbor. We toured the memorial to the USS Arizona, and the site was just incredible. Piecing together the history of what happened here along with my travels to Normandy's D-day beaches and the remnants of the blitz in London just made the world feel so absurdly small.

This is Jack, Dan's nephew who was one of the ring bearers in the wedding. He was so captivated by the boat ride, it was precious.

Here is the memorial above the Arizona that you can visit...

And part of the Arizona as she lays.

It's strange to see it resting so peacefully. The movie they show you before heading out to the memorial site is all actual footage of the harbor being bombed and an explanation of the times. One second you are watching Pearl Harbor explode, and then next you walk out into a bright and sunny day for a leisurely boat ride over to the same exact location. Kind of wierd.

On another day I headed over to Pipeline to watch the bodyboarding competition they had going on and the waves were absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen anything closer to a perfect wave! I have a lot of learning as to what those look like though :) Every once in awhile there were a couple HUGE sets coming in... I think while we were there it was something ridiculous for them and they had no swimming signs posted everywhere. Since they had the competition going on there was of course some serious glass that I felt a little jealous of. And then I remembered what it might feel like to carry that sucker around and then I was really happy with my lovely Canon G9.

That's me :)

And one of my loves, the ocean...

Once I had my fix on the ocean and watched a bit of the competition, part of my vacation I just spent exploring around the northshore a bit. Beautiful hikes and scenery were everywhere.

Waimea Falls

And "ohhhh the roosters"... Annie had said that before we left but I had no idea that they practically own the island, they are everywhere! And their cockadoodle doo business was just all over the place. This one posed quite nicely for me, I think he thought I might feed him or something...

Cool bird...

Pretty beach...

And cool convalescent home...

Tilt

Wow. Oahu has to be one of my favorite places now, and I can't wait for the day that I can come back. It was really hard to get back on the plane and return to what southern California calls a winter. One of the really cool things though is that I've had two people say something to the effect of "you're so tan!" I never stand out much in summer around here with what I can pull off as a tan, so now that it's winter I finally have a chance! Thanks to Gabriel Ryan and my friend Peter for making my week.

That was a long post, hope you stuck through it okay! I just really wanted to remember and document the time I had there for nostalgia's sake. Hope you are enjoying your surroundings too!

Open Photo Contest

2008-02-21T22:16:00.004-08:00

You know how sometimes you find one of those I-feel-like-I-should-be-working-instead-but-this-is-way-more-fun sites that you get totally addicted to? I found one that fits that description in the best possible way: www.openphotocontest.com! It is what it claims to be... an open contest where the judges are US instead of a hired panel. I submitted a couple photos and found out that while I was away in Hawaii I placed, whoo hoo! It's only 5th and 10th place but that still made my day :)

Go and check it out, it's really fun!

Haiku Gardens ~ Details

2008-02-19T22:34:00.005-08:00

The details that Dan and Annie planned for their wedding complimented who they were so perfectly... from the invitation that they chose to their gifts given to guests, they set the tone for what was to be expected for their unique and gorgeous Hawaiian day. It was beautifully simple and all together classic... her dress had beautiful details in the sash, her flowers were fresh pink and orange roses that Annie had picked out herself, and their gifts were bags of IBC Rootbeer and Dove chocolate which represented each of their favorite treats.

It was quite the treat! Check out the post below for more wedding pictures...

These two hung around Oahu for a couple days and today left for their honeymoon which they'll be spending in Kauai!

Hope you two have the greatest time, much love!!

Haiku Gardens ~ Dan and Annie

2008-02-18T09:31:00.003-08:00

The wedding on Saturday was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The rain held off for the perfect and picturesque ceremony, and there wasn't a dry eye during Dan and Annie's personal vows.

In the interest of getting this post up as quick as possible I'll post up more about the day later, so for now enjoy the pictures and slideshow!

Sunset Beach

2008-02-16T02:16:00.001-08:00

Only pictures for now but I hope they speak for themselves :)

Tomorrow is the wedding!!

Day 2

2008-02-15T01:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had the rehearsal dinner/meet and greet at Annie's parents house which they graciously hosted, and it was such a blast. The food was absolutely amazing and the hospitality was even better. I had such a great time, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves for the amazing view they have:

We did the rehearsal at the house so what you see isn't where we'll be for the wedding ceremony... the site is going to be awesome!!

I'm featured on Wedding Party!

2008-02-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was so great. Not only did I experience a beautiful day but my blog was featured on Wedding Party's website! They have a new blog up that will be showcasing photographer blogs to help those of you planning your wedding with all the latest trends and creative ideas. Go take a look at their BLOG and have a wonderful day :)

Aloha!!

2008-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Wow. When I woke up this morning at 4am for my flight to Hawaii, I had to pinch myself all the way to the airport. Not only was I awake at an hour that usually no one would ever see me alive at... or even smiling for that matter... I couldn't help but think, I am so blessed!! I've never been to Hawaii although it is somewhere that I've always wanted to visit. During college I was so drawn to Europe that Hawaii just kind of fell off of my radar, and I opted for travels that inspired me with architecture and artistic history in places like London and Paris. I don't know that I would have appreciated the character and charm of this Oahu island as much as I do now so I've just been sending prayers of thanks all day that I get to experience Oahu in this precious time in my life.

The thing I most appreciate about being on the island today is the sense of "island time." As I was waiting for my friends to come and pick me up on our way to dinner I felt like a jack-in-the-box who had been wound up so tight that popping out for joy wasn't exactly an option anymore. Here I am, waiting outside of my condo on a beautiful golf course in Turtle Bay, and I'm stressed out! I was not even present to realize the sounds the birds were chirping, the soft rush of water from a nearby stream or to look up and see the gorgeous blue sky and its puffy white clouds. I had to gently remind myself to take a deep breath, slow down, and stop. Sitting down on the steps I closed my eyes and took it all in... and something inside me just melted away and I felt rest.

I haven't been able to feel that in quite awhile, no matter how hard I've tried to unwind at home. The funny thing is that I'm experiencing rest while being at work... the reason why I get to be here is because Dan and Annie (who's engagement post you can see HERE), are getting married on Saturday! I've been looking forward to this wedding for quite awhile but had no idea that being here would refresh and restore my soul and creativity. And I haven't even been here a full 24 hours yet. As we were driving to dinner to meet up with Dan and Annie we drove down all along the northshore just before the sun was about to set. I watched the surfers at Pipeline and saw colors of blue in the ocean that I've never experienced first hand. I can't wait for another day!

Here is some of what I experienced today...

This is Matt, Kristen, me and Dan the Groom all before 6 am, with smiles and ready to go!

This is the view in my backyard...

Cool flower,

and my blogging station!

More to come!! And for now, more rest.

Aloha :)

Have to share...

2008-02-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

I saw this posted on Jesh De Rox's blog the other day, and then today on Becker's blog... I just decided I need to share too since it is just so beautifully done [and I haven't posted anything in way too long]. Jesh had the best title for it, and everything I think of just falls way too short of his poignant words:

"There are many kinds of artists."

Unforgettable Events

2008-01-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

One of my brides from this last year, Kristen Douglas, has started her own event planning company called Unforgettable Events and I'm so excited for her! This has always been a dream of hers to do, and when she told me that she was going to pursue it I couldn't have been more thrilled. Kristen planned out everything for her own wedding and did such an incredible job putting together all of those little details that made her day so specific to her and Shane... and even kept everything right on schedule. That is quite an extraordinary task for a bride on her own wedding day! Dang! Since she had done such a great job planning things out it really gave me the opportunity to give them the best pictures I could and not be pressed for time. It really makes a huge difference when you have a planner help coordinate all of your vendors and get things to run smoothly the day of your wedding, so I can't recommend her enough. Her website features her own wedding with the photography by yours truly ;)

Go take a look!

Home again...

2008-01-25T00:23:00.000-08:00

I made it back home tonight and it feels so nice to be here! I loved my time in the Phoenix area and it was especially hard to leave my cousins since I won't see them again until Easter but Emily and I had one last hoorah with the trampoline... I practiced a little of what I learned yesterday from the workshop with my settings and we had some fun! Yes, the light is on-camera but the gear I need to take it off-camera was in California so I'll be practicing more this weekend, don't you worry. Emily is quite the jumper don't you think?

And then when I got home I found this...

I love getting packages in the mail!

This was from Jerry over at Lovey's Cookies, and you might remember seeing these in that slideshow from the dinner party in a couple posts below. I sent him some of those pictures and he graciously mailed over some of his famous creations!

He even made one with my logo on it, so great!

I have such a sweet tooth that these will be gone in no time :) The big box came with chocolate chip cookies... and no they aren't just ANY chocolate chip cookie! And the one with my logo (I'm still so stoked on that!) came with a chocolate M&M candy cookie that was SO GOOD. I haven't had a cookie that good in a loooong time.

What a treat!

Just for the record I don't take kick-backs for recommending anything on here, it's only if I really like something and feel it's for the benefit of others that I share it. And this, my friends, is for your sweet tooth benefit :) And it looks pretty classy on a dinner table with your own personal logo or picture on there!

Have a great day!

One Light Workshop

2008-01-23T23:39:00.000-08:00

Today was such an incredible day! I can't believe how much I learned at the workshop with Zach, it was exactly what I was hoping to walk away with. The difference that you can get from a photo using the available light that exists in contrast with using an off camera flash is amazing. I've always been a natural light shooter, or have figured out ways of using whatever light I'm given to create my portraits but it is so nice to know about other options.

This is the first setup we did with the off camera flash...

and then same spot without any flash. I think i like this one better but it's nice to be able to choose!

and here is another with the natural light that I love..

and again with the flash... such a great difference!

The first model you see is Liene, and she is actually a wedding planner here in Phoenix! Her company is Blue Orchid Designs and she has a promo going on right now so you might want to make sure you check her BLOG for the info. Liene did an incredible job... being a model is not as easy as it looks and she was awesome to work with as she braved the cold weather and paparazzi we had going on. You'll also see another model by the name of Jennifer who is the publisher for Destination I DO Wedding Magazine! She was also great to work with and was totally used to being around photographers so she seemed to feel right at home... another natural in front of the camera. Her magazine is a great resource so check that one out too.

Everyone who was there today was so fun to get to know and work alongside, I can't even express how much the day impacted me. I think one of the coolest things that happened apart from the technical learning was when Melissa Jill and I put together the fact that we both have mutual friends! Yup, it's another Hume Lake connection :) Melissa was the gracious host for the event which means she was the reason for getting the One Light to come to Phoenix. I don't think anyone could have been more thankful! There was so much interest that Zach isn't even done yet... he still has another workshop tomorrow with a new crew of photographers coming. After a very long day I think I'm signing off, but I think I'll sleep with my notebook nearby so all of the info I absorbed today won't be lost!

Ciao!

I love a good dinner party...

2008-01-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

...and this one takes the cake so far! Bonnie was someone I had met at Evan and Heather's wedding back in November, and although she wasn't able to be there for the ceremony she was able to catch the slideshow I had playing during the reception. She asked if I would be interested in photographing a dinner party she was throwing for her husband's birthday, and so right before Christmas I found myself at their beautiful residence in Beverly Hills capturing a wonderful evening. I realized that I forgot to post this here on my blog during the Christmas rush so since I didn't really get out and photograph much today around Phoenix (there will be plenty of that tomorrow!) I figure this is the perfect time to catch up!

Tonight I met up with the rest of the One Light Workshop folks, and I'm so excited for what I'm going to learn and the friendships that will be made! I can't wait to add more tools to my toolbox and continue to step it up in my work. Zach shared a bit of his story and I can tell tomorrow is going to be AMAZING. If you have a chance to take a workshop from him, sign UP. Even if that means going to Alaska :)

Kimberly and John

2008-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Meeting Kimberly and John this weekend was so much fun! We met at a park that they used to walk around together early in their relationship, so it had a lot of sentimental meaning for them. We wanted to get them some great images that they would be proud to show to their friends and family so I really pray that I met their high hopes! I was a little nervous about the shoot since I had no idea what type of an area we would be shooting in but there turned out to be some great light and fun nooks and crannies to work in.

Thank you both for being so wonderful to work with and for putting your trust in me. I hope that you enjoy what you see so far, and hope to see you both when I'm in Phoenix again :)

Now I'm off to go explore the Phoenix area a bit more and hopefully will have some fun images to post later from what I find. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Welcome to Arizona!

2008-01-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

I have been having such a great time here in Arizona so far, and it's only just begun! Staying with Amy and Jason was so much fun, we went out to Scottsdale for lunch yesterday and wandered around a little bit. I loved the area and the architecture... we were in the Old Town area so it was fun to see the unique character in the buildings. Today I had an awesome opportunity to do a shoot with some of Amy's friends so I'll have a couple images posted soon! After the shoot my cousin Chris came to pick me up and now I'm enjoying my time with them so much! I'm also really looking forward to the One Light Workshop starting on Tuesday, it's almost here :) Here are some images from our time out in Scottsdale, hope you enjoy them...

Jet Set

2008-01-18T00:33:00.000-08:00

I'm hopping on a plane to Phoenix, AZ today to visit my friends Amy, Jason and their baby Ryan who you might remember from this post here, AND I'm also getting a great opportunity to learn from the famed Zack Arias in his One Light Workshop next week. I'm so stoked! This guy is a master of using off camera light and his work just impressed me so much that I had to get a spot in one of his classes no matter where it was. Phoenix turned out to be perfect since Amy and Jason are there, as well as my cousins Chris, Carrie and their twins William and Emily so I'll get to hang out with them while I'm out there. So looking forward to it! I'll be returning next Thursday so the best way to get in touch with me will be through email at kareymichelle@gmail.com. An update on my website is that we'll probably be up in about a week! Yay!

Have a fabulous weekend and I'll be updating pictures from AZ as well as what I learn from the One Light Workshop so stay tuned :)

Under Construction??

2008-01-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day! Just wanted to put a note up that you might notice my website down, but it's really an exciting thing! It means we are in the middle of uploading the brand spankin' new version of www.kareymichelle.com and it's a completely custom site designed by Robert of Nienstudios. It's going to rock!! I can't wait to share it with you guys. This was a project that I had started with Robert about a year ago but I got so busy with the amazing weddings I was invited to that I didn't have time to put together my online portfolio. So, when things simmered down at the end of the year I finally got everything together and put the portfolio in Roberts talented hands. This transition also means that the slideshow links will be switched over, so if for some reason they don't work today just know that it is only temporary and they'll be back ASAP. Thanks for your understanding and have an amazing day!!

Ciao!

Haley and Andy

2008-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the huge privilege of shooting Andy and Haley's wedding here in Danville, CA and their reception was at this amazing old car museum called the Blackhawk Auto Museum. I had help from my friend Rachel Williams and we had a blast! Here are some of the faves, more will be coming soon. Have a great day!

(this baby is worth 7 million bucks!)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2008-01-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

I know I've been SUPER lagging on posts lately, but Christmas, New Years, and moving to a new home has been a little distracting! Just want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and I hope that it's off to a great start so far! I'll be out of town until next Monday to get some work done, but until I return I hope you have some fun and find some reasons to jump for joy too.

Ciao!

Annie and Dan

2007-12-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last week (I'm behind blogging I know!!) I headed down towards a favorite beach spot again with Dan and Annie for their engagement session. We had so much fun hanging out, I forgot I was supposed to be taking pictures! That makes me look forward that much more to their wedding next February on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii!

Enjoy!

Starbox Lunch

2007-12-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

My apologies for a quick post, but today I had a great time attending Jasmine Star's "Starbox Lunch" here in Irvine alongside some other awesome photographers. As I've started this photography journey it's felt a bit lonely at times trying to navigate through everything but taking the time today to sit down for lunch, pause, and get into conversation with other photographers really filled my cup. Jasmine is not only an awesome photographer, but an awesome person who I really enjoyed getting to know and I am so thankful for her willingness to put together a lunch like this. Thank you for sharing your passion and your knowledge Jasmine, you are quite the encouragement!

Pizza Partaayyy

2007-12-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

This week I went to Leather Craftsmen's Pizza Party up in Universal City with my friend Rachel Williams and had so much fun! Leather Craftsmen is my album binder and they do such an amazing job of not only making a super great product but also creating opportunities for photographers to generate community. I met Jessica Claire there who is a freaking awesome photographer that I admire, so that was pretty cool. AND I ran into Becker, another awesome photographer, who's Party of 5 class I took earlier this summer and he helped me out SOOO much it was incredible. I kind of "borrowed" this picture off of his BLOG :) That would include me, Robert Evans and Rachel. (sidenote about his site: the intro includes his studio and looks how it does as if you were to walk into it.) Robert did a seminar at the Pictage conference in LA that I attended and he blew me away with his knowledge, generosity in sharing that knowledge, and ability to produce breathtaking images. He was the gracious host for the get-together at his studio, and I was going through every album of his I could find! They were all just beautiful works of art and simply inspiring.

I'm working on redoing my album designs for this next year so stay tuned!! There will be some fun new options in the works :)

Hasta Luego!

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-12-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend I brought my new bday present with me so that I could actually be IN some pictures and have something fit in my pocket :) It was also super easy to just take pics out the window of my car when the sunset was phenomenal as I was heading towards Hume Lake.

I promise I had my eyes on the road the whole time.

I think this was off of the 210 somewhere...

Here is the view of the lake as you drive in on the Hume road... (I love this view!!!)

This is on the way to Look Out Rock that we took Jeremy and Michelle to for some of their pictures!

And here are two of my favorite ladies ever, Jayne and Emily. We were all nice and warm right there :) It was SO COLD that I believe one of the nights it was only ten degrees outside!!

I miss those two so much! And I miss Hume. If anyone ever wants to go there I will take you in 2.4 seconds :)

Ciao!

Casey and Laura Part 2

2007-12-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy month or so but I'm finally getting almost caught up with my slideshows! Casey and Laura's wedding was posted earlier HERE, but it was a quick post and I promised that more was coming and so here we are :)

I had an amazing amount of help from some friendly photographers for this wedding, including Jered Scott, Mark Brooke, and Jon Woods! These guys were such a blast to work with! This is me with Jered and Mark...

I'm so bummed I forgot to get a picture with Jon! He was awesome, here he is at work..

and here I am at work:

Thanks for taking those images Jered! So fun.

Ok so more about the actual wedding... probably one of my favorite parts during the day was when Laura had just finished getting ready and she hurried excitedly over to the mirror and exclaimed, " I LOVE HOW I LOOK!!" Everyone in the room exploded in laughter and agreement, and joy just permeated the air. It's moments like those that really stick with me and inspire what I shoot. It's my prayer that when you see my work, you feel those same emotions and are drawn into the day and it's unique movements even if you couldn't physically be there. Here is their slideshow, ENJOY :)

(P.S. Just be a little patient as it loads!)

Jeremy and Michelle

2007-12-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

For my last wedding of 2007 I headed up a hill to the place where it all started for me, Hume Lake. Hume Lake Christian Camps was where the amazing and talented Josh Smith taught me the ropes of photography on the job for the 15 months I got to call Hume home. He even came to second shoot! There are so many people there that I still consider my closest friends and family so I've been looking forward to this wedding for awhile. It's been over a year since I've lived there but it will always feel like home in one sense or another. Shooting Jeremy and Michelle's wedding was the icing on an already densely rich and beautiful cake, since there is a lot of history with these two for me. I actually got to watch them begin their relationship together two summers ago when Michelle was my roommate! She was such a gift to me to share a summer and Bible study with, for she had (and has) such an incredible character and passion for God. I knew Jeremy only by acquaintance before Michelle, but to watch him pursue her and love her was such a beautiful thing. Their wedding was an awesome celebration of over 200 people one of which came as far as Honduras! Here are some of my favorites from the day:

Here is the amazingly beautiful Hume Lake...

And the excited bride!

We did their first look up at the Joshua Lodge...

And then we headed towards Look Out Rock where Jeremy proposed to Michelle...

The ceremony was beautiful. Jeremy's dad Jerry Root married them and he did such an amazing job, probably one of the best I've ever seen. Make sure to check out the slideshow, there will be more shots of the ceremony in there :) How beautiful are the flowers?? Pam Phillips did a great job with the arrangements!

Mr. and Mrs. Root!

It was such an incredible day, and I just felt so thankful to play a small part in it. Jeremy and Michelle, I hope you both enjoy your images and have a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Hawaii and then Chicago!

Here is the slideshow you want to check out, including some of Josh's perspective too: www.kareymichelle.com/Slideshows/Root

Enjoy!

Tabletop Camcorders

2007-11-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

SO, at Heather and Evan's wedding they had these really cool camcorders at each of their tables that their guests used to record messages and moments! After the wedding they send them all back to the Knot and they'll put together a DVD of everything. It was such a great idea and so I thought I would share it with you in case anyone might be interested :) Here are some pictures of Heather showing me one of the cameras:

Click HERE for the whole article.

Craig and Kristin

2007-11-30T16:12:00.001-08:00

I recently met up with Craig and Kristen for their engagement shoot at one of my favorite places in Orange County! San Juan Capistrano still has that small town charm that is hard to find around here, and it was really fun to hang out with these two down there. They loved it too and it made my day to hear them talk about how they are planning to come back down there just for the fun of it. We got some great images, and I can't wait for their wedding next April!

Thanks so much guys, I had a blast with you both and hope you enjoy your images :)

Evan and Heather

2007-11-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

Today I had such an amazing time capturing the day for Evan and Heather up in Shadow Hills. They had their ceremony at a friends house that was beautifully intimate and classic, and it couldn't have a been a more perfect day. I can't get over how much I love my job... it is something I feel that I am born to do and what a more perfect way to celebrate my birthday than to use the gifts that I've been given. I have a couple favorites from today that I promised I would post so here they are!

Evan and Heather, thank you so much for making me feel so welcome on your day. It was a blessing to take part in your wedding and I hope you have an amazing time in Cabo!

Noelle and Paul

2007-11-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

On Monday I had the huge pleasure to shoot for my new friend Rachael Williams who is an AMAZING photographer and just a joy to talk with. I met her at PartnerCon in LA which is this huge conference that my lab Pictage puts together each year for its photographers, and they arrange for seminars to be taught by some of the industry's leaders like David Jay and Mike Colon. After that conference I walked away with my mind reeling from all of the information that I was just soaking up like a sponge, but more importantly I connected with other photographers and felt part of a community. That was HUGE for me! It's starting to feel more like home around here :)

During one of the breaks at the conference Rachael and I got to talking and it turns out we live pretty much down the street from each other. So cool! She is absolutely awesome and I have no hesitation sending anyone her way. This last weekend I got to second shoot for her down in Dana Point at a restaurant called Cannons which had a gorgeous view overlooking the harbor. Her clients, Noelle and Paul, were seriously so fun to capture. Paul is from the UK so not only did I enjoy hearing him speak, but he brought his whole family over and in the midst of their conversations I found myself reminiscing and missing London where I studied abroad in college. I just want to hop on a plane and get back there right now!

The details of their wedding had a blend of a nautical beach theme along with Paul's British home of all things typically English... he is a huge football fan from what I gathered, as he had his own cake decked out for Liverpool!

The view was just spectacular...

I got some shots of Rachael in action...

.
Noelle was just a gorgeous bride! She decided to wear these earings that belonged to her mother...

She definitely has a dancers poise!

Yup, she's a dancer.

I loved the color in her flowers!

The flower girls were so stinkin precious!! They were dolls in their sailor dresses...

Such a picturesque ceremony

I loved this moment after their kiss...

During the family pictures afterwards, this picture caught this moment between them that I just fell in love with. In the midst of the excitement that breaks out after walking down the aisle and the surrounding family that partakes in it, time just stopped for them and no one else existed except the other... it's so beautiful and speaks such volumes to me.

And the happy couple...

Rachael, thanks so much for having me shoot with you... I had such a great time!

Mattie...

2007-11-13T17:11:00.001-08:00

This little one was so much fun to photograph! It's just such a beautiful thing to watch parents interact and love on their new baby, to see that this precious child is the recipient of truly unconditional love. Mattie is so precious and I fell in love with her cheeks and contagious laughter... she is such a joyful baby!

Check out the slideshow HERE!

I love this...

2007-11-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

Go check out Dane Sanders Blog

Casey and Laura

2007-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

This is one of my quickest blog posts ever! I have a couple images to share from their GORGEOUS wedding yesterday in Salt Creek that I just can't wait to get up here. I will have another post coming shortly with their slide show and details to share during the day, so until then enjoy :)

Read to travel, and travel to read...

2007-10-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am a reader and have anywhere from one to three books on me at all times. I LOVE reading and feel as much alive with my nose in a book as I do traveling the world. Usually I carry ridiculously large purses just so I can stuff some books in there! One of the books I'm reading right now is called "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell and I'm loving it. You can find it in the business section but the subject applies to everyone for we all struggle with those fears of failure in some area of our lives right? We at least have a friend who does ;)

Some quotes from the book:

"Psychologist Sheldon Kopp says, "All of the significant battles are waged within the self." That's true. People wage the greatest battles against their own flaws and failures."

"The character Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables declared, "It is nothing to die. It is an awful thing to never have lived." That's what life is like for people who deny their internal flaws, bury them, and then try to pretend that they don't exist. To have an opportunity to reach your potential, you must know who you are and face your flaws. Go through the following process:

1. See yourself clearly
2. Admit your flaws honestly
3. Discover your strengths joyfully
4. Build on those strengths passionately

You will improve only if you enthusiastically develop your God-given abilities. You can reach your potential tomorrow if you dedicate yourself to growth today. Remember, to change your world, you must first change yourself."

SOOO good isn't it? Click here to buy it from Amazon.

I feel like I should have some travel pictures included in this post since I mentioned the topic, so here are a couple from a trip with my friend Erika when we went to Denmark and France..

Helsingor, Denmark with Hamlet's Castle in the background

Copenhagen, and this is how Erika saw me the whole trip!

Paris

Le Mont St. Michel

Tivoli

Omaha Beach in Normandy

Denmark

And a fitting quote to finish off:

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

Keep reading.

Time for a break!

2007-10-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took a break from the smoke and headed out to Phoenix for a quick visit to my close friend Amy and her family! We had so much fun hanging out, and Amy and Jason are the proud new parents of Ryan Madison who is only 12 weeks old! They came out to visit a couple weeks after she was born but there was a lot of competition for their time so I got to enjoy them all to myself this weekend which was a huge treat :) Saturday was a visit to the Pumpkin Patch and we got some really fun pictures of them as a family... when Amy said they didn't have any pictures of the three of them together I knew we had to take care of that! Ryan is just adorable and so very precious, I loved being with her and her parents and I can't wait till next time.

The pumpkin patches are a little more fun in AZ than here, they have corn fields that have been turned into mazes, a petting zoo, and a train for the kiddos to ride! Well it's really a quad pulling a bunch of cans on wheels where each kid gets their own can to sit in, and they ride around the corn and the animals. The kids were impressed with it so thats all that matters! We were most impressed with the ostrich though...

We tried a fun pose for Ryan on a pumpkin....

Don't worry folks... her dad was holding her on the other side :)

She had most fun interacting with her mom and dad though...

The sunset was aMAZing!!

and here is the happy family...

So fun! Thanks Jason and Ames!!

Mapping it out...

2007-10-25T15:51:00.001-07:00

The Irvine World News reported today that the fire came within 15 feet of Northwood. Our neighborhood is safe now, but please keep praying for the firefighters. They are really doing such an incredible job and haven't taken a break!

HERE is a link to our local paper with some Google maps of the recent activity... Google is really quite amazing with their maps and updates.

Emile and Kylee

2007-10-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

This wedding was beautiful. Kylee and Emile chose an intimate wedding with only their closest friends and family of which I very much enjoyed getting to know. They have such a flair for knowing how to have fun and especially dance together... I told them during the reception that my family felt suddenly a bit boring in comparison!

The day started out with perfect weather of deep blue skies and amazing opportunities for some fun and artistic portraits. They were married at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Irvine which overlooks the whole city and made for some spectacular views. The Chapel is also on Concordia's campus and I really loved the architecture of some of their buildings. I took these two and their bridal party across the street for their pictures and really loved what I had to work with... I loved it so much that one of the the images is in the header above :)

This wedding will be one of four featured on the new website, but here are a couple favorites for you to enjoy now..

The Fires...

2007-10-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

This fire has been such a horrible experience... I can't stop thinking about the people who have lost their homes and don't even know it yet, and what devastation lies ahead. It's one thing when you hear about the events on the news, but when it hits home and actually happens in your own backyard it's quite the sobering affair. Our neighborhood is okay as the fire never got past Portola Pkwy thanks to the amazing firefighters and their incredible work, but it moved on south towards Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest...

I drove down Irvine Blvd late last night and there were fires here and there dying out, but the sky was incredibly dark and I could see a huge cloud of dark red smoke lingering over the hills. As I got closer, the sight was breathtaking. The fire was slowly devouring the hillside but it was the craziest thing to see the houses resting in the middle of some hillside brush fueling some pretty rough flames and yet so far untouched. Here is what I saw...

It's just so surreal. This morning there was this really beautiful orange sunset glow outside, and it's just so strange to see something so beautiful as the result of something so afflictive. This is the view from my backyard...

My church RockHarbor is setting up ways to help and organize resources so CLICK HERE for information on how you can help. Another organization that I highly recommend donating to is the Salvation Army.. they are ever much more than a thrift shop and did an amazing job serving New York in the relief effort from September 11 that I was privileged to work with. I saw more of their presence than any other non-profit organization in ground zero. They are already out there taking care of things (news) and can take donations online here.

On a personal note...

2007-10-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today I had a great time shooting a wedding at Tustin Ranch in spite of the crazy Santa Ana winds! However, as I got home from the wedding it was extremely smoky and smelled like a bonfire gone really bad. My friend Annie called me tonight when she saw the fire coming over the hills by the 241 tollroad around 6pm, and since then there has been over 3,800 acres burned! It's now only 11pm. Crazy! [Update: over 15,000 acres burned.. 4pm on Monday. Yikes!]

That's less than 2 miles from where I live so if you could say a prayer for Northwood, my neighbors and I would really appreciate it :) Actually I think the rest of southern California could use one too right now!

You know that ice breaker question of: "If you had a fire, what would be the first thing you'd grab?" For me, it's pretty much all of my pictures, not like you probably couldn't have guessed. And my journals. So, I really want to know, how would you answer that question?

Asher

2007-10-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Asher just celebrated his first birthday a couple weeks ago, so his mom Tara and I took him down to the petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano for some fun portraits! I love this little guy so much and am continually amazed at how fast he grows. He has so many awesome expressions and has the most priceless reactions when he's excited. Watching a one year old explore the world around him is so mesmerizing... every pebble, piece of dirt or hay is such a treasure! Asher is also super friendly and waves at everyone just like he was with the train as you'll see below :)

Tara and I have been friends for a couple years now, and I met her at... you guessed it... Hume Lake! Her husband Dominic is an amazing musician in a band called 330 Plan, and you should definitely check out their music. These two let me take their portraits for Hume's promotional brochure's about 2 years ago and I always knew they were going to have some super cute babies someday...

Check this kiddo out:

Sean and Michele

2007-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Michele and I had corresponded through mail and phone calls mostly but when it came time to finally meet on her wedding day I felt like I had always known her. She is so sweet and not to mention beautiful!! Meeting Sean was just as fun, and as we were getting his portraits done before the ceremony I was so touched by his anticipation...

I just love watching the energy and excitement that Bride's and Groom's go through on their wedding day. The moments leading up to the guests arriving and the music starting to play just seem so surreal to them, where all the months of planning and decisions are about to play out in front of their eyes. The time passes by way too fast, and yet not fast enough for they can't wait to finally see each other after all of the preparations. It's such a sweet time!

It was a gorgeous day in Costa Mesa and the friends and family they had surrounding them made for an intimate and precious celebration. Here are some of my favorite moments from their day...

I got to talk with Michele's mom a bit during the reception and learned that Michele and her family are from Nicaragua where they are doing missionary work. Every couple years or so they come back to the states and live here for about a year, and that was how Michele and Sean had met when they were younger. I just LOVE hearing the "behind the scenes" stories from families, and especially in this case about the timing of how they met and then fell in love. The way they look at each other is just the most amazingly beautiful thing!

I wish you two the very best and thank you so much for choosing me to document your wedding. :)

Meet my sis!

2007-10-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

and her boyfriend Jake... it was such a beautiful day after the rain that came through that I had to go out and get some pictures just for the fun of it! I was hanging out with my sister and Jake and convinced them to be my models so I could shoot at this park I've been eying. I drive by this place everyday and thought it could possibly work for me... usually I don't like Irvine architecture or parks much because they are SO stinkin cookie cutter and uninspiring but I have to give credit to whoever did the landscape design because I could totally work with the space and I felt like we were somewhere else completely. The sky was gorgeous and there was this beautiful light coming through the passing clouds... and hanging out with these two was just plain fun. Meet my sister Katey...

She is the closest person to me and SO AMAZING. Katey just started the highly prestigious Physician Assistant program at Loma Linda where she is hitting the books hard! This was her all smiley and happy before school started :)

Jake is an awesome guy and is studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly SLO. They both are kind of too smart for me so I just like to take their pictures...

I hope you enjoyed them!

Casey and Laura

2007-10-15T15:40:00.001-07:00

Some more beach action!

Travis and Amy

2007-10-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

We went down to Laguna to hang out and grab some fun pictures for these two, I can't wait for their wedding next June!

Little Tatum!

2007-10-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

This little baby girl is such a doll and I loved hanging out with her and her parents! I got to shoot their maternity pictures which were fun, but we all agreed it was way more fun having Tatum here. She was so fun to play with and has such gorgeous blue eyes!! Take a look...

I loved Tatum's expression in that last one! Make's me laugh every time.

Here is one with a little more smile...

I can't wait for the next one, thanks so much Garrett and Joy!

Dave, Lindsay and Faith

2007-10-14T23:42:00.003-07:00

This wedding was of my good friend Dave whom I've known since high school! It was a really elegant wedding at Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano. It's one of The Knot's 2007 "Best of Weddings" venue's and I can totally see why... I loved the spanish style architecture and beautiful hillside, it made for some awesome scenery!

Here is another slideshow for your viewing pleasure..

Shane and Kristen

2007-10-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

These two had a beautiful wedding in San Diego on Coronado Island... quite the amazing location! This ceremony was especially touching as well since Kristen's dad wasn't sure if he could physically walk his daughter down the aisle since he suffers from Charcot Marie Tooth and Parkinson's diseases. He had a segway that took him halfway down the aisle and decided minutes before the ceremony that he was going to try walking her the rest of the way. With a lot of prayer and determination he made it and threw his fist in the air for the triumph and the joy of being able to give away his baby girl. SO touching!

Here is their slideshow, I hope you enjoy it!

Mario and Mina

2007-10-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

These two were SO much fun to work with on their wedding day... actually I've had fun with them since we met and really enjoyed their engagement shoot too. Here are a couple images from their engagement...

And then their wedding was a blast! They had a beautiful traditional Catholic ceremony followed by an awesome 3 hour break before the reception... it made for some really great pictures! We stopped by a bar in Fullerton for awhile where the Bridal Party and families could hang out together, and there were so many great moments during that time. Here are some of my favorites...

How fun are they?

I've had the pleasure of shooting weddings for their friends as well and each one of them have been so much fun to get to know. Just one more reason why I love my job. :)

And We're Back!

2007-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

I finally have a new blog going, YAY! It's been awhile since my last post on kareymichelle.com due to some extenuating circumstances (ask me and I'll share) but I'm back and have really missed being able to blog. I have had such amazing weddings this summer to be a part of and can't wait to share those on here with you. It has been too long! I've had all these thoughts about what I could be blogging on and of course couldn't do so. Not anymore though :)

Here is what the old blog looked like...

I do have some good news to accompany the new blog though, and that is my new custom website should be going up by the end of the year... hopefully sooner! I turned over my portfolio and site content to my web designer on Friday so I'm really excited to see it all put together. Robert of Nien Studios is so amazing to work with and has such a gift with web design. I'm SO excited!

Here is the preview...

One of the cool things about this blog versus the last one is that you can make comments on each of the posts, so make sure to leave some love and feel free to drop me a line at kareymichelle@gmail.com anytime.

Take care!