Elise has always been one of the bubbliest and funniest people I’ve ever met. Before our shoot together, I hadn’t seen her since high school and I was very excited to see her again, and to see just what kind of man she had found to match her effervescent personality.

It only took me a few minutes of watching Elise and Aaron interact before I realized just how sweet of a match they made. Besides the constant giggles and inside jokes there was a level of comfortableness between the two of them I rarely see in couples – especially once they get in front of my camera.

We started at a bowling alley where the had their first date and moved from there to the Chili’s restaurant where they met. A huge passion of theirs is cinema so we spent a few minutes playing around a local movie theater and ended up at their soon-to-be new home (Elise’s home for now). They kicked off their shoes, settled on to their couch and began a fantastic Call of Duty death match. We ended the shoot with a few quick “formal” portraits.

I loved my morning spent with the two of them – learning more about them and watching them interact naturally among their favorite places and activities. The shoot gave me a lot of insight into how they’ll be on their wedding day which I could not be more excited for!

Aaron, it was a pleasure to meet you and I swear I will never call you Andrew again (okay, well, I swear I’ll try not to). Elise, you are exactly the same joyful and entertaining girl that I remember. Nay… you are better than I remembered. Thank you for choosing me, I am honored to get to photograph your wedding in July!

“First Day Of My Life” by Bright Eyes

I had the privilege of shooting these images of Miss Addyson before Christmas. But since a few of the shots were for surprise Christmas presents for her daddy, I didn’t do a blog post right away. This week her mama contacted me about doing another shoot for her and it reminded me to post these! Isn’t she just the sweetest?

“All-American Girl” by Carrie Underwood

This was the very first image I shot during my shoot with Windy and Stephen. And when a shoot starts off this good, you know it’s going to turn out beautifully.

Windy and Stephen were referred to me by Blue Agave Southwest Grill, which has, in my very experienced opinion, some of the most delicious wedding catering out there. I sat down to meet with them at Starbucks and I very quickly realized I not only liked them, but they are going to have one fabulous party of a wedding!

We met for their engagement session in The Artists Village in downtown Santa Ana. The sun was just beginning to dip behind the buildings giving us gorgeous golden twilight. Windy and Stephen fit so naturally together that posing was easy and the smiles came so naturally. By the time the shoot was over I was incredibly excited for their upcoming wedding on Cinco de Mayo!

“Love Like a Sunset” by Phoenix

Photographing one of La Habra High School Theater Guild’s performances never leaves me disappointed. The professional quality set and costume design always makes me feel like I’m either in Los Angeles or Times Square preparing to see a Broadway show. And the students! The remarkable talent displayed in these high school students is not only shocking, it is a testament to their willingness to work hard and push themselves far beyond what is expected of them.

This spring the musical they did was The Drowsy Chaperone which I had never seen before. Full of wit and slapstick comedy I never found myself bored. And the tap dancing! Trust me, it is hard to not smile while watching two high school boys tap dance their way around the stage.

Be sure to keep up with the LHHS Theater Guild and their upcoming performances by checking out their website: The La Habra High School Theater Guild.

“As We Stumble Along” by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

It’s always a pleasure to photograph beautiful Katelyn Ordway. So when she contacted me about shooting her on campus at Point Loma in San Diego I didn’t hesitate to say yes! Gorgeous girl on what is definitely one of the most stunning college campuses in America? What’s not to love!

Katie is graduating from Point Loma University with her B.S. in Biology. I’m so proud of her! She’s not only a great student, but a sweet friend and her positive attitude is contagious. Katie, thank you for choosing me to photography you – not only did I have a lot of fun, but your pretty face looks pretty darn good on my marketing materials! xoxo

“Wildwood Flower” by June Carter Cash

This photo really doesn’t convey the mess that was my living room and kitchen last week. Normally, it gets cleaned or at least picked up on an almost daily basis. But, with seemingly endless amounts of prep work to do for my boyfriend’s interview for the police academy, cleaning the house had really taken a backseat. Dishes filled the sink. the counters were covered in miscellaneous items used in the previous week, and pizza boxes and dirty laundry strewn about just completed my nightmare. But there would be lots of time to clean the house in the upcoming days. That night, the only thing that mattered was getting Travis ready. He’d been physically training, filling out paperwork, making appointments, studying and so much more for months. He passed the written exam, the physical exam and the psych exam; his acceptance now hinged on one 20 minute interview.

School supplies. I thought I’d be done with these until I have kids! But I’ll admit I am a sucker for the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and I had an awful lot of fun organizing all of his paperwork into a three-ring binder. I don’t want to go back to school myself – but I’ll gladly do all of his supply shopping and organizing for him. That blue ruler thing in the middle? It’s an evil little dictator of perfect handwriting – a report writing template. Travis had to use it to write his autobiography; four pages of handwritten text that had to be written between the guidelines of the template. I was glad he had to write it not me!

It doesn’t look like much, but this manila folder contains Travis’ entire life story. We’d been working on several of the pieces over the previous few months, but in the final week we spent about 50 hours between us filling out packets, writing his autobiography, carefully initialing every page and making sure that not one bit of information was forgotten. In the folder is an academy application, a personal history (forty pages!!!), a health history, an EKG, an autobiography, his driving record, pictures of him and so much more! We took great care to make sure not a page got smudged, there were no spelling errors and every single blank was filled out.

The night before his interview we cut his hair. It was my first time and I’m definitely going to need some practice. This time we needed to just clean it up a bit and take the length down a smidge. Clean cut is what we were going for – but not necessarily military. I made a mess. I got hair EVERYWHERE. There is definitely more skill involved in this than I thought! As a recruit his hair will be buzzed down next to nothing – but he didn’t want to seem over eager for his interview.

Normal things go on our calendar in black. But special things get color. The interview was definitely written in blue. Nervousness and excitement filled our tiny little apartment on Sunday night. I kept staring at the little notation on the calendar thinking, “6 months of preparation all come down to tomorrow.” I knew Travis would interview well – I had no worries or doubts about his history or his abilities. But you never know what might happen. And I like to think about everything that *might* happen. Like alarms not going off on time (setting 2 alarms each helped prevent that mishap), traffic on the way (which he hit a bad patch of but still made it on time), spilling something on himself before he got there (no, he looked impeccable on arrival) or the interviewer being just plain difficult (he was fine). I think too much.

The big morning came and as he headed out the door I stopped him for one quick picture. He hates having his picture taken like this, but loves me enough to smile and let me capture the moment. Isn’t he sooooo handsome!?

He was accepted! In just a few weeks Travis will begin Golden West College’s Police Academy Class #144. I am so proud of him and can’t wait to go through all of the trials and tribulations that lay ahead for us in this process.

“I Fought the Law” by The Clash

As per my usual technology addicted morning ritual, I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was reach for my iPhone. As I scrolled through Facebook to see what everyone had been up to during the 8 hours I’d been asleep I came across my sweet friend Kym Smith’s exciting post:

Today in a few short hours I will no longer be a Smith, but I will be Mrs. Bussman!!! John and I are making it legal on Leap Day at the courthouse and will follow it with a big wedding at the end of the year! I am so excited to marry my best friend and love him so much! YAY!!!!!

I immediately texted her to see if she had already arranged for someone to be there to take their photographs. I know they plan on having what I’m sure will be a drop dead gorgeous formal wedding with all their friends and family at the end of the year – but this small civil ceremony is still important. I was thrilled when she said I could join them to photograph their ceremony.

John and Kym, thank you for letting me capture these images of you two! You made my Leap Year so very special and unforgettable. I was thrilled to be your witness and to be a part of the very beginning of what I’m certain will be a beautiful and blessed marriage for you. Enjoy celebrating with your friends and family tonight! Congratulations!!!   — Katie

“You and Me” by Dave Matthews Band

Hailey is graduating this year and I was thrilled to shoot these senior portraits for her. The schools no longer allow you to submit your own photos for the yearbook, but many seniors still choose to have their portraits taken by someone other than the school photographer – just so they can have images that reflect their personality a bit better.

We made our way through downtown Fullerton and then over to Hillcrest Park during our time during the shoot. I had a lot of fun talking with Hailey and her mom and remembered what a fun and exciting time my senior year in high school was.

Hailey, thank you for the opportunity to spend a beautiful Saturday morning with you. Enjoy the last few months of your senior year – they really do go by so fast! I hope you enjoy these pictures! – Katie

“Young Forever” by Jay-Z

Merry Christmas! This is my family’s Christmas Card photo this year – and I love it! We took the picture on my parents’ front porch. My very sweet boyfriend kindly took the photo for us. My brother gets married this year so this is the last Christmas Card that will feature just the four of us! I’m looking forward to adding his beautiful fiance into future pictures.

I hope everyone has a very, very merry Christmas. Enjoy your family, friends, and good food. Take lots of pictures!

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

Matt and Dianne are expecting a little girl and I was thrilled they asked me to capture some maternity portraits for them. I loved this spot they found by their home in Chino Hills. The park was simple and lent very well to showcasing the sweetness between Matt and Dianne, and Dianne’s growing belly! I can’t wait to meet Maddie – I’m sure she’ll be very photogenic, just like her parents.

“Good Life” by One Republic