where do i start with this one.
i'll start by telling you that something about the breakfast hour just moves me.
also, something about eating a meal together.... it moves me.
its my favorite thing.
my ideal date.
my favorite way to spend time with people.

therefore,
i love that becky and carsten decided to begin their engagement session at the king's road cafe in LA.   a breakfast engagement session.  so lovely.

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carsten, here's some uta barthe inspired work for you,
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hot? yes.
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i remember wondering if this was worth taking a picture of, which is a silly question to ask myself, but hey.  here's my inner dialogue on display.  and now its one of my favorites, which was inevitable i think.
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becky, you are honestly, so pretty.  effortlessly and uniquely, pretty.
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after breakfast we went to the LACMA. an engagement session at the LACMA? give it to me.
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bird's eye views get me every time. love this (1 for those who are counting,)
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love this, #2.  !!!!!!!!!

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Mary Kate Reynolds says:

Like-like-love-love :) :) :) :)

(12.29.09 @ 07:28 PM)
Mary Kate Reynolds says:

like-like-love-love :D

(12.29.09 @ 07:29 PM)
Szymon fotograf says:

love this details :)

(12.30.09 @ 12:50 AM)
Szymon fotograf says:

love this details :)

(12.30.09 @ 12:51 AM)
jennifer young says:

what a beautiful beautiful story you've created with the layout of pictures. so gorgeous!
j.

(12.31.09 @ 12:27 AM)
Ruthi says:

the birds eye and lamp posts are wonderrrrful!

(01.01.10 @ 12:41 PM)
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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hello hello.
here's a blast from the past,
my once a week fun look into sessions from a while ago.

alex and jane came over to my old apartment, tropicana, for their engagement session.  i had the vision of that pool shot for months, stirring in my head.  that's actually a polaroid, just the middle.  i love it.  i think i want to do more just-middles.

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MaeMae says:

pool reflection = life changing

(12.09.09 @ 07:33 PM)
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
beth and todd:
they love deeply and honestly
and treasure each other in such a unique way.

usually the first inquiry for wedding photos comes from the bride.
it's usually an email with a brief synopsis of their location and date, asking if i'm available.
well, with beth and todd it was different----
todd called me.
i love that.
and he shared their entire engagement story,
everything from the sailboat he rented them to the moment on the cliff when he got the ring out of his backpack and proposed.  i love engagement stories.... no matter how elaborate or simple (and theirs was ELABORATE!), they always move me.  that big pinnacle moment.... its a big deal. and i love hearing about it.

anyway.  so.
for their engagement session we went to their favorite park,
a place where they've walked and talked a million times it seems.
the familiar is so good.
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one of my favorites!
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lovely, perfect--------------
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thank you guys,
A+ :)
shannon
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jill says:

groom inquiries are the best :)
love the shot by the red barn!

(12.02.09 @ 05:43 AM)
marlin munoz says:

They look SO in love and you captured it perfectly!! Dig all the lovely light on the last image!

(12.02.09 @ 08:05 AM)
blythe says:

the colors! the light!

kudos, friend.

(12.02.09 @ 08:54 PM)
Carrie Allen says:

Great pics. I love them as a couple soooo much. They are the epitome of a couple who will glorify God in their marriage, and they wouldn't settle for anything less; I love it.

(12.14.09 @ 10:41 AM)
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
"so, when are you going to propose?"
"how about friday?"
"yeah i'm free"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> who gets engaged like this?
MARISA & TIM.

these two are special to me.
tim----- i met him my freshman year at biola and was in the same torrey group as him.  go olympia.
marisa------ we did our senior art shows together (she is an IN-CREDIBLE PAINTER!), had a yes-please theme, and loved our lives.  i love marisa.

when i found out that tim and marisa were dating i got kind of giddy.
it just seemed perfect.
and it is.
they were engaged at one of their favorite restaurants,
she cried so much there was a wet spot on his shirt,
and they will be married in june.
i couldnt be happier for them.
ahh!
its so fun.

and fyi: marisa made her headband and has also already hand-made a rad bouquet for her wedding.  amazing? i know.

on to our picture portion of the day.
we did their session at my house.
the pink house.
it was really relaxed.
really quirky.
really perfect.
i love the light in this room :::

okay----- this one is my FAVORITE. its a total mystery to me and i love it.
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and yeah.... i'm officially obsessed with my minolta autocord. (ie: film!)
0171m.jpgi've been using it at sessions lately as a way to stretch myself to view the world in a fresh way.
i honestly was really scared to bust it out.......
scared that i'd mess up and they'd all come out blank.
its film! no deleting! no checking the back of the camera!
but i think that's when the best art comes--- when you're a bit unsure.
it ended up being one of my favorite aspects of their session.
it caused me to slow down and really look. i love that.
here are the photos,

and to top it off,
look at her ring!
i cried when i saw it,
and i never do that.
this is a good one.
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so there you are. :)
i am off to my first holiday party of THE SEASON.
yeah yeah.
excited.
----  shan!

ps, check out marisa's paintings! you'll be inspired.



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brady says:

the ground glass of the tlr is one of your best ever!

(11.22.09 @ 07:08 AM)
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Friday, November 13, 2009
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natalie and alexander showed up to the pink house around 2 and we went to south pasadena to hang out and explore.  we discovered things i have never seen before, even though i live here and explore it often.  i love how the world has a constant supply of newness. 

next we had a vision of the pasadena tree-lined streets, and i decided to shoot a roll of 120 tmax 400 film on my minolta autocord, which is what is up above.  i love those shots.  grainy, earthy, real.  i love what film does to the world.  the color ones are in a fun little scroll-through gallery right below, so scroll through and enjoy :) click click.



natalie and xand-- you rocked the world with this session------- looked so rad, collaborated with me on ideas and shared who you are with each other and with me.  and.... natalie, you're gorgeous. ahh! xander = lucky!
 
and true confessions...... did you click through the color gallery?
do it!
--- shan


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blaire says:

i like the one where they're sitting in the street with their backs to you.

(11.13.09 @ 10:49 PM)
Erin says:

I love the feel of these photos, especially the ones taken with your minolta autocord! Beautiful!

(11.14.09 @ 02:10 PM)
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
first of all is the winner from yesterday's contest. i srolled up and down and up and down and the comment that was at the top of the box i decided would be the winner.

THE WINNER IS GINA!  email me your info, Gina!  your fun prize is a copy of this book called blur which i am obsessed with. it's from a company called lines and shapes.  perfect.
here's her answer, which MOVES ME! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Microplankton and microscopes. As if, were you to scoop up some slime from a NorCal pond and stick it under the lens, this might be what you see. A little organicness, a lot of complexity, and another world.



secondly, i have a new thing.  its called BLAST FROM THE PAST...... and once per week i am going to take you on journeys into my photographic past.  lots of you readers probably haven't been reading my blog for three years (if you have been....... love to you!), so i'm going to give you glimpses into some of my favorite sessions and weddings from the past few years.

this week is a special surprise though.... because i never posted this!
jacquelyn and matt did two engagement sessions----- because on their first one, i found out that matt had his pilot's license.  i freaked out and told him we had to do a 2nd session.  so we did.  we went to the fullerton airport and took a little 1 hour trip around LA.  life highlight!

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love this one --------------------------------------------------------
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and what makes this picture awesome? the fact that it has the griffith observatory in it!!!!!!!!!!
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Cafe Pasadena says:

I'm looking 4ward 2 your Blast from de Past postings! I hope you go back at least 20 yrs.

(10.27.09 @ 07:50 PM)
MaeMae says:

now my life is complete. no more amazing secret shoots!

(10.30.09 @ 11:35 PM)
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
i am going through all the photos i've ever taken for a fun retrospective book that i am in the process of creating.  a best-of book.  when i saw these i thought, wow.  is this job fun, or what? say hello to tiffany and allen and their cardboard city adventure in LA.

ps.  >> here's the post of their whole sesh on my old blog!
 

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Randy says:

Wow! I really love the shot of looking through the fence! It creates a really colorful pattern in the negative space. :)

(09.25.09 @ 04:09 PM)
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