24

Go shawty, It's my birthday. I'm gonna party like its my birrrthhhhday. Yup, that just happened because heeeeeyyy I am a shorty. Booya!

Yes, today is my 24th birthday. I know what you're thinking. "24? Shut up. You look like your're 14." Well guess what, I really am 24 years old. Please don't ask me to whip out my id and tell me that it's fake because I don't look old enough. (YES, YOU Lady at the post office!)

I'm sitting here in our room at the Clift and I'm watching the most amazing sunrise. Chris told me that the sunrise is just for me. And because it's my birthday, Id like to believe that ;) But last night during birthday eve dinner, I looked at Chris and told him that I loved him. Told him that I'm so happy because I'm living the life that I want. I'm happy, I'm in love, and I'm doing what I love. That's all I need. It's the best present that I could ever ask for on this 24th birthday. I then proceeded to stuff my face with churros and ice cream for dessert to celebrate my happiness. You know, because I've been told that calories don't count if you celebrate your birthday 3 days in a row. Birthday eve. Birthday. Birthday after :) You better believe I'll be eating cupcakes this weekend.

So heres to a wonderful day. Not only because it's my birthday, but because everyday should be spent doing things that make you happy. And today, I'll do just that! You should too because...

"you don't have to have a crown to be the queen"- Anthony from Project Runway

Happy Birthday to others that were born today, and Happy Saturday!

San Francisco Portraits: Kristy Uzelac

Kristy holds a special place in my heart. She's a dear friend, and the reason Chris and I met the way we did. But thats a story for another day. Fast forward to last week. Kristy emails me and tells me that she'll be in town and wanted some photos done. And of course, I coudn't turn her down. Knowing Kristy, I knew she'd cook up some fabulous ideas for her shoot. And was I right? Alwayys! duh :)

Kristy is like a big sister to me, and someone I've always looked up to. A woman with many talents, she shines at everything that she does. She's a designer, a singer, a guitarist. She's funny, she's intelligent, she's lovable. She's beautiful, she's stylish, and her jetta smells like crayons. But what jetta doesn't? Who cares! I love jettas that smell like crayons.

In summary, I love you Kristy. I'm so happy we got the chance to play for a bit and get you in front of my camera. My new camera loves you and is so happy that you were the first person she got to capture. I can't wait til your next visit to San Francisco, but until then...I hope you enjoy these. XO

Click here for a slideshow (yes I know it says Kirsty, oopsies!)

Here are some of my favorites...

And this...this was Kristy's fabulous idea for her shoot

My favorites from her session are the ones of her laughing. Gorgeous!

Uhh..yeah. Gorg!

She's not laughing, but this is another fav ;)

We found this railroad track and I just haddddd to shoot.

Did I mention that Kristy is a model too? :)

LOVE the lighting here

There is that beautiful laugh/smile

Happy Friday!

JOIE

When I started my internship, I had a desk and drawer filled with goodies. Lots of post its in different colors, lots of pens, lots of pins, lots of pencils, lots of office goodies that made my heart skip a beat because I'm a nerd. There was also a stack of cards that stated the following...

WEAR AN OLD PAIR OF JEANS. TAKE A WALK ON THE BEACH. BUY SOME FRESH FLOWERS. TREAT YOURSELF TO SOMETHING SWEET. ENJOY THE SUNRISE. PAY THE BRIDGE TOLL FOR THE CAR BEHIND YOURS. GIVE UP YOUR SEAT ON THE BUS. TAKE A BUBBLE BATH. SMILE MORE. RIDE A CABLE CAR. CONTACT AN OLD FRIEND. TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH HE OR SHE MEANS TO YOU. CREATE JOY. - joy of life club, joie de vivre

I took one of these cards home and its currently on my desk. I read it every time. Every single time. Because it's the little things that make the world go round. And it's a good reminder to always create joy for ourselves, and to those around us. So go do it. Give Joy! Because lets face it, happiness is like a table covered with cupcakes. Who wouldn't want at least one bite? ;)

Photographs make me happy. Below is a sneak peak of the session I'm working on...

Enjoy!

Just a little love note

Chris has always written me love notes. Always. Ever since we started dating, they'd pop up out of nowhere on my pillow. Inside my macbook. In packages he puts in my suitcase whenever I travel alone. Our engagement. Always. He does them now, and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll write them until we're old and gray. Together.

Yesterday, as I walked out of my building to head home. There he was, standing there holding a note. A little love note that he wrote while he waited patiently for me at starbucks across the street. Lucky for me because I left my keys at home. And there he was, saving the day. With just a little love note. And keys.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this post. But I do know how it feels to be loved. How it feels when someone tells you that they love you. How it feels to give and receive that same love back. So to those who read this very post today, tell someone you love them. Because sometimes, that's all they need to hear. Sometimes, it's all they need to put a smile on their face. Sometimes, it means a lot more than I'm sorry. Tell them because you love you them. Tell them because you mean it. Always.

Happy Friday!

Gnoss Field Session: Alisa and Sean

It was simple. Two people, myself, and a camera. That's all I wanted. But one night before bed, I started to think hard about what I really wanted. After all, this shoot was for myself. I wanted to make something beautiful. Step out of the box and get creative. But I thought too hard and I couldn't come up with anything. The next morning, I woke up and it hit me. I dreamt it. It happened in my head while I was sleeping. Two people. Airport. Airplane. And the rest is history...

I know the importance for us photographers to shoot for ourselves. I didn't put this together because I was asked to. I put it together because I wanted to. Being behind a camera brings me happiness, and I...I wanted to create something for me. I don't have the words to say how I felt that day. To see it come to life. It was incredible. And I'm happy and grateful that I had the chance to make it happen.

Complete coincidence, but this is my 100th blog post. I like to think that it was meant to be that way. Because to me, the 100th blog post should be special. And this shoot, it's my something special...

Many thanks to those who helped make my vision turn reality. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I truly, can't thank you enough.

Models: Alisa Grant and Sean Leon

Photography: Gladys Jem

Assistant: Chris Allen

Dress: Jenny Han

Stylist: Hannah Yanow and Gladys Jem

Bouquet: Lynn Allen

Bi-plane: Tom Ryan and Rich Gaines

Coordinator: Joe Allen

*after this shoot, we went to a field and shot some more. in different outfits of course :) will blog those soon!

Happy Saturday!

Something to get me through the week

I swear to you, the weekends fly by much faster than weekdays which is LAME. To even things out, weekends should be a full Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Not just get off at work late Friday and then Saturday and Sunday. That's just how I'd like it at least :)

Here is a sneak peak of what I did this Sunday. I can't wait to share it with you because this shoot had me squealing, shrieking, and just overall happy. And yes...I know how lucky I am to shoot with a beautiful bi-plane. Ok ok, Alisa and Sean too ;)

HAPPY MONDAY!

Wedding Wednesdays: Wedding Blogs

I love being engaged because I can relate to my brides. I too, am planning a wedding and I know how tough it is to make decisions about your big day. I mean hello! You are reading the blog of the girl who changed her wedding colors 3943947 times until her fiance finally said "We really need to stick with one because we need to set up a meeting with a florist soon!" Easy for him to say, he won't be holding a bouquet ;)

Let's be honest, planning a wedding isn't the easiest thing in the world. So many decisions to make, plenty of flowers to choose from, and we can't forget the most important part...what flavor will the cake be? ;) I know for me, the biggest challenge so far was picking out colors. I spent hours and hours online looking at inspiration boards on wedding blogs. I know for a fact that my sister spent hours and hours online looking at inspiration boards as well. I have proof if you'd like to see it. EMAILS galore! But besides having those close to you help, one tool that has helped me out a lot with planning and inspiration are wedding blogs.

I don't know if you remember, but a couple of posts ago I blogged about finally deciding on our colors. This happened one Sunday afternoon. Chris was taking a nap and I was going crazy on Style Me Pretty. I went through pages and pages until I stumbled upon a fall inspired affair by Custom Event Group. It hit me like a trolley car on California street and I knew just by looking at the photos what our color palette was going to be. Ever since then, I haven't gone crazy with colors in my head. (Thank you Style Me Pretty!)

Another favorite blog of mine is the Wedding Chicks. Here you'll find everything that is pretty. Pretty, DIY, and pretty DIY. I love love love this blog and I love the two ladies that run it even more. (Hi Jocey and Amy!) I did a workshop with them in January, and they are fabuloso! One DIY in particular that I love from the blog are the DJ request cards. For brides who don't want just a clipboard with a piece of paper for song requests, these cards are just for you. I know I love them. Plus they say "Hey Mr. DJ, Play a song for me!" Fabulous right?

Besides the two blogs I mentioned above, here are a couple more I love. I check these blogs daily to find inspiration for my wedding, or because I just love anything wedding related :) And to my brides reading my blog, if you haven't gone on these blogs...go now! Pretty please :)

Green Wedding Shoes

Ruffled Blog

Lolliblog

100 Layer Cake

P.S. Pictured above is the Modern Bride Survival Guide Book. LOVE it!

The Perfect Day

It happened. This weekend. My perfect day happened and it was everything I dreamed of and more. You see...I've had this vision of a perfect day. And this Sunday, I lived it...

The sun gleamed through the windows as the city started to rise. With the street noise as my alarm clock, I rose from bed and opened the blinds to let in more sunshine. It was one of those days in the city, when the sun shines brighter than usual. I gave Chris a kiss and wished him a good morning.

We rise and get ready for our weekend routine, morning walks to the ferry building. I grab the camera and head out the door. Hand in hand, we walk the empty morning sidewalks of California Street. Enjoying the sunshine, we walk. We talk, we laugh, I snap photos, and we watch the half empty trolley cars pass us by.

Overlooking the water, we eat eggs and talk about our passions for creating. Movies, photographs, you name it. We talk, we laugh, I snap photos. Afterwards, we head back inside and I spend some time deciding on what fragrant flowers to purchase for our apartment. This time, it's dried lavender. Perfect for our new place. We wander around some more until it's time to head back.

We spend the rest of the day relaxing. Drives through the Marin headlands, and a home cooked meal with a movie to boot. More talking. More laughing. As the day comes to the end, I smile to myself and thank the Lord for the simplest day. A day with sunshine. With talking. With laughing. With snapping. With Chris.

p.s. can I be more in love with the light in our apartment? no. it's simpy divine :)