We have had the honor of photographing different horses and their owners this year at Peacock Hill Equestrian Center and last month we hosted our second photoshoot marathon! Enjoy these photos!
[Picture Life] Welcome baby Nayden! | Orange County Family Photographer
Rest in Peace Michael Powell
It is with a heavy heart that I write this post.
Michael Powell was a fellow photographer, an avid hiker, healthy Paleo eater, musician, and most importantly, my friend. On Oct 19th news broke out on Facebook that Michael had died on Oct. 18th after submitting Mt. Whitney late Oct 17th. Michael was young (36), and so full of life. I still feel hurt and angry knowing he was taken from this world far too early. He wasn't able to climb all the mountains he wanted to, or create all the music he planned to, and he and I will never be able to work together again. But I take comfort in the fact that he was doing what he loved and he was in a good place in life. As his mother put it, "he had no unfinished business."
Michael let me interview him for a documentary I made earlier this year in which he talked about his struggles with weight, and how he had found a healthy lifestyle he really enjoyed: Paleo diet and hiking for exercise.
As a "Thank You" for his time, we set up a photoshoot this summer for new headshots/promo photos for his photography business. He was such a kind and supportive soul. There was so much promise in his photography work and music. I'm glad I got to spend time with him while he graced the earth with his wonderful spirit.
On Sunday November 6th, over 300 people gathered at Irvine Park in Orange, CA to Celebrate the life of Michael Powell. It was a beautiful event filled with potluck style food, friends of Michael from different times in his life, photographs that people brought to share, and of course, stories upon stories honoring this great man. I wish I knew him longer and knew him more. You will be missed my friend.
Thank you for checking out these photos. It means a lot to me to be able to share something personal with the world and be able to express my grief through photographs.
BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE!
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because I enjoy the thrill of putting together a costume.
I decided a month ago that I wanted to be Beetlejuice this year since my hair was kinda green.
So then it became a matter of putting together my costume since I don't like buying packaged costumes (unless it's perfect like my Peter Pan Costume haha) I bought my pants at Forever 21, tank top at Target, and tie at Party City. I owned the jacket already. Special effects make up was purchased at Spirit Halloween: white cream, green grease, purple and black eyeshadow, liquid latex, and brown browshadow (pre-owned). Shout out to my friend Amanda Fonseca for instructing me on how to achieve make up I wanted!
Lastly, my roots had grown out and I needed them green (plus I needed a hair trim) so I went to Jessica at Gold & Braid Salon in Mission Viejo, CA and I was thrilled with the results of a green shadow root and silver ends.
Halloween has been twice as fun the last 4 years since I have been able to dress up with my significant other. This year we went as gender-bending Beetlejuice and Lydia Deets. We celebrated Halloween at our friend Ali's birthday party and we had a fun little photoshoot.
My husband Chris had all the clothes and hat already so I bought some black lace for a veil, created a polaroid, and he borrowed my 35mm camera (I couldn't find my polaroid camera!).
How was your Halloween? Who did you dress up as?
Amy & Taylor
Amy and I met a couple years ago through a mutual friend and we immediately bonded over our mutual love of The Walking Dead and photography. Amy has second shot for a few weddings of mine and she's an excellent photographer and mother. We recently got together with her 3yr old, Taylor, to have a video shoot where the two of them would dress up like princesses, have a tea party, and play.
The beginning of the session was not a pretty one. Taylor was quite unhappy with her choice of dress and to put it bluntly, she was throwing a tantrum and having a bad attitude. We almost gave up on doing the shoot that day. But after spending some time away from me and with her mom in the car, Taylor calmed down and was ready to play. Oh the joys of having a toddler right?
Despite the hiccup in the beginning, the rest of the evening was perfect. The sun had just gone down over the hill so lighting was perfect and the two of them were just adorable playing together.
Enjoy this video:
If you are interested in booking a lifestyle video or photo session, don't hesitate to contact me
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Happy Sweet Sixteen Birthday Gilmore Girls!
Today marks 16 years since the premiere of my favorite TV show, Gilmore Girls. Netflix sponsored a country-wide takeover in various coffee shops to transform them into Luke's Diner for the first half of the day. For those that don't know this show, it's a dramedy (drama/comedy) centered around the everyday lives of a close knit mother-daughter pair in a small town surrounded by beautifully quirky people over the span of 7 years. Luke's Diner is a vital part of the Gilmore girls' daily routine where they get some coffee, help themselves to the occasional donut, and tease the owner, Luke.
It was a lovely morning spent with one of my favorite people, at a temporary version of our favorite fictional coffee shop/diner. Hope you enjoyed this personal blog post.
Feel free to leave a comment and share your personal favorite Gilmore girls quote, character, moment, or your pick for Rory's partner. #TeamJess
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Liz Anne Hill pt. II
Liz Anne Hill pt. I
My best friend Liz is making her first country record and so I took some photos of her and her horse Cairo to help promote! If you enjoy the tunes of Reba McEntire and Kacey Muscgraves then this girl's music is for you!
Follow her on Instagram to get updates.
- Sarah C.