Destination Wedding in Capri, Italy at the JK Place, Capri Hotel

I'm super excited about the wedding of Stefanie and Gil for so many reasons, I don't even know where to start. I've said this before and I'll say it again, but the number one reason I love being a wedding photographer is for the people I meet, work with and become friends with. There are so many amazing couples that I've shot weddings for and are now my friends. I see babies come and families grow, I absolutely love it!

Stefanie and Gil treat me like one of their special guests and I haven't even met them in person yet! From all of the correspondence I've gotten from their guests and friends, this is going to be an amazing gathering of friends and family. Here's a fun fact... Stefanie, aka Fawni is an accomplished singer and artist signed with Sony BMG! They're having karaoke one night and now there's no way I'm picking up that mic!



I will be shooting their wedding on the island of Capri in Italy at the JK Capri Hotel, with wedding activites scheduled for 5 days! The JK Place is an amazing hotel rated "Hotel of the Year" in the Tatler Travel Guide 2008.



Stefanie and Gil are also excited because Your Wedding Day Magazine is doing an exclusive feature on this wedding. YWD is a destination wedding and lifestyle magazine and online publication. With engaging editorial, stunning photography, compelling graphics, and contributions by the industry’s finest, YWD provides their discriminating readers—brides and grooms, their parents, and their wedding professionals—with innovative and elegant ideas as well as a full complement of resources to make their wedding day a stylish occasion. YWD is a beautiful magazine so make sure to look for it on the stands!



This is going to be an amazing destination wedding so check back for updates!

Heather and Andy's Engagement Session in Santa Ynez

I had the honor of shooting Heather and Andy's engagement session this past weekend at a few wineries in Santa Ynez. They're getting married at a winery next summer so Santa Ynez was a perfect place for the shoot! Karen and Craig with KDC Photography, Heather, Andy and I all went up to Santa Ynez yesterday and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Too bad the grapes were super young but wineries are always beautiful places to visit.

I'm so happy for these guys and they're such an incredible couple. Here are a few favs and their slide show. To view this slide show outside of the blog, go here.

2008 Santa Barbara County Wedding Directory

So here's some really exciting news. I've recently teamed up with Cade Carper of Open Door Directories to create the 2008 Santa Barbara County Wedding Directory. This is going to be the most comprehensive Wedding Directory anyone has ever seen! Any and every resource a couple could need to plan their wedding in Santa Barbara County will be in one place.

Ventura County's directory was a huge success and this magazine is going to be even better. This directory will have a circulation of 60,000 issues distributed all year long throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Montecito and Santa Ynez. With full color images printed on heavy stock paper, this magazine is nicer than most national magazines out there for sale.

I did a preliminary design for the cover for everyone to check out. The bride pictured below is Stephanie Lodge. She was married in Hollywood, CA last September and is the founder of Zencierge, the first and only luxury concierge service in the world to look at lifestyle management from both a holistic living and earth-conscious approach. She's pretty amazing so make sure to visit her site.

I'll keep everyone updated on when this directory will be released. If you'd like to be added to a mailing list, go ahead and email me so you can have one sent out to you as soon as it's printed! Also, email me if you're interested in advertising in the directory. They're filling up fast so let me know soon.

Clarification (from a reputable source) for the rules of calling "Shotgun!"

This is so funny. I got this email the other day and I'm so glad that the rules are now clear. I grew up with two older brothers so this was a game that I always lost!

Portrait Session with Dr. Jacqueline Richard, psy.d.

I had a wonderful shoot this past weekend with Dr. Jacqueline Richard. She is working on some ad work and is also updating her site so we shot a portrait session. She was a wonderful model and is such an interesting lady! We had a great session! If any couples out there ever thought about meeting with someone like Dr. Richard, make sure to give her a call, she's a fantastic lady!

Here are some of my favs.

Figueroa Mountain Wildflowers email

I wanted to share this email from my good friend and business partner Melissa. The pictures are amazing!

The subject of the email was... Wildflowers in honor of an innocent squirrel.

"I went to Figueroa Mountain in Los Padres Forest above Los Olivos yesterday for a little solitude (spa health people!). The hike was great, but I think biking would be better. The wildflowers are at their peak and I thought you would like to see a few good pics -- looking at the photos makes you want to frollick naked in the fields, doesn't it? Well, maybe the thought of ticks or poison oak scares you, so maybe not. Aside from running over a squirrel in my miata, it was a great day -- not too hot, not too cold and really nice views."

Las Vegas Boudoir Shoot with Brittney Palmer

During the WPPI convention in Las Vegas, I had the honor of being one of the photographers at a boudoir shoot sponsored by Flosites and Pixel2Canvas. Brittney Palmer of Las Vegas was one of the models for the evening. She was such a doll and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Brittney, call me anytime if you need any photography work done! Here are some of my favs.

My Skater Niece and Nephew, Sarah and Jordan

Every once in a while, I get to keep the kids with me over night and it's called "Camp UR", which stands for camp uncle Ricky. I love having them over, they're so much fun. Well, they're really into skateboarding so here are some pics of them being goofy on their boards.

What's so great about these kids is that they are best friends. They get along so well and never.... well I guess I shouldn't say never, but very rarely fight. I love these kids!