photographer {emily ulmer}

emily and i were destined to meet.  i was first introduced to the utterly amazing work of emily ulmer by a good friend of ours almost two years ago.  she had shot our friend's kids and her photos were stunning.  the images just captured them beautifully in such a suspension of a moment.  i started following her work and noticed she had taken lots of photos of friends' children.  her images are so unique, deep and seem to absolutely capture the essence of the child she's photographing.

recently, bea's godfather posted a photo of himself & bea on instagram and emily commented on the photo saying that she wanted her "camera to meet {her}."  a few days after that, i was at my dear friend elizabeth's house and she mentioned off-hand that she had written a note to her friend emily and told her about bea and that she needed to photograph her...

some things are just meant to be...the connections were bringing us closer.  we managed to meet in person and emily offered to photograph bea.  this month, we had the honor of having emily in our home, we spent a few hours together, with the morning light filtering through the windows, chatting and laughing, while she photographed bea.  she was so easy and comfortable with bea...it was like she just opened up for emily and let her inside her world.

if you are lucky enough to live in the los angeles area, emily is offering a special rate for holiday portraits...1 hour session for 4 prints.  please feel free to contact emily at info@emilyulmer.com to capture the beautiful moments in your little's life.  not only will you get to have some amazing photos, you'll enjoy the time spent with emily as she's truly a treasure.

{photo credit:  emily ulmer}

family photography

a few months back, we were lucky enough to have the super talented jamie street, the blogger behind a desert fete and one half of the wedding photography sensation rad + in love, come and take some gorgeous family photos.

her documentary style is not only gorgeous, but so thoughtful as well.  she seems to capture the perfect moments.

if you are in the southern california area, and want some family photos in time for the holidays...definitely check out her mini sessions coming up.

check out the natural setting...so sweet.  if you're lucky enough to be in san diego, don't miss out.  if you are considering traveling in the socal area, it's worth the drive.

rad + in love

i'm so thrilled to see that my dear friend jamie has launched her new photography business rad + in love.  check out their amazing pics of a recent wedding at korakia pensione in palm springs...breathtakingly beautiful...

these gals are ones to watch...hmmm...can we get married again so they can shoot it??

hot tip for new yorkers: they will be in new york in june 2012...no travel fees...pretty sweet deal.

{photo credit: rad + in love}

ps. i love that they are bringing back the word RAD!  that's hella cool...

other folks weddings: {malia & michelle}

i'm thrilled to feature this gorgeous wedding that took place last year on september 25...a lovely desert wedding at the ever so fabulous ace hotel in palm springs.  disclaimer:  i've known malia {in suit} since the early 1990's and i'm over the moon that she found michelle, the girl for her.  this relaxed, joyous wedding is full of love and fun... and i adore michelle's vintage style and yes, malia is woman who wears men's clothes...and wears them well! so get yourself a tasty beverage that reminds you of the relaxed summer vibe that this wedding emits, think sunny california desert thoughts and toast to malia and michelle!

how long were you together before you got married?

we have known each since the mid 90s but were a couple for about two years before we got married.

did you diy anything?  what did you leave to vendors?

we did the save the dates ourselves...our invitations were done custom by kimberly austin at austinpress in san francisco.  our beautiful flowers and the decor were done by luna at arrangements design in palm springs.  both ladies were a complete treat to work with and really understood what we wanted!

tell me about the day{s}.

we got married on sept 25 2011 at the ace hotel in palm springs...we love going there year round so we thought it would be perfect to have the wedding there...lots of happy times there for us...we had about 120 friends and family from all parts of the world join...we pretty much took over the hotel for the week! it felt really special to see all our loved ones in one giant magical place. the day of the wedding was filled with swimming, eating, the ceremony, and lots of dancing and more swimming! and a ton of love!!!

how did you approach the planning process?

we have a wonderful friend heather who can arrange parties with her eyes closed!so thankfully she helped us! also taneka at the ace hotel helped with arranging everything dealing with the space and vendors and the delicious food!!! 

what was important?

music!!! luckily the wonderful zach cowie lent us his talent for the night! no one wanted to stop dancing! it was awesome because the space had a private pool so people could dance and jump in the pool too.  zach really took time out of his crazy music world life to understand what we wanted to dance to and it turned out perfect!

what was your favorite part of the day?
the unreal amount of love that everyone brought...sounds cheesy but it was really so sweet...

one piece of advice?

just really enjoy each part of the planning and relax on the day of...it goes by really quick!

{photographer: eyla cuenca}

{dj: zach cowie}

{flowers & decor: luna at arrangements design}

beatrice's first photo shoot

yes, more pictures of beatrice! beatrice and her friend memphis had their first photo shoot last week with the amazingly talented mimi haddon. i'm so grateful we were able to get some fabulous photos. and i especially love the moms behinds the scenes photo...i am *not* a stage mom...

that said, don't you think beatrice needs an agent?

{all photos mimi haddon}

finally, introducing the bump...

...32 weeks along...so close and so big!

{photo credits: these photos were taken by the amazing planet swan. vintage 1930's slip from the butler's cottage {the place where i bought my wedding dress}; cameo from la marquis des anges}

paris catacombs

i just found out that one of my paris photos was included in the schmap guide to paris! {this is how it will look on the iphone.} i still however need to do my paris entry on the blog...coming soon...i promise! saving the best for last...

{photo by me}

pimped out bike

now why couldn't i do this with my helmet?!?

{photo credit: feather love photography}

happy birthday, romy

it's romy's birthday today! happy birthday to a super-talented photographer and dear friend. romy is a friend from way back and one of those all around talented ladies. if she weren't *in* my wedding {oh yeah, she sings too!}, she would have shot my wedding. she should shoot *your* wedding! if you want a rock'n'roll eye documenting your day, she's your lady. she shot a beautiful portrait of me and patty...love.

check out her awesome photo blog here and website here. not only does she have an amazing visual eye, she can sure whip up a mean breakfast {brunch at romy's is always a treat. if you are lucky, you'll get an invite someday}. for her recipes {mindful munchies}, check out this blog...happy birthday, my friend!

{photo credit: by romy suskin, of course!}

rip shawn mortensen

last week, we lost an amazingly talented photographer.  if you are a music fan, you've seen his work.   from supertouch:

A kinetic force of optimism and seemingly limitless positive energy, Shawn’s hearty career as a photojournalist and artist took him around the world several times over, unselfishly spreading his endless supply of good vibes as he went. Particularly renowned for his portraits of musicians, artists, and entertainers, Shawn photographed a stunning array of pop culture demigods in his 20+ year career including Keith Haring, Tupac, Henry Rollins, James Brown, The Notorious BIG, Bjork, Jun Takahashi, Leo Fitzpatrick, Christopher Wool, Mark Gonzales, Ed Ruscha, Vivienne Westwood, The Bad Brains, Dash Snow, Grandmaster Flash, Neil Young, MIA, John Lee Hooker, Nigo, Sofia Coppola, Agnes B., Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, Keith Richards, Chloe Sevigny, The Foo Fighters, Everlast, Kraftwerk, Wu Tang Clan, and The Sex Pistols, to name but a few.

some favorites below and great tributes here and here.  rest in peace.