Earlier this week I had the chance to go to gorgeous Huntington Beach to meet up with another one of my engaged friends from graduate school, Debbie, and her husband-to-be, Ken! I’ve met Ken casually a time or two, but this was the first time I really got to spend time with both Debbie and Ken at the same time. They seem to be a wonderfully relaxed, chill couple, so it was only fitting that we hit the beach to take their pictures! The two chose Huntington Dog Beach so that they could also bring along their adorable dog, Rocco, to include in some of the pictures. (In actuality, he spent most of his time playing in the water and with other dogs.) It was a fun afternoon spent by the beautiful ocean, with a beautiful couple! (:

I love the look on peoples’ faces when I bust out one of my film cameras. I have a Polaroid 600 and several Lomography toy cameras. The following photos were shot with my Polaroid and my Holga 135BC (35mm).

Shooting with film honestly makes me anxious. Although I grew up with film cameras, I’ve been spoiled by digital photography and the ease of reproducing and retaking photos. For me, I feel like shooting film is like a lesson on how to accept the unexpected. Sometimes pictures come out, sometimes they don’t… and you can’t find out until the film has developed. Even “instant” cameras like the Polaroid can’t show you results as fast as a digital camera can. Regardless of how anxiety-provoking film can be for me, I still enjoy the results so much. I’m still (re)learning how to shoot with film, so there isn’t much to share–but I love what I do have. More lofi photos to come in the future, I’m sure!

I’m 25! My birthday was on Saturday. Here’s a picture of some cupcakes + birthday candles from a get together for a bunch of March babies that night. [:

My mom’s birthday was last Saturday, so we had a family get-together at my grandparents’ place. I took the opportunity to dig my camera out of the closet, since it’s been untouched since December of last year. Here’s a shot of my sister playing guitar. Check out her (former?) band on iTunes here.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Krystle & Art in Ontario to take their engagement photos! I’ve known Krystle for about two years now, but this was the very first time I met Art. Krystle is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and Art is a perfect match for her. The two of them were constantly talking, laughing, and dancing–it was instantly apparent how great they are together. I found myself saying, “You two are super cute!” over and over again. I had tons of fun spending my morning with them (it was especially fun to take pictures in the In-N-Out where they met) and I was very honored that they asked me to capture their love in photographs! (:

Today I traveled to Ontario, California to take engagement photos for my friend from grad school, Krystle, and her fiancé, Art! While Krystle and I were discussing locations for their shoot, we discovered that we both had the idea of going to the In-N-Out where she and Art met. Here’s one of my favorite shots from our time at their In-N-Out! Full previews on the way soon. (:

This morning I did a laid back shoot with my friend, Kat, and her almost-4-year-old daughter, Amelie. She needed a photo for her Christmas card, so hopefully she’ll find something suitable among the photos we took today!

Kat and I have been friends since she was 16 (I was 14 at the time), and I am so fortunate and happy that we have remained friends over the years! I’ve seen her go through so many major milestones in life and now I am seeing her beautiful daughter grow up right before my eyes, too! It was lots of fun hanging out in the park, taking pictures of Amelie, and catching up with Kat. What a lovely way to spend my Saturday morning. (:

Here are some of the shots from today!

(Season’s) Greetings! I clearly haven’t been up to much photography since August. My poor dSLRs have been quite neglected the last three months. Fortunately, yesterday, after work, I made a quick trip to Disneyland for the Annual Passholder’s Holiday Fantasy Event! This is a bokeh shot of Small World all decked out for the holidays.

I, personally, very much enjoy taking blurry shots during the holiday season. I love the little balls of color and light. Sometimes I prefer things when they’re not quite clear. [:

Hopefully I’ll use my camera more so I can use this blog more! I’ll try to shoot more and post more!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Brooke & Chris at the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. I met Chris a little over 2 years ago at interviews for our graduate school program and we became friends while attending grad school together. I remember the first time he told me the story of how he and Brooke met–I instantly awwww-ed because of how his face absolutely lit up when he talked about her. They complement each other well and are adorable together. I felt so fortunate that they entrusted me to capture the day devoted to celebrating their ENDLESS love. (;

Oh. My. Goodness.

I am not usually big on dessert. However, every so often–every month or two–I will go on a sweets binge. Well, not a real binge; I just crave sweet things. I try not to give into the cravings most of the time, but I’ve been weak this week. Also, I’m out of town, so I kind of used my traveling as an excuse to eat sweets.

I’m currently up in San Francisco and decided that I wanted to give a local cookie bakeshop a try. I took the BART from my hotel to 24th and walked over to Anthony’s Cookies on Valencia.

I ended up buying a half dozen cookies: 2 cookies & cream, 1 oatmeal raisin, 1 pecan chocolate chip, 1 toffee chip, and 1 cinnamon spice. (That last picture was taken after I’d already devoured the oatmeal raisin [and I don't even like raisins] and one of the cookies & cream cookies.)

From their Yelp reviews, it seems that the cookies & cream cookie is kind of like their go-to/signature cookie. And understandably so–it tastes like a soft, chewy Oreo. But better. (I was going to say it tasted like warm cookies & cream ice cream, but that sounds gross.) It is amazing! Plus, all of their cookies are perfectly baked… crisp edges with a chewy center. Mmmm. I’m tempted to eat another one right now! X=

Honestly, their cookies are so delicious. I’m kind of sad that they’re so far away from where I live. I think I’m going to have to try to recreate this cookie at home!

*EDIT: I just bit into the cinnamon spice cookie and had to update this entry. It tastes like Christmas in my mouth. (Cinnamon reminds me of Christmas, I don’t know why.) I am such a happy girl right now.