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Nathalie and Tony: Phnom Penh Anniversary Shoot

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:04:10 -0700

Beginning of this year I was missing home. Tremendously. In particular, I was missing green grass (i'm not sure where this obsession with grass came from but it's here to stay) and the ocean. Salty, beach hair ocean. Luckily, I met Nathalie and Tony just in time. After their consultation, I ran to find TJ and gushed, "Babe, they remind me of home!" Afterwards, Nathalie wrote on my facebook page and said, "That's funny because we were just saying how you reminded us of our friends back home." Seriously. Raised a California girl, always a California girl!

Nathalie and Tony has this really awesome tradition that I hope TJ and I will start once we're married. Each year they get their photos taken for their anniversary. This year, their third anniversary, they were able to do two sessions, one in Phnom Penh and the other in Kep, a beautiful and rustic seaside town in Cambodia. We decided that they would dress more casual in the city, and then don wedding attire in Kep.

Places we visited in Phnom Penh: In front of the Royal Palace, Kandal Market for some dragon fruits and cyclo, Wat Phnom, the Royal University, and Olympic Stadium for some Khmer aerobics and sunset. I love Nathalie and Tony because they are super energetic, lovable, completely fun and game for anything! My kind of couple. Plus, it was a treat for T.J. and I to get out and explore Phnom Penh, our foster home!

I Feel At Home When...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:39:50 -0700

"Well how did you know?" I asked.

"I just knew," she replied.

"But how? HOW?" I insisted.

She just smiled and continued icing the cake. Last summer I was standing in Erica's kitchen and somehow we ended up talking about relationships. I remembered Erica telling me about meeting her husband and just knowing that he was the one. I'll be honest. I didn't get it. Excuse me. I'm slow. I needed a more practical answer, one that seemed logical. She never gave it to me. She didn't need to. When TJ and I got together, I knew. Don't ask me how I knew. I can't really explain this phenomenon. I just knew.

Fast forward to November. We were in Vietnam for a week long holiday. After exploring Ho Chi Minh City, TJ took me to a small beach town where we had simple, honest moments. Riding bikes to the fisherman's town, splashing in the rain, eating at the same two restaurants every day, and talking about where we wanted to be in ten years. Then early one morning, as I was getting ready for breakfast, he asked me to come sit next to him. He had his guitar out and said, "I want you to hear something new. Can you tell me what you think?" The song was about us. "I feel at home when..." After the song he made this cute speech and told me to reach into his shirt pocket. And there it was...my ring with an engraving that read "s. lemonade." We had joked that when we get old we'll sit on the porch together drinking homemade strawberry lemonade. Really. I can't imagine a more perfect person to grow old with. I said, "YES!" [my favorite word in the English language]. So now we're engaged. It has been two months and I love him more everyday. I can't wait for the wedding, but most importantly I can't wait to be married. I can't wait to say, "My husband..."

And now if you'll excuse me. I need to go dance around the room with my fiance.

Elisha + David + Kicking in 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:28:11 -0700

For our holiday, TJ and I went off to a secluded island called Koh Rong, two hours off the coast of Cambodia.

I'd like to tell you about the books we read.

I'd like to tell you about the content that went into our journals.

I'd like to tell you about how the beginning of 2011 was rocky and how I manage to come out of it alive, kicking and screaming. But very much alive.

I'd like to tell you about how it makes a whole world of difference when you're swimming in crystal clear turquoise water vs. a pool. Honest.

I'd like to tell you what it was like to live like Jane and Tarzan for 4 days (the treehouse was fun!)

I'd like to tell you about TJ's brilliant idea to take me kayaking on the rough seas and how I got seasick and how I wanted to yell at him but stopped because loud noises made my head hurt.

And I'd also like to tell you how at night he would hold me like he was afraid the sea wind would carry me away and how he would softly brush the hair out of my face.

But really there's not much time. There's life to be living. Love to be giving. And people to be enjoying. Life is changing fast these days and I really don't want to miss any of it.

So for now, enjoy this wedding that I had the pleasure of assisting for Lori Paladino at her brother's wedding. The wedding was held at the Historic Castle Green in Pasadena and had an old Hollywood feel that made me scream with delight. I think my heart did a happy dance when I saw Lucille Ball framed (do you know how much I love I LOVE LUCY?!). Everything was just beautiful and heartwarming. I am sure there was not a dry eye in the house.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Published: In Magazine Hong Kong

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:46:29 -0700

My schedule has gotten the best of me yet again, but this time I am going to let that go and admit that I'll never have it all together. I am starting to be fine with that realization. There are things that have been more pressing than blogging, or simply more important to sustain my happiness. Like family, like love, and date nights.

I remember the feeling I had this time of year last year. I had only been in Cambodia for a few weeks. I was alone. I had missed Thanksgiving with my family and was about to miss Christmas. It was a confusing time. There was a sense of feeling lost and strangely grounded at the same time. One foot on land and one foot mid air. I was certainly frightened and confused. I wasn't sure I had made the right decision to come to Cambodia. But there was also this knowledge that everything will eventually work out that made me feel okay with not being...okay.

And now it's been a year and life is good. Amazing even. I am beyond happy. I work with an awesome group of healing art therapists. My clients are Cambodian children who have gone through trauma and they are powerful, insightful, strong. I have wonderful wedding clients for 2012 and I can't wait to document their weddings and party (not too hard) with! I have a wonderful fiance (oh did I not ever tell you about our engagement?) and we're planning...well, planning on planning our wedding in 2013. So I can't complain about life. It has been so good to me.

Plus, Sonya of Bliss Creations emailed to let me know that Mary and Hugh's wedding has been published in a Hong Kong magazine called "In." It's been a little over a year but happy anniversary to Mary and Hugh. I'm thinking of you two. It was a wonderful day and I can't get over how lucky I was to have the honor to document your love.

Kelsy +Josh: Married. One Frame

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:16:59 -0700

"The wind plays with the leaves,

the weather turns colder,

but as long as we believe

love doesn't get older.

We could fly

you and I

on a cloud

kissing, kissing"

-Bliss

Ahh. The anticipation. So worth it.

You can see more of the wedding here.

Published: The Knot + Wedding Chicks

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:06:53 -0700

Things have been very exciting around here causing me to go around with a gigantic smile on my face. Mainly because I love November. It is by far my favorite month. Pumpkins, apple cider, knitted blankets, layered clothing, first snow falls. November is an all around wonderful month. To add to the goodness of November, I finally get to share with you my first published magazine feature! This past summer Erica invited me to photograph her sister-in-law's bridal shower. She did an amazing job with the decor, food, and of course cake. Hands down the best carrot cake I have ever tasted. I still dream of the icing. TJ is now tired of me talking about this carrot cake. No, but seriously. Hands. Down. The talented Megan of Honey and Poppies created the beautiful floral arrangements and had me at peonies. I've been looking at Honey and Poppies work for some time now and if I were to ever get married I'd know who my floral designer will be. ; )

Wedding Chicks also featured the bridal shower today, with descriptions by Erica on how to get the look. Go here to see the feature and check out more photographs. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I'm off to the Cambodian countryside thinking of gravy, sweet potatoes, and stuffing.

Jumping into 30

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:10:45 -0700

It seemed that when I turned twenty nine last year, what I was looking forward to was actually turning the big three-o. I don't normally think much about my even years because I've convinced myself somehow that those are bad years and odd years were the damn good GOOD year. Well...twenty nine proved to be a tough year and when thirty approached, I knew I wanted to make it special to celebrate the fact that I made it thru a hard year. So TJ and I hopped on a plane and went to Malaysia.

There is nothing more spectacular then turning thirty and saying goodbye to Saturn's Return, especially with TJ by my side. Walking in Melaka, discovering nooks and crannies, playing on a see saw for the first time, banana leaf curry, malls, jumping on the bed in our hotel. I love Malaysia!

American Gothic

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:56:37 -0700

I finished An Object Of Beauty yesterday. I still enjoyed Shop Girl a lot more, but now I have the art world on my mind. In undergrad, while experimenting with every major possible I thought I had settled on Art History in my third year. That was until Ancient Chinese Art and the excavation of all pottery known to mankind killed it for me. I still love art and museum hopping, though less frequent now as the art scene in Cambodia is still growing.

[And I have an unhealthy obsession with museum gift shops].

Grant Wood. American Gothic. 1930. The models (Wood's sister and dentist) standing next to the finished art work. No big deal...

found via Miss Moss

Danielle + Mark: Denver Engagement

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:37:48 -0700

Danielle and Mark are happily married now ( just wait until you see their wedding!) but I wanted to go ahead and post their engagement shoot because A) they are a cute couple and B) they are so amazing and fun and have vibrant personalities! Danielle actually called me last year a few weeks after getting engaged on July 4th weekend. We spoke for awhile on the phone and I thought we had a great connection. And then I spoke to them over skype and thought, "I am really liking this couple!" However, it wasn't until I met the couple face to face that I realized how much I adore them. They are stinking cute and the stories they told about pulling pranks just had me wiping tears from my eyes! What I remembered distinctly was the way Mark lit up when he was sitting next to Danielle and telling me their engagement story. And what I remembered from Danielle was the way she smiled when she said," He is the first man I am with that I can be myself completely." I think at that point I must have let out a happy sigh. Now as I am looking at their photographs I am letting out another happy sigh. In fact, a million happy sighs.

Bohemian Gypsies: A Southern California ShootOut

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:41:54 -0700

"We are all wanderers of this earth, our hearts are full of wonder and our souls are full of dreams."

The Desert Smells like Rain

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:58:31 -0700

We write to each other, that's what we do. Little love notes to tell each other how our day is going. Emails, Skype messages, and little scavenger hunts for the sweetest handwritten cards. The first time I knew that I could fall for him was when we talked about my fear of getting hurt. I told him about the massive and dare I say, impenetrable wall that I had built since Matt and I broke up. His response? "I'll paint some graffiti on that wall and when you're not scared you can climb over it and see how pretty it is." And that's when I knew I could love him.

I met T.J. the first day I arrived in Phnom Penh but was so jet lagged that I couldn't remember what he looked like, let alone the conversation we had. Months later when I was out with my friend, Kate, I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned to see him grinning at me. "Hey, we should grab dinner or drinks sometime," he yelled over the music. I, still buzzed from the dancing, nodded my head clumsily and said, "Uh huh sure, sure." And when he disappeared into the crowd, Kate tugged on my arm, impatiently wanting to know who that was. Not recalling, I shrugged my shoulder and said, "Well...I'm not sure. I think he was just being nice though." "Well I think he likes you," Kate said pointedly.

T.J. and I did finally have dinner but still railing over a breakup I ended up talking mercilessly about my ex-boyfriend. That went on in every one of our dinners and lunch. I spoke about the breakup, I spoke about my life with my ex-boyfriend, I spoke about the things I missed, what went wrong, and what I could have done better in order to save the relationship. I didn't have an inkling that T.J. liked me caused he just sat there and listened. Patiently. When I went home to Colorado in June I still had a tiny hope that Matt and I would get back together, perhaps because I thought getting back together meant I wasn't giving up. But truth be told, the relationship wasn't meant to be fought for. It was meant to be thankful for and grow from. I spent five long days packing, shooting a wedding, packing some more, trying to process, crying (no wailing...drenched in sweat and tears).

When I walked onto that plane to go to California I was ready to move forward. And through it all, there was T.J. He had turned into my most trusted confidant. It never occured to me that I would like him more than a friend. It never occurred to me that it must have meant something that I get excited for our daily skype sessions (me in the States and he in Cambodia). None of that crossed me mind until one day the puzzle pieces came together and I knew I liked him. The irony of it was that I chose to tell him when he was making a connecting flight from Seoul to California and by this time I was back in Cambodia. And so began our daily ritual of writing to one another.

"The desert smells like rain" he wrote and I knew then that I could love him.

Life, Lost, Love and a Photoshoot

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:25:52 -0700

I've been thinking a lot about transitions, alchemy, transformation, life, death, rebirth and how my adventures in the past six months have shaped me into someone more honest, true, and raw. It was not easy going through a breakup. There's nothing that really prepares you for the tearing of your soul. It was as though someone had ripped my heart out and devoured it in front of me. I kid you not. There's no real remedy for a broken heart except maybe patience and even that is very trying. So ten months ago I did the only thing I could do: I taped colored construction paper onto my Khmer tiled walls and had dance parties. By myself. Friday nights and IT. WAS. ON. I danced like nobody was watching and then I would go to bed exhausted but feeling alive.

Aside from that, I lived by myself so I was alone with my thoughts more than I'd like. But it helped. It helped that I had that time to process, to grieve the loss, to write and tear out pages from my journal, to be frustrated, to self-loathe, to learn to love myself again, to forgive, and to eventually trust in who I am.

So now I'm back. There's much to tell you about love, about adventures, about being alive. Life, all of it, has been good. People, all of you, have been good. I am just incredibly happy and I want to share it with you.

For now, photos from a SoCal Shoot Out that took place in San Juan Capistrano this past June. I had so much fun connecting with other photographers and just shooting to my heart's desire. Here is Kristen working her gypsy magic. She was a marvel.

Venue: The Tangled Vine

Video: Jakfoto Productions

Stylists: Heather Skelton

Makeup: Jeanette Pulecio and Heather Renee

Hair: Diego Ortega assisted by Kristen Macchio

Mary + Hugh Married

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:19:52 -0700

I miss blogging, but traveling has been refreshing and I'm constantly inspired by the places I have been. Cambodia is definitely a kingdom of wonder; the weaving in and out of traffic, the early morning risings of the "egg man" pushing his cart in the empty streets of Phnom Penh, the boom boxing of a wedding that makes us fully aware that a celebration is taking place (ya know just in case the obnoxious yellow and pink decor didn't already scream wedding!), the abundance of exotic fruits, temples galore, bike riding in the countryside while singing my heart out, and shooting amazing weddings.

Mary and Hugh married in Siem Reap towards the end of last year. I love this wedding more than I can squeeze into a sentence. It has always been a dream of mine to shoot a wedding in Cambodia and when Aiden of Eden Images contacted me to shoot a wedding for them, I squealed with delight. I think I had to sit down in a chair and get a hold of myself. Fast forward a few weeks later, I am in Cambodia scaling on the walls of an ancient Khmer temple, soaking in the beauty that is Mary and Hugh, and throughly enjoying myself, humidity and all.

Mary and Hugh are beautiful people filled with warmth and compassion. They had a small, intimate wedding with their closest friends and family at a 12th century temple called Wat Athvea in Siem Reap. They are both Australians but had lived in Hong Kong and since Hugh is a journalist and news correspondent, they've traveled far and wide, making friends from all over the world. Have I told you how much I love small weddings? If not let me just say that I love that I know all the names of the guests. I love that I was treated like a guest. I love that Mary and Hugh married in Cambodia so that I could shoot their wedding.

Special thanks to Sonya of Bliss Creations for coordinating this beautiful wedding and FCC for the amazing food. I feel so blessed.

Phary + Kuntha In Love

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:22:52 -0700

Phary and Kuntha are so stinking cute you want to bottle them up and take them everywhere. I don't know what it is but when I'm with them I have even greater faith in love. Maybe it's the giggles, the kisses on the nose, and the overall goofiness that I find so endearing and real.

During a break in the session, I asked Kuntha what he loves about Phary. His reply? "I love that she keeps me grounded. I found myself when I met her. I love that she is so connected to her family and that because of her I am more connected with my own."

Phary and Kuntha introduced me to wine in Temecula and we promised that when I get back from Cambodia, we'll take another trip to do a proper wine tasting. One in which I don't embarrass anyone by asking where the wine comes from.

See more in the slideshow.

Phary + Kuntha: One Frame

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 04:12:13 -0700