Lynsi and Jim were married for about a week before the gorgeous bride was ready to trash her dress! Always excited to work with her, I jumped at the opportunity. We met on an unseasonably COLD spring morning, but Lynsi wasn't fazed. Not even a little bit. She's a total professional and always works it with confidence. When the camera comes out she is nothing but fierce. I could work with her constantly. (Actually we have worked together quite a bit!) Not only is she hotter than hot, but she is also funny, kind and thoughtful. She brought me a gift that she had made! It's an adorable photo frame decorated in a "Vegas Theme" for mine and Anderson's trip pictures. How sweet is that?! Okay, I can't forget her husband, Jim. He is so supportive of her. And even though he wasn't dressed in his wedding gear, we still pulled him in for some steamy shots with his bride!

Fun Fact: The couple took a cruise immediately after their wedding-as in, straight from the ceremony to the ship. But they're heading on an extended honeymoon next month! Hope you two have an amazing time. :)

The Bag Edition!
Thanks for all the positive feedback about my FAQ post back in February. I've decided to make this a monthly occurrence, so feel free to keep your questions coming. Just be patient with me if it takes a while to post an answer. I promise to do my best to answer each one!

Jennifer asked:
Hey, I love your site. I am a new photographer and I know this is a weird request, but where did you get your camera bag? I love the paisley.
Jennifer, that's actually not weird at all. When I first started my business I was on a mad hunt for a fun camera bag. I love to accessorize everything I wear and wasn't about to carry around a big, bulky, black backpack. That would have seriously cramped my style! So imagine my excitement when I found Shootsac. The bags were created by the incredibly talented Jessica Claire, and they are exactly what I was looking for: fun, funky and fresh! If you are thinking about buying one, I absolutely recommend that you take the plunge. In fact, they're running a promotion right now, and if you buy a bag before the end of March they will throw in one of the new spring covers for free! You mentioned that you like my cover, so I just wanted to let you (and everyone else) know that I'm selling it for $35. It's the Classic Baroque style. I just bought a new one and can't think of a good reason to justify having two! It's in great shape. If anyone's interested just shoot me an email.

With Jessica Claire at the Shootsac booth in Vegas.

Samantha asked:
I was wondering if you could recommend any other camera bag websites and/or brands other than ShootSac. I just bought my first "big girl" camera =) and I want to find a nice bag that's cute and girly! I've been checking out tracyjoy.com as well, and those are a little more in my price range, any other recommendations? I'm just doing some shooting for fun and am definitely a beginner, so any and all advice helps! Thanks!!!
Samantha, I haven't come across a lot of girly camera bags and definitely haven't seen any that compare with Shootsac. I checked out the other website you mentioned after reading your email, and since you asked for my opinion, here it is: I'm not too impressed. I haven't actually seen one "in person", but the pictures on the site were a little disappointing. The cover prints are fun, but they are made of twill fabric. Shootsacs are made of neoprene (the same stuff they make wetsuits from). Also, the bags are described as camera/diaper bags. What?! The bags are cute and definitely serve a purpose, but I personally wouldn't go in that direction. Obviously it's your choice, but I hope this will give you a little insight!

I know what you mean about the price, but I always say, "Save up for the best!" I do that with all my photography equipment and supplies. Sometimes that means I have to wait a little longer to buy something, but it's so worth it and I'm never disappointed. I wish I could give you more bag recommendations, but I just haven't come across anything else that I love. I'll let you know if I do. A bunch of my photog buddies carry Shootsacs, but if any of you know of another product out there for Samantha, will you please leave a comment, so she can check them out? Thanks!

My new Shootsac cover. Photo by Anderson. :)
Happy Weekend!!!

Here it is at last. The final post from my photoshoot with the Miss Mandarin High School girls. I didn't realize it until today, but I drug this session out for a month. These last four girls are most likely wondering if I forgot about them! Of course not. :) Thank you all again for being so sweet to me even though most of you were expecting to work with Scarlett. You are all gorgeous and unique and you definitely know how to work it for the camera. I'm excited to shoot some of you again for senior pictures!

And the winner is...
The pageant was held last weekend, and I figured that since I've posted 1,876 pictures of these girls I'd let you know who actually won. Briana, the beautiful girl pictured below now holds the title of Miss Mandarin 2010. Congrats Briana!!

When Jordan contacted me about taking her senior pictures I asked her to tell me a little bit about herself. She said, "I'm really big into art, music, photography, the beach and cowboy boots." Um, hello? A girl after my own heart! I knew we were going to hit it off. Since she loves the beach so much, Jordan wanted to have her senior pictures taken in the sand and sun. Well wouldn't you know the day we met for her photoshoot wasn't sunny, and the sand was blowing in our faces so much that neither of us could keep our eyes open. What a bummer! I was a little upset but quickly learned something about Jordan. She's an adventurer and is up for anything. We decided to brush the sand off and nix the beach for the day. We set out find some fun spots with less wind. Jordan is so funny. I actually had to ask her to pose again for me a few times, because my initial shots were blurred from laughter! I knew her heart was set on the beach though, so we agreed to cut our session short and meet again when the weather was nicer. I'll share those pictures soon, but for now enjoy part 1 of our adventure!

In completely unrelated news, the adorable Andrea Worley feautured my on her blog this week. Thanks Andrea! Check out her fun site and leave her a little love while you're there. :)

Yesterday was stressful. It was one of those days with a long to-do list and not enough time to check everything off. I talked to Anderson around lunchtime and vented a little. Okay, a lot. He listened patiently until I calmed down then told me he would help me with anything I needed. Even though he can't read my mind (and tells me this frequently) he got the picture: I needed to relax. So last night when I came home from a beach photoshoot and started to drop my sandy, wet pants by the backdoor, I looked up and saw this note:

Of course I circled yes! Anderson had cooked a yummy meal with all of my favorites, even the little green peas that he hates. I'm starting to think that maybe he can read my mind; he just doesn't want to admit it.

I love the picture on the right. It shows just one of the many reasons I love my husband. I took it in an airport, and as you can see he doesn't have a care in the world!