Nataly Lemus Photo Blog

Engagement Sessions I'm Working On

2012-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

We have been super busy with engagement sessions. Here are just a few that I am working on right now, in no particular order.

I can't wait to share more :)

Coming Up Next!

2012-01-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

Graziella & Michael ~ Engaged!

2012-01-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

Graziella & Michael ~ Engaged!
Downtown Los Angeles, California
Engagement Session

Graziella and Michael chose the Angels Flight area for their e-session. I love doing engagement sessions in downtown LA because no matter how many times you photograph there, it always looks different. It's always inspirational. There are always new new spots to discover and to photograph at. No one session is the same as another.

Check out their engagement session:

Behind the Scenes ~ 2011

2012-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

I know I didn't make as many blog posts in 2011 as you're used to but, believe me, we were busy! We make it a habit to at least take one photo of each other working at each wedding/engagement session/portrait session. Then I tuck them away in our personal file. I like to go through them at the end of the year and see how we spent that year. It's really special to get to go through them and in a way relive that whole year through images.

Check out some of our 2011. They are not in any particular order. As a matter of fact, they are all over the place! I wish I could share every single image but then this post would have been double the size! [DISCLAIMER: most of these photos have absolutely no editing unless since they were for our personal use. Some might even be camera shot photos :)]

[ANOTHER DISCLAIMER: Some of these photos are silly and some are just plain embarrassing so please try not to laugh at me next time you see me!]

Our 2011 <3

Art has become a wiz at putting on boutonnieres. Okay, maybe not a wiz, but he can come to your rescue if you don't know how to put on a boutonniere :)

Testing my settings and I see the cutest guy smiling in the background :P This image makes me smile. A lot.

I like that you can see both of us in this image.

I don't only take photos, I can also zip up stubborn zippers like nobody's business! :P

I'm not sure what I'm doing here, but if I had to guess, I'm checking to make sure my belly button is still there :P

I don't normally wear shorts but this was a trash the dress session and it was hot, even though it doesn't look like it.

Obviously, graceful is NOT my middle name :P

Art thinks it's the weirdest thing ever that I photograph with both eyes open about 90% of the time. Hey, I don't want any wrinkles!

I look a little confused here!

Art is totally"Mr. Do It All." Not only does he photograph, he also helps pose the couples, makes sure everything is in place, makes the couples laugh, carries the gear, and SO MUCH more! I would be lost without him. He literally is the other half of Nataly Lemus Photography. The better half, for sure.

Art trying to get the little man to relax in front of the camera. I'm telling you, he does it all <3

Art showing the bride how to pose...

and being silly. :P

This is what two photographers who have worked for 7 straight hours without rest or food look like :(

Trying to teach the bride how to act "fierce." I don't know if I looked fierce but it's the best I could do :P

With two of our past brides :)

See, if I didn't photograph with both eyes open, I wouldn't have been able to catch Art taking this photo and gave him the evil eye!

I got stung by a bee at a wedding :/

Check out Mr. GQ!

Where's Waldo? Err, I mean, where am I? :P

Coming Up

2012-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Coming up next is another Downtown LA engagement session.

Vanessa & Alberto ~ Engaged!

2012-01-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Vanessa & Alberto ~ Engaged
Walt Disney Concert Hall - Downtown Los Angeles, CA

Alberto and Vanessa were very chic and fierce during their engagement session. They were total pros! Not only did they keep making sure that the other one was looking good, but they even made sure their smiles were coordinated so that one was not smiling too big while the other was not smiling. I'm telling you, they were on top of their game! I am not used to couples being so involved with the little details but since they were so into it and were good at it, I had no problem :) They were not camera shy, at all, so any pose I gave them, they totally worked it. I can already imagine how amazing they're going to look on their wedding day!

Look how gorgeous Vanessa is. She is going to look beautiful on her wedding day, next to her prince charming!!!

Coming Up

2012-01-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Coming up next is a Downtown Los Angeles engagement session. Check back tomorrow for that!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all got to ring in the new year with all your loved ones. I wish I had a long list of new year's resolutions to share with you or crazy new year's eve party stories to tell. However, I don't normally have new year's resolutions because I am better at keeping with what I want to do without having resolutions to hold me to my word :P Our New year's eve was nothing out of the ordinary...we spent the day with our family and at midnight we hugged each and every person in the room. The good thing and most important is that we got to welcome twenty twelve with our family, we are healthy, and we felt loved.

There are 4 things I always look forward to on December 31st. 1. Hanging out with our family. 2. Dancing...it's always a must at my dad's house. It's not new year's eve without some "año nuevo" music and some shaking of the body to the beat. It helps to stay warm, too! 3. All the hugs and kisses at midnight. I especially love that when it's my dad's turn to give me a hug he always tells me all his wishes for me for the upcoming year...that's one of my most cherished moments. 4. Of course, THE FOOD! Tamales, panes con pollo, pozole, all the traditional Latin food that our family makes. I can't decide if I love eating all that food on new year's eve or if I like the leftovers even more. Let's call it a tie :P

Before I forget, I do sort of have a goal. I want to try and blog at least 3 times a week. I don't know if I will be able to do it, but I promise to try!

I hope this year is filled with happiness, goals reached, and lots of love. I also hope you come back to read my blog entries that I plan to post :P Hugs to you all! XOXO

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-23T01:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner! Where did this year go? One of my favorite things to do as soon as December hits is to decorate our Christmas tree. For the past 4 years I've picked out HUGE trees that look even more gigantic in our small living room. I don't know what it is, but I always gravitate to them. This year Art made sure that we bought a decent sized one that did not overpower our living room. It was my turn to pick out the theme for our tree. Or so I thought. Turns out it was Art's turn, but I had already bought all the decorations. Ooooopsss! He was iffy about letting me decorate it because every time I choose the theme you need shades to look directly at the colorfully lit monstrosity that is our Christmas tree :P I was surprised when he actually loved the way the tree looked.

I, like always, am very proud :) I might just be blinded by all the twinkly lights!

I was looking through past Christmas tree posts that I've made through the years since I've been blogging and I noticed I did not blog last years tree. I had to include it in this post because I love looking back and seeing these type of posts. It's like my own personal journal that you guys can also see :)

This was SO pink and bright...totally ME!

I hope you guys are enjoying the days leading up to the holidays! The days leading up to Christmas are always so fun for me. You can feel the holiday spirit in the air. I am so crazy that I even enjoy going shopping around this time. I love seeing all the Christmas decorations, hearing Christmas music playing, the chilly weather (at least this year it's cold!), the extended store hours, and even the buzz and busyness of last minute shoppers. I guess I don't mind it because I did my Christmas shopping a long time ago :P

I hope you guys are in the spirit of the holidays like I am! Hugs to you all!

Priscilla & Adam ~ Engaged!

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Priscilla & Adam ~ Engaged
Venice Beach Canals- Los Angeles, CA

When we did Priscilla and Adam's engagement session, I can honestly say it was an adventure. We decided to meet at the canals but we couldn't find each other. We were like on a wild goose chase :P The good thing is that we finally found each other and we were able to walk around the canals. Then Adam & Priscilla wanted to take their car up the street to the beach so we went with them. They couldn't find their car so we brought them back with us to the other side to get our car. I'm sure all of our feet were tired! Thankfully, we made it on time to catch the beautiful light at the beach, sore feet and all :P

Adam and Priscilla will be having a destination wedding in Brazil! I know it's going to be amazing. How would it not be with two people that are crazy in love like these two?!

Check out some of their e-session:

Ok, you guys already know that when I can't decide between color and black & white I post both.

Because I love posting "behind the scenes" photos:

Coming Up

2011-12-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

Coming up next is a Venice Beach canals engagement session. Check back this week to see it.

David & Jennifer ~ 1 Year

2011-12-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

David & Jennifer ~ It's their Anniversary!
Los Angeles, California

You may remember Jennifer and David from their night time session in downtown LA. Click HERE, if you haven't seen it. Maybe you remember their Alice In Wonderland themed wedding? If not, click HERE.

I was very honored and ecstatic when Jennifer and David came to us with their idea for an anniversary shoot. They wanted a very urban look but nothing that has been overused. They asked me to suggest a few locations. I told Art that I had a real good idea but I wasn't sure if David and Jennifer would go for it. For one, it was not too close to them. Another thing, when you mention this location, you don't immediately think picturesque. Actually, you DON"T think picturesque, at all! Art said, "just tell them. What's the worse thing that can happen? They say no?" So I told them I thought doing a shoot in South Central LA would be amazing. Definitely not overused! Plus, it has urban scenery that, captured the right way, can look beautiful.

Of course, David and Jennifer ended up saying yes. From their prior sessions, you can tell they take chances and are not afraid to think outside the box. I'm glad I was not too shy or scared to suggest what I felt would be an amazing location for their vision and definitely a source of creativity for my photography eye.

Check out just a few of our favorite images:

I love the light in the photo below <3 So warm and romantic!

Art and I have a little rivalry going on when we photograph David and Jennifer, so this is just some "friendly" competition.

By the way, I am going to try and post as many of the sessions and weddings that haven't made it to the blog, which are A LOT! They will be smaller posts like today's, but I want to make sure to get as many couples as possible on here. Some of them might be older, like this session, but they will still go on the blog. Hope you don't mind!

Melody & Jason ~ Engaged!

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Downtown Long Beach, California
Engagement Session

Melody and Jason chose Long Beach for their e-session. It's a place where they spend a lot of time together and it's the place they call home. I love when a couple chooses a spot with meaning to them. It makes it so personal. I'm sure I've said this before but it truly makes it that much more special for the couple.

I enjoyed getting to know Melody and Jason. It's one thing to meet a couple when they are interviewing us and/or booking; everything is very formal. It's a total different thing when we get to photograph them and get to know their personalities. It was nice seeing how talkative Jason is and what a great couple they make. They really compliment each other. Can't wait for their wedding!

As a side note, while I was photographing Jason and Melody, I stepped in dog poop. What's the first thing Art does? Mr. Photographer grabs the camera and takes a photo. I tried to dodge the photo but he still got one :| lol I'll get him back!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you are surrounded by all those you love and are thankful for today. Hug them tight,laugh with them, and enjoy their company. I know Art and I will do just that :)

Today and every single day we are thankful for our family, friends, and our love. Above all, we are thankful that God takes care of us and gives us these blessings each and every day. I am so thankful for the love of my life. My best friend. The head of our household. The man that has always and will always give me butterflies with that smile of his. My husband.

I am thankful for our parents. Without them we would be nothing.

My mother, MY hero. Not here with us anymore, but so grateful to have been blessed with such an amazing mother. If I had to do it all over again, I would pick her, no matter what.

Art and his loving mother. I could not have asked for a more loving and caring mother-in-law. I think God sent them in my life as a package deal because he knew better than I did what I needed in my life.

Art and his dad. This photo totally makes me smile.

My daddy. Words can't explain how much I love him! Thanks to him I have my will to go for anything I want, take chances, and if I fall down, get right back up and go at it again.

We are thankful for our sisters. Our support system. The ladies we go to when times get rough, and the ones we celebrate with when times are good.

My baby sister...I'm thankful that my parents obliged to giving me a little sister. Sisters are proof that God doesn't want you to go through life's tribulations alone.

Art's older sister...he's thankful that she taught him so much growing up...like the running man :P

Art's little sister...He's thankful that even after all the pranks he played on her, she still loves him.

Can you believe I know her since she was about 6 years old! She's in college now! How time flies!

The best friends any girl can ask for are your sisters.

We are thankful for our beautiful nieces and nephews. They make us laugh with their individual personalities and they make our hearts melt with their adorableness.

We are also thankful for YOU. The people that come to our blog, the people that supports us. We are thankful for our clients who are amazing and without them we could not say that we love our job. They are the reason we love what we do and we will forever be thankful for that.

Remember to tell those you love that you are thankful for them today, tomorrow and every time it's in your heart to say it! Happy Thanksgiving Day to you all.

Sneak Peek ~ Family Sessions

2011-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Look at me, blogging 3 days in a row! I just want to share two sneak peeks of 2 different family/baby sessions. At some point I want to at least blog one photo of every single wedding and session we've done. We'll call it "Project Post A Lot." Ok, that's lame, but the point is to make sure I keep you guys updated with the many weddings and sessions that have been keeping me super busy!

How beautiful is this family? If you've been with me since the start of my photography journey, you might remember this couple from one of our first weddings! They have 2 little munchkins now! They totally melt my heart!

Beautiful baby girl! Check her out showing us her little teeth :D

More sneak peeks and weddings to be posted soon.

Another pumpkin

2011-11-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have another pumpkin for you that Art carved. Thankfully Art likes to carve pumpkins and actually has fun doing it because if I try it just looks like a pumpkin massacre in our kitchen :P Carving a character was easy for Art so after the first one he ever did he decided to do it without using a stencil on the pumpkin. He just has to look at a photo of a stencil and free hand it. When Art started carving pumpkins without having to use a stencil he made me proud :P but with this new one....we'll I'll just let you check it out for yourself.

2pac Pumpkin

If you are a Tupac Shakur fan, then you will love this pumpkin as much as I did. I have to say that Art really impressed me with this one. I'm sure I've said that before. However, it definitely is amazing when you can actually carve a pumpkin of a person. That's definitely taking it to the next level.

I can't wait to see if he can outdo himself anymore :P

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T01:37:00.000-07:00

Since it has somehow become a tradition to post the pumpkin Art carves each year, here it is!

In case you have no idea who this dude is, he is Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street. When I was a kid these movies used to freak me out, but I loved watching them with my cousins. Not much has changed.

Each October Art asks me at the beginning of the month what character I want him to carve. It never fails, each October he carves the pumpkin 1 to 2 days before Halloween. I think he works better under time restraints :P Since he started carving pumpkins he has gotten REALLY good. Or I might just be biased, since he is my husband and all! He is actually carving another pumpkin today, which I will make sure to post on here tomorrow. It looks like it's a pretty difficult one so I can't wait to see it!

Anyway, hope your day is filled with lots of candy. I know mine will!

Happy Halloween!

Ashley & Kevin ~ Married!

2011-10-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Ashley & Kevin ~ Married
The Odyssey Restaurant - Granada Hills, CA

Ashley and Kevin got married back in May! Yes, it's been THAT long! They got their photos a long time ago. For a while now I've been wanting to make sure I blog every single wedding we've photographed and has not been blogged but I just came to the realization that it's probably not going to happen. At least not any time soon. Wedding season is still full on for us so we are busy. I did say I was going to blog this wedding so I wanted to keep my promise.

Kevin and Ashley are very different, but they totally compliment each other. Ashley is spunk and sweetness all wrapped up in a petite little package. Kevin, on the other hand, is more of a quiet and reserved guy. Together they are perfect. They definitely balance each other out. I like to see them together because they really do bring out the best out of each other.

On the day of their wedding, we got to the hotel where Ashley was getting ready and everything was so calm, quiet and peaceful. There were only a few people in the hotel room, which is always a plus because it gives us space to work and get good photographs inside the room. Kevin and Ashley opted for a first look and we literally took all those photos under some strict time restraints because we had to be back at the venue. I was so happy with everything we were able to get in such a short time, because the couple allowed us to do our thing within the time frame we had :)

During the ceremony Kevin actually shed a tear, or two...or three. It was so sweet to see that side of him. He is very reserved so I definitely did not think he would get emotional. That's the beauty of love, it makes you wear your heart on your sleeve. It was beautiful to see them having eyes for only each other and their love reflecting with every tear, smile, and kiss. Ashley & Kevin: Thank you for allowing us to photograph your love story and your beautiful family.

I know this blog post was promised a while back so I went a little overboard. This post has about 100 images! Hope you enjoy looking through them! Let's start with the getting ready photos.

I love how you can see the grandmother in the background <3

Time for the first look

Time for gifts :)

Ashley is too adorable!

Ceremony Time!

How cute is the ring bearer's reaction to a kiss from the bride?!

Time for some quick bride & groom photos before the reception

Look at the dad suppressing his tears

Happy birthday, Love!

2011-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is such a special day because today half of my heart and soul was born. If you don't know by now that I am cheesy, you will quickly learn. I am thankful each and every day to God for blessing me with such a great man. We've known each other since we were kids so I have literally seen Art grow up. I always knew he was special but I never imagined he would be the amazing man he is. He exceeds any and all expectations and makes me want to be a better person. Whenever times are hard all I need is one of his hugs to know everything will be alright. When times are happy his smile feeds my soul. When I need a good laugh there is NOBODY else that can make me laugh like this jokester can! I admire him for the way he loves me. I thank him for the way he loves our family. I respect him for his values and generosity. I love him for who he is and for what he is not. Sometimes I think I got way too lucky but then I remind myself there is no such thing as luck when it comes to our love. Art: How special you are in my life could never be chalked up to simple luck! You are my beautiful blessing from God and for that I will never get tired of thanking the Lord. Love you more than words could ever describe.

Love you, Babe, Mr. Boombastic, Remote King, Gordo, Stinky McStinky, Love, Tiquis, (and any other nickname I may have for you). Happy birthday!

A cold + a birthday = not a good mix!

2011-09-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I've been MIA. Between celebrating my birthday all month long, photographing weddings, and having the mother of all colds, I have been super busy! Let me tell you, being sick on your birthday is not fun! I had so many plans to celebrate my birthday (on the actual weekend and day of my birthday) but when the day came all I could do was lay in bed nursing my cold. Bummer, right? It's okay, though. I eventually made myself get up from bed and go to my dad's house to have some of my favorite homemade food and a surprise cake. Maybe my plans did not go as I thought they would, but I had all I could ever ask for...my family, good food, laughter, and the celebration of another blessed year.

Thankfully it looks like I've almost kicked this cold right in the rear. The bad news? Looks like I kicked it right to Art :/ His birthday is less than 2 weeks away so I will be praying that the hubs doesn't have to celebrate his birthday sick. Keep your fingers crossed that he feels all better for his birthday so I won't feel guilty for handing him my cold :/ In the end, no matter how we celebrate, what matters is that we have each other through sickness and health <3

Can't wait to come back with some eye candy for you guys. Stay tuned for that!

Portrait sessions & chitter chatter

2011-09-08T09:58:00.001-07:00

Wedding season is starting to wind down, which means that we will start taking more portrait sessions. We do so many portraits sessions a year, but we never really have our photos taken. If you were to see our photo albums, we have so many photos of us individually and a few of us together, but from the moment we started doing wedding photography all of that stopped. We sort of forgot about documenting our lives. So with that in mind, Art and I have decided to try and take photos of each other whenever possible. Whenever we are out working we want to make sure we also photograph each other. And also as important, we have to actually print out the photos! With the wonderful way of technology nowadays we find it easy to just archive our photos on a computer. There's nothing wrong with that but it's always nice to be able to pull out an album and go through it. Don't you agree? Or do you guys think "out with the old, in with new?"

At some point we also want to book a photographer to take photos of the two of us, since individual shots of each other are not as fun. It will be very interesting to be on the other side of the camera after such a long time!

Here's a photo Art took of me after a family session a couple of days ago.

And even though Art might not like it...here's a photo of him from a few months ago when we went scouting for a new location <3

If you are interested in documenting your life or your family, please e-mail us. We would be more than happy to help with that :)

Coming Up

2011-09-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

This couple already got there photos but I still want to make sure at some point I blog at least a few photos of each wedding. Lately I haven't really had much time for the blog and it has been neglected. I promise to TRY and fix that :)

Check back soon to get a glimpse of this wedding!

Happy Birthday...Month to Me!

2011-09-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true...I celebrate my birthday all month long! I also try to eat cake as much as possible...the whole month. My waist line hates me for it but my tongue thanks me every time it gets a taste of red velvet, vanilla or chocolate cake. It's no wonder September is my favorite month!

I wanted to take a photo of some of the cupcakes my little sister and I made. Too bad we ate them before I could take a photo. Here's what's on the agenda for tomorrow ;)

Hope September treats you well!

Cecilia & David ~ Engaged!

2011-08-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Cecilia & David ~ Engaged
USC ~ Los Angeles, California

We made plans to do Cecy & David's engagement session at L.A. Live, since that is where they met. Of course, things don't always go as planned. Less than an hour before we were supposed to start I get a call from David telling me that parts of L.A. Live were closed. So we decided to do the session at USC instead. It worked out well because prior to their engagement session, Cecy and David had been debating between LA Live and USC.

I was so excited to be photographing Cecy & David's engagement session because Cecy actually found me a few a years ago for her friend's (Susana) wedding. When I photographed Susana's wedding, Cecy told me she had referred me to her and that she loved our work. So, needless to say, when Cecy contacted me about her wedding I was very excited! I can't wait to photograph their wedding.

Of course I was just as excited to photograph their e-session since that is when we usually get to know our couples a lot better. We had an awesome time walking around USC, taking photos, and chatting with Cecy & David. They are such a sweet couple! I don't know how Art and I get so lucky to get amazing clients. All. the. time.

Now that you know a little about Cecilia & David, check out their e-session:

My view:

Art's view:

An action shot, of course!

Contest Winner!

2011-08-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

Sorry it took me a while to let you guys know who the winner of the contest is, but they were nominated and I had to make sure it was okay to post their story on here!

Sooooooo the winners are the Trujillo Family! They were nominated by Elena G. Here is what she wrote in (minus the girls' names):

"Nat and Art,

Let me 1st start by saying I think it's awesome that you'd have a contest like this. You two are an amazing couple with wonderful hearts which is why you have so many clients turned friends! (me)

The instant I read your post about this contest I immediately thought of the Trujillo Family. I'd like you to meet them:

*Photo courtesy of M&M Photo Booth*

Gabby and Julio are the proud parents of 3 beautiful girls!

They are an amazing, fun, outgoing, adventurous family that inspire me in so many ways. You see, J was born with a rare disorder that affects the way her body grows. Because of this J has lost the ability to walk and to speak and eat normally. She is such a fragile little lady that she has had to spend lots of time in and out of hospitals and Dr.'s offices.

What is so incredibly amazing about this family is that they do everything in their power to treat J like a normal 14 year old. All of them join together and help to take care of J. While in a wheelchair, J still goes everywhere with her family! The beach, amusement parks, family vacations and anywhere else they can have fun together as a family! What I love is that these parents are determined to show their girls the world and teach them that there are no obstacles in life that you cannot break through. Nothing in life that can stop you from experiencing the joys that being a family can bring.

Since they are such wonderful parents, Gabby and Julio are also very protective of their girls. Especially J. People can be so judgemental now days. So harsh and so inconsiderate. Because of this, it has been difficult for them to trust someone enough to take family photos for them. Someone that they feel comfortable with. Someone that they know will see J for the beautiful, kind, funny girl she is.

J will be turning 15 this coming fall. There have been many times when Gabby and Julio thought they would lose their daughter. Many times when they hoped and prayed should would make it to 15. They are so grateful to be able to celebrate J and her Quinceanera this fall. That is why I am nominating them, in the hopes that they can finally have the family photos they deserve. With caring, understanding, warm hearted photographers like Nataly and Art. I could not think of anyone else I could trust more to capture this family than Nataly Lemus Photography.

Thank you for the opportunity to enter your contest!
xoxoxoxox
Elena"

Now, I know I said get creative with the photo and all that and there were some AMAZING photos which I thank you all who entered for. The stories that went with the photos were also touching and super special, every single one, but at the end of the day, the Trujillo's photo might not have out beat many of the photos you guys e-mailed us (as far as creativity) but their story truly touched our hearts. That was what it was all about and I am very happy they were nominated. I didn't want you think I just disregarded all the amazing work some of you put into the contest., because we totally appreciate all the hard work you put into your photos and how open you all were with your stories. Thank you so, so, so, so much!

We feel that nominating someone was very selfless. Elena could very easily have entered her family but instead she opted to do something wonderful for the Trujillo family. We are very happy they were nominated and can't wait to give them beautiful family photos that they can cherish forever.

I want to thank all of you who entered and tell you that we enjoyed reading your stories and seeing your photos! I definitely have to put my top three on here! You guys have mad skills! I was so amazed at the response we got. We definitely need to host another contest soon!

Contest!

2011-08-08T11:42:00.001-07:00

If you haven't done so yet, please enter our contest!! Check out all the info by clicking HERE.

It's Our Anniversary...Almost...

2011-08-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

If you go waaaaaaay back on our blog I am sure you can find a blog post of how Art and I met. I'm sure you can probably find MANY blog posts about our story. Every year when we get to August I get really excited because it's one more year since Art and I got together. This August 13th it will be 13 years since we became boyfriend/girlfriend. How crazy is that? We had just started high school when we became bf/gf.

I can't believe how time flies when you are in love. What I really can't believe is how since we got married Art decided that we no longer have to celebrate our dating anniversary! Say what?!!!! I guess our wedding anniversary overrides any other anniversary. Don't get me wrong, I get that part BUT how can we just not celebrate the date that we got together when it means soooo much! If that day would have never happened we would not be here now married. Does anyone else feel like I do? Anyway, every year in the beginning of August I remind him that I do celebrate it and that I will always celebrate it because it means so much. Somehow each year he also finds himself celebrating it, too :P

This year I want to share a little celebration with you in a form of a gift. All I ask is that you share with us YOUR story. You know what time it is? Time for a contest in honor of our anniversary!!! I want to show Mr. Lemus that August 13th is to be celebrated and even you guys, our blog readers, will join in the fun!

I am sure you want the details to the contest, here you go:

Who? This contest is open to any of our clients, past or present. People who have ever commented on the blog or on our facebook page are also able to enter regardless of whether you are one of our clients. You can also nominate someone who you feel needs this session, but the person nominating has to be a client or someone who has commented on our blog or facebook page.

What? It's a contest in honor of my dating anniversary with Art. We will be giving out either an engagement session, family session, Mr. & Mrs. session, or my fave for the occasion, an anniversary session. You will get about 1 hour of photography, all images on a CD, edited. I just want you to send me a photo (the longest side should be 800 pixels or less). The photo preferably should be of you and your fiance/spouse/family or whoever you will be doing this session with. Somewhere on the photo there should be a "Happy Anniversary." Along with the photo I want a short entry telling me why you as a couple/family are so special. There is no such thing as "there's nothing special about us!" Everyone has a unique story and I want to hear yours! The entry can be written, a video or anything creative you can come up with. You can also nominate someone who you feel needs this session, but, again, the person nominating has to be a client or someone who has commented on our blog or facebook page. In this case you will send their photo along with their story

When? The deadline is Saturday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. E-mail your entries to natalylemusphotography@yahoo.com. Whoever we feel is the most creative with either their story or photo will win. Of course, if the story is very touching that also counts for A LOT! :) On Monday, August 15th I will announce on my blog who the winner is. You should receive a confirmation e-mail from me when I receive your entry. If you don't receive an e-mail from me, please try e-mailing it again.

You or the person nominated needs to be able to do the session within 30 days from winning the free session. You will be given location options, near the downtown LA area.

Beforehand, I want to thank everyone who decides to enter this contest. Every single one of you, whether you enter or not, make me really happy. You are either one of our couples or people who take the time to comment on our blog or posts, which means a lot to both of us. I hope to see many entries!

RESTRICTIONS: THE SHOOT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS STATED IN OUR CONTRACT, AND THE DATE AND TIMES WILL BE CHOSEN BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER. THE SHOOT WILL BE DONE IN ONE EVENING DURING THE WEEK, IN LOS ANGELES, AND WILL BE WORKED OUT BEST AROUND BOTH OF OUR SCHEDULES.

Alma & Louie ~ Engaged!

2011-07-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Alma & Louie ~ Engaged!
Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Alma & Louie chose Griffith Observatory for the location of their engagement session. We've done a couple of e-sessions there so we wanted to make sure that we used different spots to make it unique. A one point Alma was surprised that we knew spots they had never seen. Mission accomplished.

Louie is probably in the top 3 of the shyest people we've photographed. Towards the end of the session he was a lot more comfortable and we felt like we achieved a job well done. Mostly, none of us are used to being photographed so we try and make it feel as natural as possible. It's not always an easy task, but we love a challenge :)

Check out their session:

Art's shot:

My shot:

Y'all already know that when I can't decide between color or b&w I give you both :)

Coming Up Next

2011-07-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Come back tomorrow for Alma & louie's engagement session!

Lilly & Robert ~ Part 1

2011-07-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Lilly & Robert ~ Married (Part 1 of 3)
The Glendale Hilton - Glendale, California

Lilly and Robert had a beautiful wedding in Glendale. They were a dream to work with. I have to admit that one of the main reasons is because they are related to an awesome family that I admire and have photographed several times. Not only them, I have actually photographed many members of their family (including Robert, Lilly and their beautiful kids). So on their wedding day it felt like we were photographing an extension of our family :)

Since I've missed blogging I had to make this a super long blog entry. After I saw how many images are going to go on the blog I decided to just divide up into 3 parts. I'll start with the getting ready photos and the first look.

Future fashionista :) Even this little one was into the pampering going on in the hotel room! Can't blame her!

These are the cutest flower shoes I've ever seen!

Time to photograph the groom!

My view

To ease his nerves, Robert did a little dance :)

Time for the first look!

I love their reaction below:

As you can tell there were a lot of details but there were also a lot of things going on. When Art and I got to the hotel room we decided to actually shoot the bride getting ready together so we could alternate between candids and details and after head to photograph the groom. I am glad that the bride and groom trusted our way of working because Art and I work as a team and we totally feed of each other and work fast, efficiently and the couple gets a very thorough coverage like we feel they deserve. That's not to say we can't work separately but having two people always gives you two completely different points of view and I feel that alone is a plus!

Part two coming soon!

Sneak Peek!

2011-06-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

I know I've been MIA lately so I thought I would share a collage of ceremony details that I recently shared with Facebook. More coming soon!

If you didn't know already, I love all wedding details. You have details, I want to photograph them! I can't wait to share much more of this wedding! I'll be back VERY soon with more eye candy!

Dear Nephew,

2011-06-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to meet you and hold you...oh, and kiss your itty, bitty feet! Right now you are still in your mommy's tummy, growing fast so that we can meet you very soon! If you have trouble finding out which one I am, I'm the loudest one of the bunch. The one that talks just a little too much. The one that jokes around a lot and laughs at her own jokes. Yeah, that one. Don't worry, I'll grow on you!

You don't know this yet, but your mommy and I, along with all my other cousins, grew up very close. We were all like sisters. To this day, we are still just like sisters. We laugh together, we fight together (although I don't think I've ever fought with your mommy because she is the sane one of the bunch), we protect each other, we defend each other against anyone, we joke around, we keep it real, we talk...A LOT! Above all, we are there for each other, no matter what. I have to tell you, you will come into a crazy family, to put it frankly. But you will also come into a very loving family, who you will always be able to count on. We will protect you, love you and care for you. We might also embarrass you from time to time, but don't worry...you'll get used to it. I promise.

I know this was probably a little corny, but you'll get used to that, too, I don't know you yet, but I already love you. I can't wait to meet you, babylove.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you don't know Steph, she is my cousin. My sister. She is the most mature one of the bunch, the mellow one, the most dependable, the responsible one, the no-nonsense one, she is probably the main reason why her sis and I didn't get into too much trouble when we were younger. She is definitely the voice of reason. For that and so many other reasons, I love my cousin so much! A few days ago I did a super fast session for my cousin, Steph. We wanted to get the photos done in time for her baby shower. After a wedding we went straight to doing their maternity session. For a quick session, I think we did well :) We had to call it a day pretty quick because we were losing light and, even worse, we ran into three coyotes! Actually, they ran into us! Quite an adventure! I know that technically my cousin's baby will be my cousin, but we don't see it that way. We are all so close that there is no difference between our sisters and cousins. This is probably the most personal post I have ever done, but I am so happy to share just a bit of my family with you. There were so many more I wanted to share with you, but hopefully sometime in the near future I'll get to post those.

This is typical of us. I'm always silly and Steph is always so calm and collected.

See, I wasn't lying. Here's one of the coyotes! I do admit that it looks a little scrawny and not too threatening but it sure scared me!

Steph: I was so honored to document this new chapter of your life. I wouldn't want it any other way. Even if you wouldn't have wanted me to photograph you guys, you had no option :P Only family can put so much love and care into it, and that is exactly what I did. I can't wait to meet your little bay-bay! Love you so much!

Laura & Ricardo ~ Engaged!

2011-06-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

San Diego State University
San Diego, California

A few months back we got to photograph Laura & Ricardo at the place where they met, SDSU. I always think it's so special when the location of the engagement session is meaningful to the couple. It makes the e-session a lot more personal and special.

Here's a small glimpse into their session:

A little bit of this...

2011-06-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

...and a little bit of that. That's we've been doing! We've had weddings non-stop for the past month and will not have a break until after summer! Other than that, we have also done a lot of family sessions for past clients. That has been so much fun. It's always a great feeling to get to see familiar faces :)

Here are some photos of past weddings and photo sessions that will be blogged soon:

Tao & Taka ~ Married!

2011-05-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tao & Taka ~ Married
Pasadena, California
Rococo Room - Cafe Santorini

Tao & Taka had a beautiful wedding in Pasadena. It was truly unique and every part of it was totally them. From the walking down the aisle to the speeches to sharing their wedding date with Taka's grandparents' 60th anniversary. The whole wedding had parts of them embedded into it.

We started with Tao Getting ready.

Let's start with some fabulous shoes!

The entrance of the bridal part was pretty unique, but what I loved was the fact that Tao and Taka walked up the aisle together. Taka made a grand entrance to announce his bride. Funny and cute, all at the same time.

They're married!

You might recognize this background, but with a whole bridal party it's extra fun!

The next two photos are pretty similar but I just couldn't decide SO since there are no rules to what images I should show...here are both!

Now, the one below might looked like it was set up but it wasn't and I love it! I love perfect candid moment.

Facebook Me!

2011-05-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

If you are not my friend on facebook yet, add me! I don't know about you, but facebook is the way I keep most people updated with what's going on with me on both the personal and business side of life. Aside from my immediate family and my very best friends, who I talk to almost every day, I tend to keep up with most people either through the internet or text. Sad, I know. The truth of the matter is that life sometimes gets so busy that we barely have time for anything else. Thankfully, we now have so many online social outlets that help us communicate faster and more efficiently than before.

I use my facebook page for almost everything. From meaningless things like what nail polish I am wearing to wedding teasers within a couple of hours from when I photographed the wedding.

So if you are into facebook, add me. I would be more than happy to have you as a friend on facebook :)

Click HERE to go to the link to add me.

Coming Up Next

2011-05-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

The next wedding that will be featured on the blog is Tao & Taka's so be sure to come back to the blog because it should be up by the end of the week!

Sneak Peek!

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Baby Olivia

2011-05-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

As you know, I normally don't do baby photos or even family photos, unless they are past clients or friends. This is no different. Gaby and Jason are one of our past couples and now they have a beautiful baby girl! When Gaby emailed me asking us to do their family photos I was super excited because for one I love catching up with our couples, but I also love when they consider us to continue capturing the milestones in their relationship. That is the reason I love doing family sessions for our past clients...I wouldn't want it any other way. I love having the privilege of continuing to capture the love and growth between our past couples.

Now, because you've waited long enough for this post, here y'all go:

I love how this little princess was very observant of where the camera was :P

In the one below it looks like she is trying to figure out how to take over the world.

I love how a baby can go from this:

To this:

This was a test shot but I ended up liking it so I kept it and now it's one of my fave from this session.

Hopefully I can make a part two to this session because I had way too many photos I wanted to post. There are also some "first cupcake" photos I want to share. No matter what, I'll be sure to blog asap!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed blogging it :)

Up Next

2011-05-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be blogging some photos of this little princess! Be sure to come back to the blog to check them out!

Rafaela & Eric ~ Engaged!

2011-04-26T15:09:00.001-07:00

Rafaela & Eric - Engaged
Venice Beach, California

Rafaela and Eric decided to do their engagement session in Venice Beach, since that's the city in which they met. At first we were going to go to two different spots, but last minute they decided to just stay in one spot. I was so happy they decided on that because it gave us the time to walk around and find many hidden areas and great light. I loved how comfortable and at ease Rafaela and Eric were with each other and the camera. It was so much photographing these two! They let me call all the shots and gave me creative freedom. What photographer doesn't appreciate that? ;)

Rafaela and Eric will be getting married out of state but I was so happy to get to photograph their engagement session!

I had so much trouble picking a few of my favorite images because I love so many of them (and Art also had a lot of favorites), which equals = a long post. I don't think you'll mind, especially since one is long overdue!

Enough is enough!

2011-04-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

If this isn't a sign that someone has had it with having her picture taken, I don't know what is! :P

"No more close-ups"

More from this session coming early next week!

Venice Beach Engagement Session

2011-04-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tracie & Brian ~ Married!

2011-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Tracie & Brian ~ Married
UCLA Campus - Westwood, California

Tracie and Brian had a beautiful wedding at UCLA. The weather was great, despite many reports saying it would rain that day. In fact, the light was beautiful throughout the whole day. I'm sure Tracie and Brian were very happy about that :) We were able to walk around UCLA and get some beautiful images.

Here are some of our favorite images:

Tracie and Brian sang their vows to each other. It was so special and unique!

Some behind the scenes:

As you can see, photographing weddings is not exactly glamorous :P

For those of you who do not know me, I talk with my hands. A lot.

I love it when I get to see one of our past couples at a wedding. It makes that much more special for us.

Tracie & Brian: Thank you for being such a sweet couple with us. We appreciate it more than you know. It was a pleasure photographing your wedding and enjoying the day all while capturing memories to last you a lifetime. Many, many hugs your way. XOXO, Nat

Nicole & Eric ~ Engaged!

2011-04-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

Nicole & Eric ~ Engagement Session

You might remember the photo below from a teaser post I did a while back...

Well, FINALLY, here are some more from this e-session :) Let me just say that you might not be able to tell from the photos, but it was drizzling pretty hard during most of the session.

I love how just a kiss from Nichole's fiance, Eric, brings a genuine smile to her face. That's love :)

Like I said earlier, you can't tell it was raining, but it was. I had to take advantage of this and have Nicole and Eric bring out the umbrella.

By the time I took the last photo below, it was raining pretty hard and it was super cold!

More wedding and engagement sessions to be blogged soon!

Teaser!

2011-04-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Engagement Session in Venice, CA

More coming soon!

Teaser - Coming Up

2011-03-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

It's time to celebrate...

2011-03-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Elena contacted me asking if I would want to photograph a VERY special moment in their life as a family. A celebration and a way of capturing their thankfulness for an answered prayer. Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way, seeing that they are a Nataly Lemus family :P But I was even more excited when she told me what exactly the photos were for. Elena and her husband, Memo, had to go through a very difficult time when they found out their child, who we'll call M, had leukemia. At the time, he was only three. I can't even imagine what kind of pain a parent goes through when facing something so life changing, heartbreaking and terrifying. Elena and Memo are two very strong people that I admire immensely not only as individuals but more-so as a unit. They fought alongside their child, hand in hand. They were strong, even when being tested with such a nightmare of a situation that can break anybody, even the strongest. For that and much more, I truly feel blessed to know such amazingly strong, kind and loving people. A couple who inspire me and remind me that love can overcome anything.

As some of you may know, cancer took my mom away. What you don't know is that I lost my first real best friend to cancer. Leukemia, to be exact. That's why this story hits home. I met her in junior high, right after my mom had passed away. She was the first person outside of my family that I openly talked to about my mom's passing. She was the first friend who always told me things how they were. She always laughed at my silliness and I laughed at her "in your face" sense of humor. She was the first friend who I ever talked to on the phone for hours on end. She was the first friend I ever argued with. She was the first friend who showed me what forgiveness was. She was also the first friend I lost. She, sadly, lost her battle with cancer back in 2005.

So as you can see, I resent cancer for taking two beautiful people away. That's why whenever I hear someone has won their battle with cancer it gives me extreme happiness. It's my way of saying "take that, cancer!" It reminds me that God is good and he hears our prayers. Thanks to our Lord, M can now officially say he has won his battle. M is cancer free! And what a strong young man he is! He came out unscathed from such a delicate battle. So a big thank you is owed to our Lord and a big congrats to M who is a real hero for going through it all starting at the age of 3 and being so strong. He is a true inspiration and a role model at such a young age! 7 years after having his last chemo treatment he is now officially cancer free :) So be sure to leave a congrats to M because it's well deserved.

Elena wanted some family photos that portray their happiness for such a momentous time and celebration. They even made signs to show how they feel.

I had to throw in a shot of what I do best, journalistic shots :)

Now off to spend some time at their house :)

The boots below actually belonged to Memo and were passed on to his youngest son. How cute is that?!

I LOVE the photos below because, to me, it shows the innocence of a child...how they can have a great time with the smallest of things. Love. it.

Then we headed for some impromptu photos of Elena baking some goodies for her boys. I told her I've been wanting to do a Mr. & Mrs. session at home just doing every day things and she was game to give me a little of material. So if anyone out there wants to do this, call me ;)

What a beautiful family, don't you think?

If they look familiar to you, THIS may be why.

15 Years since I last saw my Mami

2011-03-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

“The death of a mother is the first sorrow wept without her”

It's been 15 years since I last saw my mom. Fifteen years. Such small words for something that has such a huge meaning in my life. It's crazy to think that it's been that long, because the pain hurts just as much, if not more, as the day she left. As the years go by I have more time to think about how much I need her in my life, how many important moments in our lives she's missed, how many more she will miss, how big the hole in my heart is.

I can only fantasize what life with her here would be like. It's not enough, but it's all I have. You know how they same time heals all? Not true, in my case. I think time teaches you how to deal with the loss of a parent, but it does not heal you.

This whole month is hard for me because it's not only the month she passed and we buried her, but it's also the month of her birthday. On this day, I think of her with the most sorrow in my heart because March 9, 1996 is the day we buried her. It's the last day I got to see her beautiful face. When I was a kid, right after her passing, I would get on my knees and pray long and hard to God, asking that he would rewind time and completely skip March 6th (the date she passed)...maybe like that she would still be here. The innocence of a child.

Maybe this blog entry is a little too sad? Maybe it's extremely sad? What I know is that it comes from the heart. That it's documenting how I feel at this precise moment.

If you, the person on the other side of the computer, knows the feeling of losing someone who is everything to you, I send you a big ol' cyber hug. You are not alone. Many of us go through the pain of losing someone dear to out heart, which we will never heal from. The beautiful thing about life is that nothing can change the fact that this person was choses for us, came into our life, made beautiful memories with us, and will always live in our hearts. I wouldn't change my memories and life with my mami for anything in the world. Even the pain of losing her is not strong enough to make me wish for another life for me. The years I was blessed with my mother were amazing enough for me not to wish for anything else.

Lyndsey & Gabriel ~ Engaged!

2011-03-04T02:23:00.000-08:00

Lyndsey & Gabriel
Whittier, California

Lyndsey and Gabriel chose to do their engagement session in Whittier, near the spot where they met. Apparently Lyndsey was a little nervous about the engagement session, but, if you ask me, you can't tell in any of the images! I hope it had something to do with us :)

Take a look at our stroll down Whittier :)

Doesn't Lyndsey look like she belongs on a Pantene ad?! I loved her hair!

We passed by a candy shop and had to stop!

Isn't Lyndsey stunning?

And Gabriel doesn't stay behind :)

Before & After

2011-02-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

Here's another before & after post. More from this session later on this week :)

Sneak Peek

2011-02-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today we had a session that turned out to be a rainy session. Here's a sneak peek. More to come!

Linda & Anthony ~ Engaged

2011-02-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of this engagement session, for a couple of reasons. Linda & Anthony had a 30 minute mini session booked with us. That alone is very little time, but on the day of their e-session Anthony was not able to make it until 30 minutes after their e-session was supposed to start, which means they used up all their time. I felt bad sending them on their way so I decided to do a super fast 5 minute session, since I had another engagement session right after their e-session. Art and I literally ran around posing Linda & Anthony. At the end of the 5 minute session we had really good images.

I am very proud that Art and I were able to work efficiently and successfully under such a stressful circumstance. To top it off, we were still able to get beautiful images, if I do say so myself :) Of course I would have rather had the full amount of time but I am was very happy that we managed to work with what we were given to work with.

Check out what our photos under time restrictions look like ;)

PLEASE NOTE: This does not mean you should get to your session late! :P

What is Valentine's Day?

2011-02-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

I won't deny that Valentine's Day has no real special meaning for me, BUT I won't deny that I still enjoy getting gifts and being pampered! As long as I can remember, Art and I have never gone all out for Valentine's Day. As a matter of fact, there have been a few years that we've done absolutely nothing for V-Day. And that's okay. I know he loves me and he knows I love him every day of the year. But, like I said, I do enjoy getting a gift or two! We never plan anything out and we for sure never go out to dinner, because I am just not about to go make myself miserable by waiting a long time to get into a busy and chaotic restaurant just to be rushed out! So this year was no different.

There were a few surprises from Art, nonetheless. After midnight I was busy doing homework. I was so busy that it took a whole 45 minutes for me to notice a small gift Art had placed right next to me on the bed. When I realized that there was a gift, I must have screamed so loud that I woke up the whole neighborhood :P Although the gift was super cute, I think the best part was being surprised :) I am not easily surprised so this was huge for Art!

In the afternoon all we did was watch the Laker game, which was a bummer! If you don't know, they lost. Enough said. I made dinner for two, which came out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Then to top it off, Art baked me some goodies! That was major 'cause the guy does not get near the kitchen...at least not to cook, and definitely not to bake!

By the end of the night, my wonderful husband had gifted me a Hello Kitty phone case and two books that I've been wanting but have not wanted to cash out my money for them, since I consider them guilty pleasures. Yes, he got me the Kendra memoir and even more embarrassing, he got me the Kardashian Konfidential book. There, I said it! I am hooked to reality tv and I even read their books! Oh my. Even worse, my husband feeds my addiction!

For two people who do not celebrate Valentine's Day, we had a fab one! So to answer my question, Valentine's Day is any normal ol' day, but that doesn't mean that you can't continue to express your love, and maybe even throw in a couple of extras, just because it's a commercialized holiday that someone invented. If there is a day that is dedicated for love and is celebrated by many around the world, it just gives me another reason to celebrate my love for my husband. Yes, I don't need a reason, but at the same time, it's pretty cool that so many people are feeling the love just like you.

So, whether it's just another day for you, you don't want to "give in" to commercialism, you go all out, or you are in between, I hope you had a fabulous day with the one you love 24/7/365.

*DISCLAIMER: I do read more mature and educational literature, but, man, do I enjoy pointless reads, too!

Before & After

2011-02-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

I'm really liking before & after posts! Hope you like them, too!

The top photo is the before and the bottom is the after.

Meli & Miguel ~ Anniversary!

2011-02-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

Melissa & Miguel ~ Anniversary Session
Pasadena, California

Melissa and Miguel. Miguel and Melissa. M&M. No matter how I put it, this couple is perfect for each other. If you follow my blog regularly, you might recognize them from their wedding or engagement session. If you haven't seen them, check out these links:

WEDDING

ENGAGEMENT

Meli and Miguel have a special place in my heart. Over 2 years ago I e-mailed back and forth with a girl who wanted to book an engagement session. I recall thinking that usually couples want to first book the wedding, but I didn't give it much thought. She ended up booking the e-session online and we didn't meet until the day of the engagement session. That same day they let us know that they already knew they wanted us as their wedding photographers and they had known that since their initial e-mail. I was more than happy because they were such a sweet couple. We have been blessed to have them in our lives since that December 2008.

Fast forward two years...Melissa and Miguel are now happily married and even celebrating their 1 year anniversary! They have become more than just clients. We genuinely consider them friends. We can hang out with them and feel like we've known them for years. I love the way they care for each other. They never have to try hard, it's just who they are.

Beautiful lady!

You might recognize this spot from a recent shoot. Since we had just been there , we tried to limit the spots already used and find new places. We ended up finding a lot of cool spots.

I had to include this animated version!

I also included the actual images, so you can check them out at a better quality than the animated version.

My favorite series

I'll leave you with a group shot <3

Before & After

2011-02-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I, personally, love before/after posts. I like to see how a photographer's vision and editing can take a nice photo, straight from the camera, and make it look more "alive," for lack of a better word.

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing to share the image straight from the camera. Some people don't like to do it, but I don't really mind. I actually like the photo below, which has no editing, not even sharpening.

As you can probably tell, the top photo is the before image. It has no editing whatsoever. All I did was size it for the blog and frame it. The photo on the bottom, which was edited, has some warming, saturation of the colors, curves bump, and some sharpening.

Happy Friday! I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Tao & Taka ~ Engaged!

2011-02-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tao and Taka ~ E-Session

This wonderful couple decided to do their engagement session near Venice Beach on Abbot Kinney Street. There were so many cute little stores with brick walls and bright colors. We walked a lot and even out kicked out of a business area. Oops!

Tao and Taka were so comfortable showing their love in front of the camera, which made my job super easy! So thanks for that, you guys!

Check out a few of our faves:

I couldn't decide between color or b&w so I posted both below

Taka requested some silly shots and Taka had that covered. He is one silly guy :P Tao was a little reserved but Taka made her smile from ear to ear, as you can see below.

Can't wait for the wedding!

Teasers

2011-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Just a few teasers of some recent engagement sessions (in no particular order)

Life

2011-01-24T00:23:00.000-08:00

Every now and then Art reminds me that I NEED to turn off the computer. That there's life outside of work. That's when I feel a pang of guilt. You see that sign above? Art bought that for me about 6 months ago to remind me to never get too busy that I forget about living our life. I promised I would take it out the newspaper it was wrapped in and put it on the night stand next to my side of the bed. It didn't get done until a couple of weeks ago. Why? Because I am always too busy (how ironic). Too busy for my husband, for my family, for my friends. I'm too busy with work to live my life. I enjoy photographing weddings and capturing the happiness that others live while with those they love that I forget that I too have family and friends that need and want me to share happiness with them. I'll admit it on here so that I can be embarrassed, at times I almost feel that life is getting in the way of business. That is a shame. Nobody should ever feel that way! I get so caught up with giving 100% of myself to the photographer side of me that I forget that I also need to give 100% of myself to being a wife, daughter, sister, cousin and friend to all those I love more than anything else in life. I need to give 100% of myself to...who else? myself! I need to work on de-stressing and doing all the things I love because I am not willing to let life pass me by!

With that said, Art and I went on our first date in a very looooong time! We decided to do something we had not done since we were like 15, miniature golfing. We also played at the arcade, shared a paleta, and he won some...how should I say this?...interesting glasses for me. Afterwards we went to In N Out (yum) and then watched a movie and shared a big bag of popcorn. Perfect date, if you ask me! This is just the start! I promised Art and myself that I will make a lot more time for us, for our life. If I don't, he can always pull this post up and hold it against me, but it won't be necessary because I value my time with Art and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Here are the spiffy glasses I got to rock on Saturday. Don't hate :p If anyone wants to borrow them, you know how to contact me!

Have a great week, everyone!

Ashley & Kevin ~ Engaged!

2011-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Ashley & Kevin ~ Engaged!
Pasadena, California

Ashley and Kevin decided to have their engagement session at Pasadena. We started off at the City Hall and then moved on to the Colorado Blvd, area. Pasadena is definitely one of my very favorite spots for engagement sessions.

I had so much fun getting to know Ashley and Kevin. They are total opposites, from what I was able to tell. Ashley is super talkative, full of energy and spunky. Kevin was somewhat shy and quiet. You know what the cool thing is? They totally balance each other out. I loved how Kevin looked at Ashley when she was working it for the camera. You could see the love :)

We can't wait to photograph their wedding later on this year!

Here are some of our favorites:

Art and I couldn't decide whether to post the black & white or color of the shot below so I posted both. The b&w is my fave and the color is Art's.

I love the warm look to these images. I feel like it goes with the architecture and the lighting at the Pasadena City Hall. Looks vintage just like Ashley's dress.

I like the grungy look this spot has

I think this image completely shows Ashley and Kevin's personalities! This is totally them.

My shot

Art's shot

Nichole & Joseph ~ Engaged!

2011-01-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

Nichole & Joseph ~ Engaged
Los Angeles County Fair

If you live in or near Los Angeles, then you know that the LA county fair is long gone! That's how long ago we did this session. At this point Nichole and Joseph have their photos already. In fact, they are already married! BUT I still want to share their engagement session photos with you and their unique location. If you know me, you know I love bright colors and the fair was full of them! Check out some of our favorite images:

Between Art, Joseph and Nichole they won that Keroppi for me! I was one happy photographer :P

Happy (belated) New Year!

2011-01-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

Wow. I can't believe it's a new year already! It feels like it was just a couple of months ago since we last celebrated a new year. Where does the time go? As I get older, it seems like the months go by faster. Kind of scary, if you ask me!

For the past 3 years (or so) I have done a contest...sort of. Every January I have challenged myself to blog every single day in January and if I don't you can call me out on it and win a free portrait session. This year it will be different. As you have probably noticed, I have totally neglected my blog. Not because I want to, but because I have to. 2010 was extremely busy, which, like I always say, is a good thing. However, it leaves no time for blogging. In the past I used to feel some sort of guilt because I felt like every single wedding and portrait session had to be blogged. Now, not so much. I still wish I could blog every single wedding and portrait session but I don't think I have to do it. It's taken a lot for me to get to a place where I feel comfortable doing what I need to do in order to somewhat alleviate my workload. Now, don't get me wrong, I love blogging, but it's definitely not at the top of my priority list. Last year I must have only blogged about 25% of the year's weddings, if that. So if a wedding or portrait session doesn't get blogged, it's not because I didn't want to, the photos were not worthy or any of those things people might think...plain and simple, I'm super busy and blogging is not a major priority. As much as I want to blog every single session, at the moment it's not happening. Don't worry, though! I'll still blog weddings/portrait sessions whenever I can. I will eventually blog all the weddings, engagement & family sessions, but that will most likely be in a couple of months. Again, this is not because I just don't care to blog. I love blogging but at times it can be too time consuming. With all that said, there will be a brand blog post in a day or two :P So as you can see, I am not totally abandoning my blog...there's just a delay in blog posts :)

Come back to check out the engagement session that will be blogged soon!

Melanie & Davin ~ Engaged!

2010-12-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

Coming Up Next

2010-12-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Jennifer & David ~ Married!

2010-12-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Jennifer & David
The Odyssey - Granada Hills, California

I know that I've been MIA but I have been extremely swamped with editing, holiday sessions, and life. Hopefully this extra long post makes up for it :)

Jennifer and David are one of my favorite couples. Ever. I don't think I need to go too much into how much we like them because, hopefully, they already know. I love getting to know our couples and actually being able to call them friends. That is what we now consider David and Jennifer.

Jennifer and David had a beautiful, intimate wedding with an Alice in Wonderland theme. I think it's totally them and can't imagine their wedding any other way. I love all the details and enjoyed photographing every single one of them because I know how much time Jennifer and David put into everything.

Now, I have to stop going on and on and just show you guys the images! I know that Jennifer and David have been waiting patiently.

We made David suffer a bit :P

We didn't do any getting ready photos, but you know I still have to get my detail fix :)

After walking around in North Hollywood in 113 weather, David and Jennifer decided to go somewhere...how should I say this?...different. I'm not going to lie, it was a challenge for me to find the beauty in this place, but I love challenges! After we were done, I actually left with some unique photos that I love :)

After the ceremony, David went back to trying to solve a couple of things that went wrong prior to the ceremony. He didn't want Jennifer to worry about anything, seeing that she was sick and had worked hard enough already. As you can see, she was stress free!

Details, details, details! My fave! Can you believe we got all of this done in about 3-5 minutes! That has to be our record! Here are just a few of our favorite:

First dance

The next two photos are my VERY favorite because they remind me of Art :) He did the same thing at our wedding and still does it all the time :P. David acted like he was going to feed Jennifer a piece of cake and instead ate it :P

Jennifer & David: I am so happy that I met you through this wonderful thing I get to call work :) However, working with you guys was like hanging out with friends. Thank you for being so open, friendly, and inviting. I think you guys are perfect for each other and we wish you infinite happiness! We <3 you, guys!

Do you need a coordinator?

2010-11-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that my favorite coordinator is Christina Molina, right? So, when I saw that she is hosting a contest so 3 lucky couples can get either $75 (WOW), $125 (DOUBLE WOW), or $200 (OMGosh WOW!) off, I knew I had to let my couples know!

If you are in need of a coordinator, check her out! We've worked with Tina Molina Events countless times and they are amazing at what they do!

For all the info, click HERE!

Happy Halloween! (belated)

2010-11-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone who celebrates Halloween had a lot of fun! Art and I sure did! Since we got married I have wanted us to dress up as La Chilindrina and El Chavo, which are characters from a Mexican sitcom that is widely known by Latin America. If you are curious about what the sitcom was about, click HERE. I grew up watching this show and to this day can still watch it and laugh out loud just like I did when I was a kid. This show was filmed way before I was born and even now kids and adults around the globe still enjoy it! Anyway, like I said, we've wanted to dress up like two of the main characters for a while now. The problem has always been that you can't find a costume anywhere! I finally decided I would make our costumes. What a project! My costume took a few days to make, but it was so worth it! Art's was pretty easy, though. All in all, Art and I enjoyed making our own costumes :)

We ended up going to Hollywood for Halloween and let's just say we were a big hit! No lie, we got ambushed quite a few times for photos. I'll try and post a video on here so you guys can see we aren't lying! I guess other Spanish speaking people (even a few non-Spanish speakers) love El Chavo Del Ocho as much as we do :P It also didn't help that Art was having too much fun with it and people thought he was hilarious :P

I wish we would have taken a photo with our SLR, but when in a hurry, we always reach for the iPhone :P

Anyway, here is a photo of us:

Below is a photo of the original characters:

Before I end this post, I wanted to share the Super Mario pumpkin Art carved for me this year. He did a great job, if I do say so myself!

Hope & Mike ~ Married!

2010-10-21T02:21:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Theme Park
Anaheim, California

This wedding broke a lot of records for us! Not only was this the couple who contacted us with the most time of anticipation (more than 2 years, if I'm not mistaken), they were also the first wedding in which we started working before the sun even came out (5:00 a.m.)! Another awesome first was getting to photograph their portraits inside of Disneyland, with NO crowds! How cool is that?

Throughout the whole process of their wedding planning, we have been able to get to know Mike and Hope a little better. I can honestly tell you that these two are sooooooooooooooo made for each other! They compliment each other in countless ways. A couple of weeks before their wedding was when I realized just how great they are together, way more than I imagined. They are each other's strength, hope and love.

Mike & Hope: Thank you so much for making us a part of your wedding. I still remember getting an e-mail from you and me telling you that I only book up to 18 months in advance. Some couples can easily forget about the photographer or move on, but you guys stuck around and booked us right at the 18 month mark! That showed us how much you value our work! Thank you so much for that. Thank you for being so open and genuine with us. Thank you for all the nice e-mails, Hope. Thank you for being kind. Thank you, guys, for being you!

Okay, after much waiting, here are your teasers! Can you believe it's finally your turn?!

I love this candid shot Art got while we were waiting to go into Disneyland.

While we drove into the amusement park, the sun starting coming out :)

The focus, most of the time, goes to the bride's shoes, but with shoes like these, you have to take notice!

After all the walking we did for portraits, of course, the bride had to touch up!

Reception time!

Mike and Hope used Disney globes they have collected throughout the years as their centerpieces
.

The cakes!

Mike and Hope had some special guests at their wedding, Mickey & Minnie. Minnie seemed to have a crush on Mike's grandfather. How cute is this shot?

I'll leave you with the first dance <3

Happy Birthday, Sis!

2010-10-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

Today is not only Art's birthday, but it's also my older sister's birthday. In reality, she is my cousin, but we were raised like sisters. There is absolutely no difference. She is one of the vital people in my life who I could not live without. We have always been there for each other, taking care of each other, protecting one another, and learning together.

I want to share my letter to her so you can learn a little about her and my relationship with her. I also want to make sure I never forget!

A LETTER TO MY SIS':

Happy birthday, my beautiful sista! You already know that I love to write because it’s the best way that I can TRY and put my feelings out there, with the hopes that it all makes sense :) I am very thankful to have you in my life. I know that at times I can drive you crazy (and I’m not going to lie, you drive me crazy, too), but I also know that I can make you laugh like nobody else. I love you because no matter how lame my jokes are, you always understand them. I don’t need to tell you what I’m thinking, because you can probably end the sentence for me. You are the very best older sister anyone could ever wish for. Not only do you love me despite my bratty-ness, but you celebrate it :P You allow me to be me. I can always come to you and pour my heart out, be it good or bad, without feeling like you will ever judge me. I only hope I give you the same amount of love and support you give me.

I love you with all my heart and no matter how much we argue, we could never be apart!

Thank you for lending your ear when I need it.

Thank you for always defending me.

Thank you for always telling me you love me.

Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for asking me for advice.

Thank you for always giving me your honest opinion.

Thank you for laughing with me until we are in tears from all the laughter!

Thank you for the many hours we spend on the phone.

Thank you for swinging on the swings next to me when I was 4 and singing “un elefante se culumpiaba sobre la tela de una araña…”

Thank you for scaring me at night while we were in bed by saying “el cucuy!”

Thank you for teaching me how to make bubbles with soap when I was 5.

Thank you for standing up for me to the neighbor’s kids when I was 8.

Thank you for letting me try and dress like you, even though it was probably not cool to have little ol’ me trying to be like you :P

Thank you for fixing my eyebrows when I decided to tweeze them at 12! (I only did that because I wanted to be like you)

Thank you for showing me what was cool and what was not!

Thank you for always letting me tag along.

To put it simply, thank you for being my partner in crime.

All these moment have helped shape me into who I am and have shown me the gift of having a (cool) older sis. We are completely different but exactly the same in so many ways. While I am loud and bratty, you are refined and loving. I am blunt, while you are considerate (although you can be blunt , too!). You are a great cook, me? Well, let’s not get into that! I could really go on, but I just want to tell you that no matter how similar or different we are, we go together like peanut butter and jelly! I am glad you have shown me the ups and downs of sisterhood. Whether you were teasing me or telling me what I was supposed to do when a boy kissed me, I have learned so much from you. Here’s to many, many more years of learning from you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love you always,

Nat

I'm not quite sure how old we were here, but I think we might have been like 3 & 7

I think I was turning about 3 in this photo, although I only see 2 candles :P

Happy Birthday, Art!

2010-10-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! If you read my blog often then you must know that I love my husband immensely. I won't put you through any of my super mushy posts about Art :P It's so difficult to put into words what I feel for him so I just keep going...and going...and going. So today I just want to say a simple HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday, babe!

By the way, I already know that Art is going to be embarrassed that I posted a picture of him all alone :P He might even try to persuade me to take it off, but I love the photo, and it's staying up! Happy Monday, everyone!

What's coming up next?

2010-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to share with you a recent Disneyland wedding! Can you believe the photo below was taken around 5...in the morning!!!! I can't wait for you to see the rest!

E-mail down

2010-10-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

If you've e-mailed within the last 48 hours I have not received your e-mail. If you need to contact me please e-mail me at natalylemusphotography@yahoo.com or call me. As soon as my e-mail address is up and working I will let you know.

Lilly & Roberto ~ Engaged!

2010-09-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Santa Monica Beach, California

I met Lilly and Roberto at Santa Monica Pier. Along with them, they brought their beautiful children. I won't be showing the photos of the children because most of them will be used for their wedding, so I want to keep those a secret for their guests :)

Our session was super quick but I love every single image! Here are some of my favorites:

Lilly & Roberto: Thank you so much for being such a great couple. We had fun talking to you guys and getting to know your family. We can't wait for the wedding! Big hugs!

Happy Birthday, Nat!

2010-09-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

To my beautiful wife, Happy Birthday. I'm about to hijack your blog. You took the time to list the reasons why you love me on here, I think it's only fair that I do the same.

The 26 things I love about you? Easy.

I love your kind heart.

Your big beautiful eyes.

Your genuine (loud) laugh.

Your stubbornness. I know I say I don't love that, but I do.

Your silly/crazy sense of humor.

That you always tell me and your family how much you love us. You are never afraid to let your feelings known.

Your uppercuts. Internet this girl packs a punch.

I love that you are never afraid to take risks and make mistakes.

I love that you are not the type to test the waters, you jump in full force in anything you do.

That you are an extremely hard worker.

I love that you always speak your mind without fearing what others might think.

How expressive you are and all of your facial expressions when you talk!

I love that when you talk you also talk with your hands.

That you still love cartoons.

That you call your dad at random times just to tell him you love him.

I love that you are a bigger fan of boxing than I am.

I love that you are a social butterfly that can talk for hours.

I love that you always keep it real. There is no faking the funk with anybody.

I love that you still get butterflies in your stomach because of me and at the most random times. I like that you always tell me.

I love that you can talk sports and hold your own.

I love your free spirited silliness.

I love your flamboyant taste in clothes.

I love your nose.

I love that you speak loudly, even when I am right next to you. It's who you are.

I love your spontaneous ideas and remarks. They always come right out of left field. lol

I love that your favorite song is by Tupac. lol

I love that you love the Lakers. I'm like "yeah that's my girl."

I love your little dances you make up. You know which ones, and it's not your runningman.

I love that you laugh at your own jokes.

I love that we can be at the store and you will start salsa dancing without any music playing.

I love that you can argue your opinion and stance on things like nobody's business.

I love that you are a smart woman.

I love that there is a soft spot in your heart for elderly street vendors, even if it means buying stuff that you don't need. (Nat's been known to have me chase a "palatero" down like 8 blocks just to buy 5 ice cream bars she did not eat.)

That you love my family like you love your family.

That you are the most difficult person to try and surprise.

Okay so it was not that easy because there is so much to love and impossible name it all. I'm sure I was not able to stay within 26 but I'm also sure you won't mind. The best way to sum it up is by saying, you are one unique woman that fills my heart with happiness.

Happy Birthday, love.

Nina & Jimmy ~ Married!

2010-09-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Clarke Estate
Santa Fe Springs, California

I love that when you have two photographers you can get a similar shot and it looks completely different. Take for example the next two shots:

Art took the one below and I love it!

Nina & Jimmy had not only a cookie bar, but and ice cream bar too!

As you can tell, the ice cream bar was a hit!

Happy Birthday, Nina!!!!!!

Coming Up Next!

2010-09-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Next up is Nina and Jimmy.

(I love this shot because it's so in the moment. Even though they had a lot of "paparazzi" around them, it makes the photo that much better.

Before & After ~ Editing

2010-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

A long time ago I said that I was going to try and regularly post before/after samples of my editing. Well, the last time I did that was probably like a year ago! Sorry!

Before & After posts are my favorite! I love to see how you can make a pretty photo even better! Of course, it's always important that the photo come out looking nice straight from the camera. Editing should always be a way to enhance the photo, kwim?

Sometimes I have people ask me, "well, what do you do to the photos?" It's hard to explain to someone who has never edited a photo. Truth is, a lot goes into editing. People might think that images just come out looking a certain way, but nope! Even the least amount of editing can take time, but it's worth it. The smallest of things can take an okay photo and make it beautiful.

Here are two samples of weddings I am editing as I speak:

(The before is on the left and the after is on the right)

Let me know if you like these type of posts or should I stick to just showing the weddings/e-session.

Have a great week!

Claire & Adam ~ Married!

2010-09-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Look at me blogging away! You might have noticed that I have not been doing a lot of writing (typing) on my blog posts. Well, I decided that as much as I love to depict the day, talk about our clients, etc., it can be time consuming. Sometimes that is what holds me back when trying to blog a new post. Believe it or not, it takes quite some time to blog one post. At least, it takes time for me. So since I am trying to catch up with my blog posts and the 15+ weddings that need to be blogged, I will be doing more blogging, but less talking. I'm sure you can appreciate the photos just as much, if not more, without my blabbing :)

So here y'all go:

Let me know what you think, do you rather I type more or do you like it straight to the point?

Marvin & Michele ~ Engaged!

2010-08-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we did Michele and Marvin's engagement session in Long Beach. The sun was out and shining bright so I had to fight it a little bit, but it's no fun without a challenge!

Here are some of our favorites:

Marvin and (specially) Michele wanted to show us their mad dancing skills!

They were so good that I had to bust out the animated image :P (It's low quality due to the animation)

Isn't Michele a beauty?! :)

Many, many posts coming very soon!

Sneak Peek ~ Hope & Mike

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this sneak peek the same day Hope & Mike got married, but I got home and was so tired that I fell asleep on my sofa! In my defense, our work day started at 5:25 a.m. that day! Understandably, I was tired!

Here's the sneak peek:

Sneak Peek ~ Ana & David!

2010-08-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Boudoir Marathon

2010-08-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

For any ladies interested, I will be having a boudoir marathon August 27th. There are only two spots left.

If interested, please e-mail me at info@natalylemus.com

Horacio ~ Headshots

2010-08-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

Horacio was referred to me by one of my favorite coordinators/make-up artist, who happens to be his sister-in-law. Horacio was in need of some new actor headshots. I like modern and natural looking headshots. What do you think?

Erica & Rene Engagement & Family Session

2010-08-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

Erica and Rene chose the Walt Disney Concert Hall for their engagement session. They wanted to include their beautiful daughter in some of the images. Little did we know that she was going to be extremely shy around us. This is the very first time a child is not drawn to me. Ask anyone that knows me, kids love me! There's always a first time for everything. I will say that I give props to child photographers! :P

We were able to get some good shots were the little one (who happens to have a beautiful name ;P) did not look totally scared of us :P Here are some of the photos:

We tried to get to the engagement session part...

but this little lady had other plans for us :P

Erica & Rene: Thank you for being such great sports! I can't wait for your wedding!

12 Years!

2010-08-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago I asked the boy of my dreams to be my boyfriend. Yes, I asked him. I asked my puppy love to stop being my platonic love and be my first and only boyfriend. You see, when Art and I met we had just gone into jr. high. Although, I liked him like "wow," I was still at the age where I thought he had coodies :P As soon as I was out of jr. high it was like it was a brand new me. I made my move and he said yes :) We have been together ever since.

I can't help but fall in love again and again with my now husband. He completes me. He makes me strive to be the very best I can be...for him. He is the reason I breathe. He is the reason I pray. He is the reason I give thanks to my Lord every day.

If that is not cheesy enough for you, let me tell you the 12 reasons I love my hubby so much! 1 for each year :P Yes, I went there! I'm allowed to be a total cheese-ball today :)

To Art:

1. I love you because you know everything about me and you love everything you know.

2. I love you because you always need to talk to me whether it's something small or something major.

3. I love you because you always take care of me and protect me.

4. I love you because that smile of yours always makes me weak in the knees.

5. I love you because after so many years you still manage to give me butterflies in my tummy.

6. I love you because what other people might see as my flaws, you see as my qualities.

7. I love you because you love and care for my father and sister like you care for your own.

8. I love you because no matter what time of the day it is, you will hear me talk for hours...even if it's 3:00 a.m.

9. I love you because you think it's the funniest thing when I laugh at my own jokes while nobody else is laughing. :P

10. I love you because you are seriously my better half.

11. I love you because you believe in me...no matter how crazy my dreams can get.

12. I love you because you have the most amazing heart, full of love.

I have so many more reasons why I love this man, but I will keep them to myself so I can let him know later on today.

I hope everyone has a great Friday the 13th!

This is a photo of us celebrating our 1 year anniversary 11 years ago! Look how young Art looks!!! We were about to be 15 in this photo. I look a lot older that Art does :/ Aaaahhh, memories!

Coming Up Next!

2010-08-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Chris & Dawn ~ Married!

2010-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek ~ Me!

2010-07-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

This time it's my turn to be on the blog :) If you are one of my facebook friends then you already saw this photo about 2 months ago. Art and I are working on a project and I needed some new headshots. I put poor Art through a lot. I have to say that I am the worst client he ever had or will have :P I don't know how did he not quit on me! I guess that when you are a photographer it's hard to give up control and just be in front of the camera. Art was pretty good at telling me to not worry about the technical stuff and focus on being in front of the camera. In his words "quit looking at my settings, mind your own business, and work it for the camera." Nicely put :P

Once I am done editing all the images, I will be sure to post them on the blog. It feels a bit weird to post my own photos, but I am so happy with the work Art did all on his own. He is pure awesomeness! :)

Wendy & Gerardo ~ Married!

2010-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Teasers!

2010-07-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

Wedding season is in full gear and we have been non-stop! Here are just a few of the weddings that have not yet made it to the blog, but will soon be blogged! Many more to come!

Sneak Peek ~ Sammy & Ivan

2010-07-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek from yesterday's wedding! I can't wait to show you many, many more!

More coming soon!

Coming Up Next

2010-07-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Heather & Phillip ~ Engaged!

2010-06-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged an engagement session in a long time. It's not because I don't want to share, but I've been extremely busy! I had to share this e-session, though. Whenever I get referred to someone by a past client it's super exciting for me. For one, you know that your past client loved your work if they are recommending you to someone else :) When a past client refers one of their family members it makes it extra special because I know I will be seeing their family again! It's a pretty cool feeling. It feels like you are reuniting with old friends, which is sort of what it is :) It's feels very comfortable and close to my heart.

Phillip is the brother of one of my March 2009 grooms. During Micah's wedding his mom told me that she still had two non-married children. Well, lo and behold, by the end of last year I got an e-mail letting me know that one of those two was engaged (Phillip)! I don't have to tell you how excited I was! I am so glad I was still available on their wedding date. I usually save a weekend for our own personal stuff and family. That is why their date in September was still available. What a coincidence! I can't think of a better way to spend that day!

Heather and Phillip's engagement session was a lot of fun. We walked a lot, but we also talked a lot. Being out in nature can be quite an adventure. I am pretty sure that at one point there was a swarm of bees very close to where we were photographing, but that did not get them nervous. Me on the other hand...that's a different story! Anyway, below are some of my favorite images from Heather and Phillip's engagement session. I hope you enjoy looking through them!

Lakers Parade

2010-06-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for tomorrow's Laker parade! Last year Art got some really cool shots and hopefully we can get some awesome shots tomorrow as well!

Check out a few shots from last year:

I'll be back with some images from tomorrow's parade! Guess what?! Lakers rock!

Go Lakers!!!!! NBA Champs! Repeat!

2010-06-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

If you've been following our blog since the beginning, you know we are hardcore Laker fans! I don't mean fans since three years ago when they went to the Finals. No, Art has been a fan since he can remember and I have been a fan for about 10 years now.

So for those of you who know we are big-time fans, you know I had to make a post about the World Champion Lakers!!! Again! Yes, they are back to back champions!!! This win was sweeter than last years! For one, the Lakers were at home!!!! Also, it was against the Celtics! Can we say rivalry? Then Paul Pierce decided to say they were going to sweep us in Boston. That, I'm sure, made all Laker fans want the win that much more!

All in all, it was an amazing series. I enjoyed the ups and the downs made the win that much sweeter. I have not blogged the games we were fortunate to go to (hopefully I still will), but I guess I have not been a blogging machine recently. As a matter of fact, I don't think I blogged about the Lakers this whole season. If you follow me on Facebook, though, you know I bombard that place with all things Lakers :P I promise I will blog the ring ceremony we went to last year (eventually) and hopefully we can go to this year's ring ceremony and blog that, too! ;)

We had so much fun tonight with some of our closest people. The house was loud pretty much throughout the whole night and I'm almost sure I am going to have no voice tomorrow!!! After the game we went to join the honking all over the city. Thankfully we were around a great atmosphere and nothing crazy happened. Everywhere you looked people were giving high fives, people playing "we love LA," a lot of honking, screaming Lakers. Thankfully no drama like what we saw on the news.

Well, it's late and I am all tired out from all the celebrating so I'll end it by saying: GOOOOOOOOOOO LAKERS!!!!!!!!

I'll leave you with a few photos from tonight's celebration :)

On the left is Art, of course :) The middle: my cousin posing with the ball Art got signed by Kobe. On the right my cousin and I on our way to celebrate, just like last year. To see what we did last year, click here. We did it again this year :)

I lost my sock while celebrating :P

I did not get to take too many photos of the celebration on the streets of LA because we were in the car at all times, but I did get this one with my phone. I might upload some other ones we got with the point and shoot.

Bring on the parade!!!

Hilda & Anthony ~ Part 2

2010-06-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hilda & Anthony ~ Part Two
Click HERE for part 1 (details)
San Diego, California
Twin Oaks Schoolhouse

Let me start off by saying how difficult it was for me to narrow it down to the images I posted below! Seriously, there are like 100 other images I really wanted to blog! There are still some that I am itching to edit, but I have to keep it to a minimum :( If I were to edit and blog all the images I want to it would take me even longer to finally blog this wedding and the other weddings and engagement sessions that need to be blogged would also be delayed.

With that said, I hope you enjoy looking at Hilda and Anthony's wedding as much as I enjoyed photographing it! They are a super nice couple. Anthony seems like a laid back guy and Hilda is one of those girls you just want to be bff's with :) They are a beautiful couple inside and out.

Hilda & Anthony: Thank you so much for choosing us to photograph your wedding! It was delightful to be around you, your family, and your friends! Hugs to you both!

Hilda made the bags below for her bridesmaids. Aren't they so cute?!

I loved that when Hilda came out with her dress on you could tell that she felt beautiful, like every bride should! She really took the time to let it all sink in and admire herself :)

Before we move on to the ceremony I want to show you the beautiful ring bearer pillow Hilda's grandmother handmade:

A closer look

Hilda surprised Anthony with a special book. She cheated just a little bit by seeing Anthony before the ceremony, but she got to witness first hand his reaction to her gift. All the while Anthony had no idea Hilda was sneaking a peek! :P

This was a first, I think. We actually only had about 10-15 minutes for portraits! It was a race against the clock, but I have to say I am happy with the photos we were able to get. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous as we were taking family photos and it just kept shaving off time from our Mr. & Mrs. photos time. We initially were supposed to have about 30 minutes, which most of our couples know is still considered a "not too generous" amount of time, but it's definitely do-able. However, things don't always go as planned and when family member want family photos, you have to give them what they want :) Thankfully we were able to go around the property quickly and use some of the spots we checked out prior to the ceremony. All in all, I love what we got. Let me know what you think!

Reception time!

I really like the photo below because I think it's totally Hilda & Anthony :)

Father/Daughter dance

Mother/Son dance

Mother/Daughter

The last dance

If you want to check out part 1, which has the beautiful details from this wedding, click HERE. I wish I could have posted everything in one blog post, but I don't think it would have fit.

P.S. Hilda, you have a beautiful heart and it showed in every detail at the wedding because you could tell all the love, thought, and time that was put into everything. All the work I'm sure you put into the wedding was worth it. When something is done with a lot of love, care and time you can just tell and it makes it that much more special! XOXO

Sneak Peek

2010-06-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek from a recent wedding.

Also check back later today for a full wedding blog post!

Hilda & Anthony ~ Part 1

2010-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hilda & Anthony ~ Married!
(Part 1 ~ Details)

Hilda & Anthony had a beautiful outdoor wedding in San Diego at the Twin Oaks Schoolhouse. I had to break down their wedding into three parts because that's how many images I MUST blog! We'll start with details, which Hilda put so much time into. As all past and present brides know, this is what we put soooooooo much time, sweat, and sometimes tears into! You need to have photos of it all to show proof that it was all worth it :)

Next to be blogged will be portraits. Come back soon to see those!

Fave Vendor - Tina Molina - Coordinator

2010-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've heard it before, wedding coordinators are life savers when planning a wedding. They are like fairy godmothers without the funky clothes and 10 times more efficient. They are the ones that swoop in to make your day come together exactly how you dreamed...even when unexpected things happen.

I'm not even going to get into how much I love coordinators, because I am sure you already know from prior posts!

I am however going to introduce you to one of my very favorite wedding coordinators! If you don't know her yet, please check out her website:

www.tinamolinaevents.com

I honestly don't know where to start with Tina because I think she and her team are absolutely amazing. I've had the honor to work with her at a few weddings. Every time she has helped put together all the amazing details our brides have worked so hard on, the wedding comes together without a hitch. Not only that, but the extra attention to detail adds that extra touch of beauty and thoughtfulness that you couldn't get unless someone is carefully taking care of all the details, a detail at a time. As much as brides would want to take care of all that stuff on the day of their wedding, they can't. They have a little something to tend to that I like to call "getting married!" That's when Tina and her team step in! They each pull at a different string to bring it all in beautifully and tie it with a perfect bow.

It goes beyond details, though. At a wedding it is always a given that unexpected "issues" will arise. More often than not, you will not be there to fix it, won't have the time, or simply don't want to deal with it. That is when a planner/coordinator will become your absolute wonder woman. That is when you will be the happiest bride just enjoying your wedding. Sometimes brides rely on the venue coordinator. Ladies, let me tell you, they are there for the venue. They will look out for the venue first and foremost, so you need someone who is on your court!

Don't get me started about timelines! As much as I love weddings and all that goes with it, I am no coordinator. Sometimes clients look to me to tell them what should be done and at what time, but I am a photo girl. I can give my input as to how long family photos will take, what time is better for portraits, etc., but I can't lay out a timeline for you. That is why, I breathe a sigh of relief when my brides have a coordinator. It lets me focus on what I do best, which is photography. It also liberates our clients from having to oversee everything and lets them focus on their family, friends and of course taking beautiful pictures :) Many times brides will rely on a DJ to take care of the timeline and while that is not a bad thing, I totally believe that you should only focus on one thing to be efficient. I focus on photography. DJ's should focus on music. Coordinators can focus on your timeline because they are pro's at it.

Anyway, sorry I just wrote a whole mini-novel here! As you can tell, I am very passionate about this :) If you are looking for an amazing day-of-coordinator or an all-inclusive planner, Tina Molina is the girl for you! If you are one of my brides/grooms, please give them a call! I can't tell you how seamlessly the day goes by when you have vendors who have worked together before. It's like we can communicate, without having to communicate :P

You can click on the link above to go to Christina's website or you can e-mail here at:
info@tinamolinaevents.com

or call her at:
818-455-6474

Happy planning!