Meet Sarah J

It is my pleasure to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Sarah J.  She had a vision for a vintage photo shoot, and that led to super cute boots, suitcases and lots of laughs.  In her spare time, Sarah is also a wedding coordinator, and a darn fantastic one at that!  

Sarah, thanks so much for spending an afternoon with me, I'd do it again any day

The Camera Gods have heard my prayers! :)

Well, friends, if you are wondering what could possibly make this purple-crazed photographer even happier than a purple camera bag???   a PURPLE CAMERA of course!!!

When I found out that this violet colored beauty has hit the market, it stopped me dead in my tracks.  It has a fixed lens and shoots in film (just like in the old days!).  Don't worry, I won't be whipping it out to shoot any weddings, but it sure gives my all-dressed-in-black camera a run for its money :)

Meet Jamie, Jamie and Jaedon :)

Hello again friends!  I'm proud to introduce you to Jamie, Jamie and Jaedon.  Jamie and Jamie are snuggly, silly and oh so sweet on each other :).  Jaedon was so excited that his dad chose Jamie to marry, that during his dad's proposal he asked her to join his family too.  GOSH!!!  Stories like that make me cry.  Thank goodness my camera has "auto-focus" because when Jamie was telling me their engagement story, I really couldn't see through the view-finder anymore...

Congratulations Jamie + Jamie on your engagement!  Your story has just begun! :)

Meet my fam :)

Hello friends!  I would like to introduce you to part of my family...Tim, Kelly, Brennan & Abby Nordstrom!  We don't get to see them as much as we'd like, but they spent Thanksgiving '09 with us and the leaves were perfect for taking pictures...yep, I couldn't resist.  I dragged my family out once again to be subjects for my latest crazy idea...uh, I mean, PROFESSIONAL MODEL SHOOT.  Thankfully, it didn't take much bribing once I mentioned we would jump in the leaves :)

Check out their slideshow {here}. Enjoy!

What I'm reading right now...

My favorite part of packing for a trip is choosing the books that will accompany me.  It's like selecting which friends you will travel with.  Books, for me, contain some of the world's best ideas, secrets and stories.  Ideas can take me on a whirlwind of adventure.  At least, that's what I say in place of confessing to the truth about my ADD...and how sidetracked I can become over something sparkly...

Back to my point...um...books!  Right!  Reading LOTS of books makes me very happy :).  I love a good story and adventure.  I also love a good book recommendation...please reply if you have read a good book lately, and tell us what it was!

Here's a peek at what I've been reading lately, top to bottom:

Playing for Pizza, John Grisham:  a fun change from the twist-and-turns, edge-of-your-seat books he's known for.
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert:  I am only a third of the way through it, but IT IS SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!  Throw caution to the wind and find out who you really are.
The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman:  a more serious book about a family that hides people in their zoo from the Nazis.
Tender at the Bone, Ruth Reichl:  Ruth is one of my favorite authors, this book is about her growing up.  As an adult, she is a food critic and wrote a very funny book about her adventures in disguises so that she could critique restaurants honestly.  Check out:  "Garlic & Sapphires" for these great stories!  Bonus:  these books include her cooking recipes!!!

Sightings of Purple -- I was destined to love this color! :)

Hello friends!  Yesterday my hubby and I had dinner with some wonderful friends & clients at Hula's Chinese BBQ.  {Side note -- if you haven't enjoyed the wonderfulness of Hula's you must RUN--don't walk--to the nearest Hula's and try it out for yourself!!!}  Anyways, I'll get back to the story...

We were nearing the end of dinner and the waitress delivered the fortune cookies to our table.  I have always enjoyed reading the fortunes.  But I've never really thought there was much to them...UNTIL NOW.

I opened my fortune and it read:  "Focus on the color purple this week to bring you luck."

NO JOKE, people!!!  I even took a photo for proof!!! (see above)

I suppose I was destined to love the color purple...and now I have hard evidence to prove it.  It's not just an obsession...I was born for this!!!  Ok, I'll try not to go completely overboard, but now I have justification for all kinds of purple purchases!!!  Forever 21 here I come! :)

New Wedding:: Amanda + Mike {Fort Bragg Wedding Photographer}

Hello, friends!  Welcome to Fort Bragg, CA!!!  The beaches are warm & sunny and it could not be a more beautiful day for a wedding.  Amanda + Mike tied the knot here on Monday, May 10, 2010.  I have absolutely no doubt that this couple is for keeps.

The weather was a bit, challenging, shall we say...the photos here make it look like it was perfect...during the ceremony, however, is a different story.  During the ceremony, it went like this:  rain + wind = HORIZONTAL RAIN.  Guess where I was shooting?  INTO the rain, of course!!!

Amanda + Mike proudly said their vows despite the crazy weather {see below} and after the ceremony it cleared up beautifully...it makes me think about how marriage is sometimes...sometimes it's sunny and warm, and sometimes you are standing in the rain.  No matter what, if you stand firmly together, the sun WILL come out again! :)  Congratulations, Amanda + Mike!!!

New Engagement:: Katie + Gavin {Chico Wedding Photographer}

Hello again, friends!  I am so pleased to introduce you to one of my dear friends, Katie.  She and I met in college at Chico State and have kept in touch since we graduated.  Katie is a wonderful girl and I am blessed to know her and call her my friend.  Not too long ago, Katie called me and announced she had met THE GUY {girls, you know what I mean, right!??!!?}  THE GUY!  I think I nearly dropped my phone I was so excited for her.

Gavin keeps Katie laughing.  Katie encourages silliness.  I don't think either of them could have found a better match.  Honestly, I've never seen Katie this happy before and I am so glad that Gavin is the reason why.

See Katie + Gavin's Engagement Photos {here}

Sightings of Purple {feeding my obsession yet again!!}

Hello, friends!  Some days, I cannot believe the crazy things that happen...Yesterday, I met with a bride and her fiance to chat about her wedding.  She happened to be wearing a purple shirt...{I thought to myself,...what a cute shirt!  I don't have a purple shirt like THAT yet...hmmm...I wonder where she got it?}  All of a sudden...MISSION OF THE NEWEST PURPLE SHIRT has commenced in my head....

I look down at my outfit and to my surprise...I was NOT wearing any purple!!!  HOW could this have happened???  Then, my bride tells me she wore that purple shirt JUST FOR ME, because she knows I love purple. 

I think I stopped breathing for a minute, I can't remember.  I was speechless.  What a thoughtful gift!  This bride went out of her way to do something nice for me by wearing MY favorite color. 

To that bride {if she is reading this}, my dearest thank you.  It really did mean a lot to me :)

New Engagement {Meet Lea +Konoli}

Hello, folks!  It is my pleasure to introduce you to Lea + Konoli.  Lea knew he was "the guy" because he is a gentleman.  You don't find much of that anymore, right ladies???  I told Lea she should keep him :).  They are looking forward to their wedding in October!  Congratulations, Lea and Konoli on your Engagement!

New Engagement {Jennifer & David}

Hello, friends!  I am excited for you to meet Jennifer & David!  Picture this: .....they got engaged on St. Patrick's Day on the beach at sunset!  How perfect?  She thought the ring was still being created...meanwhile, the ring was already in his pocket!!!!  They love being outdoors...and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful for their engagement pics.  They are looking forward to their destination wedding on the beach :).  Congrats you two! 

New Engagement:: {Betsy & Hudson}

Hello friends!  Here are some cheerful, sunshine-y images that have really made me smile. 

Meet Betsy & Hudson.  Two super-fun happy people.  Together they love traveling (road trips, especially!) and making each other laugh.  Good thing they both have the same sense of humor!  They are a delight to have coffee with (if you can tie them down for a few minutes...) and if it's their choice, it's always Peet's Coffee!  I cannot wait for Betsy & Hudson's wedding this fall at The White Ranch.  It's truly a beautiful location :).

Feeding My Purple Obsession :)

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I would like to share something very dear to my heart with you:  my favorite color, PURPLE.  If you didn't know already, I love the color purple.  I own many articles of clothing that are purple, many things purple, heck, I even painted the largest wall in my studio purple!

Ok, so this might have been going overboard, but when I saw the new Kelly Moore camera bags, I fell in love with the style.  Then I found out that the bags come in [drum roll please]...yup!  Purple!  I had one bought in 15 mins flat. 

They look great from the outside---nothing obvious to give away "Hey!  I'm carrying about $3-4,000 worth of camera gear here!!!"  I love that!  It's a little dressier and stands out from my work clothes.  When you're wearing all black and then carrying a bunch of black camera bags, black gets a bit boring. 

I'm looking forward to using it this summer shooting weddings!  To my brides who didn't choose the color purple as their wedding color, I hope you don't mind if I bring my purple bag anyways :)

have a great weekend!
~Jen

We're Looking for Modern Fairytales...

Calling all clients and friends!!! 

That's right!  We're on the hunt for today's Modern Fairytales! 
{and I don't care what the dictionary says, I like it better as ONE word, not two!}

What's your fairytale?  How did you two meet?  Was it magic at first sight?  Did someone fix you up? 

Tell us YOUR story. 

Your story could be featured on our blog, facebook and website! 

{Click here to Email me!}  {Call me at 530-591-2937}  {Talk to ya soon!}

OUR PHOTOS FEATURED ON "GARTER GIRL" SITE!

One of my brides purchased her garters from this company and they were sooooooooooo special and unique.  Check them out!

http://juliannesmith.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/real-wedding-garter-melissa/