Melissa + Nick: Preview

This past weekend I stepped out of my 'Industrial Design student' role and photographed a wedding! It was such a nice change of pace, especially since the couple was pure wonderfulness. Melissa definitely takes the cake for most organized bride, I LOVED working with her. Here is a little sneak peak of the day!

Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving has taken a special place in my heart this year. I am overwhelmed with gratitude, and have grown so much personally. I decided it is time to write down some grateful thoughts that have been passing through my mind. 


This past year I am especially grateful for: 
A family we hardly knew that opened up their home to let us live with them. 
The love and friendship we now have with said family. 
Generous Grandparents-in-law who opened up their home to let us live with them. 
Delicious Vietnamese food as a result of living with said Grandparents. 
New cleaning and efficiency skills I would not have otherwise learned. 
The way I have seen my personality refined as I learn to live happily with others. 
Parents, siblings and in-laws who so willingly help watch my daughter when I need it. 
Family members who love and teach her. 
A husband who makes sacrifices I can’t even imagine in order to support his girls. 
(and while I’m talking about him) The little things he does to make me feel loved, even when we are thousands of miles apart! 
The opportunity to return to college and get a design degree. 
How empowered I feel, knowing I went back to school with all odds against me. 
The motivation and excitement that has continued to push me while pursuing photography. 
The fact that my husband is my best friend, and how our love has been strengthened through the difficulties we’ve braved together. 
An intelligent, healthy and loving daughter! 


I can’t possibly list everything but this is a good start. Overall, my gratitude is for the strength I have felt as Mike and I have waded through this interesting and exciting, yet challenging year. I have no doubt that strength is from Christ, and it is him whom I am grateful for above all. Happy thanksgiving everyone! 


p.s. i call the picture above forest in motion. what does the image make you think of? To me, it represents the way my life is moving so quickly right now, but at the same time, I want to stop and take in each moment.

A Quick Update

Things have gotten busy really quickly around here, but I wanted to take a minute to fill you all in and to apologize for the blog absence! Here is my life in list :)
1. I started my last year of school! Cannot WAIT to be holding that Industrial Design BS degree in my hand.
2. My husband is in Houston training for a new job. We've seen each other for two days in the last month. Once he starts working (flying...he's a pilot) he'll be commuting from Newark, NJ to Orange County! 
3. I have 3 beautiful weddings I need to blog...but I gotta tell you...it may be awhile. This moment right now is the only "break" I can see for the rest of the semester :/ SO sorry!
4. Mike and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary this week! Even though we are in different time zones, he makes me feel like the luckiest girl on the planet. Here's to our love.

My Little Girly

I just realized that it's been awhile since this cute little face has been on my blog! So, I rounded up a few photos from the last month.

In this one, I came into her room and found her like this (but maybe I bribed her with one jelly bean {bird egg as she calls it} so she'd smile and hold still for the picture).


Evie the model:

Chitwood Family: In Action

Here's another fun little animation for ya. There are some things about this that make me so happy, can you guess what they are?

Hope it makes you smile too!

Sister Portraits

This pretty face just keeps popping up on my blog! She is one of my two amazing sisters who are always willing to let me snap pictures of them. This was the first time getting my hands on a tilt shift and ooooo was it fun!!

Lisa + Jim: Newport Beach LDS Temple Wedding

This summer I have had the pleasure of working with Tegyn Friedman quite a few times! We always have tons of fun when we shoot together. I was her second shooter for Lisa and Jim's wedding day...and what a sweet day it was! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Benson Family: Candid Beach Portraits

There is something so lively and captivating about candid photos and the stories they tell. We did a large family portrait session at Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach. If you've never been there I highly recommend it. Here are my favorite pictures of the kids being kids.

This little lady got knocked down in the water after about 15 minutes of picture taking. She was surprisingly good for being soaked!

Doesn't this sweet face melt your heart?




If you missed the animation I made from this last picture, you can see it here.

Wedding Invitation Design

Did you know that I am also a designer?? Yep, it's true! I am currently finishing up my bachelor's degree in Industrial Design (aka product design). So in the middle of all the picture taking good times, I like to mix it up with a little design project. Lately, that design has revolved more around the computer screen than anything else. I designed a friend's blog a while back, and more recently a wedding invitation. I had so much fun with both of these! Here is the invite for you to check out.

Have a LOVELY Thursday!

Nancy + Jeff: Longshadow Ranch Wedding

Ok people...this wedding is the definition of FAIRY TALE! But before I get into that, let me give a huge thank you to Jenn of Jenn King Photography for allowing me to join her and Will for this perfect day. And really it was pretty perfect, with such a gorgeous location, beautiful bride and groom and amazing details. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking from here :)







This next one takes my breath...I love it!

Headed over to the bridge for the "first look".