Brent and Jade ~ September 7, 2008

It's not often that I get to take pictures of family, and when the opportunity arises I am all over it like white on rice. Even though Brent and Jade live in San Diego it is hard to sync our schedules for dinner or trips to the beach, so their photo shoot was a treat for me. Plus I got to join them for dinner and hang out afterwards.

Jade was all about being in front of the camera. As soon as my hands grasped the black body of my Canon 5D, she was throwing poses as fast as Cole Hamels throws pitches over home plate. And each pose was true to her personality: outgoing, animated, strong, charming, goofy and inquisitive.

Brent was just the opposite. He didn't care that I had a camera in my hands, maybe because he is accustomed to being watched. He regularly makes most valuable player for baseball and he has the speed and maneuvering skills that make him a starting running back for his football team. Not only is he athletic, but he has great eyes. The sunset made him squint a lot, so after it dipped into the horizon I told him to open his eyes as wide as possible. His reaction was a bit like a roller coaster face. Nonetheless, I got the shot of his killer eyes.

Fritz Betschman ~ August 23, 2008

At six months Fritz was just about crawling and his happiest moments were when mom or dad held him up so he could stand on his feet. He was probably thinking he would skip the whole crawling thing and go straight for walking.

Also he was up for the entire photo shoot! He did crash as soon as I put the camera down, but so far he has the best track record among all the six-month-old babies that I've had the pleasure of photographing. What a trooper!

The last two pictures were his final moments of distraction before falling asleep. It was amazing to witness his newly developed hand-eye coordination. It was as if he just found his hands and how useful they are for putting things in his mouth.

Melissa and Justin ~ September 13, 2008

What a fun wedding! A couple months before the big day Melissa, Justin and I were sipping margaritas, enjoying Mexican food and talking about their wedding as though we had been friends before I became their photographer. And out of all the restaurants in San Diego, they picked a Mexican restaurant. I couldn't help but think we were destined to cross paths.

With her positive, outgoing spirit, Melissa lightens a room when she walks in and when she's telling a story, she has everyone's undivided attention. Justin's easygoing attitude and goofiness compliments Melissa like chocolate on strawberries. The chocolate calms the sweet yet tart strawberry taste. And when Melissa and Justin are goofy together separating them is like extracting oil from water; it's virtually impossible. Their foundation is strong because it was built with the most powerful bond we know of, love.

While waiting for the hour hand to hit two o'clock Melissa couldn't help peeking out the window to get a glimpse of Justin before the ceremony. And just outside the room where Melissa was primping and preparing, Justin greeted the guests entering the church and thought about how eager he was to see Melissa. Finally when their eyes met, you knew they were meant to be together.

Thank you for allowing me to document such an important day in your life, it was such an honor.

Danielle's Senior Pictures ~ August 23, 2008

It's so hard to believe this beautiful young lady is a senior in high school, especially since she was three-years-old when I started baby-sitting her. After a long day at work Danielle met up with me to get these must-have shots for her senior year. You'd never know that she was yawning in between frames.