Whoah! It's been a while....

Hmmm... where have I been lately? It's summer and although I did not leave anywhere spectacular I decided to take a mini-vacation these past couple of days. The possibility of Hurricane Alex last week made for an intense and hectic week but by the time the weekend rolled around I was over the rain and fear of lightning. The Fourth of July was a few days away and I wanted to simply relax. I did not get much photography work done during the week and decided to take a break during the weekend. I just enjoyed myself and relaxed with my fiance, my family and my lovable chipoodles whom I feel like I have lately neglected. Life is too precious to spend so much of the clock working. Yes, work is fun. Yes, work is needed. But life is worth so much more than any salary imaginable. I love my life and I want to make sure I take a step back, stop to look around at my surroudings, smile at the people I love and thank God for the beauty of living - and I want to do this often.

Alas, today is Tuesday and I am relaxed, rested and ready to work. I kid you not, these four days of vacay really helped to make my dark circles less dark... I think ;) But I feel better and somewhat a little healthier and I love it. I am re-energized and ready to work and play harder. I noticed I neglected to blog any new posts even though I had tons to say last week. Just when I thought about turning the computer on and writing a few words your way, I stopped myself. So what... Today is my day and I want to do something for me. So I did... I slept, watched tv, shopped, cuddled, played and cleaned. And I did it all for me.

Thus my beloved and faithful friend, what have you done for yourself lately? I challenge you to take a moment, maybe even a minute and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and smile as you remember what life is like when you stop worrying about irrelevant details and take pride in enjoying your day. I don't want to stress on whether my entire closet is color coordinated or planning a wedding... I want to know that if I don't get around to doing something today it will be okay. Why? Because God blesses us everyday with the ability to close our eyes and get away... Try it! If you have to study, study but take a moment from your time and open another book and read. Read for yourself. Write for yourself. Clean for yourself. Live for yourself because no matter how much you put into the things around you, you won't reap much in return if you don't do it because you really want to. And because I believe in practicing what I speak, I am encouraging others around me to do just that... LIVE!

And if you have a one more minute before you leap into the world with a big smile on your face, take a look at the following pictures of my beautiful mom working away ;) I needed a floral bouquet a few weeks ago but I had such a heavy workload on my shoulders that my loving mother came to the rescue. I get my creativity, my spunkiness and - dare I say, talent from her. She is truly an incredible woman and is always there to help. Thanks mom!

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Yes, she'll be taking floral orders ;)

Have an good night and an amazing week! Dream big and make the best of it!!!!

Engagement Session... Cynthia and Rene!!!

Wohooo! It's Sunday and my weekend has been great :) I can't believe it's already after 4:00 PM here in my area and the weekdays are looming ahead. I also can't believe I just spent quite a few hours watching a soccer game... What is wrong with me? I guess I really think it's nice the way people form strong ties to their favorite teams. Anyway, I thought we could end the week (or start a new one, depending on how you look at it...) with Cynthia and Rene's engagement session.

I met Cynthia almost a month ago and she mentioned she had seen my work. She already had a wedding photographer and in fact already had taken engagement sessions. Her wedding is coming up next month and she really wanted an engagement session with me. I felt happy to oblige :) We scheduled a session that very day we met and I thought it be nice to share the session with you. Cynthia and Rene were quiet and lovely to work with. I gave them just a bit of direction and the rest was just them being themselves. I'd like to thank Cynthia for "finding" me and for letting me work with them. I hope they enjoyed the photos as much as I do. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and I wish you the ultimate best :)





Have a Happy Sunday! :)

Dream BIG!

Howdy! I don't know about you but I am so glad it's finally Friday! I feel like I can just smile a little longer than usual and breathe a little slower as well. Friday means I can slow down for a day and enjoy life a little more... What does Friday mean for you? Friday also means I better enjoy the day because I usually have lots of more work that needs my attention during the weekend. This weekend is no different, but instead of having a tightly-scheduled weekend, I have a more relaxed and almost free two days. With the exception, of course, of a million things I want and need to do. But this million does not include the bazillion other things I could also be doing ;)

I've spent much of this week working on revamping the website... okay, okay so it only took me a couple of hours but every day since I have spent large amounts of time dedicated to the overall philosophy of my photography. Before the updated versions go online I want to make sure I understand my work so you, my potential client, can better understand me.

I've spent the whole week a little nervous but excited about dreaming big. But I've confided in many friends and they believe in me. I believe in me but sometimes, like I've mentioned before, I forget. It's amazing to have great friends who love you to remind you of all your best qualities. Dear friends, Thank You!

On a different note, I'd like to add that I have the best clients in the world :) They make me feel so special, appreciated and talented. They place their trust in me and make me feel more than just their photographer. To all my clients, Thank You :) I look forward to meeting many more people like you over my lifetime. As for you, my faithful reader, thank you as well for giving my voice an ear... or in this case - my words a reader. Be it one or a million, Thank You!

Wow, I just realized I'm in a very thanking mood... I like it :) What are you thankful for? While you think about it... here are some silk flower pictures. I took these yesterday to practice and shoot just for fun. It's been lots of work lately and I realized I wanted to do some photography for me, no pressure. So I did, ten minutes of my schedule made me feel more at ease.

Have a fabulous Friday and Dream Big! God's always with you.

Dominguez Siblings... One fabulous family!

A while back I had a very early morning session with some really cool siblings. Jessica wanted some portraits to gift to their mother for mother's day. The photos were going to be a surprise and without hesitation I squeezed their session in last minute and I believe the session did yield some amazing and fun pictures. Jess and I were even able to rescue a beautiful puppy and find it a loving home... Jessica's parents became the new owners of that beautiful Labrador mix. That day was a good day :)

P.S. Check back soon for Jessica's engagement session!

Happy Tuesday!!!

Wedding...Cinthya and Orlando

I mentioned a few weeks ago about a last minute wedding... do you remember the engagement session featuring Cinthya and Orlando? What, you don't? No worries... let me refresh your memory, you can view their engagement session photos here. Great! Now you're on track with me... I'm in the mood for confessions, so I'll let you know that sometimes I am a big chicken when it comes to certain things in life. For example, flying... boarding an airplane and trusting it will reach its destination with my nails not chewed down to my cuticles is rather difficult. Seriously, I cried the first time I flew... which was only a mere three years ago! Feel free to insert a ridiculous amount of laughter on your behalf right about now. 

As I was on my way out when I took Cinthya's phone call, I quickly remembered writing down the details regarding her wedding and what she needed from her wedding photography. Engagement Session. Sunday June 13, 2010. 6:00 PM. And then she said it, I wrote it but I never quite paid attention to it until later when I reviewd my notes. There it was scribbled in the worst handwriting ever for a girl... BOAT. Did I mention I am a big chicken? The fearing kind... I have this fear, of water and the animals that live in it.

I am an animal lover. Really, I hate having to kill a bug... so I do my best not to. I love the beach and find the environment truly beautiful. But I only go so far in when I am at the beach. I mean, really, I have legs not fins. I probably don't even know how to swim properly. I can splash around for a while but that's about it. And I later realized I would be shooting a wedding the following weekend at the beach... on a boat more specifically. This boat, it would go into the water and ride away for four hours!!!! Oh the horror... the chicken within me thought to herself. Then I thought about the really great opportunity and the amazing photos the wedding could yield. And it did, I certainly think so.

Cinthya and Orlando are sincerely in love. The feelings they possess for each other are genuine and the kind that make you tear. When they look at each other they can't help but smile. I noticed this first during their engagement session and on their wedding day. They'll soon be starting a brand new chapter in their lives both professionally and as a married couple. I wish them every happiness in this world and all of God's blessings. Most importantly, Cinthya and Orlando I thank you sincerely for placing your trust in me and for being so kind and caring. You truly made me feel more like a guest than simply your photographer. Thank you and God Bless.
Happy Monday! :)

Wedding Preview... Happy Saturday!

Wohoo! It's Saturday and I'm off to an early start. I've looked forward all week to today for a variety of reasons. My entire week has been busy and resulted in me being extremly tired and sleepy every day. Naturally, I wished for Saturday sooner than later so I could just relax. I've also looked foward to today because I have a wedding... yay! I hope you have a beautiful day and enjoy it with your bestest people :) I'll leave you with a preview of last week's fabulous wedding...