A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of photographing a really nice beach wedding in Mission Bay for Brian and Heather so I was thrilled when they told me they were coming to town with an adorable new bundle in tow. I met up with them this morning for some quiet beach time before the crowds picked up – and Baby Shelby was (almost) perfect :). Everyone insisted it was OK to get some pictures at the rare moments when she got fussy so I was sure to include one here!!
Author: sdphotographer
Kelsey and Steve Engagement Photos
EngagementsKelsey is soon to be my baby boy’s pre-school teacher, although our family has already gotten to know her pretty well. I was very excited for her first when she told me she was getting married, and then when she announced that she wanted me to be her wedding photographer. I had not yet met Steve so we arranged a meeting and immediately began planning their engagement photos. Our session 3 days ago started at Old Poway Park before returning to the magical trail behind my home.
Casey + Cathy = Married
San Diego WeddingsIts always fun shooting weddings when you already know the bride and groom – so this was a very special wedding. Not only are Casey and Cathy my neighbors – but I actually traveled to Santa Barbara last year to photograph the surprise proposal. This wedding took place at the Sheraton in Carlsbad with the portrait session happening nearby at the San Diego Botanical Gardens (aka Quail Botanical Gardens).
The day was long but super fun – and as a result of those 2 things (long day and fun time) I shattered my record for the most pictures I have ever taken at a wedding. In fact, while I was creating this blog post I was struggling to narrow down my list of favorite images to get below my top 200.
Wildflower Triathlon 2013
Sports PhotographyThe Wildflower Triathlon is one of my favorite events to travel to each year. It is a 2-day festival on remote Lake San Antonio with camping onsite and thousands of participants competing in half Ironman (70.3), Mountain Bike Triathlon, and Olympic distance triathlon. This year had extreme contrasts in weather from Saturday to Sunday with temperatures in the 90’s on Saturday and the a sprinkling of rain with temperatures in the 60’s on Sunday.
Happy Birthday Madelyn
San Diego Family PhotographyWorld Triathlon San Diego
Sports PhotographyThere are eight events that comprise the World Triathlon Series and San Diego marks the second stop of the tour. The full event spans several days and includes individual races for Elite Men and Elite Women – but between those two Pro races, an amateur “Age Group” race takes place on the same course. The age group race kicks off shortly after sunrise and the starts are staggered so it can be difficult to tell “who won” the race until results from each of the categories come in. But ultimately most of the athletes are racing against the clock and themselves, so the ability to compete on the exact same course as the best in the world is a great thrill on its own.
Cute Doggies
San Diego Family PhotographyThe flowers behind my place are in full bloom right now – so I am thrilled to have a few photo sessions lined up to take advantage. These nasturtiums grow under a beautiful canopy of mulberries creating a magical lighting scenario for photography. I was lucky enough to photograph Melissa and her adorable dogs once before… and they behaved very well for me once again today.
Camp Pendleton Mud Run 2013
Sports PhotographyToday I was out at Camp Pendleton for my third mud run of the season. The races are a ton of fun to spectate but they are a little rough on me and my gear. Take today for example… in that first picture it would not immediately come to mind – but every drop of dirt and sweat that might come off the athletes on this obstacle is going to land directly on me and my camera (yuck!!). At location #2 it might not be hard to imagine how I might end up a bit messy :). But in any case – when you are hard at work, you soon forget about the little things (like someone else’s sweat dripping on your face) and it is not hard at all to get caught up in the excitement of a fun event like this. For now… I have a while before I need to consider whether I want to subject myself to something like this again next year!!
La Jolla Engagement Photos
EngagementsI almost always get to do some location scouting – even if it is just a google search for other photographs or a street view. But heading into this engagement photo session I was flying completely blind. We were meeting in the middle of an upscale neighborhood in La Jolla near a small trail that accessed the ocean (at low tide). The funny thing about last Saturday is that the tide was high and so was the surf. We ended up on just a small cliff about 30 feet above the water, and with the high surf I still managed to got soaked in the first 10 minutes of being on location. Still, the conditions were great for taking pictures and these guys were super photogenic. And not only did the beach location work out well… I may have discovered my favorite stair case in San Diego only about 200 yards from our beach trail.