Drew B Photograhy

Janelle and David win the prize for most creative engagement session location!  Since these two met in high school, they decided they wanted to do their e session there.  And their high school, Villa Park, happens to be my high schools rival.  School is out for the summer so we had the whole place to ourselves.  After we were done we went down to Laguna for a few more pictures.

These two were so easy to shoot.  David is a natural since he was an Abercrombie model!  Well, kind of.  He was approached at the gym by a model scout and did a test shoot with them!  And he thinks he’s not photogenic!  I think Janelle looks like a young Christie Brinkley.  They are going to have gorgeous kids!

Janelle and David are getting married in August at his parents home in Monarch Beach.  There’s nothing like a wedding on the sand!  I can’t wait!  For now, here are some of my favorites from our shoot and the slide show!

And now for the beach pictures.  We had the best light at the beach I’ve seen in a long time.  And although the tide was high and we couldn’t go to my favorite spot we still got some gorgeous pictures!  Here’s the slideshow!

Wow, I have so many favorite images from my engagement session with Shelly and Dave that I’m going to do a DrewB Blog first!  I’m going to blog my favorites from their downtown/urban session today and then I’m going to blog their beach session on Thursday!

First of all, I knew Shelley and Dave were awesome.  I knew that from the very first time we met.  But, when they sent me this picture saying, “This is what you have to work with” I knew we were going to have a good time.

Sorry guys.  I had to post it.  It’s too funny!

Unfortunately, they left their snorkel gear at home, but we still had an awesome time.  We got super lucky with their session.  We got to shoot in my favorite laundromat, we found a dirty couch in an alley, and we found a rad car with the license plate “LUV TRIB”.  I mean, really, how much better can it get?

Shelley and Dave are getting married at the Orange County Museum of Art (one of my favorite venues!) in August.  They have family flying in from all across the country so it’s sure to be a fabulous day!

Thanks to Shelley and Dave for being such great sports and hanging out with me in the laundromat, sitting on the nasty couch and in gutters, and for the awesome gift!  That was so thoughtful!  Remember to check back on Thursday for the beach pictures and a slide show!  For now, here are my favorites from Downtown Laguna!

My second shoot up north was at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay.  Gorgeous!  This is where they shoot the movie American Wedding.  I had never met Julie before, which is a little unusual.  Usually I deal with the bride, but Mark had booked me while he was in Orange County on business last year.  These two are great and I was so excited to meet Julie!  She has the most infectious smile.

Julie and Mark have a crazy story.  They first met at camp when Julie was 12 and Mark was 16.  Mark was her counselor!  And, of course, Julie fell in love right away!  Don’t worry, Mark did not.  That would be creepy  She even wrote him letters!  How cute!  Fast forward 15ish years and Julie and Mark were both attending the same mixer group in San Francisco.  Julie recognized Mark’s name from his name tag and knew that she knew him.  But from where?  She finally put two and two together and realized this was the Mark who was her camp crush!  Crazy!

Now these two are getting married at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village this July.  I’m very excited for their wedding.  It will be my first true Jewish wedding and I can’t wait for them to step on the glass and say Mazel Tov!  I hope they do the Hora too!

Julie and Mark, thank you for taking me to such a gorgeous location for your engagement shoot!  And thank you for the blanket and stuffed animal for Brayden!  He loves it and played with the toy on the ride home!  That was so thoughtful of you two!  Below are some of my favorites from the shoot and here’s your slideshow!  See you in July!

I told you Julie had an infectious smile

We made it home safe and sound! Brayden was pretty good in the car. We had a rough night in the hotel the first night, but he did really well the second night. It was a good, yet very short, first vaca for Brayden.

I was so excited to meet Katie and Brad for their engagement session in the city. I met them at Rita and Scott’s wedding in Puerto Vallarta last October. Chuck and I were seated next to them at the rehearsal dinner and Brad told me that they had recently gotten engaged (in Paris!). I had a lot of fun chatting with them at dinner so I was really happy when their planner contacted me a couple of months later. It also turns out that Katie is sorority sisters with Nikki, whose wedding I shot last month, and Brigid, whose wedding I shot last September. Such a small world!

It’s always fun to shoot somewhere different. I was happy when Katie and Brad decided to have me come up to San Francisco to shoot their engagement pictures. It was a bit cold, but Katie was brave in her cute dresses and it totally paid off. As I was editing the pictures I realized that Katie’s dresses matched perfectly at every location we shot at!

Katie and Brad are getting married in August in Santa Rosa. Katie’s having her dress custom made and they are having an 80’s cover band play at their reception! So rad! I’m really excited to come back up for their wedding. It’s going to be so much fun!

Katie and Brad, it was so great to get to hang out with you two again! I hope you had an awesome time in Tahoe! Below are some of my favorites and a slide show. See you in August!

Both Brad and Katie are from the East Bay so they’ve traveled the Bay Bridge a lot!

Doesn’t Katie’s dress match perfectly?

The front door to their house. I love all the old homes with such ornate details in San Francisco!

My favorite shot of the day!

I could have shot at the Presidio all day!

Alison was a bridesmaid in a wedding I shot last April and I was so excited when she contacted me about shooting her own wedding! Alison and Wayde met at Cal State Chico. Because Alison fell so in love with Wayde she stayed up at Chico while it took him a freakishly (her words, not mine!) long time to graduate.  She even took a not so great job and postponed the rest of her schooling to be with him. That’s love

These two were so comfortable in front of the camera. They just laughed at each other the whole time. I don’t even think they knew I was there! You can just tell how in love they are, which always makes my job a lot easier. They are just too cute!

Alison and Wayde are getting married this October at the Fullerton Arboretum. I’m excited because it’s a gorgeous venue, but also because it’s really close to my house I think it’s the closest wedding I’ve ever shot.

Thanks Alison and Wayde for hanging out in a parking structure, sitting in bushes, and laying in an alley with me. It was fun! I can’t wait for your wedding! Below are some of my favorites and here is your slide show!

I had so much fun shooting with Krista and Erik last Friday! Vespas, boats, and ferris wheels! You can’t really get much more fun then that! Krista and Erik met on the Newport Peninsula. They did (and still do for a few more weeks) live across the street from each other. Erik didn’t have cable so he would come watch TV with Krista and her roommate They are getting married in September and it’s sure to be a gorgeous wedding! Even though Krista is a Trojan and a Delta Gamma (what is with all the DG’s? I have 3 DG brides this year!) she is a cool girl and is going to be a stunning bride! Can’t wait! Here’s the slide show!

Erik collects Vespas. Perfect for getting around Newport in the summer!Check out that bling! I LOVE Krista’s ring!Neighbors!

So there’s a cool story about this dock. Erik and Krista wanted to shoot at this cool location that I’d never been to before. Look at how picturesque this dock is!

There was a couple down at their boat and I was scared they were going to yell at us and tell us to leave, but they invited us onto their boat to take a few pictures! How cool is that? Thank you so much Carole for allowing us to shoot on your boat and for sharing a little piece of your paradise with us. You’re so lucky to live there! BTW, Carole is also an amazing artist! Check out her website!

Then we headed down to the Fun Zone

Thanks Krista and Erik! See you in September!

I’ve been looking forward to Chelsea and Sean’s engagement session for a long time. Not just because it was my first engagement session back after having the baby, but also because I knew it would be one of the most unique sessions I’ve ever done. Chelsea and Sean had a specific vision of what they wanted their shoot to be and they totally pulled it off. We shot at the amazing Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. That place is heaven for a photographer. So many amazing places to shoot!

Chelsea and Sean are getting married this June at the Montage. Their coordinator is the fabulous Jeannie Savage from Details Details and I’m so excited to see what her and her team will do for this wedding! After seeing how all out they went for their engagement session, I’m sure their wedding is going to be SO amazing! Here’s a slideshow with my favorites from our session! See below for a day in the life of the oh so glamorous Chelsea and Sean!

They started out with a couple of drinks.

Then Chelsea did some cleaning.

Chelsea got a pedi.

Wardrobe change number two.

They played a game of cards.

And did some dancing.

Wardrobe change number 3.

They had a pillow fight.

Chelsea won.

Her prize was a foot rub.

Then they watched some TV and called it a night.

Thanks Chelsea and Sean for a fabulous shoot! Have a safe trip back home to Seattle and I’ll see you in June!

Since I haven’t been shooting, a little piece of me has been missing. Sure, I take pictures of the baby everyday and that’s fun. But, it usually ends up with Brayden crying and with me covered in pee or spit up. I needed to take pictures of people. Big people. Who take direction and smile because they are happy, not just because they have gas. So when my good friends Kyle and Johanna came into town this weekend I had to shoot their engagement session! No, I’m not technically supposed to be shooting for two more weeks, but I’ve been feeling really well so I decided to give it a try.

Kyle is one of our closest friends. He was Chuck’s roommate senior year of college and one of his best men as well. He met his beautiful fiancee Johanna at Yale while they were both studying to become Physician’s Assistants. I feel like I’ve known Johanna for years. She’s so sweet and thoughtful and makes the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! I really can’t remember Kyle without Johanna. They are a perfect balance for each other and I’m so glad that Kyle FINALLY proposed to Johanna last summer They live in Arizona now and we don’t get to see them much. Hopefully they can move back to California soon!

Kyle and Johanna are getting married in Ohio this October. I love Ohio so I’m very excited for their wedding. There’s going to be barns and hoe downs and square dancing! So fun! The amazing Jessica Strickland is shooting their wedding so I know they are in good hands. I just get to sit back and enjoy. Although, I’m sure I’ll be bringing my camera along!

Kyle and Johanna, thank you for letting me take your engagement pictures! You know how much we love you guys and we are so excited for you two to start your married life together! Here’s your slideshow!