La Brisa Photography: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Another way to give back!

So I've been thinking about ways to give back and I recently came up with an idea that I am really excited to share with you! Do you see the banner ads for B&H and Adorama at the end of this post as well as the sidebar on the lefthand side of the blog? Well, if you click on those links and buy something from either of those retailers, I receive a very small percentage of that amount. In the past, I haven't made any money from the links, but I am hoping to change that. Now, I will be donating 100% of proceeds generated from these ads to Workshop Houston - an amazing organization that empowers youth with technical and educational resources.

If you are interested in purchasing any types of electronics (cameras, computers, accessories, etc) in the future (Christmas presents, perhaps?), please consider clicking on one of my ads to get to these awesome online retailers! From my experience, B&H and Adorama typically have the best prices for most camera and electronic equipment! I can also send you a direct link to whichever product you are interested in purchasing as well to ensure that my account is credited for your purchase!

Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you again for being awesome and for your continued support of La Brisa Photography!

And here is a photograph from Tomales Bay, CA that will be available for Photography for a Cause 2011!

Are you on Facebook? Of course you are! Check out the La Brisa Photography Fan Page to view the latest teasers, helpful articles and more!

Help me reach my goal - 50 States by 2015!

Check out La Brisa Photography's GEAR!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Jessica & Justin | Attraction Session | Manhattan, KS | Chris

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend with plenty of gratefulness, laughter and surrounded by the people you love and cherish!

Today, I am excited to introduce a couple of guest bloggers to run the show! Please help me welcome Jessica and Justin to the blog! =) Thanks again so much for selecting me to photograph your engagement session!

And a special thanks to Dana Nordyke Photography for her assistance!

The Proposal!

Justin - As amazing of a girl as Jessica is, I wanted to plan a really special day that involved many of our memories from dating. I knew that I also wanted the day to include many surprises as well (although it is extremely hard to keep a secret from Jessica)! Jessica and I really enjoy Manhattan and we met at K-State, so it was the perfect location for me to propose. On our engagement day, the weather was perfect outside. I had prepared a scrapbook with pages containing stories or memories of certain locations around Manhattan. As we progressed through the day, we took pictures at many locations where we met surprises along the way (Jessica's parents, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law).

I can remember how excited Jessica was the entire day. She was also very excited to turn the pages quickly to get to the final one. We loved to look back on the story of us and how we are discovering our love for God and each other. The funniest memory was watching Jessica down three pink lemonades at the Manhattan mall because she was so nervous. Who knew she would be so thirsty? At our final location, I had chosen Annenberg Park. There at a bench, I kneeled down to ask the love of my life, "Jessica Heath will you spend the rest of your life with me, Jessica Leanne Heath, will you marry me?" She said yes, and the many pages of the scrapbook will continue!

Jessica - April 17th, 2010 is the best day of my life so far, I know it will be beat out by our wedding though! Justin did such a great job surprising me with the proposal. As soon as the day started and the scrapbook was brought out, I knew what was coming. What I didn't know was how thoughtfully he had planned out the perfect engagement - with all of the spots special to our story and people special to our lives. A visit to Bramlage Coliseum, Vista Drive In, City Park, K-State and several more provided a trip down memory lane. One of the best parts of the whole day was getting to Annenberg Park where he FINALLY proposed! :) There were a ton of people out and about on the beautiful day, including a huge barbeque going on right next to the bench he proposed at. As we were walking to the bench we ran into one of Justin's friends and the conversation that ensued was sufficiently awkward as Justin was minutes from popping the question. It was a perfect day and I can't wait to spend our life together!

The Engagement Session!

More than anything we wanted a relaxed session where we could really show our personalities. We didn't just want the typical posed pictures, we wanted a more candid look - which we definitely got! Pictures are really important to us and we knew we would be using these for Save the Date cards and more for our wedding - so we really wanted to make sure and get pictures we loved! After the session, we realized we were terrible at skipping, and writing "LOVE" with a flashlight! Really though, we had a wonderful time and wanted to relive every moment, outfit, pose and location. We had such a good time at our session it was like the feeling you have after you laughed a lot with an old friend. Justin and I were 1000% comfortable, we couldn't believe how well it had gone and how comfortable Chris made us. The amount of time Chris and Dana spent with us was so impressive. Also, the willingness to go anywhere we wanted to go for pictures. It would have been so easy for Chris to just snap a few pictures for us - especially when we will have so many pictures coming up at the wedding. Chris made us feel like he had nothing else in the world going on - he just wanted to take wonderful pictures for us!

Favorite photograph?

Justin - While there are more serious ones that I knew we will cherish, this picture really captures us and our personalities. We are always smiling and laughing and this picture shows who we really are!

Jessica - I love the lighting, the look on our faces, the sun, everything about it. I feel like it is exactly what we were looking for - and will be a picture that we enjoy forever!

Here are a few more photos!

Sorry you two, but I HAD to include this one! Makes me laugh everytime! You are the best! =)

They're "LOVE" turned out quite well if I do say so myself!

Are you on Facebook? Of course you are! Check out the La Brisa Photography Fan Page to view the latest teasers, helpful articles and more!

Check out La Brisa Photography's GEAR!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Michelle & Thayne | Wedding | Overland Park, KS | Chris

Happy Friday everyone! Prepare yourself for a TON of wedding photos! When the incredibly beautiful maid of honor, Michelle, from my featured wedding (Lindsey & Chris) on the main website - www.labrisaphotography.com asked me if I could photograph her engagement session and wedding, I was ridiculously excited for the amazing opportunity! You may recall this couple from their rockin engagement session - Michelle & Thayne Attraction session (one of my favorite sessions ever)!

Well, fast forward to their wedding and I gotta say, it was perfect. Michele looks absolutely radiant. And Thayne cleans up fairly well himself =) The entire day was exquisitely scheduled and the dance floor at the reception was hopping the entire night! Michelle gave Thayne an incredibly unique groom's cake that almost didn't make an appearance, but thanks to working the phones and resorting to a little strong-arming, Amy and Jen were able to make it happen! Also, during their recessional, guests through paper airplanes over and at the newlyweds! How fun is that? I LOVE how they incorporated so many fun and personal details into their wedding day! Michelle and Thayne, you are amazing and a couple that everyone should emulate!

The best part of this business is making friends at one wedding and then seeing them all over again at another wedding! It just makes everything so much fun! I felt so loved, so appreciated and so definitely part of the family as soon as I arrived! =)

Thank you again so much for selecting me as your photographer! I had a fantastically awesome time and I can't wait to see you again at the next wedding! To view even more photos from the wedding, head over to Michelle & Thayne's album on the La Brisa Photography fanpage!

Special thanks to Jackie Wilson Photography for assisting me!

If you are interested in having your wedding at this fabulous venue, the Deer Creek Golf Club, please contact Linda Smith and she'll take amazing care of you!

Thought I'd start you off with just how adorable Michelle and Thayne were on their big day!

Thayne and the boys started out the day playing a little golf!

Meanwhile, Michelle and her ladies were becoming more beautiful at Par Exsalonce.

Those are Michelle's two lifelines: Mountain Dew and her iphone (probably in that order too)!

Michelle's dress was magnificent.

Former La Brisa Bride, Lindsey, applying makeup to new La Brisa Bride, Michelle!

The entire day was filled with moments like this...joyful laughter!

Father and daughter embrace

Absolutely gorgeous period.

One of my favorite bridal portraits ever.

They opted for a first look and it was perfect

I love how snuggly Michelle looks in Thayne's arms!

At Lindsey and Chris' wedding, I tried this for the first time and so I HAD to do it again for Michelle and Thayne!

Thayne and his brother (and best man)

Check out this cake!

And the ladies that made it happen for the groom!

First dance

Even as day turned into night and the darkness befell the now empty ceremony site, Michelle & Thayne's unity candle still blazed brightly.

The reception was amazing. Sooo many dancers. Sooo much fun! This little man knew exactly where to be on the dance floor...surrounded by the beautiful ladies! =)