Tuesday, April 29, 2008

:D



today is great. i am in love with life, WAY IN LOVE with my 'job', and SUPER IN LOVE with the One who woke my heart up from its slumber (romans 13:11-12). i feel like there is a sun beam from heaven shinning on me everywhere i go today (yeah i know i'm cheesy- so what). i'm so overwhelmingly blessed- knowing that there is contentment here. not just here at this time and place, but here for the rest of my life, because of the undying affection of my Savior :) (isaiah 43:1-5). have a great day everyone!

p.s. i first heard this song on breanne's site and fell in love with it. the video is also super cute!



<3annajoy

christy + daryl engagement





perfect, absolutely perfect. way more to come - these two will knock your socks off.


<33annajoy

Monday, April 28, 2008

the plaid party!

last night david and gracie and i drove down to the plaid party/house warming party at the mark brooke photography house! it was a ton of fun. we played croquet (i found out that i suck SO BAD) and played 'forks' because there were no spoons (i made it to the finals! i was the last girl, BAM!) there were gigantic sub sandwiches and chocolate fondue later, so basically it was all around a great time, its always fun hanging out with a bunch of awesome photographers. I stole this list from the brooke's blog, but heres all the people that came to hang out: Victor Sizemore, Ahs photography, Vu Bui, Lan Bui & Bonny, Brian Kang, Jessica Claire, Michael Norwood, Arron Dieppa, David Lee, Gracie, Christian Kadsen, and Ryel J. (i'll add some links tonight!)

heres a picture of our heated game of forks that david took, lol!



p.s. after i got eliminated from the finals because SOMEONE stole my FORK OUT OF MY HAND gracie and me played a mean game of speed!

p.p.s i love those little word magnets people have on their refrigerators.... so i got creative and whipped this up, hah!:




<33annajoy

Thursday, April 24, 2008

gracie day.

today my best friend turns 18. wow, so young. but she is wise beyond her years. selfless and servant-hearted to no end. she is humble and compassionate, always bringing joy and laughter to any situation. she has always dropped everything when i'm in need, even when it's at much cost to her. she is constantly inspiring me on so many different levels. we've been friends since she was 14 (?) and we have seen each other go through so much- now growing into our faith in Jesus (like little kids wearing dad's big shoes). she has this confidence and peace about her that allures anyone around her to just be at peace with themselves. and in this world where everything is so strained- 'peace', 'joy', 'self-confidence', 'success', etc etc- she is a beacon of light in the darkness. i love love love love her so much and am so blessed that she wants to hang out with a dork like me. anyone that knows us knows that we are two peas in a pod and that we sharpen eachother as 'iron sharpens iron' (proverbs 27:17). she tells me the truth when i need to hear it (not many people do that), and she makes me laugh so hard that i literally roll on the floor laughing... you know, like when you laugh so hard no noise is coming out anymore but your veins are popping out of your forehead? yeah, thats the effect she has on people. gracie: basically awesomeness incarnate.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACIE!



^christmas



^new years...i have no idea whats going on in the last picture



^hardest thing to do- keeping a straight face in a photobooth. do we get trophies?



^chipotle worship

*sorry for the blurry scan job, blurry gives character...right? and p.s. there are a million more photobooth pictures of us, maybe if you're all lucky i'll unveil some more of our weirdness!

<33annajoy

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

f y i

the best.day.ever post is updated if anyone cares! i will be updating all recent posts in the next few days before i'm out of town again! thanks to my faithful readers for being patient : )

p.s. my sister told me about this singer josh garrels so i checked out a few of his songs yesterday. he is really talented and i'm looking forward to hearing more of his stuff! here is one of my current favorites called 'freedom':




<33annajoy

yosemite

my sisters, mom and i took a trip to yosemite for 4 days and it was beautiful. i'm not much of a landscape photographer but here are some of my feeble attempts below. i became a little obsessed with my fisheye because on my new 5d it looks so awesome because of the full frame! i'm so excited for weddings this year and for all my new gear :) so blah blah heres the photos:



















fluffy head from wearing ten hats in the cold... then hiking and taking off all said layers.



little friend!









mmm, dinner one night...



have you ever had a fire roasted banana boat? OMG WOW...



yeah a heater in the wilderness... we were roughing it okay



6am, 29 degrees below zero... tea saving my life...



sara with a cappucino from the general store... who knew there was civilization so close by?



me and mom... me looking like a hunchback because of my 14 billion layers of clothes... don't let the sun deceive you...









a couple of portraits of rachel, me, mom and sara...





what a sweet time, enjoying family and the majesty of God's creation :)

video

<33annajoy

photog day extravaganza

a little while back lorie and david came all the way to my hood to hang out with gracie and me. right away they gave me a long awaited gift... my very own punksac cover. oh yeah, its just what you think. check it out. anyway i ooohed and aahed and LMAO about it and then we went to panda express- the awesomeness ensues.

henry was so cute i wanted to eat him...



but then the orange chicken distracted me...



my fortune cookie made me smile... it said "you have a fine capacity for the enjoyment of life"



photobooth madness









david's camera never stopped all day... he's a photo fanatic



we took them to the next cool spot in our town.. the cross :)



bff!



<3.......



lorie rules



we had a paparazzi experience when we were trying to take our picture together... david again with the camera.. and with henry in one hand... that's skill right there



yeeeeow!







a little fun with my 14mm and my mini sunbounce...









yep... us photographer folk get dirty. a photos not a good photo unless you do break the law to get it, break a bone or bleed, or have dirty feet after- or all of the above.



photog stop number 3 in vta... a little overdone around here but a cool place to show some photogs new to town :)





so fun! i promise i will come to bako asap!

<33annajoy

Thursday, April 17, 2008

nicole + jonathan engagement

saturday i met up with nicole and jonathan to shoot their engagement session, and boy was it long awaited! they e-mailed me last may to see if I was available for their wedding this june- and get this, jonathan hadn't even really proposed yet! man did i feel special that they would book me so quick when they knew a wedding was in order :) and i am so glad they did, they are AMAZING! we had so much fun working together. i explored montana de oro in los osos before hand to find the perfect flowery patch of springy goodness. stephanie came along, because she is a friend of nicoles and they work together. she is a really great up and coming photographer, so she offered to help at the session for free, and she did a sweet job! (you can check out her blog, there are a few pics of me sporting my shootsac!) and by the way, about the shootsac, it is awesome and way worth the wait! i'm excited to have it for weddings this summer :) so i put a bajillion few favorites from the shoot below, feedback is great, positive or negative! thanks everyone!


















































<33annajoy

sarah + david engagement

i had a great time with these two last friday! they have such a comfortable and unique love! they were keeping each other laughing the whole time and were awesome models :) not to mention that sarah is the daughter of jeri + bruce, the sweetest couple ever who let me LIVE at their house in los osos in '06 to shoot weddings for the summer!! so we shot at the base of bishop's peak in san luis obispo, but we all felt like we were in ireland it was SO green! heres a few favorites from the shoot; can't wait till their wedding on 06.07.08!!

































<33annajoy


Monday, April 14, 2008

random new hobby



hello everyone! i am interrupting my day of editing to let you in on a boring? exciting new project. okay i told you a few posts ago that i have a bunch of new ideas and things- photography related and otherwise. and since this is my blog i can do whatever i want... so i am going to introduce you to my new love... jewelry. well yes i love jewelry just as much as the next girl, but i recently discovered that *gasp!* i can MAKE MY OWN! as i was strolling through the aisles of michaels in SLO the other day (the best michaels on the planet- by far superseding the ventura michaels) i came upon their jewelry making section. i went crazy and spent most some of my sweet tax refund, woooohooo! so i got a little inspired to take a few pics of my newest creations. and please, if this is boring you beyond belief, stay tuned because i'm going to be cranking out awesome photos from the last couple days of engagement sessions and such for your viewing enjoyment :D








<33annajoy


Sunday, April 13, 2008

if you need to rofl...




<33annajoy


best.day.ever.

as almost anyone on the central coast knows, this time of year, the hills BURST with wildflowers. and almost anyone that knows me knows that i LOVE mustard! there is a secret road in ventura that i hadn't visited in a while, but liz brought to my attention that a mustard takeover was occurring at this particular place, so gracie and i went to check it out. we got there and were completely awestruck at all of the rolling hills and amazingness that surrounded us! and though i own like 8 different cameras, NONE of them happened to be anywhere in my car...asdkjsldkfj!! so we made a mental note to come back, and SOON. i drove back late saturday night after being in san luis obispo shooting sarah and david, and nicole and jonathan- just to wake up at the crack of dawn on sunday to go back to that glorious mustard explosion. gracie and i traversed through the mustard fields that almost grew over our head and forged a trail to the perfect spot, and made a sort of shooting nest there : ) we got some sweeeeet portraits of each other; though i'm camera shy and though gracie discovered she was deathly allergic to mustard and her lips swelled and throat started to close up....hey you do what you have to do for the shot right? just kidding- and don't worry she's fine now! anyways, i put up some shots below that tickled my fancy. i sure do love mustard. love love.
























<33annajoy

Friday, April 11, 2008

badly drawn boy



so i was into this band (and song) when i was 16-ish. i was reading in a coffee shop in slo this morning and it came on, and man, my love for them was reborn; i felt like i ran into an old best friend! not to mention its basically my theme song right now. so what i'm trying to say is, get into it. and please excuse the lame picture slideshow that definitely isn't a music video. oh well, close enough!

<33annajoy


Wednesday, April 09, 2008

ideasease.


not my photo, but applicable nonetheless

* this is not directly photography related- you've been warned ; ) *

yes, i just made up a word- and with good reason. lately i've had ideas and inspiration coming out my ears. thanks to recent events in my life, the Lord has been really showing me who i am; who i've always been- who i was created to be. for some time i've been stuck in a rut- in relationships, in business, in my walk with Jesus, and in my life in general- and it was killing me. i felt like i was walking alongside a tall wall, not even realizing it was a wall (until now). i finally came upon a door in the wall, which intrigued me... if there's a door, that means there is something on the other side. i looked through the peephole and stood in awe as i saw the glorious riches (ephesians 2:4-7) on the other side that i had been missing for so long- because i had doubted if they were really there. i am starting to understand that there are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going...can i get a witness? whether it be in a relationship, or in your faith, or in your business - the learning, the growing, the joy, the fun- its in the journey. it can be grueling at times- growing pains of sorts, but the end reward is worth it (james 1:12). so that's where my new word comes from- ideas + disease, i have an ideas disease. this ideasease has started small by looking through the peephole of my own fears and insecurities. i was looking into the hope of the future (jeremiah 29:11-14) that i have been granted by grace- and now it is growing and spreading and taking over (very much disease-like, but in a good way). i have so many ideas, new projects that are starting to blossom, new friendships, new new new. i wake up excited, sometimes not even sure why, but knowing that this feeling is just the smoke- the evidence of the rekindled fire for life deep in my heart. so cheers- cheers to kicking down the door of my stupid walls, to take hold of (phillipians 3:12-15) what is ahead- by faith. and you know what i am most thankful for? that there was a door in this wall. praise be to Jesus that when he died for us, the earth quaked, the sky darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two (the curtain that was separating us from intimacy with the father), and that He became the open door for us into the possibility of new life in him. this, my dear readers, is joy!


1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

psalm 63:1-8


<3annajoy


step it up seminar

today is day two of the step it up seminar put on by mike larson photo and blr photo. its been super fun and i've learned a ton! we had a mock bridal shoot yesterday and i wanted to show some of my favorite images real quick. we also had a competition in teams last night to get some cool photos using a FLASH LIGHT. there was one I really liked of breanne so check em all out below. i'm going to post some more shots later so be sure to come back if you're interested :)



















heres all of us- i'm not sure why i look so tiny compared to everyone... oh the woes of a fisheye lens. also not sure why i dont look very JOYful... i think i was hungry?! Or its just a case of "well there's no one blinking in this picture so this is the one we'll send people to blog" sigh.




<3annajoy


Monday, April 07, 2008

shanna + abtin engagement

yesterday after church, liz and i headed down to laguna beach area to meet up with shanna + abtin for the first time. we met them (after somewhat of a wild goose chase!) and followed them up to abtin's dads estate on the top of a hill above emerald bay, it was AMAZING. it felt like we were on the top of the world! the views were ridiculous! liz and i went over albums and fun products with them and then it was time to get rolling with the shooting (of photos- i'm not a professional sniper assasin or anything). i knew it was going to be a blast because they were so quirky and cute together. their personalities and sense of humor meshed perfectly, and i was honored to be able to capture this time in their lives. they complement each other so well, like they've been best friends since the dawn of time; truly two peas in a pod- the coolest pea pod ever! so anyways, enough bragging about this sweeeet couple, on to a billion few of my favorite pics from our shoot :) after getting some cool stuff at the house, we headed down to their park and then onto the private beach. enjoy!



















I adored shanna's shoes...



alright liz, the photo war is so on!!





cheesiest-photo-of-the-day award goes to...







shanna's got the 'fierce' look down, what a fox!











p.s.

here are some of Liz's shots, shes got a great eye. so glad to have her around!










oh and p.p.s!

after the shoot we went to out to dinner with amy & aaron! they're both such genuine and humble people, and their business is booming because of their amazing skills! thanks guys for hanging out, hopefully your awesome rubbed off on me and liz ; )



p.p.s.s. thanks amy for taking our photo, and thanks for letting me steal this photo from your blog ; )




<3annajoy


Friday, April 04, 2008

flu :(




i've definitely seen better days. buh.


thank you in advance to anyone who wants to pray for me!*


*EDITED TO ADD:

thank you thank you thank you everyone who was praying for me! i went to bed thinking i was done for and i woke up feeling like a new person! praise the Lord!



<3annajoy



Thursday, April 03, 2008

i <3 technology

i just got to 'hang out' with the fabulous lorie and super cool david for like an hour and a half....via web cam because they live in bakersfield! they might be the most awesome brother sister duo i've ever 'met'. they showed me a cool dance about bananas and I showed them a lot of funny pictures and showed them my collection of patches from my punk era (rofl i know). they are both really talented photographers, and great people all around. it was really fun, and really weird, because, well, it was over the computer. gotta love macs. anyways, i have an awesome shoot in o.c. on saturday so don't forget to check back for pix!

<3annajoy