Here’s part two of my day with Nicole Benitez!
I mentioned that she had contacted two senior girls to come model for us, so please meet Megan! Megan was a blast to photograph! Check out those amazing baby blues!
Thank you, Megan, for being a great sport! It was awesome working with you! And many thanks again to Nicole!!
xoxo, Lauren
A few months ago, I was perusing Facebook and saw a post that set me back a minute or two. A friend had posted about a local photographer that was holding an auction to raise funds for a military family. A Marine Corps Sargent had lost his three-year-old daughter and Nicole of Nicole Benitez Photography was raising funds to assist with the funeral costs. Gulp. I realize that the money was probably the last thing on this family’s mind, considering that their precious girl was no longer with them. But, since I didn’t personally know them, I thought that my contribution–though not large by any means–would be able to assist them and lift some of the financial burden.
Nicole was running an auction, so I immediately bid on a few items. One of the items I bid on was a one-on-one mentoring session with Nicole. Though I was outbid at the last moment, I asked Nicole if she would honor my final bid in exchange for her donating an additional mentoring session. You should have seen how excited I was when she said yes!
So, here we are, months and tons of emails and Pinterest pins later, and I was able to meet up with Nicole for our one-on-one day. We met at her house in Fallbrook, where she went over some business basics and we chatted about styling portrait sessions. She had contacted two high school seniors, with whom we met up at the Dinwiddie Preserve in Fallbrook. We set up a rustic Americana scene and shot until we lost sunlight!
Here are some of my favorite images of Camille, who was fabulous to work with!
Thank you, Camille, for spending your Sunday afternoon with us! It was awesome to get to know you. And many, many, many thanks to the generous Nicole Benitez! You rock!
Stay tuned for Megan’s post tomorrow!
xoxo, Lauren
Hey everyone!
I’m really excited to let you know about a new workshop I’m going to be helping with!
Do you love taking photos of your kids but are frustrated with the results? Do you have thousands of photos on your hard drive but don’t know what to do with them? Frustrated and overwhelmed with all your photos? Take the online Photosanity workshop for parents!
The Photosanity workshop is an amazing, online workshop for parents that will help you take better photos AND get a handle on organizing, editing and sharing them too! The next 12-week course will begin soon–on September 13!
The workshop is taught by NYC family photographer and mom Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick. And guess what? I have just been brought on board to be one of the mentors! I am really excited about helping parents get a grasp on using their camera to create priceless memories of their children, so I would love to have some of you join me! I will be helping you get the most out of the workshop by personally reviewing your images and giving suggestions on how you can make them better! If you’re not ready to start so soon, the next workshop will be starting late October–I’ll keep you posted!
For more information, please take a look at the Photosanity workshop website at http://photosanity.com/
**Use discount code LNP20 at checkout for a 20% discount on the fall workshop which starts on September 13th.**
You can also sign up for a FREE webinar recording (http://photosanity.com/free-
I hope to see you there!
xoxo, Lauren
Ok, so, you know that absolutely fabulous wedding I posted about yesterday?? If you didn’t catch it the first time, go here now to see it! Then come back here real quick!
See, that very awesome wedding got picked up and was published over at the Wedding Wire Blog! How amazing is that?? Scroll down for a few screen shots, then click on over to the original post at California Garden Chic Wedding: Cori + Lamont to see it in all of its glory!
I hope y’all are having a great week!
xoxo, Lauren
Oh. My. Gosh. I am so excited to share this gorgeous wedding with you!
You remember Cori and Lamont, right? Oh yes, I am talking about the couple that I convinced to come model for the San Diego Shooting Group earlier this year. Weren’t they fabulous?!
I was so excited when Cori contacted me shortly after that shoot to chat with me about becoming their photographer for their lovely vintage, garden-chic wedding in Escondido. Cori and I quickly bonded when we discovered our shared design backgrounds, so clearly I jumped on the chance to become involved with their amazing day, and I’m so honored that they asked me to be a part of it! Not only was it an amazingly fun weekend, but we’ve become really great friends in the process, and I just *LOVE* that! (Besides, have you seen Cori’s design blog, Pretty Haute Mess? Go follow it now. You’ll be glad you did!)
I first met up with Lamont at their duplex in Escondido to grab a handful of shots of him while he was getting ready for the day.
Then, I hurried over to Cori’s childhood home to capture her and her girls!
Cori’s sister-in-law gave her a beautiful blessing that had the whole room misty-eyed (including the photographer)!
Cori was an absolutely stunning bride!
Cori and Lamont chose to have their wedding ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Escondido. St. Mary’s is the same church where Cori’s parents, Mike and Leticia, had their wedding ceremony in 1964! How cool is that?!
The reception was held at the privately-owned Rancho San Tomas in Valley Center. It is a gorgeous property with a huge lawn that overlooks a small lake at one end! Cori’s decor was a little vintage, a little modern, and totally garden-chic!
Did I mention the two types of fresh sangria offered to the guests? Just take a look below! It looked amazing!
Many thanks and congratulations to the beautiful bride and handsome groom!
xoxo, Lauren
p.s. Here are the vendors from their amazing day:
