disney <3

Luckily when my sister came to visit she brought a friend who was celebrating a birthday. This friend had also never been to Disneyland!! So happy birthday to her. (And to us - since we all had so much fun!)

How's this for a look of awe... his eyes say it all!

baby face

My sister came to visit a couple weeks ago and it was great to see her and my nephew again. It doesn't hurt that he's adorable and I could photograph him all day long. In fact, I did. These aren't shots I would normally choose to post, because there is no real sunlight! But the "wrong-ness" of these photos is what I like about them. The lighting was just so unique for each one that I couldn't resist...

friends

These are my friends. We were out on the town to celebrate a birthday. Love these shots because they sort of have a big city feel, even though we were just taken in little ol' Burbank.

The birthday boy
Had fun playing with different B&W tones...

Probably my favorite of the bunch. Since I'm a sucker for Bokeh and all.

water works

The following were taken at Millenium Park in Chicago. My husband and I needed a short break from walking around, so we sat and watched people play in the very cool fountains. Doesn't it look like the most fun ever?

beachy bride & groom

Had a couple of good friends get married in Santa Cruz on a chilly - but beautiful - beach. The bride was glowing and the groom was as happy as could be. They probably didn't even notice how cold it was! Took these from my seat (as to not be in the hired photographer's way), but my subjects make these shots look good...






Congrats buddies!!

beach bums

My sis came for an impromptu visit on 4th of July weekend and we wanted to spend some time at the beach, for sure! Unfortunately, the nephew wasn't too sure about this whole ocean and sand thing. He'll learn to love it eventually... But I got some cute bum shots (literally)!

the finn-ish line (more)

There are really a LOT of fun pictures from when my Finnish relatives were visiting - so I just grabbed a few and smooshed 'em all together so you could get an idea. I won't torture you with post after post. But seriously, a very very fun week!

the finn-ish line

Here are a few random shots from (where else?) Disneyland...

Look how cute - Tinkerbell...

...and Dumbo!!

tourists in love

I had some relatives visiting me from Finland last week. Pictured is my cousin and his adorable fiancee. I love these pictures because none of them were planned or posed. I just popped on the old zoom lens and watched the lovebirds enjoy the beach together! So cute...

dede-licious!

I feel like I'm so far behind posting my pictures! With family visiting this last week, I got absolutely nothing done. But hey, no time like the present...

A couple weekends ago, we shot a Mediterranean cooking show and it went really, really well. The star of the show was a total natural in front of the camera - not to mention a fabulous cook. And the lucky crew got to eat all her yummy food afterward. Mmmm. I'm a huge fan of Mediterranean food, so I was pretty stoked. You can see her recipes in some of her older videos on YouTube and at DeDeMed.com. Hopefully with the professional videos, she can get the exposure she deserves and get boosted to the next level. Stay tuned!

Getting all dolled up

The setup

In between takes

Prepping the food

Doesn't the food look sooo bomb? Oh don't worry, it was.

cousin day: part 3

And hey, the "grown-ups" (I use the term loosely) had a pretty good time too!