Between my trips to NYC, Phoenix, Seattle, Palm Desert, and The Salton Sea I’ve got lots to show.

Just not today. Probably not tomorrow either, since I’ll be out of town again until Saturday.

In the meantime, how’s this for a tease?

Robb & Lily were engaged in San Francisco, live in Los Angeles, and will be married this October in Washington, D.C..

Dave and I are fortunate to call these two close pals and I’m really excited and looking forward to shooting their wedding this fall.

The four of us met up yesterday morning and cruised our way up north to the poppy fields. If you haven’t been, GO. Ignore the pollen, grab a friend or loved one, get in your car, and go see the blooms for yourself.

What started out as a lucky $5 find at a Goodwill store and a quick trip to Chinatown for a $4 parasol ended up as a relaxing afternoon disguised as an engagement shoot. I love how these two share a mutual appreciation of being outdoors. Oh, and thank you to Dave for carrying all of my things, waiting on Lily hand and foot (literally, helping her change out shoes was such a kind offer), and just being great company. You are an amazing man, Mr. Masters.

Oh, check out the Bar & Grill in Elizabeth Lake if you’re the kind of person who likes to come home with stories.

I need to play catch up but I’d rather play in fields of poppies.

Coming up:

NYC, An Arizona Wedding, and an engagement shoot in fields of poppies

Last May, Mr. Masters and I went to NYC to attend a wedding (as well as other festivities) for Rob and Kathy. We were in town for just over a week and felt very spoiled that we were able to spend so much time with the two of them. Rob is an amazing designer, and Kathy works in P.R., and they both enjoy participating in ANYTHING art related. Needless to say, there was no lack of creativity at their wedding. I’ll explain more as you scroll through this post.

Rob & Kathy took DIY to a whole new level. In addition to the homemade place cards, they made these paintings to correspond with their color scheme. The location iCi (a restaurant in Brooklyn), is a blank palette with PLENTY of soft light.

Custom glass “etching” with their monogram:

Waiting for his bride…

“I promise, I’ll take good care of her”…

Kathy made the piece in her hair. I loved the button! (It’s slightly hidden, see it?)

In addition to exchanging vows, a few of the guests did some readings:

Mr. Masters was another participant in the reading portion of the ceremony. Sadly, I have no images of Dave in action since I was sitting right next to him. I shot the ceremony from my seat and there was no way I was going to stand up and ruin the moment to get my shot.

Kathy pledging her vows to Rob, this is where I completely lost it…

“Hand over the bling and nobody gets hurt”

Happy tears are the best kind to capture…

Robs brother, Danny led all the guests to cocktail hour

We were seated at the “Sketching” table. Later in the evening, the paper pad would be used to write notes and draw pictures for our pals

Rob and Kathy made each of these ceramic vases BY HAND. Each one was unique and had their monogram on it.

Danny giving his speech, my favorite part had a line about how the one who wins an argument in a marriage is the first person to admit they’re wrong.

During dinner, Adam, (another high school pal and a New Yorker these days) played and sang “I can’t fight this feeling” by Journey. Everyone joined him and happily sang along.

I still remember the food like it was yesterday. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, EAT AT iCi!

After dinner, the room was cleared and the couple entertained us with their choreographed dance to Elvis.

And then we all had a dance-off. This sassy lady you see gettin’ down on it is Rob and Danny’s Grandma.

Yeah, this shot is blown out. I actually like it just the way it is!

During the reception somewhere in between shakin’ my tookus and eating cake, Rob & Kathy showed us a video they made. I guarantee that you will never see a homemade movie as awesome as this one, WATCH IT HERE!

The following day, we met up again and cruised around DUMBO. We stopped by the gallery where Rob met Kathy, Spring. They also sell his Grandfather Clock. As an added bonus, we got to peep a piece that they had made together and their New York Times announcement. After that, we cruised around and played with the timer on my camera.

I can’t wait to return to NYC in just a few short weeks. Everything about the city just inspires me, including my East-side friends, and especially Rob & Kathy.

Julieann and I have a special friendship. Over the years, we’ve drifted in and out of each others lives but recently we’ve done a lot more and have spent a lot of time chatting. Even more recently, she and I have been shooting together. I love that I can geek out with her and her husband Erik for an entire day and talk shop.

Over the years, Julieann had asked a few times to do a session with me but always found a way to put it off. When she and I were having coffee together one day, she mentioned that she would be going on her annual camping trip to El Capitan State Beach with Erik. My eyes lit up and I told her it was time. It was.

Camping at El Capitan has been a tradition in Erik’s family for years. Julieann is not new to the outdoors either. She and her family are also expert campers. When the two of them met back in 2001, one of the instant attractions they had to each other was because of their mutual appreciation for nature. A typical vacation for these two is one that enables them to surf everyday or takes them out of the busy city to enjoy the company of each other while soaking up the sun. These two were even married on the sand. Instead of a typical reception, their post-nuptual celebration came in the form of surfing. The prize gift to the Bride and Groom? A set of matching surfboards.

This year during their annual trip to El Capitan, Erik and Julieann would be celebrating their 2nd wedding Anniversary and I couldn’t wait to shoot it. I’ll admit we had ulterior motives. When these two got married, they had the misfortune of receiving wedding photos that were not exactly what they had paid for and not something they could be proud to display in their home. Part of the purpose of our session was to try and recapture the essence of their wedding day while tying in the present. It wasn’t difficult seeing as how these two keep each other on their feet. Erik is the one that keeps calm on the surface but has been known to burst out with even the most random of comments. Julieann, she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s honest and loyal, and you always know what she’s thinking. She’s strong, she heals people (she’s a Nurse), and she’s been known to burst out into song and dance if the moment calls for it. One of my favorite memories of the two of them was a time when Erik asked Julieann to “Keep the crazy on the inside”, his wife lovingly glanced over at him, threw her head in the air and exploded into a fit of laughter. That’s what I love about these two. They bring balance to a chaotic world, but not without a sense of humor and kindred spirits.

Here’s Julieann’s take on our session:

“When Pamela came up with the idea of trashing the dress @ El Cap, it instantly made sense to the both of us! We both looked at each other as if to say “DUH why had we not realized the COMPLETE SENSE of that IDEA?”
This photo session meant more to us than pretty pictures. This meant a lifetime of memories. It meant taking a piece of us that means forever, and making it whole by emerging it into a place and an event that simply describes us. Erik and I could not live without nature, our camping trips, the outdoors, and just being free spirited. These elements are so deeply in our veins, so true to who we are. The fact that we were able to capture OUR LIVES and pieces of us as a couple means MORE than just amazing photography to display.”

So last Wednesday we met up at their campsite, bustled a 2 year old wedding gown, played in and around the ocean and shared some laughs over the proper way to fall off a tree. Here are my favorite images from the day:

I knew Juan & Perla’s wedding was going to be fun as I passed the Paul Frank beach cruiser while walking into the ballroom at the country club. I was even more certain when I saw that Perla had taken the time to bring some of her own fun props for their guests to use in the portrait booth.

Perla and Juan now hold the record for the most enthusiastic wedding guests….ever! I had so much fun with everyone! By the looks of it, everyone else had a great time too.

Click here or anywhere on the image below to launch Perla and Juan’s wedding portrait booth slideshow!

… I found myself driving past Santa Barbara to meet a woman in a dress and her handsome husband for a 2 year Anniversary celebration during their annual camping trip. Who says weekdays are boring?

I’m going to leave you hanging for a few days while I play catch up.

Jen and I met in 3rd grade. We grew up in a small town (at least it was in Elementary school) and so we were always in the same classes together and had the same close knit group of friends. As we grew up and the area’s population grew faster than mold, we met more and more friends and eventually hung out in two separate crowds, maybe only waving or giving each other a simple “hello” in the hallways in 9th grade. A few years passed and then we never spoke again after High School.

Until now.

This is 2009, and five years ago or so Jen found me on myspace. A few years later, we both made the transition to facebook and found a few other girlfriends from long ago.

We kept up with each other here and there and checked out each others photos, sent messages back and forth, and exchanged comments. It was nice being able to keep up with someone who meant so much to me as a child but was so easy to lose track of as an adult.

Roughly 10 years ago when the black hole existed in our friendship, Jen had met Jerome in college. They’ve been madly in love with each other ever since. They recently celebrated their 5 year Wedding Anniversary in Scottsdale! (Congrats, guys!)

A couple months ago, Jen asked if I would shoot a portrait session with her, the handsome hubs Jerome and their two dogs, Lola and Lou. She asked if I had any suggestions for locations. I knew from looking at her facebook photos and getting a sense of her tastes that The Viceroy would be a perfect fit for them. We spent a little time really shaping their shoot beforehand, discussing wardrobe and the looks they were hoping to achieve. I’ve noticed over the years that Jen and Jerome are super affectionate. They have an amazing sense of style, and as you will notice they are photogenic times ten thousand and forty seven.

On a warm Tuesday afternoon, Jen and Jerome drove up to The Viceroy with Lou, Lola, and their sister, Melissa…who was there to help with wardrobe changes, do Jen’s hair, and touch up makeup. I can’t even begin to describe how well the 5 humans and 2 canines worked together that day to create something special. Jen, Jerome, Anne, Melissa, Lola, & Lou…..thank you so much! I had an amazing time. I feel like my internal shutter clicked a few extra times that day. Some sort of inner light bulb went off and I realized…I’m in LOVE with editorial shoots! It was so much fun to see how we all helped each other develop our ideas…everyone was such an inspiration to me. It.was.fabulous.

If I may share some great news, I have recently been teaming up with Anne of The Paper Stylist. She has such an eye, and during this shoot acted as a 2nd photographer, studio assistant, set dresser, stylist, art director, and overall great company. In the next week I’ll be blogging projects that we’ve been working on together. I think it will become pretty obvious why I love working with her! Oh, and thanks to Anne, I now have a right sidebar photo.

Jen and Jerome are fans of the tv show “Mad Men”…..can you tell?

These two have some chemistry. Like I even need to point that out!

P.S. – You see Jen’s great hair and makeup? That’s Melissa’s work, and if you’d like her contact info please email me @ pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com

Two more teasers from Jen and Jerome’s session…

More to come shortly!

One fabulous couple, two fabulous dogs, and a fabulous setting = one completely stoked photographer! More to come!