Blair+Ricky | Crystal Cove State Park Engagement Session

Blair+Ricky | Crystal Cove State Park Engagement Session 

Not only is the sunset of this shoot incredibly breath taking, but the couple themselves are beautiful and I get to be the one to document their wedding day this coming May 2016. For this sweet engagement session we strolled through Crystal Cove State Park exploring all of its beautiful landscape + jaw dropping cliff views of the horizon while the sun was setting; it made for such a romantic session! I loved capturing these two lovebirds and their deep connection, it makes my job so incredibly easy and more importantly, fulfilling! I honestly have to pinch myself sometimes when I wake up because I can’t believe this is what I get to do everyday for a living, so much gratitude! Thank you Blair & Ricky for trusting me to capture this special time in your lives. . . 

- xoxo

Susan Conti | OC Mix Portrait Session |Orange County Headshots

Susan Conti | OC Mix Portrait Session

Orange County Headshots

One of my favorite places to do Portrait Sessions is at SOCO Collection in Costa Mesa, CA. This spot is one of my favorites . It  has so many cute little locally owned shops, gorgeous architecture surrounded by tons of gorgeous greenery. I honestly LOVE this spot because of the  diversity in backgrounds it gives . Many people don’t know this about me , but I am a sucker for architecture. I observe the architecture, the lines of buildings & aesthetic vibe everywhere I go. This spot is so darn unique you guys! Susan contacted me hoping to capture not just the standard corporate looking headshot but asking specifically for some natural portraits that really captures her in her element. I knew this spot would give us just that! We all have so many sides to us and so many aspects of our lives should be incorporated in the session to truly capture us as a whole. You may work a corporate job but still be a very silly endearing person; my goal is to capture all these different sides of you to really showcase who you are . Susan is a Life Coach  also currently working in a senior living home. I wanted to bring out her nurturing friendly personality as well as her business savvy side when photographing her. She has so many incredibly inspiring talents and interests, and it was important for me to get to know her to really bring out these different aspects of who she is. 

Crystal Cove Maternity Session | Baby Bumb Session | Orange County Maternity Photographer

Crystal Cove Maternity Session | Baby Bumb Session | Orange County Maternity Photographer

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

THE MCGUIRE FAMILY | CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK 

This sweet family came all the way from Salt Lake, Utah to visit sunny California! We decided to do our session at Crystal Cove State Park  to get those great rocky areas with a long open shore.   This location ended up being the best choice because the sunset was seriously breathtaking! The beach gave us all this incredible soft light with pastel tones in the sky like a watercolor painting. It was so dreamy ! These sweet boys were so excited to explore at the beach on their little vacation, and I loved capturing that excitement in their eyes. One of the greatest parts of my job is getting to witness children experience the beach for the first time. The sense of wonder in their eyes is always so neat to capture.  You can really feel the love between these brothers & their incredible brotherly bond. I absolutely loved this session!

The Peterson Family | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach CA

The Peterson Family

Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach CA

This sweet family was a blast to photograph! We captured some good laughs while we took a stroll down the shoreline... the light was killer and the sunset was even more beautiful! I really enjoy sessions like these, pure joy shines thru in almost every shot. This family is so incredibly bonded and you can feel the love in every moment captured. This is why I do what I do; to capture that raw emotion & connection between humans.

Thank you to the Peterson Family for allowing me to document your gorgeous & very fun family! 

Romantic Crystal Cove Anniversary Session | Leilani + Shane

Romantic Crystal Cove Anniversary Session

The Haileys

Leilani & Shane contacted me for an anniversary session to commemorate the 7 years they’ve spent together as husband & wife . These two have had their share of struggles with Shane having been in the military so early on in their marriage and Leilani often home awaiting for his deployment to end so that they could be in each others arms again.  Despite the distance, these two stayed strong and wrote letters back and forth constantly. We wanted to find a way to incorporate this very unique part of their story into their session, so we thought what better way then to bring all the letters he wrote to her on his deployments, with us to our session? This added a touch of intimacy and reminded them of the strong connection they share. We started at Crystal Cove State Park with open dirt paths to really connect to the nature around us  and then walked down toward the beach to get those gorgeous cliff views. These two cuddled under the sunset  with cliff views overlooking the ocean, wine glasses to toast the 7 years of marriage they’ve  shared and a cake to celebrate too. It was such a beautiful moment to witness as their friend + photographer.. Sometimes I would step back from the camera and just soak up their joyful presence. Their love could honestly light up a room.

I am truly honored they chose me to capture this incredible love they share, 7 years later.

PS: Wondering about the dress she’s wearing and where it’s from? This gorgeous fall colored dress is the Sienna Maxi Dress by  For Love & Lemons. It can be found at Free People or directly from them by clicking here. 

The Bentzien Family | Lifestyle Newborn Session

The Bentzien Family | Lifestyle Newborn Session 

Lifestyle Session + Fur baby // Orange County Lifestyle Photographer

Lifestyle Session + Fur baby // Orange County Lifestyle Photographer

Cynthia is really talented florist at The Blooming Bud that I have worked with and so when she reached out to me to photograph her sweet little family (husband+fur baby ) I was so honored & excited! This session was full of laughter and sweet morning cuddles + sweet real life stuff .  Yes I just said "stuff.” We wanted this session to incapsulate who they are; and we did just that by hanging out in the comfort of their home capturing everyday moments. We also incorporated what their passions and careers that they love. See for yourself this fun lifestyle session! 

The Duggan Family Session | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA.

The Duggan Family Session

 Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA. 

The Krysiak Family Session | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA.

The Krysiak Family Session | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA

Melissa + Bobby Whimsical Engagement// Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park Engagement Session

Melissa + Bobby Whimsical Engagement// Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park Engagement Session

My dear friends Bobby & Melissa are engaged! Finally!  (I’m aloud to say that, right?) I am just saying, if you know Melissa you know she’s been planning her wedding since she was in diapers!  Ok . ok. ok . Maybe a little harsh, but she’s definitely laughing reading this. Am I right, Mel? No, but really this sweet woman should have been married long ago. I am lucky to call her my friend and was honored when she asked me to capture this special time for her & Bobby.  Pretty crazy to think just a few years ago Melissa was a single mamma to ONE and now she’s a fiance’ AND mamma to THREE! Woo hoo! 

For this engagement shoot we wanted to incorporate lots of important details. Melissa's mom is an AMAZING florist and wanted her contribution to be sentimental by her being the one to pick out and make the bouquet + flower crown arrangement . We also hand picked vintage finds from various flea markets because Melissa's a vintage junkie at heart . The cake, this soon-to-be bride made it herself & topped it with flowers! Not to mention we wanted to stay true to Melissa's personality when it came to picking out what to wear . For those of you who don’t know Melissa, she loves all things whimsical, romantic, timeless & elegant. She’s a softie at the core -so we had to find her a dress that encompasses all of who she is ! (or close to it at least, because she’s a badass too don’t get me wrong ;) I also can’t go without mentioning the heart locket which Melissa's mom really wanted her to have as her blessing. Each detail of this shoot was very sentimental, I can’t say that enough.  When you see these photos, I hope you feel all the emotion in them. The connection, the laughter, even the longing. I felt it as I edited each one. Thank you Bobby for making my friend SO incredibly happy and for always making her burst with  laughter !

These two. All the heart emoticons for you two . times a million. 

Xoxo- 

Cori

(Hair & Make-up Credit : Jewels Sanchez Ortiz   INSTA: @makeupartistJewels)

The Parker's Family // Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach | Orange County Family Photographer | Laguna Beach Photographer

The Parker's Family Session at Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach was just breathtaking! The light was to die for and don’t even get me started on their stylish outfits!  (This is why I stress to all my families to please coordinate wardrobes carefully and be open to suggestions from your photographer because it can make such a huge difference in the outcome of photos, let me be the one tell you!) Here they first went with punchy reds & greys in solids and kept it real simple but eye catching! The second wardrobe palette they chose neutrals, those soft cremes, pinks & greys. I just loved this session so much because sweet little Landon (age 2yr) was full of personality and such a ham in front of the camera! This family was very interactive as they tickled, chased and played with their munchkins. I love to capture raw moments like this, it truely makes for the best memories. 

Thank you to Danielle & Kelly for allowing me to capture your sweet family!