This is what I call a Saturday

Today has been a great day so far! Cory and I slept in and have taken the morning at a relaxing pace! I just purchased a new photo program this past week called Adobe Lightroom which I believe will drastically decrease my post processing time for events in the future and provide me and my clients with fresher, crisper images in less time! I am still learning it which is why it is taking me a bit wtih a couple of sessions that I am doing right now.

I have to say though, editing photos while watching March madness is the way to go. I think that there is a reason why they call this the manly month of March. I LOVE watching college basketball. The players play with heart every time and there is nothing better than the 64 best teams in the country duking it out (no pun intended) for the top spot in an all-out, cinderella filled, win or go home fashion. This truly is what Tivo was created for.

Who do you guys think is going to cut down the net this year?

Cory and I are headed to the beach in a bit and we are grabbing a night away today and we are really excited! Stay tuned for more pictures soon!

B & C

Shawn and Laura

Last Sunday Cory and I were able to shoot an engagement session for Shawn and Laura at the Beach in Orange County! Shawn and Laura are getting married on April 11th and I am so excited to be shooting their wedding.

Shawn and Laura were so natural in front of the camera and you could tell they were very natural with each other! You can tell that Laura adores Shawn and you can tell that Shawn lights up when he is around Laura. I am stoked that they are getting married!

We had fun walking around getting some really great shots! For engagement sessions my desire is to make the couple feel relaxed for their portraits and to have fun. I think that the best pictures capture natural emotion and that a truly great picture can never be completely posed. Cory and I had a great time with Shawn and Laura and I think the pictures show it!

I officially LOVE shooting at the beach. This was my first engagment session there. The colors are amazing and it just felt so cool to be there! I will definitely be going back.

Dana Point, CA (er, Laguna Niguel). Shawn and Laura, thanks for spending the afternoon with us and we are so excited for April 11th!

B & C

Jay and Janelle

If you have seen this blog before or were a follower of the ever so sporadic posts on Better Together then you know that these two are no strangers to our blog. Jay and Janelle (known by most for the celebrity couple name Jaynelle).

These two were obvious. Thinking back over the past two years it is awesome to see the Lord grooming two people to share their lives together. It was really cool to see their relationship start, as a friendship in the college group. They both are really cool people, both dig Jesus and America's pastime. Getting to know you progressed to the DTR (defining the relationship) and the SIDOR (pronounced "Sydar"-statement of interest but denial of relationship) that everyone and their mother knew was going to be short lived.

These two were meant to be JH's together (Jay and Janelle Hobbs). Cory and I have been so blessed by these two and have really enjoyed getting to be better friends with them. Jay and Janelle's "official" relationship began the day Cory and I officially got married. We have hung out with them through the cheese and the cheese wheel. Life has been great for the Blakey's and Hobbs.

So the day that Jay and I sat down at Starbucks and he let me in on the "secret" that he was going to propose to Janelle, I had seen it long coming and knew that it fit. He would have been crazy not to.

Last Saturday, Cory and I had the priviledge to shoot an engagement session for Jay and Janelle in an urban setting. We took some photos, snuck into some buildings, saw two different wedding events in progress and ended up the night at the Cheesecake Factory where I think I am still full from.

Cory and I are both in the wedding, so we won't be "officially" shooting this one, but we are so excited for June!

The future JH's together.

Oh yeah, the hounds of fun were released...

Goin' to the chapel...

Literally the only moment of the day Janelle was able to pull off her "serious" face.

The JH EP Album cover.

A Kissing Picture. We got a few of those.

Jay and Janelle- thanks again so much for spending the afternoon with us! We are honored to stand in your wedding and to put our "true dat" to something that we obviously see the Lord working together for His glory!

Can't wait to come to the Hobbs for dinner!

B & C

Travis and Katy

First of all, let me say that life is sweet right now! Cory and I had a great night together and are loving life! God is so good even in the midst of busyness.

Hopefully there are some of you checking this blog in anticipation right now and I am stoked about that! I am fresh off of three really fun engagment sessions that I am gearing up to blog soon!

First off- Travis and Katy. It was a couple months ago when i received a phone call from Travis. He's engaged! Travis and I are good friends from college days and I knew that whoever the Lord had for would have to be an awesome woman.

It was really fun to get to know Travis and Katy together and enjoy dinner at Buca di Bepo and some fun times in Pasadena. We heard the story of how they met and to see in what a cool way the Lord brought them together. Dad spoke. Travis listened. God worked. Katy caved. We're going to the chapel!

Travis and Katy are getting married June 28 at Forest Lawn and I am so excited for the wedding!

Enjoy the images below!

Molly's Senior Urban Session

This past Saturday morning, it was a dreary and overcast morning. Armed with Starbucks, Cory and I headed out to Riverside with Molly and her sister Abby. We had such a great time! Molly and Abby were troopers and I think we got some really fun pictures!

The light (although it was cloudy) was great! It was like we had huge softbox overhead!

No, we didn't bring a wind machine.

I love how you can find fun backgrounds almost anywhere. This was in front of a fire station.

Molly was definitely up for the jumping picture (she is actually airborne, even though her feet are out of focus).

Molly, Abby and Carolee- thanks so much for allowing us to take your senior portraits!

The Carlsons!!!

WHOA!!! What a week! Cory started her career as a pediatric nurse at Loma Linda University Hospital this week so there has been quite a bit of adjusting at stately Blakey manor this week! We have been adjusting to getting up EARLY and trying to get to bed a bit earlier! Thus it has taken me a while to finish editing some sessions!

We met up with the Carlsons a week and half ago at a sweet park in Placentia with Nate, Jessica, Isaiah and Matthew. We were also joined by Sundae and Baggie (short for Baguera).

It was some great weather and we really enjoyed getting to hang out with the Carlsons again! Enjoy the photos!

The Carlsons are such a fun family!

Placentia, CA. Nate and Jessica, thanks again for the fun morning!