Spider Webs {artistic photography} ~ temecula photographer

my friend, Robert and I were taking a walk through the vineyards and orchards in Temecula wine country when we happened upon the beautiful spider's web...he asked me to take a picture of it because he thought it was very interesting...so this is for you my friend...

A Little Something I Whipped Up {getting my craft on}

So, Logan and Korey are headed to Utah this weekend to go to their first Prom! Logan is going with his very good friend Madie {they've been friends since they were in diapers - they are going to love that I said that!} And Korey is taking Madie's friend Rylee! It is going to be amazingly fun!!! They won't even be back from Utah a few days and then they'll be going to their school's Prom {more on that later}! AND then the week after that...Korey will be hopping on a plane again to head to Texas for his THIRD prom...he will be going with his very good friend Lee {they've been friends since 2nd grade - and more about that later}. Well, I can't send real flower corsages with the boys...so what's a crafty momma to do?!? She makes them of course! I think they turned out so pretty! I can't wait to see pictures of the kids!!! Wish so much I could be going...but alas...I have a job to do <3 enjoy...

Making the World Cuter ~ One {Pinterest} Project at a Time

Kurt asked if I would get a baby gift for a co-worker who just had their first baby {a girl}...
I asked if he minded if I made something that I saw on Pinterest? He was like "sure!"
In a matter of 20 minutes...I had two baby brain squeezers made for the little cutie patootie!
all the flowers were made using ribbon I had in my ribbon stash and I had the two elastic pieces leftover from making Courtney's hair thingie for Sadie Hawkin's...I say this was a very "green" baby gift!
enjoy <3

Making the World Cuter ~ One {Pinterest} Project at a Time

Another Pinterest Project in the bag!
Today Jules and I made these cute heart banners...3 actually...1 for each of us and then another one for a friend. Of course we changed it up a little to give it a little of us!

please excuse the pic...taken with my handy dandy phone camera...
enjoy

Project {366} - week in review

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Then & Now ~ A Look Back

Several photographers have been feeling a little nostalgic today on a couple forums I belong to. Looking back at where they started in their photography and where they are today. It's cute to see their photos from a few years ago and then something they recently took...improving and growing is what this business is about. If you don't you will go no where.
I felt like playing along but when I started to look for some "Then" pictures, I had to break out my portfolio. What's that you say? A portfolio? Yes, before blogs, websites, Facebook and Pinterest, photographers had to actually carry their printed work to meet with a potential client in a portfolio. I cracked open the pages of my portfolio, sitting on the shelf along side my family scrapbooks. My sweet little portfolio that served me so well all those years ago going through the pages brought back so many wonderful memories.
In order to show you pictures from my portfolio, I first had to scan the pictures. Because again, this was before the digital age when my pictures were done on film. I had to send my FILM to a lab and they sent me my prints along with NEGATIVES. When I wanted to have black and white pictures, I had to shoot with black and white film. If I wanted the blurred, frosty edge, I had to use a filter. LOL Now I'm feeling really OLD. So I scanned a few of my favorites and put them with current images to see where I came from and where I am now.
I'm not sure if many people know how I became a "professional photographer". (The definition of professional photographer is someone who is paid for their photographic services.) Like many professionals I know, I started as a "mom-tographer". Before I had my own kids, I took pictures of friends' kids...once I had my own, I became my kids' stalk-a-ratzie and did photos for friends and family.

{Here is a picture of Trevor when he was 18 months old during a summer rain and then his school picture that I took just this last fall 2011.}

I loved the outdoors and loved to photograph my subjects in outdoor settings. The beautiful, natural light was and is my favorite. I enjoyed taking my kiddos to new locations and take pictures. Friends would ask me to take pictures of their kiddos and families as well...I happily did it, because it was what I did!

{This is a friend's twin boys 1st birthday pictures (they are about 14 now) and a sweet baby I was so fortunate to photograph at Christmas 2011}

I think it was in 1997, right after my 4th baby was born, a friend asked me if I could shoot a wedding. At first I said no...weddings are a huge, once in a lifetime shot...if you mess it up ~ there's no do overs! She said that they were paying for their wedding themselves and were going to fore-go having a photographer altogether. That really tugged at my heart-strings. From my own experience just a few years earlier when my sweet husband and I got married, we did the same thing. No money. Paying for everything ourselves. Entrusting a friend with a nice camera to take some pictures for us (which only 4 pictures turned out). But this was a little different. I knew my camera and very well. I knew how to compose a shot. So I told my friend that I would do it on a few conditions: 1) They didn't have to pay me BUT they had to furnish all the film and develop the film themselves. 2) Please don't be sad or hate me if everything goes wrong. ~ and they agreed. To my surprise...pretty much everything came out great. The best part, the bride and groom were happy! So happy, that they started to recommend me to their friends who were actually willing to pay me! LOL
But again, going back to not a digital world, I didn't have a portfolio...so I set out to build one. Offered free sittings...free bridal shoots...etc I even had a few friends who could still fit in their wedding dresses who did bridals with me, just to help with building my portfolio!

{My friend Jen after having her 2nd baby posed for this bridal and then Sam my 1st bride of 2011}

Line upon line...that is how I have built this amazing wonderful business of mine. I build a personal relationship with those who I photograph. I don't stop learning. I don't stop growing. I try to learn and absorb new and amazing things in the photographic world. About 7 years ago (I think it's been that long) I got my first DSLR. And honestly, I hardly used it. I still photographed almost everything with my film SLR and used the digital one as a backup. Slowly but surely, I learned to love the digital side of photography and now with Photoshop, have learned even a more artistic side to this craft.

{Again, my sweet friend Jen and then Alexx, who I have known since she was 3 ~ another of my beautiful 2011 brides.}

So, there you have it...my little walk down memory lane. Thank you for indulging me. I hope you enjoyed it as well. It is so amazing to see where we start ~ to where we are now. I hope that in another 18 years I am still doing exactly what I love and sharing it with the world!

{Easter pictures of my precious boys in 1999. Aren't they so cute?!?! And my most recent pictures taken of two brothers, Brady and Tanner, in 2012}

Again, I hope you enjoyed this. I know I did. We can do anything we put our minds and hearts into. Find what you love and be the best at it.
<3

Had to share something I {made} today...

This is so not photography...but Crafting 101 today!
Great project for a rainy Southern California day...

I found this great post on one of my favorite sites:
wedding chicks.com ~ to see their full post click here
I knew it would be an awesome boutineer for Logan for this weeks' Sadie Hawkins dance. If you missed the "proposal" click here
I loved this boutineer idea so much I even posted it to one of my pin boards on Pinterest
If you click on the picture above, you can see the little tutorial. I got everything at our new Hobby Lobby {YEAH}. Added a little extra to make it my style...but thanks to wedding chicks for sharing!
just wanted to share...cuz sharing is caring...
enjoy <3

Project {366} - week in review

Just an ordinary, busy week at the Matthews' home
But definitely never a dull moment.
Here's a re-cap of the third week of 2012
Enjoy
Saw this great tutorial on Pinterest this last week. click here to see the original And really wanted to try it to see what it would look like. Took about 5 minutes to finish. I'm making the corsage and boutonniere for winter Sadie Hawkins and these are the colors Logan and Courtney chose...thought this would look nice in the corsage...will post more pictures later in the week of the finished projects and of course pre-dance...
Kurt came home this week from working in Northern Calif...only to have to work pretty much the whole weekend...grateful he has a job so not complaining too much. This is pretty much how date night looked for me this week. haha
Michael finally let me cut his hair! It was getting so long! The faux-hawk was a bonus on his part...miss my boys being little when I got to decide things for them! life was so much easier!
I love being in the right place at the right time...with my camera in hand! This is our Varsity Soccer Coach...and the cutest little kiddo! Coach made a good trade with the little guy...he had one of the game balls, so coach traded a cool blue swishy one for it...really sweet!
This is Dottie. She is our 4 legged baby. She has no idea that she is a dog. She thinks she's the princess! She goes with me on a drive almost everyday...even if it's just to run to the post office. It's her favorite thing to do...to go for a ride with mom in the car.
Started off my week with making homemade cinnamon rolls...yum! Makes the house just feel cozy!

So there you have it.
Hope you are enjoying this as much as I am.
Take a look around and snap a few pics of the people and things around you that are important in your life...
have a wonderful week

Michael got a {Haircut}!

Normally a haircut is not cause for celebration...haha
Well we have been trying to convince Michael for weeks to cut his mop!
It was so much easier when they are little boys...because they don't get the option...
So today was the day...he let me cut it! YEAH!
He's so handsome (long or short hair)
And of course I had to take pictures...


this is his..."SIGH ~ ok mom I think you have enough pictures" look

Sadie Hawkins {a Proposal} of sorts...

At today's game, (#3 Boy) Logan's friend, Courtney calls me over.
She tells me that she has come up with a plan to ask Logan to Sadie Hawkins but is not sure how to do it.
On a little soccer ball she wrote in red "Sadie Hawkins ? ... Courtney
Thinking quick and figuring his team mates would love to embarrass...opps...I mean help Courtney...LOL
I recruited Juan and Victor, two of Logan's friends on the team to present the ball to him after the team cheer at the end of the game...by the way ~ their team won 3-1 so it was a good time to do this...
After the team broke from their cheer...Juan said "Wait we have something for Logan" and he gave him the ball.
He's reading it..
trying to figure out what he's reading...
And the light bulb goes on!!!
Coach says "Did Juan just ask you to Sadie Hawkins???" the team all laughs...

One of the players said "So what do you say?" Logan answered, "Uh Yes of course! You think I'd say no?" and then laughed.
Show me what it says Logan!!!!




thanks to Courtney for involving me so we could take some pictures to really embarrass him...oops...I mean preserve this memory! Hope you two have a great time at the dance!

out with my {grammy}

Today my sister Jaymee and I drove out to Orange County to spend the day with Grammy
It was so fun...went to Chili's - our waiter Dennis was the best...had us all cracking up!
Then went to Barnes and Noble to get some books Jaymee needs for her nursing courses
a couple other stops and then of course it was time for dessert
If there is one thing that you need to know about my grandmother is that when we would stay at her house...at the end of each day before you went to bed, you had a bowl of ice cream...LOL
As a mother I think about that...
Sugar before bed...haha
But it was just something we got at grammy's house and my grammy loves ice cream...
so it was fitting that at the end of our stay with her today, we had ice cream
We laughed and had a wonderful time today...
I cherish times like these...

Emma's {Baptism}

Made me think of this beautiful poem about a little girl's 2nd white dress
"My Three White Dresses"
My mom bought me a white dress,
Not red or pink or blue.
She said it was a special dress
Like very other few,
There has been just one before,
A dress now put away,
That I wore some time ago
Upon my blessing day.
As a little baby clothed In my first white dress,
My dad held me in his arms,
There to name and bless.
So pure and clean was I just then,
With time to grow and learn
About the Father's plan for me.
My glory I must earn.
Now I've reached the age to judge
The wrong road from the right,
And I am here to be baptized
In this dress of white.
So once again I'm free from sin.
The path is clear to me.
I'll grasp the rod and hold on tight, I vow with certainty.
Just as mud would stain my dress,
Sin would stain my soul.
The key is to repent or bleach,
For whiteness is my goal.
And if I try my very best,
Then richly blessed I'll be,
Wearing inside God's holy house
White dress number three,
So today I make this pledge:
I'll strive to choose the right,
Through this sacred baptism ordinance
In my second dress of white. (Linda Gay Perry Nelson, 1993)

Project {366} - week in review

It is Twenty-12 and one of the things {not resolution!} I would like to accomplish this year is to take one picture every day...kind of a peek into my life...What has helped me to accomplish this is my handy dandy DroidX phone camera ~ not all but some and it has been a great help...Pictures aren't the greatest when taken on my phone but at least they get done :) and thats the most important. Each week I am hoping to also post a week in review of all my pics for the week...So here's the first of 52 weeks for 2012...
Today was Emma's baptism...here she is with her sweet family embracing her with {LOVE}!
Trevor started the braces process...a new definition of pain...my poor baby!
My sweet hubby brought me this adorable Hello Kitty blankie back from his business trip...he spoils me! Had it out on our bed so that I was surprised when I walked in! Just love that man of mine!
My new iMac! no words to even say how happy I was when it arrived! I think my voice went two octaves higher! haha
I was reminded why I believe that pictures are worth more than the paper they are printed on...they are priceless memories~20 years of my family's history are in these books...
my green Hello Kitty that sits on my desk...she just makes me smile!
Started the new year with a relaxing cup of hot cocoa at the end of a very busy day!
Hope you all have a wonderful week...and don't forget to capture those priceless memories as often as you can <3