5 YEARS AGO

Five years ago, I officially become part of a pair.  A duo.  A couple.  My name has been linked to his ever since.

Five years ago, Kurt asked me to be his girlfriend. And after eyeing him for months prior, my answer was easy... "yes!"

By God's grace, we've come a looooong way since then.  Lots of repentance.  Lots of forgiveness.  Lots of grace.  I can barely believe all that has happened since just last year.

Photo credit: Open Door Photography

Kurt,
     You are my best friend and true love.  Not because you still manage to make my heart skip a beat, but because I know you want the best for me even when I don't want it for myself.  You aren't afraid to challenge me to be better, but are always so good to point me to Christ while doing so.  Five years with you has been abundant with love, grace, and joy.

I love you now and always.

xoxo,
Yasmin

PHOTOS OF RESTART PART 3

Back in March I headed back to Seattle for the third installment of RESTART with Jasmine Star. The workshop was great and Jasmine once again had a ton of helpful content to share with us. Here are a few photos from my second behind the scenes experience at creativeLIVE.

Celeste, the show's producer, and Jasmine get ready for showtime...

As well as the Nikki, Ryan, and Melissa, the three photographer's who received business makeovers.

Big thanks to Jasmine, creativeLIVE, and everyone who made this event possible!

You can view Nikki Closser's website here: nikkiclosser.com

You can view Melissa Kilner's website here: melissakilner.com

And you can view Ryan Greenleaf's website here: ryangreenleaf.com

PHOTO: GIRL WITH FLOWERS

Came across this image I took about 1 year ago when I was just starting out.  It's still one of my favorites.  Her hair, her dress, the flowers, the greenery... all lovely.

ETSY FINDS: iPHONE CASES

Yesterday my iPhone 5 arrived on my doorstep.  Yes, I must confess... up until this point I've been using an Android smart phone... how very un-photographer-like of me.  (I am not hating on Android, so don't be offended, but I personally have been waiting for the day that I could open that little white box.)  So I started scouring the internet to find the perfect phone case.  Disclaimer: Not all of these are actual finds from Etsy... I started there with good intentions of finding some of the best cases from other business creatives, but then expanded my search to the greater internet when these kinds of cases started showing up in my search results, haha!

This first case is by Kate Spade and it's amazing, but I have an iPhone 5 and this is only made for the iPhone 4.  Still, I had to share it because the golden polka dots are so cute!

This next case is one of the very few cases I actually found on Etsy that I liked.  It comes from a shop called Lucy Celebrates.  Her logo is the cutest little elephant and I LOVE her shops tagline: "Magic happens in the little details."  The blue ombre polka dots and gold writing are right up my alley.

This third case comes from my friend Emily Ley's shop.  Emily has a shop up on Etsy, but I personally prefer to purchase items directly from the Emily Ley shop on her website.  I like this emerald striped case with the monogram for an extra touch of personalization.

This last case is my favorite.  As the Rifle Paper Co. describes it, "This classy case features sophisticated stripes in our favorite metallic gold foil!"  I love it!

Although I like all the cases above and most certainly will be purchasing products from each of those places in the future, I think I found the case I want at Rifle Paper Co. :)  I'm actually off to order it right now... thanks for taking that little journey with me, haha!

Next item of research for my shiny new phone... the best apps for the iPhone!  If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments!

BEHIND THE SCENES: MY INTERNSHIP WITH MEG PEROTTI

It is almost one year ago that I saw the tweet.  Looking for an intern.  After deciding just a few months earlier to pursue this crazy dream of being a photographer, I searched for and followed a couple dozen successful, talented photographers on social media... one of them being Meg Perotti.  Her work is absolutely amazing, so artfully done, so beautifully curated.  (Check out her blog to see what I mean!)  

So when she shared that she was looking for an intern I jumped on the opportunity.  We arranged to meet for coffee and I learned that she happens to live 5 minutes away from me.  And I was exactly what she was looking for.  Someone who is just starting out.  Values photography.  Driven to learn.  Call it a coincidence, I choose to believe it was God arranging things perfectly.

One of the many things I got to do with Meg was shadow her on engagement shoots and a few weddings.  Meg has been so kind to allow me to blog whatever images I capture and to teach me a ton. Always asking if I had any questions.  Showing me so much and always being an open book.  Here are some images from behind the scenes of a few shoots from last summer.  She was pregnant with her first baby, Eloise.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity I was given and it was my privilege to shadow Meg!

This year I am continuing to work alongside Meg, both in the office and out on shoots.  I am so excited to learn more and improve as a photographer while learning from the best of the best!

QUESTION: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A TRIP TO LA?

Despite being born and raised in California, this state is so very large that there are tons of super cool places, right in my backyard, that I've yet to explore!  I love living in the SF Bay Area (northern California) because you never run out of places to go!  And I've been to many places throughout the whole state and in southern California, but one place I've yet to really explore is Los Angeles!

To celebrate 2 years of marriage, Kurt wants to road trip down to "La-La Land" and see what it's all about.  He's never really been, minus our one-day trip towards the end of last year when I attended the Making Things Happen Intensive.  But since he didn't do anything other than drop me off at and pick me up from the workshop while we were there that doesn't really count!

So I wanted to ask:  Eats, entertainment, sights... if you're familiar with the area, what do you recommend we must check out while we're there? And if you're not, what would you want to see if you were going?

Any input helps with planning a great trip!  I love the print from Rifle Paper Co. below. This is kinda the image I have stuck in my head about what this LA trip is gonna be like... we shall see! :)

FORMAL EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY: MASQUERADE BALL

I recently documented a formal event for the Christian club from my alma mater, in which the men of the club thank the women for all that they do by hosting a special dinner and gala in their honor.  The theme of the night was a masquerade ball, which meant the guests wore fun masks throughout the evening.  Everyone was dressed to impress as the men escorted the ladies from campus to a private residence nestled in the hills of Los Gatos.  One thing I love about living in the Bay Area is that there can be a party on a February evening and the weather is comfortable enough for guests to mingle in and outside, as long as they have a coat.

One of my favorite parts about the night was the dinner.  The meal was really yummy!  The crew in charge of the food was headed up by my little brother, who is currently studying hospitality management and is quite the chef!  Working an event alongside my bro is a memory I won't soon forget and it felt awesome to both be doing what we love together!

Because this was a formal dinner and dancing event I approached it as if I were shooting a wedding reception. And although there wasn't a bride and groom to focus on, I had lots of fun curating and photographing the little details of the night and capturing images of the guests socializing and having a good time.