You know what you need on this Monday morning?  A distraction!  You’re going to want to get comfy because you’re in for a real treat!  So grab your coffee, sit back, relax and scroll!

I’ll start by saying at the end of this three-hour styled shoot, we stood in a circle saying how much we didn’t want the shoot to end.  And if we didn’t have prior commitments that day, we would’ve kept going all afternoon!

I first “met” the ladies of Lepique Beauty during my mentoring session with Christine Skari.  And I was lucky enough to have their collaboration again in July when I organized the Joshua Tree bridal shoot.  Crystal is the makeup guru and Kristina, the hair expert!  They are an extremely talented duo, and if you’re looking for a glam squad – look no further!

So I was ecstatic when Crystal contacted me in August about shooting a whimsical bridal session in the rolling hills of Irvine.  Of course I said ‘yes’!!  I was even more excited to find out our model would be Alex Themm.  I’d seen Alex in previous posts by Lepique, and actually hoped to work with her if I ever got the chance!  This was my chance!!

We met on a Friday morning at this gorgeous open space right off the 405.  Can you believe this place really exists in Southern California?!  Don’t worry, this post isn’t all open space, there were a ton of other areas we explored too, including the best location – the stone window sill!  Crystal came in with the flowers and makeup/hair touchups, and Alex worked the camera like the pro she is and came prepared with a ton of outfit options!  You’ll know what I mean when you see the images below.

Side note for photog nerds: If you’re into photography, you know some of the best times to shoot are during golden hour, which appears twice a day – during sunrise and sunset.  As photographers, we do our best to avoid high noon, but sometimes what’s ideal isn’t always doable!  So while I was nervous to shoot in harsh daylight, I knew it’d be a great learning experience and challenge.  After all, “what we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do” (Credit: Tim Ferriss).  Well… I LOVED IT.  I loved it so much!!  The pictures turned out warm and she was glowing.  It was amazing practice and I’m thankful they put their trust in me to capture these for them!

Alright!!  Enough talking – let’s get started… anddddd SCROLL!

 

Enter our hiker friend, who not-so-subtly photobombed our shot!