Hey everyone,

  I have the pleasure to take part in a fundraiser for a very dear friend.  She is a very good friend and a very hard working woman.  She is the type of friend that is always there when I've needed her and I want to let her know that it is in my heart to do what I can to help her.  So I call on anyone who reads this to share this post and to contribute.

  Her daughter's dream is to go on a european tour with her school and this being her senior year, it is the last opportunity she will get to go.  I'm not a good writer, but you can read her full story at the link provided below.  My friend is unable to gather all the finances together on her own to send her.   She is a single mother of four and as you can imagine raising four kids is very tough to do nowadays. Her impact on peoples lives has been one of great blessing for many, and now a bunch of friends, along with my family have united their resources to help in a fundraising effort.

  To do my part, I'm offering 3 different photography packages with all the proceeds going towards funding her goal.  It will be in the form of a silent auction and if you wish to take part, I urge you to contact me so that I can give you more details.
  The three different packages will be:

1. A full wedding photography package which is valued over $900

2. A photo booth rental for any event valued at $400

3. A  1 hour family portrait session valued at $200

If any of these packages sound interesting I encourage you to contact me for more details.

  You can also help fund her trip directly through www.gofundme.com through this link
http://www.gofundme.com/normaretzepis  Anything that you donate helps, even if it's a small amount.  one dollar, five dollars, ten dollars or whatever is in your heart to give goes toward helping my friend and will be an enormous blessing.  Great castles have been built brick by brick, but only together and with the help of many can they become majestic.

The Miracle of Life

The miracle of life.  Oh boy, what else could I have titled this entry? The Rich family has welcomed a brand new baby girl into their family. From what I hear there was tears, excitement, pain, joy and many other emotions that overwhelmed the family members. They spent hours waiting for this beautiful little girl to arrive.  She arrived on December 22, as this announcement photo describes, and little Avery came ready to be cuddled, swaddled and loved by every member of her family.  As this photo shows, she has stunning beautiful eyes and cuteness that could melt the most hardened of hearts.  

  So, yes she is a true miracle of life.  Not just procreation, but a true wonder of just how fragile life can be.  Because when we are all born, our survival depends solely on those around us who are there for us and fulfill our every waking need.

Isabella

  A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure and honor of photographing a beautiful, little girl by the name of Isabella.  She was celebrating her baptism and her parents asked me to come along and document her special day.

  We started at St. Emydius Catholic Church in Lynwood.  We weren't allowed to shoot during the service so we had a chance to take a few photos after everyone had left.  It was kinda nice to have the church to ourselves because we didn't have anyone interrupting or getting in the way of our shots.  From there we took a two hour break and headed to Stevens Steakhouse in the city of Commerce which is a beautiful restaurant that hosts various types if events like weddings and private parties.  We spent the rest of the evening there as I walked around chasing little Isabella on my knees and getting down low so I can photograph her at eye level.  

  All in all this little girl was a lot of fun to shoot.  She was energetic & had a very happy inquisitive spirit.  She is truly blessed because she has a very beautiful family that loves her and takes very good care of her.  So needles to say, this was by far one of the most satisfying session as of late and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Seeing all the love this girl received reminded me of what I truly enjoy about this job, which is capturing those special moments as they happen and in the end seeing the final images which turned out quite alright, if I do say so myself.

Griffith Park Photo Session with Melisa

The Griffith Park Observatory is a beautiful and historical landmark.  So when Melisa said she wanted a photo shoot it was one of the first places that came to mind.  Meli, as her friends call her, came ready with plenty of outfits and was always quick and ready with a pose.  She was very creative and free spirited, very willing and ready to try different looks and was absolutely enamored with the location.  I'm thinking that there must have been a reason she loved this place but I didn't think of asking her, maybe that's something I should include in conversations with my clients.  We did this photo shoot for her Quinceanera and I enjoyed every minute of it.  We were there over a couple of hours because we kept finding new places to shoot and many ideas of her to try and all in all I know we turned up some great looks.  Our next shoot will be in Santa Monica coming up very soon and it's looking like it's gonna be a blast.  Thanks Meli and I hope God brings you many blessings. :)

Wedding Location, Manhattan Beach

The Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach is wonderful and elegant place to be wed.  The ceremonies are held in an outdoor patio that provides a nice environment and sets the mood for a wedding like no other.  This location features some very elegant places to take photos, too many to mention in a small blog like this.  It is definitely one the best venues I've photographed in.

Photos taken with the iPhone 5 in panoramic view.

A romantic date in L.A.

So this is a romantic date in L.A.  The place where there's is plenty to do, from skiing in the mountains in the winter to a beautiful and romantic walk on the beach on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  And just when you think you've done everything there is to do, you can do something as simple as horseback riding through the trails of Griffith Park which was an incredible experience to say the least.  

We arrived in Burbank a quarter till five, saddled up and got on the trail in less than 20 minutes, thanks to the guys at Circle K which is a stable right around the corner from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. The trails offered a beautiful view and some exciting/scary moments which happily provided my fiancé with some fun and laughter.  After having ridden from an hour we decided to head to Hollywood and Highland, smack dab right in the middle of Hollywood and enjoyed a nice dessert from Mels Drive-In to finish the evening off.  Who could ask for more? I had a beautiful date and a fun time...feeling very blessed :) 

Top two photos were taken with the iPhone 5 and bottom photo was take with a Nikon D600 and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

The Ring

I'm not quite sure what the tradition is behind using a ring to signify promise and commitment.  Nor do I know why gold and a precious stone is typically what an engagement ring is made of.  What I do know is that the person who you commit to marrying had got to be one of a kind and very special.  So special that you cannot picture your life without this person being in it and that your promise to her through it, is a seal of commitment that you want to spend the rest of your life with her.

  In this photo is the engagement ring for my future wife.  Though I've photographed quite a few of them in my time and understood the concept behind it, it's never felt so real as it feels right now and it's never meant so much to me as does now.  I promise to be true to you, to give you my heart, now and forever through the end of my time.