Strawberry Fields for Holly

First off, I love strawberries. It is my favorite thing of all time. I think they are the perfect fruit, accessory, decoration, shape, and fragrance. Please refer to me as Holly Strawberry Steen from now on... With that said

There are benefits to being a photographer. Take away the obvious, like being able to go to beautiful locations, working with awesome clients that love you, and doing a profession you love, well you are left with the additional unknown benefits.

A surprising extra perk to being a photographer, is having awesome photographer friends. I have made so many beautiful friendship just with the sheer common interest of photography. Vanessa Brooke, is my photographer bff.

Vanessa Brooke is a fabulous Lifestyle and Children photographer. We love going out on shoot together. We laugh and play, and most importantly get to try out new and fun things that we could have never done with clients.

Vanessa asked me to shoot some shots of her and her son in some barn somewhere in Pomona. Absolutely sounds like a blast, so I agreed and got her some photos for her blog and living room wall. They are great.

Here is a link, go under families and look for the fabulous boy with a fo-hawk. (In fact you will see that we are wearing the same pair of boots!) We love shooting each other so much, you have seen other photos we have done together like the ones on the blog.

In return, she wanted to shoot me.


Eek.

I am not really into photos of myself. Well, that isn't true, I used to be, but since I am getting older, I feel like I have to spend more time retouching my images to make me look like I used to, I don't like my photo.

That put aside, we found the treasure of all treasures to me ... The Farm Store at Kellogg Ranch, strawberry field. They were having the Cal Poly Pomona Tractor and Car show. All the tractors were all out for us to play on.
I have no idea why I thought that standing in a field with tractors with cowboy boots on was so funny, but really I couldn't stop laughing. Thanks for the great moment capture V.
Practicing what I learning in tractor modeling school...

I am not sure if they frown upon driving the tractors... but it makes for a fun photo.
whee


Totally laying in strawberries, and enjoying every moment.
Cheese :

I am sure this is payback for every silly thing that I have ever put a bride through
Good times.

So thank god I have friends to take photos of me in total glee while sitting in a strawberry field. other wise the moment would be have just been a happy memory. Thanks VB.

Hottness from the streets of Boston

So usually I am a straight shooter. I have had more response from this one shot and it was from the hip, like literally from waist level.

When I was in Boston, in the North End, there was this beautiful moment when I was so amazingly grateful I had my camera. We were walking in Boston's Little Italy and it happened. There was that moment that happens in movies when things go slow motion, the wind starts blowing, and the air gets taken from your lungs... yup. I got it on camera.

So folks I shot this. He is hot. It was not in Italy. I only used Photoshop the texture in the sky to make the image look more fashion. Nice.



Enjoy and wipe the drool off your chin when your done, we have to go to Mikes' Pastry to cool off in huge helping of geltato.

Huntington Beach Engagement

So excited to enter another I Heart Faces contest. This weeks theme was beaches. Yay!

I love the idea of shooting at the beach. It is a perfect location to capture all the different emotions, moods and romance.

Huntington Beach, California was were Andy lived. Canby, Oregon is where Carrie lived. Cursed by the usual long distance relationship, Andy and Carrie were destined to be together. Bonded by Goonies the movie, The Simpsons and the love of pop culture, they got engaged.

On one of the visits out to HB, I was able to shoot some "engagement photos" for Andy. Although they were not officially engaged yet, it was really the only chance for them to get some great beachy photos before he moved up to Oregon and they started a new life together.

It is funny because we almost canceled because it was raining on and off all day. I am glad we didn't because the clouds and the sky were so dramatic I was able to capture this fantastic shot on the coast.


I heart Andy and Carrie!

For amusement, carnival, and a fair time.

The grease of deep fried food, candied apples that stick to everything and smelly goats at the petting zoos is the essence of the fair. It is bigger, brighter and more magical on a date, of course. It is all romantic and sweet to have your love win you a goldfish, or a HUGE stuffy that you have to cuddle later that night when it is all over. Ah... the memories of the fair.

Really, I hadn't been to fair since I was small, I mean small enough to ride around on my Dad's shoulders and see all the sights from above knee level. At that time I wanted to eat everything I saw, feed and talk to all animals in the zoo, and conquer all the amusement rides until I was sick. My sister and I would play, giggle the whole time we were there at the fair. Which made for a pretty quiet ride home in the car for my folks.

It was pretty much the same for me this time. I was gleeful at all the colors and bigger than expected public amusements. I just wanted to dive into every cotton candy vat, scream my lungs out on the roller coaster and play with the hopping baby goats.

I refrained myself, because today I was a photographer. I was here to shoot Misty and Ben, and their adventures at fair.

Aww. We snuck on the bouncy for a quick smooch. So cute.

I am smitten with Misty. Her gorgeous laugh, her love of New Kids On The Block, and of course her sense of style is chic and fantastic, (think Anthropologie and Jimmy Choo had a love child.) She had told me casually that when they got married they didn't have enough money to hire an offical photographer. So they didn't have "real wedding" photos of their most special day. It is sad and I know that most folks that get married out of college this is true for. Misty and Ben absolutely deserve at least some mushy cute photos of each other.

Absolutely my favorite photo of the bunch. I think that when it comes down to it, this was exactly what I see in my head when I think of romance, fair, and sun flare.

I was over the moon when Misty and Ben agreed to have portraits at the fair. (Really, and I am not just saying this because they are reading this.) I have wanted to shoot in a different location other than the beach for so long, and do some cuteness to the max. They were so great to play and the idea to use a carnival as a backdrop for their portrait session.

I can't help it. I just love the kisses shots. I think that Ben was more than happy to help me out in my quest for the picture perfect kissing fair shot.


Yay! It almost looks like the fair is emptied out just for them, (never mind those people under the umbrella).

Awwwww.. I love this one. I still want to do some fancy retouching on it, but what is the timing like when I get a passerby with a HUGE teddy bear that is just on the edge of the photo. Joy!

Really so cute. Cute cute cute!
I had so much fun and great shots we decided to go to the petting zoo and pet the animals. It was so amazing how brave and adorable the animals were. They were so accepting of me and my camera. I couldn't believe it. He/She looked right into my Fish Eye lens.

Oh wait these alpaca were so friendly and beautiful. This one was an albino and just a little baby.


Petting zoo and baby goat cuteness. Aww. Really I couldn't think of a better way to end a date, and I didn't even need to win a big stuffed teddy bear.

This isn't Misty and Ben, but it is one of my Favorite FAVORITE images taken on the carousel on Balboa Island. I had to share it. The best part about this photo is that there is no Photoshop at all. This was how it looked right when I clicked it. YAY.


Same with this one. The couple and the location is the same. It was at Balboa Island, and the beautiful Ferris Wheel just made the mood so playful and fun.
Plus the couple was absolutely great for making it look so passionate. Thanks Ryan and Brianna.


For the Love of Fair and Kisses!

Oh Beantown... How I adore, you let me count the cannolis

Of course I had to go there, being a baseball fan.

Absolutely the coolest buildings, fantastic skyscrapers and amazing accents.

Yay. Everything about my trip to Boston was fun, exciting and definitely picture perfect.
This is just the begining of the awesome photos I wanted to share.


Boston...during the day.


Boston at night was even more alive and thriving.


Plymouth Burial Hill, overlooking Plymouth Harbor.


View from a top a ceremony over looking Plymouth and the Atlantic.



This one was at Plymouth, MA. This was a Puritan Church, so it was old and had character.


This I shot through the car window with the sun screen on. It was cool because it acted like a Polaroid filter for the colors.


Almost arrested for one too many cannolis. (not really)



I was inspired by all the textures and beautiful American history that surrounds Boston. But really we had a great time in Plymouth, and Cape Cod too.

My muse Chandra. She lets me photograph her all the time. Yay!



The girls! We have fun sitting in doorways.


And a shout out to my Photographer friend Santiago Valencia, who posted about Boston after all my crazy tweets about how cool the place was.

More photos to come, this is just a preview.

Brand Spanking New! Holly Photographer !

Yes, I consider myself a wedding photographer. I am proud of the weddings, people and the beautiful places I have been able to see because of it. Weddings are the beginning of a new life, filled with hope and dreams.



I think that being a photographer is a wonderful way for me to be more in touch with my inner thoughts and emotions. I find myself seeing beautiful things through my lens that I would never be able to express with words as clearly.



Hand in hand with weddings is lifestyle and portrait photography. Married couples carry on with their lives after the wedding day. They buy houses, adopt puppies and have beautiful babies. Life goes on after the wedding, despite how it feels when you are planning one. (My prayers and thoughts go out to the brides planning right now, and stressing over DJ time lines and seating charts...)



Well, I wanted to dedicate a website towards my Lifestyle Photography. It is a site that will feature new families, skilled musicians, talented artist, and of course portrait photography. Please take a look and check it out.

xoxo

I heart Faces (is a little addicting)

I posted a link yesterday for the fabulous "Wedding Bells" contest listed.

The response was overwhelming and I had to dive back in and post one of my favorite family photos.
It was incredible because the photographers that submitted to the contest weren't in competition with each other, but a fantastic support system. Each one of them with encouraging words, and friendly comments to the other. Some photographers were pros and some were just enthusiast. It was a wonderful mix and I think that it made it all the more special.

It was so sweet and I really love the community spirit that it brought forth. Yay. With that said, I thought how I would happily posted on other blog sites words of "Wow, Super and Awesome." But to my surprise each photographer had expressed a fabulous sense of love for light, composition and divine colors.

So kudos to I heart faces.



here is my little submission:

Vanessa Brooke is a fabulous Children's Photographer based in Orange County. She has an eye for fashion, color and textures, beyond my understanding. Even better she is an amazing Mom.
For Holiday photos we were to Griffith Park, CA to capture some golden moments for her Christmas card. Her son, and husband rocked the shoot and gave me this fabulous shot. She blogged about the shoot too, because she is awesome!



Shout out from V Brooke: "We had so much fun taking photos with my good friend and photographer Holly. As a photographer myself, I sometimes forget to have photos taken of my own family. It creates memories that you don't want to miss out on. So, I knew it was time for me to have photos of the three of us before Jayden turns one year old next month. Time really does fly by! Thanks again Holly for photographing my family, we love ya!"

Meet Bekah (she is a cutie, huh?)

This is Bekah and mommy before....




And Bekah and mommy now... :)


These photos are from our 6 weeks photo session... Aww