Our family is once again going to get bigger as my sister Corina is expecting. Coming this September, she and Jason will be blessed with a baby girl whom they already decided to name Eliana, or Ellie for short. They wanted to get some photos with “big brother”/chihuahua terrier, Magnus, before their baby shower in a couple of weeks and also before Jason’s orders sends them out to the East Coast in a couple of months.

Corina + Jason – you’ve both gotten a lot of practice with Jerelle and Arianna, so we know you will both turn out to be great parents of your own. We can’t wait for Ellie to make an appearance and obviously, September can’t come soon enough. We’re sure she’ll enjoy her short time in Rhode Island before you guys move out to a better ‘island’, Hawaii. We will be visiting often. =p

Do you remember The Cates Family from a couple of weeks ago? Well, they’re back but this time around it was with Amanda’s family and their incredibly well-behaved and smart dogs, Addie and Emmy. This particular session was special for all of them because Emmy has been recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Emmy has been in the family since she was 6 weeks old, and is quickly approaching 10 years of age come July. To those that have pets, we know that they are considered family, and having a family member go through what Emmy is going through can be really devastating. That’s why this session was all about cherishing the time they have with each other. It was so touching that when we got home, we hugged our own dogs, Kaley + Blanca, and will be looking to have photos taken with them soon. =)

This weekend turned out to be a blast. Ever since I got a text from Amanda + Jeremy that they wanted to get family photos done, I’ve been looking forward to this session. Why? Well, for one, both Jeremy and I are in the same unit in the Army National Guard and the other reason is Amanda, like myself, was raised in Kansas so she has a great appreciation of my alma mater, The University of Kansas. As much as Annie would like to believe that Kansas is all about James Franco in that new Oz movie, Amanda and I know that there’s no place like it, or should I say, ‘There’s no place like home’. Jeremy brought ‘home’ to their house. I had a big smirk on my face as I walked through their Jayhawk themed kitchen. Rock Chalk! We kicked off the session with Baby Kaden and then had some fun with 2 year old brother, Cameron. By the end, it felt like it was a drill weekend for the Army as Jeremy donned his uniform to get some military photos. It was hard to choose. but here are some of our favorites from the session.

A few weeks ago, I headed over to the Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier to 2nd shoot Jessica + Sasada’s wedding with our buddy Jaemi of Jaemi Suh Photography. I realized early on that I would get along really well with Sasada as he, along with many others at the wedding, were Electrical Engineering majors from Cal Poly. It was an absolute joy to be able to capture this special day for Jessica + Sasada. There was never a moment where they weren’t smiling which made for a great evening!

Once you’re done looking through here, be sure to check out Jaemi’s blog as well!

Last week on President’s Day, Annie, Jerelle, + I headed to the hospital to go visit my brother and sister-in-law, Marcus + Vanessa, and their new addition to the Yambot family…our 1st niece…Jerelle’s 1st first cousin…their “little duckling”, Arianna. Now we don’t usually do newborn sessions because we do not have the props and backgrounds that you would typically see for newborn session, but Vanessa said she would provide those essentials for this one plus who could resist that little face.

Welcome to the world Baby Arianna. Jerelle may not seem to pay much attention to you now, but once he gets out of his Cars phase, then you two will be playing together all the time. =p

Today is 12/12/12. It is a unique and special date…a date in which the month, day, and year are all the same and will not happen again for a long, long time. This date also marks little Brianna turning 1 year old! This past weekend, her parents Karen + Stanley invited us to come celebrate this occasion with family and friends. We started the day off with Brianna getting baptized at Christ the King Catholic Church and the reception/birthday party immediately followed at Elegante Banquet Hall in Hollywood. Being such Disney fans ourselves, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the whole banquet room was decorated in a Minnie Mouse theme! From the flowers & centerpieces arranged by family members to the cakes and candy station to the pillar of balloons, everything just screamed Minnie. Little Brianna’s grand entrance was the cutest thing ever. She came in a little pink car decorated as Minnie with her big brother Ben pushing from behind. To add to all this Disney magic, Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast joined the party to keep all the kids entertained with games, face painting, and balloon animals! The inner kid in both of us were smiling the whole time.

Thank you Karen + Stanley for having us. Your family is so adorable and there is no doubt in my mind that our little Jerelle would love to meet Ben & Brianna. =)

Happy birthday little Brianna!

Baptism Venue: Christ the King Church
Reception Venue: Elegante Banquet Hall in Hollywood
Floral Arrangements & Candy Station: Potter’s Floral Creations
Cake & Cupcakes: Rowena Choi

A couple of weeks ago, I headed back up to the hills of Palos Verdes to 2nd shoot Kathy + Aaron’s wedding for our good friend, Jaemi of Jaemi Suh Photography. I started the day off conversing with Aaron’s grandmother about how she grew up in Italy and how I proposed to Annie in Venice. This is all while we waited for Aaron + his groomsmen to arrive at her house to get ready. Oh Italy….someday we will be back! But I digress…

Kathy + Aaron got married at Neighborhood Church, a gorgeous venue with a great view of the ocean. The rain was not going to stop this long awaited day. In fact, it, along with the Chinese lion dancers during the reception at Norris Pavillion, brought good luck and fortune. Who could ask for anything more? Once you’re done here, be sure to check out Jaemi’s blog.

Another bundle of joy is expected to join the Ioriatti/Yambot clan this February … little baby girl, Arianna. This past weekend, we ventured out with my sister-in-law and brother, Vanessa + Marcus, to shoot their maternity session. They wanted to get some photos before the baby shower coming up next month. Vanessa + Marcus were up for anything. They even wanted to do jumping pictures which didn’t surprise us especially after Vanessa played in our first annual family flag football Turkey Bowl.

Vanessa + Marcus, we are extremely happy for the both of you. You don’t know it yet, but your lives will be completely changed, but for the best! We love you both and February can’t come soon enough!

And to little Arianna, continue to be healthy and hurry up and get here. Jerelle and Giovanni are excited to have another playmate to play with! ={D

Last month, I 2nd shot a wedding with some friends of ours, another husband and wife team, Michelle + Randy of Meesh Photography. With Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos looming around the corner, Yvette + Mark’s “Till Death Do Us Part” themed wedding absolutely fit the season! Yvette + Mark was such an amazing couple and you could tell that they were meant to be together. They got married at St Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks.

Some things I enjoyed throughout the day:
– Mark’s suit which was very unique,
– the very detailed cake topper that resembled Yvette + Mark to the tee, tattoos and all,
– and of course, the live mariachis especially when one of the Best Men, Pablo sang a special song for the newly weds!

Once you’re done looking around here, be sure to also check out Michelle and Randy’s amazing work on their blog!

A couple of weeks ago, I once again had the opportunity to 2nd shoot with our buddy, Henry of Henry Chen Photography. I could tell from the get go that it was going to be an amazing day when Glenn welcomed us with open arms and a big smile when we first got to the hotel where they were getting ready. It’s just in his personality and you could tell that from his interactions with everyone especially with Jill. They had such a heart felt first look and it just went on from there.

Jill + Glenn invited their family and friends to the same area where Glenn proposed during New Years, the cliffs of Palos Verdes. The venue was the amazing La Venta Inn. The outdoor ceremony had such an incredible view of the coastline! Afterwards, the guests went inside for the reception where they enjoyed some amazing food and danced the night away.

Be sure to check out Henry’s blog for his amazing images of the day!