Amelia Strauss Photography Blog » Amelia Strauss >> Southern California Editorial Photographer / Destination Wedding Photographer

Yea! I have now completed new client packets for the studio and they are absolutely stunning! I couldn’t be more excited about them if I tried - really. They are modern, elegant, timeless, and gorgeous, and they perfectly reflect the character of ASP. However, checking this off my 101 in 1001 list really had little to do with me and much much more to do with my dear friend Kelly Cavin…

Okay, so major shout out to Kelly! I go back about eight years with this doll. She is an amazing graphic designer and graduate of the prestigious SCAD in Savannah, Georgia. Kelly has her own design studio, The Stamped Envelope, based out of Birmingham, Alabama. Kelly took on this project for me and hit it completely out of the park!

Kelly does awesome designs for save-the-dates, invitations, announcements, and the like - so definitely go check her out ladies! She is also a reputable and respectable photographer in her own right…and I can’t wait to see what all is in store for her and her business.

Without further ado, here are a couple images of the new client packets!

Thank you so much Kelly for all your hard work and unbelievable talent! I can’t wait to work on many more projects together in the future…

I had such a great time with Natalie and Ben this past Saturday morning as we shot their engagement session in Birmingham. They are so sweet with each other, and the way their emotion plays to the camera is just wonderful. I love working with couples like Natalie and Ben, whose relationship comes through in their images!

Here are some favorites from the shoot:

Congratulations Natalie and Ben! I can’t wait for your big day coming up in May…

Meet Blake and Tessa, a photographer’s dream come true. I am flattered to be working with them, as Blake is a photographer himself. You can purchase his collection “Compositions” in book form here. The best thing about working with other photographers? They know what you want before you ever have to even say it - so awesome.

I met up with these two on Friday morning to shoot their engagement session, and we couldn’t have had better weather! Finally, after weeks of crazy temperatures and stormy weather, Birmingham was beautiful again. I thoroughly enjoyed this shoot - great couple, great locations, great weather - what more could a girl ask for? And to top off an adventurous shoot, Blake and Tessa braved my driving as they followed me all over town to get the images we really wanted. There should probably be some sort of medal for that…but in the end, it was worth it!

How about this awesome horizon shot?

One of my faves…

Tessa and Blake will tie the knot on September 12, 2009 in Birmingham, and I can’t wait for their big day! Congratulations!

Okay, I have been a blogger slacker lately. Tons of stuff to post! But before I blog anything else, here is the most fun image from my morning shoot today! Blake and Tessa are getting married this September, and we shot their engagement session today - full post coming soon. For now, please check out Blake and Tessa’s Blue Steel look (a la Zoolander)…they really channeled their inner Ben Stiller for this shot.

Here it is kids, the post you have all been waiting for! THE TOP FIVE BLOG POST! No really, all kidding aside, I’m stuck at home sick and this seemed the perfect opportunity to knock out one of my 101 in 1001 posts!

So in the spirit of High Fidelity…here are my Top Five Lists…none in any particular order.

TOP FIVE MOVIES OF ALL TIME
1. Love Actually
2. The Big Lebowski
3. Fight Club
4. Amelie
5. Almost Famous

TOP FIVE DREAM JOBS
1. Photographer for Vanity Fair
2. Photographer and Journalist for Rolling Stone
3. Victoria’s Secret Model
4. Art Museum Curator
5. Private Island Caretaker

TOP FIVE FAVORITE SONGS EVER
1. Run Around Sue - Dion and The Belmonts
2. Earthquakes And Sharks - Brandtson
3. Where Is My Mind - The Pixies
4. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
5. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd (I mean, really, it’s a must)

TOP FIVE PEOPLE I WOULD WANT TO SPEND DINNER WITH - DECEASED
1. Oscar Schindler
2. My Grandfather
3. Amelia Earhart
4. Queen Victoria
5. Hannibal - yeah, I’m not kidding

TOP FIVE PEOPLE I WOULD WANT TO SPEND DINNER WITH - ALIVE
1. My Husband
2. My Grandmother
3. Warren Buffet
4. Annie Leibovitz
5. Bill Simmons

TOP FIVE PLACES I’VE VISITED
1. Norman’s Cay, Bahamas
2. Auschwitz, Poland
3. Muren, Switzerland
4. The Beaches of Normany
5. Dubrovnik, Croatia

TOP FIVE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1. Vietnam
2. Morocco
3. Australia
4. Moscow
5. The LOST Island

TOP FIVE BOOKS OF ALL TIME
1. To Kill A Mockingbird
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. The Fountainhead
4. Sense and Sensibility
5. A Farewell to Arms

TOP FIVE ITEMS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
1. Any Hoodie
2. Rock and Republic Jeans
3. A Camera
4. My Green Studded Bruno Boots
5. My Grandfather’s Running Shirts

TOP FIVE THINGS I REALLY NEED TO WORK ON
1. Driving Skills
2. Organization
3. Hair Styles
4. I would say Cooking, but I’ve really just given up on that. So does it even count?
5. Visiting Old Friends

TOP FIVE COMFORT FOODS
1. Caramel Cupcakes from Angel Cake
2. A Frosty from Wendy’s
3. Bread Pudding from Chez Lulu
4. Pumpkin Extravaganza
5. Lemon Icebox Pie

TOP FIVE PHYSICAL MISTAKES/MISHAPS
1. Running the Charleston Bridge Run…with negative training
2. Busting my rear in front of 200+ people during staff introduction at JH Ranch
3. Jumping off my swingset at age five into my Father’s arms…and then he forgot to catch me
4. Going to Volleyball Camp
5. Plenty others that can’t be mentioned on the blog…

TOP FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY HUSBAND
1. He laughs with his whole being
2. He continually encourages me
3. His work ethic
4. He has a servant’s heart
5. He knows how to cook…and well!

TOP FIVE FAVORITE MEMORIES
1. Flying into Birmingham late at night throughout childhood
2. Our completely crazy adventure to The Redwood Forest
3. Spring Breaks in college with friends on Staniel Cay and Norman’s Cay
4. My first date with my husband this time around
5. Getting dropped off a train on the side of a mountain with my family to camp out in the straight up wilderness of Colorado

TOP FIVE PHOTOGRAPHY FAVES
1. Engagement Sessions
2. Finding New On-Location Jewels
3. Totally Rad Actions
4. Being in The Bride’s Room
5. Having THE BEST Manager and Assistant any photographer could ask for!

I’m going to spill it all here - I’m a SoapNet junkie. Recently I saw the promos for a new original series coming to SoapNet, Being Erica. Now, normally I stick to a routine of O.C. and 90210 reruns - but this show really pulled me in. So I set my DVR to record the series, and at this point I’ve seen all three episodes that have aired.

Why in the world am I blogging about this? Good question. Being Erica hits on some interesting issues about what your life really is - who you are really meant to be, and how you are continually growing into that person. The tagline of the show is “If you could do it all over again, what would you change?” She is so self-absorbed its almost endearing. One quote I got a kick out of is “Everyone has regrets, but I have more than most.” I mean, really?

Have you ever wished you could redo your past? Erica can. She is given dream-come-true opportunities to go back and revisit her greatest regrets, and make changes accordingly. This main premise of the show presents viewers with plenty to think about. What would you change if you could? What would the repercussions be? What are your regrets in life, and would you change them if you could? What events, choices, decisions, and circumstances shaped you into the person you are today? Would you redo any of that?

I connect with Erica as a peer for sure, and I probably connect with many of her regrets as well. Her past resembles mine in the sense of wardrobes, music, and interpersonal relationships. This show is a journey down memory lane for me in a major way! What in the world was I thinking when I picked out my senior year prom dress?

So, Being Amelia, what does that look like today? One regret would be maintaining a position on the Samford BullPups until the age of 13…Nerd Alert! So maybe kids from my school made fun of me, but I sure did love the ball handling skills. Had it not been for that group though, I would not have been at the basketball camp where I met my husband. These regrets that became blessings could go on and on, but suffice it to say I wouldn’t change a thing.

Have you ever wished you could redo your past? Amelia doesn’t.

In case you are worried that I missed the Britney come back tour - The Circus…don’t be. Last night I headed over to Atlanta to hit up Britney’s concert with my good friends Mary Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Purnell. AWESOME…

Love the fedora..

Charlotte on the car ride over…

Yeah, that’s pink hair and glitter…

Purnell working the parking deck…

The Pussycat Dolls opened - KILLER…

The Girls…

Me and Purnell vamping it up…

Britney and The Circus

Oh Charlotte…

Purnell striking a pose…

They seriously never stopped dancing…them against the music…

So I had to throw up a couple of shots of our sweet puppies! That’s right - Gracie is now a Mama. So here a couple images of our new little cuties…

WPPI - SUPER FUN!!! If you ever get a chance to go, you should jump on it. My friend Trina and I stayed at the Luxor and the image above is of the sunrise over Vegas from our hotel room our first morning there. PHENOMENAL! There is so much natural beauty there. Then you walk out of your room to go to class and pass no less than 4,000 hungover gamblers at 6:30am…good times are definitely had by all.

So I’m not a gambler, although I do have some lofty ambitions of becoming a poker assassin. However, I did hit the jackpot on my blackberry while I was there. I started a brickbreaker game that is currently still in full gear - my present score is 1,040,790 and I have 207 lives left. If I make it to 2 million I’ll be globally ranked. Aim high, right? I mean, this is really something to be proud of…

So here are some peeks into my time in Vegas - I’m having to fly through this post because my husband is beyond determined for me to blog our new puppies - but I’ll definitely post more soon. The crazy fun times have GOT to make it onto this blog!

Here is my reflection in the window of our room at sunrise. I couldn’t resist :)

Me taking a fan shot with Bambi Cantrell. Yeah, I’m that girl. Can you blame me? I LOVE her!

Fun surprise - a shot that Cristi Owen took of me was on display in the tradeshow!

And the highlight of our first day? New friends, of course!

Here is Cristine, Heather, Lee Ann, Joanna, Trina, Meg, Cristi, and me strutting our stuff. Gotta love those Vogue shots!

Thanks for the lovely time ladies!

Studio 54 and the madness will come again on a later blog post…oh the memories…

Here are some of my very favorite images from Rina & Corey’s Engagement Session. Enjoy!

I loved this shoot - the couple really just makes it every time! Best Wishes to Rina & Corey :)