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

“This will be the best $10 bill of your life.” These were the prophetic words that left the lips of Cassie Vail.  She handed over the $10 bill she had just written her Facebook link on to Ryan and walked away.  Feeling a little like Serendipity?

Cassie and Ryan, actors living in Los Angeles, are marrying this year, and that $10 bill stays in Ryan’s wallet…

I am seriously dying over the series from their engagement session yesterday afternoon.  I love the editorial feel of the shoot.  I love the sense of intimacy Cassie and Ryan share with each other, and the camera.  And working with other creatives always kicks me into overdrive.

For now, check out a couple images that grabbed my eye, and fall in love with this eclectic, spirited, emotional couple.

I’ll be working on a blog post from their session in the meantime…

Okay, so I shot the vast majority of this session on film, which I’m still waiting to get back - but in the meantime, I intend to make Erin happy and give her something of a sneak peek on the blog!  What does that mean?  You will see this session posted roughly three times on this blog!  Which is fantastic, because how can you NOT just love these two, and also, this will force me to blog more…

I’ll give all the behind the scenes details and location and image information in the next post - so definitely check back for that.  Erin and Adam are a delight!  We had a great time, and really explored some interesting ideas together.  Most of all, I just had a great time with them!  Can you tell?

One from probably my favorite series of the entire day:

I find this series pretty and interesting…it just feels raw…

LOVE this one..

So, while I’m waiting to get back into production mode, I thought I’d put up a couple images from Sunday’s engagement session with Erin and Adam. (Before you get confused - we are working with TWO couples this year named Erin and Adam…I know, what are the odds?)  We did a very themed shoot - which was a lot of fun and a different approach for me.  The original plan was to style outside, but the weather pushed us indoors - so we styled a winter white studio session for the first part of their shoot.  THEN we headed outside when the rain cleared and set up our on location theme and just had a lot of fun with it!

Erin and Adam, you are so much fun, I truly had a blast hanging out with you two!  I am so excited about your wedding and getting to work with you this year.

I’m pretty pumped to share the images from this session on the blog - as soon as they are edited, I’ll have them posted here!

Save The Date…

A peek at the studio session… A little Anthro inspired perhaps?

So many gems and awesomeness to come!  So, get stoked for Erin and Adam!  Congratulations to you both…

I had a special request to post images from this session…so here you go! Meet Katie and Jonathan, a fun, laid-back, approachable couple who kept me laughing all afternoon.

Katie and I hit it off pretty fast. She came in to meet with me about her wedding coming up in May 2010, and we just clicked. I think I really identify with how expressive she is, and I appreciate her honesty in her relationships. Once we both took a seat and let our hair down, we just got each other right away - and I was really excited about the collaboration. I met Jonathan this fall during our shoot, and immediately I loved how much he loved Katie. He was so easy to work with and had a great time playing with Katie. They’re just fun dangit! So, check out some images from their engagement session…

Serious blog slack attack anyone? Here’s the deal…this blog has been DOA. It really should be thriving right now, but instead of coming more vividly to life with more things going on - it has very sadly gotten a little kicked to the curb. I feel like every time I blog, I inevitably say, “this time will be differently…I’ll blog so much more after this post”, and then I fail to follow through. But this time, it really is different…(and yes, I know that the definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing and expecting different results)…but this is why: I have tons of stuff to post, and I’m going to match Marcie. Wait, what? Nope, you read that right.

Here is my goal: I will match Marcie Morris’ blog posts for a month, starting today. Don’t worry, I’ll explain.

First of all, this is not a resolution, nor does it have anything to do with the New Year. It’s a separate goal. So, a little about Marcie: she is one of my clients who is an incredible encourager of this blog, and is also an avid blogger of her own. I am always amazed at where she seems to find the time to do all the things she does…really. Even to re-designing her blog theme on what seems like a weekly basis. But that’s beside the point. Marcie is so faithful to her blog that it constantly inspires me (and also makes me feel like the biggest slacker in the blogosphere) - so I am pledging to match her from now until January 21, 2010. Every time Marcie posts, so will I.

And there you have it. Random? Absolutely. Fun? Yep. Unattainable? We’ll see!

Here is a tiny taste of some yummy posts to come…

It’s teaser time! Completely hot and awesome images to come from Erin & Adam’s Engagement Session - but check out a few at random for now. I can’t wait to post this session, and all the others I have backed up. They’re coming soon and steadily from the West Coast! Thank you Erin and Adam for a fantastic day, and for putting up with my driving. It happens…

Super hot images to come. (It just seems like a good time for a sneak).

So, I got together with Katie and Jonathan recently to shoot their engagement session. I loved this session because they were just so FUN. At the end of the day, I want my clients to just have beautiful images and a great time…and these two really had fun with each other. It didn’t hurt that Katie might have a double life where she secretly models for a living. I would talk about a concept, and before I got halfway through, she’d say, “Like this?” and BLAM. It was ridiculous. She also laughed pretty much the entire time - so I guess we’re just very like-minded. (Picture me pointing back and forth a lot and going, “we’re like this!”).

I also really appreciated that Katie and Jonathan let me do whatever I wanted. They were up for anything - and I was bound and determined to push myself. We ended up with some pretty cool concepts…I’m not gonna lie. We also did a few things that were just absurd, but that’s part of the artistic experience, right? It’s going to be a lot of fun to share this session when its completed, because I can see a clearer direction of where I’m going as an artist. This has been a slam packed year, and it’s so rewarding to get to the end, look back, and see where your eye and vision are going.

Also, I shot a newborn yesterday - something I almost never do. He peed on a cake-platter. I’ll post some awesomeness from that soon - so there’s another sneak!

Oh, how I loved my day yesterday! I hooked up with some amazing people to take on a great new “transitional” project for the studio. It’s all secretive for now, but I can’t wait for everything to come together and share it on the blog!

Ashley and Owen were great sports for our project day. In the midst of everything else that was going on, we managed to knock out a pretty fantastic engagement session. What a lovely couple. We laughed, danced a little, played the laying down game, and just enjoyed the day. Super special for this session, we shot on location at Ashley’s great-grandparents’ farm. It was just gorgeous. We also happened upon a car graveyard on the way out there - loved it. Ashley and Owen, thanks for being troopers and heading out into the blistering wind and cold!

Here are a few images from yesterday. I’m saving all the best ones for later - so here’s just a peek at some randomness.

Yay for Jennifer and Justin! I can’t wait to post their engagement session and I am so looking forward to their wedding next summer. We had a great weekend in Birmingham, and I really enjoyed my afternoon. It’s so nice to be shooting in nice weather in the South again…

Okay, I am quite aware that there are about 50-60 sessions I need to blog. I’m trying, really trying, to get back to work on this blog. All of my life transitions have kicked this blog to the curb, but dangit, it will be revived, and victory will be claimed!

Please note that the minute I move to the West Coast, The South starts getting incredible weather again. This very grandiose part of me is convinced that the weather is somehow messing with just me. I would like to remind you that last year in Phoenix, it rained the entire time I was there. Hmmm…

Anyway, you couldn’t imagine a more gorgeous (AND pleasant) day than today in Birmingham! Michelle and Barrett traveled down from Memphis for an engagement session, and we had a stunning afternoon to enjoy. LOVE this couple! They’re fantastic - so much fun, so easy, hearts for each other, focused on Christ. It was a delight to get to know them. We definitely bonded - gotta love it when clients embrace your attention issues and random creative impulses… I’ll do an entire blog post on Michelle and Barrett at some point and do these two justice…

So, here are a few images SOOC (minus the backlit B&W). And here’s to finally blogging a session. Only 60 to go! I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.