Simply the finest...

A WEDDING IN VENICE ~ SAN JOSE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER ~

2009-10-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Tina and her fiance, Leonard, were married in the dream-like setting of Venice, Italy! It was such an honor to be there to photograph the ceremony. We unfortunately did not have the time to take advantage of this beautiful setting to take many pictures, but the ceremony was lovely and we had a beautiful view of the Rialto Bridge. Congratulations Tina and Len, here's to a wonderful life together!

GOING TO ITALY!

2009-09-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

So I am off to Rome on Monday, then on to a cruise throughout the Mediterranean. And I have the wonderful opportunity to shoot a wedding in Venice! I am so excited! I will be back on October 16th, so please keep that in mind when contacting me. I will be checking emails occasionally. And I will try and blog my adventures as I go, but I know internet will be limited. No promises, but I will try!!

I also want you to think about the holidays! I know! Can you believe it? Once Halloween hits, it's all over with. Christmas will be around the corner! And speaking of Christmas, I am offering photo Christmas Cards this year. I am already booking sessions starting the weekend of October 23! Contact me for details.

Ladies, think about a special gift for your sweetie! A nice album for your honey with some gorgeous images of you! Think about booking you boudoir shoot soon for Christmas albums!

Here is a preview of the Christmas Cards that I am offering. There are two styles of flat cards and three styles of folded cards. Email me for details!

DISCLAIMER-I have to tell you that the images on these examples were not my images; what can I say! they came with the examples!

BRONSON WEDDING

2009-09-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

BRINGING SEXY BACK! BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY-JANEL KARRLE PHOTOGRAPHY

2009-08-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Boudoir photography is nothing new. It has been around for years, but I think it had been swept under the rug. But now it has made a huge comeback and has been rapidly gaining popularity. For good reason - what better way to make a girl feel, well, girly!? sexy and feminine? It is a fun, safe, private way to feel beautiful and to give a gift that will mean so much. And, as you can see, you can bare it all or not at all and still be sexy and oooh! hot!

Contact me if you are interested in your own boudoir session - just think, ladies, the holidays are just around the corner! A great gift for a bride to give as a wedding gift too!!

ASHLEY-SAN JOSE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Parents, don't blink. Because when you do, your little girl (or boy) will grow up during your blink! It's true! And you open your eyes, you see that they are all grown up. It's like, what happened? where did the time go? I know I can't believe it. This is what happened to my little girl! She definitely grew up. And she does make a beautiful model! I couldn't be more proud of her!

We had a lot of fun taking these pictures at my favorite secret shooting spot. Then we were off to Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz the next day. I had a family shoot out there (thanks, guys! I had a blast) and then I got her to play in the surf just before the sun went down. The tide was in and the light was beautiful. Maybe I will post some more later, but for now here are a few of my favorites...

Some fun with the shadows...

Thanks, Sweetie, I had such a good time! You are so BEAUTIFUL! I love you!

ROSE & SOONER-SJ PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER-JANEL KARRLE

2009-07-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun shoot! I had a great location, awesome light, and perfect models! Doesn't get any better than that! I love to watch the interaction between people and their pets; it's such an unconditional love! It would be too hard not to fall in love with Sooner, though, he is such a good boy!

San Jose Family Session

2009-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been three months since my last post! Well, it just means I've been busy, right? I have a special reason to post today...a preview of the session I had with a super sweet family with the most adorable little girl! Oh, my gosh, how cute is she?! They were so enjoyable to be around and you could plainly see the love they share. That's why I particularly like the second image!

MEGAN AND BRIAN MARCH 18, 2009

2009-03-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure that I have never seen two people more suited for each other than Megan and Brian. They are absolutely perfect for each other! They had a very sweet wedding at the beautiful Decathalon Club in Santa Clara. Everything was perfect! The ceremony was wonderful, the food was great, and the fun was abundant! It was wonderful to see how happy Megan and Brian were. You could see it in their eyes!

As much as I would like to, I cannot take credit for these pictures. I know I put my name all over them, but that was just for copyright protection. These pictures were taken by my sister, the super fabulous photographer Julie Parker. My neice, Wren, second shot for her. They did an awesome job! Thank so much!! See more of her work, and more of Megan's wedding pics, at http://www.julieparkerphotography.blogspot.com/

Julie and the family stayed with me a few more days before heading back to Utah, then Julie leaves tomorrow to shoot a wedding in Germany. While she is there she will spend a few days in Paris...I am so jealous!!!!! Hope she has a successful, fun, and safe trip!

Here are some of those awesome pictures from Megan and Brian's wedding!

My daughter, Ashley, was a bridesmaid, along with Megan's maid-of -honor, Lydia, her best friend who flew in from Arizona.

This pocketwatch was a gift to Brian from Megan.

Right after they were pronounced man and wife...what can I say...the picture says it all!!!

An awesome wedding party!!

This was too funny! Megan's dad scaring the beejeezus out of Brian!! You should have seen the look on Brian's face! I think it took a minute for his heart rate to return to normal!

The dress was absolutely gorgeous!

MY WEDDING GIFT

2009-03-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

WOW! I can't believe it has been this long since I last posted! My bad!

Well, I have been busy. It seems like I'm always doing something. Along with my regular work, I have been going to school. I am trying to get all my general ed out of the way and then I want to decide on a major and transfer to San Jose State. Dont' ask me why!

And then we have Megan's wedding!! I am so happy for her! I decided to try something new for a wedding gift for her and Brian. So I tried my hand at painting; digital painting to be exact. And I am quite happy with how it turned out. Megan seemed to love it. This painting was done with Corel's Painter program which allows the artist to paint or draw with any medium that would be offered in traditional art. It is a very overwhelming program and I have a long way to go in learning all it has to offer. But this was a good start, I think. It is based off of a photograph I took during their engagement session and it is done in (digital) oils and blenders, then it was printed on canvas. Let me know what you think...should I try another one?

Look to the next post for more on Megan and Brian's wedding!

THE HERRERA WEDDING

2008-11-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while, but I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I wanted to share a few shots from the Herrera wedding. They are the sweetest couple! Congratulations to you both.

Aren't these gourds beautiful? They were all made by the groom! Each table had a unique gourd that was engraved by Gerardo. They were the perfect touch to this wedding!

CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURE SIZE!

2008-08-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

I love this new large size. Been trying to figure this out for a while and I finally got it!
Whoo-hoo!! Doesn't it look much better?!

SILVA WEDDING

2008-08-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Charlene (http://www.charlenechavezphotography.com/) and I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Jonathan and Samantha at the Seascape Golf and Country Club in Aptos. It was a gorgeous day for the perfect couple. Samantha looked absolutely stunning as a bride and Jonathan looked fabulous! The weather couldn't have been better and everything went smoothly. I want to mention the beautiful work of Sisters With Class for their floral design and event coordination. Notice the collage of the wonderful work they did! I also want to mention Elegant Lace in San Jose for their beautiful wedding gowns and fabulous staff. Samantha's beautiful dress came from there, as did my wedding gown, and my stepdaughter's gown for her wedding next spring.

Here is a small preview of their wedding. Congratulations Samantha and Jonathon! Here's to a lifetime of happiness!

help - How to get pleasing skin tones on prints- powered by SmugMug

2008-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

help - How to get pleasing skin tones on prints- powered by SmugMug

This link has great information on achieving beautiful skin tones. I didn't want to lose this page!

MY FAVORITE MODELS!!

2008-06-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been laggin' here. But here is a rare treat that I have to share! These are my kids! Not so little anymore! We were spending the day at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove when they decided to take pity on me and smile for the camera. Made my day! I probably went overboard, but I had to share a few of my favorites!

SENIOR PICS!

2008-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm lagging again! So sorry! Right now I am in Arizona taking some classes in forensic art to further the work that I do in the forensic art field. These are great classes in skull reconstruction and post-mortem identification. I plan on putting together a website showing the forensic work that I do. I will keep you posted.

But now, I have to share my session with Nicole! These were her senior pictures that we took with her awesome boyfriend and her gorgeous horse, Sedona! I had such a blast! Nikki is absolutely beautiful! Lookit those eyes!!! Stunning!! And it was such a beautiful day! Thanks so much for sharing this special time with me!!

SHUTTERMOM'S MARCH CONTEST WINNER

2008-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

WHOO-HOO!!! I have just won the March photo contest for Shuttermom. For those of you who don't know Shuttermom, it is a community of photographers and resources brought together by Cindy Bracken. There are newsletters, tips, tutorials, forums, and contests all in one place:
http://www.shuttermom.com/

So, really on a whim, I decided to enter a photo that I took of the Maid-of-Honor from Kristin and Ben's wedding at the beautiful Shadowbrook at Capitola-by-the-Sea. (The pics are coming I promise!!!) I entered it in the contest for March last week or so and I just got the email this morning that I won!! I have never won anything in my life!! I actually figured out that this picture won out of approximately 165 entries! This is so exciting for me!! Not only that, but this is the first and only time I have ever entered a photo contest!! So this really means a lot to me!! Thanks so much Shuttermom!! And thank you, Lexi!!

MCP ACTION'S STORYBOARD: LOVE IT!

2008-03-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

How precious is this? I just had to share these pictures in this storyboard by MCP Actions. I love the simple lines and ease of use. Check out Jodi's storyboard and other actions at her blog and website. Just click on the link above!

I just love these pictures! This little angel is so sweet. I am so looking forward to more pictures with her and her brothers!

MY FIRST HDR

2008-03-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

Oh, my gosh! I just wrote this whole post and then it disappeared! YIKES!! Oh, well, as I was saying, this is my first attempt at HDR. I happen to love this look and I am a big fan of Trey Ratcliff and Ben Wilmore. This attempt was done using Trey's tutorial. Typically you should use three or more bracketed photos, but I didn't have any bracketed ones so I made my own. I also just got Ben Wilmore's DVD on HDR but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Can't wait.

So let me know what you think. This was a statue next to the Fish Market in San Diego. It is huuuge!! Look at the sign to the left of his leg. And the ship jutting out behind; that's an airline carrier. Thought I would show some scale:)

SECRET WORKSHOP

2008-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

I got the pleasure of spending last weekend with my sister attending The Secret Workshop in San Francisco. This was so cool! This was put on by Cheryl Muhr and Jinky! This was such a fabulous workshop. I really felt like I came away with some really good stuff. If you have the opportunity to take this workshop, go for it! You won't be dissappointed! Here are some shots from our kids there! They are so adorable!!

A VACATION

2008-03-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

On Feb 2 we left for almost two weeks vacation. We started with 2 nights in San Luis Obispo. We had to go to the Hearst Castle since we had never been. What a beautiful place. It must have really been something to see in its day, don't ya think? Then we were off to San Diego. I love it there. The weather was cool but beautiful. We really didn't do anything specific, just kinda hung out, drove around, had a wonderful dinner at The Fish Market with some of friends of Ron's from highschool. Then we got on the Carnival Elation for a 6 day cruise to Cabo, La Paz, and Ensenada! WooHoo!! There was a big group of us which made the trip so much fun. I loved Cabo, I think because it was so nice and warm! We all had a blast! Unfortunately we were passing around a cold, so by the end of the cruise I was feeling it. I ended up spending the last 4 days of my vacation totally sick in bed. AGAIN!! The only thing good about being sick was that I lost all the weight I had gained on the cruise. Almost made being sick worthwhile (just kidding)! So here are a very few pics from our trip.

This one is a picture Ron took of me on the beach in San Diego. Then a couple of La Paz (loved that town). Last is our very cool group of friends!!!

A LITTLE ANGEL

2008-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Neglected again, I know, I know. I will try to do better! Just been so busy! It's a good thing, though.

Here is a little peek of a shoot I did at the beginning of February. I took these and then left for vacation, got sick again, went back to my day job, threw in a workshop, and geez, time just flies. So here is just one picture of this sweet little angel and her daddy. This little girl is actually the much anticipated sister to the two brothers in a previous post. She is such a beautiful baby. I am looking forward to taking more pictures as she grows!

STUDIO NEWS...

2008-01-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

On another note, I will not be available January 24 - 27. We will be up in June Lake for a few days visiting my daughter and getting in some skiing:) Can not wait!!!! After that, we will be back for a week then we will be leaving for two weeks. Feb 3 - 15. We will be heading down south for vacation. This is going to be sooo fun...two nights in San Luis Obispo, 3 nights in San Diego, then off for a 6 day cruise to Cabo and La Paz. I am so excited. You can be sure I will post pics from all these trips. It is definitely going to be a busy Feb. I will be available on a limited basis. At the end of the month, I will be attending the much anticipated Secret Workshop! This is going to be awesome!!! So as you can see, I am going to have fun in Feb.!!! Not to mention Valentine's Day and our anniversary! Lotsa goodies this month!!!!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION...

2008-01-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

I finally got my new studio light set out of the box! I got them before Christmas, but with the holidays and all I never got a chance to set them up. So today I finally got them set up (thank you, honey!) and got out all my other new toys; ie, Pocketwizards! Sekonic 358L! WooHoo!! I am ready to go. So here were my first test shots with my favorite models!!

These were taken during a conversation about going bye-bye...

I love these lights! This is the Photoflex set with the 650 Starflashes! So easy to use! I am looking forward to using them. I love natural light but sometimes it's nice to be able to do studio work. I can't wait to use them!

THE BESTEST BIG BROTHERS

2008-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had the privilege of photographing these adorable little guys. I don't suppose a 10 yr old would want to be classified as an adorable little guy though, but they were!! I loved how well big brother took care of his little brother. They are both going to make the bestest big brothers to their little sister who should be appearing later this month. I know I promised these sneak peeks earlier in the week, but our house got hit with the stomach flu. My hubby and mom-in-law got hit pretty hard. So far so good for me but I think I have another day or so before I can feel totally safe. Crossing my fingers!! cause it's ugly!:(

Anyway-lookee how cute (and handsome) they are...

So we get to the park where we're shooting at and there is this guy, Greg, with these fun toys...

My assistant (hubby) befriended this guy and sure enough, I never saw him again until it was time to leave! Good thing I didn't need any assisting!!! They were pretty cool helicopters though.

MORE FOTO DAY PICTURES

2007-12-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some more of my favorites from my foto day! This was such a gorgeous family! How precious are these?!!!

Look at this little guy! Too cute! Won't be able to keep up with him soon!!