D&D Photography and Design

the announcement {part 1}

2010-07-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

I've been dragging my feet on this for about a month, trying to decide how to write it out. Waiting for things to slide into place... but since I'm now a week (or two) away, I decided it's time! For my 8 followers, you may have noticed my lack of blogging (or maybe not), well, I've been hard at work this summer focusing on re-branding and designing a new website. During that process it came to my realization that I would need a new blog as well... and after thinking about it for a while, I enlisted help with the creation of that new blog.... so, this will be my second to last post here at the D&D blog!

The other part of this announcement is to tell you that we will no longer be operating as D&D, but will now be simply Diana Rush Photography. So much thought, prayer & time has gone into this decision, and I'm really looking forward to completing this project! So here is a little preview of what will be coming in just a couple of weeks (maybe less)...

Thank you for following me here, and hopefully you'll continue to follow my new blog!

Diana Rush

Hailey Nicole {Newborn}

2010-07-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

We woke up on June 24th to phone calls & text messages... my sister-in-law Kim had gone into labor in the wee hours of the morning & my niece Hailey had been born! We were so excited as we rushed to get the kids off to school & drive to Hoag Hospital! We arrived to hugs & excited faces.... and then we got to see her! Hailey was so little & so adorable, as I got to hold her she just quietly slept in my arms making purring noises now & then! Kim had had a great labor & was looking so good! I'm so excited for this new addition to our family, making it 4 girls on the Rush side (no boys.... yet)!

I was very excited a week later to go over & take some newborn photos of Hailey at home, she was still just as adorable, but now very much awake and aware of everything around her! It's always amazing to see how fast they change when they are little!!! Well, I had a great morning with Hailey, Kim & Izzy... we laughed, we played hide-n-go seek, I rearranged the furniture in their house, Hailey cried, and then I got to put Hailey to sleep (which in my opinion, putting a baby to sleep is one of the BEST things in the world)! So here is little miss Hailey Nicole....

Here is Izzy hiding from me while we were playing hide-n-go seek... she got stuck!

Congratulations to Mat, Kim & big sister Izzy!!!

Diana Rush

Michael + Lauren

2010-07-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

I still remember the night when Lauren asked, or rather, told me that I was going to be her wedding photographer. We were at another friends wedding when I overheard that she had booked her wedding site, she saw my face turn with excitement to hear all about it & she leaned toward me & whispered in my ear "and you're going to be my wedding photographer!" At the point when Lauren told me that, this little business of mine was only 6 months old, and although the goal at that time was to eventually get into wedding photography, I hadn't quite figured out how I was planning to get there, as I was pretty much only doing family photography at that point.... So much has happened in the last year, and I have to honestly say that a lot of the leaps & bounds that I have made have been because Lauren whispered in my ear & because SHE believed in me!

Well, onto to the wedding.... As I met with Michael & Lauren throughout the year, I knew that this wedding was going to be amazing! Michael & Lauren are two of the sweetest people I have ever met.... and they are just simply perfect for each other! Lauren is a super planner & Michael is the supportive "I'll do whatever it takes to make your vision happen" kind of guy! I loved hearing Lauren's vision for their wedding, it was backyard county wedding meets California chic! Lauren may be a California girl, but she's a cowboy boot wearing country girl at heart & she wanted her & Michael's wedding to reflect that! In saying that, the best way to explain is to just show you the amazingness that is their wedding....

The wedding was at Lake Oak Meadows & I had the pleasure of working with one of their fabulous wedding planners... whose name is also Diana!

I must say that Lauren is just BEYOND gorgeous....

My daughter, Audrey, was the flower girl & I was so proud of the amazing job that she did!!!

Michael looking oh so handsome...

This is BY FAR the best Best Man toast ever! Not only did Beau, the Best Man, give an amazing speech, but he then went on to sing Lauren & Michael a song that he wrote just for them!!!

Thank you again to Michael & Lauren for letting me be a part of their day!!!

Diana Rush

Alison {High School Senior Portraits}

2010-05-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

How do I sum up Alison... She is a pretty amazing young lady, and I have watched as she has gone from giggly freshman to young womanhood. I had known Alison's family for several years & gotten to sing alongside her ultra talented brothers, but didn't know Alison all that well until I was asked to be her high school leader... I had been thinking of leaving the high school ministry, when the church youth pastor (who is now our senior pastor), asked me to stay a couple more years & take on Alison's class. After being bribed by the potential of amazing students I agreed to stay for a couple more years... one of my first memories of Alison will always be her introduction "Hi, I'm Alison, and I like the color blue" (the question she was probably responding to was "introduce yourself & tell us something interesting about you"). Well, after that night I got to learn lots about Alison, and I could go on and on about our camp memories, the times we laughed & cried, and how Alison was such a blessing to my life (see people think that when working with High School students, you're helping them, but I've always felt that I ended up taking away so much more). But the most important thing to know about Alison, is that she is one of those people who just make life better... she is ultra humble & and is one of the most selfless people I know. Alison is a light that shines so bright, that anyone within a 50 foot radius of her, has to be automatically happy. I'm so excited to continue to watch Alison go off to college & become a college soccer star!

Well, in saying all that.. I was super excited when Alison asked me to do her senior portraits... and it meant that I got to hang out with her, which is always a plus!!! We had such a great time together, and although I haven't been her high school leader for a year now, it seemed like no time had passed! So, here are some of my favorites from our afternoon together...

... did I mention that Alison is GORGEOUS!!!!?

Thank you Alison, for being such a blessing on my life & the lives of every person you meet! You are such an amazing girl & God has amazingly big plans for you!

Love you,

Diana Rush

Fortin Family {Laguna Beach Family Photographer}

2010-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

If you noticed, this is blog number 2 in 2 days... that's pretty epic for me! And there might even be a third blog this week... I'm trying to get all caught up before we leave for a weekend away at our favorite lake/mud hole in Kern County! So, onto today's blog...

The Fortin Family was such a joy to meet... They are from Boston, but moved out to Southern California a year & a half ago when Norbert accepted a position in the Biology department at a local university.... subsequently, Yolanda also got a job at the university in the Neurobiology department. Norbert & Yolanda have 2 kids, Xavier who just turned 3 (and although he loves the beach, we discovered that he does NOT like the big waves over at Laguna) & Oliver, who is 4 months old (and pretty much the most adorable & easy going baby)! We had such a great afternoon with this family, and I am so thankful to the Yassa family for the referral!

Well, here they are... our favorite moments from the day!

Thank you to the Fortin Family for a wonderful time!!!

Diana Rush

Jonah, Ethan & Abby {Best Mother's Day Present Ever}

2010-05-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little behind in my posting, so I'll keep this short... These kids are 3 of my favorite kids ever, and their parents are some of my closest friends! So when Kevin (the dad) enlisted me to conspire to making Mardell's (the mom) mother's day gift, I was totally in! Basically it was a complete success, because on Mother's Day when Mardell received these photos she totally cried! And really, there isn't any better compliment! So here they are, Jonah, Ethan & Abby...

And my favorite photo of the day...

I love this family & I loved that I got to be a part of making this gift possible!

Diana Rush

Love This....

2010-05-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for the perfect compliment for clients who choose to invest in their digital images... and I found it! Here is what I'm sending out to the Yassa Family today!

The Yassa's have been fabulous clients, and I can't wait for them to get this in the mail!!!

Diana Rush

Baby Jeremiah & his family {Newborn}

2010-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

If you've perused through my blog... and I mean the entire blog... you'll recognize Lawrence, Savannah & Oliver. Lawrence & Savannah are undoubtably my oldest clients, as I did their engagement photos 7 years ago... back when I was shooting film! I then did their family photos just over a year ago, when I had made the decision to make my hobby into a profession. So, you can imagine that I was overjoyed when they contacted me again to go out to their house & take photos of the newest addition to their family, baby Jeremiah! At 4 days old, baby Jeremiah is our 2nd youngest client ever, and he was just so tiny & cute! I'm always amazed by newborns, they are so small and yet learning so much so fast, I'm also always shocked when I see a newborn as strong as Baby Jeremiah, during our session he was rolling his body side to side & was able to lift his head up pretty high while laying on his belly... but since he is the second born, he just must know that he has a lot of catching up to do!

We had a great morning with the Cortez family, and I am excited to continue capturing their lives as their boys keep growing! Here are some of my favorite moments...

Here is big brother Oliver who was enjoying moving things around for us while we were shooting...

Jeremiah made sure that we captured his use of strength on camera...

Let's be honest, it's hard being only 4 days old, and Jeremiah was just a little fussy throughout the morning. He was most happy being held by Daddy & Mommy!

Thank you again to the Cortez family for allowing us to capture their lives!

Diana Rush

Doug + Brit {engaged}

2010-04-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

The anticipation of waiting for Doug to propose to Brit nearly killed me! I knew he had the ring, I knew the day he was planning on proposing... and yet I had to play dumb every time Brit & I would talk about it! I still get excited thinking about it! My brother has finally found his perfect match! I look back now and think about how we used to talk about his dating life & that he hadn't found THE girl! My advice (which is my advice for everything) was to pray about it... pray for guidance & pray for peace.... and for good measure & to be funny, I made Doug a listing on e-harmony! Well, I'm happy to say that only a few months after Doug & I had that talk, Brit came into the picture!

A group of us had gone out for dinner... and what was supposed to be a mixed group of couples & singles ended up being 3 couples, Doug & Brit! My husband, Mark, & I had brought Doug along, and our good friends Josh & Blythe had brought Brit. There was no premeditated plan, I hardly knew Brit, but it was obvious that God had a plan! Half way through out night Josh pulled Doug aside and asked, "did you post a listing on e-harmony?" Well, as it turns out, Brit had made a profile on e-harmony with one of her friends (also as a joke) and had been notified that she was a match to a Douglas Baker in Stanton, CA! Well, after that revelation, Doug & Brit started hanging out a LOT! The rest of the story is what has led them to their engagement, and I personally cannot imagine anyone more perfect for my brother!

I was super excited when they asked me to do their engagement session & had so much fun planning out our day! Of course as our planned day arrived we were dealing with the possibility of rain... but luckily it rained earlier in the day & had cleared up by the time we drove to LA... leaving us to only battle the wind! It ended up being a fabulous time, and we only got in trouble with security twice! So here is Doug & Brit's engagement session...

This is so typical....

Ok ok... so this was a super super long post... but these are what I was left with after SEVERAL cuts! What can I say, it's my brother & soon-to-be sister's post, so it's ok if I go a little crazy!

Also, I have to say thank you to Meg, Brit's sister, for coming along & shooting beside me (check out her blog to see some of what she got from the day)! And and HUGE thank you to Katlin Skaggs for doing Brit's hair & make-up... Brit had these soft curls that stayed soft & perfect even when the wind was blowing like crazy! It was amazing.... and I highly suggest hair & make-up being done for shoots!

All right, that's all I got for tonight!

Ciao!

Diana Rush

Baby Isabella {Irvine Newborn Photography}

2010-04-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of meeting up with Mike & Manuella for a maternity session... after that session we began to count the days as we waited for baby Isabella's arrival. Well after much waiting she arrived... on Easter! A week later I got to go over & meet little miss Isabella!

Isabella was wide awake when Douglas & I arrived, and she was a super curious baby & full of personality! Throughout the hour we spent with this little one she wiggled, winked & went pee (a couple of times)! She was also constantly searching for her mommy... It's always amazing to see the bond that forms so quickly between a mommy & their baby... there is really nothing more precious! And speaking of precious, here is Baby Isabella at 8 days old!

Diana Rush

Baby Isabella {Preview}

2010-04-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a little preview of the oh so little Isabella...

Serious cuteness happening here!

I'll have more up later in the week!

Diana Rush

Jessica {High School Senior Portraits}

2010-04-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

We spoke over the phone about what to wear, where to go & how the session would be. I hadn't ever met Jessica, but I felt like I was chatting with a friend. I knew while I was driving down to her favorite beach, Crystal Cove, that this was going to be a fun session! I love doing senior sessions, there's just something so magical about seeing a 17/18 year old as they're about to go through this Rite of Passage... the future holds so many possibilities & they will head out from the known to the unknown. Jessica definitely had this look in her eyes, the look of anything is possible! We ended up having a great time at the beach, and the weather was amazing! Many thanks to Jessica & her mom Linda for bringing me along to capture this amazing time in Jessica's life! I know Jessica is heading into great things & I can't wait to see it! Here are my favorite moments of the day....

Isn't she gorgeous...

And I fell in love with her laugh....

This next set of photos was probably my favorite moment of the day... Jessica, after being on the rock, exclaimed "mommy, I'm a mermaid!" And it reminded me so much of my youngest, Kate, who tells me that exact same thing all the time! (Jessica is also the youngest in her family, so if Kate turns out like her, I'll be in great shape!)

Before leaving the beach, Linda (Jessica's mom), asked "Can we do a jumping shot, because it would be so her!" I of course happen to love the jumping shot, so I said yes! And Jessica was quite the jumper, this was her first jump & she was perfect! I later found out that she's a diver, so jumping comes naturally!

And here is Linda & Jessica together...

This last picture is one of my favorites, I just loved Linda & Jessica's mother-daughter relationship, and even though they said "don't post this one on facebook" I figured I could post it here, because it's just soooo cute!

Thanks again to Linda & Jessica, it was a super fun afternoon!

Diana Rush

Nathan & Alicia {coffee + guitar = love}

2010-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog I am curled up in bed listening to the wind... this is not a normal morning for me & as soon as this post goes up, I'll snap back to the real world & head on into the office! I'm feeling very reflective this morning as I sit here in my quiet house, my husband has left for work, the kids are at school & I am here left with the quiet house & the wind blowing like crazy outside! Someday this will be a normal morning for me & I'm so looking forward to it... if only for the fact that I'm warm! My office is always freezing, so this is a nice change for me! But enough about my morning....

Nathan & Alicia are Texas natives & college students at BIOLA University, they made the move to California together to attend school & since they have been here, they got engaged!!! I met these two a month ago when their friend brought them to my church to meet me & discuss doing their engagement photos! They were super cute while discussing their shoot & wanted to know if I could incorporate their love of coffee into their session! Of course this got me super excited, because I always love a creative element in a shoot & want the session to represent who my clients are! So we brainstormed ideas for the coffee & set up the session! The week of the session arrived & the weatherman was predicting rain, I was totally game for shooting in the rain, and so were Nathan & Alicia. I packed my car for a rainy shoot in the morning, but by the afternoon it was bright, sunny & super windy! When we met up at the Seal Beach pier the wind was blowing so hard, I was having trouble walking through it & down at the beach the sand was flying in the air making it hard to shoot by the water. Luckily we were able to find spots that were protected by the wind & we ended up having a great time! Halfway through the shoot, Nathan looks at me and says, "I have this idea, and you can shoot me down if you want..." (let me be honest, I love crazy ideas, and I'm usually totally for them) "... but I have my guitar in the car & was wondering if we could use it." I of course said "YES!" and the guitar became part of our shoot! The day turned out to be perfect, despite the weather conditions & Nathan and Alicia were so fun to work with! Here are some of my favorite moments from the day...

I love this next shot of them that Douglas captured, as they are being blasted by the wind...

Nathan & Alicia's custom coffee mugs...

We ended our day in a little coffee shop across from the beach, Bogarts...

Thank you to Nathan & Alicia for amazing afternoon together! Alicia, you are going to be a beautiful bride!

Diana Rush

Previews {a senior & an engagement}

2010-04-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview of 2 posts coming up in the next week!

The first is Jessica, who is a high school senior...

And the second is Nathan & Alicia, an engaged couple from Texas!

I'll have the rest up soon!

Diana Rush

Kenny & Michelle {2nd shooting}

2010-04-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Second shooting is always a fun & interesting experience... because you are not the main photographer, you don't know the people/family & sometimes you have no idea where you are going! That was the case with Kenny & Michelle's wedding, going in all I knew was that I had been asked to 2nd shoot by Greg Bumatay, I didn't know the bride & grooms names, I didn't know where we were going, and I'm still not sure where all we were! Greg picked me up a couple hours in advance (along with Brent, another photographer who was running a photobooth at the reception), we went to a local Vietnamese deli (yes, it was amazingly tasty), and then headed out to meet up with the bridal party at a Doubletree Hotel! Kenny & Michelle had decided to do a first meet, and it was such a great experience to be a part of.... I had never done a first meet, so I hadn't understood it, but after being a part of one, I must say that I am totally sold on the experience! Kenny & Michelle were able to have a few moments alone before the rush of the wedding festivities began, and now I look back at my own wedding experience & totally wish that I had done the same!

Well, onto some of the photos... this first set is during the Michelle's prep, I quietly took detail shots as I listened to the interactions of Michelle & her bridesmaids. It's amazing how much you can learn about people when you are attempting to be a fly on the wall.

Here is Greg getting some shots of Michelle...

After Michelle was already to go, we headed outside to get some pictures of her with her Matron & Maids of Honor...

I spent some time shooting the Matron & Maids of Honor while Greg got the first look set up, and then I ran over to meet up with them, it was so awesome to stand back and watch Kenny & Michelle as they spent some time together!

We were then joined by the bridal party!

We finished up with the bridal party & headed over to the church for the ceremony...

I spent the moments leading up to the ceremony with Michelle, here she is getting one last peak before walking down the aisle...

It was a beautiful ceremony... but it was over quickly & we were off to the reception!

I had such a great time at the wedding! Thanks to Greg for having me along!

Diana Rush

My Kids {Pretty sure I have the photographer's curse}

2010-03-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

In sports they call it the coach's curse when a coach of a male dominated sport has daughters that can't play his sports... well, I've decided to call my predicament the photographer's curse! It's not that my kids aren't photogenic, they just don't like me taking photos of them... and it's not even that I'm following them around with a camera every day, I only whip out my "big" camera (as my kids call it) for special occasions! Regardless of that fact, my kids still don't like to look at me when I have my camera, so as you'll see I was pretty hard pressed to get a shot of my girls... and in the end, I bribed Audrey to let me take her picture (she got to ride home with Uncle Doug & soon-to-be Aunt Brit)! Luckily for me, most of what I do as a photographer is just document moments, and I try not to overpose people! So, when I look at it that way, my kids took some amazing photos, because they had lots of fun! But just to show you, what it can sometimes be like, here is Audrey & Kate in a, well, painful moment...

When we plan out a photo shoot during March, we never know what we are going to get... the weather can be so unpredictable, and kids are even more unpredictable then the weather! So we made it out to our favorite hiking trails in Irvine, let the kids out of the car, and led them to the trail... At first, my nephew Andrew made a mad dash & got pretty far ahead, and of course the others followed! Luckily I was wearing my boots (because I pretty much always wear my boots when I'm shooting), so I managed to keep up with them! We also managed to get them all into a line, to get the shot that my mom wanted (her vision for our shoot included the kids walking hand-in-hand on the trails), so after we got that out of the way, we let the kids run & as always, we took leads from them! At one point they all started freaking out because someone (I'm guessing one of my siblings) had told them there were snakes in the grass... now, I must admit, there probably are snakes in the grass, and we have actually seen a really large tarantula out in these hills, but I wasn't planning on actually telling my daughters, because they have a talent for making mountains out of molehills! And if you get them screeching... well, lets just say, your hearing will never be the same! So everytime Kate realized she had walked too close to the grass, she began to say "oh no, snakes!" But even with the fear of snakes, all of the kids had a great time... and I still believe that my nephew Daniel has a career in modeling ahead of him... or he'll just always take really good pictures! So here are some of my favorite moments of the day....

This is the shot that my mom wanted... it'll be hanging on her wall later in the week!

And here is the running...

Here is David (he is 9)!

And here is Daniel (he's 6)!

Here's Audrey (she's mine, and she's 5)...

And yes, these are the aforementioned bribery shots!

And this is Andrew (He'll be 5 on cinco de mayo!)

And lastly, here is Kate (she's mine too... and she 2 this month, but 3 next month!)

Here's just some more fun...

Here are their "serious" faces...

And lastly... here is the only creature that we came across, and he was pretty harmless!

All in all, it was a fun afternoon... and I loved spending the time with my girls & my nephews!
Diana Rush

My Kids {preview}

2010-03-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here is just a quick preview of my daughters & my nephews! This shoot is an early birthday present to my mom who "needed" new pictures of her grandchildren!

{Photo taken by Douglas}

The rest of these will be up later this week, along with some photos from the wedding I shot this weekend!

Have a great Sunday night!

Diana Rush

The Business of Business {FAILURE}

2010-03-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

It’s been said “Failure is not an option” but whoever said that forgot to mention that although it may not be an option, it is a reality! When I think of options I think of buying a car & all the options that you can get… leather seats, moon roof, built in bluetooth, etc… But when it comes to failure, it isn’t an option, it’s just something that happens! In every success story, there is always a story of the person overcoming hardship & failure. Very rarely does someone get it on the first try… electricity, the telephone, the internet, the iPhone… all products of failure! But the key in each of these fails, is the perseverance to continue on.

I have struggled throughout my own life with the fear of failure. I used to just not do things because I was too afraid of failing at it, or even worse, I would start something & quit it on my own, so that I wouldn’t have to face up to failure! But in the last few years I finally came to my senses… instead of creating self-fulfilling prophecies of failure, I decided to just DO! Now I’m not saying that I don’t get that fear, but I now choose to walk through it rather than run from it. This has been a long process, and I’m still not to the point where I will just jump into things (I’m not nearly as spontaneous as I would like), but I have found that with good planning & calculated risk I am able to overcome my fears. I’m pretty sure that I will always be the kind of person who looks at a situation & sees the “worst case scenario” first, but I have now trained myself to accept the worst case & think of ways to avoid it! The other way that I have begun to deal with failure is that if I do in fact fail, that I accept it & keep going… it’s just like my mom always said to me “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Failure will happen, it’s a fact of life, but if I just keep going, and keep going, and keep going… eventually I’ll get it right (or at least close enough to right)! One last thought on failure, my husband regularly jokes that those who come in 2nd place are the 1st place losers… and although that might be ok to say in sports, in life I would have to disagree with him… if we don’t consider ourselves successful until we are first, then you can pretty much throw the idea of success out the door! Most of us will never be number 1, and even if you do make it to number 1, it’s only a matter of time till someone else comes along & kicks you out of your spot! So how do we measure success over failure? I’m not sure, but for me success is my continual journey to create, improve & grow. Each year I set goals for myself, some goals I will meet, some I won’t… it’s a part of business & having a plan. I have tangible goals, and the types of goals dreams are made of. But am I still successful if I don’t reach those goals? I would say yes… as long as I pursued them & didn’t give up on them… and even if I fail today, I have made plans to succeed tomorrow (or maybe next week some time).

So my lesson to myself, is to accept that I will fail, I will fall, BUT that I need to pick myself up, recalibrate my goals & carry on!

Diana Rush

...and here I am, facing my fear (but only if fear was hiding outside of an abandoned railroad track bridge)

Love This....

2010-03-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

I just got these in, and I'm super excited about them! They are Metal Prints & can come in sizes from as little as 4x6 all the way up to 30x40!

This first one is the Aluminescence, which gives you a edgy transparent look, letting the aluminum base show through...

This next one is the Brilliant which has a bright, clear, glossy white base that lets the color pop! We also added rounded edges to this one!

Here is what the back looks like...

I'm pretty excited about this new product & am loving my samples!

Diana Rush

Shannon Jones

2010-03-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have known Shannon since she was 16, and I can still remember the first day I met this shy girl! I spent the next year as Shannon high school leader at church, and then spent the following 7 years as her friend. Over the last 8 years I have watched Shannon grow from a girl to a woman, we have been through a lot together, and I can't even imagine not having Shannon part of my life & part of my family (because she has become family). This past year Shannon went to Cosmetology School, she did an amazing job, graduated & passed her state boards! Shannon is now looking towards a career styling hair for theater productions (working with wigs mostly), you can follow Shannon as she goes through this process on her blog!

So this past Sunday, Shannon & I went out to commemorate this stage of her life with a photoshoot! We first headed out to this railroad track that I had found, the only problem was that I hadn't taken the time to research if it was still active or not... the whole time I was shooting, I was listening for trains, and finally I heard something coming! We jumped off the tracks, and then realized that it was only a lawn mower (I have since discovered that these tracks are not active... phew!). We then headed over to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands... I cannot tell you how perfect of a day it was... warm, breezy & sunny, it was just amazing! Unfortunately we were not the only ones who noticed this amazing day to be hiking through the wetlands, but we made do! Shannon was amazing even with the onlookers & a strange man walking by offering for me to do a photoshoot in his hot tub (YUCK!)! Luckily we survived multiple awkward moments, and ended up with some pretty awesome shots! Here are my favorite moments of the day...

I have been so blessed to have Shannon in my life these 8 years! I can't wait to see where the future leads you!

Diana Rush

Miss Jones {The Preview}

2010-03-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

I had such an amazing afternoon with Shannon as we walked around the Bolsa Chica wetlands, it was a beautiful day & Shannon is gorgeous! Here is just a tiny preview...

Hopefully I'll get the rest up tomorrow!

Diana Rush

Random Rush Moments {Identity Crisis}

2010-03-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

My (almost) 3-year old is having an identity crisis... she has been called Baby Kate, Kathryn, Kate, Kathryn Anne, Kate Anne, Kate the Great & Krazy Kate, and now she is having trouble deciding what SHE want's to be called. Two weeks ago, she began informing people that she was "Not Kathryn, just Kate" but then today she changed her mind to "It's Kathryn now." Well, "just Kate" or "Kathryn now" has a birthday next month & hopefully by then we will have determined who exactly she is, but until then here are some of my most recent Kate/Kathryn moments....

And yes, her face is dirty... because she wouldn't be Kate/Kathryn if it wasn't!

Diana Rush

Yassa Family {part 1: Maternity}

2010-03-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

It was a Sunday afternoon, we had been hit by back to back storms & rescheduled twice, but this Sunday was going to be the day! Although I heard the reports of the earthquake in Chili causing a tsunami warning, and I might have briefly heard something about 20 foot waves, it didn't register that this would effect the beach where I was shooting the Yassa's maternity session.... all I knew was that it was a beautiful day & we hadn't had one like it in weeks! We arrived at the beach and walked down to the sand with Mike & Manuella Yassa, but to our surprise, where there was normally sand, there was now stone... the tide was out, really out & as a result it had created a beautiful scene that was perfect for this beautiful family!

After a little bit of shooting we noticed the waves started coming in... and they were coming in fast! Manuella was amazing, she stayed with me even when the freezing water was hitting our legs!

Luckily no tsunami ever hit, and the really huge waves hit over at Seal Beach... but I am very glad that I didn't put any of that together until the next day!

Mike & Manuella, you were so wonderful to work with, I loved our day & how adventurous you were, even at 36 weeks pregnant! Thank you to Isis for setting up this shoot for your sister, I can't wait till baby Isabella arrives & part 2 of our shoot!

Diana Rush

The business of business {vol. 1 Do I face the music or dance to it?}

2010-03-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a weekend in Vegas after attending a conference/trade show for Wedding & Portrait Photographers. While away I spent a lot of time thinking about my current situation… Currently I am working 3 jobs, the first job (which is my primary source of income) is as a legal assistant/bookkeeper/all things accounting for my uncle’s law firm, the second is managing my uncles new business acquisition, a pizzeria, and the third (of course), is running my own business (D&D Photography and Design). I have been quite overwhelmed at late juggling with these three business in addition to being a wife & mother (overwhelmed might very well be an understatement)! You would think at some point I would have said “no” to something, or maybe even tried to slim down in one area or the other, but the truth is, is that the only area that has been slimmed down is my keeping up with household chores! I have now come to a crossroads where I need to start making some changes (else my laundry pile will grow taller than my 5-year old!), so I am giving myself 1 year to make the switch from 3 jobs, back down to 1!

It’s a pretty bold decision to put it out here online, but I have decided that my husband & my children need more than a mommy who is too exhausted to do anything at night. Now you might be asking yourself, which 2 industries am I giving up… will I walk away from an 8-year career in law/accounting, will I leave the excitement of the restaurant business behind, or will I turn my back on my dream?
The obvious conclusion to me is that I stick with the plan to be a full time Wedding & Family photographer, this is what I have planned out in countless excel spreadsheets (I’m a compulsive spreadsheet creator) & written out in my official business plan. But even as I write this out, it scares me… jumping into the unknown is frightening, but I’m going to have faith that I will land on solid ground!

So, as I jump into the unknown & face the music (while dancing to it) I will strive to be the best in each of my 3 industries as I make this HUGE transition in my life. This future is scary, but I’m excited with what it will bring. I have the support of my family, my friends & my God, and because of them I am assured that I will find success!

Diana Rush

PS, and because you all love seeing pictures of me, here is a photo of my family being our crazy selves...

Anika! {Just Because...}

2010-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I can give justice to the amazingness that is Anika... she no doubt would write a better post, as she is a journalist/writer, but I will give it my best attempt!

I feel truly blessed by the presence of this girl in my life! Anika is a total dork & complete spaz (very similar to myself), which is why I believe we became instant friends! She loves books & great fictional stories, she has a passion for music & movies, and she is an amazing writer! Anika graduated from CSULB back in December with her degree in Journalism, and is now in search of her dream job! So, to commemorate these crossroads in her life we took a little adventure to Hollywood... here are some of my favorite moments of the day...

Yep, she's pretty amazing... and I am so thankful to have her as my friend!

Happy Birthday Anika!

Diana Rush

The Lazear Family {Family Photos at the Orange Circle & Chapman College}

2010-02-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog you will recognize this family... Josh & Blythe first appeared on here for their pregnancy shoot, and then Zeke made his first appearance when he was only 3 days old! Getting to now do a family session with all three of them was so much fun & Zeke at 6 months old was a perfect baby! I ended up shooting way more then I normally do, just to keep up with all of Zeke's constant changing expressions... this baby seriously knows how to work the camera (he gets that from his mom!)! I am so grateful to get the chance to have clients (and friends) who will keep calling me back to do their photos, with each shoot it becomes easier & easier because I get to know & understand them, and they begin to understand my shooting style!

I love this family & I am looking forward to years & years of photo shoots as their family grows! Here are some of my favorite moments from our day...

We started off walking around the streets in Orange!

We eventually made our way to Chapman University and explored the campus a little bit...

Blythe is one hot mamma!

And for one of my favorite moments of the day...

There's nothing quite like a baby sleeping in his mamma's arms!

I can't say enough times how much I love this family! Thank you again for letting me be a part of your lives!

Diana

Lazear Family {Preview}

2010-02-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

We had such a great day walking around the Orange Circle & Chapman University with Josh, Blythe & Baby Zeke! Here is a preview of what is to come...

Matt & Shannon - Disney E-Session!

2010-02-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

I love hearing people's stories... where they went on their first date, where they had their first kiss, where they got engaged... but very rarely do I get to actually see WHERE it all happened! When Matt & Shannon started dating they both had Disneyland Annual Passports, so it naturally became the place where they went for dates! When we first met with Matt & Shannon they told us all about their "firsts" that had occurred at the Disney Parks, and so when we were discussing location for their engagement session, Disneyland just seemed like the perfect spot! We had such a great day at both Disneyland & California Adventure with Matt & Shannon, and as we walked around we stopped at all the spots where they had their "firsts." Here are some of those spots, as well as a few other that we stopped at...

We had to first stop at the spot where Matt proposed to Shannon!

This is where they first said I Love You!!!!

Next to the waterfall is where they first talked about getting married!

We took a mid-day break from shooting, and went back to Disneyland later in the evening... where Matt & Shannon had their first kiss!

Matt & Shannon, thank you for letting us be a part of your story! We can't wait for your upcoming wedding!

Diana & Douglas
{D&D Photography}

Previews of 2 Disneyland Shoots...

2010-01-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

We've never done a shoot at Disneyland, so when we were asked to do 2 in January, I didn't know what to expect or if the Disney Police would be ok with us doing a shoot at their park... but I'm happy to say that the folks over at Disneyland were super friendly & totally ok with us taking up space to do our photo shoots! So here is a preview of the 2 shoots that we've done this month at the Happiest Place on Earth...

This first one is of Wreckage of the Fall, a hard core rock band! My cousin is the drummer & when he asked if Doug and I would do a shoot for them, we said YES! So here is just a bit of WOTF...

This second shoot was yesterday, and it was an engagement shoot for Matt & Shannon, who are totally adorable awesome! We did half the shoot in the morning & half the shoot at night, so here is one of the shots we got last night...

Stay tuned for some more from both these shoots!

Diana

"Family O" - Orange County Family Photography

2010-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

For the 3 people out there who follow our blog, you might notice that we've been on a bit of a break from our regular blogging, but I'm happy to say that we are back! So to welcome in the new year we have our last family from 2009, Family O! Now, if you do follow us (those 3 of you) you'll know that I usually list the family by name and share about them... however for reasons (yes reasons that I will not discuss with the internet) I cannot tell you much about this family, but what I CAN tell you is that they are totally awesome! We have been so blessed with super amazing clients & we always have such a great time with them! Every time I walk away from a session, I leave with great memories as these amazing clients let me be a part of their family for 1 hour. Family O was no different, I felt like part of the family by the end the session! Thank you Family O, you know who you are & you know that I love you!

So, here are my favorites from the day...

Thank you again!

Diana Rush
{D&D Photography and Design}

Sophie & Austen {Seal Beach Photos on a Rainy Day}

2009-12-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

I've known Sophie's mom Kim for years (she's the older sister of my husband's best friend from growing up). The last time I saw Kim, Sophie was less than a year old! Since then they've moved to Texas, where they have been able to exist without picking up an accent (amazing, right!)! Kim contacted me a couple of weeks ago & asked if I would take some pictures of Sophie & her cousin Austen while they were out here in Southern California for a visit! I of course said yes, but as the weeks past I began to get a little nervous... we hadn't had rain in a while & the weathermen were predicting rain for the day of our shoot! I contacted Kim to make sure that they would still be up for it & she loved the idea of beach pictures in the rain! I personally love it when my client's are daring enough to face the elements, because there's something about unpredictability that creates awesomeness!

Well, we got to the day of the shoot and although the storm clouds were hanging over us, it didn't actually start to rain until the end of our shoot! It was perfect & the girls were so cute together! We had a great time, and in the end I was wet & covered in sand! Here are some of our favorite moments of the day...

This is Sophie!

This is Austen...

Sophie changed into her favorite dress (and Kim gave her permission to trash it!)

At this point we actually needed the umbrellas to keep the rain off of us & not just for a prop!

We headed onto the Beach for a couple last shots (it was raining pretty good at this point)

And what's a trip to Southern California without having your picture taken with an unsuspecting surfer?

Thank you to Sophie & Austen for playing in the rain with us!

Diana Rush
{D&D Photography and Design}

Loranger Family {Beautiful Skies, Amazing Family}

2009-12-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, as I was preparing for the Loranger family shoot, I received a worried text message from the family wondering if we would still be able to shoot in the current weather conditions. I smiled and replied, of course we can shoot in any type of weather that California will give us! This particular weather was (in my opinion) the perfect photo weather.... the sky was dark, cloudy & acting like a giant soft box! I love this type of weather, it's my favorite to shoot in!!! I also love this type of family!

If I were asked to describe the Loranger Family, I would probably say that they are a whole lot of crazy fun! I met this family a year ago... Douglas (my brother) had been dating Brit (the oldest daughter), and after much waiting my family was finally given permission to meet them! I'm not sure why the two of them kept us apart for so long, but like my family the Lorangers are super active & super fun! They ride dirt bikes, quads & baja bugs, they are all about Joe (the son) & his sports (he's pretty much an amazing athlete... like number 1 in everything), & they love their daughters (Brit & Meg) and totally support them. Brit works as a behavioral therapist for children with autism (I know, she's totally amazing.... Douglas is super lucky) & Meg is a photographer (you can check out some of her stuff here). Like I said, an amazing family! So, back to the shoot... We had an awesome time, it was a bit cold & Joe's hands actually turned purple (like seriously purple)! All in all it was a successful afternoon filled with lots of laughs & some great memories... so here they are, our favorite moments of the day!

Thank you Loranger Family!

Diana
{D&D Photography and Design}

The Davenport Family {Orange County Family Photos}

2009-12-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

You never what you're going to get when planning out a family session in the OC winter... it could be sunny, it could be rainy, it could be windy, or it could be a combination! Well for the Davenport's photo session we ended up with sunny & super windy! Luckily this family came prepared with hats to hold down the kid's hair!!! And luckily we all had a great time despite the wind!

We had a fantastic time with this amazing family... here are some of our favorite moments!

Thank you for the fun afternoon Davenport Family!!!

Diana Rush
{D&D Photography and Design}

Cortez Boys {not so boring school photos}

2009-12-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Let me start with the fact that I love my nephews! They are fun, energetic, hilarious, and crazy.... so when my sister showed me their school pictures from this year, I started laughing! Somehow these fun, energetic, hilarious & crazy boys' school pictures came out looking a bit like mug shots (seriously, all they needed was the sign with their name & booking date). The pictures didn't show who my nephews really were, and my sister wasn't feeling inclined to pass out those photos. So I had been saying for at least a month that I would do some quick headshots of the boys, and on Thanksgiving, I finally got around to doing it! So here are David, Daniel & Andrew's new & improved "school" photos...

First is David, he is 9 and is a bit of a bookworm! He'll also be singing & acting in his upcoming school play as Linus (I think he has the most lines!)!

And this is Daniel! He is 6 and loves playing video games! I'm also pretty sure that he has saved the life of my daughter Kate at least 3 times! He is always looking out for his little cousins & is a great protector!

And last is Andrew! He is 4 and wins the prize for craziest of them all... but he also gives the best hugs! I'm pretty sure that he will be some sort of super athlete when he gets older, he is really really REALLY fast!

I can't imagine life without these boys!

I love you David, Daniel & Andrew!!!

Aunt Diana
{D&D Photography and Design}

The Davenports {a preview of family photography fun}

2009-12-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time with the Davenports this past weekend. I can not express how much fun we had, but I can show you just a little bit...

I'll be posting more from this session later in the week, but I just had to share those 2 because they were so awesomely hilarious!

Thank you Davenports for the great times we had hiking & taking photos!

Diana
{D&D Photography and Design}

Danny {Los Angeles Model Shootout}

2009-11-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I was able to take some time off & join a group of photographers in Los Angeles for a shoot out. We had 3 models & 6 photographers. Here are some shots from my day...

Luckily we only got kicked out of 1 location! All in all it was a great afternoon, much thanks to Greg Bumatay for setting this up!

Diana Rush
{D&D} Photography

If the crazies come out on a full moon, who comes out on a New Moon?

2009-11-25T23:44:00.000-08:00

It is general knowledge that I am quite the Dork... at a young age I was introduced to Star Trek & Star Wars, in high school I was a closet fan of Mortal Combat, and finally when I hit 18 I accepted myself for the dork I truly am (because when you start camping out at Theater's for 10 days, there's really no hiding it). So last year when I started reading the Twilight Saga, there was really no hope for me... Love, action, adventure, danger... I couldn't stop myself from being dragged into the world that Stephanie Meyers had created. So naturally when Twilight came out last year, me and a group of my friends put on a Twilight party (naturally)... and this year wasn't much different with the release of New Moon. A group of my fabulous uber-nerd friends put together a party for the other Twihards (or Twitards) that we know. Here are just a few shots from the night, and as you'll notice we are dressed as the Volturi (make-up by Katlin Skaggs)...

And here are just 2 of the many details from the decor...

I might just show you more of my dorky past later in the week.... we'll see!

Diana

Taking Time-Outs

2009-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

As a mom I have learned the importance of time-outs, and I'm not talking about time-outs for my kids, I'm talking time-outs for myself. As my close friends, family & facebook friends are aware, I am always on the go... I work full time, go to school, am starting my (this) business, and I do this all while having a family (a very supportive family) & volunteering at church. I've had to give up certain things like laundry, but those are sacrifices I am willing to make (I've pretty much received an F in domestics). My days & nights are packed, and sometimes I need a time-out & I don't realize it. These past 2-weeks, I received just that! Although it was involuntary, I believe that it was God's way of telling me to slow down a little & get some rest. In the midst of me being sick for 2 long weeks, Audrey also had the flu & my laptop ran out of space (I had cleared off everything I could, but it was still overloaded). I personally enjoyed to day home with my kids & turned my living room into sickland, and my dad helped me to install a larger hard drive into my mac! So now that the flu is clearing up, I am back to blogging! I have some quirky & crazy posts brewing in my head that will reveal how truly dorky I am (one of which will require me to dig up some photos taken with film! yikes!)... we'll see if it happens, but my people (well, it's really only one person) has asked me to find these specific photos, so hopefully I'll have them scanned & up by the end of the week! For now, I will leave you with a few photos I've taken lately of random stuff... the first of which is a self portrait that I took right before I started getting sick!

I could probably write a page to describe this (oh wait, I actually did), but what I can quickly tell you about it is that I took it just after midnight (typical... you can see why I was sick), I am sitting on the floor in my dining room, steadying my hand on the table to get the shot & using the ceiling fan for light... the result was this...

These next few photos are totally random, but I love them!

My kids really like these two...

And this last one (if you can read the page & know what it's from) is a prelude to another post that is coming later in the week!

So now that I'm out of my time-out I am looking forward to lots of catching up (with blog posting), Thanksgiving with my family, Black-Friday Shopping with my mom & my sister, decorating my house for Christmas (I actually already put up 5 decorations!), and finishing off the weekend with a family shoot in Irvine!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Diana

Emilio Family {Yorba Linda Family Photos}

2009-11-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's been about 8 months since I last photographed this family... they were one of the first families who did a session with D&D Photography! Of course they are near in dear to my heart, because they are family... but family relations beside, they are a pretty cool bunch to hang out with! Jon & Allison are fun, easy going & creative... Allison & I emailed back in forth for weeks discussing location, props & clothing for this shoot! I loved being a part of this creative process & it was so amazing to see it all come together! Now, a little bit about the kids... Jakob (the oldest & only boy) is 8, he loves video games, his guinea pig & playing the drums! Genevieve (the second born) is 6, she is so beautiful, has the sweetest disposition & is just lovely to be around!!!! Evelyn & Katelyn are twins & the youngest... they seriously crack me up with their spunky personalities & never ending supply of smiles & hugs!!! All of these kids were so perfect for the shoot, you would think that they were professionals!

We had such a great time hiking, going into sewers, shaking our hips, & jumping that I can't wait till the next time!!! So, here they are... the Amazingly Wonderful Emilio Family!

Diana & Douglas
{D&D Photography and Design}

Jazayeri Family {Laguna Beach Family Photographer}

2009-11-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

We had such a blast hanging out with the Jazayeri family at the beach... as with most beach shoots, everyone got wet... some of us got soaked!

Thank you for the super fun afternoon!!!!

Diana
{D&D}

Audrey {Birthday Portraits}

2009-11-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

She's 5! My little girl.... 5! I'm still in shock that it's been 5 years since the joy that is Audrey came into my life. It's still all so fresh, the first time I saw her, the first time she smiled, laughed... & the first time she walked (finally at 15 months), I thought my elation would go through the roof. I am daily amazed by the things she does, like counting to 100 all by herself, her nightly homework regiment that she's assigned herself, her love for her family, and the joy it so her! She's getting so grown up, but I am holding onto the nights when she wants me to put her to sleep, cuddle her & kiss her goodbye! Her birthday was a week and a half ago, and today we did some birthday pictures at the ally behind grandpa's house...

Did I mention she was 5!

Here's to eskimo kisses, birdie kisses & being 5!

I love you Audrey!!!

Diana

Scott & Ashley {Bridal Portraits/Year After Session}

2009-10-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, a girl should never feel that the only time she wears her wedding dress should be her wedding day... For most, it will be the most expensive clothing purchase you ever make, and the most important dress you will ever wear. So when an opportunity presents itself to wear The Dress again, our response should always be YES! I say yes to day after sessions, trash the dress sessions, year after sessions... and even 10 years after sessions (I'll be doing one of these in less than 2 years!)!

Scott & Ashley got married last November, and it's almost been a year since their wedding day... and when they were asked to be models for my wedding photography class, they said YES! They were so awesome to work with... not only are they amazing people, but they were fabulous in front of the camera (and they totally turned up the heat throughout the day)! So many many thanks to Scott & Ashley!

Also, many thanks to Greg Bumatay for being a fabulous teacher & for getting Scott & Ashley in to model for us!!!

Naomi {she's pure awesomeness}

2009-10-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

What can I say about Naomi... She is just an amazing woman, she's beyond sweet, has great style, and totally rocks as a model! Naomi just has a light that beams out of her, and I'm pretty sure that it would be impossible to not fall in love with her upon meeting her! Naomi & I work together at our day jobs, and so today during our breaks we strolled around our office complex to get these photos! Thanks to Naomi for being a great model!!!

This is actually the entrance to my back office (the glass door to the right, not the garage door)...

We found this ladder behind the dumpster, and I'm pretty sure my sister has plans on taking it home & refinishing it!

More use of the dumpster... this is the door to hide the trash barrels:

I'm not sure how these next two happened, but it was a very happy accident to get this rainbow shooting through the shots...

Diana

Amber {Bridal Portrait}

2009-10-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

When Amber woke up on Thursday, she had no idea that she would be turned into bride... in my wedding photography class, there is a rule, if you show up to class without a camera, you're going to be our model! I never forget my camera... but luckily Amber did not have a camera... and I say luckily because she was a great model! We had such a great time dressing her up & then shooting her! Thanks to Amber for doing everything that was asked of you! Here are some of my shots...

Funny story... we were out looking for a location to shoot when we ran across this guy! He was apparently in a Michael mood when he woke up & was happy to model for us!

These last 4 are my favorites!

Diana

A Little Bit of Fun {Diana's Self Portrait}

2009-10-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

Today we had a bunch of fun shooting a class project for Diana. The project was to do a self portrait that represents what her future in photography will be like. Diana had a bunch of really cool ideas that she thought would describe her. We started out trying to look for a hole to go with an alice in wonderland theme. But unfortunately we couldn't find a hole so we went to a decommissioned railroad track.

next we did a shoot at our parents house. Diana put on her wedding dress and we took some cool photos showing off all the craziness in Diana's life as well as her tying to go into the field of wedding photography.

Aaron & Christina {Palos Verdes Country Club}

2009-10-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting along side Greg Bumatay of Bumatay Studios, at Aaron & Christina's wedding. Now, let me go back a bit... Greg is my professor for my Wedding Photography class, so naturally when I received his message asking if I would want to tag along to one of his weddings, I nearly fell out of my chair (naturally)! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I read some articles on 2nd shooting for photographers, and off I went!

The day was gorgeous! Bright blue skies, a slight breeze blowing through the air.... The perfect day for my first experience 2nd shooting! Christina was gorgeous and the details that she put into the day were amazing! Here are just a few shots from the day (and when I say a few, I really mean like 40ish)...

Check out this amazing bling... Christina found this while on her bachelorette party in Miami!

I have to say that this wedding had some of the best music & pretty much every guest was dancing the entire time... I personally had a really hard time not dancing... so I just sang along with all the songs!

Thanks again to Greg for bringing me along!

Diana

Caha Family {Laguna Beach, CA}

2009-10-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

We had such an amazing Saturday afternoon at the beach with the Caha Family. They are such a great family & they know how to have fun! You never know what's going to happen at a beach shoot... kids will be kids, and even when they are dressed for family pictures, they are drawn to the water. Some parents resist, but Rod & Becky Caha were totally into letting their kids play in the water (and they even ended up soaked themselves!)! I think from now on I might have to put a disclaimer on all beach shoots: "You will get wet, you may get soaked!" So, here they are, the extremely fun & wonderful Caha Family!

Here are the brothers, Matthew & Brian!

Becky was writing letters in the sand with Brian....

.... while Rod & Matthew ventured out into the water!

And then Matthew convinced Becky to go out into the water with him!

And here are just a couple of Rod & Becky together (we had some mood music being sung to us while we were getting these... music provided by Matthew "Bulldog in a bikini" Even now I start to laugh as I think about it... trust me, it was funny!)

Thank you to the Caha Family... we had a blast!

Diana

A lesson in group shots!

2009-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Shooting groups of people is a learned skill & finding interesting positioning for 6 - 10 people at once, all while keeping the shot balanced is a hard thing... so today when found out that we would be learning how to do group shots I was so excited (and relieved). Not only did I learn some great positioning tips, but I also learned great ways to engage the group! Here are a few of the shots I got, all the same position but I edited each one differently!

{sidenote: I personally think that this was the best group of students to work with, they were fun & I learned so much from them! Thanks to Jack, Pedro, Lexie, Lisa & the always amazing Netonya!}

Diana

Shots from class....

2009-09-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

So I am now several weeks into the semester, and I am loving (no seriously LOVing) my wedding photography class. We have had 2 amazing guest speakers (Jasmine Star & Marc Weisberg), learned tons of stuff, and have had a couple of great class shoots! So here are some of the pictures from todays (um, I mean yesterdays.... yep, I'm blogging after 1) class shoot...

We started out with an assignment to shoot a plant, a book, a chair, and the Cypress College Tower using dynamic composition...

Then after class several of us stuck around for a workshop with Greg Bumatay (our prof)! Netonya, once again ended up being our model (that's just what happens when you're gorgeous) & we had to shoot her in different lighting scenarios that Greg set up for us, all while creating interesting shots...

There was like 15 of us shooting, so shooting around each other was slightly challenging, but I guess if I ever want to become a paparazzi I can say I have experience! Here is Jack shooting Netonya...

It was a great morning of shooting, but I learned a valuable lesson... if you're going to be shooting out in the sun don't wear a sweater!

Diana

Rush Family {Irvine, California}

2009-09-25T00:58:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday... every year I spend lots of time trying to figure out the perfect gift, but this year I had it easy. Vickie (my mother-in-law) told me about 5 months ago that all she wanted for her birthday was to get the entire family together for a family picture. At first I thought, wow, this is going to be so easy... and then I began to think the logistics through. First I had to get the boys (my husband & my brother-in-law) to agree to this, then we had to coordinate outfits, then (Lord willing) we would have to get the 3 little Rush girls to behave long enough for the shoot! It all began to sound quite difficult, however by some miracle everything went super smooth... the boys said yes (they even smiled & took their sunglasses off for some shots... trust me, that's a big deal), the outfit coordination was perfect & the girls were pretty easy going throughout the shoot (they each had their "moments" but all in all they were very good)! So here are some of the shots from our day at the park... (Doug shot most of these, I shot some, and Mark shot a couple too)!

Here is a great example of what us parents look like when we are trying to get "that" smile from our kids... (notice the thumbs up)

And this is what resulted from the thumbs up...

After Izzy gave them the thumbs-up back they all responded in unison "thumbs-down"... and that's exactly what they got!

Here are the Rush girls getting ready for the shot, but Audrey is already geared up in her best Top Model pose

Here is the original Rush bunch, they probably haven't had a photo of the four of them in over 10 years!

Here are some great Izzy Shots!

And here I am with my family...

This one will be the Christmas card

Here's some silliness...

And here is our wonderful assistant, who makes every shoot a breeze!

Diana

Lighting

2009-09-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some personal work using an off camera flash...

First are some pictures of Brit that I took on the top level of the Bella Terra parking lot. We actually got in trouble with the Mall Cop & were asked to leave.... luckily we got in a couple of good shots before our altercation!

Second are some shots that I took of Diana at the family Law Office...

Let me know what you think about these shots!

Doug

Did I mention that I met Jasmine Star?

2009-09-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I received a cryptic email from Greg Bumatay, the professor for my wedding photography class. In his email he stated that we wouldn't want to miss the upcoming class because of a surprise... After reading that I was hoping for a fabulous guest speaker! When Thursday morning arrived I got up, got my kids to their grandparents & made a stop at my parents house to pick up some photos... while there I checked facebook & saw a status update from my prof. saying that we would be graced by at "star" today in class, & at that point I knew that he was talking about the oh so Fabulous Jasmine Star! Now, there are a world full of amazing photographers out there, but not that many that wear their heart on their blog, but Jasmine does... she is open, honest & genuine! I didn't know what to expect in person, but after meeting her I can tell you that she's even better in person then on her blog! She is super sweet & just pure wonderfulness... she spent 2 hours telling us about her life, what led her to photography as a career & how she has been able to go from a start up business to being ranked one of the top ten wedding photographers in just 3 years time! After 9 pages of notes, I felt refreshed & ready to tackle the business of photography! But the thing I will take away the most from Jasmine's visit is that you should never forget to give... this is why she came to our class, because this is one way she gives back! Also, I must mention that JD came with Jasmine, and surprisingly he is the one that I spoke to after the class (Jasmine had a huge crowd around her flashing lots of pictures... it was like attack of the student paparazzi)... it was very interesting hearing JD's perspective & getting some advice/help in regards to my website! I probably should have taken the time to take some pictures, but I was too busy taking my notes to do so. I did however snag a couple of pictures from Jasmine's blog...

Here is our class with Jasmine, if you look really hard you can find me in the crowd (yes, I am totally rocking a side ponytail)!

I had a friend (Jack) take a picture of me with Jasmine (I had to have one moment of crazy fanatic / paparazzi)!

Thanks to Jasmine & JD for the visit! It will truly be a highlight of the semester!!!

Diana

Doug & Brit {just because}

2009-09-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get asked to shoot people's pictures, other times I am informed that I will be taking pictures... regardless of how I'm asked or told I am always happy to oblige! In this instance, my mom "needed" a new picture for her Doug frame (there are 3 kids in our family and we each have our own frame... My sister & I both have family pictures in our frames, but Doug's frame just contains a picture of him alone on the beach). And of course, my mom didn't just want a picture of Doug by himself, she wanted one of him & Brit! Well, like I said, I was happy to shoot it... but Douglas wasn't as happy to be shot this time! Luckily Brit convinced him otherwise & it turned out to be tons of fun! All in all, we accomplished our goal & my mom now has a photo picked out for her Doug Frame! Here are some of my favorites (most are just silliness)...

This first one is the one going in the frame!

This is Doug's "Signature" Pose:

We had so much fun, so thank you to my mom for making us do this!

Diana

I love Sundays....

2009-09-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Although Sundays bring a conclusion to the weekend, I find that it is my favorite day... I love it's consistency & laid back feel. Sunday is our day of rest, a day that we head on over to Beachpoint Church & spend time in community, a day that we get together with family for lunch, a day that we just relax & enjoy being together. I'm always sad when my Sundays come to a conclusion, but I love that I feel so refreshed at the end of the day. Today was like many other Sundays (except we had to be at church extra early), but after an amazing service we headed to my parents house for lunch... lunch at my parents house is always special, all 14 members of my family sit around the huge dining room table (it used to only fit 6 people, but my dad extends it every time we run out of room), we pray & we eat! At some point the kids get restless & start excusing themselves from the table (or disappear under the table, I believe someone's foot got stabbed by a fork today). After lunch we let the kids run wild while we take turns watching them. This by far is my favorite time of the day, I love watching the madness & sometimes getting involved in it..... So, as my Sunday comes to a conclusion (kids in bed, husband watching tv & me blogging) I am exhausted but refreshed at the same time, I'm ready to take on my week, but looking forward to the next Sunday & all that it will hold!

Here are just a few moments from our day...

This is Audrey being cute & being sassy...

Here is my dad with Andrew, Kate & David

My dad & Daniel...

And here Daniel is making one of his crazy faces...

Diana

Douglas {Armed to the teeth?}

2009-09-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

As you have read, I am taking some classes to better my photography & my business sense. So, when I received my first shooting assignment I not only wanted to fulfill the assignment, but I had other plans as well! I have been working on a new website, but the key component that I have been missing is an awesome "about us" section.... right now it's just ok, and we don't have any pictures of us up (which is lame), so I decided to use this assignment as an excuse to get some new shots of Douglas. At first I was worried that he would not be that into the shoot, but I was so wrong! Not only was he TOTALLY into it, but he came up with a concept that is so him right now! A lot of photographers will get pictures of them shooting their camera, holding their camera, posing with their camera... in an essence I suppose that they are saying that their camera represents a part of who they are. Although Douglas was planning on holding something that shoots, it wasn't going to be his camera. Instead, he decided to bust out his collection of nerf guns! Some how in the last couple of months he has acquired quite a stash of nerf... and he has been using them every Saturday when he hangs out with a group of high school guys from our church. But not only has he been purchasing & playing with these toys, he has also spent a lot of time researching how to make them faster & stronger... so the concept of the shoot became "Armed to the Teeth!" I must admit that this was a super fun shoot & really reflected Doug's fun/dorky personality!!! So, finally, here is what we ended up with....

(I'm going to try to get him to pose again... but this time, maybe without the guns!)

This next sequence of 3 photos are my favorite... I am just loving the light...

I also, must mention that I was shot at several times during this shoot... and I jumped every time!

Diana

The Ward Family {Laguna Beach, CA}

2009-09-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

It was a Saturday afternoon, I had just left a band rehearsal & was at the gas station filling up my SUV (yes, I know... so not green of me) when I saw that I had a message on my phone. I started listening to the message & heard the voice of someone I hadn't talked to in years! It was Jennifer Johnson (now Ward), calling me from Texas to see if Douglas & I would be available to take her family pictures during their trip out to CA over Labor Day weekend! I of course said yes & was super excited to see her, her husband & her new baby girl!

We ended up meeting up with them at her parent's place at the Leisure World in Laguna Beach (I am so moving there some day!), and we had a great afternoon of shooting photos, singing songs to keep the kids happy & catching up! We took photos of the entire Johnson extended family, but here are just a couple of the Wards...

Jennifer looks AMAZING for just having a baby!

Thank you Johnson & Ward families, we loved catching up!!!

Diana

So much to learn, so little time!

2009-09-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

I honestly believe that none of us will never ever know it all! And I also think that we should always keep learning (not that we have a choice most of the time)... basically, life is a series of lessons, whether you are in the school of hard knocks or you are actually attending classes to better yourself in one specific area! This year, as a result of my pursuit to start my own business, I decided that I wanted to attend a photography workshop from one of the many amazing photographers in OC. So I started looking at all of the workshops being offered by various photographers, and that's when I realized that attending one of their fabulous workshops was not an option! Most workshops run from $750 - $1000... and that is just so not in the budget! I then discovered that there was this AMAZING wedding photographer teaching a course at Cypress College. So I registered & enrolled in the class (I also decided to take a "Careers in Photography" class as well). Both of the classes I'm taking are, thus far, awesome! I'm learning not only about photography, but how to run a business (I have to write business plans for both classes), & how to best market D&D!

So, today in my Wedding Photography class we took to the balcony to work on our manual shooting... it was super hot, but still fun! Here are 2 of my classmates who happily modeled for us (they were so brave with 15 people shooting them at once)...

And I must add that this girl is so amazingly beautiful & she totally rocked it as a model!

This shot was good in color... but I love it now that it's been flushed out & turned to black & white! (And he did say he wanted to look vampire-ish... I'm thinking he would have hung out with James in Twilight)

Diana

Michael & Lauren {Irvine, California} vol. II

2009-08-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the second half to our engagement shoot with Michael & Lauren... and let me again mention that these two are fabulous & so adorable!

So here is where are day got really interesting... we came across this guy & us girls were squealing trying to stay away, while the boys were of course playing with it!

Once Michael gently picked up this rather large taranchula with a stick and set him back in the brush, we continued on with the shoot & ended up getting a gorgeous sunset!!!

Wasn't that just an amazingly high jump! Those two have some crazy high hops!

Diana

Michael & Lauren {Strawberry Farms, Irvine, California} vol. I

2009-08-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

The best part of my week is when I get to get out of the office & go shoot someone... wait, that sounds bad... let me try that one again. The best part of my week is meeting up with fabulous clients to take fabulous photos of them! (that sounded so much better) And Michael & Lauren are the king and queen of fabulousness! It has been such an amazing journey as Lauren started talking to me about her wedding plans even before she was engaged! This girl is the ultimate planner & has great style (she would make a wonderful wedding planner, no doubt) so as we discussed the engagement shoot, she planned out the afternoon perfectly. From coming up with the perfect outfits, great prop ideas, and arranging the shoot with Strawberry Farms so that we could shoot on their property... it was a fantastic afternoon! And even though we were met with some adversity... bugs attacking us, scorching heat, and a rather large taranchula we named Tito (or Bruce, or Argnog... we never actually all agreed on his name, but we decided it was definitely a boy)... we made it through the day with smiles & lots of laughter!
So here they are, Michael & Lauren!

Thank you two for the fabulous afternoon! We can't wait till your wedding!!!

Diana

{I'll be posting more from this shoot in the next day or so...}

Michael & Lauren {Preview}

2009-08-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here is just a little preview of our engagement shoot with Michael & Lauren last night...

There are so many amazing pictures & funny stories from last night, you'll be seeing more very soon!

Diana

Ezekiel Ray {three days old}

2009-08-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Babies are amazing! And this point is proven by the amazingness that is Ezekiel Ray! Baby Zeke was born last week to my good friends Josh & Blythe, who are pretty amazing themselves, and have been such a blessing to me & my own family! So my kids & I finally got the chance to go over and visit Zeke on Thursday (day 3 of his life)... I'm happy to say that Zeke survived his first visit from my daughter Kate, even though Blythe & I almost got shot by the Nerf darts that she was shooting across the room (Josh was teaching her how to play Assassin). Also while I was there I took a few moments to take some photos of Zeke, who was very happy to relax in his mommy's arms while I snapped some shots! Amazingly enough (notice my use of amazing yet again), Zeke even smiled for the camera! I'm not sure if he was posing at 3-days old or if it was just the perfect baby conditions (he had just had his diaper changed, just eaten, was in mommy's arms with the lights off, and maybe having some gas), but he did smile... and not just once, but twice! So, here he is... the newly born... amazingly adorable Baby Zeke!

I can't wait till I get to see him again... and don't worry, I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing him a lot on here!

Diana

Back to the beginning...

2009-08-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

It was about 7 months ago when, on the suggestion of my husband Mark, I finally made the investment to buy my own DSLR camera. Before that time, I had used my old 35mm SLR & borrowed a DSLR from my brother or my father-in-law when I needed it. I had always loved photography & had thought about starting a business 7 years before, but when the digital switch had happened, I couldn't afford to keep up so I put that plan aside. But this January, when the package containing my new camera arrived the thought popped back into my head of all the things I could do! The camera arrived the day before I left to be a counselor at a high school camp with my church, so I packed up my new toy & took it with me hoping that I could convince someone to pose for me... I got to camp, and it was an impactful weekend, not only for the students I was with, but for me as well. I started praying about the road that I was on and where I was... So I went out with my high school girls, armed with my camera, and I began to shoot! It was amazing, it was fun, it just felt right, truly right. I continued to pray as I went home not knowing where to start, so I started this blog, and then I kept praying, shooting and loving every minute of it! 7 months have gone by, and the little business that I started with my brother is starting to have a glimmer of reality... Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey, whether we got to spend an afternoon with you while we chatted and shot photos of you, or you gave us your encouragement, support and prayers, we are so blessed by all of you!

So, not forgetting where this all started, I went back up to our church's high school summer camp (only for a day), spent some time with my wonderful students (the Pink Zone) & of course we had to do another photo shoot! So here are a couple of shots that we got...

Here are just the seniors!

I can't wait to see what the next 7 months have in store....

Diana

Beach Blitz Photo Shoot - Laguna Beach, CA

2009-08-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

We tried this out in the winter & it was awesome (exhausting, but awesome)! And now we've decided to do it again... So, coming on Saturday, October 3, 2009 we will be doing 5 shoots in a row down at Laguna Beach! You may ask yourself, why should you be a part of this? Well, to start off it's only $25 per family (a family is 6 or less people) for the session, you get a free 8x10 for booking the session (don't worry, the picture will be of you), all of the packages are discounted, and we are running a promo for Christmas cards if you get your order in by October 31st (but the Christmas card promo applies to anyone ordering before Oct. 31st)! But, like I said, it's only for the first 5 who book it! So, email me (diana@ddphotographydesign.com) if you are interested in getting in on this & I'll send you all of the information!

{The Emilio Family shoot back in February}

Update: I only have 4 spots left... the first has already been taken!
Update 2: I now only have 3 spots left!!!!
The available time slots are: 4:30pm, 3:45pm & 6:00pm

Diana

Booth Family Reunion!!

2009-08-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Amy and Gabe, who we shot a session of a couple of months ago, called us up this weekend to take some formal portraits at their family reunion. It was a challenge getting the whole family (about 30 all in all) to cooperate, but once they bought in to our craziness the results were amazing. Here is a few pics of Gabe, Amy and their awesome baby boy Sawyer!!! Its kinda cool to see the little guy grow.

D&D

We Are Family...

2009-07-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a vacation to San Diego... now this might not seem to much of a novelty to some, but this vacation was just that to us! Most of our "vacations" in the past few years have consisted of camping, going to high school / jr. high school camps as counselors / leaders, camping with high schoolers, and house boating with college students! Now all of these trips were fun, but I wouldn't call any of them relaxing... so our 3 days spent 2 hours from home at the Catamaran Hotel in San Diego were amazingly refreshing.... and yes, I did have my kids with me! I might post some pictures from our actual trip (taken with my p&S), but for now I will give you a couple of shots that we took of our family...

Here are the grandparents with their 5 grandkids (David, Daniel, Audrey, Andrew & Kate!)

Here is David getting attacked by Kate (typical)!

Here is my Audrey Joy climbing a tree... this tree was outside our room and she was pretty much obsessed with climbing it the entire weekend!

And here is the entire group of us... yep, all 14! We set up a tripod and a timer on the camera (I know, we're so high tech)... I can't believe that we were able to get a decent shot.... It isn't easy organizing a shot when you have that many people & you're not behind the camera!

The Koglers

2009-07-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome afternoon at the beach with the Kogler Family this past week... they are a family that I have known for years, and a family that I hold near and dear to my heart! I have been especially blessed to be friends with Heather and Heidi for several years, and I am always challenged and encouraged by both them and their entire family!!! I could go on and on, but instead I will show you some of my favorite shots of the day...

Here is little Bella... she was so much fun to follow around!

We had a little "sand" incident while we were playing, oops!

And here is Berrington, he slept almost the entire time!

Thank you Kogler family!

Diana
{D&D}

Kogler Family :: The Preview

2009-07-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a bit of a preview of our shoot this evening with the Kogler Family... I was supposed to only put up one, but I couldn't stop myself from putting up more... so here are four!

{D&D}

The Rush Family::

2009-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

So last week on the 4th of July, I had the pleasure of shooting Diana and Mark's family photo. We got up nice and early before all the crazy festivities on 4th and headed over to Irvine to take some photos. We got there and immediately the girls started exploring the trails. Both girls had so much energy, it was a blast to take their photos. We went hiking, did a dance, practiced jumping, and at a few points I was literally running to keep up with them. Mark and Diana are two of my closest friends and it was a pleasure to shoot their family photos. I can't wait to get a chance to take their photos again!!

Doug

We would love to hear your comments!!!
{D&D}

Self Portrait... or 10

2009-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is how I spend my day off...

Doug
{D&D}

The Rush Family:: A Preview

2009-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

{D&D}

The Lazear Family:: Pregnant!

2009-07-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

For me, photography is always fun... but it's even more fun when you get to photograph people you love! Josh & Blythe are two of my closest friends, and getting to spend the evening with them at Shoreline Village was a blast! Josh & Blythe are awaiting the arrival of Baby Ezekiel... This is their first baby, but they are already pros!!! Josh & Blythe have been a blessing on the Families of our church as they (but mostly Blythe) have babysat almost everyone's kids! We did a lot of shooting, and had a whole lot of laughs! In the end, we had a great time, and ended up with some great photos! So here they are... soon to be Mommy & Daddy!

We started out on the docks at Shoreline Village in Long Beach!

Blythe is just so beautiful...

This is my favorite shot...

And I know it's wrong, but we saw the scale and we had to make Blythe get up on it...

We stumbled up a PIRATE shop... which is perfect, because baby Ezekiel's room will be a Pirate Room!!!

Josh was cracking me up!

I had such a great time, thank you both for the Wonderful Evening! I can't wait to meet Baby Ezekiel!!!

Diana
{D&D}

The 30's are getting pretty close...

2009-06-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend was my birthday... my 29th Birthday! Which means I have 1 year left till I'm Thirty, Flirty &... um, I can't remember that last part... but I probably won't be flirty, just thirty! Regardless of that, I had a wonderful birthday that began with an early wake up & trip to disneyland (had to get my $69 gift from Disney), breakfast at Tomorrowland Terrace, a bit of Buzz Lightyear, and then a Birthday BBQ with my friends & family! All in all it was an amazing day... I even took a nap with Kate & finished reading book 7 of the Harry Potter series (actually that didn't happen till 2am the next morning, but close enough).

The day after my birthday was also amazing, because I just got to be lazy! I took pictures of my new shoes that I got from my brother Douglas & Brit..

Yep, I pretty much love these shoes... they're zebra, sparkly & comfy!

And of course I had to shoot myself, just so I don't forget what 29 looks like...

So, thank you to all for the birthday wishes, presents & good times!

I love you all,
Diana
{D&D}

Lazear Family:: The Preggo Preview

2009-06-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview of what is to come later this week... well, more of my post will come later this week, the baby will be coming in August!

{D&D}