San Pedro Maternity Session
There is a story behind every photograph. This San Pedro maternity session is no exception. When I first met Claudia as fellow Grad students at CSULB, she was grieving the deaths of her firstborn child and father. I was in the throes of my dad’s battle with cancer. Our experiences brought us together and we were able to be a source of strength and comfort to each other.
The shoes above were bought for their first son Sebastian.
You can imagine the joy I felt to learn, two years later, that Claudia was expecting another baby, Santiago! We rejoiced together and this session was truly a time of celebration!
Love this next one!!! Erik’s expression is priceless! I truly love getting to create moments and memories like these!!
Congratulations Claudia and Erik on the new addition to your family! You have been through so much together and are still smiling! Your strength is inspiring! Looking forward to meeting baby Santi!!
San Pedro Engagement Session
This San Pedro engagement session will forever hold a special place in my heart; not only because these are my brother’s engagement photos, but they were taken just two days after our father passed away. I had considered rescheduling this session, but felt our dad would want us to keep our plans and enjoy the day.
In addition to the emotional charge of the circumstances, this was also a mentoring session for off-camera flash. I had the opportunity, (thanks to Eve Rox Photography), to teach one of the sweetest photographers, Bora Chan; you can find her beautiful work here.
We courageously fought domineering gusts of wind and the chill of the fading afternoon sun and captured some beautiful images as a result! I am excited for Justin and Tiare’s wedding in September!
If you are a natural light photographer looking to develop your flash technique and skills, lets connect! I would love to teach you what I know! You can get in touch with me through the “Contact” link above! xoxo
Walker Canyon Portraits
Izzy is a dear friend, and for an afternoon, she was my model and partner in adventure and we set out to see the incredible Super Bloom of 2019! It was not until after our trip that I read that disturbing the flora can disrupt the delicate poppy ecosystem and even prevent the super bloom from returning. Lesson learned: stay on the path. Avoid the urge to, as John McCrae once wrote: “In fields the poppies blow, between the crosses row by row. Short days we lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow; loved and were loved, and now we lie in….fields…..” (An excerpt from the poem Flanders Fields.)
Family Portraits Seal Beach
Another fabulous family portrait session in Seal Beach! I absolutely love working with this family! My first photoshoot with Angel was back in 2012 when I was honored to do her graduation photos. Now she is a beautiful mama to two gorgeous boys and she and her hubby make such a wonderful couple! I love documenting their family as they grow! Please enjoy some of my faves from this session! Much love! xoxo
Venice Family Session
What a lovely way to end 2018, photographing one of my favorite families in the famous Venice canals neighborhood. Once again the rain had poured the week before, but we were given clear blue skies the day of our session. Whether this year has brought you rain or shine, may it serve as a springboard for a brilliant year to come filled with clarity, warmth, and love! Much gratitude to my Creator, family, clients, and friends. You fill my life with purpose and inspire me to keep moving forward. The best is yet to come! Cheers! xoxo
Long Beach Sweet Sixteen Celebration
It was a gorgeous October evening in Long Beach a day after rain had cleansed the earth and sky. Alex looked like an absolute princess surrounded by friends and family as they celebrated her sixteenth birthday. What made this occasion all the sweeter for me was that I was this young lady’s preschool teacher. Being able to reunite with her and her wonderful family, and witness what a beautiful woman Alex is becoming, was truly an honor! Here are some of the highlights! xoxo
Stay Gold! <3
Backyard Wedding and South Coast Botanic Garden
Full attention was given to detail for this beautiful, intimate wedding held at a private residence followed by bridal portraits at the gorgeous South Coast Botanic Garden. Tracy and Michael met during their employment at a gardening super store which made the backyard of their home and the SCB Garden perfect locations to pay homage to their romantic beginnings and marital union. They worked tirelessly to bring their special day together and I am beyond grateful that I was asked to be a part of it! xoxo
West L.A. Branding Session
Combine good food and photography and I’m in heaven! I had a blast working with Natalie Holbrook, creating content for her forthcoming website! She is an Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) certified Health Coach and has trained at the acclaimed PLANTLAB Culinary. She teaches people how to heal their gut and create more radiant and active lives. You can find out more about her services here.
Cerritos Portrait Session &Fine Art Editing
Ask any photographer and they will likely say that the most time-consuming part of photography is the editing process. Of course there are gorgeous presets that offer some one-click fixes, however, presets only make general adjustments to things like tone, contrast, and saturation. I always find that there are certain adjustments I want to make that require intentional and specific choices, ones that a computer would never be able to intuit on its own. At least not yet. 😉
So let me take you through my process; one that I call fine-art editing. It is part of what you invest in when you hire me you create your portraits. And I feel it makes a world of difference.
In this image you will see that Aly’s face is in shadow. I want her face to be there area of focus. In order for that to happen it needs to be brighter. First I selected her face, arm, and hands and brought up the level of “light” using a curves layer. Next I smoothed out skin tones and added a touch of color to her lips. I noticed that there were a few bright highlights on her hair which I found a little distracting so I darkened them. My eye kept getting caught on the space between the two metallic phone booths so I pulled a different view of a single booth from another image and “masked” it in. (This all happened in Photoshop CC). I removed the marks/spots from the metallic booth and took out that tiny speck to the left of the prism reflection (the rainbow curve on the left side of the image). I smoothed out her dress. Finally, I brought the saturation up just a bit on the reds, decreased the yellows, and brought up the overall brightness of the image.
And voila!
In this next image you can see that Aly’s face and hands are a bit overexposed. The first adjustment I usually make to an image is in relationship to exposure. I do this by adding a “curves” layer which adjusts the brightness of the area you select. When I felt I had an even skin tone, I moved on to smoothing the skin. I usually take several versions of the same image in case eyes are closed or squinting– that way I have options to work with. Aly’s left eye was out of focus in the primary image I was working with so I brought in a left eye from another image that was in focus. (Sounds kinda funny doesn’t it?) During the session I had adjusted Aly’s hair giving it a bit more volume in one image in this series. I brought her hair into the primary image that had the expression I liked best. I added eyeliner. Finally, I removed background distractions including really bright highlights, dimming them down, and filling in the top left corner with flowers.
Here is the final edit:
This last image was a slightly more complex process because I used three images to create the final edit. In this first image I liked the way Aly’s right arm was covered by the curtain. I also liked that I could see more of her dress at the bottom of the frame and more of the curtain to her left because I was standing further away from her for this shot. I used this image as my base. (You will notice the big yellow circles in the center– I had been experimenting with twinkle lights and two of them are very prominent here.)
I pulled Aly’s face and dress from this image as Aly’s face was mostly free from harsh highlights which were in abundance because she was standing right next to french doors.
Sometimes I reframe an image if I feel the subject is too far to one side and I feel centering the subject would look best. I centered Aly by creating parts of the curtain that weren’t there to begin with. I used the cloning tool to do this after making a copy of the image and shrinking the size of the top image so Aly had more space surrounding her. Imagine two identical images stacked on top of each other and then shrinking the upper image down so you can see the borders of the image underneath it. Aly now appeared to be centered and smaller within the frame. I merged the two images together, created extra curtains to cover up the border of the bottom image and then went to work evening skin tone, smoothing skin, removing harsh highlights on her dress, and giving her a touch of lip color and eyeliner. I then brightened selective areas of the image…. Light, airy flow!
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about my editing process and that it helps to give you added understanding to the value of the work photographers do after they’ve taken your photos! xoxo
Marina Del Rey Web Content Portraits
This Venice + Marina del Rey portrait session with yacht chef Renee Lo Iacono, founder of Rare BLEU, was delicious! She creates raw/vegan/vegetarian wellness-centered dishes that tantalize the senses and infuse your soul with energy. She blogs and consults on how to be the healthiest version of yourself; and who couldn’t use a little more radiant health in their lives? She believes that the cure for much of what physically ails us can be found in our food. I agree full-heartedly!
She treats life like an adventure and deeply appreciates the beauty that she sees all around her…because she makes the effort to look for it. She has a wonderful attitude towards life and people. You can connect with Renee and learn more about her and her services here. Please enjoy some of our favorite images from this session!
Orange County Newborn Session
This Orange County family session reminded me that there’s nothing sweeter than a newborn baby. Introducing Benjamin Ward, also referred to as Benjamin Button. 🙂 Love radiates in this home. I was particularly struck by this first-time momma’s candid emotions. Everything, from how she and her husband met, to how she knew that she had finally found the right man, the future father of her son. She held her baby so tenderly. Bringing a child into the world creates the context for endless sacrifice; giving up time, sleep, leisure activities, sharing all that you have and are to help your little person thrive. I imagine that in return, your heart doubles in size. Your capacity to give and feel love expands. What a priceless gift. Thank you Sarah and Smith for choosing me to document one of the sweetest moments of your lives together. May these images bring you great joy! xoxo
Echo Park Family Session
Creating these family portraits in Echo Park was so much fun! This stylish young couple have the sweetest baby girl who was full of smiles and giggles throughout the entire session! We had a great view of the DTLA skyline and the weather was perfect. Such a great shoot! xoxo
Next time you schedule a portrait session for your family, why not use it as an excuse to update your headshots for your business profile or website?
Los Angeles Lds Wedding and S.B. Navy Golf Course
Lauren and Ken were married at the Los Angeles LDS temple on a beautiful, crisp Veterans’ Day morning. With the remembrance of so many men and women who have fought for our freedom and continue to do so, two families came together to witness this beautiful young couple make promises to love and cherish each other for the rest of eternity. Afterwards we ventured out to the Seal Beach Navy Golf Course for a ring ceremony and reception. Such great live music, such good food, and so much love! Nothing compares to the joy of a wedding day! Congratulations Lauren and Ken! Thanks so much for choosing me to document your special day! xoxo
The most fabulous wedding shoes by Irregular Choice! Shop their products here!
Palos Verdes boho Couple Session
Bohemian vibes mixed with the salty ocean air during this stylish Palos Verdes couples session. Let me just say, the only excuse you need to schedule a portrait session is loving being together with someone. Whether you’re in a new relationship that sets your heart and soul on fire, engaged, married, celebrating a golden anniversary — whatever stage you’re in, I love creating beautiful images of you and your special person and look forward to collaborating with you! If you’re into artful portraits full of color and luscious light, hit me up– and please enjoy these beauties of Shealyn and Alex! xoxo
Lighting Workshop Arts District dtla
I hosted my first off-camera flash Lighting Workshop (1.0) this summer. The following are images created during the practical application (2nd half) of the workshop. According to the attendees, the only thing they would have changed about the overall experience would be to include ice cream. (Loved that! :D)
If you are a photographer who has been wanting to learn off-camera flash, or is struggling to figure out how to evolve your approach to low-light situations, I am now offering 1 on 1 mentoring sessions and a bi-annual workshop. If you are interested in attending or scheduling a mentoring session, please email me at: daltiercreates@gmail.com
The next workshop is slated for January 2018! Stay tuned for announcements and more info! Thank you to all who helped bring this wonderful event together! xoxo
SoCal Bridal Session and First Look
It was so much fun photographing this summery pre-ceremony session with this cute bride and groom that started with a “First-Look”. Traditionally, couples wait until the ceremony to see each other for the first time in their wedding day attire. However, it is becoming more and more popular for couples to share this moment right beforehand. Here are a few reasons why I recommend adding a “First-Look” to the beginning of your wedding day time-line. 1. It calms the nerves. If you’re the type of person who gets nervous around big crowds, or prefers not to be the center of attention, first looks are intimate and ease you into the rest of your day with your sweetheart. 2. Your make-up, hair, attire, and beautiful selves are at their FRESHEST! Imagine how great it will feel not having to roll through all the family and bridal party portraits… and then– when you think your mouth can’t manage another smile– that’s when it’s your turn to shine in all your wedding day glory! Why not do that first? 🙂 And my personal favorite: 3. More opportunity to get those creative couple shots you’ve been gathering on your Pinterest boards.
I recommend allowing at least an hour of photo time for the First Look and couple portraits. If you have any questions about creating an optimal time-line for your wedding day, feel free to email me. I’m happy to share recommendations. Now for photos! P.S. Check out the bride’s hand-made one-of-a-kind blush colored gown! And those finger-curls! xoxo
Seal Beach boho Bridal Session
Lace, light, and a whole lotta love went into this boho bridal styled shoot in Seal Beach. A big shout out to Cassandra Richardson who modeled and helped style this session! Her professionalism and passion for her art is exciting! Props to my girl Melisa Saraceni bringin it home with the florals! As always she went with her unique and exotic taste in greenery and blooms! (Yes there were carnivorous plants in that bouquet!) Thank you to my photo assistant Kim Orthel for hand-making the earrings and necklace and Boots Guzman for working her hair magic! It was a pleasure ladies!
If you have a whimsical, bohemian styled session in mind and would like to collaborate with me to bring it to life, click the contact button above and message or call! Lets make it happen! xoxo
Los Angeles Wedding and Quiet Canyon Reception
This beautiful L.A. June Wedding was brimming with tender moments; misty eyes, warm embraces, and heartfelt sentiments. Two favorite moments came when the speeches were given at the reception. The groom, a non-Spanish speaker, prepared a message in Spanish, the bride’s native language. I caught a few words, but the bride’s expression spoke volumes! So much LOVE! The brother of the bride also spoke and shared that the only tears the groom has caused are tears of joy! I am so happy for this sweet couple and so grateful I got to be a part of their special day! xoxo
Many thanks to the amazing team who helped bring this wedding to life…
Venue: The Quiet Canon Event Center
Makeup and Hair: @la.petite.artiste
Florist: La Mirada Florals
Floral Backdrop: @bloomindream
DJ: David Real @ www.dizzleit.com
Griffith Park Engagement Session
It was such a beautiful, bright spring day for this engagement session at the old Griffith Park Zoo. We were not the only ones who thought it was a perfect day to be here. Once we arrived, we found film crews tucked behind every nook and cranny– and there was the beginning gatherings of an outdoor evening movie at the park; soon thereafter the Halloween theme song began to waft through the air on an endless loop; not exactly the most romantic soundtrack for an engagement session, but it made us all laugh! Lauren and Ken were up for anything and made this session a lot of fun! Looking forward to their Veteran’s Day wedding later this year! xoxo
Palos Verdes Portrait Session
Palos Verdes served as a gorgeous afternoon backdrop for this SoCal portrait session with the vivacious and beautiful Wren Barnes. The dramatic California coastline and salty sea breeze carried us from one lush setting to the next. Between acting, traveling, consulting, and some big film projects in the works, Wren is truly taking the world head-on and making her dreams happen! It was a pleasure creating these images with her. Thanks for reaching out to me on Instagram Wren! xoxo
