Wow... what a busy week home.  After barely making it out of Amsterdam I came back to Santa Barbara to a FULL week of shooting...  two weddings (that I helped on with two dear friends... more to come later)... and THREE photo shoots... 

Two days after landing I was running around a back yard... crawling into "spaceships"... and playing musical instruments with Cosima and all her friends for her 4th birthday party...

My first slide show of 2010 ... remember that beautiful and sweet wedding last month in Kona... take a look.

One quick shout out to Kathleen Akaka... she was their AMAZING wedding coordinator. so wonderful to work with.  If you or anyone you know is getting married in Kona.. this is the woman you want coordinating your beautiful event... Divine Goods Hawaii

Rachel & Elie...  doing this slide show took me right back to Hawaii... thank you again for asking me to be a part of your intimate and touching wedding.  Enjoy!

Love,
A

Click HERE for the slide show...

So you'll have to excuse anything in this note that does not make sense... I am trying my hardest to stay up to 10:30 p.m. and beat this jet lag... I will win.. oh yes I will win...

I arrived home last night... THANK GOODNESS...  my flight out of Amsterdam was the VERY last flight out before the whole place (or should I say all of northern Europe) shut down for what they are saying could be 6 days.... THANK YOU!!!  That's all I have to say. 

So here I am in front of my computer...  with 30 minutes to go before I am allowed to lay my head down to rest.... must be ready for tomorrow's wedding with Janey here in Santa Barbara (so excited to see her... its always fun to shoot with a friend, especially such a talented one).

Okay... I digress...  while I was in Paris I had mentioned that I was lucky enough to meet up with Fady and photograph some head shots.  He is an extremely talented Opera singer. It was quite interesting and super fun. As you know my style is super lax and comfortable my favorite portrait shoots are done over a conversation and a coffee... so this one was especially up my alley... LITERALLY at a Parisian cafe right near the Bastille Opera House... then a little walk to the steps.

Here are a few pics from that afternoon...

Thanks Fady for the photo shoot... and the cafe!  Good Luck with all your upcoming adventures.

I just love it when projects appear out of no where... may you all have unexpected little gems pop into your horizons!!

OH.. and don't think I forgot to blog about ITALY... its coming.. I just had SO many pics... I'm trying to narrow it down... it will be up shortly!!

Love
A

Brit's official birthday began with a cocktail at the George V... then off to Chanel... every girl deserves a little indulgence on her birthday... especially on her 30th!!

We then left Paris headed over the waters to London...  Paris was amazing... beautiful...  but LONDON... is officially my new love.  I was not expecting to fall so hard for this city.  the streets... the people... the cabs... and the food.. YES the food... I was always under the impression that the English were "not known for their food" (to put it nicely) ...but  WOW... we have had some of the best food yet...  I had the most amazin Falafel I have had in 11 years... no joke (my friends keep laughing because its been over a day or two now and I am STILL talking about the falafel). 

I also have to send out a thank you to "the boys"...  Guy, George, and Charlie (Britainy's close English friends from college) were such good sports for putting up with our ridiculous Americaness...  thank you thank you! 

Now... one more day left in London... then off to Italia...  ahhh mi Firenze... 

I hope you all had a beautiful Easter holiday!

Love
A

BTW... we were SUCH tourists... the dark night city shots were done during the Jack the Ripper tour.... SOOOO creepy!!

WHAT I LEARNED ON THE WAY TO PARIS...

I left for Paris on Sunday.. on my way I learned three things...  I know this may be random...  but it's what I learned...

1)...  Wearing all white to a wedding doesn't have to be a faux pas...  I sat next to a lovely lady from Amsterdam who was recently married.. (I only wish I would have grabbed a couple of her pics)... she had the most beautiful Ibiza wedding.  She asked all of her 50 guests to wear all white... and it gave the whole event not only an incredibly beautiful aesthetic but also such a sense of softness, love, and tenderness...  it is hard to explain ... but if you are looking to do something different... think about it.   I was especially interested in seeing her pictures because I will be flying back across the Atlantic in May to photograph my own Ibiza wedding...

2)...   Pictures truly are memory keepers.. obviously I believe this and knew this... but it wasn't until I experience it first hand (yet again) that I remember how amazing the feeling can be.  I was in a taxi heading to my hotel in Paris when we drove through a plaza... I instantly remembered it... not only did I remember it.. I remembered the EXACT photo I had taken of this plaza 12 years ago... and not only did I remember the photo... but I remembered what I thinking, what I was doing.. and where I was in life (ironically enough photography was the farthest thing from  a career  for me... funny what 12 years can do)... I wish I had the photograph to show you.

3)...  Rescue Remedy Sleep, Calms Forte, A Glass of Wine, and Airborne Sleep .DOES NOT equal sleeping on the plane

So, that was my trip there... day 1... 4 of us girls converge upon Paris from four different flights all leaving LAX and Arriving Charles De Galle... don't ask why we didn;t fly together... we haven't quite figured that out yet.

After trying to sleep off the jetlag.. it was off to Muse D'Orsay...  (to see my favortie Toulous Latrec)...  and dinner with a French friend... 

Day 2.. TODAY...  we awoke had a lovely lunch ... checked out Pere Lachaise.. where I saw Oscar Wilde's tomb... this cemetary was amazing and Oscar is ALWAYS inspiring. And then... I was soo happy to meet up with my dear dear dear Parisian friend Diana...  (you look amazing... and always make my day... so happy to have had the time with you my sweet).

AND TONIGHT... the BIG EVENT... watching the Sparkling Eiffel Tower at exactly midnight as my amazing, inspiring and beautiful friend Britainy turned 30.. (I truly feel honored to be a part of your celebration and to be a part of your life)

SO...  One more day in Paris... till its off to London... tomorrow's agenda  a portrait shoot of an opera singer at the Bastille Opera house... then off to the George V to cheers Brits official birthday.

Here are a few pics... enjoy...  drop me a note...

May you all have adventures and find a few friends along the way... it sure does make the world small.

Love,
A

Oh and along the way... TONS of croissants, pain au chocolates, and cappuccinos!!