MNP Blog

February 17, 2010

Here are a few of my favorite images from Kenny and Bri's engagement session last week in Santa Monica. They are so much fun to hang around and I CAN NOT WAIT for their wedding this summer at the Viceroy in Anguilla! It's going to be so awesome.

Kenny's also a great photographer here in Southern California. Go check out his work!

12 Comments Add A Comment

[February 17, 2010] Bri Stine said:

That's me! Thank you so much! We love them!

[February 18, 2010] Sara said:

Great shoot! I love the creativity!

[February 18, 2010] ashley said:

Beautiful. I love the shots under the pier and their sweet interaction.

[February 18, 2010] chipgillespie said:

Dude, love this shoot -- but not *NEARLY* as much as I love that Defender in the second and third images!!! Holy Moses -- is that theirs?!?

[February 18, 2010] josh mccullock said:

Amazing session man! Great couple too!

[February 18, 2010] Kayla said:

I love these! Love the amusement park in the background!

[February 18, 2010] Tim Marman said:

Great photos Michael. Kenny can photograph and model, who knew.

[February 18, 2010] Hayley said:

i love their emotion that you were able to capture. the third to last is my favorite!

[February 18, 2010] jenberry said:

the colors of the beach shots are fabulous. love the light and her yellow shirt and the sand and their skin tones. gorgeous.

[February 19, 2010] ken grill said:

great photos

[February 21, 2010] Jamie said:

Those beach shots are killer... the one under the pier where shes pullin him in... get it girl!!!

[February 24, 2010] Jacob Mariano said:

Right on Kenny! Congrats on the engagement man. Love the images Michael. Great shots of a great couple.

New York Engagement Session New York Engagement

February 16, 2010

I'm getting back on the blogging train and wanted to post a wedding from a few weeks ago and the realized I never blogged the couple's engagement session. So here are a few frames from Paula and Brian's engagement session in New York late last year.

We shot in Dumbo, and area of Brooklyn between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and then walked up to Brooklyn Heights, the area where The Cosby Show was set. Such a cool, quintessentially New York neighborhood. We didn't have any sun that afternoon but I still love the images. The feel so "New York" to me.

8 Comments Add A Comment

[February 16, 2010] Craig Salmond said:

As a fellow fan of NYC, I have to say that I love these pictures. I would love to do a session in the Big Apple!

[February 16, 2010] Brad Peters said:

nice! truly a new york feel

[February 16, 2010] Hayley said:

LOVE it!!! always clean, always classic and always beautiful!

[February 16, 2010] Hayley said:

LOVE it!!! always clean, always classic and always beautiful!

[February 17, 2010] matt said:

digging the umbrella shot on the boardwalk, super clean & well-composed

[February 17, 2010] jeret slack said:

I can see way you love New york. Great pictures my friend

[February 18, 2010] jenberry said:

this so reads romantic new york looking. it depicts life in that awesome city. the wide shot of them walking in the park holding hands is awesome. it's so telling of place, time and love.

[February 18, 2010] Heather said:

OBSESSED with the bridge in the background. Absolutely gorgeous. NY is my kinda town (:

Orange County Engagement Photography

December 3, 2009

Last week I shot Kristin and Mike's engagement photos in the hills near my house. I love this place! Look at it! They were so fun and easy to shoot and the light was just incredible! I can't wait for their wedding next year at Rancho Las Lomas, one of my favorite venues!

Side note to photographers... Every time I think about blogging I get this pit in my stomach. I mean, I love blogging but it always takes soooo loooooong getting the images ready to post. It's not the processing of the images, its the resizing, sharpening, putting my logo on, saving a version for web and a full size version that I dread. Well a couple of months ago that changed. I found out about a product called Blogstomp that does all of these things with literally just a few clicks. I still probably don't blog enough but there's definitely one less excuse. Haha. If you're a photographer, or just a blogger that posts lots of pictures go check them out and get yourself an early Christmas present. They are AWESOME.

I'd go through and tell you about my favorites but I love them all.

21 Comments Add A Comment

[December 3, 2009] ashley said:

Wow, these are really beautiful. Gorgeous couple! I love the interaction between them. So sweet.

[December 3, 2009] Stephanie Castillo said:

Beautiful work Michael! Fabulous lighting!! I too love them all :)

[December 3, 2009] Jenny haas said:

great job as always! LOVE your work ;) [and she has gorgeous hair!]

[December 3, 2009] Hayley said:

wow! you are amazing!

[December 3, 2009] Bri Stine said:

I'm so jealous of Ladera Ranch's backyard! Great shots... standard!

[December 3, 2009] Jane Hasty said:

gorgeous! i can fell the love! Sweet!

[December 3, 2009] tim tabailloux said:

I'm diggin the whole taking pics of local flora during a shoot... it really adds a lot to the feel of the shoot! nicely done sir!

[December 3, 2009] s h e r r y said:

These shots are LOVELY. They look so happy, and that's just fantastic! :)

[December 3, 2009] Kristin Johnson said:

Hey, that's me!!! Michael, thank you for capturing the essence of Mike and me. Especially appreciate the pic of the flower, you are what I like to call ... an artist. :)

[December 4, 2009] kristin @ The Treasured Petal said:

These are so adorable! Such a gorgeous couple. This will be yet ANOTHER wedding we are both a part of :0

[December 4, 2009] debb campbell said:

wow, you look like models...such lovely photos of a real and wonderful couple!

[December 4, 2009] marlin munoz said:

Love the emotion and your use of light and I agree, I love them all! Wonderful set of images!

[December 4, 2009] Rachael@ Charmed Beauty said:

Kristin, you look gorgeous! I'm so excited to be doing your hair and makeup for your wedding as well! Beautiful work Michael!

[December 5, 2009] Amy said:

Stunning work, as always. The light is exquisite!

[December 6, 2009] jeret slack said:

Man love this set... Awesome location.. You always find the best ones :)

[December 6, 2009] jenberry said:

simplicity of talent, intuition, beauty, knowledge, perfect light. as always a huge notch above ordinary, without the extra ordinary fake. love your work.

[December 9, 2009] Shari said:

This is absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to see the wedding!

[January 11, 2010] Olivia said:

Cute couple! I checked out BlogStomp. Thanks for sharing - looks pretty useful! :)

[January 12, 2010] Jerry- Chicago Wedding Photographer said:

Love the colors in these shots!!

[February 3, 2010] Robert J. Trenske said:

Glowing light... check, beautiful couple... check, incredible photo, definite check, love this session!!

[February 20, 2010] Xander Swanson said:

so as I browse through your blog, I find myself wondering - how does a photog get so many fashionable, great looking clients to take such great photos of...? awesome work!

Dallas Engagement Photography

November 19, 2009

Last weekend I traveled to Dallas to shoot Taylor and Amanda's engagement photos. Taylor's a photographer based in Dallas. It's always fun shooting photographers because they're always up for anything, and know that even if you feel funny doing it, you have to work it in front of the camera. Taylor and Amanda were a ton of fun and I love these images and can't wait to go back to shoot their wedding in January at the Old Red Courthouse in Downtown Dallas.

18 Comments Add A Comment

[November 19, 2009] kristin @ The Treasured Petal said:

They are so cute! Can't wait to see their wedding!

[November 19, 2009] Jane Hasty said:

Adorable!

[November 19, 2009] ashley said:

Beautiful- Gorgeous light =)

[November 19, 2009] Amy Coffey said:

You know I love these, Norwood. The ones with the city in the background... perfect!

[November 19, 2009] Kenny said:

That one of her on his back, might be one of my favorite shots you've ever taken. Composition, lighting, the whole bit... epic.

[November 19, 2009] Jeret Slack said:

love this one... love that guys car:)

[November 19, 2009] Edmund Prieto said:

Great great shots man!!!

[November 20, 2009] chipgillespie said:

Love this session. Thanks for sharing the wisdom this week. I think the 4th one down is my favorite...

[November 20, 2009] Emily Beaty said:

Beautiful work!!! Love this session. :)

[November 20, 2009] s h e r r y said:

I love the field and the light! Seriously awesome photos.

[November 20, 2009] eric von lehmden said:

awesome session. i'll second chip and say i love the 4th one down...classic piggyback. so nice meeting you and chatting with you this week. see you at Christmas!

[November 20, 2009] Brad Peters said:

like the ones with the power lines! Great idea!

[November 20, 2009] Maalaea w/ i and m photography said:

Such a lively shoot, I love it.

[November 20, 2009] Bill Blakey said:

God Bless Texas! These look great!

[November 23, 2009] Olivia said:

Love your photos- these are all really great! :)

[December 1, 2009] Brianna Phelan said:

Great set of images, very sweet couple :)

[January 12, 2010] Jerry- Chicago Wedding Photographer said:

Love the skyline in the background!

[January 15, 2010] HomeMade Bride said:

Stunning shots! I am really digging the plaid tie. Very cute couple!

Orange County Portrait Session

September 18, 2009

Last week Brandon and Stacey Gresham came out from Alabama to do a private WOODSHOP. At the end of the day we went out on a shoot and I had some friends of mine come model for me.

They did an incredible job and were so natural in front of the camera. The only bummer about the shoot was that it was cut a bit short after I was almost killed by a rattlesnake. It might have been the most terrifying moment of my life.

Here are a few favorites from the shoot!

7 Comments Add A Comment

[September 18, 2009] chipgillespie said:

Almost killed?!? Did you get bit??

[September 18, 2009] Mark Brooke said:

nicely done!!! i had not checked the blog in a few days and when i did... 3 posts?!? Is Michael a changed man?

[September 18, 2009] Brandon G. said:

Michael, much thanks for letting us nag you for the day! Glad the snake missed us though. Been up to the field much recently? :-)

[September 18, 2009] jenberry said:

as usual you live up to expectations. beautiful light, timeless and natural

[September 20, 2009] Bethany said:

Yeah for pictures of my dear friends! They are naturally beautiful, great pictures!

[September 20, 2009] Hayley said:

Michael you did a great job with Nic and Emily. I LOVE these pictures!

[October 16, 2009] Shane LaFever said:

Great images.

JEFF AND JESSICA... ALMOST MARRIED!

September 11, 2009

I can't believe they're getting married in a few weeks! I'm so excited for them and can't wait for the wedding. I love you guys!

Here are just a few of my favorites.

56 Comments Add A Comment

[September 11, 2009] Jessica Hill said:

Amazing! You are both so darn loverly! I love the light and the mood! Jessica- Where did you find that hot plaid shirt?

[September 11, 2009] melissa oholendt said:

MAN. Jess is a hottie. I love the way you posed them - awesome job!

[September 11, 2009] Matt Paddack said:

Very nice my friend... very nice.

[September 11, 2009] andrea caballer said:

Beautiful! Great capture of a lovely couple.

[September 11, 2009] anne nunn photographers said:

those are beautiful! You guys are so adorable!

[September 11, 2009] Dean Roberts said:

Wow! Those are great photos! Best of luck to the happy couple!

[September 11, 2009] Michelle sidles said:

I love the second shot so much! They all are beautiful!

[September 11, 2009] emilie inc. said:

Beautiful! Perfect light, perfect chemistry. Congrats, all!!

[September 11, 2009] amelia Lyon said:

So sweet, nice job Michael, and Jessica, you look HOT! Jeff looks good too! :) Can't wait until the wedding!

[September 11, 2009] Alex Nelson said:

Nice!

[September 11, 2009] Nicole Benitez said:

Gorgeous!

[September 11, 2009] megan welker said:

love these! I seriously didn't want this post to end! They are such a darling couple and you captured their love perfectly Michael! Way to go! and jessica, I must say, those boots are awesome!!

[September 11, 2009] jamie delaine said:

Wow. How stunning is Jessica? These are AMAZING, Michael. They make a gorgeous couple!

[September 11, 2009] Deyla Huss said:

They look beautiful! seriously perfect shots, all of them MIchael!

[September 11, 2009] ben & laura said:

killed it my friend ... you killed it on this one.

[September 11, 2009] Nouna Andersson said:

Love the light! Gorgeous light and beautiful couple. :-) Love the last shot.

[September 11, 2009] evie said:

Ridiculously gorgeous! Every single one of these is FABULOUS!!!

[September 11, 2009] Abigail Smith said:

Simply stunning photography and awesome couple! Love Jessica's entire "look", gotta LOVE redheads. :) So inspiring.

[September 11, 2009] Apple said:

love it! jessica looks amazing! they look so great together!:)

[September 11, 2009] Jen Ulasiewicz said:

OMGosh these photos are all so amazing and breathtaking! You two make a lovely couple. Very beautiful photos!!!!! :)

[September 11, 2009] Victoria said:

I LOVE all of them! I especially like the 13th one! Beautiful! :)

[September 11, 2009] Kayla said:

Totally awesome! So very much them! Love these!

[September 11, 2009] Cameron Ingalls said:

Beautiful.... So happy to see your brother and Jessica so in love and getting hitched! Much love and joy to both of them. Great work Michalel! :)

[September 11, 2009] jaclyn kaiser said:

great job michael :) jess, you look amazing!!! you guys look so happy and i couldn't be happier for you!

[September 11, 2009] Jasmine* said:

Sooooo gorgeous!!! OMG! My friends are so hot!!! :)

[September 11, 2009] Mapuana said:

Love these pictures. Jessica looks great. Can't wait to see more.

[September 12, 2009] Molly said:

gorgeous! Michael these are amazing and i love when you can feel the beauty through the emotions of the couple. You must be so excited for your brother and Jessica! you worked the camera & they both look fantastic!

[September 12, 2009] shaun austin said:

Nice work Michael. Jessica and Jeff you look great. Congrats!!!

[September 12, 2009] Emilie said:

OH WOW!! I can feel the love between them!!! Beautiful photos, Michael!!!

[September 12, 2009] Petra Hall said:

Could they be any cuter? Awesome images Michael and all my best wishes to Jessica and Jeff. I guess we can call then JJ, or J&J. :)

[September 12, 2009] Garrett and Joy Nudd said:

These are stunning! Congratulations, guys!!! We're so excited for you.

[September 12, 2009] dalia said:

these pictures are stunning!! You do phenomenal work!!

[September 12, 2009] Jane Hasty said:

Awesome! You look both look fab!

[September 12, 2009] ajira said:

WOW!! Congratulations again to you two! What beautiful images... and how wonderful that you were able to do this for your brother... the love just abounds!

[September 12, 2009] Cait said:

These are incredible! Absolutely lovely, Michael. So excited for them!!! Thanks for sharing!

[September 12, 2009] Amy Russell said:

Really beautiful stuff, as always, Michael. The light is perfection.

[September 12, 2009] Mali Workman said:

Michael, these images are so beautiful! I love every one of them!

[September 12, 2009] Cathy Empey said:

Those are just lovely! You both look so happy~

[September 12, 2009] Abra Michelle said:

These are absolutely wonderful. So beautiful. You may want to tell your brother to look like he is actually enjoying himself in pictures before the wedding. ;)

[September 12, 2009] Dawn Davis said:

Sweet... so excited for Jessica and Jeff. Love their e-session! Great work!!!

[September 12, 2009] Amelia Thornton said:

WOW Michael - great job! Jeff & Jessica...sooooo fantastic - I second what just about everyone else has said...you can really feel the love in these photos. Congrats on the upcoming big day :)

[September 12, 2009] Lawrence @tofurious said:

Love Jessica's simple braids in her hair! Phenomenal job Michael! Was it weird to shoot your brother? Just curious :D

[September 12, 2009] Lydia said:

Love Jessica's blouse and hair! They're so cute together!!

[September 13, 2009] tara whitney said:

Oh my gosh these are stunning! Michael they are soooooo good. Jessica you look SO PRETTY in every single one. Glowing. The light and your clothes and your hair-perfection. Sigh. Congrats!

[September 13, 2009] oksanaj said:

So beautiful!! Totally feel the love they have for each other in these! Great job!

[September 13, 2009] Graciela Lindner said:

That responsibility to take photos of Jessica Claire! Beautiful pictures! Congratulations!

[September 14, 2009] Kelly said:

Beautiful images! I love your work!!!

[September 15, 2009] Tina said:

These photos are beautiful. I actually got teary a couple of times. I've been following Jessica's blog for a couple of years now, and so I feel like a friend is getting married. I'm so excited for these two total strangers!

[September 15, 2009] Megan Zeller Photography said:

I love all of these poses!! Jess's eyes look fierce. Grrr...

[September 15, 2009] Megan Zeller Photography said:

I love all of these poses!! Jess's eyes look fierce. Grrr...

[September 16, 2009] hugh said:

Hey Michael, great shots.. Can you tell us what actions effects you use on these? Smoothing of the face etc... Thanks heaps.. Hugo

[September 16, 2009] Liana said:

Love those pics of Jess...but I think i love her boots even more. ;)

[September 16, 2009] Karl Bratby said:

Awesome work, cant be easy shooting Jessica, but this shoot rocks.....

[September 22, 2009] paul retherford said:

Fantastic posing! Love the contrast with their clothes and the grasses too. Awesome!

[September 27, 2009] Chelsey said:

Love these pictures! I'll be at the wedding next week doing hair and makeup with Nicole Deanne. Can't wait to see the beautiful wedding!

[October 30, 2009] Manon said:

love how you got so many different pictures out of this simple location.

Laguna Beach Engagement Photgraphy

July 22, 2009

I met these guys out in Laguna Beach and had a blast. They were so easy to shoot. Kelsey got us into the Irvine Cove private beach and it was so great to get to shoot in Laguna and not have to battle the throngs of people.

Another reason I'm excited today is BlogStomp has FINALLY released their new product! Its seriously the best thing to happen to blogging since... I don't know... the internet? I've been able to be a beta tester for them and I can't tell you how much time it has saved me over the past few months. For those that don't know its an action set that makes it AMAZINGLY fast and easy to resize, sharpen, brand (add your logo) and save your images for web. It is seriously just one or two clicks from a full size image to the finished, saved, blog ready image.

Go get you some!

3 Comments Add A Comment

[July 22, 2009] Morgan Taylor said:

Wow Blog stomp is rad!!! The photo's are rad to! Haha Great stuff man!

[July 22, 2009] STEELMAN said:

LOVIN IT! Great shots bro. Gotta love that SoCal sunshine. :)

[July 22, 2009] STEELMAN said:

LOVIN IT! Great shots bro. Gotta love that SoCal sunshine. :)

Newport Beach Engagement Photography

May 14, 2009

I met Lauren and Kyle a couple of weeks ago to shoot their engagement images and had the best time hanging with them for a couple of hours. Lauren is an awesome wedding coordinator so I can't wait for their wedding next month at the beautiful Richard Nixon Library. Should be amazing!

Here are a few from their session... a few film and a few digital. Can you tell which is which?

9 Comments Add A Comment

[May 14, 2009] Jeffrey Neal said:

Great stuff! The first three are film!

[May 14, 2009] Brandon Gresham said:

Awesome shots! If I had to guess, I'd say the two in the middle where he's in brown are the film frames. Crazy consistency though!

[May 14, 2009] amy boring said:

I am going with, 1, 4 and 5 are film. Honestly it's hard to tell though. Great images.

[May 14, 2009] Edmund Prieto said:

Great shots man, ok Im gonna say the first three are film and I'm pushing it but I'm gonna say the last one is film.

[May 14, 2009] Byron Carlson said:

Awesome! My guess is also, the first 3 are film due to the apparent dynamic attitude between the extreme tones. Nice work as always.

[May 19, 2009] imthiaz houseman said:

interesting...i'm thinking the first 3. amazing job!

[May 21, 2009] Kevin Le Vu said:

These images are spectacular Jasmine!!! You have always captured client's expressions wonderfully! Keep up the great work!

[May 24, 2009] Kat Hennessey said:

I have been following your blog for quite a while now, and was totally and awesomely surprised to see Lauren and Kyle on here! They are great friends of mine from my OC days, and you did an incredible job of their engagement pics! I love it and can't wait for the wedding!

[September 21, 2009] elizabeth archibong said:

great shots...love the simple composition and poses...they always seem to work best.

Pasadena Engagement Photography

May 4, 2009

I just got the scans back from the film I shot at Michael and Wendy's engagement session in old town Pasadena. Man, they are beautiful. The color and skin tones of Fuji Pro 400 and 800 just blow me away. And the depth of field you get shooting medium format? There's nothing better.

Here are a couple of my favorites.

7 Comments Add A Comment

[May 4, 2009] Jarrett said:

I love it. You just cant beat 120.

[May 4, 2009] Victor Huang said:

what medium format camera do you use?

[May 4, 2009] Pete Stewardson said:

Great stuff Michael, makes me want to go hunt out a film camera myself. :)

[May 4, 2009] Heidi Ryder said:

Wow. It's no wonder the film bug is so contagious...look at how good that looks! Can't wait to see more.

[May 5, 2009] sarah k chen said:

simply gorgeous. love your work so much and film suits your style so very perfectly. i'm looking forward to seeing more of it on your blog! and btw, thanks for the referrals you've been sending. :)

[May 5, 2009] angel swanson said:

stunning!!! beautiful couple to boot~

[May 5, 2009] Jeret Slack said:

They look awesome. I love that film look. Sarah is right it really fits your style.

Wendy and Michael... Engaged

April 28, 2009

I've been an engagement shooting machine the past 6 weeks. I have not, however, been a blogging machine. I'll catch up though.

For you photographers out there... I used some custom blogging actions made by my friends Craig and Chip, over at Studio563, to resize, sharpen, add my logo to the images and composite the verticals into one image. It easily cut my blog preparation time to 10% of what it was before. I know they're not quite ready for the public yet but shoot them an email and they'll let you know when you can get your own.

Here are a few images from Michael and Wendy's engagement session in old town Pasadena.