Because I live in and photograph in Valencia, California, there are a limited amount of locations to shoot that haven’t been shot before, at least at first glance. Lately, I have been pushing myself to search out new and undiscovered backdrops for my clients. In fact, as cheesy as it may sound I would like to coin the term “adventure portrait photography.” The adventure is the walking around, not knowing what you’re going to find part of the shoot. I have found that this makes what might be a typically uneventful shoot into a shoot that everyone is excited to be a part of. I find that most people if given the opportunity like doing something a bit different. Green looks great but sometimes dirt, concrete, dry brush, aged bricks, old buildings look better. At this point you might be wondering…. the Santa Clarita Valley has these natural and architectural elements? Well yes, most of the time they are hidden among the suburban landscape. If you pay attention next time you’re driving down magic mountain pkwy. you will notice an old steel bridge that looks like it is lost. I’m pretty sure it is not exactly 100% legal to go over there, but I just wanted to give you and idea of what I was talking about. Anyways, next time you book a shoot (hopefully with me) whether it is maternity, engagement or family photography consider the aforementioned.

I wanted to let everyone know about my good friend Ed Rock. He has been more or less my go to guy for everything web related. He is responsible for my new website that I am extremely happy with. In addition to his web experience he is quite the accomplished designer as well. His designs have a clean and playful simplicity that translate into strong visuals emanating from which is a certain sense of nostalgia. Check out his website at www.iwantedrock.com

It was truly a pleasure to photograph this couple as they are about to embark on a new chapter in their life. Sometimes maternity shoots can be very formulaic but for LeeAnn and Chris I really wanted to do something that was going to be different. I’m not sure if they realized that going into it, but they were definitely on board once we started shooting. I would also like to take a moment to thank the cross valley connector for not only providing an alternate route to the always crowded soledad canyon but providing a great place to take photos. I love the way the light is reflecting off the concrete changing from blues to oranges as well as creating dynamic geometric lines. Like many of my clients LeeAnn and Chris went right along with my ideas and were not timid to try different looks.

I wanted to share this vendor with you all. It is definitely one of the most unique ideas that I have come across in the wedding industry and I think many couples might ask themselves why they didn’t include this in their wedding. See below for a description of their services.

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Stone Wedding Videos – Web Promo from Marlowe Greenlee on Vimeo.

When I photograph families I try to shoot not only the family but each of the different relationships within that unit. The result is that the images start to play off of each other making the group of images more expressive. There happens to be a few more photos of Ava (Norman & Andrea’s daughter) because she recently turned one and they wanted to make sure they documented it. She was a great little model – very curious with what I was doing and interacting well with the camera. One thing that I would like to mention is that we photographed in extreme heat. Valencia gets pretty hot during the summer, yet no one was complaining.

A few months before the wedding took place Kristie and Eric took me to the San Gabriel Mission where they were to have pictures taken. Immediately ideas started popping into my head, ideas which I was able to bring to fruition. The historical imagery in the background added an extra texture to the images that makes each image that much more dynamic.

Not surprisingly this is a popular backdrop for special occasions such as a wedding and as a result we ran into a few other newlyweds. It was kind of cool to see how other photographers were using the space.

You would probably never guess it, but this was a backyard wedding. Lucie, the mother of the bride, offered her home to Kristie and Eric. They did an unbelievable job transforming it into a wedding venue that would rival other costlier venues

Below are some more images that I had to have on the site…

Dean just turned 1 and to document the occasion his mother Valerie wanted to get some photos taken. We headed to a local park in Whittier and found some great spots. In fact, I’m not sure if Dean even realized he was getting his photo taken because he was busy exploring. One of my favorite pictures from the day happened when we decided to do an outfit change. Valerie also decided to style his hair at that moment which quickly turned into Dean styling his own hair. After we left the park we ended up going back to their home where we decided to get a few more shots. Some of those shots ended up being favorites as well.

Originally this family photo shoot was scheduled for Balboa Park in Van Nuys but after driving once through the area I realized that it was WAY too crowded. Luckily their backyard was recently landscaped and therefore a great alternative. I actually find that many times photo shoots at home are the best. Everyone seems to be more comfortable.

Kristina, the mother, kept on telling me that it would be a challenge photographing her family, partly because one of her children is special needs and one is a 7 month old. I accepted her challenge and am very happy with how the photos turned out.

Sometimes weddings near the beach can be bright and sunny or gray and cloudy. This wedding was the latter of the two. Either way it works out. Personally I really enjoy shooting in an overcast environment because I’m not constantly battling harsh shadows, allowing more freedom to shoot. One of the great aspects of this wedding was the wedding party. They were right there tending to the needs of both the bride and groom making the whole day EVEN more enjoyable. So I would like to say thank you bridal party for doing an outstanding job! As a side note I feel that the colors complimented the golf course environment well creating a nice contrast between the subject and the background.

Bridal parties come in all sizes; they can be as small as 4 or in some cases exceed 20. Whatever the case may be I find it very important to learn everyone’s names. All weddings run on a schedule but not usually on schedule and to help stay on track I find it incredibly helpful to be on a first name basis with everyone. Instead of directing people by their distance from the ground or what color hair they have, it is much more efficient using their name. A side effect of this is a certain level of comfort that comes through in the images. Usually the night before the wedding I sit down in from of my computer and just start memorizing. It actually takes less time than you may think. This process is much easier than trying to remember all the names on the day of the wedding.