For the past two or three years between July and August, Lauren and I like to spend at least one day (i.e. 2-3!) out of those two months indulging ourselves in oh so "deep fried everything and anything you could probably think of" goodness.  What could you possibly deep fry besides chicken?!!  How bout, Snickers, Oreos, Twinkies, White Castle!, Avacados and even Frog Legs?!!!  Ok so we didn't eat ALL of that but they were readily available at the flip of the buck if we chose.  Diet??! What's that?!  As you could imagine that word gets thrown out the door during this day.  And where do we do this?!...the OC Fair!

  Here's Lauren just as we entered pondering what our next trip to the OC Fair will entail...

One of the things I got to do at the fair this year besides eat, eat and eat some more, obviously was take the trusty ole' camera.  **Disclaimer: Although Lauren is pregos, and it appears she is ordering or eating or scarfing all that food, we did SHARE ALL our meals!** =)

 

 

This shot was taken as we pulled into the parking lot.  I was so concentrated on getting in and finding spot that I almost missed this awesome light!  Gotta love the color of the sky when the sun sets!  I was super stoked when we we got this and the best part is that minus a bump in contrast and blacks, this shot is basically straight out of the camera!

See ya later OC Fair...till next year! =)

Check in tomorrow for some Shutter Speed Tips featuring more colorful pics of the Fair as examples!

Also, our "Great Names Derive from Great Inspiration" contest deadline has been moved!!  I totally forgot about all the holidays leading up to our original Dec 1st deadline to submit your entries so the NEW DEADLINE is now October 1st.  That gives everyone a good two months of inspiration! =)

If you want more information on our contest click here!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - -- - - - - ---

For our latest Wedding Day Slideshow, Click Here!

If you'd like to inquire about our services, email us at Weddings@johnlauren.com

If you have any questions you'd like to ask us, we'll do our best in answering them for you!  email us at John@johnlauren.com or Lauren@johnlauren.com

 

 

Lauren and I love shooting Engagement Sessions with our Wedding clients because for one, we get to totally break the ice with the couple and two, they get to break the ice with our cameras! =)  It's never easy being yourself with 4-5 gimongous cameras in your face so to us, it's always better they see it before the wedding than during =)  So when it was Dina+Chris' turn, not only did they eventually get used to the cameras, but we got to see and capture a side of them that reminds us why we do what we do. That picture is one of my favorite shots of the entire shoot.  It was taken towards the later part of the shoot and for me, it was literally the climax of one of our most fun and rewarding sessions yet.  As I was saying, Dina+Chris are one of the most gentle couples we know and that shot to me, absolutely shows it.  What makes this one of my favorite shots is that you don't have to see Dina's eyes in that picture to tell how safe, secure and in love she is with Chris. You don't need to see what's happening around them because she's safe and at specific moment, engulfed in Chris' arms...nothing else matters.  For Chris, his non expression, is expression enough.  I can't tell you how excited I was to have caught that moment! =) These last two shots top off, as we said, one of our most fun and rewarding sessions yet! A fun ring shot that we go heading back to the car... To Dina+Chris...it was a privilege being able to capture the emotion and love you guys share for each other.  You guys were awesome and we hope that you enjoy your slideshow as much as enjoyed capturing it on camera. *****CLICK HERE FOR DINA+CHRIS' SLIDESHOW***** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget! Our "Great Names Derived From Great Inspiration" contest is under way and you have till Dec 1st submit your entries to Contest@johnlauren.com.  The winner will receive a $100 restaurant GC! To see more of our Weddings click here!

We'll be posting our latest Engagement Session real soon so keep an eye out for it this week.  Now on to today's HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT/POST... Last Monday we went to our 21 Week doctors appointment and got a chance to see our baby once again =)  Remember our last post?  Well that was only about five weeks in and now we're 18 weeks in!!  Remember this same shot in the first post?!  Notice how her belly is more of a "belly" now than before... So the baby is definitely bigger, no longer our little Gummy Bear...even big enough to where Lauren, as she puts it, feels it "punch her belly" =)  If you're ever around her enough you might catch her saying "Aw, come on dude, chill out!".  That's her telling our baby to relax =) hahah Can you distinguish the shape of the baby on the monitor?  That's its head to the right... So to the heart of the matter.  As I assumed from the start, with all "signs" pointed to this happening, here's the answer to our family's "gender battle" as well as our new family photo! =) WE'RE HAVING A BABY GIRL! =D  And if you look closely, I'm a little taller than Lauren in the image hahah. So now that you know what we're having...Time for our first ever John Lauren Photography Contest! woohoo! Ever since we found out we were having a baby we have shot blanks when it comes to baby names.  That's where you come in! From now until December 1st, we'll be accepting entries for our "Great Names Derive from Great Inspiration" contest.  Our only rule is in order to submit a name, you need to also submit a photo of what inspired you to come up with that name along with a brief explanation.  Easy enough right?!  We're so excited to hear what you come up with! Because this is such a big deal for us, if your entry gets picked, you, as the winner, will receive a GC of $100 to a restaurant later TBD. Submit your entries to contest@johnlauren.com and remember, you have all the way till Dec 1st! We can't wait to hear what everyone comes up with!  Oh and feel free to use our blog posts as inspiration too...hopefully by now there's enough about us in here that it'll trigger some ideas! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you're curious to see what type of photography we do, click here! or If you have any questions you'd like to ask, you can email us at weddings@johnlauren.com

OK, so John's totally going to hate me for this one but I HAVE to share!!  It's Monday and we all need a little laugh to start our week! Sorry honey!! =) hahaha

 So, we had an engagement shoot in the lovely Old Town Pasadena and we had such a great time! we had our new assistant with us, teaching her new things with the camera and getting a feel for posing and how John composes the couple for the shoot.

 John is very admitate about me being the "Front Man" for the business, but I get so nervous, I kind of just stand back and let John do all the talking while I get in the zone the way I am used too, by getting a feel for the couple, and when I feel like I am getting a connection through the lens, then I am more vocal. Sometimes, I kind of walk around and scope out the area while John is with the clients.

Well, when you see the slide show of their awesome engagement session, you will see the cool spot I found! Literally, it was perfect!!! It was snooping at its best. No other word can describe the location. Just wait :) But as I turned back to John and the awesome couple to tell them of the cool spot, I can't help but think, what the heck is he doing!!! I was laughing so hard from a distance...

You may not know this, but when John is in the zone, he is so in the zone!

Seriously, does he have to get that close? Isn't that why we have a 70-200? OH, but he gets even closer!

I finally have to walk up to them and get one up close, cause really, those shots didn't really show any justice of the yoga pose that was happening!!!

I was laughing so hard, I almost pee-ed my pants, and being pregnant, it was so possible too!!! This was rip your pants material!!!

I really can't wait for all of you to see the finished product! It was our very first early morning shoot, and is probably my favorite time of the day to shoot. It wasn't hot, not crowded, no sun beating down on us. I really enjoyed it!  I love you babe! hehe =)

 

Alright... So with the baby on the way, and maybe my hormones are playing tricks on me, but I have been really clingy to the husband. I have "wifey voice" which I totally try to not do... and have been totally realizing how God uses him as an instrument in my life. I am just so grateful for the sacrifices he has made for our family and the long hours he works... and I won't even mention how far his commute is... Anyway, today, I officially felt the baby kick on my lunch break at work and it made the baby so much more real. I'm starting to think I can't wait for this baby to come! Super scary thought, but so excited. We have been hanging out with our Godson and the family and he is such a handful, but I see how gentle John is with him, and i really can't wait to see him live in action being a Dad. I don't really know how to explain or descrigbe the joy I have felt. He is going to be such a great Dad...

Next week, we'll see who wins the gender battle in the family. Is it going to be (Boys) 2-1  or 1-2 (Girls) Stay tuned on more baby fun. Can't wait!