Chris & Kat were actually the first couple who’s engagement photos Dara & I shot together in 2006. That’s why it was so perfect that they were our very first couple to officially do a Beloved session.  Beloved is an experiential portrait session that focuses on the rediscovery of each other. It’s not so much a photoshoot, as it is a chance to truly see each other.

Our friend Jesh inspired us to start offering these type of sessions as a way to get outside of just engagement and weddings, and touch more of the world. Thanks Jesh – such a rad idea!

Behind the Scenes:

Here are some of our favorite photos of our daughter, Aliyah, that we’ve taken in the last 6 months.  Taking her picture always seems random, but when we run across them, it’s like “Woah, I’m so glad we took that one!” Most of these photos are from the trips we’ve taken this year so far: San Francisco, Montreal, Yosemite, and Toronto.  Enjoy!

You know, if I put on a good song and look back on these – it’s hard not to tear up :’)

This post reminds me of something that Gary Vaynerchuk said in one of his most recent talks (here)… He said something to the effect of: “The internet is still new, but it is here to stay. My great-grandkids are going to watch this video one day… You’re not just building a company or writing a blog… you are building your legacy.”

Craziness.  Let’s build legacies!

xo,

A&D

Recently, Sally C – a fellow photographer friend of ours over in Denver had this great idea to start booking portrait sessions to help the kids in Haiti. She has invited us and other photographers to join in on the cause and help out by donating our time and 100% of the proceeds to an organization in Kentucky that is committed to specifically helping the orphans in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect since Dara & I have been praying a lot lately about adoption. We really have the heart to adopt, but at this point, it feels so far away.  On top of that is our burden to help Haiti.  So, the idea of helping Haitian orphans by doing what we love… just feels so right.  Thanks Sally for the inspiration!

Help the kids in Haiti and get some photos: If you book a Lenses of Love session with us, we’ll have you write a check directly to them and we’ll donate our time and skills to get you some photos – what do you think? It’s a win-win all around! For details, scroll down…

Your Lenses of Love session will include:

Suggested donation to KAS: $400

Note: instead of collecting your check, we’ll be asking for proof of your donation.

We have limited spots open before wedding season starts, so book your session today.  Tell your friends and family – spread the love! For more info on the movement: www.lensesoflove.org

xo,

Austin & Dara

The day after Jeff & Rita’s wedding, we decided to test out our new water housing.  We only had about 1/2 hour of light, but we managed to snap a few keepers

As you may or may not know, there are a lot of places to go shooting here in Santa Barbara.  Since a lot of couples come to Santa Barbara for destination weddings, we thought it might be helpful to give a little preview of what some of these locations look like.

There is just something about trees that relates to love – do you know what I’m talking about?  The roots, the branches, the fruit, the character and personality of each tree… Trees just have so much life in them.  Whatever it is, we are definitely drawn to shoot near them.

So for Part 1 of Santa Barbara photo locations, here we go… Portrait in the trees.

Scott & Brittney were in Santa Barbara a day before their wedding and happened to be getting ready at our favorite salon (right down the street from our house!  So naturally we had to take some bonus pre-wedding pics!  Justine at the Underground did Brittney’s hair and make up and did a great job.  Here are some pics to warm you up for their wedding slideshow coming soon!

This is the moment where Brittney first saw her hair!

In celebration of their tenth year of marriage, the four of us went out to take some photos. Ryan & Natalie came down to Santa Barbara to relax and hang out with some friends. Our photo shoot was a perfect end to their mini vacation.

Check the slide show action:

I was just telling Dara that even though we’ve got SOOO many engagements and weddings to blog about (going back about 6 months), all I want to do is post the random photos we’ve been taking in between.  Yes, all those client photos are done – but narrowing them down for a blog entry is somehow such a mighty task!  We’ve got to start doing that while editing them…

So, in the spirit of posting whatever I feel like (haHA!), here are a few photos I took the other night of my homie Roy on the drums: