no tricks or treats

"i work hard for my money"

Due to oodles and oodles of work this week, (and month and year), I sadly cannot participate in this year's Halloween festivities. It is a holiday I am willing to forgo in lieu of bigger and better treats down the road =). I am also currently working in the city of Chicago where as lovely as it is, it is also very chilly and windy (especially to a SoCal girl like myself) and therefore, leaves me lil' options for cute costumes =). So for today, I only have pictures and fond memories of last year's trick n' treating in WeHo. Unfortunately, I have no candy left from last year =(. If you like to send me some in Chicago, my faves are Snickers and Reese Pieces/Cups. Thanks.

Yes I was Supergirl (with Sailorgirl and Wonderwoman) - we were a year younger and so ready to save the world. This year I rather be saved =).

heidi & warren: engagement

"a perfect match"

It was only fitting that I shot Heidi & Warren’s engagement session in Corona Del Mar, CA. It was at Inspiration Point in Corona Del Mar 2 years earlier where Heidi & Warren shared their first date together. They talked for hours on the beach and after such a memorable first date with Warren, Heidi told herself that there was something special about this guy. She felt that this could be the kind of guy she had been looking for – a genuinely “nice guy”. And that’s exactly the kind of guy Warren is. You can just tell how much he cares for Heidi – little gestures like constantly caressing her hair or kissing her forehead were present throughout the shoot. But, it’s the way he makes Heidi laugh and smile that is truly genuine and special. You can just feel the mutual love and respect they have for one another. It’s no doubt that Heidi & Warren make a perfect match =).

Here are some of my favorites from our session:

Introducing the couple-of-the-moment…

who are obviously very in love…


…in beautiful Corona del Mar:

Warren gave Heidi this beautiful sapphire engagement ring that was once his grandmother’s (also check out Warren's Heineken cufflinks):

Look how happy she is here… =)

…and here:

These two were so playful and up for anything!

Even drawing in the sand:

Their journey continues for Heidi & Warren...they're getting married in August 2008!

To see more of Heidi & Warren's engagement photos, check out the SLIDESHOW!

UCLA vs. CAL

"soulja boys"

We are Sons of Westwood,
And we hail the Blue and Gold;
True to thee our hearts will be,
Our love will not grow old.
Bruins roam the hills of Westwood,
By the blue Pacific shore;
And when they chance to see a man from USC,
Ev’ry Bruin starts to roar.

U! (3 claps)
C! (3 claps)
L! (3 claps)
A! (3 claps)

U-C-L-A! Fight! Fight! Fight!

This past Saturday, I and 80,000 other fans witnessed a thrilling upset as our beloved Bruins defeated the Cal Bears at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. It was the perfect afternoon in beautiful Southern California: great seats, warm weather, yummy frozen lemonade, non-stop action and oh yeah, our Bruins were victorious!!! Maybe people will start talking about us again, you know instead of that other college team in Los Angeles that we beat last year. Get off the bandwagon people! =)

Oh yeah, oh yeah - the final score:

jennifer & ruben: wedding

"a sorta fairytale"

The garden terrace of the Hilton Hotel in San Gabriel, CA had been transformed on October 14, 2007 into exactly how Jennifer always dreamed her wedding day would look. There was a beautiful white gazebo set as the centerpiece for this grand event, with 100 chairs of pink and white lined up and a quiet fountain brought a sweet serenity to the afternoon ceremony. Aside from all the charming details, it had the essence of what makes a traditional Chinese wedding so special: family, family and more family! Family was all present throughout the terrace, grinning ear-to-ear and ringing with sounds of happiness and laughter. Jennifer & Ruben were exactly the same way - they had not stopped smiling since the moment they woke up on this blessed day. (I’m also convinced Jennifer was born with a mega-watt smile on her face =)). It was the day they had both been waiting for – the day their fairytale was brought to life. Jennifer & Ruben - thank you for letting me be a part of such a special day!

Here’s a recap of the magical afternoon:

The enchanting elements:



The father walking his beautiful daughter down the aisle:

The scene:



Some more charming details:


Jennifer and her endless glow:

The tea-ceremony done a lil’ non-traditionally =):

ms. jackie

"this is why she’s hot"

I had the pleasure of shooting a boudoir session for my dear friend Jackie. Thanks Jackie for letting me capture your hotness. =)

To see more samples from this session or schedule your own private boudoir session, contact me at kimlephotography@gmail.com . Sessions start at $200 and includes an album - a great gift for yourself or your significant other! =)

Remember, don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a “perfect” body. Boudoir photos are about you and being comfortable in your body. As a photographer, I will emphasize your assets (no pun intended =)) and minimize the less than “perfect”. And you don’t have to be nude or even in lingerie. You can wear whatever you are comfortable in and whatever makes you feel sexy! FYI, photos from our sessions will not be posted on my blog or website without your permission. (Thanks Jacks for your permission! =))

my weekend getaway

"la isla bonita"

This past weekend, I got to enjoy a relaxing mini-vacation with two of my bestest friends in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We stayed at the El Conquistador Resort in the city of Fajardo. The resort was so huge that we had to take this tram from one end of the resort to the other. The resort had a casino and it's own private island. We made the most of our weekend getaway by taking in as much as we could of Puerto Rico: relaxing at the island of Palomino, getting a much needed massage at the Golden Door spa, night kayaking and swimming in the bioluminescent lagoon, sleeping with the sounds of coquis, renting a car and getting lost – hahah, drinking pina coladas but not quite dancing in the sporadic rain, and taking a day trip to Old San Juan where we ate mofongo and took many, many pictures of the historic sites. All in all, this weekend getaway was exactly what I needed after a very busy summer!

The amazing view from our hotel room:

Our ultra-cute hotel room:

La isla Palomino:

Old San Juan was quite a scene, as every street was filled with colorful houses and buildings.

Me working it in the alleyways of San Juan…lol…

I made this collage of all the fabulous doors and colorful scenery:

We visited the El Morro castle, which had one of the longest stretches of green grass I ever seen. I swear they filmed Braveheart here =).

jason & tereza: wedding

"simple twist of fate"

I was more than thrilled when I received the opportunity to shoot with one of Denver’s finest, James Christianson for Jason & Tereza’s wedding in beautiful Manhattan Beach, CA on September 22, 2007. James is a pleasure to work with and displays the utmost in professionalism.

In his heart-moving speech, Jason called his meeting of Tereza during Oktoberfest in Manhattan Beach a few years ago "an act of faith". It would be years later that Jason & Tereza would became and husban-and-wife in front of 150 family and friends, all of which who could not be happier to witness this fateful union. The father-of-the-bride and the father-of-the-groom both spoke such tender words about their children that I nearly cried while working my Canon. Luckily I held it together and was able to capture some of these highlights of this memorable day:

Such as this moment of tenderness between the bride & groom:

The scene:



And the stunning details:



The ring bearer - he's such a cutie!


Jason & Tereza had a great idea of having a photobooth where guests could take pictures of themselves and use the pictures to write a special message to the couple:

At the urge of Jason & Tereza, I took a quick break from shooting and joined in on the fun (yes that's me!):


And the finale:

astrid & justin: part II

"one more try"

I was more than happy to do a second shoot with Astrid & Justin. They are such a lovely couple and sooo easy to work with. My favorite part of the session was when I asked them what they had spots they wanted to shoot at next and Justin was like “Hey you two ladies are in charge – I just do whatever you tell me to do.” Astrid – he’s definitely a keeper!!! =) In all seriousness, Justin is such a gentleman and it is obvious how in love he is with Astrid (and vice-versa of course)! We did a variety of shots, including some around rocky areas, and Justin was always there to hold her hand and make sure his future wife was safe, especially from giant waves =).

We had so many great images from the session, but here are the stand-outs:

Told ya he loves her!

And she loves him too!

The signature “prom” pose =)

I just love this candid shot.

The camera sure does love them!

I guess white men can jump! Haha…just kidding Justin! =)

And they can dance too! Kidding again! =)

With the sun about to set...

Now back to kissing…

And more kissing...

And finally kissing with the beautiful Laguna Beach sunset in the background: