The One with the Upcoming Changes

I have been working on several projects these past couple of months and am planning to unveil them early 2009. I'm really excited about it and can't believe it's even possible for me at this point.

Make sure to come back and visit often!

The One with December Nights

Adam and I are celebrating our first Christmas as husband and wife. To say that I have dreamt of this day is an understatement. I would consider myself a pretty traditional person, so to be able to create new traditions with my husband that I hope to pass on to our future children and family is absolutely a treat for me.

After almost 10 years, I think it's safe to call myself a "San Diegan." I definitely relate more San Diego than I do L.A. life now. One of things that I wanted to incorporate into our newly-forming Christmas traditions was going to December Nights at Balboa Park. I've only been once before and really wanted to see more of it this year.

With a scarf, down vest, and jackets in preparation of a COOL San Diego night (y'know, below the 60s), Adam and I ventured out to brace ourselves for the huge crowds. It ended up be a really warm night and we just carried all our warm clothing the whole night.


(A MCP MagicBlogItBoard made by using MCP Actions from www.mcpactions.com)

Adam and I had a really lovely time. We realized that we aren't really "large crowds" kind of people since we're not naturally aggressive enough to push ourselves through the crowds. We enjoyed several of the museums and sharing some kettle corn though. We also had a great time perusing all the different foods at the International Cottages. We ended up splitting a sausage roll from the Czech & Slovakia booth. Super yummy.



All in all, it was a great start to one of our hopefully many Christmas traditions.


We even wore red and green to be more festive. How cute and cheesy are we?! :)

The One with how Giving is Awesome

I saw this on Melissa Koehler's blog and learned about this nationwide photography giveaway movement called "Giving is Awesome." When I look back at 2008 and reflect upon how much God has blessed me with this year, not only with the beginnings of my photography business, but everything else... I cannot help but feel like I need to give back somehow. So here it goes!

As written by Kristen Kalp:

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary photography -- $300 worth, to be exact. Whether it's a portrait session, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $100 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in San Diego, CA. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : jasmine.marie@mac.com.

The winner will be announced on New Years Eve -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Jasmine Marie

(Photo taken at December Nights)

The One with Heidi and Scott's Family

Heidi and Scott came down from Orange County for a family shoot here in Coronado. You could tell how much love filled this family because of all the little intimate moments throughout the shoot. It was really a blessing for Adam and I to be able to spend some time with them. I had so many favorite shots, it was really hard to narrow it down.

Max and Merrick were absolutely adorable. I am such a sucker for baby blue eyes. Put a beautiful baby with bright blue eyes in front of me and I will probably do ANYTHING you ask me to. These two boys just made my heart gush.

When I asked Heidi about her two sons and she answered that they love things all boy - cars, trucks, mud.. I knew I was in for a really fun day. Wanna run around in the grass? Oh yeah. How about in the sand? Yup! Let's try to get sand in all our crevices!!! Woo hoo! Max loved the helicopters, sirens, running fast, ducks in the water, chasing the seagulls, picking up seashells, and so much more. They were such a delight to shoot. You could tell that these boys were home at the beach and just loved playing in the sand. I wonder what would happen if we had let them loose in the water? :)

We walked around the ferry landing and then headed down to the beach by the Hotel Del Coronado. The day was absolutely perfect and we were thankful that God kept the fog at bay until the shoot was over.


Beautiful San Diego skyline.




My favorite kid photo. EVER. Love it.


Love this father and son moment.


Merrick looking over the bay.


Max intrigued by the ducks in the water.




Could this get any more perfect?!




Max picked a flower and then presented it to his mom. Is that sweet?!




Handful of sand? Hmm... how did it get onto my pants?






The family, pre-sand.








And not only were they cute, they were so well-dressed! Look at these All-Stars! Did you know they made them so small?








My favorite shot of Scott and Merrick. Just love the emotion in it.


Flying baby!




TOUCHDOWN!




You looking at me?!


Say cheeeeeese!













Heidi and Scott, your family is so amazing. Max and Merrick are such beautiful boys! Thanks for sharing an afternoon with us! I hope that you two have a fabulous run at the Turkey Trot and and a joyful Thanksgiving!

Special thanks to Ann Pasquini for referring me!

The One with Chris & Clay's Family

Chris is one of those guys that you just love working with because no matter what is going on, he never fails to give you a genuine hello and smile. Even when everything around us seems chaotic and out of control, Chris is calm and collected. Being someone that wears my emotions so close to the surface, I deeply admire Chris' ability to not let petty things get the best of you. So when he asked him to help get some family shots of him and his family, I was more than happy to somehow give a little back to someone that pours out compassion and kindness each day.

We headed out to Mountain Hawk Park in Chula Vista. What a beautiful park. It overlooks Otay Lakes and has rolling hills in the background. We had a great time rolling around in the grass and playground. It was such a treat to spend time with Chris, Clay and Tanner. Tanner was such a trooper throughout the whole shoot!






Tanner did such a good job of wrestling Chris to the floor!




Tanner on the go!












I loved this series of photos of Tanner up on the shoulders!








Easily my favorite shot of the day.


Wasn't he just delightfully handsome?












Chris, Clay and Tanner... Adam and I were truly honored to be able to spend some time with you to capture some photos. Thanks for having us!