Richelle Dante Photography

Brielle :: Newborn

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:33:57 +0000

I can’t think of a better way to end the week then to share adorable Brielle! I first met her family when big sis, Ava, was born. Just like her sister, Brielle slept through her entire shoot! This made it so much easier to change up the looks and get more peaceful photos! Ava did not sleep this time but had fun running around the loft and taking a few photos with her sis.

Some favorites…

I’m so in love with this little hat! I found it at Forever 21 awhile ago and have been waiting to use it!

Smiles!

I love doing sibling shots with newborns. It’s always so fun to see how the new big sister or brother reacts!

Love this one…

Love the spring feel of this one…

It doesn’t get more princess-ish than this!

Such a sweet family! Looking forward to the next shoot!

Helping Cambodia :: I Need Your Help!

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:22:17 +0000

If you follow my blog, you probably know that I love to travel and I travel as often as I possibly can. As I’m packing for a trip on Thursday to visit my friend, Katie, in Fargo and see family (and meet my new little cousin) in Ohio, I’m realizing how quickly my trip to Cambodia and China will be here! Cambodia is one of my favorite countries in the world. I can’t explain why… the best way to figure it out is to go there. Every person I know that has been there has fallen in love with the country and the people. Their recent history is atrosious and something that isn’t well known in the US. Millions of people died in a horrific genocide in the 70′s and yet the spirit of the people is welcoming and peaceful. I’m reading a book called Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land by Joel Brinkly. If you have even the slightest interest in world history, especially recent history, I highly recommend it. There is a quote in the book from Joseph Mussomeli who was the US ammbassoder to Cambodia and he says, “Be carfeul because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart.” I can say, after being there twice, visiting a torture prison, killing field and reading this book my heart is broken. The good thing is that when my heart breaks I want to do something!

My friend Denise and I were in Cambodia in January and really wanted to volunteer and do something while we were there. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get anything together in time. Three days after we returned, Denise’s friend told her about an awesome organization called Safe Haven. Their mission is to provide a safe environment for children with disabilities and medical issues, allowing them the opportunity to have access to the therapeutic and medical resources that they need in order to reach their full potential and their highest level of personal independence. One thing I love is that they go to the villages… the children are not taken from their families. The families are actually educated about the problems their child has. They are given water filters and vitamins for the whole family along with other support needed.

Heather, the founder, happens to live in LA when she isn’t in Cambodia so we were able to meet up with her here! After hearing her heart and the goals of their program, we were SO excited to do anything we can. Since neither one of us have a medical background, the most help we can be is to bring highly needed supplies. So of course, if you know Denise or me, we don’t like to do things small. Yes, I could take a bottle of vitamins and make a small difference but what if I could bring an entire checked bagged of vitamins? How amazing would that be! Of course, I need help to do this. If you feel it in your heart to help, please contact me at richelle@richelledante.com and I can pick up your donation. If you are not local, you can always donate directly to Safe Haven. They have many different options for donating. If you cannot finacially help, please keep them in your prayers and feel free to follow their Facebook page to stay updated.

To see their wish list you can go HERE. Right now Flintstone vitamins with iron (they have to have extra iron!) are on sale at Coctso until May 27th! This might be a good option if you want to help but are on a tight budget.

Heather was kind enough to let me share a few photos she recently took at a village:

Heather walks with 6 year old, Chhitt
To hear more about Chhitt and his brother’s story go HERE.

Pheakdey, Safe Haven’s physical therapist, checks Kea’s braces

To see more photos, check out their Facebook page.

Lindsey & Jason :: Newport Beach Engagement

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:10:06 +0000

I figured I should blog Lindsey and Jason’s engagement session since their wedding is in a few weeks! They are getting married at the same place my brother had his wedding and I can’t wait to shoot there again. Hopefully this time it won’t rain!

We headed to the beach for their engagement shoot because Jason grew up around the beach and it fit them well! I had a blast on this shoot! There was so much laughing and fun I would sometimes forget I was the photographer and just felt like I was hanging out with friends. Actually, I’ve felt this way about all of my couples this year… it’s going to be a good wedding season!!

Steve & Teah :: Fullerton Engagement

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:18:38 +0000

Teah and Steve’s wedding is coming up this summer so I figured I should blog their engagement shoot before then. They had a great idea to shoot on a football field so we were lucky enough to get in at a gorgeous field in Fullerton. The gates are normally shut but we happened to arrive when a maintenance man was there and he was nice enough to wait around while we took some photos. It was such a fun shoot and I enjoyed getting to know Teah and Steve better (my favorite part of engagement shoots). Their wedding is going to be super fun!

Justin & Jodie :: Laguna Beach Engagement

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:04:16 +0000

I’ve been a hot and cold blogger lately. It seems like when I am on a role I post a lot but then there can be dry spells. I have so much to share so this week my plan is to get caught up on some recent engagement shoots. I’ve gotten to work with some of the coolest couples and it makes me sad that I haven’t shared them with everyone! So, to start off the week, meet Justin and Jodie. We headed to the beautiful trails in Laguna and then down to the beach. There was a lot of laughing at their shoot and I’m hoping they had as much fun as I did.

Here are some favorites…

Isla Turns One!

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:23:48 +0000

I first met Isla when she was 6 weeks old and now she is already one! Isla and her parents recently moved out of state and I was kind of bummed because I didn’t know if I would get to do another shoot with them. Between Isla’s adorable smile and her parents being super sweet they are dream clients and I love working with them! Right before Easter, they were coming to town for a few days. Luckily we were able to find time and do her one year shoot! I’m so glad it worked out and hopefully I can head there way for the next shoot!

Isla’s first shoot at 6 weeks…

So grown up!

Such a happy baby!

The dimples… omg, so cute!

Giving a little attitude.

Something was obviously very funny!

She loves her mom and dad!

The balloon was fun to play with…

Isla wants everyone to know she is one…

Her first cupcake! She wasn’t sure about it and we learned that she does not like sprinkles.

Isla was very sad that her shoot was over. (obviously!)

On a different note, I will be doing Mother’s Day mini shoots on May 6th! Check out the blog post below for more info!

Mommy and Me Mini Shoot!

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:24:47 +0000

The mini shoots have been a hit so I decided to do another one for Mother’s Day! It will be a little different than last time. This one will be outside and a longer shoot. I’m excited to capture some real moments between moms and their kids. I want these to be photos you look back at in 15 years and they bring back the memories and feelings you had when your child was little. Yes, you’ll get some nice smiling at the camera ones but the goal is to see real emotion and love in these photos! Sign up fast… the last mini shoots sold out!

Emma :: Orange County Newborn Photography

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:20:15 +0000

A perfect way to end the week! Little Emma has a way of bringing a smile to your face. Such a sweet little one and I love that she let her mom and I change her look so many times.

Kennedy :: Six Months!

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:05:47 +0000

I first met Kennedy when she was a week old, since then I’ve gotten to see her at the Santa shoot and the Spring Shoot. Last week, we headed to Oak Glen for her six month shoot. We were hoping for gorgeous blooming apple trees but we were a little early in the season. I still love the look we got with the few blooms that were there and the fog rolling in for some shots. It reminded me of China for some reason.

This was Kennedy’s last shoot with me here in California for awhile since they will be moving to Hawaii. I’m hoping to make it out there at some point for another shoot. So, if you are in Hawaii and would possibly want a shoot with me, let me know so I can coordinate dates!

Amanda, Kennedy’s mom, had the cutest outfits for her! She requested the vintage stroller I just bought and had a perfect little dress to match it! Here are some favorites…

Love spit bubbles…

Kennedy’s glare here had me scared… I think she needed a break at this point.

Tanner & Lindsay :: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Wedding

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:00:59 +0000

Last year, I headed to Fargo, North Dakota to hang out with my friend Katie (Katie Lewis Photography) and shoot a gorgeous wedding with her in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. It was fun to shoot a wedding in another area of the country. Although, it was pretty much the same, there were a few differences. For one, the party trolley. I guess this is pretty standard in Katie’s area but I haven’t had one wedding with a party trolley here.

Tanner and Lindsay are a good looking couple to say the least and beyond that they were super sweet and welcoming to the second shooter from California. I had a ton of fun shooting their wedding with Katie… and I might have had a little too much fun with their photobooth. hehe

Ok, enough talking, lets get to this gorgeous wedding…

LOVE her Monique Lhuilier gown!

The detail on the dress was gorgeous!

While Katie was with the girls, I headed over to the lake house to hang out with the guys…

There were so many cute details, I felt like we needed another day to shoot them all.

These were so perfect with the wedding location and vintage feel.

Such a cutie! I think she was excited to be the flower girl.

Ceremony time!

So pretty with the big trees, the alter made out of tree branches and the lake behind them.

Rose petals at the end were perfect!

The guys set off fireworks after the ceremony. This was a first for me.

The light was perfect for portraits and Katie picked a perfect spot!

Lindsay looked stunning. Her dress was absolutely perfect for her!

My favorite…

Kind of love this one too…

Self explanatory.

SO many cute details! This doesn’t even show half of it.

I love this idea!

Love peonies!

The cake kind of looks like her dress… I’m wondering if that was planned.

The flowers over the dance floor were so cool!

For some reason, this area at night reminded me of DIrty Dancing…

Hottest first dance pic ever!

They threw an awesome party! If the band wasn’t based in Fargo, I would want them at every wedding I shot! I’ve never seen so many people having so much fun on the dance floor!

One of the many spectacular photo booth photos of Katie and me.