Richelle Dante Photography » Engagement

2011… Where Did You Go?

admin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:24:36 +0000

Seriously, where did this year go?? I feel like it went by even faster than last year. Actually I think it did, by a micro second or so after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It seems like this year was full of huge events that will be in future generations history books. From crazy weather, to international uprisings centered around social media to a war ending. I get AP news alerts on my iPhone and I don’t think I have ever gotten so many that made me say, “WOW”. Looking at my year, there were definitely some “news alert” moments. Organizing a trip to Haiti with multiple portrait projects had to have been the highlight of my year. A few years ago, I would have never pictured myself doing this. I guess once you see, you cannot forget. The more of the world I see, the more I want to do. It’s a dangerous but exciting cycle!

As for Richelle Dante Photography, this was by far the busiest year yet. If you follow me on Facebook, I’m sure you saw a bunch of status updates that had to do with me editing. I don’t think I have ever spent so much time behind a computer screen in my entire life! Luckily, I now have my assistant, Natalie, who helps with booking shoots and replying to emails in a timely manner. There were way too many emails I sent out this year that started with “sorry for the delay”. With a growing company, there have been lessons learned that will hopefully make 2012 even more successful!

I am so thankful for all my clients. Some have been coming to me for 3 or 4 years now and I have truly enjoyed watching their families grow! I seriously feel so blessed to get to work with such a nice group of people. You all make my job so much better and it makes all the hours I sit behind my computer worth it! I’m excited for next year… to continue seeing families grow and meeting new brides and grooms, and families.

For next year there will be a few new additions! DREAM sessions will be added (see my last post for more info). I’m so excited for these and for stretching my creativity even more. I’m also hoping to add more nationwide shoots… whether it is a wedding or a family/newborn shoot. I’ve had so many people say “if you were only closer”. Well, I love to travel and I love shooting in new places so I’m hoping I can make it happen in a way that is affordable for the client and me! There will also be more mini shoots, similar to the Santa shoot I recently did. Hopefully the first one will be in the Spring! To start off the new year, I will be heading to Cambodia and Vietnam. I’m looking forward for some downtime to think about the coming year. Details for the DREAM sessions and nationwide sessions will be announced in late January or February, depending on how bad my jet lag is.

Here is a recap of 2011. EVERY shoot from this year is in here including engagement, couple, weddings, weddings I second shot with friends, maternity, newborn, baby, family and my one senior. I hope you enjoy it! (PS, if I missed your shoot I didn’t mean to but I’m pretty sure every shoot is in here.)

Because I rarely post a photo of myself on here, this is the one I used for my Christmas card this year. If you didn’t get one, I only got about half of the cards out I was planning to send. Something else to work on for 2012. (Special thanks to Kim for the photo!)

DREAM Sessions :: Coming in 2012!

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:29:54 +0000

I’ve been dreaming of this idea since I started photography. I’ve never liked the ordinary and have always encouraged clients to go for something different. So, for 2012, I will be introducing DREAM sessions. It’s what I’ve dreamed of and I want it to be the session you’ve always dreamed you could have. Like when you see really cool styled shoots in magazines… that’s what I want your photos to look like! Why not? With the help of stylists, I will be offering these amazing shoots customized for you. It can be an engagement, baby or family shoot… really, any kind of shoot you can think of. I will still be offering regular shoots but if you want to go all out and have something that will make your friends jealous, you will want a DREAM session!

To give you an idea of what it could look like, here is a recent styled family shoot I did at the Salton Sea…

Scott & Cathy :: Irvine Engagement

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:06:15 +0000

Cathy and Scott are my first 2012 couple to have engagement photos done! They are both librarians so it only seemed appropriate to do part of their shoot at a library. They showed up looking so cute and we had a super fun time! They are so sweet together and made my job sooo easy! I seriously can’t wait for their wedding next August!

A few of their favorite things…

I kind of love these shots…

Cathy got the cutest banner of of Etsy!

After the library we headed to a pumpkin patch. I love how the pumpkins are actually growing from the ground. A rare find in California.

So sweet…

Fun with shadows…

My favorite…

How gorgeous is she?!?

Scott & Cathy :: Sneak Peek!

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:37:12 +0000

Normally I put sneak peeks on Facebook but I couldn’t choose just one to share so I’m using the blog!

Scott and Cathy are librarians so it was only appropriate to start at a library. After that, we headed to a very fun pumpkin patch!

Can you tell we are at a pumpkin patch?

More to come soon!

Kjartan & Gena :: Happiest Place on Earth

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:26:39 +0000

Kjartan and Gena were in town from Canada and wanted to do a fun shoot. Of course, we headed to the happiest place on earth. They are such a sweet couple and their love was SO easy to capture!

See what I mean!

My favorites…

Meet Natalie!

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:11:39 +0000

I’m so, so excited to announce the newest addition to Richelle Dante Photography! As my company continues to grow, I’m realizing I can’t do everything myself. I will admit, I’m kind of a control freak and this is why I only work with the best! Natalie is the perfect person to join the company! She will mainly be handling emails and scheduling so don’t be surprised if you hear from Natalie when scheduling a shoot. I will also be receiving your email but chances are, she will be the one getting back to you.

A little about Natalie… Besides working with me, she also works for one of the cutest little guys ever, her 5 month old son, Aiden! Don’t tell Natalie but I secretly hired her in hopes that she would bring Aiden with her and I would get to hold and cuddle him. Natalie has been a good friend throughout the years and I’ve enjoyed being a part of her wedding, amazing and miraculous pregnancy with Aiden and now working together. She is super sweet and already gets that I love using smilies way too much in emails (and blog posts). She has also had a couples, maternity, newborn and family shoot with me so she knows how it all works firsthand!

Natalie was so happy about the impromptu photo shoot yesterday.

She’s ready to answer your emails and she loves my first assistants, Sally and Trixie.

Natalie with her beautiful family!

Sam & Sarina :: Engaged!

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:09:06 +0000

Sam and Sarina’s wedding is coming up later this year and I’m so excited to shoot it… especially after hanging out with them for their engagement shoot and a delicious dinner afterwards! I loved hearing about how they met and how Sam proposed (the sweetest story ever)! Although I have known Sarina since we were younger, I had only met Sam and seen them as a couple at our first meeting. I love getting to know my wedding couples as much as possible before the wedding day. It makes shooting their wedding that much more special!

Here are some favorites from the day and be sure to go all the way to the bottom to see the fusion video they will be showing at the wedding!

Sarina’s make-up looked amazing!!!

This might be my favorite building ever…

Hotness…

A favorite (I have a ton from this shoot)

One of my favorites…

Love this alley!

Gorgeousness!

Love these last two we took when walking back to the car…

Sarina requested the song for the video and although I don’t love country, I kind of love this song!

2011 Holiday Mini Shoots

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:02:42 +0000

I’m so excited to announce this years holiday mini shoots on October 8th and 9th! October 8th will be at my favorite green spot in Irvine and the 9th will be at the Balboa Fun Zone. Both locations are awesome and you will be sure to get some great holiday photos! This year I am also offering exclusively designed holiday cards. The only place you will be able to get them is through Richelle Dante Photography! They are still in the works but check out the sneak peak below!

Please email me at richelle@richelledante.com, with the subject “mini shoots”, as soon as possible to book a slot. Make sure to include the time slot you would like and maybe a few other times that will work in case it is already taken. I have a feeling they will be going quickly!

Little sidenote: I had a few people interested in going to Oak Glen (apple country) for mini shoots. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know and if I have enough interest, I will add another mini shoot day (probably in mid September).

A sample of a few of the card designs and shapes! How fun are these?!?

Nick & Becky :: In Love {Mansfield, Ohio Photography}

admin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:00:41 +0000

I’ve been wanting to share this shoot for awhile and I’m so happy I’m finally able to! When I was back in Ohio I had the privilege of shooting Nick and Becky. I met them the day before their shoot and knew we would have a fun shoot. They have been married for seven years and have two adorable daughters. They decided for the seven year anniversary they would have photos done. Where they live, there are not a ton of photographers and definitely not a lot that shoot on location… the majority are studio photographers. So the norm for me is somewhat unusual in this area of Ohio.

Becky is from the city and Nick is from the country so we wanted to get a little of both in their photos. Downtown Mansfield was FULL of amazing places to shoot. I was giddy with excitement as I scouted out the area. And for the country, we headed to the woods… yes, the woods! They have woods in Ohio! For the Californians who are wondering what the big deal is about woods… well, there are lots and lots of tall skinny trees with amazing filtered light coming through. If you have seen any of the Twilight movies… picture that. Yep, amazing!!

We started in downtown and walked down alleys, in a deserted house that my cousin later told me was a crack house (but so cool!) and of course we had to find fire stairs. Here are some favorites…

This one was Nick’s idea. He figured we might as well do a stereotypical farmer pose. =)

This was a funny moment… as if you can’t tell. But for real it was. It was not one of the fake laugh moments. I don’t think there was a fake moment their entire shoot.

If I could just bring these locations to California…

Seeing a couple so in love after seven years and two kids is really an amazing thing to witness.

The crack house… haha. Actually there was some interesting graffiti inside. It’s a shame to see such a beautiful home so trashed but it worked really well for photos. =)

At some points during their shoot I felt like it was an engagement shoot. They are seriously SO in love with each other. I hope when I’m married, it looks like this.

This house was amazing! I would love to see it restored!

This spot looks like a movie set!

Next we headed out to Mohican State Park. It was a little bit of a drive so I carpooled with Nick and Becky since they knew the area better. As we were leaving downtown there was a really cool old building with small, square glass windows. Some were broken, some were boarded up. It was empty and looked like they were doing some construction. Nick saw this spot and says, “that looks like a spot you would want to shoot.” I laughed and said he’s getting my eye. He said something like, “I just look for anything old and kind of ugly”. =) Love it!

After driving for about an hour trying to find the area with the cool covered bridge we got to our second location. It was so worth the drive! We were running out of light so we had to shoot quickly. I wish we had a little more light coming through the trees but it was still SOOOO pretty!

Honestly, I could have shot them in front of a white backdrop the entire time and I still would have loved their photos. I barely had to pose them and basically said, “be lovey”. This is what I got…

And this…

The bridge!

As we were heading back I told them I really wanted to find a spot with the tall skinny trees. We saw this area and pulled over. It was pretty much dark at this point so they had to stay really still for me to get these shots. For the photographers reading this it was shot with my 50mm 1.2 at 4000 ISO, f/1.4, 1/60sec.

This is one of my favorites. It was even darker in the woods! This was shot at 5000 ISO, f/1.2, 1/30 sec. They were really good at staying really still!

Becky and Nick, I had so much fun with you guys! Your love was an amazing thing to see. It’s obvious the God is your foundation and the center of your relationship. I wish I lived closer so we could hang out and get lost in the woods more often. I hope I can get back to Ohio soon! Thank you again for doing a shoot. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my trip!

If you live in the Mansfield area and are interested in scheduling a shoot, please contact me! I have family in the area and can visit often!!

First Ever Contest!!

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:26:14 +0000

I’m so excited to be announcing my first Facebook contest after reaching 1000 “likers”! It is your chance to win a lifestyle session, valued at $400, or a 16×24 canvas wrap plus 20% off your next lifestyle session, valued at $300. The lifestlye session is available to new clients or those who have not had a shoot in the past 6 months. It is open for engagement, anytime, newborn, baby, maternity or family shoot for up to 6 people. The large canvas is available to any past clients. So here’s how it works:

Step One: If you don’t already like Richelle Dante Photography, click on the link and “like” my page. (This is not required but recommended so you can follow the contest.)

Step Two: Email a photo of whoever will be a part of the session and write a short description of why you want to win. If you are entering to win a canvas, email the photo you will want on your canvas. Email to richelle@richelledante.com. Your photo will then be loaded to the contest gallery on Richelle Dante Photography’s page, with your description as the caption.

Step Three: Get as many people as possible to “like” your photo. The photo with the most likes wins! Two winners will be chosen. One for the photo session and one for the canvas! The contest will end on July 7th, at midnight PST.

The Rules:
One entry per family. Clients who have had a session within the past sixth months are only eligible for the 16×24 canvas wrap and 20% off the next session. The contest will begin on Wednesday, June 22nd at 9pm PST but entries will be accepted until the last day. Contest ends July 7th at midnight PST. Photo session must be used within one year of July 7, 2011 and must take place within Orange County (there will be a travel fee for anywhere else in the world… yes, world) . The session is up to two hours long and includes a CD of high-res images along with a $50 print credit. The winners will be chosen by the total amount of “likes”, comments will not count.
Facebook is in no way involved or responsible for this contest. It is not sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Facebook. All information provided is going directly to Richelle Dante photography and not to Facebook.

A few sneak peeks of recent shoot that are yet to be blogged!