marisa holmes photography blog

Sun - August 10, 2008

JUST A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK

I just shot two beautiful weddings this weekend and I couldn't resist posting a sneak peek photo from each! Both photos we taken at sunset in amazing light and everyone looks fabulous! No need for photoshop here folks, they are all natural!

Stayed tuned for the rest of their photos coming soon...

Posted at 09:00 AM

Fri - August 8, 2008

ENGAGEMENT SESSION AT CAMP

When I was chatting with Julie on the phone she mentioned she wanted to go somewhere urban and fun for their engagement session. Since they live in Costa Mesa I mentioned my recent shoot at The LAB and she was on the fence about it. She told me about CAMP, their sister location across the street, but I wasn't too sure about that. I told her to trust me, it would be perfect. Well, I got to The LAB a little early so I decided to hop across the street to the CAMP side....and to my amazement it was FANTASTIC! I don't know why I hadn't checked it out before. There were so many great colors, backgrounds, and textures it was so fun to play with! I immediately called Julie on the phone and told her she was right about CAMP and that they should come meet me there instead. We had such a great time shooting there it is now going on my preferred location list! I guess the motto "the client is always right" is spoken from great knowledge. Thanks guys for the tip, I can't wait for your upcoming wedding!

Posted at 09:32 AM

Thu - August 7, 2008

SPECTACULAR LA JOLLA WEDDING

Wooo Hooo! It's about time for another fabulous wedding feature! This wedding was very special for me because the bride is a dear friend of my Sister and I got to spend the day with her and all of their friends. The setting was absolutely beautiful and intimate at the La Jolla Women's Club down in San Diego, and Charlene, the bride did an amazing job designing and decorating the ceremony site and ballroom. She is very talented and has a successful jewelry business called Leila Jewelry, which by the way I am in absolute love over! She sent me a catalog to chose from and I haven't yet picked what I want because I can't narrow it down! Everything is fantastic! Check out Charlene and Shahriar's wedding and then be sure to check out their website and all of the gorgeous jewelry when you are done. Oh, and by the way, she designed ALL her and her bridesmaids jewelry for the wedding, how cool is that!

Posted at 04:37 PM

Thu - July 24, 2008

LAGUNA BEACH ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Here is another fabulous engagement session with a bride and groom who's wedding is just around the corner! They were a ton of fun to shoot and hangout with in Laguna Beach. We even grabbed some yummy sushi (one of my favorites) after!

We started taking photos around the village and shops and then headed down to the beach for a few more as the sun was going down. When we got to the sand I mentioned how fun it would be to jump on one of the lifeguard stations. Then they told me that's how they met! I paused and asked them why they never mentioned that before when they knew we were shooting at the beach. It's those little details I love to get from clients to make their pictures special and really represent them, their lifestyle and their relationship. I definitely knew I needed to incorporate it in their shoot, and then wondered what else aren't my clients mentioning to me when I ask them. So.... if you are one of my clients PLEASE fill me in on all the little details, I promise it will make your photo shoot soooo much more personal and reflect who you are.

Posted at 06:44 PM

Fri - July 18, 2008

It's about time to see some new photos right???

Get ready this post is packed full of fun, awesome, beautiful, just really cool pictures! It features an amazing couple and their adorable puppy that has been such a joy to work with. We shot their engagement session at The LAB in Costa Mesa and had a blast. I can't wait for their wedding in Laguna Beach at the Surf & Sand Resort on 8.8.08! It's just the most popular day this year for weddings and I can't wait to spend it at the beach! Surf's up!

Posted at 08:12 AM

Tue - July 15, 2008

SLEEPING ON THE JOB

OK.... It's been awhile since I have blogged. I haven't been sleeping on the job, I have been shooting a ton, working on my new look, and moving into an awesome new house! I can't wait to start sharing with you all of my hard work over the next few months. Until then check out some great shots that Fred Egan did of me when he was in town a couple weeks ago. I love this one, it really depicts my lazy blogging skills which I have mastered oh so well. Thanks Fred!

Posted at 11:59 AM

Thu - June 12, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS MAGAZINE LAUNCH

I'm starting to get real busy shooting and I'm having a hard time keeping up with everything on my blog. Last week I went up to Two Rodeo in Beverly Hills to take photographs for Los Angeles Magazine and their launch of their newest addition Beverly Hills Magazine. The launch was a huge success and everyone had a fabulous time. Here are just a few photos from the event.

Posted at 08:08 AM

Wed - June 11, 2008

A FABULOUS INDIAN WEDDING

I am so excited to share Mrs. & Mr. Jasmine's wedding from the Wedding Bee that was held at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday. I gave you a little sneak peek a few days ago, but here are all the juicy details...

As I am sure you guessed by the photos of their stunning shoes and henna art they had an amazing Indian wedding infused with Western customs. It was very refreshing and exciting to be a part of a wedding with such unique traditions and fabulous flare. Angel Swanson from Events of Love & Splendor was a doll to work with and did an amazing job organizing their wonderful wedding. Mrs. Jasmine of course was absolutely stunning in her lengha, and Mr. Jasmine was all decked out in a custom sherwani and swanky mojari shoes (which were later stolen by Mrs. Jasmine's bridesmaids and held for ransom). It was a fun celebration of love and life with two very special people! Thanks so much for inviting me into your celebration, I had a wonderful time capturing your moments of joy!

Posted at 12:48 PM

Mon - June 9, 2008

STRAWBERRY FARMS WEDDING

Last weekend I photographed a fabulous wedding at Strawberry Farms Golf Course in Irvine. The couple was so relaxed and ready to have a great time that it made my job super easy! It also helped that I photographed the Bride's Sister's wedding back in 2006 with Becker and had a blast then too. All the details were put together by the couple's close and talented friends: Wendy from Fleur Fillies created the beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets, Emily and Rochelle from Wiley Valentine designed the paper goods, and April from Modern Gourmet put together an amazing desert bar. All in all it was an amazing day with an amazing couple!

Posted at 08:19 PM

Sun - June 8, 2008

SNEAK PEEK

Here is a little sneak peek from Miss & Mr. Jasmine's wedding up in Los Angeles yesterday. Miss Jasmine, or should I say Mrs. Jasmine now, is a guest blogger from the fabulous Wedding Bee and she is just the cutest thing ever! I knew she would be excited to see their photos right away, but I have not had a day off in over two weeks and I am taking this sunny Sunday to go and play. I love you girl, but you will have to wait a few more day to see the rest!

Posted at 11:48 AM

Fri - June 6, 2008

I'M FEATURED ON RITZY BEE!

Maria Cooke, an amazing and talented event planner on the east coast has featured me on her wonderful Ritzy Bee Blog! Her blog is a fantastic resource for event and party planning as well as all things wedding related. She gives tips and advice on everything from paper goods, decor, food & drink, to fabulous photographers like me! Check out the wonderful piece she wrote about me and my photography by clicking here and then browse the rest of her blog for some great ideas! Thanks Maria!

Posted at 11:29 AM

Wed - June 4, 2008

AWESOME BEACH FRONT ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Here we go....engagement session number two for the week! Ashley & Ben were a ton of fun to work with. They were naturals in front of the camera and all about having a good time and capturing some great images. My main goal when I shoot engagement sessions is to have my couples get to know me and my shooting style so they can be star models on their wedding day. I show up like an old friend with a fancy camera to their wedding capturing their amazing memories with no worries from the Bride and Groom. Anyways, check out their great engagement images. They were all about the kissing shots, I literally had to tear them apart! They would haven been perfect for a Big Red gum commercial!

Posted at 08:27 PM

Mon - June 2, 2008

ENGAGEMENT SESSION AT THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

Wow, it's been non-stop shooting for the last four days! A wedding, two engagement sessions, and a commercial shoot. I am going to try to blog it all before I have to do it all over again this next weekend. Here is the first of the shoots...

This fabulous couple put a new twist on the engagement session for me because it ended up being a pre-wedding portrait shoot. They are having a traditional Vietnamese wedding and it is custom to have portraits of the Bride and Groom in their wedding attire showcased at the wedding. Since they were going to have three different elaborate outfit changes I knew I had to take them to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles to take photographs. The concert hall has such a glamourous feel with its sleek lines and beautiful light that reflects off the buildings and sweeps around the curves I just knew it going to be the perfect backdrop for their amazing traditional ao dai outfits, wedding gown and tux.

Posted at 09:33 PM

Wed - May 28, 2008

DOWN ON THE FARM

The other week I took off on a little adventure with my Sister and my Dad to Louisville Kentucky. You may be asking yourself why did Marisa go to Kentucky on vacation? Well, my heart belongs in Kentucky because I was born in Louisville in 1977, left shortly after in 1981 and haven't been back since. I am the odd ball out in my family since everyone else was born in California but me. I was raised in California for the majority of my life, so I consider myself a true So Cal girl, but my heritage with Kentucky explains my tendencies to wear cowboy boots and my collection of vintage belt buckles.

My Sister for my 30th Birthday got us tickets to go back, visit and relive all of our memories, and now since my Dad has retired it was perfect for him to come along with us and explore our old home town. We had quite an adventure and were lost more than we were found, but if I have to be lost somewhere, the roads in Kentucky are beautiful and I could drive in circles all day long admiring the views, and well... we actually we did.

The weather proved to be a little difficult with scattered thunderstorms, rain, thick clouds, and sudden breaks of sun. I took a lot of photos, but also was just caught with my mouth open enjoying myself and not always looking through the lens. I don't think I have ever seen that much green in my life! It was so vast and beautiful it couldn't be contained in a photograph. I did my best, but man, I really needed a super wide angle lens to get all the beauty in.

Here is the first look at some of my photos from my trip. These were taken at our good friends farm, as well as their neighbors farm and livestock. My family has know them since the 70's and have always looked at their 55+ acre farm they built in 1980 as a retreat. The peace and quite on the farm, and the simple beauty is simply amazing!

Posted at 04:17 PM

Tue - May 27, 2008

SUNNY SUNDAY ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Before I headed off for my trip the other week I spent a sunny afternoon with another great couple. I was so excited for the shoot because I just purchased the Canon 50mm 1.2 lens the day before and it was the first time I got to use it with clients! I instantly feel in love and didn't use any other lens for the entire shoot! We had such a great time playing at Los Rios where we found a tractor to play on, a cat to play with, and a dark bar to test out the 1.2 in action afterwards. Enjoy their pictures and check back in July for their wedding!