It took several months of emailing for Linh+Celso to finally meet one another.  It started as what Linh thought was a networking opportunity, but turned slowly, rightfully, into true love.  It’s the way they talk, not just to each other, but about one another, that makes people like us who have only been around them for a short amount of time, know that they will make it as a couple.

Linh is the organized planner and Celso is a fabulous artist in his own way.  Together, they are planning for one of the year’s greatest weddings.  Linh+Celso are both connected with their heritage, and want to respectfully honor their culture on their wedding day.  They also both have families from all around the US and the world coming to their special day.  It will be a day filled with tradition, reunion, and celebration.

We cannot wait for their wedding, but in the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek of their engagement session below.

Play the slideshow below for more of Linh+Celso.  If you are on an iPhone or an iPhone, click HERE.

Jean and I have been friends since high school.  And I’ve said this before, but I don’t remember ever meeting her.  And she doesn’t remember meeting me either.  In our memories, we were just in each others’ lives since around 1995 or so.  In high school, I was not one of the popular ones.  I had a little bit more than a handful of good girl friends I talked on the phone with and wrote notes to.  Those friendships lasted through college and to this day, we’re just as close as we’ve ever been.

Jean and I literally chat every single day.  If a day goes by without chatting with her, it feels like something’s misaligned.  I was in her wedding when she married her high school sweetheart, Jun, and she was my maid of honor when Chris and I got hitched.  A friendship like this doesn’t come by very often and I’m truly blessed for woman like Jean in my life.

Throughout the years of chatting daily with Jean, I’ve noticed our conversations take their slow turns, depending on where we are in our lives.  Currently, we chat a lot about babies and motherhood.  I’m blessed to be able to share with her in this, probably one of the happiest times of her life, and I truly can not wait to meet her and Jun’s little baby boy.  It was a long journey to get here, but a really good one.  I can’t be more happy for these two parents-to-be’s.  Enjoy their recent baby bump stroll through the park below and I’ll be excited to post photos of the little boy when he arrives.

One day before I turned off my phone in a movie theater before the movie was scheduled to start, I noticed a new inquiry for engagement photos in our inbox.  I didn’t think much of it and wanted to tend to it once I got home after my date night with my husband.  When I turned my phone back on after the movie, I noticed that this inquiry was a little different from the ones we’ve received before.  This one was from Indonesia!

A few months of planning via email, Facebook, and Skype, Chris and I finally got to meet Jessica+Joko in person.  The couple is scheduled to marry later in 2013, but wanted to take their engagement photos first in Seattle.  We were a little nervous about the shoot because it was a two day event and Jessica had very specific ideas of what she liked and wanted to achieve in her photos.  But as soon as we started on day one, Chris and I realized how easy and great it was going to be.  Jessica+Joko are perfect together and they were such a joy to work with.  Being from Indonesia, they were quite surprised at how cold Seattle can be, but they were good sports throughout the two days.  We are so thankful to have met this International traveling couple, and so flattered to have shot their engagement for them to remember the rest of their lives.  Enjoy this sneak peek of their photos below!

There's no snow in Indonesia so Jessica+Joko made sure they had their fill of it while they were here.

Play the slideshow below for more of Jessica+Joko.  If you are on an iPhone or an iPhone, click HERE.

Whenever I mention the word “boudoir” to girls, I always see their eyes light up.  And just as fast their eyes light, they immediately dim.  Boudoir, for good reason, make girls nervous.  Heck, it makes ME nervous!  So I totally understand.  The thought of being in a room with only lingerie on can be daunting.  Add on top of that, a photographer pointing a large black lens in your face.  Horrific right?  But I can tell you one thing: most girls I’ve talked to have thought about getting a boudoir shoot done.  However, there’s usually a couple of things stopping them from truly doing it.  The major factor being how they view their own bodies. 

 Before I get into this, let me just say that this post isn’t to talk about body image nor am I going to make you change your minds about how you think you look.  I’ll speak to my own experiences a little bit, but this post is mainly to introduce you to the PROCESS of a boudoir shoot.  At the end of this post, my goal is for the girls reading this to think maybe boudoir as something not as daunting as it seems. 

 In my idealistic early 20’s, I had a vision for myself.  I knew I needed to be a certain size and I knew when I should get married to leave time to have two children.  The married and children thing, let’s not go into that in this post.     But in my younger years, I remember feeling like I was never thin enough.  Now fast forward a decade later (OK…now you all know my age…grrrrrreat), when I stumble on pictures of myself in my 20’s, I think, “Wow, I looked pretty good back then!”  And I now know this will only continue throughout my years.  In my 40′s I’ll yearn for my 30′s, in my 50′s I’ll long for my 40′s and so on.

 Look, I’m a lot more mature than when I was in my 20’s.  But somewhere buried deep inside my self confidence is still a little bit of that 20 year old’s insecurity.  I know I’ll never be my ideal size, but I know for a fact that I can’t dwell on it.  Because before I know it, my 30’s is going to just pass me by while I’m spending it thinking about how I could look.  My goal this year is to put my insecurities aside and finally bite the nail to do a boudoir shoot for myself.  The thought of it still haunts me a little bit, but I’m ready to face the experience. 

And it is an experience.  When I do a boudoir shoot, I tend to talk about it as an experience for the woman.  I encourage my clients to not only look classy (and sexy) but also FEEL sexy from within.  Whether it’s getting hair and make-up professionally done before the shoot or going out and hunting for new lingerie or getting a facial and a massage the day before.  This is all a process in itself to help us not only look, but feel beautiful from within.  I don’t know about you but whenever I get my hair professional blow dried, I instantaneously feel 10 pounds thinner and prettier. 

 The process doesn’t end there and it’s not just your responsibility.  As a photographer, I’m responsible for making you feel at ease during the shoot.  If you don’t feel at ease, your guard comes (swooping noise) way up and you immediately lose confidence in yourself.  When I’m in a room with you at your most vulnerable, trust is a huge thing.  And trust me when I tell you that through tricks in lighting, posing, camera composition, and my skillful ninja maneuvering that I will make you look your best. 

The honest truth is we as women are so concerned with how we COULD look, we often forget how beautiful we DO look.  Let’s not waste time self criticizing for another 10 years before looking back and realizing how beautiful we truly were.  Let’s capture this moment, at your best, to cherish forever.  Boudoir sessions are one of my favorites to shoot because I feel that it EMPOWERS women. Whether you are a size 2 or a 22, you ARE beautiful.  Trust me and let me show you how stunning you can be.  Email me for more information on a Boudoir with Cindi session and if you’re interested (and brave), I might share my own boudoir pictures with you.

I’ve been into fingerless gloves lately.  I’m not a normal glove wearer.  I actually have this really interesting condition where my hands are almost always warm.  Well, maybe it’s not a condition.  But whatever it is, I’m one of those lucky ones that always have warm hands.  Weird huh?  Or maybe I’m blessed.

The weather’s turned in Seattle in the last week.  It’s as if winter has finally come and the weather dropped into the 20′s…in the day time.  When it’s that cold and we’re out shooting, I tend to grasp my camera until my knuckles turn white!  I’m pretty sure doing this will eventually give me arthritis, but what the hay!  I love shooting…so I’ll risk it.  Fingerless gloves help with this though and I was able to found these cute gloves on Etsy.  They come all the way from Turkey!!!  That’s right, I’m an international shopper.  I love these so much, I GLOVE them!  Corny, I know.  But this is the best you’re gonna get out of me on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Emily is a small lady with a great personality.  A baby that don’t fuss or cry when forced to wake up and look cute for the cameras in the freezing fall weather.  Emily just turned one year old about a month ago and we hope she learns to walk soon.  Can you imagine this cutie pie running around clumsily?  It would be the cutest thing.  Enjoy Emily with her Mom+Pop in their sneak peek below.  Oh and one more thing, I think Mom resembles a certain famous Chinese movie/pop star.  What do you think?  Enjoy!

The Thanksgiving holiday has Chris and I stuffed like two lazy turkeys because we are OH SO behind on blogging the remaining of our 2012 weddings and portrait sessions.  We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up so I thank you for sticking around and being patient with us!

Now that I feel a little less lazy and a couple (or three, or four…or…) of pounds heavier, let me introduce you to Bre+Casey.  These two got married in Winthrop, WA at the Sun Mountain Lodge  on a brisk, but sunny October day.  Bre’s vision for her special day was to wed in a remote location, surrounded by her closest family and friends, embraced by the essence of fall.  Her beautiful decor and color scheme screamed “Autumn Chic” and I think she definitely succeeded.

Hanging out with these two for the whole day on top of a mountain allowed Chris and I to really get to know them as good people.  Bre’s the type of girl I felt immediate chemistry with.  She talks to you like she’s known you for years when she first meets you and that’s a gift that’s hard to come by.  Casey is a man’s man.  The whole day he was cool and collected.  I guess someone that’s bravely served our country for so long has been trained to stay calm.  You see, Casey is a hero, having served our country overseas for almost 4 years.  So it was an honor for us to be in his presence to capture his wedding day with Bre.

Take a look at their beautiful wedding sneak peek below and enjoy!

Bre's mom, Denise and Bre share one of the most beautiful relationships. They are truly each other's best friends and we are so glad we got to meet Denise.

A place with a stuffed polar bear AND a stuffed buffalo? Oh my!

THE most favorite shot. Thanks, girls for following along with our crazy idea!

Play the slideshow below for more of Bre+Casey.  If you are on an iPhone or an iPhone, click HERE.

Jackie and I met when we worked for the world’s largest online retailer headquarters’ Accounting department.  We immediately bonded, not just because we worked long hours and spent lots of time together, but because I think she’s a cool chick!  When Jackie’s introduced to you, her face lights with the warmest smile as she reaches out her hands to shake yours.  It kinda makes you feel like she’s a childhood friend of yours whom you haven’t seen for a long time!  I’ve since left my job and Jackie’s moved onto another department within the company.  But you know that saying when people ask you if you miss your work, you say “I don’t miss the work, but I miss the people”?  That’s exactly how I feel.  Jackie and I used to take coffee breaks to vent about ginormous spreadsheets that’d make our eyes cross and send us home with migraines.  And we’d laugh about it before returning back to those dreadful spreadsheets.  It’s the friendships that we’ve made as we struggle to work 12 hours days that I miss.  The actually working 12 hour days part, not so much!

During one of our coffee breaks, I asked Jackie about wedding planning and whether she was excited about the big day.  And her answer back to me was, “I just want to be married to Justin”.  It was such a simple answer, but it was a pure one.  I can tell she loved Justin with all her heart and immediately knew these kids were going to make it.  Justin has always been a calm guy. At least he was always calm, cool, and collected when he was around me.  So when it came to him reading his vows to Jackie on the alter and he had trouble getting out his words, it truly touched my heart.  Their personal vows to each other were so sweet, I had to try to compose myself behind the camera view finder.  And it’s weddings like this that makes me love what I do.

Take a look at these two kids’ wedding sneak peek below.

Jackie's dress was one of the most gorgeous ones I've ever seen. But then again, what else can you expect from Vera Wang?

Purple was definitely a popular color this past wedding season. And Jackie's bridesmaids rocked these cute JCrew dresses.

Right before sunset, we grabbed Jackie+Justin and made sure we got some golden hour shots. Just gorgeous!

Play the slideshow below for more of Jackie+Justin.  If you are on an iPhone or an iPhone, click HERE.

Everyone, please meet Sherrie, Chad, and their two lovely kids.  We spent a sunny, but cold morning at our favorite park to shoot, Discovery Park in Seattle and we had so much fun with this family.  Sherrie said that this was the first time they’ve ever gotten professional photos taken…EVER!  Although Sherrie and Chad were a little shy infront of the camera at first (the kids, as usual, are always naturals), they quickly warmed up after some minor coaching.  And as these photos show for themselves, the family had an awesome time around the park.  They will also be welcoming a new member to their family, a Golden Retriever pup!  Hopefully we’ll be able to meet that new addition in the future.  For now though, enjoy their photo sneak peek!

It’s hard to believe it, but the leaves are turning color, frost is starting to appear on your vehicles as the mornings turn cooler, and you’re dusting off your boots tucked away in the back of your closet.  That’s right folks, fall is here to stay and before you know it, we’ll be chasing down turkeys and hanging up Christmas lights in no time.

Chris and I get so stressed when it comes to this time of year because in addition to everything we need to do to get ready for the holidays, we are always worried about sending out Christmas cards.  Which picture should we use?  Should we take new pictures?  If so, when should we take them?  And where should we take them?  We stress about this and before we know it, the opportunity to send cards has passed.

That’s why this year we’ve decided to make it easier for YOU!  Introducing Cindi+Chris’ first annual “Holla for the Holidays!”

We have set aside one day in early November (when the leaves are the most beautiful) at the Washington Park Arboretum for 30 minute mini sessions.  Weather-permitting, we’re planning for the 3rd, and are saving the 4th just in case weather doesn’t cooperate.

So come on down, spend a little time with us at the park, and knock out those holiday pictures!  Time slots are limited so email/facebook/tweet/messenger pigeon us to save your spot!