Hey everyone, just wanted to shoot a quick note out to you guys and let you know that although we haven't blogged as consistently as we've liked, there's a TON of work we're dying to show you and the world.

Looking back at when we started, so much has already changed....from our company name, to our logo, to our website and more especially, our photography.  And I'll venture to say that things will continue to change but always for the better (we hope at least right?!=))  But one thing that remains constant in our photography journey is our desire to never stay stagnant...to always push the limits of what we can accomplish and always seek to improve.  In other words, ironically speaking, the one thing that remains constant is change. 

Needless to say, whoever's out there, thanks for looking and welcome to our journey of photography...there's so much more to come =)

Happy Friday everyone...

The month of June, for the rest of my life, will always be a pretty cool month for me...well with December following a really really close second.  Its because of mainly two things, maaaybee three...Our Anniversary, Father's day and my birthday (a distant third).

Anyway, Saturday I got an early gift.  Driving home, the sky was amazing, light was perfect and we happened to stumble upon this amazing spot so what do we do?!  We race home, grab our equipment and shoot =) So random but that made it all the better.

So with that said, fast forward to Sunday.  While at service I got a chance to pray and I started looking back, thinking about my beautiful two girls in my life, and how He's allowed Lauren and I to share a love for photography together and I couldn't help but thank God for His goodness and cry tears of joy.  It was an awesome time of reflection.  I mean seriously...if you told me 5 years ago if I'd marry my best friend, start a photography business that we both love, have a beautiful baby girl and be able to use my wife as a model?! I would've probably thought you were crazy.  Well, lo and hold, that's exactly where I am today.

I love you Lauren (or Owen) and thank you for making June one of the best months of the entire year.

My wife, life partner, best friend, 2nd shooter and model...

Engagement Sessions are such a big part of what we do that they're included in all our Wedding Packages.  Why?!  For a few reasons... 1. It's an endless train track of creative possibilities.  We typically shoot at two locations when we have our Engagement Sessions and the best part about it is anything can happen!  We've been lucky enough to have had couples give us a lot of creative freedom and we love it! =) 2. It allow us to get to know our couples even better!  Whether its an early morning  or a late afternoon start time, two to three hours with our couples typically do that! =) 3. This is probably the most important reason of all...it gives the soon to be Bride and Groom some first hand experience with having our cameras pointed in their direction...before their Wedding day!!!  Unless you're a professional model, having your photos taken can definitely be intimidating!  Trust us, we know!  I totally remember feeling all jittery once we knew we were starting..."what do i do?!" "where do i stand?!" "Oh man, i think he's taking my picture right now!!!" hahah.  All those thoughts can run rapid so for this reason, Engagement Sessions with our couples are a HUGE deal! =)  There's nothing more important to us than to get our couples to a certain comfort level with our cameras. 4. Did I mention, it's a super fun time?!  Our soon to be brides get their hair and make-up done by a pro and best of all, they get to bring and wear anything they want! Ok so enough of my ranting...here are some of our favorite Engagement photos of 2008! It's really a hard decision but we really, REALLY love this image!! ___________________________________ To inquire about availability, packaging/pricing, email us at Weddings@johnlauren.com For general questions/comments: John@johnlauren.com or Lauren@johnlauren.com

Happy New Year! Hahah, ok ok, yeah kind of late we know but Haydn's been taking up a lot of our time and unfortunately, our blog has gotten the bitter end of the stick.  Can you believe she's now 5 weeks old?!?!  Just in case you wanted to follow our little Haydn and her crazy hair as she grows up, Lauren started a little blog called pinstripesnpolkadots just for her and her baby adventures =) Well 2008 came and went faster than we realized and what a year it was!  We got a chance to meet some awesome brides and grooms, shot at locations that we've never shot and overall, grew so much as professionals and as people, not just individually but together, as husband and wife.  So for those of you that have been with us since our days of Beauty for Ashes Photography, we just want to thank you for your support, love and encouragement.  Many if not all of you are part of the reason for our success this past year.  And for all the brides and grooms that believed in our work, trusted our creative thought process and allow our eyes to see your world from our perspective, THANK YOU! =)  Allowing us be be part of your special day is more special to us than you know. So with that in mind, starting tomorrow we wanted to kick off the year by sharing our favorite photos of 2008.  Each day will be broken down in categories so you'll just have to check in each day to find out what category is shown =) For today, I thought it'd be fun leaving you with a few images from a wedding back in 2006.  And hey, just like I tell everyone or anyone new to the photography world...you have to start somewhere and believe or not, this is the first ever wedding that kick started it all for us. Who says you need the most expensive camera to take a nice pictures?!  if someone tells you that, they're lying to you...it's all about the lens =)  All the following photos were shot on my first ever Canon Rebel XT that was given to me as a gift by the person who I now my wife along.  The lens was a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L =) This is one of my favorite photos ever...and i'm not just saying to that to be all "Paula Abdul" nice to myself either, i promise =) Stay tuned the rest of the week for our favorite photos of 2008! ________________________________________ To inquire about availabilty, packaging/pricing, email us at Weddings@johnlauren.com For general questions/comments: John@johnlauren.com or Lauren@johnlauren.com

I know I said I'd write about Aperture today but I'll save that next week I promise!  Today I thought I'd leave you with our crazy night last night and a little as Me Ra likes to put it, "personal reflection"  Sorry no photos in this one, just some good ole' story telling. For the longest time now, Lauren and I have been talking about getting a new car for multiple reasons...many of which I'd say are just as weighty as the reasons why your 4 year old NEEDS a new Xbox 360 =) No, this isn't about our story at the dealership buy our new car...it's actually quite opposite really. On the way to see my sister, driving down the 71 freeway and just as we start laughing about how our car is starting to sound really scary and how I'm going to get an oil change this weekend...it actually start to make this really loud and even scarier sound.  "uhhhh, that doesn't sound good hunny!"  yeah that's me telling Lauren that, not vice versa =)  So I start to ease my way over, mind you, the sound is getting worse by the millisecond and I look in my rear view mirror and see smoke and something literally fall from the car!! Can you believe it?!!  I have a pregnant wife in here and our car is literally falling apart right before my eyes!  Then right as we finally get over to the shoulder..OF THE FREEWAY!! smoke starts seeping out of the hood!!  Definitely not a good thing...not at all!  I knew this was bad but just how bad?...you'll see. Oh and get this, here's the funny thing about all this happening.     So there we were pulled over on the side of the freeway and I look up and notice that the sun was setting and the sky was changing color!  First thing I thought of..."where's my camera!".  I have the sky above me a zillion different colors, cars zooming by and...it's the perfect photo opportunity and guess what..WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR CAMERA!!! NOT ONE!  That seriously was a perfect situation for shutter speed and longer exposure type images!! Talk about a missed opportunity!...a shot i've been walking to do for who knows how long and I missed it!  I WAS SOOO BUMMED!  Which reminds me, next week I'll post one of my favorite photos we took while in New York walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I'll show you the effect i'm talking about with the slow shutter speed and all. Moving on.. So we get picked up by the Tow Truck and decide to just drop the car in front of our house until we know what our next move will be.  So how bad is the damage?  Well with the help of my trusty neighbor we pop the hood open and get this...THERE'S A HOLE IN THE ENGINE!  not only that, but we find big metal fragments from the engine casing! which, btw I think I'll be keeping as a souvenir.  That's how bad it is =( Talk about a crazy night! Anyway, it may not sound like it, but having this happen was actually a blessing in disguise.  Without getting too deep into it with details and all,  the best part about it, is it's brought Lauren and I closer already.  God has a funny way of doing that sometimes.  He takes things away to put something better in it's place.  We may not see that "something better" right away, but if we wait patiently enough, you'll see it in some form or another.  It also brought me to reminisce about when Lauren and I got married.  We thought "how the heck are we going to pay for this wedding?!!"  Over a year later, we talk about having almost the most perfect wedding we could've asked for. For all our Bride-to-Be's worried about their big day and even for anyone that might be worrying about tomorrow...here's a Truth that Lauren and I love.  Have a great weekend everyone! Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."