Elle Bee Photography

Hi! :)

2011-07-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Elle Bee Photography has not fallen off the face of the earth. I promise. In fact, business has been better and busier than ever. Which, I guess could explain the lack of blog updates (hardly ever any time!). Within the past 2 years, I got pregnant and now have a beautiful 14 month daughter. I decided to focus on building my pregnancy/motherhood blog and somehow allowed this one to go by the wayside. I am in the process of re-launching my photo site, blog, and facebook fan page, so hang in there with me.

CLICK HERE to go to the official Elle Bee Photography Fan Page and please "like" it. :)

Christmas Photos

2009-11-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

I had the joy of taking Christmas photos for my good friend Paige and her family. They have a little 7 month old, Morgan, who is growing into such a precious little girl. Time is flying by so fast. It feels like it was just last week that I was taking Paige's maternity photos! Little Mo is so photogenic and so incredibly loved by her family. She's one lucky little girl. Carlos came with me on this photo shoot and we enjoyed meeting and getting to know some of their extended family. We stayed around after the shoot for a delicious breakfast and had a wonderful Sunday morning with these amazing friends. Here are some pics from the day:

Baby Olivia

2009-11-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have never taken photos of a newborn this little and this young. At only 5 days old, little 7 pound Olivia was a joy to photograph. She was very cooperative, for about 15 minutes, and was looking at me and even posing at times. But then, she started getting cranky. She was just not having it anymore! Although, I love those natural, crying shots just as much (if not more) than the "happy" shots. No matter what, she is a precious little bundle and I look forward to seeing her grow and grow. She has quite an appetite, so I'm sure it will happen fast. Congratulations to the new parents! Here are a few shots from the day.

Old Town Wedding

2009-10-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was thankful to tag along with Zoe (www.photographybyzoe.com) as I assisted her in shooting the most photogenic couple of all time. Seriously, it was impossible to get a bad shot of these two. It was a gorgeous Saturday in Old Town San Diego as we watched this couple, surrounded by loving friends and family, get married in an amazingly beautiful church. They were all smiles, the whole day. I'm glad I got to be a part of their special day. Here are some of my favorite shots of the day.

Another August Wedding

2009-09-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

Gotta love hot, summer, San Diego weddings! In the midst of this crazy heat wave, I was dreading shooting this all-outside wedding last Sunday. Thankfully, we were pleasantly surprised to have some awesome cloud cover and a refreshing breeze at the Catamaran Resort (mission beach) where we celebrated with Luke and Kerry as they made their vows. And it turned out to be an incredibly fun event to shoot. I was just assisting this wedding for the amazing Zoe (www.photographybyzoe.com), who was my inspiration for getting into photography in the first place. The couple was so full of life and energy, which made the day carefree and very enjoyable. I love that their personalities are even visable in the images. Having the beach nearby was also an added bonus and allowed for some pretty sweet shots. Overall, it was an extremely successful day and I continue to learn so much about event photography. I also learned that photographing a wedding all day on a Sunday makes for a very loooong, tiring Monday with 20 6-year-olds. Here are some shots from the wedding:

It's a Boy!

2009-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Carlos and I ventured into Chula Vista to celebrate our cousins who are soon-to-be-parents. Amanda and Justin will soon be welcoming their little boy (to be named either Zachary or Joshua) into this world! Our Aunt was throwing them a baby shower, so it was only appropriate that we throw some maternity photos into the mix! Amanda, Justin, and I went to Imperial Beach (while Carlos and his uncle went golfing) to get some good shots of that growing belly! It was an extremely cold/windy/wet/cloudy morning, which caused some crazy flying hair, a fogged up camera lens, and a coughing attack (just to name a few things!). Despite all that, we managed to get some lovely shots of this couple that is so in love and so excited to be Mommy and Daddy! I'm so happy for them and can't wait to meet my newest little cousin in October. He'll have to get used to my camera in his face! :) Here are some shots from the day:

NEW WEBSITE!

2009-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time coming, but I finally put up an official "Elle Bee Photography by Lauren Baladez" website. I'd love for you to check it out! :)

www.laurenbaladez.com

Lovely Wedding

2009-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 25th birthday on August 8th by working with the most amazing photographer, Zoe (www.photographybyzoe.com). She was in desperate need for an assistant photographer for a few weddings that she has coming up. Of course, I jumped at the chance to work the woman who inspired me to get into photography (she photographed a wedding in which I was a bridesmaid in 2005, my wedding in 2006, a friend's wedding in 2007, and my brother's wedding in 2008). She is so good at what she does and I feel so blessed to be able to watch and learn from her. She has taken me under her wing and has already begun to teach me all the tricks of the trade. I am looking forward to the experience that I gain from working with her. I know I still have a LOT to learn, but I am thankful for the chance to learn from the best. Here are a few shots that I took during the day. The ceremony was at San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside and the reception was at Leo Carillo Ranch in Carlsbad (BEAUTIFUL!). Again, I was just the assistant for this one, but I had so much fun (after getting over the nerves, of course!).

Baby Rylan

2009-08-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

I drove down to Lakeside today to take pictures of the sweetest little 2 month old, Rylan. Aside from the fact that he wanted to sleep 90% of the time and had hiccups for the remaining 10%, the shoot went flawlessly. He was surrounded by family that loves him more than anything...what a lucky boy! It is always a pleasure to take photos of extremely adorable children! :) I mean, come on...those piercing blue eyes just melt my heart. He was very cooperative and didn't fuss at all. Even though I nearly smacked him in the head with my camera and pulled him this way and that. A few costume changes and by the end of it, Ry was a pro. I even managed to get a few pictures of a two year old who was hanging around...she was precious, too! Overall, a very fun, productive morning. Here are some of my favorite shots from the session.

Beautiful San Diego

2009-07-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Carlos and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, downtown. We stayed a few nights at Hotel Solamar, which had a rockin' view of the city, a rooftop pool/lounge, and was incredibly close to everything awesome downtown. We spent one afternoon just roaming around the city, taking pictures of the beautiful buildings. It just so happened that our anniversary fell on the same time as comic-con, which allowed us to see all the crazies on their way to the convention center. :) It was so fun. I could have people-watched for days! I loved being in San Diego; it was only a 20 minute drive from where I grew up, but it felt a world away. A big thanks to my parents who doggie-sat for us and gave us a ride there and back! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the city.

Lots coming soon...!

2009-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Summer has been great! Being a teacher by trade definitely has its advantages. There is nothing like having 8 weeks off to enjoy friends, family, and 100+ degree weather... :/ While we are free of students right now, we have made sure to hit up every teacher/back-to-school sale and cram our backseat full of crayons, pencils, paper, highlighters, glue, you name it. And there are still more sales to come! It is crazy to think that there are only a few weeks left before we go back to work. Summer is not what it used to be!

The next few weeks bring lots of fun new adventures including a romantic 3-year wedding anniversary getaway, a photo shoot with a handsome 3 month old boy, two weddings (that I am assistant-photographing), a 25th birthday (eek!! I'm getting old!) 30th birthday (my honey), 54th birthday (mom) and 55th birthday (dad), get-togethers with friends, meeting a friend's brand new baby girl, and much more. And you can bet I am going to have my camera right along with me for all the fun.

Check back soon for some new pictures. But for now, I leave you with this cutie:

Family Session

2009-07-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

I had fun shooting a few families, as an anniversary present for their parents' 40th wedding anniversary gift. This shoot reminded me how much I love photographing children. I could seriously be content photographing nothing by children for the rest of my life. There is such a sweet innocence about them that just lights up a room, and looks amazing on camera. These adorable cousins were absolutely precious and the camera loved them. Not to mention, such photogenic, fun parents. It was a gorgeous evening in Oceanside at the San Luis Rey Mission and we got quite a few cute shots that I am sure well melt the hearts of the parents/grandparents as they celebrate 40 years of marriage. So exciting! Here are a few of my favs from the session.

Kellen-6 Months

2009-06-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite people came back for another session of their adorable son! Little Kellen is already 6 months old and the camera loves him more than ever. I could take pictures of him all day. He has just been learning to sit up, and I was impressed at his control of his body. That, coupled with his teething/drooling, made for a fun shoot with lots of smiles. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Brittani & Tymon

2009-06-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

I so enjoyed getting to photography Brittani and Tymon's big day! Not only did everyone look absolutely amazing, but the day went off without a hitch. Everyone had a great time, I met some great people, and I managed to take 2000 photos in a 6.5 hour time frame. I was crazy exhausted afterwards (this was the first time being on my feet this long since my back injury) and I was hurtin' the next day...but, it was so worth it! Thank you, Brittani and Tymon, for allowing me to be a part of your special day. Here are a few highlights of the day!

Santa Rosa Plateau

2009-05-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Our friends, the Lalliers, took us on an adventure to the Santa Rosa Plateau. Carlos and I had never been there, so we were excited to see what all the hype was about. We happened to go on the most gorgeous evening and had a blast walking and chatting. Since we happened to all enjoy photography, we often stopped for some photo ops. It was such a fun, relaxing time with good friends. Here are a few of my favorite photos from our time together.

More Morgan

2009-05-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

I just love this family! Not only are they amazing friends, but they happen to be incredibly photogenic and have the sweetest little baby girl. She is over a month old now, and the camera loves her. I brought my Lilly dog over to have a play-date with their dog Louie, so we all had a fun time! Lilly was a little too excited, and she showed it all over their couch...sorry, again!! :) Here is a sneak peek of some of my favorite shots.

Baby Morgan

2009-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

I had the joy of taking some casual pictures of my friend Paige's newborn baby, Morgan. At only 17 days old, this little beauty was full of expression, personality, and curiosity. She loved watching the camera, which made for some really cute shots. I am looking forward to our formal photoshoot this weekend, so I can take some adorable family pictures!

Sweet Cousins

2009-04-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more captivating then observing the family dynamics between children. I had so much fun photographing these enthusiastic young cousins as they (for the most part) loved being in front of the camera and eagerly posed for me. These photos made for a touching gift for a proud grandmother. I was happy to be a part of it!

Mommy-to-be

2009-03-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful things! I was able to visit a great friend and take some pictures of her during her 8th month of pregnancy. We laughed as we could see her little bundle moving like crazy during the photoshoot. Baby even managed to contort Mom's belly in some pretty silly ways. This shoot was full of laughs. Especially from all the weird looks we got while posing near a waterfall on the corner of a busy street. Fun times!

Handsome Kellen

2009-02-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

My little buddy Kellen was a dream to photograph. What a sweet and photogenic 2 month old. It was a long photoshoot between the naps and the feedings, but it was well worth it to get some priceless shots of such a handsome little guy. I mean, look at that mohawk! Mom and Dad were impressed as they witnessed Kellen holding himself up while on his belly. So fun! We have a follow-up shoot planned for his 6 month pictures, and I can't wait! Here is a sneak peek!

Family Fun

2008-12-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

This shoot was especially fun because all of the family was in town for the holidays. What a perfect time to take some family portraits. I think we've begun a fun tradition! This family was so natural in front of the camera and had no problem coming up with some creative poses on their own. I love when the clients are creative! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day; although, there were tons to choose from.