small business // getting an office!

Hey friends, I know you're all intimately familiar with how gosh-darn busy I've been feeling the past few weeks. 

One of the projects on the table is that I've been scoping office/studio space with Joelle, Amy, Kat, and Leo, and GOOD NEWS!  We just got our keys for our super-rad wedding collective in the heart of Ventura County.

We are so freakin' excited to move into our new space!  We'll keep you posted on our office "makeover" (it's literally a bare warehouse right now) and the corresponding celebrations.  :) 

Hope you all have a great weekend ahead!

life // Seattle recap.

Hi friends!  I'm just off the plane from my recent rendezvous with the lovely city of Seattle.  Here's a quickie recap via (what else?) Instagram!

1. view from the Athenian Restaurant at Pike Place Market in Seattle

2. dinner and a glass of wine at Phoenicia, Alki Beach, West Seattle

3. let the record show: I was the first to give Chase a camera!

4. a girl's gotta nap.  after all, what are vacations for?  

5. best bar EVER: 9 Million in Unmarked Bills (yes, that's the real name of the bar!)

6. none other than the famous (infamous?) Pike Place district, Seattle, Washington

7. oh, good morning!  coffee, donut, and then a sexy boudoir session.  happy Monday!

8. we saw a couple of reggae bands at Nectar in the Fremont district

I know we're already at Thursday, but how was your weekend?  :)

life // Seattle getaway

Hi loves!  Tomorrow I am headed for the great state of Washington to visit a dear friend in Seattle. 

Frankly, I'm a little panicked about this trip because I'm leaving behind a lot of work that needs doing.  I'm trying to bang out as much as possible tonight but I keep getting distracted.  It's a specialty of mine; I think it's entirely possible I could have ADD.

Still, I'm excited for Seattle!  I haven't visited in at least seven or eight years and even then, I spent more time in Portland (versus a mere afternoon in Seattle).

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This means that I need some suggestions from you for what to do while I'm there!  I won't have a car and I'm not sure how far from the city center I'm staying (I'll be at my friend's house and I think she lives in a nearby suburb, but I'm not positive).  But if there's anything that's a "must-see" or "must-do" (other than Pike Place Market -- I'll be going there for sure!), leave me a comment!

I'm also looking forward to meeting Erika from Rouge & Whimsy -- yay!

Have you been to the Pacific Northwest?  What's your favorite domestic getaway city?

photography // styled.

In my post last week, I mentioned I was working on THREE styled shoots!  I can proudly say "that's a wrap" on all three, and I'm pretty happy with the results thus far.  I can't spill ALL the beans, patience is a virtue, etcetera, but I am willing to share a peek or two.

This first shoot (which was actually the most recent shoot, which took place on Sunday) was just outside Bakersfield, CA.  It seems like an odd location for a styled wedding shoot, unless you know about the almond orchards.  Kern County is teeming with almond trees, which produce some pretty stunning pink-and-white blooms for about two weeks every spring.  Lucky for me, my collaborator Vanessa (of Vanessa Noel Events) is a Bakersfield native, so she knew just the time to set up shop among the trees to take advantage of them in full bloom!  Here are just a couple of my favorites:

I also had the pleasure of collaborating with a few of my ultimate favorites here in Ventura County: Joelle (A Charming Occasion), Amy (Stella Bloom Designs), and Crystal (Crystal Robinson Makeup).  Our Kate Spade-inspired shoot was a very different style from the Bakersfield almond orchard shoot, which is so fun -- I had so much variety in my photographic life this week.

Last, but certainly not least, I had the incredible opportunity to photograph a shoot styled by the unbelievably-talented Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings(!!!!!).  I'm totally not supposed to post anything from this shoot yet, as it'll be officially debuted on the Grey blog soon, but I just cannot resist sharing this gem with you guys...

I mean, HELLO!  Gorgeous much?!  All of the models this week were pretty damn breathtaking.  I'm officially spoiled.  Stay tuned for more; I'll be sure to let you guys know when these shoots are posted in their entirety!

What did you guys do this weekend?

photography + life // boudoir + updates.

First things first: Anna Delores Photography was featured on Modernly Wed yesterday.  My bridal boudoir session with the lovely Vanessa took place just outside Bakersfield, CA in September 2012; here's the link to see the collection of images for yourself!

It has been such a whirlwind couple of weeks.  Definitely in a good way, but also a little overwhelming, too.  Everything since my birthday (a little over two weeks ago) feels like a total blur.

And, rather unfortunately, I'm not even sure when I'll have the opportunity to catch my breath.  "Why?" you may ask; well, I'll tell you!

• Not one, not two, but THREE styled shoots in one week.  I haven't been doing styled shoots on a regular basis, and yet somehow I managed to schedule three of them within five days of each other.  I'm done with the actual photographing of two of them already (the third one is on Sunday), but sorting and editing a collection of images is the real time-consumer.


• I have five photo shoots (which doesn't include the aforementioned styled shoots! EEK!) currently in my "queue" for culling and editing.  So by Sunday, after my third styled shoot, I have a grand total of EIGHT sessions to edit.  OMG doesn't even begin to describe how overwhelmed this makes me feel!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being busy, but the pressure to get these series of images turned around to clients in a timely fashion starts to become a little counter-productive, as the thought of getting it all done just makes me want to crawl into bed.


• Blogging?  What's blogging?


• I have a trip to Seattle scheduled for next week and I'll be gone (i.e. away from my work computer with all the images in need of editing!) for five days.  And when I come back, I'll have two more photo shoots to edit.  If you're counting, I'm now at 10 shoots in line for edits, all before mid-March.  Which reminds me: if anyone is interested in guest posting for March 7-12, send me an e-mail!

Here's the thing: yes, I am WAY stressed out by the details articulated in the bullet points above... but damn, am I happy about the excitement and empowerment that comes with being my own boss and doing something that I LOVE to do, and getting to do it every single day. 

For that, I know how incredibly fortunate I am.

I hope you guys have an amazing weekend!  Any fun plans in store?