Richelle Dante Photography Orange County and Southern California Photographer

Moving on...

2009-05-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

If you have come to this blog you are at my old blog. I've started a new blog at http://www.richelledantephotography.com/ where I will be posting from now on. Be sure to check it out for my latest work! It feels weird posting a blog with no photos so here is one more from a recent bridal shoot. Enjoy and see you on the new blog!

Jordan and Marissa :: Engagement at the Santa Monica Pier

2009-05-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

I promised a full blog post and I wasn't kidding, can you believe it! I'm sure you weren't expecting it so soon but I'm on top of things.

Meet Jordan and Marissa. I shot their engagement shoot back in March at the Santa Monica Pier. It was a gloomy day but with all the bright colors on the pier it worked. They brought their adorable, furry child Morrigan who was great and an amazing listener! =) Thanks to Ruth for assisting with Morrigan! It was my first time on the pier and I had a ton of fun exploring with Jordan and Marissa. Here are a few of my favorite shots...

Bart Simpson really wanted to be a part of this shot.

Isn't Morrigan a great model!

This was a fun, yet scary dragon ride that we were directly under.

I've been asked why I didn't take the guy staring at them out of the shot... would it really have been as fun if I did?

We headed down to the beach for a few more shots. I can't wait to shoot their wedding... such a cute couple!

They are big Vikings fans, hence the Vikings jerseys.

Thanks guys for a great shoot! I can't wait until your wedding in September!

Mountain Mermaid Bridal Shoot :: Sneak Peek!

2009-05-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

I've just started going through my images from the bridal shoot last weekend so I thought I'd share a few. It was shot at Mountain Mermaid Estate. An amazing venue that is used for wedding, concerts, other events and even a Vogue shoot! When I do a full blog I'll share all of the details.

Full blogs coming soon! Promise!

Audrey :: Sneak Peek!

2009-05-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm working on Audrey's photos and thought I'd share one of my favorites so far. I know... all these sneak peeks, when are the full blogs coming? Soon... I promise!

Meet Audrey... she is 5 weeks old!

Chloe:: Sneak Peek!

2009-05-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

I'm editing Chloe's photos right now and had to share at least one! She is so adorable and I can't wait to do a full post.

Here she is... 6 month old Chloe.

Laura:: Sneak Peek!

2009-04-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

Laura and I headed out to Laguna Beach today for a just for fun/senior shoot. Here are a from the day. More to come soon!

These were all shot with the new Canon 5D Mark II but this has to be one of my favorites with this camera. No flash was used... amazing huh?

Shawntel

2009-04-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share Shawntel with you guys. She is an amazing, beautiful person and she is also my friend! We had a fun day in San Juan Capistrano walking around finding some cool spots. Shawntel has done some modeling and was SO easy to work with. Recently she modeled for the International Princess Project, wearing their Punjammies. I actually got these for Christmas gifts last year and everybody loved them! Shawntel is also a very talented artist and makes custom veils and amazing hair styles so be sure to check out her blog!

Here are a few of my favs from the day... which ended slightly early due to a major reaction to a prickly weed. I'll explain more as we go along so start scrolling down. =)

Loved this old house!

It was such a beautiful day and the light was amazing!

My first ever railroad track photo. I've avoided the tracks because it seems so cliche but I couldn't resist this time.

Isn't she pretty! She's single too, can you believe it?!?

Love this one. The guy was nuts but the shot turned out good!

I feel like this belongs in a catalog. ha

Loved this door!

Fun with flare!

One of my favs!

Notice the weeds by her arm? Stay away from those! Almost instantly red bumps appeared on her arms and legs. So what did we do? We kept shooting, until her thumb started to get numb. So what did we do next? I gave her an ice pack from a first aid kit I had... unfortunately, it didn't get cold (not that it would have helped anyway). So what did we do next? After calling Shawntel's dad we decided Benedryl would be a good option so we headed to Rite-Aid.

One more beautiful shot before heading to Rite-Aid.

This is her arm before the medicine kicked in... was it worth the shot, maybe? =) Luckily it cleared up and we were able to grab a yummy dinner!

Youth Talent Connection Mini Shoots :: Part 3

2009-03-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

The last of the mini shoots! I had so much fun with all of these kids... they are all so unique and so adorable! Thanks again to Heather, owner of Youth Talent Connection located in Orange County. If you're looking for an agent for your child, Youth Talent Connection is awesome! Heather truly cares about the kids she represents and their success.

Paloma is 2 1/2 years old and has the cutest curls I've ever seen! She has already been in an OshKosh print ad.

This is one of my favorites... she is sooooo cute!

ok, this is another favorite... love it!

Ian is 3 1/2 and a ton of fun! He has been in Pediped Footwear print ad (which by the way are really cute baby shoes... I had to check it out.) among other print ads and a film.

Ian is a big fan of dinosaurs!

Love this one!

Akua was the last shoot of the day and I had so much fun with her! She is 19 months old and followed directions as well as the older kids.

She loved the bubbles and had the cutest giggle!

What a precious smile!

So this is it for the mini shoots... sad huh? Don't worry! They are more fun blogs to come, including a possible contest! Everybody can play and anybody can win.... getting excited yet? I know I am.<

Youth Talent Connection Mini Shoots :: Part 2

2009-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is! Part two of the Youth Talent Connection mini shoots!

I started off the afternoon by meeting Jack. He is an outgoing 5 year old who has already gotten his acting career on the way. He's been in an energy drink commercial, print ads, Disney Einstein Pals Tv show and more! Maybe I should have gotten his autograph now before he becomes famous!

Loved his blue eyes!!

Jack and his dad, Doug.

Doug also wanted some headshots for his part-time acting career. I can totally see him as a dad on a sitcom!

Nicholas is 3 years old and was a blast to shoot. His parents hung out on the bench and Heather and I took him around the park without one complaint. He's definitely a professional at the whole picture taking thing! He recently appeared in America's Most Wanted on Fox. He also did a Huggies print ad when he was a baby.

He has the sweetest smile!!

Nicholas was showing off his new Converse shoes in this one... too cute!

Six year old Leilani was so adorable in her braids. She was a professional, even knowing how to pose! She's already appeared, with her family, in the Rascal Flatts music video for their song Every Day. I have a feeling she'll be doing much more soon! Maybe her own Disney show. =)

Leilani's older brother Daniel is also an actor! I had so much fun with these two!

Daniel is 8 years old and appeared in the Rascal Flatts video and has also appeared on Disney's Choo Choo Soul.

Love the dimple!

Part three is coming soon! Stay tuned!

Youth Talent Connection Mini Shoots :: Part 1

2009-03-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine, Heather Baldwin is the owner of an awesome talent agency, Youth Talent Connection located in Orange County. I offered to do headshot mini shoots exclusively for Youth Talent Connection clients a few weeks ago. Sooo on a bright Sunday, I did 12 shoots with tons of adorable kids! Since there are so many I'm doing this as a three part blog.

Heather was gracious enough to come out and be my "assistant" and I know I couldn't have done it without her! The first three kids were all under two years old and I'm surprised I could keep up with them without my morning coffee. Thank goodness we had bubbles and I'm so glad Heather had a natural talent for blowing lots of bubbles!

These were all shot at a park near my house so the challenge for me was to not have the same shots for each session. They are some great headshot shots that I've included but for the blog I wanted to post more of the fun candid shots. Enjoy!

The first session of the day, at 9 AM was with Brent. He is full of energy and he definitely helped me wake up (FYI, I'm not a morning person). I'm sure he will book a lot of jobs with his big blue eyes!

Next was Payton. I'm going to start sounding like a broken record because all of these kids are totally adorable but look at her... do they come any cuter! Payton's mom has an awesome company, Bellissimo Bows, that makes handmade bows, headbands, and hats... you have to check out the cutest bows ever!!

She has the cutest expressions!

Ava and Audrey are twins, as if you can't tell, and their personalities are as different as can be. The first shot is one of the first I took. After that, it was a challenge to get them to stay together.

So cute!

I love this one... they are looking at flower pedals in their laps.

Ryder was the last of the morning shoots and I had so much fun with him. He was older than the first three so it was nice to have a break from chasing babies. haha
This is one of my favorite shots. He is so adorable and trendy... and a super good listener!

Playing catch with his dad.

Almost caught it!

Stay tuned for parts two and three coming soon!

Chad and Amanda :: Engagement

2009-03-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I will say it, it's true... I'm a terrible blogger. As much as I love sharing the great people I get to work with, I'm just not good at getting the blogs up in a timely manner. There, I've admitted it and feel better now... phew.

Moving on... I'm so excited to share with you Chad and Amanda and their awesome engagement session. We had so much fun wandering around the Orange Circle and Chapman University (where they both received their MA in film). We found some really cool spots and even found an open door to the theater on campus. There was only one light bulb, on stage, on a stand, lighting the entire theater. Talk about challenging lighting!

Chad and Amanda are a really awesome couple and will be getting married in May back home in Illinois. You can see how in love they are from the photos. Aren't they cute together...

This was taken at the center of the circle. This was suppose to be a "warm up" shot but it looks like they were all ready confortable in front of the camera!

Funny huh?

Seriously, aren't they so sweet together?

This is in the theater with one light bulb. I believe I actually used a flash on this shot. I was standing on the stage, where the light was, and had the stand laying down so it was on Chad and Amanda.

My favorite shot! This was shot on the stage with the light behind them. No flash was used.

Ever seen the movie Dave? For some reason this shot reminds me of the movie.

Our last stop was over to a cool area by the railroad tracks... although you can't really tell in these last two shots. Trust me, it's a cool spot!

I love the hand holding ring shot. It's one of my favs!

Chad and Amanda- I had a ton of fun with you guys! We should do a trash the dress shoot when you get back from your honeymoon!

Roberta Victoria :: HS Senior

2009-02-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Roberta Victoria, better known as "Beeve" to her friends and family, has been my skating student since she was 8 years old. She is now almost 17 and a high school senior! Beeve was one of my first skating students (I was only 20) and we have grown together the last 8 years. She is competing at the senior level this year which is a huge accomplishment. Not only is she a great skater but she is an amazing girl. She is one of the sweetest most level headed teenagers and I know she will be successful in whatever she chooses to do in her life. I could go on and on about Beeve and her family but I won't... if you would like to hear her life story, feel free to email me. =)

Beeve has grown up in Riverside so I thought doing her senior shoot at the Mission Inn would be appropriate. I'd never been there but I had heard it was pretty cool. Her mom has been a docent there so I knew she would show me all the good spots... which she did and I got a brief history too! It's a really amazing place and if you haven't been there I'd recommend checking it out. It would make for a great weekend getaway!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Ok, so this isn't from the shoot but this is Beeve (and me in the background) at one of her first competitions. So cute!! (Sorry for the poor quality but this is a picture of a picture)

She's all grown up!

The architecture was beautiful! It felt like somewhere in Europe.

I love all the colors in this shot. There were so many cool spots!

Love this one!

The laughing photo... gotta love it!

Beeve is part of an international synchronized skating team so we did a few shots in her Team USA jacket.

Such a pretty girl!

Love this... she looks like a model!

Adam, Noa and a Webshow!

2009-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for awhile to post this blog and I'm so excited I can now! A few months back I was asked by my interior designer friend, Kelly Lafosse, to shoot two adorable kids for large black and white canvases in a home she was designing. The cool part is that it was for a webshow! To see the show and the canvases go to Jen and Barb Mom Life. The show is about two LA moms and their view on motherhood. The episode is called "Are you embarrassed by your house?" so be sure to check it out. Kelly gives some great design advice!

So back to these cuties, Adam and Noa. We headed out to a park near their home where we played and I took a "few" pictures. The first two shots are the ones they chose for the canvases. They looked great in the newly designed room! If you need an awesome interior designer let me know and I'll put you in contact with Kelly.

Adam- Canvas 1

Noa- Canvas 2

Having fun on the swings!

Adam is showing me the results of playing in the chalk from the baseball field

The lollipop! Oh, how they loved the lollipops!

The cutest big brown eyes ever!

Noa loved her lollipop too!

My favorite shot!

Emily... at Night!

2009-02-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that my good friend Emily and her husband moved down the street from me! Although they only lived about 6 miles away before it is much more convenient being able to walk to visit. Another perk is that we can do mini photoshoots anytime. We headed out to a really cool gazebo area down the street. I've noticed how pretty it is lit up at night so I thought it would be fun to play around. Here are some of the results:

I love having beautiful friends!

A little more of the gazebo shows in this one... and her super cute shoes!

This is the only one I used flash on. All the others are natural light.

I'm sure she is having deep thoughts in this moment

I love the top of the gazebo

She's got the whole... moon in her hands

We have a very cool shoot coming soon... there will be trashing of something but it's not a dress!

Check back soon for a blog on my Grandma's 90th birthday, a senior shoot or two and an engagement session. There is a lot coming up this month so there will be much more blogging than last month!

Blog Mess!

2009-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

Please excuse the blog... it is being updated. Let me know what you think so far of the colors and header! Thanks!!

Brian and Charmaine :: Engagement

2009-01-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

With the first month of the new year almost over I am finally posting my first blog of the year! I haven't posted anything because Brian and Charmaine had to be the first blog. Why, you ask? Well, I have to keep with the trend. They were my first engagement shoot of the year and they were my first wedding booked. It would only be appropriate to have their engagement session be the first blog of the year.

I am so excited to work with Brian and Charmaine! They are so fun to work with and they have the cutest story ever! They met in elementary school and Charmaine had a big crush on Brian. He never knew it and life went on. Then, years later they found each other through an elementary school group page on Myspace and were reunited. Talk about "meant to be together"!

For the engagement shoot we headed to their old elementary school where it all started… we even got to go in the classroom where the crush started. For the second part of the shoot we went to Griffith Park so we could do some shots with their bikes. If their wedding is half as fun as the engagement shoot it will be amazing!

Their school was really cool... it was built over 100 years ago

Passing notes in class!

A reenactment of the crush

They are so perfect together... I love it!

A beautiful day in the park!

The light couldn't have been better and the couple couldn't have been cuter!

Bike love =)

Thanks you so much Brian and Charmaine! I can't wait until June!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 12! Love

2008-12-24T23:38:00.000-08:00

It's here! The last day! I can't believe it's over but I have to say, it's kind of a relief. As fun as it has been, 12 days of blogging in a row has been a lot of work. Instead of doing a a recep I'll put it in order so you can sing the ENTIRE song! here is goes...

On the twelfth day of blogging, I will bring to you, twelve moments of love
Eleven nativity scenes
Ten tiny toes
Nine lovely leapers
Eight year old Cole
Seven skaters skating
Six funny moments
FIIIVE of my FAVES!
Four loving shots
Three-ee vacations
Two parents and their sons
and a roommate with a Christmas light or twoo-ooo-oo!

So I've separated my moments of love into six categories. Convenient, huh?

First category- Love of parents

Love of animals

Sibling love

Love- the "I do" kind

Love of nature

God's love- it's all around us!

I picked this photo because I think it shows God's creation and how it can work together peacefully.

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you enjoyed The 12 Days of Blogging. I'd love to hear what you think...feel free to comment.

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 11

2008-12-23T23:56:00.000-08:00

So I'm slightly late with Day 11 but the good news is you are going to get two blogs in one day! yay!

Here is the recap:

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES
Day 6: Six funny moments
Day 7: Seven skaters skating
Day 8: Eight year old Cole
Day 9: Nine lovely leapers
Day 10: Ten tiny toes

Ok, Clear your throats, especially if you are singing the entire song!

On the eleventh day of blogging, I will bring to you, eleven nativity scenes.

So why nativity scenes and why on Day 11 and not 12? I chose nativity scenes for a few reasons. First, because I remember growing up seeing the plastic ones with one light bulb in each piece sitting on the grass in neighbors yards. Remember those? I was curious to see if people still have nativity scenes and what they look like now. Second, if you go back about 2000 years or so, before Santa, Christmas trees and tinsel, there was a bigger reason to celebrate Christmas and it has to do with the baby that sits in the center of a nativity scene. It's always fun to see how people represent the day Jesus was born... and I have to say there were a few really interesting ones. =)

I picked this for day 11 because I have something extra special for day 12.

And they wrapped the baby in a purple outfit? hmm, that's not how I remember the story. haha

These people were serious about their nativity scene...and their santas too. They had two life size santas in their driveway. Check out their house in the photo below this one.

I don't know about you guys but I'm not a huge fan of the inflatable yard decor... of any kind (sorry mom).

This was on the top of the roof.

This one covered the entire front of their house. I think baby Jesus was behind a plant.

Much nicer than the plastic ones I remember growing up.

Loved this one, mainly because the homeowners were giving hot chocolate!

Umm, yeah, not quite sure what to say about this one. They also had a penguin santa and penguin reindeer. I think they like penguins.

Can you find the nativity scene? It's in there.

I think this was my favorite that I found.

They even had separate scenes with the wise men and Joseph and Mary on the donkey.

I hope you enjoyed these. I had to drive around all of Orange County to find them. Ok, not really... there is one street in Tustin that is amazing. Almost every house had crazy lights!

Thank you Emily and Aaron for walking around with me while I found all the nativity scenes!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 10 Brody

2008-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Day 10! woohoo... double digits!

Here's the recap:

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES
Day 6: Six funny moments
Day 7: Seven skaters skating
Day 8: Eight year old Cole
Day 9: Nine lovely leapers

I know your singing voices are getting worn out but there are only two more days after this.

On the tenth day of blogging, I will bring to you, ten tiny toes.

This is Brody and he was five weeks old when I took these photos. He was very easy to work with... listened to everything I told him!

Count em'... all ten toes!

So tiny

Brody was very content hanging on his dad's arm

I love the curiosity in his eyes

Brody had the coolest nursery. There were vintage airplanes painted all over the walls.

Special Delivery!

Doesn't he look comfy? I want a big basket with a fluffy blanket to hang out in!

The way he gripped this football was impressive. Get his autograph now!

Ten toes... if you didn't count the first time, you can count now.

Molly, I'm so glad I got to meet your family! I hope to work with little Brody again!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 9 "Leaping!*

2008-12-21T23:35:00.001-08:00

I can't believe there are only 3 days left after this one! Time flies!

Here's the recap:
Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES
Day 6: Six funny moments
Day 7: Seven skaters skating
Day 8: Eight year old Cole

Did you warm up your singing voice???

On the ninth day of blogging, I will bring to you, nine lovely leapers.

The theme- all jumping or leaping photos. I usually don't post jumping photos because they aren't my favorites but they are definitely fun so here are a few from recent shoots!

Let's start with a traditional jump. I like to call this one "the star" leap.

These leaps are a little more on the difficult side. I call these "the super heroes" leap!

Aww, the heel click... classic. Not to mention perfect technique!

This I call "a leap with a purpose". She's on a mission to get somewhere.

This is the "I don't want to get wet so I'll leap into my mother's arms". Much more difficult then the others. This takes a coordination and trust.

We can't leave out the "I'm only two so I don't jump very high" leap.

Another classic- the "I'm pretending I don't want to get wet so I jump when the water is coming but still land in it and splash everyone around me" leap.

I would call this one the "junior super hero" leap. He's not quite there, but close.

And to finish- the "I'm going to jump as high as I can, think it's a fun shot, until I see my facial expression and hope that nobody ever sees it" leap. No, it's fun! I love their dedication to the jumping shot... it's awesome!

Hope you enjoyed all of the talented leapers! Be sure to check back for Day 10. I can promise it will make you say "awwww".

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 8 Cole

2008-12-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited about this blog. I've been waiting for Day 8 to share these photos. So, here's the recap:

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES
Day 6: Six funny moments
Day 7: Seven skaters skating

You better be singing it by now!

On the eighth day of blogging, I will bring to you, eight year old Cole

This is one of my favorites. I love this blue door!

More blue... love it with her blonde hair.

If you saw the Day 5 blog you saw my favorite smoke photo... this is my second favorite.

Cole was getting slightly annoyed with me at this point. haha

I love this because she just sat down on the concrete for a quick snack break behind a bar. Recognize the red door from the Day 6 blog?

I love this spot!

Look at her sparkling brown eyes! She's adorable.

Cole having a rare serious moment. =)

Love the background for this one. I see a new trend starting... dumpsters and minivans.

Let me tell you a little about Cole. She is one of the most fun 8 year olds I know. She also happens to be one of my ice skating students. Cole is a great actress and needed new headshots so we walked around for two hours on probably one of the windiest days of the year... and there happened to be a fire too. Although it was a challenge we had a ton of fun!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 7

2008-12-19T23:43:00.000-08:00

I feel like I keep posting these later and later but the weekend of Christmas parties have started and my free time is becoming less and less. Still I am going to have all 12 days of blogging up on the day they are suppose to be up!

Recap:

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES
Day 6: Six funny moments

Here it is... day 7... sing it!

On the seventh day of blogging, I will bring to you, seven skaters skating.

These were all taken at the Anaheim ICE Christmas show this year. There were some great soloist and these are some of the best shots. Enjoy!

Mrs. Claus can hip hop!

Beautiful landing position!

Stealing home?

Love this layback spin!

Wow!

This was a cute program!

Love this one with the shadow.

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 6 Funny Moments

2008-12-18T23:38:00.000-08:00

Here's the recap

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots
Day 5: FIIIVE of my FAVES

I have 20 minutes until the end of Day 6. Yes, I know, I'm cutting it close today but it was a busy day!

Be sure to sing it!
On the sixth day of blogging, I will bring to you, six funny moments.

This first shot it of my 89 year old grandma at the beauty salon. It's funny for multiple reasons... at least to me. First, her stylist is dressed like an angel (it was on Halloween). Second, my grandma has been getting her hair done about once a week for as long as I've been alive and I have never seen her salon, or in curlers. I'm so glad I caught this moment. We were all laughing and having fun too!

This one is funny to me because it shows that I don't have my own kids and I have no idea what size a newborn is. I brought this basket thinking Brody would fit in comfortably. haha, not quite.

I don't think I need to explain this one.

Don't worry, it's not a real jail cell but aren't their acting skills amazing!

This is Cole. She found this sign shocking. haha

Adam was loving the lollipop. His facial expression is priceless!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 5 My Favs!

2008-12-17T00:17:00.000-08:00

Here we are, day 5, the biggest day of them all. I promised something good for this day and I hope you think I've stuck to it!

The recap:
Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations
Day 4: Four loving shots

And now, day 5!

On the fifth day of blogging, I will bring to you, FIIIVEEEE of my FAVES!

I was going to say favorites but it didn't fit as well. I know you are all singing it now so I'm trying my best to make the words fit. =)

I picked these as my favorites not because they are technically perfect but because they are fun, different and I like them. None of these were planned out poses or even locations. I think that's why I like these even more... I couldn't have imagined them until I took them.

This is Emily from Day 4. I love this one because of her expression and her pose. We were both standing in these giant concrete pipes and I wanted a shot of her down low. Both of us being competitive figure skaters when we were younger makes posing easy. All I had to say was squat down and she did the rest. Love it! Oh, one other reason I love it is because it is in black and white. I normally love color but this shot looked like it was older and I felt like the black and white fit perfectly.

I'm not sure why I picked this one. It's cute. She was actually trying to get away from me and I only got to shoot one of two. Luckily this one was in focus and when I look at it I knew exactly what I wanted to do in post processing. It kind of has a greeting card feel to it, yeah?

Avalon has been one of my favorite kids to work with. Just the fact that she was willing to lay down in a parking lot makes her pretty cool. Like I said at the beginning, this shot wasn't planned. I had her sitting on the curb and then I noticed the compact painted for the parking spot. First I had her sitting in front of it but I didn't like it so I had her lay down. She just happened to be the exact length of the word "compact". This couldn't have been planned even if I tried.

This is one of my favorites because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. They look as though they have a love for one another that is beyond my understanding. I can only hope that I meet someone who will look at me the way Hunter is looking at Dana.

Ok, the last shot... drum roll please. I think this is my favorite of the year mainly because it makes me look like an amazing photographer. haha This was definitely not planned. There happened to be a fire. I happened to want to go to this location. Although we were over on time, and Cole was going to be late for High School Musical, her mom was willing to go to one last location. I loved this brick building and thought it would be good for headshots. Little did I know the smoke from the fire would be so spectacular. After I took this shot, I looked at it in the camera and couldn't believe I took it. Oh, side note, it's real. People keep asking me if I photoshopped in the sky. I didn't. I did darken it slightly, but really, just slightly. I think this is a "wow" shot and I think it's pretty cool that it's mine. =) There is more of Cole to come soon so be sure to check back on the other days of blogging.

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 4 Aaron and Emily

2008-12-16T22:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, day 4 already! Let's recap:

Day 1: A roommate and a Christmas light or two
Day 2: Two parents and their sons
Day 3: Three-ee vacations

And now, day four. Be sure to sing it. I've heard some people are just reading it and, trust me, it's not the same (Heather)!

On the fourth day of blogging, I will bring to you, 4 loving shots...

Emily is one of my bestest friends and she asked me to take the Christmas card photos. Of course I said yes because first, she is one of my bestest friends. Second, we have a ton of fun together no matter what we are doing and third, look at them...they are a gorgeous couple!

I'm very excited about day 5 so please check back tomorrow. It will be fabulous!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 3

2008-12-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

So you should be figuring out how this works now but here is a recap.

On the first day of blogging, I will bring to you, a roommate and a Christmas light or two
On the second day of blogging, I will bring to you, two parents and their sons

Here we are on day 3! Be sure to sing the tune

On the third day of blogging, I will bring to you, three-ee vacations

Here is a taste of the three trips I went on this year. I feel so fortunate that I was able to see so many beautiful places.

This is in Spain. I went this summer to watch my friend Angela receive her masters and visit all the beautiful sites.

You can't visit Spain without having Sangria!

We were so close to Morocco we decided to go for a day

This is in a Moroccan pharmacy

In October I went on a cruise to the Caribbean and spent one day in Flordia. This is a nice alligator I ran into.

The ship docked in Grand Turk

My Last trip was a quick trip to Ohio for my Great Uncle Alden's 90th birthday. Doesn't he look great for 90?!?

My gorgeous cousin, Alicia

It you want to see more photos from my trips, they are on my Facebook. Be sure to add me as your friend!

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 2 Valles Family

2008-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Be sure to sing in the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas"!

Recap: On the first day of blogging I will bring to you, A roommate with a Christmas light or two.

On the second day of blogging I will bring to you, two parents and their sons, and a... (repeat first day)

I met up with the Valles family on a few different dates. It was a challenge with all the crazy winds lately to meet up on a day when the air was still but we finally got to finish their family session on a beautiful day with an amazing sunset! I had fun with the Valles and even got to go on a boat ride! What a treat!

Dorian, I loved working with your family. They were such good sports! I'm looking forward to working with you again... maybe we can try out the Christmas light idea.

The 12 Days of Blogging- Day 1

2008-12-13T21:59:00.001-08:00

So I've decided I have a lot of blogging to do so why not do the 12 days of blogging.

Be sure to sing the next sentence to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas" otherwise it's just not as fun.

On the first day of blogging I will bring to you, a roommate and a Christmas light or two.

This shot was inspired by a client that I did a family session for. She wanted a fun shot with her family wrapped up in Christmas lights. I thought I would experiment with my roommate and see how it would look. Keep in my mind the original idea was for a family of four (who will be in the 12 days of blogging) with the big, colored traditional lights. Not quite what was originally pictured but a fun shot for sure.

What do you think?

Alex and Angelina

2008-12-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

I think I start every blog saying how much fun I had at the shoot but it is always true! So with that said... I had so much fun with Alex and Angelina. They got married about 7 months ago and decided they wanted some photos for their Christmas cards that weren't from the wedding. With facebook and myspace there would be no surprise when people received their cards if they used wedding photos. So we walked around Downtown Fullerton and found a ton of great spots. Some of the interesting/fun moments of our shoot include posing with a fire hydrant while I balanced on unstable valves, jumping in a bounce house even though I really couldn't get any good shots, and posing with an extra wide motorized wheelchair that happened to be sitting outside a store. In the midst of all these crazy shots there were quite a few good ones... check them out!

In case you didn't know, the wall makes it clear. They love each other.

A fun photo

I think this is one of the coolest walls I've found so far

Another fun shot

Some of my favorites were at this beautiful church

Love this wall too!

Aren't they cute together!

Side note- Alex is an awesome graphic designer. He designed the card for my Grandma's 90th bday party. Check out more of his work at http://www.alexanderpavone.com/. Here's the front of the card.

I took the photo of my grandma at her weekly beauty shop appointment. She was pointing at me because she didn't want me taking her picture under the dryer. haha

Thanks again Alex and Angelina! I had a ton of fun with you guys!

Baby Adam

2008-11-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on blogging! So far behind that Baby Adam is now driving. Ok, not really, but he is a few months older now. He was so cute I had to share!

OC Fire and Cole

2008-11-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

I started with Cole today and there was a small fire burning. By the time we were done, the sky was black and the fire looked huge. We were in Orange and the fires were nearby in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. Here is what it looked like from Orange. The cute girl in front of the smoke is Cole and I will definitely post more of her later on!

Michael, Michelle, Asher and Tova

2008-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

What a cool family!! I had so much fun at this session. The kids, Asher and Tova, are such individuals and very adorable. Their mom and dad, Michael and Michelle, were great too, letting me chase around their kids with my camera. We shot for over two hours and I could have kept going. Here are a few of my favorites.

A gorgeous family!

I love when kids get along... you can tell they are buddies.

Love her big grown eyes!

A little gentleman!

Precious

Can I use the same caption... this is also precious. =)

I love when I can capture a special moment- no posing- just being a family.

Aren't they sweet! I loved this tree too. =)

So Cute!

Asher's strong man pose

End of two hours shooting= tired of smiling= priceless photo

Thanks Michelle for trusting me with your family photos. I'm looking forward to working with your family again!!

Christmas Card Fun!

2008-11-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

So, I'm WAY behind on my blogging and have a ton to share so I will start with my family's Christmas card photo. My mom wanted me to take photos for their Chirstmas card so we headed to the beach. My brother also went and I thought it would be fun to have a photo of all of us. So after taking a ton of photos of my parents and my mom taking a few of my brother and me, we decided to use this one:

My brother, me, Mom and Dad

Airplanes, Brides and Photogs= Lots of Fun!

2008-10-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

I got a chance last weekend to work with a bunch of talented photographers at March Air Force base Museum thanks to Chris Austin of Chris Austin Photography http://www.chrisaustinphotography.com/. What an amazing place for a shoot! Tons of old vintage planes and beautiful brides made it easy to get some good shots. Here are some of my favorites.

Love this! They are newly married and she was wearing her Grandmother's wedding dress.

Jen was amazing! She was totally willing to climb on a plane in her beautiful dress.

Love the hair!

Such an adorable couple!

Gorgeous eyes!

Loved this couple too, they were so much fun! Check out Dana's blog at http://www.thebrokeassbride.com/

I have a feeling they really like each other =)

Enthusiasm, loved her enthusiasm!

Sun setting, an awesome red plane, and a great bride... what else could I ask for!

This was so much fun and thanks to all the brides and grooms... you guys were great!

Mom's New Hair Style

2008-10-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

My mom stopped by my house the other day to show me her new hair style. She was very excited and I happen to live on the way home form the salon. My mom always likes to show her sisters in Ohio her new styles so I offered to take a few photos. A few turned into about 100 so I thought I'd share a few. Side note- my mother is (am I allowed to say her age? I'm going to!) 62 years old believe it or not. This is why I still look like I'm about 16... it's in the genes! I know, I know I'll appreciate it when I'm older.

Laughing at me telling her to laugh

I wish I got her green eyes!

Doesn't she look ready for fall?

This was fun. =) I told my mom to go on this spinning thing on the playground. Being the sweet daughter I am, I spun her as fast as I could. When she asked me to stop it, I spun her the other way.

Showing me how much she enjoyed spinning. haha

It's only fair that I went on it too. Photo taken by Janet Dante (aka my mom).

Be sure to leave comments about her hair! Do you love it? So fall appropriate, isn't it?

Avalon

2008-09-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with Avalon at our shoot last weekend. Avalon is one of my skating students and I have known her since she was a baby. She's six now and all grown up! Besides being a skater, Avalon enjoys acting and she needed some new headshots. After doing some traditional headshots we had some fun with a little less traditional look. There are a ton of photos but she's so cute I couldn't pick just a few!

A headshot shot

I love her laugh... adorable!

Avalon seeing how close she can get to the camera

Not posed, just loving the plant

I love Avalon's mom, Kelly. I don't think most moms would let their child lay down on a parking spot but Kelly knew it could be cool shot.

Love this one

Avalon the window display? =)

Dancing at sunset

I love the the light here... it was amazing!

Mom and Avalon

The coolest wall ever!

Emily- Construction Zone Ahead!

2008-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Emily and I are friends for many reasons but one of them is we both have a weird/creative streak in us. I told Emily about this "cool" construction area I drive by all the time and wanted to know if she would get dressed up so we could shoot there. She said "yes, and I know what I want to wear". We headed out and Emily walked through weeds and uneven ground in her oh so high heels. A fun moment... Emily says, "RICHELLE, come here now!". I immediately assume she has seen a dead body (watching too much Law and Order and CSI). Instead, it was a dead rat being eaten by ants which just added to the feel of a construction zone. :-)

Emily didn't question my location and she had a picture in her head of what the outcome would be. Hopefully, these live up to what she thought it would and I know I love them! There are a ton more I want to post so I might so a follow up blog later on. Here is a taste of our fun!

One of my favs!

Sewer pipes never looked so good!

Towards the end of our shoot I remembered a red wall I wanted to use down the street. The sun was perfect to play with shadows!

The best models ever!

2008-09-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

As I have progressed with my photography I have constantly been using my dogs for practice shoots. I have used every area possible around my house... or so I thought. I found a few more locations the other day. =)

Abby, Angie, Ainsley and Charlie

2008-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a really fun shoot! I went to Long Beach to do a (lifestyle?) shoot with my cousins kids. There are four of them- Abby, Angie, Ainsley and Charlie. It was so much fun to see their different personalities. Angie (6) wanted every picture of her, Ainsley (2) wasn't really into the whole camera thing, Abby (10) was a great listener and Charlie (2 months) took direction very well. Actually, it was kind of weird... I would tell him to smile and he really would! I have a feeling this one is genius! It was definitely a challenge to do a shoot with four kids, especially when they know me and just want to play, but it was a blast!

We headed to the beach after hanging out at their house. Abby and Angie loved jumping in the waves.

Ainsley and Daddy playing in the water.

Ainsley pointing at "ocean"

I love their expressions here

So cute!

The oldest with the youngest

Baby Charlie

Scooter fun!

A quick family photo before leaving the beach

Thanks for a great shoot! Can't wait to do another!

Chelsea

2008-08-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

I left for my trip to Spain (blog soon to come) on a Wednesday and did Chelsea's shoot the Monday before. What a great last shoot before my trip! Chelsea has some modeling experience and was so easy to shoot! All I had to do was point the camera and she did the rest. So for this shoot I wanted to head to the cornfields of Irvine. I had a picture in my head and the first photo pretty much came out like I was thinking. One thing I found out is that I do have a slight allergy to corn... or dirt... not sure which, but it was totally worth it! There are alot here but I couldn't pick, so enjoy!

My Favorite
Beautiful make-up done by Emily Gray

Beautiful eyes!

I love this one too. I said sit on the rock and this is what Chelsea did.

This was on the walk back. The sun was setting and the lighting was amazing.

I love that this looks like we are out in the country but there is a main street and tons of homes across the street.

Thanks Chelsea!

Kim

2008-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

I met Kim and her boyfriend Jun right before I left for my trip to Spain. Luckily I finished editing her photos before I left but wasn't able to get the blog up until now. Kim was so sweet and fun to shoot. She was willing to try anything, including jumping in a fountain! Her make-up was done by Emily Gray.

This is my favorite!

Beautiful girl!

In the fountain!

She's never modeled before but you can't tell... she was a pro!
Very cool location!

Kim and her boyfriend Jun. What a sweet couple!

Thanks you guys, it was great meeting both of you!

Alberoni Family

2008-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

So the most people I have ever shot at the same time is... was 2. I took a significant jump in my number when I was asked to shoot the Alberoni family reunion... all 27 of them! A high school classmate of mine, Dawn, found me on MySpace (see it is useful!), saw that I was into photography and asked me if I could do a family portrait for them. I was a little bit worried knowing there were a lot of kids, I'd be shooting at 3 PM in direct sunlight and never shooting more than two people but I think it turned out pretty good. I really enjoyed the family and all of the adorable kids! This was a great experience and a great family!

The entire family!

Dawn, Butch and their adorable little girl, Madison.

I love the little one's expression here

So Cute!

Kids don't need to be posed, they make great photos doing their own thing.

I loved these kids! What a nice family!

Thanks again for letting me be a part of your family for the day!

Chris and Natalie

2008-07-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

For Natalie's birthday I gave a her a free photoshoot and make-up done by make-up artist, Emily Gray. We decided to head down to the beach at sunset. I thought I had found a really cool location and found I wasn't the only one. There were two other photographers on the same rocks and one on the beach for a wedding. It is a great spot though and we had a ton of fun! Here are a few of their photos... I haven't had a chance to edit any others yet.

NEW WEBSITE!

2008-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true! The moment is finally here! We have all been waiting for it! Are you ready?

I have a real website with galleries, a calendar, and even an about me section!

This is so exciting every sentence has to end with an exclamation mark!

Here's the confusing part... The website is www.richelledante.com (yes, this used to

be richelledante.com) and my blog is now http://www.richelledantephotography.com/!

Go, look, enjoy! oh, and share it with your friends!

FYI- still working on the music for the galleries. I would mute it at this point. =)

Jacob and Austin

2008-07-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jacob and Austin's moms brought them over for a photoshoot. If you are looking for a good cardio work out, chase around two very active boys with a camera. It was fun and both were so adorable and have the cutest facial expressions. The first photos are the attempts of getting them together, then Jacob and last is Austin.

Jacob blowing kisses

Mommy was acting pretty funny to get this smile.

Yum!

Look at all those teeth! So cute!

Jacob's mom said,"let's do naked pictures". Blackmail for the first gf?

Look at his big eyes!

Fun with dirt!

Austin holding his Mommy's hand.

Thanks Jamie and Jen! I had so much fun!

Laura

2008-06-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Laura was in need of some headshots to get her acting career going so she contacted me. This was my first shoot working with a make-up artist. Emily Gray (see her a few blogs down) did a great job bringing out Laura's beautiful green eyes. We shot in Anaheim at a park and the surounding areas. Laura was a great sport, even changing in her car since there was nowhere else to change.

Thanks Laura! We had a great time!

The Totally Random Post

2008-06-23T22:03:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have some fun events I would like to share. Actually, I don't know if they are really fun but they are interesting. Actually maybe they aren't even interesting but I'm sharing them anyway. This is what blogs are for, right? Sharing a bunch of info that nobody really cares about? Anyway, first I have some pictures of a duck. So exciting, huh? This duck decided to go for a swim in my parents pool so I took a few shots before it flew away.

The other day Emily, Heather and I auditioned for a show called Hole in the Wall. I don't know if they picked us but I did get to try a "dumpster with graffiti shot". Emily isn't quite in dumpster attire but it was a good practice shoot. =)

And to end this very random, weird blog is a life lesson for all. Did you know you have to change your air filter for the AC? Well, I didn't and HAVEN'T in almost 3 years! So you want to know what an air filter looks like after 3 years of sucking dirty air? Here ya go:

YUCK!

More Jenni!

2008-06-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

I just finished editing Jenni's favorites so I thought I'd post a few. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the editing. Thanks!
My favorite

Jenni said, "make this one artsy"

Jenni

2008-06-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was sitting at home, not doing much and my phone rings. Jenni called and says something like, "ok, lets do my photo shoot now, I look cute." And she did... love the shoes! We had about an hour of sunlight left so we ran around my neighborhood and got some pretty cool shots. One of my favs is with the construction sign. It's different. =)

Mike and Heather- Congrats on your engagement! (6-13-08)

2008-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Heather, Mike and I all graduated from Chapman University so we decided to head over there for a photo shoot. In one of the earlier blogs I had mentioned that I ruined pretty much all 400 photos from a shoot in April. They decided they wanted a "do over" so that's what we did. Chapman wasn't too exciting to shoot at but the barber shop across the street was pretty cool!

Wow, look at their blue eyes!

Aaron and Emily

2008-06-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily and her husband Aaron stopped by my house on Saturday. They are moving into the Irvine area which is very exciting since it's so close to my house. Right now, they live about 60 miles from me which makes it hard to hang out. In celebration of their decision to move I decided to do a mini photo shoot with them. =) These are some of the results.

Such a good looking couple!

So pretty!

Sally and Roxy

2008-06-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've taken hundreds of pictures of my dogs since I started working on my photography. Whenever I'm trying something new with my camera, working with different light or a new lens I use my dogs since they're here. Sally is actually getting pretty good at posing. Today I put her on the front doormat and I told her to stay. She actually did it! Even more impressive were her posing skills. She would look up, then to the left, then at me.... it's like she really knew what she was doing. Ok, ok I know she's just a dog, but I think she's pretty smart! Oh, and Roxy... well, she's Roxy. I did get one good picture of her but she's still working on her posing skills. Sally smiling

Roxy

Mom's Bday

2008-06-02T21:45:00.001-07:00

My mom's 62nd birthday was on Sunday so I bought myself a new lens! With my new lens, as a part of my mom's gift, I took more photos of her. She used to always complain that there weren't very many pictures of her since she was always taking them. Now, she is acutally getting tired of being in front of the camera. Anyway, here are a few moments from her exciting day.

My Mom

My Mom's bday present from my Dad

Happy Birthday!

Brutus and Lucy

2008-06-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Brutus and Lucy hung out with me Mother's Day weekend so we decided to do a photo shoot. They were very cooperative and loved having their pictures taken. Here are some of the results:

Lucy

Brutus

These were taken before I knew how to use photoshop so this is pretty much how they came out of the camera. I think I added a little bit of color saturation through Picassa.

Angela and Jason's Just for Fun Shoot

2008-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

I love my friends! They have all been willing to let me "practice" on them until I figure out what I'm doing. Angela, and her boyfriend Jason, were nice enough to meet up on Memorial Day to let me take these pics. It was quite fun! I wanted to try out a few different locations and they were totally willing. It took alot of work to try and get them to act as if they like each other but eventually they did. =)

This one was Jason's idea. I love it!

Thanks you guys... it was fun!

Actor turned Agent

2008-05-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Heather, who once was an actor and now owns Youth Talent Connection (http://www.youthtalentconnection.com/) was nice enough to let me take her pictures again. When I was taking a photo class in April I took pictures of Heather with her boyfriend and washed out pretty much all 400 pictures. I was still learning settings at the time (only off the green box for a few weeks) and forgot that the ISO was at 1600... oh, and it was also noon.

Surprisingly, when I asked her if I could take pictures of her again she was willing. I think these turned out a little bit better and even if they didn't we had yummy tacos and a good time!

Heather the rock star?

Yummy taco time!

First Engagement Shoot

2008-05-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first photography blog. On Saturday I met with Ian and Gaby who are friends with my friend Amber. It was suppose to be Amber's photoshoot but her friends needed pictures for save the date cards so she was very generous and gave up her time for them. =) This was my first shoot with people I didn't already know and using photoshop. Here are some of the results.