San Luis Obispo Wedding Photography - Jessica McDorman Photography & Retouching - Blog

San Diego Photog Shootout - Jacumba, CA

2010-11-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

This Madonna themed shootout was a blast!!

Models: Anna Good, Lyssa Landstedt, Annaiz Rzepka

Styling by: Tiffani Chynel - http://www.TiffaniChynel.com/

Nathan's Senior Pictures

2010-10-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Catheline & Matthew - MARRIED!!!

2010-10-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Catheline & Matthew were married at Avila Beach. It was a beautiful day with hardly any fog and a nice cool breeze.

The bride wore white sequined boots as her brother walked her down the aisle and gave her away to Matthew. The couple exchanged gold rings that photographed beautifully with their yellow and gold theme.

Matthew serenaded Catheline with a song he wrote for her, followed by the couple's first dance.

Guests enjoyed dinner and dancing until they sent the couple off to the their honeymoon in their decorated car and "getaway" clothes.

Her dress so so beautifully full! A true princess gown!

Walkin' to the beach! Catheline could not contain her excitement!!! Cars were honking in celebration and local beach-goers were hootin' & hollerin'!

This flower girl was sooo adorable!!

Walkin' to the beach! Catheline could not contain her excitement!!! Cars were honking in celebration and local beach-goers were hootin' & hollerin'!

Guests signed in and took their name card from a yellow cushion board. Each name was written in gold ink.

Top Left: the head table
Bottom left: gold kisses were given to each guest as a favor

Toasts, cake, and serenading galore!!

Dancin' dancin' :)

Photographing the rings is one of my favorite parts :)

Kevin + Megan - Mission Bay Wedding!

2010-10-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

Kevin married Megan in a glass modern house in Mission Bay. Their story of love and new faith was so inspiring. The guests watched the ceremony from the sand and joined the couple for dinner and dancing. It was simple and sweet :)
Second shot for David Matranga

So adorable!!

The bridesmaid's beautiful bouquets!

Meet the groom :)

Pastor John prayers for Kevin before the ceremony.

The ceremony spot and all the guests.

The scenery behind us :) nice and sunny

Vows & tears, my favorite!

LOVE the bubbles!!

GORGEOUS rings!!

Classic.

The pastor, John, meant a lot to the couple and Megan was specific about getting a picture of the pastor's hands holding a Bible with the wedding bands.

The house was very modern, glass and mirrored walls, a sunken living room, and an indoor balcony dining/dancing area.

Adorable cookies, amazing lemonade!!

Too pretty to eat!

Red velvet!! yum yum!

Most amazing chocolate fountain ever. Taste For Every Season uses only Belgian chocolate. TO DIE FOR!http://www.tasteforeveryseason.com/

Cookie cutters tied with ribbon to recipes for guests to take home.

Dancy, dancy...smoochy smoochy ;)

Megan honored her mother with a toast and time in the spotlight as a friend sang a song for the couple.

Playing with the mirrored walls. Yes, I did almost walk into one...

Baby Coco

2010-10-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful baby girl of Jennifer and Chas, my very first clients :)
I photographed their engagement, wedding, and maternity pictures and I had the honor of photographing baby Coco at just a few weeks old.
Can't wait to see her in a few months!!

This is her "frustrated-sleeping" face haha

She finally fell asleep for us!!! :D

Mutt Mingle :)

2010-09-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

The local dog park hosted a Mutt Mingle for all the pups and their owners. The weather was perfect. Festivities included food & ice cream (for people and pups), games & prizes, vendors and LOTS of mingling :)

I was absolutely COVERED in hair and slobber, but I just couldn't resist those loving faces :)

SO A-dor-able!!!

A caricaturist just for the pups :)

"Bobbing for Hot Dogs"

Winner of the game is the first to get a hot dog chunk out of the water. The dogs were pretty bad at this game, they just kept drinking the water, they couldn't quite get to the hot dogs..

Just a note: my german shepherd would have rocked at this game.

"Eat the Tail Off the Cat"
Goal of the game: the dog that eats the treat off the tail wins

Puppy Portraits :)

Paige from The Pet Rescue Center
Nonprofit adoption center

http://www.thepetrescuecenter.org

Ice cream!!! For people...and pups :)

LOTS of yummy treats

Nom nom nom ;)

While You R Away: Great petsitting service!!

http://www.whileyouraway.net/

TOO CUTE!!!

Mommy took his ice cream away :( poor little guy

Posing for his portrait :)

Kissin' and wrestlin'

Sometimes it's hard to me to believe this is a dog...

All the vendors (pictured here):

Allison's Custom Canine Training: Love, Language, Leadership

Desperate Paws of Orange County Dog Club

Dove Pet Hospital & Boarding

Homemade Doggy Dinners: All Natural Homemade Dog Food & Treats

Sitting Pretty Pet Spa

Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare

The Zuri Collection: Luxury Dog Collars

Allison & Josh got married!!!!!

2010-09-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

I met Allison a few years ago in San Luis Obispo when she was visiting a mutual friend. I've always enjoyed spending time with her and I was so excited to hear that that she was getting married! I loved hearing about her wedding plans and was so happy I was able to photograph her wedding day! It was a beautiful sunny summer day in Long Beach; the ceremony was held at Bay Shore Congregational Church. The traditional ceremony wasn't without tears and laughter. After the ceremony, guests headed over to the Huntington Harbor Yacht club. A traditional italian dinner of lasagna, chicken picata and salad was served, the meal Allison and Josh ate together on their first date. Guests rocked all night long to Knyght Rider, the couple's favorite '80s cover band.

The photobooth printed stickers, guests posted their pictures in this blank album and wrote a note to the couple. The guests got to keep a duplicate of their pictures :)

Top right: Allison surrounded by her sorority sisters performing a traditional ceremony

Bottom left: the couple's first dance

Bottom middle: The couple enjoys an amazing slideshow made by friends

"Josh was walking Allison to her car after their weekly Up 'til Dawn meeting, when he was her if she wanted to grab a bite to eat. Allison accepted the offer with delight. Josh took Allison to Marino's, his family's favorite Italian restuarant. There they enjoyed two dishes presented this evening: Homemade Lasagna & Chicken Picata. Josh told Allison that his company was paying for their meal, but it was Josh who picked up the tab. Therefore, making this night their first official date."

The guests rocked out to Knyght Ryder, the couple's favorite '80s cover band.

A cd of '80s classics (and a few love songs) was given to the guests of favors.

Myself and my sister. We make a great team.

Top: we couldn't resist, we HAD to get in that photobooth!!!

Paige's 1st Birthday

2010-08-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sweet, adorable, Paige. Enjoying her first birthday party.

The perfect food for a saturday afternoon! Virgin Sangria, awesome salad, chips n' guac, juice for the kids, strawberries and jello, and an awesome shark sculpture made out of watermelon by Paige's grandfather.

The party was also catered by a local Mexican restaurant.

The adorable pink and green decorations that flooded the picnic area.

Paige couldn't wait to look at the lady bugs that were being painted on her face.

Bottom left: Paige's uncle snapping a quick shot of the face painting

Top right: two little girls reveling in their cookie creatinos

Bottom right: awesome sprinkles

The awesome bounce house and the huge group of kids that attended

Bottom right: Paige's ladybug face paint

Paige dug right in to the cake and then continued to spread red icing on her white dress (expected of course) :)

These are the Thank You Cards I designed to be sent out to the guests who attend the party

--complete with pics from the party!

My First Studio Sample :)

2010-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

My first studio sample!!!!

Leather, metallic paper, 10x20 spread...oh so beautiful!!!! I love holding it :)

http://www.collages.net

New ADORABLE planner!!

2010-08-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is my new adorable planner. I love looking at it. It's hard for me to actually use it,

I'm afraid to ruin it haha!

http://www.muchadoaboutyou.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/muchadoaboutyou

Zebra-print Camera Strap

2010-08-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

I got this strap a little bit ago and I am in love. I have a zebra-print clip board to match, AND it matches my zebra-print computer chair. Zebra-print brings such joy to my life :) Plus it's furry, so it's fluffy and soft. It even has a diamond stud as the dot of the "i". Having a unique camera strap really brings personality and style to my work. It's brings "pep" to my step!

Reunion/Birthday Bash of the Cvar Family

2010-06-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Pat and Frank hosted a birthday bash at their home with their HUGE backyard. We had tents, caterers, decorations, and soo much fun! Patty had never had an official birthday party before so we had to make it special.

This group shot was definitely an accomplishment. But everyone looked sooo great in their color coordinated outfits! A great family picture!!!

Bottom right: Patty and Frank!

These decorations were adorable! So bright and colorful, there was so much to photograph.

The food was great and beautifully displayed, I overate, as I'm sure most of the guests did.

A great candid shot of Pat and Frank :)

Kathy and Tony, two people I've gotten to know very well, were our gracious bar tenders and official "welcomers" of the party

Frank's cake was in the shape of a sombrero!

Patty's cake was a big barbie cake, sooo cute!!

Patty is getting ready to blow out her candles, I love her face in these.

The chocolate fondue exploded and the kids all dove in, but no body wanted me to take their picture, I think they were worried I'd get them in trouble haha.

I had all the guests come over to these great shady bushes for their pictures. I don't remember this conversation very well, but I remember it being very funny ;)

Kathy's parents are celebrating an anniversary soon, they are so sweet!

Oh my goodness, I was OBSESSED with this baby. She had the most adorable chubby cheeks. The picture in the upper right corner was her "super excited" smile :D LOVE IT!

The girls were playing "house". I think I interrupted them.

Boys will be boys. Left: PJ posing with this amo and gun-contraption-thingy.

Upper right corner: "Man down!" He limped and everything.

Bottom right: a nice game of badminton.

Graduates of 2010

2010-06-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Shannon is such a gorgeous girl, we had a lot of fun with these! Shannon has been a friend for a few years now so getting the chance to go crazy with my camera was awesome :)

Dave & Marine were a couple I had just met and they were so adorable I just had to photograph them. Marine is a french exchange student so listening to her speak was just as fun as taking her picture. She was wearing this amazingly bright dress, there are not enough of these in the world.

Jennifer's Maternity Pictures :)

2010-06-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Jennifer was my very first bride a little over a year ago, and now her and her husband are expecting! I was so blessed to be able to be a part of this new chapter in their lives.

Jennifer is such a great model and so much fun to shoot. We took a few photos in the nursery and then headed over to Pismo Beach for some fun creative shots.

Jennifer is due in August and they're leaving the baby's sex as a suprise. I can't wait to meet this sweet little baby and take newborn pictures!!

Catheline & Matthew - Engagement Session

2010-05-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Catheline is so beautifully bubbly and Matthew is calm and serene. The two of them exude a very relaxing happiness :) I can't wait for their wedding on June 21st!!

We decided to run free at the Johnson's Family Ranch off of Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo. The sun was super bright and the wind was flowing just to the point of annoyance haha. We were on the hunt for this gorgeous yellow flowers and we happened to find a patch. There's a great barn that's next to the ranch that I couldn't pass up. After enjoying the ranch we headed over to pier at Pismo Beach. The shade under the pier gave us some gorgeous light and some private time from all the beach-goers.

We hurried over to the couple's home for a wardrobe change and found this spot in the eucalyptus forest that overlooks the whole county, GORGEOUS! Not to mention it was a special place for the couple <3

After some stunning black-and-whites of the two of them playing in the water, we enjoyed the sunset and explored a few last "just go for it" poses :) I have to say that the one where Catheline's leg is "popped" is my favorite.

PPA Tour 2010

2010-05-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

The guest speakers were Allison and Jeff Rodgers, they were amazing!

http://www.allisonrodgers.com/

So inspiring and had such great advice. I felt like I had finally found the mother ship, being surrounded by all my photography-alien friends. Learned about a ton more vendors, signed up with Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and talked with Allison herself! I highly recommend a going to a conference if you're considering one. I did accidentally park in the wrong area so that was sort of expensive haha, but lesson learned!

That's Jeff getting his laptop set up. Such a great husband-wife team. I applaud them for being able to work together.

I love this sign. Clean and simple. Bright. Attention grabbing. Powerful ;)

The Apparel of my life :)

2010-05-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

These are some favorite T's and sweatshirts that mark various times in my life.

Going from left to right:
1. Malaysia -- Lived there as teen, from 6th grade to 9th grade
2. ISB Thailand -- School sweatshirt, lived in Thailand as a kid, from 2nd to 5th grade
3. Mat Pica Pi -- Co-president of this social club for my major at Cal Poly: Graphic Communication
4. MPP -- Short for Mat Pica Pi
5. Pink 86 -- I just really liked this shirt from Victoria's Secret
6. Go SLO!! -- My rugby team t-shirt
7. Mustangs -- This was our college mascot
8. Chinese characters + hearts -- shirt I picked up on a missions trip overseas
9. The ALL American Rejects -- concert I went to in college, I think at the House of Blues?
10. Cal Poly -- My first Cal Poly sweatshirt...I now have millions
11. GrC Spring Bling -- this was a pub crawl put on by my major
12. Cal Poly SLO -- This was the first cute design of a Cal Poly shirt, now they're all super cute
13. Life's a Beach -- The front side of my rugby shirt
14. EDGE -- Expressive Design Grace Experience - club I founded with some awesome artists interesting in expressing their love of Christ through media
15. Life Saved -- Shirt from my boyfriend that was super comfy
16. Switchfoot -- Sweatshirt from a concernt at Cal Poly, my bday present from my roommate
17. 'P' -- yes...still that Victoria's Secret shirt
18. Malaysia --yes, this shirt is repeated. However, I am going back this summer for a reunion :) I'll get to see all my middle buds

Prepping for Bridal Fair By-The-Sea!!

2010-04-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just the beginning...smiling faces, unaware of the amount of work that is to overtake them.

In the zone! Hard at work!

The bridal fair goodie bags monstrosity that has taken over my kitchen table.

Bagged and ready to go!!

Can't wait to meet the brides next sunday!!!

Bridal Fair By-The-Sea

2010-03-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.bridalfairbythesea.com/

Jessica McDorman Photography & Retouching will be advertising in South Orange County's Bridal Fair By-The-Sea!! The Bridal fair is Sunday, April 11th from 11am to 5pm @ Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa.
Come check it out! I'd love to meet you!

Jennifer and Chas - Wedding

2010-03-16T01:41:00.000-07:00

This was my first wedding. Jennifer and Chas were so amazing and wonderful to photograph!

These are from our "Trash the Dress" session at Grover Beach, California

Bethany and Aaron - Wedding

2010-03-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

A small Santa Barbara courthouse wedding. No gimmicks, no stress. Just love. :)

Allison and Chase - Wedding

2010-03-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

This wonderful couple was married on a cliff in Pismo Beach, California. The reception was held at Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant. This small beach wedding was the perfect combination of simplicity and elegance that Allison and Chase desired.

Amy Brown - Headshots

2010-02-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Had a great time at a local park in Orange taking headshots for Amy, such a sweetheart and gorgeous girl!

more fun fun fun

2010-02-02T13:55:00.001-08:00

Fun Fun Fun

2010-02-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Erin Armstrong + Chris Ferrier - Wedding photos!!

2010-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

New pictures up soon!

2009-12-02T10:11:00.001-08:00

New pictures up soon! Erin Armstrong and Chris Ferrier's wedding on November 7th as well as the Monroe/Bouchard's family holiday photo!

HOLIDAY PORTAITS

2009-10-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

The holidays are coming up fast! Now's the time to book that family portrait you've always wanted! Don't wait til it's too late! Write me on Facebook, email jessica.mcdorman@gmail.com, or call (949) 702-3181

Recent retouching work

2009-10-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Meet Jennifer and Chas. The first picture is one that they gave me from their honeymoon and the second picture is from their wedding day. Jennifer had asked if it was possible to remove the girl standing by the door, as she loved the picture of the back of her dress. I thought I'd give it a shot. :)

[I removed the plants out of their faces]

[I edited the background to remove the girl, the table and adjusted lighting]

Dove Evolution - LOVE this video

2009-10-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

2009-09-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

I created a bridal avatar for myself. Try it! http://weddings.theknot.com/MyInnerBride/
Too bad I can't look like this all the time! ;) This little cartoon officially makes me the wedding expert!!
She's got sunglasses, a long necklace, a sparkling diamond and some feathers in her hair! My kinda woman.

2009-09-22T19:16:00.001-07:00

I love being able to blog from my phone!! And come Friday, I get to include pictures!!

2009-01-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog post. I'll try to keep it up to date. I'd like the purpose of this blog to be a place to share ideas, post comments, and share my most recent experiences.