Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

I'm cheating.  I'm admitting it right now-- this blog is a cheat.  I realized recently that I have not blogged about anything in about a month!  Therefore, this blog will be an attempt to catch up on everything that has been missed the past month...

Fasten your seat belts, here we go!

Chantal & Steve: Engagement

Chantal and Steve are AWESOME.  They came to me earlier in the year with a fun idea.  They said "Iliana, we are looking for someone to take photos of us cooking"  I said "YES."  I love food, and I figured they would feed me.  The day finally came and I arrived at Chantal and Steve's house with cupcakes (from my good friend Stevi at Hey There Cupcake!), and we did a really sweet session around their house.  They laughed on the couch, they mock-baked some cupcakes, and really made some Guacamole, which is Chantal's favorite thing Steve makes.  It was a great time!  They are getting married in their hometown of Boston, where both of their families and friends live.



Molly & Justin: Engagement

Now this is a story that I care about.  Not that I don't care about all of my clients, but I LOVE my friends, and Molly was one of my very best friends growing up.  I was absolutely thrilled when Molly sent me a message a few months ago telling me she would be in town for a visit and wanted to do an engagement session with me and her fiance while they were here.  I took them to Balboa Park, which Molly said was one of their favorite spots.  Molly and Justin obviously care so much about each other, and it was a pleasure to work with them.  It's especially great to work with friends.  I am so stoked they asked me to shoot their wedding, so I will be traveling up to Santa Barbara next month to work with them again!

(See more here!)

Elias and Laura: Wedding

 

Elias and Laura have been good friends of Brian and mine basically for as long as I have know Brian.  I LOVE them.  Brian has worked as a DJ with Elias for about 10 years now, so they have been good friends for a long time.  Laura is definitely "his other half" and they compliment each other perfectly.  They have been together for just about as long as Brian and me, and I was stoked when they finally got engaged (about a year ago) and then FINALLY got married!  They had a wonderful and very intimate ceremony, and I was happy to have been included!



 

 

 

 

Events by Elisa

Sometimes it is not in a couple's budget to hire a professional photographer.  But sometimes a coordinator really wants photos of the hard work that she's done.  My friend Elisa at Events by Elisa had me come out to a commitment ceremony that she designed so that she'd have some images to use for showcasing her talent.  I was so happy to help, and it was a great time!



Maximum Capacity Events

Another fun day working with a fellow wedding pro! My friend Elizabeth at Maximum Capacity Events asked me to take a few fun photos of her so that she can revamp her website over the Winter (which is my plan too!).  One of the first things she said is "Sorry, I'm not very photogenic."  At the end of the session I realized she clearly has no idea what she's talking about, because she ROCKED it.





Laurie's  Materinty Session

Laurie at Sparrow Bridal has become a great friend of mine. I'm happy to announce that just two weeks ago she gave birth to a darling little girl.  I am over the moon happy for her and her family!  Before that happened, Lori wanted to get some maternity shots to commemorate that time in her life.  It was beautiful, and she was clearly so excited... and still is!



Cindy & Scott: Engagement

I had the pleasure of working with Cindy and Scott twice in one month!  They decided somewhat last minute to hire a wedding photographer, and I am lucky it was me!  These two were the sweetest, and it was so fun working with them.  For their engagement session we walked around La Jolla Cove for a bit, which is one of Cindy's favorite places, and the spot where Scott proposed :)



Michelle and Danny: Wedding

I am so happy for Michelle and Danny.  I've had such a wonderful time working with them over the past eight months since they booked with me.  Their engagement session was a blast, and so was their wedding.  A little part of me is kind of sad that they are married now, because I don't have any events with them to look forward to!  But they are such a rad couple, and their photos so far are wonderful! Their wedding was at the Mission Beach Women's Club, and it was a great celebration!




(see more here)


Anjie & Joe's Engagement Session

Anjie and Joe are awesome.  They are into vinatge cars, good music, and are all around good people.  I was happy to spend an hour hanging out around The Midway with them for their engagement photos.  From the small amount of time that I've known Anjie I have gathered that she is such a strong and genuinely good person.  I was having a horrible day a while ago and she was so sweet and actually got me to tell her what was wrong and listened.  Total sweetheart.  Together they are such a great couple, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them!





 

 

Eileen and John's Wedding

Eileen and John have faced so many challanges over the years.  They've been married for 18 years, and they felt it was time to renew their vows to show each other and their families their renewed commitment to eachother and their marriage.  It was an intimate gathering, and quite beautiful.  Elieen was very playful with the camera, even though she said she was shy...



The Bustle

At somepoint I did a little project with Bridal Insider and The Bustle... pretty pretty dresses!



Fun with Stone

The day of the "great blackout" was an interesting one for Iliana Morton Photography... it warrants its own post, but I ended up doing a photoshoot that evening!  Interesting!



J&T: Wedding

I won't say a lot about this amazing ceremony.  I might be able to expand on it later.  For now, this remains one of my favorite photos of the summer...



Cindy & Scott: Wedding

I told you I got to work with Cindy and Scott twice in the past month!  I had a great time with them at their wedding at Carlsbad Seapointe Resort.  It was my first time there, and it is an awesome little spot!  Cindy and Scott looked fantastic and it was great to see them so in love with the support of so many family and friends.




Michelle and Sam: Wedding

Michelle and Sam are another really awesome couple that I've had the pleasure of getting to know over the past year.  Their wedding was in Mission Viejo, and they both looked amazing.  They partied the night away, and I can't imagine them looking any happier than they were.  And I am still in love with Michelle's dress!!



Cherish and Cameron: Wedding

Cherish and Cameron were married in La Jolla and had their reception, which was mainly a huge awesome party for all their friends at Prospect Bar and Grill.  These two are so fun.  They had a great party, but they obiously are amazing parents as well!



Carnival Fun

Last but not least, somewhere in between all that crazyness I did a styled photoshoot with my friends at Eventity, Hey There Cupcake, Nic.Roc. Designs, and Sweet Pea Flower Co. It's on the California Wedding Wave (Ceremony Magazine's blog) today!  I might blog more about this shoot at a later date because it was just so fun!  Make sure to go over and see it!




Wow... September really was CRAZY!  On top of that I have been busy with other personal projects that I am also excited to share with you at some point.  Someone really needs to figure out how to add a few more hours to the day!  Holy moley!

xoxo

Sara and John's San Diego Bayfront Engagement Session

Oh my what a weekend I had!  I was a shooting machine and had three engagement sessions this weekend, and each one of them was such really great time for their own special reasons.

My first engagement session of the weekend was with Sara and John.  I met them down at the park near the USS Midway Museum... Sara really wanted to recreate the pose of the kissing sailor statue (modeled after this famous photo) with her own sailor fiance, so that's where we started.  From there we did a bit of walking around the bay with their sweet dog Nilla and got some really fun photos.  We ended the day with some gorgeous light and beautiful shots at the County Administration Building.

Here are some favorites...

















Sara and John are all set to be married next June.  Their ceremony will be at beautiful Breaker's Beach on base in Coronado!  Congratulations Sara and John!

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For more of Sara and John's engagement session visit the facebook page!

Michelle & Danny's Oceanside Engagement Session

I loved this couple from the first time I met them for our initial consultation together.  In that half hour we spent together I could tell that they had a special connection.  And they were just all sorts of fun to talk to.  They are the type of couple you'd want to hang out with.  When Michelle sent in their engagement questionnaire, she mentioned that she and Danny like to go to concerts and other shows and are fans of The Shout House.  In my head while reading through that questionnaire I kept saying "hey, me too!" again and again.  So I was stoked for their engagement session, and a chance to get to know them both a little better.

Not being from San Diego, Micelle and Danny were open to any location for their engagement photos as long as it included the beach.  The beach is always gorgeous, but I felt that they also needed to have a dose of color and fun because they are such a vibrant, fun couple.  I suggested the Oceanside Pier area because not only do you have a great beach setting, but also because it is one of the more colorful beach areas in San Diego.  I had a great time with them.  They weren't afraid to walk a bit further into the water than most couples were for the sake of my... vision?  They humored me, and were great sports about a few (not so small) splashes.  Here are some of my favorites...























I'm so excited for their wedding, which is coming up in just a few months.  I can't wait to work with them again!

Taking the Plunge...

Years and years ago I subscribed to a mailing list fun (and sometimes silly) photo tips & tricks site called Photojojo.  Sometimes they have really cool ideas.  I woke up to an email from them today about tips for underwater photography (take a peek here!).  That got me thinking... I've never done any underwater photography, nor have I even considered getting any of my precious camera equipment remotely close to a body of water (that stuff's pricey!).  I never gave it a fair mulling over... So I took a peek at the email.  Pretty basic info, but the article made underwater photography with people as the subjects look just plain fun!  And, with the arrival of the summer season, it made me want to track down an underwater casing device for a camera, gather up some willing participants, and plunge into the ocean (or maybe a pool to start)!  Early in the day I spent some time browsing the good ol' internets for some awesome underwater wedding/engagement/pretty dress photos, and boy, did I find a lot of them!  Here are some to share...

(photo credit: Zena Holloway)

(Photo Credit: Draper Photography)

(Photo Credit: Lucas VanDyke)

(Photo Credit: Carl Zoch)

(Photo Credit: Casey Jay Benson)

(Photo Credit: Roberto Falck)

(Photo Credit: Jenn Sample)

(Photo Credit: Carl Zoch)

(Photo Credit: Kevin Beasley)

(Photo Credit: Zena Holloway)

How cool are those?  I must say, the Zena Holloway ones are probably my favorites.  So now... who out there is going to be the daring couple or maybe just a bride with a dress who will take the plunge with me?   ;)