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A few weeks ago we had an absolute delight of photographing the ever-so-beautiful Angel (super-fab wedding/events coordinator of Events of Love and Splendor) along with her ever-so-handsome husband Erik at the Villa Del Sol D'oro in Sierra Madre. We loved, loved, loved shooting at this location, so much to work with with a romantic feel. We also loved, loved, loved photographing Angel + Erik, honestly, how can two people be SO photogenic!?!

Ps. For anyone out there looking for cool gift to give your photographer hobbiest friend, sister, brother, or spouse, we highly recommend purchasing the TOTALLY RAD ACTIONS!We use these amazing actions for all of our color toning, black and white toning, grainage, and sharpening...they ARE THE BEST! In this particular post I have concocted recipes from the first Totally Rad Actions! andTRA2 - THE REVENGE.

The first recipe is for color:

Ying/yang (for burning and dodging), Lux (soft) opacity 50%, Get Faded Winter opacity 35%, Warm it up Kris (to taste 10-50%), Grainstorm, flatten, Boutwell Magic Glasses OR Can-o-whoopass(8-bit).

The second is for Black and White:

Ying/yang (for burning and dodging), Detroit 50% (note, image was completely desaturated before using actions for black and white), Grainstorm, flatten, Boutwell Magic Glasses OR Can-o-whoopass(8-bit).

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Upon Erik and Angel's arrival, the first thing I noticed was Angel headband, so intricate and fun, I totally want one now! If you are wondering where to get one, it is a Twigs and Honey headband, be sure to support the artist and get one for a stocking stuffer or even just for fun!
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It was a tough decision, but this is my favorite shot of the day!
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This tree is HUMUNGOUS!
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Some tilt-shift blur action!
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Thanks to Angel and Erik for the awesome afternoon and for the Thai food that followed, so excited for more good times to come with you guys!
51 Comments
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Amber said:
This is such a gorgeous couple. I love those Totally Rad Actions. I tried out the demo they had today and I have fallen in love!
(12.16.08 02:23 PM)
Ryel j said:
these are killer!! And her eyes are amazing. I love the first 3 images... I couldn't pick my fav. xoxox
(12.16.08 02:28 PM)
Jen@Green Wedding Shoes said:
Love this! I saw that headband in the Twigs & Honey etsy shop and loved it, but now I love it even more! Beautiful Amelia.
(12.16.08 02:40 PM)
kristin said:
Holy Cow these are amazing.. How do you manage to get the cuttest style couples! Great...GREAT shoot. :) I will for sure check out those head bands.
(12.16.08 02:46 PM)
angel swanson said:
adooooore these!! ;-) you are amazing, amelia! we had the best time with you guys and can't wait to see you soon. xoxo
(12.16.08 02:48 PM)
jac said:
yeah baby! awesome shoot! and angel + erik, you look hot!
(12.16.08 04:05 PM)
Melanie said:
Beautiful! Angel and Erik so stunning together.
(12.16.08 04:25 PM)
kristin brancaleone said:
these are utterly fab! you captured them beautifully!
(12.16.08 04:56 PM)
WeezerMonkey said:
What lovely images!
(12.16.08 05:20 PM)
Eric said:
You've become my favorite photographer Amelia!!! Seriously!
(12.16.08 05:25 PM)
Tonya Peterson said:
Awesome. Serious girl! You rocked this! Love the close close up one!
(12.16.08 05:46 PM)
stephanie . o said:
these are super sweet!! they photographs very well!! i love this session!!
(12.16.08 06:05 PM)
Lyndzee said:
HOLY CRAP!!!! I freakin love these pictures you guys!! And I'm just gonna have to get me one of those headbands (you know me with headbands,, I'm such a sucker). Anyway,, I would have to say that the 4th one down is my fav. Rock on!! See you guys this weekend!!
(12.16.08 07:31 PM)
Amanda said:
* Whistle * That's one hot couple!!
(12.16.08 07:48 PM)
Joel Flory said:
I love the photos. You never cease to amaze me. Thanks for all of the great inspiration.
(12.16.08 08:56 PM)
mark brooke said:
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!! you two rocked out so hard on this shoot!! miss you guys! -mark
(12.16.08 09:03 PM)
lisa said:
hi amelia! i love these photos! have always loved the villa del sol d'oro. did you need a special permit to take pictures there? thanks!!
(12.16.08 09:06 PM)
Annie said:
Those are AWESOME! I love her outfit and the headband looks super cute on her (even though I'm not sure I could pull it off! :)
(12.16.08 10:17 PM)
jac said:
yeah baby! awesome shoot! and angel + erik, you look hot!
(12.16.08 10:27 PM)
Quinze said:
Another great shooting ... really ! Whoahhh
(12.16.08 11:36 PM)
john waire said:
wow this is an amazing session. is the photographer? the subjects? the totally rad actions? or all 3 ? really really awesome. can't wait for the totally rad actions to make their way to lightroom.
(12.17.08 04:35 AM)
Mary Marantz said:
OOOH I LOVE THESE!!!! each and every one!! Absolutely amazing yumminess!!
(12.17.08 07:02 AM)
WillSin865 said:
Amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipes for coloring on these pics. I am always wondering how great photographers like yourself accomplish this!
(12.17.08 08:12 AM)
angie monson said:
I think you are my fave wedding photographer ever!
(12.17.08 09:22 AM)
jackie wonders said:
LOVE this shoot! i'm all about the whimsical and dreamy-ness. just curious- did you demand for her to give you her outfit or what?! that girl had got some great style!
(12.17.08 10:40 AM)
tiffany said:
yay! Angel!! I adore her and these images are GORGEOUS. she and her hubs are totally photogenic. beautiful, beautiful pictures. love them all.
(12.17.08 11:18 AM)
Jessica Strickland said:
Oh my gooooodness...the color on these is THE BEST EVER, Amelia!! Love it soo much!!
(12.17.08 11:26 AM)
wrecklessgirl said:
gives me goosies....seriousry.
(12.17.08 02:58 PM)
ariel Green said:
love, love LOVE your work!! Gorgeous, perfect lighting & processing as always!!
(12.17.08 03:38 PM)
greta, smitten photography said:
i am in awe every time you post. stop it!! :) i love your work so so so much.
(12.17.08 04:06 PM)
michelle said:
wow. thanks for the recipes. I LOVE rad actions.
(12.17.08 04:32 PM)
Chantel said:
Thanks for your recipes! I have those actions and love them! It's great to see how others use them. Great session!
(12.17.08 05:53 PM)
Jasmine* said:
Luuuuuurve this shoot! FABULOUS! :)
(12.17.08 07:13 PM)
marco said:
thank you so much for sharing your recipes! what a lovely sesh
(12.17.08 08:33 PM)
Natalie said:
Thank you for the action mixture, I love your work. If you can any other photography tips into your blog that would be great!
(12.17.08 08:33 PM)
laura g said:
wow. i really love your photos. so inspiring. thank you.
(12.17.08 08:56 PM)
chatti said:
i love etsy! the photos are awesome!
(12.18.08 11:05 AM)
Adrienne Gunde said:
These shots are beyond amazing!! Such a beautiful couple and such stunning images - love love everything about this shoot!!
(12.18.08 11:11 AM)
Calvin said:
Love those shots with the sun flare. Very nice.
(12.18.08 11:28 AM)
Ashley said:
I ADORE these images!!! She has such great style and the location is absolutely perfect. Awesome work as usual!
(12.18.08 12:10 PM)
heather saunders said:
Amelia, these are beautiful! Alot of emotion and the postpro is killer! You never cease to amaze!
(12.18.08 08:46 PM)
CReid said:
Hey Amelia Great shots...I especially love the B&W shot under the hugh tree. Wifey, if you are reading this blog the TRA2 - THE REVENGE for Christmas (Hint Hint Hint)!!!
(12.19.08 11:44 PM)
ROG said:
Hey, I know this girl from back in my "follow Nate from 'the image is found' home and dig through his trash just trying to find out how the F he does it" days. Good times, heh he heh. I'm so glad you two put in that tilt shift blur shot, because when I saw it at your compound and fell in love with it, I tried to explain what it looked like to Lyndzee and she's all "I don't get it", and I'm all "it was calming and exciting all at the same time with a hint of 'want to put it in my jacket and take it home' added". She now gets it. Thank you for letting me see it again my faithful Photog friends. You are cool.
(12.20.08 01:31 PM)
jenberry said:
where's that dress from. sooooo cute
(12.21.08 07:05 PM)
julie martin said:
amazing photos. you are VERY talented. and you had GREAT material to work with!!
(12.21.08 10:43 PM)
ScotWharton said:
This whole shoot....EVERY SINGLE PICTURE....is AMAZING!
(12.22.08 09:43 AM)
Blair Van Bussel said:
LOVE that hair piece and LOVE that stair shot, oh! and the tilt shift love just above it. Awesome session!
(12.23.08 10:14 AM)
annaliza said:
they're absolutely fabulous inside and out! your beautiful, amazing work just enhances them! gorgeous photos
(12.24.08 05:44 AM)
Neville Chu said:
Hey! Awesome pictures! I went to high school with Angel!
(12.25.08 11:36 PM)
carissa jones said:
OMG that headband!!!!! what a find!!! i am obsessed!!!
(01.07.09 11:31 PM)
health insurance said:
aww
(05.17.10 04:34 PM)
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Angel + Erik Together! . TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.amelialyon.net/darkroom/mt/mt-tb.cgi/102
A few months ago my husband became good friends with this guy named Josh. Josh soon invited us over to eat some amazing carne asada and meet his sweet little family, and at the time his lovely wife Jenn was just a few days away from giving birth. About a week later their beautiful baby came and they named her Ellie. Of course we wanted to meet the little one, plus the Burnham family is way cool, so any excuse to visit them is good enough for us! Congrats to Josh, Jenn, and Sydney for the newest member of your family!
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I love the baby scowl!
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My favorite shot of the day, so precious!
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25 Comments
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rog said:
ellie's daddy-o looks kinda like Val Kilmer and Jesus. Both, I know are a strange mix...but it's growing on me. I really mean no harm or disrespect by this blab.
(12.10.08 02:20 AM)
john waire said:
love the last photo. the look in josh's eye is priceless.
(12.10.08 06:17 AM)
Tonya Peterson said:
Holy cute hair! I love it!!! Hope your holidays are going great!!!
(12.10.08 06:51 AM)
Neil Cowley said:
SO vibrant and powerful - if you could bottle that up and sell it you'd make a million - oh - wait - you just did. really love it
(12.10.08 07:29 AM)
sandie said:
i cant get enough of the bed shots!!! thats wear you spend all your newborn time right!!!! i laugh just thinking of you standing over them to get the shot though! wonderful images Amelia!!!!
(12.10.08 08:45 AM)
Ashley Rose said:
Absolutely beautiful! Love the shots in the bed :)
(12.10.08 09:20 AM)
Simply Modern Weddings said:
So precious...I especially love photo # 8!
(12.10.08 10:26 AM)
erica sergio said:
these are so beautiful. something about them is just so peaceful. i love them all.
(12.10.08 10:58 AM)
JoAnna Liston said:
how do I contact you about wedding photography info??? Could you send me your email address?
(12.10.08 11:50 AM)
amelialyon said:
JoAnna, I would love to hear from you about your wedding. My email address is amelia@amelialyon.com. Hope to hear from you soon!
(12.10.08 11:59 AM)
cindelrella said:
oh my goodness, what a goooorgeous family!!! wow! great shot Amelia!
(12.10.08 12:51 PM)
angie + matt said:
Her hair is so dang cute! What a gorgeous family!!
(12.10.08 01:56 PM)
Lyndzee said:
What a beautiful family. And I must say that I dig Josh's beard. Amelia, the last image is on the verge of bringing me to tears. I just love the overwhelming look of love in his eyes as he stares at his baby girl,,so sweet. I know the feeling well. So amazing. Congrats to them and their precious family.
(12.10.08 06:03 PM)
mary said:
soooo...that last image just took my breath away..seriously. this was my thought process.." wow beautiful image..what is happening to my body...oh ya need to breathe" stunning.
(12.10.08 07:09 PM)
Candice Brooke said:
off course you out do yourselves again! Man I love you guys!
(12.11.08 01:42 PM)
Pascal said:
What a cutie! Great baby pictures!
(12.12.08 06:44 AM)
wrecklessgirl said:
shut up with that goodness-ness. gorgeous. that first image is soooo kissable!
(12.12.08 12:20 PM)
Leandra said:
Love the one of her jumping on the bed! The baby is beautiful... and I love your post-processing.
(12.12.08 12:27 PM)
Jennifer said:
So I knew these would be amazing Amelia, but these are beyond words. Thanks you soooo much!!! I absolutely love them!
(12.12.08 10:17 PM)
Jennifer Burnham said:
So I knew they were going to be amazing, but these are beyond words. Thank you sooo much Amelia! I love them!!!!
(12.12.08 11:02 PM)
Mese Ugapo said:
Amelia - Truly, truly fantastic stuff. I know of no one better. You seem to capture the personality of these people in a still. How is that possible? You are a true artists. You guys are extremely talented and it's obvious that you have worked hard to sharpen your skills. I've never met them yet I feel as if I get a pretty good idea of their persona through your pics. Amazing.
(12.13.08 07:53 AM)
samm blake said:
Love the last shot, amazingly beautiful :)
(12.15.08 05:59 AM)
Easton said:
What an adorable family. Love you guys!
(12.21.08 01:29 AM)
Aaron Galeotti said:
I envy that guy's beard! wonderful photos.. you do beatiful work :)
(12.31.08 12:42 AM)
Lele said:
I was just curious about the lenses you used for these last few shots. Do you use a reflector? Also, what did you do for the last one to compensate for the back light? I absolutely love all of your work. It's so incredibly beautiful.
(01.26.09 07:06 AM)
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: The World Welcomes Baby Ellie! . TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.amelialyon.net/darkroom/mt/mt-tb.cgi/100