Bethany over at 42nd and Orange is at once an incredibly talented local shop-owner and goods-maker, and quietly one of our neighborhoods most incredible photographers. Mel and I have been just shy of begging her to sell us some of her work, which lines the walls of her shop. She and her mom make and sell mostly children's clothes and accessories out of their place on the 101 in Encinitas, right next to Hansen's.

At any rate, today's a pretty cool opportunity. Bethany will take your portrait (presumably for use as a Mother's Day present.. but I'm sure it's up to you how to use it) with an old 4x5 and instant film... It's really a rare opportunity as these cameras, the film, and the people who use them are a dying breed. We highly suggest you stop by today, we'll be doing the same!

Hopefully she doesn't mind me showing off a couple of my favorite images of hers...

This shoot was really an incredibly fortunate collaboration between Elizabeth & Brandon, the Mrs. & myself, Samuel Beam, and a little bit of barely-known land tucked away in Encinitas. We really couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more. Elizabeth and Brandon somehow showed up dressed perfectly matching the sparse wildflowers in bloom. The four of us trekked, hacked, and stumbled our way through some tricky brush for an hour... listening to Iron & Wine and snapping frames into the sun.

We couldn't be happier with what we came back with. Hope the couple and their family love the photos half as much as we do!

Shot while listening to Iron & Wine    

Hopefully I'm not creating some sort of internet feedback-loop here, but we wanted to mention that Bridal Inquirer was kind enough to feature us and more specifically, our lovely and recently-wed Sherri over at their site. You can check it out here.

Do check out the rest of the site too... there are a bunch of great resources, write-ups, and promotional offers there, and the site is constantly updated.

Thanks, B.I. !