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Friday, 20 November 2009

Travel

Here are some of my upcoming travel dates. If you're interested in scheduling a shoot or would just like to meet up, email me at serena [at] serenagrace.com. =)

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Gold Coast
Australia

For the second part of our trip we headed up to the Gold Coast, near Brisbane. They have some amazing surf there....not that I surf. And even if I did, I wouldn't get in the water after a surfer showed us this picture! What the heck?! A 10-foot great white shark was practically bitten in half by a BIGGER great white. We were content to just people watch from the beach.

We rented a car which was quite an adventure in itself! Driving the complete opposite of what you're accustomed to takes some getting used to, but eventually Jeremy got the hang of it and could signal for a turn without turning on the windshield wipers. =P

It happened to be my birthday while we were in Australia and Jeremy found this cool restaurant called Moo Moo. It was some of the best food we had while in Australia. Jeremy's enjoying some wagyu beef and brussel sprouts...

....and I tried kangaroo for the first time! It was a lot like beef & lamb....and it was good!

We went to the rainforest Skywalk on Mount Tamborine. It's an elevated walkway that takes you through the upper & middle canopies of the rainforest, and then later descends to the lower canopy.

Jeremy is a bit scared of heights so he was always holding on to both sides of the walkway.

Check out the size of that ant! It's even carrying a spider in it's mouth.

We visited a glow worm cave. I couldn't take pictures inside, but it was a lot like looking up into a starry sky.....or a ceiling full of LED's....except the light was coming from little itty bitty worms' butts!

Jeremy made breakfast for us one morning....

....and we enjoyed the view from our balcony.

We went on a jet ski tour around Surfer's Paradise. The coolest part was when we spotted a pod of dolphins swimming by.

These lorikeets landed on our balcony one morning...literally 3 feet away from me! They made so much noise and seemed really bold that I was afraid they might attack me.

Wild brush turkey

Sun-bathing

If you're interested in seeing the full album from our trip, you can view it here.

Monday, 09 November 2009

Sydney
Australia

Two weeks ago Jeremy and I snuck off to Australia just to get away for a little bit. I'd never been to Australia before so I was really excited to visit & explore the land down under! We spent half our time in Sydney and half on the Gold Coast (near Brisbane). Here are some pictures from the first part of our trip in Sydney.

Sorry if it takes a while for all the pictures to load!

Enjoyed the pink lighting on our Virgin Australia flight! The flight was 13 hours but I LOVE long flights...mostly because I get to watch a ton of new movies!

We arrived early Sunday morning so we decided to try and visit Hillsong church. We had forgotten to write down an address or directions to the church, but we had a general idea of where it was, so we wandered semi-aimlessly through the streets of Sydney. At one point we were about to give up....but then we saw a Hillsong shuttle bus drive by so we knew we were still on the right track! As you can see, we did eventually find it. =)

We were lucky enough to be in town for Sydney Opera House's Open Day (basically an open house). We got to go inside and see the opera theater, concert hall, green room, rehearsal rooms, backstage areas....all for FREE!

They had lots of performers walking around that day.

There was a guy up top playing the organ.

The green room and some costumes from their shows.

I thought this photo from Trent Parke's exhibition of life backstage at the Sydney Opera House was hilarious! Some people had used the copy machine to photocopy themselves. The first post-it reads, "Is this correct use of government property?" The second reads, "Absolutely not! And we have your fingerprints."

Went to the Sydney Wildlife World and saw cute koalas, boxing kangaroos, and other cool insects & animals.

A humongous stick bug!

Looks like the dugong is smiling!

Check out the size of that stingray!

Queen Victoria Building shopping complex

Visited Cockatoo Island, the site of a former prison as well as shipyard. Since Jeremy worked at a naval shipyard before, I think he was pretty excited to see the giant cranes & dry docks they used for building ships.

Rented some bikes and rode around Manly Beach...

...then enjoyed dinner on the wharf with this lovely view.

Why does the design on the seats in this train look like an ocean swarming with sharks?!

Friday, 23 October 2009

Patty + Kyle
Rancho Palos Verdes

Patty & Kyle married at Pacific Unitarian Church in Palos Verdes. It was an intimate affair, surrounded by their closest friends & family. These two were so chill & low-key that it made my job photographing them so easy! Patty & Kyle really enjoy playing video games, and you'll see in their pictures that they ordered up a pretty epic wedding cake that reflects their love for video games! When it came time to cut the cake, you could tell it was a little painful for them to cut into it. But it was oh-so-good on the inside as well!

A big thanks to Evan Robinson for shooting with me that day.

Ceremony & Reception: Pacific Unitarian Church
Cake: Let Them Eat Cake

Patty & Kyle decided to do a first look before the ceremony.

Thanks to Evan for helping me grab some great detail shots while I photographed the couple with their families.

How cute are all the cake details?!

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Say I Do at the Muzeo: The Launch
OC's Newest Museum and Wedding/Event Venue

Last week my friends Alice & Michelle of Alice Hu Photography & Mele Amore Events hosted a fantastic event/mixer at Muzeo. Muzeo is a museum in downtown Anaheim that hosts traveling exhibitions. It also happens to be a great venue for weddings & events. The evening was filled with food, sweets, & entertainment from lots of amazing vendors. I had a great time seeing familiar faces & meeting new ones!

Alice & Michelle asked me to help take some pictures that evening, so for those of you who couldn't make it, here's a little recap.

*Edited To Add* Just finished uploading the full gallery of images. You can check them out here:
http://www.serenagrace.com/events/muzeo

Beautiful florals by Avante Gardens

Gorgeous table designs by Signature Party Rentals & Floral Elements

Yummy sweets by C Salt Gourmet

Another lovely table designed by SYL Design Studio & Signature Party Rentals

Cute & delicious cakes & treats from Sweet & Saucy

Food catered by Sally Ann Catering

Wine courtesy of OC Custom Wine, and a little entertainment from magician Mike Wong

Beautiful gowns & dresses from Mariposa Boutique

Music & lighting provided by Platinum Peaks Entertainment

Yummy tacos from Thank Goodness It's Sofia

So many delectables that night! These are from Regency Caterers and Morsels Baking Co.

Everyone was having a great time in the Four Quick Clicks photo booth!

The lovely ladies of Ferndales Bridal & Formalwear showing off some of their lovely hair accessories.

Unique bouquets by Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs

The outdoor urban chapel is a cute spot for a ceremony.

Monte Carlo Casino

Alice Hu, Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees, & Michelle Groom