The new blog is alive!!!!!!

My new blog is live! You can see it by clicking here.

This blog will continue to hold all the images and entries I have entered, but I will no longer make any more entries.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at info@natalylemus.com

The new blog address is www.natalylemusblog.com

New blog - coming soon!

I am so excited! I am getting a shiny brand new blog! The VERY talented Rodolfo Arpia is designing it and it's almost done. When he e-mailed me a link to the blog, I was blown away! It is so beautiful, colorful and completely me!

To all the photographers out there or even anyone else who just wants to customize their blog, you should contact Rudy! He is the best!

Stop...Breathe...GO!

I need to remind myself to stop and breathe once in a while! It has been a crazy summer so far and I love every minute of it! Wedding season has been awesome. I have met so many amazing people and befriended many of my couples.

My experiences this year are simply mind-blowing! I am taking it all in and enjoying every minute of it. When I decided that I wanted to become a wedding photographer, I had no idea where God would lead me. I am glad he has led me to where I am now, though! I have to admit that it has not been easy, especially when you have a couple of stones tossed at you on your way towards your goals. That has not put a dent in who I am, though. My Dad always says, "If God is for me, who can be against me?" He is so right! All I have to do is have faith and trust Him and it will all fall into place.

I have learned so much this past year. Here are the top 5 tips/advice given to me by other photographers, which have made a huge difference in my business. They are in no particular order, except for the first one, which I think is extremely important!

1. Network, network, network!

2. Wear comfortable shoes when you are shooting a wedding (preferably these Crocs for women)

3. Join WPJA (about 50% of the weddings I have booked for next year are referrals from WPJA and I JUST recently joined).

4. Don't forget to go out and photograph just because.

5. Blog, blog, blog!

Thank you so much to all the wonderful photographers who have helped me by giving me advice, allowing me to shoot with them, left me blog comments. All your help and friendship is a true blessing!

Okay, now I have to go to sleep. There are a few weddings and engagement sessions coming soon, plus some funny stories. By the way, today I had an engagement session with Marissa and Michael who were so adorable together! I had tons of fun with them.

Here is a photo I took of Art and myself today. Art kept posing thinking the photo was all about him. Little did he know I was trying to get my reflection on his sunglasses!

Amber & Michael's Wedding

Montebello, California

As I entered the room where Amber was getting ready, I immediately heard the voices of excited bridesmaids. My eyes searched the room full of beautiful ladies looking for the one we were all there for. As soon as Amber saw me come in she greeted me with a joyful hello.

I instantly saw how blessed Amber is. She had so many willing and happy ladies helping her. They were there for her even when some unexpected dilemma's "flourished."

When the moment of the I Do's came about, all the bridesmaids were in tears of joy! I was really touched when Michael said that he knew from the moment he met Amber that she would be his wife.

Here are some of my faves of the day!



Amber came to me and said, "Here, Nataly. I know how much you love cute shoes!" I smiled from ear to ear because that meant she reads my blog! ; )


Lucky lady! All her girls were willing to help with anything and everything!






Hiding from Michael!




Michael had so many facial expressions that I really wish I could show them all to you!




Like I said, all her bridesmaids were in tears (of joy, of course!).




They are sooooooooooooo cute!


I do not know what she was telling him, but he looks like he is in trouble! lol

Trash the Dress: OC Style!

Yesterday's Trash the Dress was such a success thanks to all the brides, couples and photographers who showed up! The OC Register even came out to cover the event. If you want to read the article they wrote click here. You can also see the video they got by clicking here. Do you recognize me in the video? I had no idea that I was so camera-shy, but yesterday I found out I am!

I want to thank all the brides/couples who showed up to the Trash the Dress Bash in Laguna Beach! You guys rocked! I loved how much fun everyone had!

A huge thanks to all my fellow colleagues! It was such an honor to meet you all! I admire you all and I am glad you all contributed in making this Trash the Dress Bash such a success. I can't wait to see all the images!

I wish I could have been able to capture some images as well (I did get a couple), but I wanted to make sure I kept track of who was photographing who. I did manage to get a lot of images of some of the photographers hard at work! Art did get a couple of shots of the brides, though!

Here are some of the images I caught of the photographers:

Greg Bumatay was not shy about getting soaked! I can't tell you how many times he got washed up by the waves! He even risked his camera!


Do you recognize the guy with my yellow camera bag? That's Art (my hubby). Miguel Pola is the one photographing the couple. He was so awesome and all over the place - he has tons of energy!


The beautiful and talented Shyla was amazing! She is definitely one of the sweetest people I have met!


Here is Greg Bumatay again and Jan Garcia. I learned so much just by watching these two VERY amazing and talented photographers!


Can you tell they were having fun?



Here are some of the images Art, my partner in crime, got:

Sick as a dog!

I do not know what hit me, but these past two days I was down and out for the count! Fortunately I started to feel better today, but I really wished I would have been okay this past weekend since it's the last weekend I have free in about 2 months!

I did, however, get to shoot a beautiful engagement session last Friday. More photos of that soon!

Here's a photo Art got of me shooting the engagment session with my new and beautiful shootsac!

Patricia and Casey's Wedding

Gardena/Carson, California

As I walked into Patricia's mom's home, I could feel the excitement moving from room to room. Patricia greeted me with a big hug and an even bigger smile! Patricia was the epitome of calmness. It was obvious that what mattered the most to her was that she was getting married to her soul mate, Casey.

Time and time again their family members commented on how Patricia and Casey compliment each other and how they are meant to be. I wholeheartedly agree. Patricia and Casey met when Casey came down to California to stay with his sister after going through hard times dealing with their mother's death. Casey's brother-in-law asked him to go with him to play poker at a nearby casino and so he did. Little did he know he was going to meet his future wife there! Somehow when they crossed each other's path they started a conversation. He gave her his phone number. When he got home he told his sister all about her and she immediately asked, "did you get her number?" A few days after Patricia called Casey, but got his voicemail, somehow, she forgot to leave her phone number in the message. Days went by and she never got a call back. She thought he was not interested and left it at that.

On a trip to Georgia to visit a friend, Patricia (where Casey lives) ran into Casey and the rest is history! Coincidence? I think not! It was meant to be. They are meant to be.

The reception was very touching, especially the speeches. When Casey's sisters when up to give their speech, I think everyone was touched. One of Casey's sisters talked about what a blessing it was for Patricia to come into Casey's life and how she helped him deal with his mother's death. It was obvious that Casey and his sisters wanted and needed their mother to be at the wedding, but, the way I saw it, she was there. They talked so beautifully about her that it felt like she was amongst us.

It was a pleasure to photograph their wedding and share in on such a special day! Thank you for choosing me, Patricia and Casey!

Every bride needs an ear piece!

The bride's beautiful sister and Maid-of-Honor.

Putting on her veil before walking down the aisle.

Does one these guys look familiar?

How cute is this ring bearer??? He was so cute trying to hide from me!

I love all the little details!

Patricia's father/daughter dance was so sweet. She could not contain her tears of happiness!

WPJA!!!!!!

I am so EXCITED! I found out about two days ago that I was accepted to the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), but I did not want to post until I was added to their website - I thought it was a dream!!! This is a great honor as only about 5% of photographers that apply are accepted. Many of the photographers who I most admire are a part of WPJA.

Here’s what the WPJA has to say about their organization:
"The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography.

The Wedding Photojournalist Association grants membership to the most talented professional wedding photographers in the industry--photographers who focus solely on using their photography skills in documenting weddings."

If you want to learn more about WPJA or want to see some of the awesome photographers who are members, click here.

Liz & Ariel's Wedding

Simi Valley, California
Blessed. That’s what I am! I am so grateful for the many blessings God has showered me with. There are not enough words to describe how happy I am with the place I am at in life at the moment. Thankfully, my business is very fruitful and I owe it, first of all, to God and secondly to my clients who trust me and love my work.

When I meet couples like Liz and Ariel, it reminds me of why I love photographing weddings! Liz and Ariel were one of the most humble and carefree bride and groom that I have ever met. Their carefree attitude made their wedding spectacular, in my eyes.

When I walked up the road toward the wedding area, I never imagined it would look so amazing. All the small details were great and really added personality to the wedding.

Everything was laid-back, warm and simply beautiful. The ceremony took place at the edge of a hilltop and, in my opinion, it was perfect. They looked like they were on top of the world and that is definitely how they were acting and, I am sure, that is how they felt.

Liz had a BIG smile from the moment she got there up to when I left. I am sure she kept smiling all night. She did not have to say a word for everyone to know how in love she is with Ariel. Ariel looked at her lovingly every time he caught even the slightest glimpse of her and at times they would both get lost in each others eyes. That's my favorite part of weddings, when the couple forgets anyone else is there and for that moment in time it's just them or at least that's how they feel.

Liz & Ariel: Thank you so much for making Art and I feel so welcome. You guys were awesome. I could not ask for more! I honestly think you are meant for one another. Liz, you were the perfect bride. You were completely down to earth and humble and that is why I feel your wedding was so perfect. From what I saw, you guys enjoyed everything about your wedding and were not even worried about a single detail. I think that is why you, your family and friends executed such a joyous and perfect wedding. A wedding does not have to be a huge affair nor does it have to be stressful to be beautiful. Your wedding is proof of that!
Congrats, you guys!

It was a nice, hot summer day!

We all waited patiently for Liz to get there.

This little one loved the camera. In one of the million times I was photographing her, I tilted my head to get a different angle and she mimicked my every move to make sure I was catching her with the camera. She was soooooooo cute!!!



When it was all said and done, Liz raised her arm in triumph!

They did a lot of dancing...

...and kissing

...and some more dancing...

...and more kissing :P