When I went to Iceland I really wanted to photograph a couple's session while I was there. I met Mark and Sophie while on a Northern Lights Tour; they were from England on Holiday in Iceland. We were staying only a few blocks down from one another in Reykjavik, and I asked them if they would be willing to do a session around town! They agreed and we exchanged information and met up the next day! We had a great time going around town taking photographs. It was definitely a perfect setting and I was thrilled to be able to do this session! Mark and Sophie were great models, and I am so happy we were able to do this! Cheers to great photos and new friends!
Iceland Travels and Adventures
This is a personal blog post since I went to Iceland in January, but I have not blogged about it yet! So, here is a post about one of the best trips of my life! First off, I went with my amazing, adventurous friend, Natalie. She is one incredible person, has tons of energy, is up for every crazy idea, and makes me laugh harder than anyone else I know! It was her idea to go to Iceland, and I am so glad she brought up this crazy idea to me. Our main goal was to see the Northern Lights, which we did! It was breathtaking. We also took several tours including going to the Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle Tour, and Glacier climbing/hiking! Climbing on the glacier was a surreal and amazing experience. It put me in utter awe of God's majestic creation! We also had amazing tour guides and fellow adventurers on that tour! But Iceland is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The landscape is incredible, and I was so glad we went in the winter. Being in the snow for a week was a wonderful experience for this California girl! I would definitely go back in a heartbeat! I hope you enjoy this combination of passions of mine-traveling and photography, really life can't get much better!
After we landed from our overnight flight, we toured the city while waiting to check into our hotel. This is Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, it is the city's main landmark and the tallest church in Iceland! We were able to go to the top and overlook the city.
The view from the church tower.
A few blocks from where our hotel was located is this view of the Atlantic Ocean! It was breathtaking seeing the snow covered mountains with the deep blue Atlantic stretched before it.
The Blue Lagoon was heavenly! It is costly, but it was a fun experience! Especially with the snow all around us!
On our second night in Iceland, we had booked the Northern Lights tour. We wanted to book it early in the week in case we didn't see them that night. But our days of praying paid off, and we were blessed enough to be able to see them! It was very faint and hardly discernible to the naked eye for the first few hours we were standing out in the snow. My camera picked up more of the color, but it was still pretty faint. Then after enduring the freezing cold for three hours, and after most people had given up and gone back on the bus, the Northern Lights came out for a show! They even danced for us, and it was so beautiful! It only lasted about 15 minutes, but it was incredible to witness the majesty of God's creation! It is definitely an experience I will never forget!
Sunrise in the winter does not happen until 10-10:30am so the wonderful thing is that you can sleep in and still catch the sunrise peeping up over the snow! This was the start of our Golden Circle tour.
It was freezing here by Gullfoss, but it was well worth the view! Seeing the water pouring down and the snow all around was just incredible!
Another part of our tour was seeing a Geyser. It went off every 5 to 10 minutes which was great for photographing it!
Glacier Hiking was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. I love hiking, but never in my life had I climbed a mountain of ice before! It was absolutely incredible. I felt like I was in another world as I would look down and see beautiful blue ice mixed with snow underneath my feet. I was in awe of the beauty and majesty of it all.
We did ice climbing as well. I have rock climbed before and thought it would be similar, but I was dead wrong! It is a lot harder than I thought, and a great arm workout! You have to hammer your pick into the ice, hook it, do the same with the other pick then do the same with your feet! I was exhausted by the end, but both Natalie and I made it and knocked that off our bucket list!
On the tour we made some friends and found out that there were five of us girls from America, and four out of the five of us were from SoCal! Nothing like adventure and travel to unite those in your own backyard!
Our guides were the best! They were very fun and informative. We had a great time with them, and they took a "thug" photo with us!
We stopped at a waterfall at the end of our glacier tour. It was beautiful, and even though we were all tired, it was definitely worth it! I love Iceland and hope to one again be able to see it's beautiful landscape in the near future!
San Juan Capistrano Engagement-Kimberly and Armando
I met Kim and Armando at a bridal show, they were just in the beginning stages of planning their wedding so we started with just booking an engagement session. We chose San Juan Capistrano as our location, and it was absolutely stunning! And Kim and Armando are such a wonderful couple and so perfect together. The day was perfect with beautiful sunshine, an amazing setting, and an incredible couple! They booked me for their wedding after the engagement session, and I couldn't be more excited to shoot their wedding in 2016!
Classic Car Anniversary Shoot-Carey and Matt
My sister, Carey, and her husband, Matt, have been married for over a year now! I did a one-year anniversary shoot with them, and we were able to bring out Matt's Mustang! I have been wanting to use it for a shoot for awhile. We had some unfortunate car problems that prevented us from reaching our original destination, but we were able to photograph at this little spot in Irvine! Afterwards, we went back to their house and took some photos on their balcony as the sun set! It was a great shoot and everything turned out wonderfully! It just proves to show that life will not always go as planned, but you can still enjoy the ride along the way!
Fall Maternity Session-Janessa and Justin
I have been able to photograph several maternity sessions, but this one was different-this was for my sister and her husband! They are expecting their first baby, and it is a boy! It will be the first grandchild in our family, and the first nephew for his three adoring aunts waiting to spoil him! Though we may have to share with his two Grandmas that will be in the area as well ;) Needless to say, this little boy is going to born into a family of love! I couldn't be more thrilled for my sister, Janessa, and her husband, Justin! They are going to be incredible parents, and I look forward to being a part of this chapter in their lives! Enjoy the photos, and share your congratulations on the soon-to-be parents!
A Beachside Proposal Story-Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach
On Labor Day, I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful proposal between Eric Johnson and his beautiful girlfriend, Melissa Labbadia. The setting was the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach, and it was a gorgeous day with perfect weather! Eric's plan was to stay at the Montage with Melissa, then go out to dinner after a sunset walk on the cliff above the beach. Little did Melissa know that at a beautiful cliff overlook, Eric planned on asking her to spend the rest of her life with him. They came to the overlook where the Montage had set up a heart made out of tea lights, and after a few minutes on the overlook, Eric went down to one knee and asked Melissa to marry him. She said yes and it was a beautiful time of joy, tears, and love! I loved capturing this special moment that they will remember for the rest of their lives, it was such a precious moment that I will cherish as well!
Congratulations to the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Johnson!
Santa Cruz Redwoods Wedding Session-Sabrina and Jeremy
When meeting with Sabrina and Jeremy to go over their final details for their wedding, I asked them where they were planning on going for their honeymoon. They let me know that they would be in Monterey, San Francisco, and Yosemite! Immediately the wheels in my head started turning as I asked them about the dates that they would be there. The weekend after their wedding I was going to be in Santa Cruz to photograph another wedding! I love the Redwoods in Santa Cruz, and have photographed several engagement sessions there, but never a wedding session. So, I proposed meeting up with them on their way up from Monterey to San Francisco to photograph in the Santa Cruz Redwoods! Sabrina was willing to bring her dress along, and the idea took flight! We met up on the Thursday morning following their wedding, and spent a few hours running around the Redwoods with cameras and wedding apparel! Hikers and families called out their congratulations as they passed us by, and we had an amazing time photographing in God's beautiful creation! The majesty of the Redwoods has always inspired me, and Sabrina and Jeremy, being the huge nature lovers that they are, were thrilled to have more photos taken out in the Redwood forest! It was like a fairytale come to life with the magical morning light filtering through the trees, lighting up Sabrina in her gorgeous wedding dress and Jeremy in his dapper, grey suit! I was so excited the entire time, and now I am excited to share with you all this gorgeous session!
Haley and Brad-Santa Cruz Wedding-The Hollins House
Haley and Brad got married in beautiful Santa Cruz, California! Their wedding was filled with lots of laughter, fun, and of course lots of love! The bright colors of her decor matched the glowing sunshine of the day. And it was a perfect day for their wedding. I loved traveling to Santa Cruz for this joyous occasion! And I am thrilled to share the photos of their special day!
Leilani and Aaron-Grand Tradition Estates Wedding in Fallbrook, Ca
Leilani and Aaron had a gorgeous vintage/gasby inspired wedding at the Grand Tradition Estates! It was a day filled with fun, laughter, and lots of dancing! I have known Leilani since High School, and I was so excited when she asked me to be her photographer. It was great seeing her marry the love her life, and perfect counterpart, Aaron! Congratulations you two, and enjoy the photos!
Photographer: Larissa Bahr
Second Photographer: James Tang
Venue: Grand Tradition Estate
Floral: Studio West Design
Cake Design: Amazing Cake Creations
Sabrina and Jeremy-Fullerton Arboretum Garden Wedding
I met Sabrina at a bridal show in February 2014, and I met with her and Jeremy shortly thereafter at my office. I loved them from the start, and we started with doing an engagement session for them! They are a super fun, outdoorsy couple so we did our shoot out in a field in San Juan Capistrano. I had the best time with them both, and afterwards they booked me for their wedding on July 25th, 2015! These two are perfect for each other. They are so in love, so fun, and so perfect together! It was a joy to photograph their engagement and now their wedding! The day was perfect with beautiful sunshine, stunning wedding colors, and of course this wonderful couple committing the rest of their lives together! I am so excited about these photos from their wedding! The Fullerton Arboretum provided the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous couple, and their wedding party was a blast to photograph! It was a great wedding, and I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do!
Photography by Larissa Bahr; Second Photographer: Tommy Hyunh
Tiffany and Mike-Scripps Pier and Sunset Cliffs Engagement Session
Tiffany was a bridesmaid at a wedding I photographed last year, and after she got engaged she bought her dress at Mary Me Bridal, the bridal store that my office is located above, so you could say that it was meant to be! She was interested in doing a beach engagement session, and told me how her and her fiancé, Mike, lived in San Diego. I have photographed several times in SD, but I had never been able to photograph a couple at a favorite spot of mine, Sunset Cliffs. So, I proposed that location, and Tiffany came up with Scripps Pier as well! The day was gorgeous, Tiffany and Mike were so fun to work with, and I loved the result of their engagement shoot!
Marissa and Austin-Citrus Park Wedding
Marissa and Austin had a beautiful wedding at their church followed by an enchanting ride on a trolley to their reception site. Their wedding was made up of gorgeous DIY details, and lots of friends and family coming to support their big day! These two were a joy to photograph as their happiness of being married spilled over into every photograph! I had a great time capturing their love story on one of the most important days of their lives!
Yareli and Eric-Old Town Orange Maternity Session
When Yareli contacted me we talked about a few different ideas for her maternity session. We decided on doing a city maternity session and Downtown Orange matched the perfect setting! I am so excited about this shoot! And I can't wait to do the newborn photos for their little boy!
