colleenbell.com

Super Hero Birthday Party

Colleen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:05:34 +0000

So, I am not incredibly crafty, but I admire those who have the vision and the ability to imagine such fun ideas and pull them off really well. T’s mom is the epitome of what I want to be when it comes to creativity. She is the go to person with all things amazing. Her invitation line, Amy G Papers are beautiful high-end custom made invitations. Amy made custom silk lined capes and masks for every boy at the party and they immediately took on the roles of SUPER HEROS. I was sweating from chasing them all around the park, but it was soo worth it. I felt like a kid again, but I admit, I would like a cape too!!

Balance In Everything

Colleen — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:54:51 +0000

I am always so excited to meet my brides and grooms, but so often I don’t really get to see their personalities interact much until their actual wedding day. Last weekend I had the opportunity to share in Kyle and Seham’s wedding day and I have to say, they are soo perfect for each other. Like anyone’s wedding day, there were a roller coaster of events and emotions throughout their day that caused them to stress a bit. Sometimes it was Seham and other times it was Kyle, but I got to step back and just watch them support, love and calm one another. It almost gave me chills, because I wish for every couple to have that one person that makes the world right for them as they have found. They seem to be a perfect balance for one another. I am so very excited for Kyle and Seham to start this new journey together. Thank you for letting me be there with you, thank you for being so kind and most of all thank you for trusting me with this moment in your life.

Thank you to Anaheim Faith Lutheran Church, Santa Ana Train Station, Jay’s Catering, David Lockett DJ, Mindy Turner, Lakeview Senior Center,
Brittany Regan Florist & Coordinator and Surf & Sand Resort for keeping the day running smooth!!

From Russia With Love

Colleen — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:30:07 +0000

What an amazing day for my favorite little Russian beauty and her dashing man of mystery!! From one side of the world, to the other, these two seem to have been meant to cross paths that eventually end up on the same trail leading to this amazing day. Somehow they made the distance between Russia and Southern California seem so small. Krystina has been waiting for this day her whole life, so there were no complaints about starting the day very early. She was bright, happy and couldn’t wait to see Robert. She was so calm and collected in her santa jammies that she managed to keep everyone else on track and at one point she was actually dressing her bridesmaids. The Orange County Mining Company was a great venue for an afternoon wedding. A strong Santa Ana wind cleared the valley, so the view was amazing and created a fantastic backdrop for their ceremony. Everything ran smoothly thanks to their amazing coordinator Debbie who kept a calm course throughout the day. Amazing Blooms also did a beautiful job for Robert & Krystina. It all came together and turned out to be so beautiful for them and the pictures…well, it’s hard to take a bad picture of Krystina. She is sooo BEAUTIFUL!!! I am excited to see these two over the years and see what amazing things they do with their lives that have been so blessed up to this point!!

I wish you both the absolute happiness in the world!!

Doll Faced Cousins

Colleen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:19:13 +0000

If I must have a muse, I think this beautiful little girl would be her!! She looks like a porcelain doll and her mother dresses her in the most amazing clothes. She wanted nothing to do with me no matter how hard we tried, but her curiosity for the bunnies and flowers at the park helped create many beautiful images. Her sweet cousin tried so hard to do everything she could to be helpful, but she too could not ignore the fun things that were catching her attention. All of the adults were worried about not capturing anything to share with their family, but little did they know that by ignoring me, we got our best shots!!

Please Mom & Dad…no PDA!!

Colleen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:44:57 +0000

With the Holidays bearing down, I always look forward to capturing family portraits for some of my wonderful friends!! Trey & Erin are always so much fun and their kids are a riot. The girls are filled with sugar and spice and everything nice…but they can hold their own when their brother teases them with his snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. Put them all together and you find crazy, wild, fun kids who can’t help but gag from the PDA of their parents!!

For the Love…

Colleen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:54:25 +0000

Mark & Sandra wanted some images shot that represented their family and the love they have for their sweet son. We decided to keep them close to home, which turned out great because this family has three hilarious dogs with three totally different personalities. It was so great to be with them all.

I grew up with a dog like the middle dog…LOVE IT!!!

So Wrong, It’s Right!!

Colleen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:37:05 +0000

Every year I love shooting this amazing family. Amy (or should we call her Bree Vandecamp) is the epitome of perfection. She is beautiful, talented to no end, kind, creative and she is capable of running a household like no one else I know!!! So, it was no surprise to see how fun they were dressed. It was all meant to be “So Wrong, it’s actually Right”. Patterns, colors, etc. were meant to clash, which is what made it all work well for them, so we decided to go with something simple a demure for their canvas. The only thing we couldn’t control is the fact that the kids had no interest in taking pictures. They wanted to play….and play they did, but we managed to catch the whole family in their own natural way. I love you all and thank you for another fun photo shoot!!

Another Year Older and Wiser!!

Colleen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:24:33 +0000

I have been very lucky to capture Debbie and her kids at Christmas time for many years. They have a tradition of wearing Pajamas for their holiday cards, which I love because of the bright fun colors that come with the holdiays. We decided to head up to our favorite little park/grove, so the kids could run and have fun too. Cute little “T” was so fascinated by the little rocking chair and he wanted to take it all over the park. “S” was the perfect big sister, always trying to help, but “M” had her own plans. She decided to share with us the MANY faces in her repertoire, so we HAD to catch them all. She was so proud of herself!! So Deb, here’s to another year older and wiser…much, much wiser this year!!!!

Under Lock and Key

Colleen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:23:29 +0000

There is a great deal of beach front in the state of California, but very few places are actually private. Seham and Kyle were thrilled when a friend offered the key to a private gated beach front in Corona Del Mar. After a month of up and down weather, we set a date, then changed it, then changed it again and finally made it back to our original day, due to the always changing forecast. We could not have been luckier in the world!! The day was amazingly beautiful. We just kept shooting until our muscles and smiles could do no more!! Seham is gorgeous and you can read on Kyle face how madly in love he is with her.

I am so excited for you both and thank you for a fabulous time!!

Are we IN or OUT?

Colleen — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:09:50 +0000

Southern Californians are so accustomed to sublime weather that when faced with questionable weather, we still plan for the best!! The big rain storms that were coming the weekend of Jason & Ashley’s big day, did come, but they were much more subdue than forecast. Ashley had to make the defining decision…inside or outside ceremony? Inside it was and it was still beautiful. Coyote Hills Golf Course has a spectacular staff that took that last minute decision and made it happen quickly. I know Ashley and Jason were still so pleased with how beautiful it all turned out. Flower Allie created amazing flower arrangements that lit up the ceremony and reception. We were even able to capture beautiful portraits in between rain spells as the sun peaked through the heavy clouds. It all just seemed to come together, even at the last minute. It was an amazing evening for two special individuals who I adore!!!

The two of you are a joy to be with and I loved every minute with you!! I wish you a long life together and all the happiness in the world!!!