Seniors, now is the most beautiful time of year in Southern California!  Get your session booked as soon as possible!  The green will be gone so fast.  Colin and Annie are taking weekday and some weekend appointments.  Click HERE for contact info.  

Choose to have your session in the beautiful hills of San Juan Capistrano, a flowery meadow,

Or visit one of our other locations in Orange County.  Our sessions are custom designed for you celebrating your unique character and personality!

Invite your closest friends and have a fashion shoot designed for magazine inspiration!

Almost a year ago Annie and I were sitting in a limousine dancing and singing in our seats with the most fun group of people we have yet to be around…among them were a slew of celebratory mindsets including a movie star, a rap artist and a famous NBA star.  We caught eyes and started laughing at ourselves having so much fun entering into their beautiful black world of soul music.  In between white dance moves my camera was busy capturing our fun.  Sitting next to me was Baron Davis who decided to join me in my “smaller world” of wedding photography.  He grabbed my camera and said, “It’s time for me to take a picture of YOU!”  His goal was to make us feel like family.  I yelled on top of the loud music, “No!  I look a mess!!”  We had just been working for about 6 hours and believe me I was not feeling like camera-ready art in any sense of the term.  He turned towards me and started preaching, “Girl, you better never say that again!!  WHO told you that you weren’t beautiful?  I want you to stop believing that right now!!  Now let me take your picture!”  His words sort of shocked me.  Never had anyone said with such power, “stop believing that right now!”

Here's Baron arriving at his friend Earl Watson's wedding.  Did you really think I was going to show you the picture he took of me??!!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?”  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.”  ~Marianne Williamson

Changing our mentalities is the most important decision we made as a company in 2009.  We heard Baron’s strong commanding voice in our heads and “stopped believing that right now”!  The mentality I am talking about is the one that constantly puts us on the Discount Rack of both our personal and professional lives.  It’s the one that leads us to lowering our prices during a recession.  We come up with all kinds of “legitimate” excuses to lower our personal and business value; and the recession has been the strongest force in modern times to bring us to this all-time low, impoverished mentality.  When we traveled to Africa recently with our friend, Rex Crain, he spoke to millions of people over the radio and in gatherings, “There is no such thing as poverty…  only impoverished mentalities!”  I was a skeptic at first until I decided to open my mind to a different way of thinking.  After spending many, many hours with the people of Kenya and Uganda both in their country and here in the US, it became as clear as day that what Rex was saying was absolutely true.  Many of my African friends agree as well.  These Africans are changing their continent!

With much resistance we decided not to put ourselves on the Discount Rack and lower our prices in 2009.  Do you know what happened?  We lost many wedding opportunities and were tempted to cry over our decision!  Today we are celebrating our decision!  Because of our freed up weekends we were able to take on a fabulous celebrity wedding that has literally opened five other doors of huge significance in our business.  We were less busy, grew deeply, and multiplied our capabilities exponentially.  Every need we had was taken care of; we didn’t suffer any loss other than old worn out mentalities.

Friends, I challenge you to leave your old way of thinking and take yourself off the Discount Rack of Life, which only makes you desperate.  Desperation is unattractive.  I encourage you to think the way God thinks.  He is not poor and His resources outnumber the stars in the universe.  Begin to think of God as your loving Father who desires to give you heaven…because he does!  Many people are afraid of this mentality for fear that they will treat God as a genie.  I can see where they are coming from however; God will not allow it!  You can trust Him even in abundance.  He knows how to humble the highest of kings.  Some fear that they will become greedy.  Friends, how about if you decide that you will become more giving.  Fear will keep God’s resources from being able to reach you; faith will allow God’s resources to flow through you and into others.  A mentality in agreement with God’s truth will enable you to do the impossible.

Today is the day to take yourself off the Discount Rack and "Stop believing that right now!"  Have a great day, wonderful YOU!

Lovingly,

Annette

A changed mentality might cause you to change the world for another person.  Here are some kids in Africa dreaming along with Grace Ormonde.  They weren’t afraid of the glamour in the magazine they were inspired by it.  It gave them an afternoon of coming out of their mentalities to explore the possibility that there is something besides poverty and lack.

Here are some girls celebrating Wedding Style Magazine on the chalk board of their school.  Just moments later they were drawing pictures of girls in long gowns speckled with beads and lace.  Dreaming bigger than their current circumstances!!

This past week I had the pleasure of spending time with some highly influential people who deeply inspire me and push me to live better.  If someone could die of over inspiration I would be dead this morning, no kidding.  I feel like God opened heaven and plopped in my lap the most powerfully motivating people he could find.  Someone was praying for me.  I think it might have been Annie!  She got to hear my sad story of how worn out I was just a week ago.  Which brings me to today when I am remembering just 5 years ago the massive difference and turn my life has taken since then.

I would say the best way to describe my life 5 years ago when compared to today would be to say that I was "almost living."  One of the people at dinner with us on Saturday, Tim Storey, author and "life coach to the stars", wrote about the tragedy of "almost living" in his book, Utmost Living.  Whenever Tim speaks it's like a river of life pouring from his mouth and anyone lucky enough to be in earshot gets to feast on freedom, celebration, life etc... I noticed on his website this morning that he advises, "Do not go where you are tolerated, go where you are celebrated."  And celebrating others while impacting them greatly is what he does best.  This week 10 people (no kidding) brought deep inspiration to my heart which confirmed the hard decision I had to make just a few years ago.

It's the most difficult choice for most people and therefore usually never made.  It's the choice to dissociate yourself from people who are dragging you down or keeping you where you are.  John C. Maxwell, in his book 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, advises to make a list of the 6 people not including your spouse and children, in which you spend the most time associating.  He boldly says that where these 6 people are right now in their lives, emotionally, professionally, relationally, spiritually etc., is where you will be in 10 years.  Looking back just 5 years, I see the drastic truth of this statement.  In fact, since I decided to take Maxwell's advise, I can clearly see that the new set of friends in my life have literally pushed me forward 20 years in maturity, success and significance.  All of the good was accelerated while everything bad diminished.  

What happened to the dissociated people?  I saw one of them last week.  She is still complaining, refusing to celebrate the blessings right before her. Me, I still smile, give her a hug and tell her that she is loved.  But I refuse to go with her.  This may seem mean or calloused, but may I remind you how much the world needs you to be fully alive.  The world needs you to be your utmost.  Your children need a mommy who is awake, attentive and deeply beautiful and your husband needs a wife who is childlike and unashamed just to name a few.

This week I am meeting with three people who will change the world of MTV.  No kidding!  One of them decided he was done with the "you are a slut, you are a whore, you have no value" mentality of MTV.  He left his poverty stricken home in Africa to attend school at the Music Institute of Hollywood perfecting his skill and talent.  A story that blows my mind but could have only happened for him by hanging with people who celebrated the same vision of letting love and truth reign.  

Friends, this is huge!  It doesn't matter where you come from or how little resources you have; it matters who you are with.  Challenge yourself to make changes within your circle of friends.  It will make a world of difference.  Here's a few pictures of Miranda Rose, a friend who changes my life every time I am with her.  These were taken while photographing beautiful table tops for Nisie's Enchanted Florist to be submitted to Wedding Style Magazine Fall/Winter issue.

Utmostly Yours,

Annette 

God is faithful!!!  A few weeks ago God brought a wolf-like husky to compliment our Little Red Riding Hood shoot.  This time it was a frog!  My friend Lynnda said,"Next time it will be a Unicorn!"  She is one of my fellow "dreamers".    

A happy birthday to our friend, Katrina Crain!!  We met the lovely Katrina last year when our friend Rex proposed marriage to her on the beach at the Montage.  She has one of the most beautiful love stories and a miraculous life testimony involving her heart.  Rex fell into the part of God's plan for her healing and that is when they met.   She and her sister, Melissa, own the new and exciting UnLock Magazine.

Katrina helped us out a few weeks ago for our winter snow shoot featuring a woodsy floral bouquet by Jen K and gown by Pronovias.  Mon Amie Bridal in Newport Beach connected us with the perfect gowns and Miranda Rose brought a beautiful sparkle accessorizing the entire shoot.  We were so blessed to have Gloria McCune plan the entire event.  

The other day Miranda emailed me a beautiful poem she thought of while remembering our magical time in the mountains.  She wrote it for Katrina....just perfect for her Birthday today!

Katrina,

You are so beautiful in every way, friend!  We adore you and can't wait to travel the world with you!!  It's going to be a good year for sure!

The Happiest Birthday to You!  With our love,

Annette and the entire TripleCord family