Alyssa Armstrong Photography

Michael & Christy’s Los Angeles Love

April 17th, 2012

Oh, Michael and Christy. You guys are just too gorgeous for words!

I am LOVING this session so hard. Michael is one of my oldest and dearest friends, so naturally I knew Christy and I would get along great. Not only did we all have a blast together, but I think my camera is in love with them! I couldn’t stop snapping pictures!!

I really loved our location, too. I showed up at Michael’s place and we just took a walk through the neighborhood. LA is such an interesting place…plus, it’s easy to find inspiration with a couple that is down for anything!

Thank you guys for letting me capture your love. <3

Enjoy!

Posted in Love, Portraits | 15 Comments »

Spectacular, Spectacular!

April 7th, 2012

I am so excited to share this session!

I knew that when I decided to do a Moulin Rouge inspired shoot, Billy and Stephanie would be PERFECT.

These wonderful people and so dear to my heart! Stephanie has been best friend’s with my husband’s sister since elementary school…so it really does feel like we are family! And let me tell you a bit about this girl….she is probably the most amazingly talented person I have ever met! Not only is she an incredible artist (painting, drawing, sculpting, you name it, she’s mastered it) but she and Billy are also musicians/singers/songwriters! In fact, Stephanie and I were totally in a band together for a split second.

When I told Stephanie about my idea, she jumped at the chance to take on any crafts that needed to be done for this shoot. She made her skirt with her own two hands AND she made a replica of the famous Moulin Rouge windmill from SCRATCH! I’m telling ya, this girl’s got mad skills.

We ran into a few snags with planning, but when it all came down to it, everything was perfect. I had such a great time with these two…and we even invited all of our friends to a huge after party to unveil our masterpiece! It was a BLAST!

Before I move onto the photos, I need to give some shout outs.

HUGE, MASSIVE thank you to Matt & Marie for coming through for us in our time of need. I am so incredibly thankful that you guys are mah frenz!

To my AMAZING husband: THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting up with my whining, keeping us focused when the girls wanted to chat and have girl time, and for setting up all the lights. ILY4EVA.

To my favorite girls, Hannah and Nessa, you are both so incredible. Thank you for being my emotional support and for sacrificing so much time and energy to make this shoot a success. This wouldn’t have been possible without you!

And last, but certainly not least, to Billy and Stephanie. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate your hard work and dedication to this project. Especially you, Stephanie. You were what held all of this together. You inspire me to be a better artist and I cannot thank you enough. I am the luckiest photographer on earth to have the opportunity to capture your beautiful love! Thank you. A million times.

And now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

It’s not Moulin Rouge without the ABSINTHE!

Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love <3
“Above all things, I believe in love” – Moulin Rouge

I love love LOVE these fabric bouquets by Ahelya at Simple Elegance!

Um, Hi, Regina Spektor!

So, tell me…how AWESOME is this windmill?

My faaaavorite shot of the day!

Photography: Alyssa Armstrong (hey! that’s me!)
Styling and overall design stuffs: Stephanie B.
Bouquet: Ahelya of Simple Elegance
Dessert: Vanessa W.
Venue: Super awesome rad private residence
Set-up crew: Hannah, Ben, Ian, Vanessa, Gennifer…what can I say, I have rad friends.

Posted in Portraits, Styled | 9 Comments »

Happy birthday, baby

March 27th, 2012

“They grow up so fast!”

I’ve heard adults say things like that my whole life, and now I know how true that statement is!

My little Malakai turned three yesterday and as much as it breaks my heart to admit, it’s going by WAY too fast! I know it’s cliché and everything, but it really does seem like just yesterday that he was still my teeny tiny baby. Now I see this handsome, smart, and independent little BOY…and as proud as I am at how he is turning out, I’m still really sad that it’s flying by so fast!

One of my favorite photographers, Amelia Lyon, always does a list of facts about her children on their birthdays…and I just have to do one too! I never never never want to forget Malakai at this age!

ALL ABOUT MALAKAI
1. He LOVES Star Wars. He often talks about “Dart Dader” and LOVES playing with his lightsabers. In fact, when we went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, he was the only kid who cheered for Darth Vader during the Jedi Training Academy, hahaha!

2. His go-to conversation starter is, “So, I checked the mail last night!”. No idea why! But it’s adorable.

3. He loves chicken and broccoli. He talks about eating them all the time. Sometimes when he is asked what he wants for breakfast, he’ll respond with, “Umm, just chicken”.

4. He is extremely talkative just like his mama.

5. He loves painting and drawing.

6. He loves music! How could he not, with me and Ian as parents, right? Some of his favorite songs are: Redemption Song, Hey Jude, Dance Magic Dance, Under Pressure, and All Together Now. He will actually sing along when he hears them!

7. He loves guitar. And he loves to sing. Just like mama!

8. He is a HAM! He is rarely ever shy. Whenever we go out, he’ll wave and say hi to everyone. He loves attention.

9. He loves books. We read to him every night before bed. Right now, his favorite is Hop on Pop.

10. His favorite movies are Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, and Labyrinth.

11. He’s really good with computers. He already knows how to navigate himself to all of his websites. NOTE: Parents, check out Starfall and Zoodles! They are (free!) educational websites and they are fantastic! Mal has learned so much from them!

12. He is a very good big brother, even though he and Leia get into it sometimes haha. He is getting better at sharing with her. Also, he doesn’t call her Leia. He refers to her as “Baby”.

13. We recently spent three days at Disneyland with my sister-in-law and her husband and two kids. It was the best trip ever (even during the stressful parts!) and I never wanted to leave! Mal absolutely loved it. It was amazing. I truly think that once you grow up, the only way to recreate the Disney magic you may have felt as a child is to take your own children. I can’t tell you how many times I cried! Watching the kids experience that magic made everything worth it. We can’t wait to get back! Once Leia gets a little older, we will probably get passes. We loved it so much and Mal IS STILL talking about Disneyland every day! He says his favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride (“I wanna shoot!”), but truth be told, he was really scared of it and he would only ride it once! Haha. It definitely made an impression though, because he talks about it a lot.

14. I guess this is a continuation of 13, but I just have to share this. I was DYING to see Fantasmic! because I hadn’t seen it since I was a kid. When I found out it would be playing while we were there, I demanded that we see it! We saw it the first day we were there…that day was particularly rough on me (to say the least) since Leia kept trying to run around and eat everything off the ground. But after seeing Fantasmic!, everything was worth it. Mal kept screaming, “OH MY GOODNESS, MAMA OH MY GOODNESS!” and he was clapping and cheering. At one point he was sitting on my lap and his whole body was TREMBLING and his heart was beating so fast! His mouth was wide open the entire time. It was so freaking magical. I’m going to cry just thinking about it.

Well, I hope I have adequately shared how awesome my son is. You all better be in love with him now. And if you’re not…just TRY to not be after you see these.

Posted in Personal | 2 Comments »

Love & Marriage || Will & Megan

March 1st, 2012

I am SO excited to share these photos!

It’s been a month since I last posted. What the heck, life? Why you all zooming past me and stuff? The last few months have been SO busy…and things are about to get busier! My baby boy turns 3 this month! I’m planning a big party for him, so everyone wish me luck. I might have a few grey hairs by the end of this month!

ANYWAY. I was lucky enough to second shoot this wedding at CalTech Pasadena with the fabulous Allison Maginn and I am SO thankful to her. This wedding was absolutely gorgeous and this couple was amazing! The families of both the bride and groom played a huge role in this wedding. Basically everything was handcrafted by the bride and her family or the groom and his family. It definitely put a unique touch on this couple’s special day…and that is always the BEST!

Not only was this wedding creative and beautiful, but this couple also had AMAZING taste in music! One of their friends played their first dance song, and then immediately went into “Going Out West” by Tom Waits…which happens to be one of my favorite songs EVER. It was really exciting!

Again, a HUGE thanks to Allison for bringing me along. Go check out her images of this wedding! They are fantastic! And a BIG congrats to the happy and beautiful couple!

My FAVORITE shot of the day!

Posted in Wedding | 7 Comments »

Family Day at Marina Park

January 31st, 2012

We had a fun little family day last weekend. Marina Park in Ventura is one of the coolest places ever. It’s usually packed every time we go, but it was empty when we went and Mal had a BLAST!

The park is right on the beach, so after playing in the playground we headed for the ocean. Mal has never liked the ocean before, so we didn’t expect him to play. But this time he DID and he had so much fun!

I totally had a “mom moment” while watching him play. I can’t believe he’s turning THREE in two months! I don’t want to believe it. He looked like such a big boy running out to the water. I almost cried!

The day ended with my little man losing his footing and totally face planting into the wet sand. He was drenched and immediately started crying and running for his mommy and daddy. It was sort of bittersweet, honestly. I was just thinking about how big he is getting…but it’s okay because he still needs mommy and daddy to kiss his owwies, and hold him when he gets hurt!

Thanks for the fun day, my sweet little boy!

Oh, and Leia was there, too but she was sleeping like an angel! Don’t worry, you’ll see more pictures of her soon. Can you believe she’s already 9 months and walking like a pro?! Because I can’t!

Posted in Babies, Just for fun, Personal | 2 Comments »

Meet Chase and Annabelle

January 8th, 2012

Remember this maternity session I did not too long ago? Well, I’m happy to announce that Brad & Lauren are now proud parents of Chase and Annabelle!

This was my first time photographing twins, and honestly I was prepared for chaos. But these two were amazing! Annabelle has the sweetest personality. She was a total angel the entire session. Chase is definitely the feisty one, but as soon as he was fed, he calmed down and let me take pictures of him. All in all, they were the sweetest and I had a blast photographing them.

Congratulations, Brad & Lauren! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to take pictures of your gorgeous family.

Isn’t Annabelle the sweetest?

Mama and Chase <3

Daddy & Annabelle

Two blog posts in one weekend? I’m on a roll, right? Happy Sunday, everyone!

Posted in Babies, Family, Portraits | 3 Comments »

5 Blogs that will change your life forever [for photographers]

January 7th, 2012

I’ve had a few people who have come into my life recently who are just beginning their photographic journey. Right now, I am nearing the third year anniversary of buying my first DSLR. Since then I have learned so much and I love sharing that knowledge with fellow photographers, especially those just starting out.

I love lists. A lot. So much, that for Christmas, my husband bought me a journal and fancy pen (plus, some post-its for better organization) specifically for my lists. I love all kinds of lists. Pros/Cons lists, Ideas lists, To-Do lists. But most of all, I LOVE Top 5 lists! I have a Top 5 for everything. My Top 5 Favorite Movies, Top 5 Favorite Bands, Top 5 Favorite Songs to listen to when I’m in a bad mood. I think it all started after I read High Fidelity when I was in high school.

SO. I’ve compiled a list for my Top 5 Blogs That Will Change Your Life Forever. Discovering these blogs really shaped my photographic journey and helped me discover the kind of photographer I want to be…and I hope they can help at least one person who is just starting out!

1. Jasmine Star
Say what you will about J*, but even the haters have to admit that this girl definitely knows how to inspire! She has a lot of really great info for photographers on her blog. She does a segment now and then called “Shooting Star” that is aimed specifically towards photographers and includes FAQ, tips on marketing, business, pretty much everything you need! I remember when I found her for the first time, I spent about 3 hours on her blog!

2. Melissa Jill
Okay. I don’t remember how I found out about her, but as soon as I came across her blog, I INSTANTLY liked her. Melissa is constantly making posts specifically for helping out photographers. Her Flash Series changed the way I saw light. Seriously! She explains (in great detail) how she uses flash at weddings…both on and off-camera. She breaks it down into a 13-part series. DEFINITELY worth the read!

3. A Beautiful Mess
This blog is NOT just for photographers! Elsie Larson has tons of really awesome DIY projects, outfit ideas, recipes, along with excellent advice for small business owners & bloggers. In fact, she is what inspired me to make this post!

4. Strobist
One of the first things I wanted to learn when I started on my photographic journey was how to use off-camera flash. I think it is SO important for photographers to learn to use all kinds of different lighting. You can’t always rely on the sun! The Strobist blog helped teach me to use OCF in a way that I understood. I am a very visual learner and this blog has tons of pictures and links that were easy for me to follow. Check it out if you want to learn how to use OCF!

5. Tofurious
Lawrence Chan is seriously the master. He puts out so many great business & marketing advice for photographers. He has an e-book all about pricing strategies that work…plus, it’s a fun read! He’s a really silly guy and he LOVES lists, too!

Hopefully some of you have found this post helpful! And maybe I’ll post more lists in the future, if you guys like it! Hope everyone has a great weekend. I’m stuck at home without my husband all weekend, which means it’s indoor crafting time with the kids!

Tags: Top 5
Posted in For Photographers, Just for fun | 3 Comments »

Goodbye 2011 + photo shoot with little Stella!

December 31st, 2011

Today is the last day of 2011. This was a pretty crazy year for me filled with a lot of ups and downs. I lost my grandfather. My baby boy turned 2. I became a mommy again. I decided to pursue my passion for photography. My nana, one of the most important people in my life, suffered a massive heart attack and almost didn’t make it. 2011 helped me realize how much I have to be thankful for and to never take anything for granted.

I’m happy to report that my nana is FINALLY home again. And to top it all off, this morning my babies woke me up by making each other giggle (usually, they wake me up by screaming at me for food). Tonight, I am making a massive feast and as soon as we put the babies down for the night, the husband and I are going to play SWTOR ALL NIGHT. Maybe. (I doubt I will make it passed 10:30). Even though there have been many hardships, this year is ending on a great note!

And now, my photo shoot with Stella! This little cutie pie is turning one pretty soon! Stella was such a trooper during this shoot. Not only was this her first time getting her pictures taken, but she was a bit sick, too!

This was the first time I have ever done a “smash the cake” session. Surprisingly, Stella wasn’t really that impressed with the cake! What a good girl, right?

I hope you all have a great, SAFE night! Don’t forget to eat your 12 grapes. According to my Lola, that will bring you good luck for 2012!

Posted in Babies, Personal, Portraits | 2 Comments »

Christmas madness + a sneak peek

December 28th, 2011

I really hope all of you had a great time this holiday season. I know I did, despite the craziness of it all!

Every year for Christmas Eve, we drive up to Apple Valley (my hometown) and spend Christmas with our families. So rather than drive back Christmas morning for our Armstrong Christmas, we decided to do our on Friday night. Since this was Leia’s first Christmas and Malakai is finally old enough to (sort of) understand the concept, I really wanted it to be special. I’m a very sentimental person, yeahsowhat. So Friday afternoon we were all waiting for Ian to get home before we opened presents. And of course, silly me, I didn’t think that Malakai would be so eager that he would just open them when I wasn’t looking. DUH, ALYSSA. That’s like Mommy 101! Needless to say, he opened his presents before Ian got home. I was so upset! Still, his reaction to the Rock Star Mickey Mouse that we got him was priceless. He gasped and screamed, “MICKEY MOUSE!”. It was super cute.

I’m a total sap when it comes to Christmas. Especially now that I have children of my own. This year was a hard, though. Not only is this the first Christmas without my grandpa, but everything has been a little crazy ever since my nana’s heart attack. My favorite Christmas memories are with my nana. She always made the best tamales, and had the BEST Christmas decorations. We were all really hoping to get her home before Christmas, but she wasn’t ready yet. Still, the most important part is that she is still with us. The doctors were initially expecting the worst. She has been getting better every single day and we are so thankful. And the best news of all? She should be coming home within the next couple days! Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and prayers.

Now I will share a sneak peek of my latest photo shoot! Meet little Stella! This cutie will be turning ONE soon! More up on the blog later this week.

Posted in Babies, Personal, Portraits | 1 Comment »

Styled shoot with Simple Elegance

December 5th, 2011

A couple of months ago, I nervously messaged Ahelya on Facebook. She and I had been friends for a while, but didn’t really talk to each other much…you know how it goes with Facebook. Over the course of our Facebook friendship I had noticed her talk about her wedding accessory business, Simple Elegance. The first time I saw her work, I KNEW I wanted to do a styled shoot with her. But of course, me being me, I was too afraid to ask her. Why would she want to work with me? She probably has TONS of photographers asking to work with her. You know, typical Alyssa being a big fat chicken.

One day, after reading one of Jasmine Star‘s many inspirational blog posts, I decided to go for it. What was the worst Ahelya could say? No? What do I have to lose?

Contacting her was one of the best things I have ever done. Not only did I overcome my fear and insecurity, but I connected with a fellow vendor! It is so important for photographers to network not only with fellow photographers, but also with other vendors! Ahelya and I found a way to help and support each other and we will continue to do so as our businesses grow. Oh, and did I mention we had a blast together, too?

Not only is Ahelya amazingly talented at hand-crafting beautiful accessories, but she is also incredibly beautiful inside and out. She was kind enough to model for me (as you will see in the first set of pictures). She also arranged for us to have another young lady model for us, Jessica (she is in the second set…you know, the one who totally looks like Naomi Watts). The three of us hit it off right away…we all desperately needed girl time!

Ahelya and I are both really inspired by all things vintage. Our vision for this shoot was to really emphasize the classic essence of her designs, as well as my photography…and I’m SO happy with the results!

So before you scroll to the pictures, I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my dear Ahelya. You put SO much hard work into this shoot, and it definitely shows! I can’t wait to see where your business goes. MUCH LOVE TO YOU! Also, a big thank you to Jessica for being an amazing model! Oh and also to Giovanna for letting us use her GORGEOUS house. And my husband for watching the kids. and and and. Yeah.

Go check out her website! And then come back and look at my pictures, of course.

Posted in Portraits, Styled, Wedding | 2 Comments »