Michael + Anna Costa

Book Bites. Amazing Tool (By Anna)

2009-07-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

So many of you know that Michael and I love books. Well... Michael just found this APP that is AMAZING! I thought I'd share it because its soooooo cool. Its called Book Bites and its basically the Cliff Notes version of a book that you can download on iTunes for $0.99. So after reading a book, I normally have to go through it again and try to make out from my notes and highlighting the key points. No longer! I can now just download this little cheat sheet that outlines exactly the main points from the book. I think its really cool and am going to download all the Book Bites of previous books I've read that I want to continue referring back to. Its one thing to read a book and say, "That was some great information!" Its another thing to retain and ACT on that information. I'm working on being better about that! Happy reading! "The difference between where you are today and where you'll be five years from now will be found in the quality of books you've read." — Jim Rohn

Heather + Arturo Wedding

2009-06-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Heather is from America. Arturo is from Mexico. They met while Arturo was here for medical school and fell in love. They got married. And now they are in Mexico together. Ahhh... how romantic.

5 Year Anniversary (By Anna)

2009-06-23T00:06:00.001-07:00

Michael and I will have been married for 5 (YES 5!) years this Wednesday, June 24th. I seriously can't believe it. Time really flies when you are having fun. What is truly amazing to me is that I actually found my soul mate and the love of my life. There are so many people that are totally worthy of finding their soul mate but just haven't yet. I feel so blessed that I have Michael. He is absolutely perfect for me. (And hopefully I'm perfect for him too!). He is SO kind and loving and basically spends most of his time thinking about how he can be a better husband/business partner/provider/person for me. I love that he's constantly reminding me to do things that are good for me. For instance, he puts a bag of vitamins on the floor to remind me to take them without verbally bugging me. He reminds me to drink enough water so that I'm hydrated. He is very clean and usually is the one to initiate major household cleanings. He scratches my back and pets my head because he knows that I love it. He is always working very hard on our business because he wants to be the best provider (or strongest hunter gatherer as he likes to call it!). He is always aware of my feelings and whenever I sigh really deeply to relieve stress he always notices and asks me what he can do to help. He always snuggles with me whenever I want and surprises me often with nice cards or flowers. For those of you have forced yourself to read until the end I commend you! I know this is very mushy. But WHATEVER, this is our blog! haha. Anyway, I just feel really blessed that I've already been able to spend 5 years of my life with such a wonderful man. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!!

Christina / Gary - New York City

2009-06-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

If you were to walk into Gary's apartment for the first thing you might noticed that when you are looking either to the left or to the right - you can see out to the street on either side. Which means that his apartment runs the length of the whole building from front to back. Not bad for NYC! Opera playing in the background with incense burning and light streaming in from the large open windows, illuminating the artwork and furniture from around the globe. Too fun! Also, their elevator opens right into their apartment - which I thought was pretty cool. (Reminds me of the episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon goes up to the apartment of the guy she is dating that turns out to be her 3rd cousin. He had an elevator that opened right into his apartment too). One of my friends from college used to live in Gramercy Park in NYC and she had that type of elevator convenience as well. She lives in Russia now, and actually got married the day before this photo shoot in Moscow. But I digress. What can I say about Christina & Gary? They are perfect for each other. They are genuinely in love and extremely comfortable with one another. As soon as I pulled out my camera they were laughing and hugging on their couch and had no problem doing any of the crazy things I asked them to do. Like getting into the bathtub and posing in front of their gold fish shower curtain! Easy going, fun loving and relaxed. What a great combination. After taking some preliminary shots in this very cool space, we moved to the Brooklyn neighborhood dubbed the name DUMBO. We've shot here before, but had a great time finding new nooks and crannies. And after it all, we relaxed at a great French restaurant and enjoyed good food with great company. It was a wonderful way to end our trip, as we flew out of JFK only a few hours later! Thanks Christina & Gary!

New York Shoot Sneak Peak at the Carlye Hotel (Michael)

2009-06-03T15:15:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple sneak preview images from our creative shoot with our beautiful bride, Michelle Matz (now Michelle Hyland :) at the Carlyle Hotel last Saturday. We're stoked as the Carlyle has asked us for some images to include on their website. Check out this very cool luxury hotel if you get a chance - thecarlyle.com

A fun side note: As we were getting off the elevator, on our way to Michelle, we saw Elaine Stritch who plays Alec Baldwin's mother in one of our favorite shows, 30 Rock (short for Thirty Rockefeller Wy.) Interestingly, half the residents at The Carlyle live there.

Factoid: The tiles in this concave ceiling are coated in platinum.

Subways make me tired! (by anna)

2009-05-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing about NYC that California people don't understand - walking! We sit in cars when we want to go somewhere - and it's usually doorstep to doorstep. I'm soooo tired from all the stairs and walking what seems like forever to get to a train station. I would lose so much weight if I lived here! Haha We are having such a ball and can't wait to shoot our wedding Saturday! :)

We are heading to The Big Apple Tomorrow!

2009-05-26T16:53:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we are off on a whirlwind adventure to NYC! We are shooting a wedding for the most fantastic and fabulous couple, Rob & Michelle who we first met in Mexico in 2007. They were there for one of our wonderful couple's, Amy & Mike's wedding and asked us on the night of the reception if we could take some pictures of them the next morning. So bright and early at 8 am we were taking pictures of this beautiful couple! Fast forward two years later, and Rob gives us a call saying he is proposing to Michelle where they had one of their very first dates on the Santa Monica Pier and wants us to take pictures incognito! It was seriously the most amazing experience, I totally started to cry! Now, a few months later they are getting married in NYC to photograph the culmination of everything - their wedding! We are so honored and excited to be apart of their life in this way and look forward to many more experiences that we can share/document for them in the future!

Avery & Elliot and Sam (by Anna)

2009-05-20T13:13:00.001-07:00

My sister Sarah came down for a visit last week and brought her two unbelievably adorable daughters with her. She has definitely set the bar pretty high for cute kids! I took these pictures while she was here. It was a pretty packed week because my OTHER sister Leah just had a baby and we had a baby shower for her too!(See pictures of baby Sam below). It was so nice to be with family - but its always so sad when Sarah has to leave. Its funny because before Sarah left we all went to Carl's Jr. for lunch - which is kind of nostalgic for us! haha! We grew up a few blocks away from a Carls Jr. and would often walk over there for lunch. Also, my Grandpa Ozzy would take us to Carl's Jr. when we visited him and my Grandma in Van Nuys. Anyway, I'm not sure why I went on that random tangent - but now you know! : (Here is little 2 week old Sam. We are gearing up to take more pictures of him because he's already getting so big!!)

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Dr. Wayne Dyer (By Anna)

2009-05-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

I've been reading this fabulous book by Dr. Wayne Dyer called "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life." Basically what Dr. Dyer does is uses the teachings of the Tao and relates them to modern day problems and issues that we have. I've found this book to be incredibly insightful and thought that I would related some of what I'm learning to things that pertain to MY life. Here are some great passages: 15th Verse (a portion of it) But the muddiest water clears as it is stilled And out of that stillness life arises I find that most of my time is devoted to running around kind of crazy doing "things" that ultimately don't really matter all that much. But when I choose to be still and let my mind settle, everything becomes clear and obvious. For instance, Michael and I tend to be a bit on the workaholic side. But for Michael's birthday I decided to take him on a mini vacation for a few days up in Cambria. We took a little hike, had a picnic at the beach, lounged around the pool, read books and discussed ideas and philosophies. We felt like we had a great awakening by the end of the trip! We had realized SO many things about ourselves and our life that we wouldn't have even had thought of had we not taken the time to let our minds relax. I think it sometimes seems easier to try and find meaning in our life by running around being busy, rather than let stillness guide us. Anyway, this was a great reminder for me. Who else out there has found this to be true?

Julie + Blake In The Club & Mediterranean Architecture!

2009-05-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of photographing our beautiful couple, Julie & Blake in some really contrasting locations- A Few shots below for a little taste, but check out the slideshow for the full effect: Blake is a professional model & photographer (his site) so I wanted to do him proud. Also, you can see the prototype of our new logo in the show.

Kara / Hank / & Baby, Lev

2009-05-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of shooting Kara, Hank & their beautiful new son, Lev at their home in Santa Monica. It was a wonderful shoot filled with happiness & warmth. We always feel like there's is so much love around with a new baby, it's such a joy.

Can't Stop Laughing at This...

2009-04-24T04:20:00.001-07:00

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Editorial (Michael)

2009-04-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of shooting this beautiful tabletop editorial for Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine designed by Nico Cervantes of Nico Designs. Nico is phenomenal at creating unique looks in a chic, luxurious fashion. Can you guess what the themes are of the two shoots?

My Little Sister Went To The Prom! (by Anna)

2009-04-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

(What Girl Doesn't Love Being Swept Off Her Feet??) (Me and Beff. For those of you who don't know, Bethany's nickname in our family is "Beff." Its a long story...) My youngest sister is exactly 10 years and 364 days younger than me. She was born while I was having a birthday slumber party in 1992. :) I was almost 11 years old at the time. (Her birthday is July 18th and mine is July 19th). So, I basically remember her entire life - from a wee baby to a now gorgeous 16 year old! So she just went to the prom and I was excited that I had the honor of doing her hair and make up. When I got done with the job I realized that I basically made her look exactly like me when I do my own hair and makeup! haha. She had a great time and it was so fun to be able to be apart of this important right of passage. Prom. Oh! Funny story. So, all of Bethany's friends met up at the park to take some pictures, and I arrived their before she did. All of her friends came up to her later and were like, "I thought your sister was you! I was wondering why you came to the park in jeans!" This information made me very happy when I heard it! Although, I did have big sunglasses on, its very much a compliment to be mistaken for a beautiful 16 year old! :)

We Broke Up... (by Anna)

2009-04-13T15:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Diet Coke and Coca Cola Classic and I broke up. Its been a long term relationship with these two. Actually, Diet Coke has been a constant companion of mine for probably at least 10 years. I've been in a short term relationship with Coca Cola Classic while trying to wean myself off of Diet Coke. I feel really great and am happy to be moving on with my life! Thanks for all your love and support...

My Recipe - Open faced sandwich with avocado and white bean pate (by Anna)

2009-04-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, a new love of mine lately has been cooking. Since we are vegetarians I love playing around with old traditional recipes and making them veggie friendly. For Christmas my mother-in-law gave me this awesome vegetarian cookbook, so this particular recipe is a twist on one of their concepts put together with my own. They have a recipe for a White Bean Pate, but I've switched the garlic that they called for with shallots. (The pate consists of white beans, shallots, ricotta, fresh thyme and butter with salt and pepper to taste.) I then made the pate more of a spread and created an open face avocado sourdough sandwich with it. It turned out delicious! I topped the whole thing off with some fresh ground pepper and fresh ground sea salt. The combination of the avocado with the tangy white bean pate turned out to be a really tasty combination!

My sister had a baby! (By Anna)

2009-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that Henry Samuel Florence V (AKA Sam) has arrived! My younger sister Leah just had her baby and he is so cute. I can't believe that she has a baby. I was helping my other sister Bethany moved stuff from her room the other day and we found a picture of Leah when she was about 4 years old holding my younger brother Daniel - and now she has a little baby boy of her own. Its really hilarious because Leah is totally on cloud 9. When I talked to her yesterday about her whole experience she started off with, "Well, we had the best two days of our lives in the hospital. It was SO fun!" (How many people do you know use the word "Fun" and "Hospital" together? She said that she can just stare at Sam for hours and be totally entertained. Leah and Hank are moving down to California in a couple weeks so we are super super excited that they will all be here for at least a year and a half. Its going to be such a blessing to have them here since they have been in China and Utah since they got married almost 5 years ago! Anyway, now our family has 3 grandchildren. My older sister Sarah has two babies girls (Avery & Elliot) and Leah has Sam! All these new additions to the family are so great - keeps life from getting too boring! :)

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (by Anna Costa)

2009-03-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

I recently finished "Think and Grow Rich" after having read half of it and putting it aside for a few months and then picking it back up. I have to say that this book really spoke to me on so many levels. The title is very catchy and could probably be misconstrued as very worldly and greedy - but its actually quite the opposite in my opinion. It gives very specific (and seemingly "out there") type steps towards not only financial freedom but how to achieve any goal or dream in life. Sometimes I feel that the vast majority of people believe that our state in life is something that just "happens" to us and that we barely have any control over making huge changes and achieving huge goals. (I hear a lot of excuses like, "Well, when you are born into a rich family like that... or "I never had the opportunity..") What was so empowering about this book is that by literally "changing your mind" you can create any sort of life that you want. And of course a big component to this book is ACTION. But action only occurs when we first have an idea that starts the process. The mind is an amazing thing! Read this book with an open mind and a desire to realize the greatness that is within all of us! yay!!!

Carolina / Jon (michael)

2009-03-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

One Day Trip to Salt Lake City! (by Anna)

2009-03-17T23:53:00.001-07:00

(Michael with our friends David Berck, Andre & Penny Walton) Michael and I flew out of LAX this morning at 6:05 am and just got home after landing at 10:30 pm! We've never flown to a city and back in one day. It was actually pretty cool because we didn't have to pack any bags or check anything. And we love sleeping in our own bed! We were in Salt Lake for an awesome business conference and had an amazing time connecting with past friends as well as making new friends! We've been SO blessed by the countless people that have enriched our lives through their time, energy, resources, example and so much more. We feel very compelled to do the same for others and assist people in anyway we can! (I'm finishing up "Think and Grow Rich" and loving it! I really really love reading on airplanes because its so boring that I get a ton of reading done during flights!)

LIVE Online Chat today on Photo For the People with Brook & Alisha Todd! (By Anna)

2009-03-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

(Brook Todd, Myself and Michael in Vegas!) Today we there is an LIVE Online Chat with Brook & Alisha Todd on www.photoforthepeople.com! Brook and Alisha have been named Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World by American Photo and have also been quoted as, "Fabulous Photographers capturing every moment, Brook and Alisha Todd" by Oprah Winfrey. Michael and I LOVE these LIVE Chat's because its really amazing to be able to share as a community and glean from each others knowledge and experience! Don't miss out on this chance to share! Again, the chat is TODAY (3.16.09) at 4 pm PST on photoforthepeople.com!! Check out Brook & Alisha's amazing bio HERE

Amazing YWD Magazine Party! (by Anna)

2009-03-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Michelle & Josh of Mi Belle, Me and Brion Hopkins! Me and Brook Todd YWD put on an AMAZING party last Wednesday. They had wedding vendors collaborate to put on a fantastic event with amazing food, music, decor, dessert and more. It was really a fabulous event and we had such a great time reconnecting with so many of our industry friends. Our good photographer friends Barnaby and Nicole shot the event and did an amazing job as you can see!

Who Do You Look Like? (by Anna)

2009-03-09T17:40:00.001-07:00

(This is me for anyone who doesn't know!) So every now and again someone will tell me I look like someone. I thought it would be fun to post the top people that I seem to look like and for you to do the same on your blog! Then we can all vote on who we think you look more like! Okay, here are my people: (Oh Scarlett....) (This one is random, but evidently this girl is on Day's of Our Lives) (If any of you haven't seen my Miss Piggy impression you're missing out! I'm a dead ringer!! HAAAAAYAH!) (Someone told me the other day that I look like Lindsay Lohan...Weird...)

The Adorable Mackay Kids & Others

2009-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Anna shot a creative kids portrait session that I thought had some really adorable images I wanted to share - Here's another image Anna did of our cute little niece, Avery A couple shots Anna (shot 1) & I (shot 2) took of my sister Jennifer's daughter, Kaitlyn at my other sister, Julianne's & now husband, Denny's wedding a couple weeks ago. She now shares her name with celebrity Julianne Moore :) We had our good friend who's an amazing photographer, Brion Hopkins shoot it my sisters wedding, wouldn't have had it any other way!

Published in "Destination i Do" Magazine

2009-03-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

We're stoked to have a wedding featured in the beautiful "Destination i Do" magazine this spring of a shoot we did a few months back with celebrity Teresa Strasser & now husband Daniel Wichinski's wedding at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas & proceeding reception at the Los Angeles Central Library.