Praise for Starry, Starry Night

Here are some accolades we have received from attendees from the Starry event:

“I just want to thank you Betsy for want you said last night about Working Wardrobes and how it is more than just giving someone a new set of clothes… Honestly I am getting teary eyed right now thinking about it… You and Steve are two amazing, generous, wonderful individuals!! I am so grateful that I got a chance to meet both of you and to participate in such a wonderful event you put together in honor of Working Wardrobes !!!! Once again I thank you from the bottom of my heart it makes me feel good knowing I live in a community with people like you and Steve!!!”
-Michelle Armenta, WW client


“Fantastic job last night. You and Steve were glowing. Congratulations!”
-Mark Brunetz, Host and Designer, Style Network’s Clean House


“You are the best!”
- Jeana Keough to Betsy

“I’m honored to be involved. Working Wardrobes is a fantastic organization that helps real people in the community become self-sufficient and get off of welfare – that’s one of the best things about it. It was exciting to work with Steve Anderson Photography for a great cause and a fabulous event! I’m thankful to everyone who helped make the evening a success and to my fellow cast for joining the party.”
- Jeana Keough


“What a great couple you are! A perfect blend of creative and classy! I think you need to do a photo shoot of Betsy in nothing but her hot heels... and Steve's Jacket!
Thanks again to all...
I would be happy to help out with anything down the road!”
-Frances Dilorinzo, comedian and emcee


“Thank you so much for making me look and feel great last night! I had such a blast just being there. I hope that Michelle and I were able to touch people's hearts and contribute in any way to WW.”
-Indika, WW client


“Last night was truly incredible. You pulled it off magnificently! Congratulations!! Loved your dress and those shoes were to die for! I thought your words about Working Wardrobes really hit the mark. They were very motivating and incredibly touching.”
- Heidi Shurtleff, friend and philanthropist

Starry, Starry Night is a Success

After months of planning, we finally had our “Starry, Starry Night” event at my studio in Costa Mesa. This was the result of collaborative efforts of Betsy with Working Wardrobes and Jeana Keough and other members of the cast of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

Working Wardrobes is a charity that gives assistance to people getting back into the working world by providing clothing, success coaches, interview tips, financial literacy training and a career center to help find available jobs. Jeana (from “The Real Housewives of Orange County”) and Betsy have been heavily involved in volunteering for WW. For their efforts, I am pleased to say they both received the Presidential Award for Volunteerism- a very prestigious award created by President Bush to honor those who dedicate much of their time and energy to volunteer work. I am very proud of these amazing women!

I don’t think I’m making a bold statement when I say that everyone had a blast; there were smiles and laughter everywhere. Attendees got to walk the red carpet, enjoy signature cocktails named after the Housewives, and view the portraits I took of the Housewives and Working Wardrobes clients.

The main events were the silent and live auctions in which we were able to raise over $50,000 for Working Wardrobes. I am so honored to have helped with this event. Philanthropy is a very rewarding experience and a great way to get in touch with your community.

Please take a look at http://www.SteveAndersonPhotography.com/StarryNightEvent/index.html
to see all the photos taken at the event.

Here is a link to the OC Register article on the event http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jeana-working-woman-2158647-wardrobes-housewives
And the OC Register slideshow: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/others-women-county-2155227-orange?slideshow=1

Monique St. Pierre

Last Friday I had the pleasure of working with Monique St. Pierre, a former Playmate of the Year and model as well as a great friend. It had been awhile since Monique had been in front of the camera so we wanted to do something really special with her.

Located in Van Nuys (of all places) is her home, an acre of property surrounded by lush plants, flowers and trees, a small oasis in a city not well known for being pretty. On the property are finches and pigeons, living in large wire cages nestled within the foliage, a pond full of turtles and fish and several Savannah cats. For those you who may be unfamiliar, Savannahs are domestic cats bred to look like miniature leopards.

The house itself was filled with antiques and art deco style furniture, river rock walls and tiled floors. Gorgeous! The perfect “set” for some great portraits of Monique. After touring the house and grounds, I knew exactly how I wanted to photograph her.

We started with an art deco style portrait with Monique in a dress from the late 1800s. Her son Chris even jumped in for some shots with his Mom as well as his own set of portraits. From there, we took the shoot outside where Monique posed with a 40 lb Savannah cat on her shoulders! Monique had some great vintage wardrobe and we ended the day with her in a snakeskin dress with feathers, photographed under an outdoor chandelier.

The coups de grâce of the day is when we wrapped, Monique took us up to the Playboy mansion. We had an intimate dinner and met Hugh Hefner and Holly Madison as well as many other great people.

An amazing day with good friends and a great crew. Special thanks to Stephani Reuter for make up, Betsy Klein for producing and Glenn Williams for assisting.

Take a look at my latest work at http://www.SteveAndersonPhotography.com

A Day with the Two Ellis's

A couple weeks ago, John Spencer Ellis and Kelli Ellis (one of my favorite local celebrity couples), stopped by my studio for a photo shoot. Kelli is an interior designer with her own show on HGTV. John is the leading expert in Orange County on anything related to health, fitness, wellness, and personal development. They both make regular appearances on KDOC, Daybreak OC.

It was great working with these two! They have the best chemistry together; always playing and joking around keeping us laughing all day. Not to mention, they are both very photogenic. I shot some great portraits that really show their wonderful personalities and great sense of humor.

We are all really looking forward to the Starry, Starry Night charity event on September 11. John was integral in introducing us to Jeana Keough from The Real Housewives of Orange County, who has been working with Betsy and I and Working Wardrobes to create this great event.

Working Wardrobes is an organization that helps adults in crises re-enter the workforce through wardrobing and career development. Check out http://www.workingwardrobes.org/starrynight.htm for more details and to buy tickets.

To see what John and Kelli are up to, visit http://www.johnspencerellis.com and http://www.kelliellis.com

And as always, check out my latest work at http://www.SteveAndersonPhotography.com