David Manning Photographers Bloggin bio picture

Welcome to dmp bloggin!

I'm a big believer in living life to it's fullest and for the most part, you'll find a smile on my face!  That's the short story about me.  The long story includes a passion for photography, playing my guitar, surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, hockey, mountain biking, skydiving and more!

I like good coffee in the morning, and good wine at night.  Cooking combines three of my favorite things, creativity, food, and friends. So you can often times find me in the kitchen making an Italian family recipe.  You're welcome at my house anytime!  Just bring a smile, an appetite, and if you want to score big points, a bottle of red wine!  (Oh, and don't be afraid to have your picture taken.  If you're here, it's bound to happen!)

All of these activities are amazing, but they would not be nearly as fun or possible at all if it weren't for God, my family, and my friends.  These three are the most important to me, and I cannot thank them enough for supporting me on this amazing journey!

WEDDING TEASER :: ZACK AND JENN

I’m so sorry to drop this so soon, because you won’t get to see the rest until later next week, but I was dying to drop this teaser on the blog!  Zack and Jenn’s wedding last week was incredible and I can’t wait to show off the rest of the images!  Enjoy!

July 18, 2010 - 2:44 pm Betsy - Daaaaaaaamn, that is gorgeous! I really like the lighting on this shot! You need to teach me some of that sometime. LOOOOVE this shot!

SUPER SEXY SNEAK PEAK :: DUCATI

There is something new in my garage.  It’s sexy, it’s fast, and oh so much fun!  More pics coming soon…

July 4, 2010 - 9:45 am Jeff - I'll race you! Let's do it!

FARRELL FAMILY :: DEL MAR, CA

I can’t believe that it’s been a whole year already, but it’s time again for the Farrell Family annual session!  The Farrell Family is one of my favorite families and we always have such a good time!  I’m really looking forward to the day that we can look back at 10-15 years of sessions and just watch the kids grow through them all.  Joe and Anne are so incredible and Gabe, McKenna, and Ford have grown up a ton since last year!  This year, we choose the beach because since little Ford came along, we have done the countryside and the backyard of a beautiful home.  Time for this little man to hit the sand and Ford started us off right away with some super cute shots!

McKenna has turned into a bit of a ham!  The last two years, she shied away from the camera more, but this year, she was all about the photos!

Gabe, the ever curious one was hard pressed to be pulled away from his beach observations for pictures, but we got some great shots of him and his bow tie!  (Huge props to the wardrobe department on the shoot AKA: Anne ;)



Joe and Anne are some of the best parents I’ve ever seen.  Just watching how they interact with the kids and each other is so cool and I can’t help, but smile our whole shoot!  Usually it’s my clients getting the sore-smile-cheeks, but by the end of the day, this family had me shaking out my face from all the smiles!


The famous Farrell-Toss!  Each year, one of the three little ones gets launched into orbit!  After flight Ford found his dirty sand foot to be nearly as amusing :)

This is such a cool flipping family!!!


The “How close can you get to the water without getting taken out by a wave?” game!



After the sun went down, we went to hang out on the lawn of Sea Grove Park at 15th St.  Gabe was loving his bow tie and actually picked it out for himself!

Ford being the boss man!

Love this one.




Long story short, the Farrell Family is awesome!  As bummed as I am that they’ve moved to Colorado, I’m so excited that they’re still up to come out here and shoot.  The next shoot will have to be in Colorado though, because I’m dying to visit!

July 17, 2010 - 6:58 pm Betsy - No joke one of the cutest families that I've seen! I really like the bow tie! Nice job David!!

June 30, 2010 - 7:01 am Katie - They are super adorable! You did a killer job capturing their chemistry!!!

ENGAGEMENT :: ZACK AND JENNIFER! :: PART 2 OF 2

Happy Monday!  As I’m writing this blog, I’m listening to some Garth Brooks while wearing a cowboy hat and chewing some dip!  Okay, only the Garth Brooks part is true, but what can I say, these two just stir up the country in me!  Plus, I put a Rascal Flatts song to the slideshow that I brought to deliver Zack and Jenn’s images and Zack told me those guys are wusses in the country music world.  So Garth it is!  Matching this post “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” is currently playing ;)

:: FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN REGISTER HERE TO SEE ALL THEIR PHOTOS FROM THIS SESSION WHEN THEY’RE POSTED ONLINE ::

If you haven’t checked out Part 1 of Zack and Jenn’s engagement session, go check that out by clicking here.  If you have seen that already, then let the awesome old rusty truck images begin!  I went out to Julian a few hours earlier and drove up and down endless narrow twisty roads to find the right spots for these two.  When I saw this truck sitting there, I immediately knew this would be one of our stops!



What good would a country shoot in front of an old American truck be without a guitar playing cowboy?  No worries, we’ve got one!  Zack brought one of his guitars out and serenaded Jenn for a few minutes.  It was a really cool moment so I stepped back and let them enjoy it.

This is up there on my list of favorites from Zack and Jenn’s shoot…


Someone call up Taylor Guitars and let them know we have a new magazine ad for them!

This shot of Jenn with Zack hanging out on the truck is another on the top of my list!


Soooo, this was more of an “ask for forgiveness, rather than permission” moments.  We saw this super cool green wall, walked onto the winery’s property, shot, then took off.  Luckily we didn’t need to ask for forgiveness, but either way it would have been entirely worth it!


Oh Julian, you and your gorgeous fields…

Dang… Okay, I’m almost positive that this shot is my favorite!



These two are amazing and luckily you won’t have to wait very long to see their wedding photos!  They’ll be getting married at Jenn’s parent’s property in Ramona on July 14th of this year!  With a couple like this, I know it’s going to be an awesome wedding!  In the mean time, I have some country learning to do from these two!  Pretty sure, I need to pickup some boots and ride a horse!  I’ve got the hat, so the outfit will be complete ;)

:: FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN REGISTER HERE TO SEE ALL THEIR PHOTOS FROM THIS SESSION WHEN THEY’RE POSTED ONLINE ::

July 3, 2010 - 12:17 pm David Manning - I spent quite awhile scouting Julian so that I could shoot in some places that I haven't seen on a ton of other blogs. This gem was just sitting there waiting for us!

June 30, 2010 - 7:04 am Katie - Um, for reals?! Just an awesome truck hanging out in the middle of a gorgeous field?!! I swear David, that's not fair. Incredible shots. :)

ENGAGEMENT :: ZACK AND JENNIFER :: PART 1 OF 2

Julian, CA was pretty much the only option that came to mind when thinking of where to shoot Zack and Jenn’s engagement session.  Close friends with Jessica, Brandon and little Cadence (check out their session in Poway here), Zack and Jenn are country to the core.  Not just because they live in Ramona, but because of who there are.  They’ve quickly made me realize that my liking country music does not make me country!  Having a pet turkey named Joe?  That makes you country!  They’re that couple that you just want to hang around because they’re so kicked back and relaxed together.  Up for anything and ready to stomp through tall grass fields and creek beds to get to that perfect spot, these two were amazing to shoot with!  Call it their service in the Navy together or the fact that Zack grew up in Tennessee and Jenn in Ramona, but they fit perfectly together.  When you see them together, you can tell.  Let’s get to it then!  Because this is a Saturday post, I’m just dropping a taste of the shoot.  There are many more images that will be posted Monday morning.  So check back then!

:: FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN REGISTER HERE TO SEE ALL THEIR PHOTOS FROM THIS SESSION WHEN THEY’RE POSTED ONLINE ::

We started off on the streets of Julian, CA and cool walls and alleys were everywhere.  We didn’t stay long though, because a thick fog was rolling into town, so we headed out to the fields soon after!  See what I mean with this first shot?  They really just fit!




We couldn’t help, but head out to the incredibly cool countryside.  Whenever I think of Julian images, I think of that backlit sunset shot, but this turned out to be so much better!  It had that fall/winter feel the whole time and we were loving it!  You know I love me some road lines!


Leave it to Julian to have hillside barns all over the place.  The way the fog rolled in was so ethereal.  Like God said, “Wait, wait!  Here.  Fog.  Okay, that’s better, now shoot!”

Again, check back Monday morning for more!  If it entices you further, know that there is an old rusty truck in a field involved!  Oh yes, sweet awesomeness!

:: FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN REGISTER HERE TO SEE ALL THEIR PHOTOS FROM THIS SESSION WHEN THEY’RE POSTED ONLINE ::

June 28, 2010 - 9:41 am Erika Nelson - I'm obsessed with this couples shoot! I'm from the country and love any sort of country shoot. When I find a man, you're definitely shooting my wedding David!