Anastasia + Eric: Wedding Photography in San Diego, CA

1 + 1 made 2 for Anastasia + Eric on 11/11/11! What a smokin’ couple.

I got to photograph this fun-lovin’ group with my friend Joe of Vida Dulce Photography … Here are some of my favorites that rose to the top from their beautiful San Diego wedding and La Jolla reception.

 
Even if there are a bazillion bright, loud, and obvious pieces to capture in a wedding day, my favorite moments are the unexpected, quiet ones.

Stuffed in the elevator to the limo, we had four bridesmaids, two photographers, a videographer, and a bride. I saw Anastasia hold her clutch tight, look down, and take a couple breaths to herself. That’s all it was, and it was my favorite moment of the day. Seconds later (and six floors lower), she returned to reality and laughed at a joke with her bridesmaids.

 
Their ceremony was in the airy and bright St. Thérèse of Carmel Catholic Church in San Diego.
 

 
The weather, which had threatened to rain, cooperated with only wispy clouds for a wonderfully atmospheric session (and a little light jogging?) at Torrey Pines State Beach.

 
As an afterthought, Eric wanted a few beach rocks to remember the experience. I wanted a photo while they still had dirt on them.
 

 
Their reception was at Barcino Restaurant in the La Jolla Hyatt. They strutted in, had a steamy first dance, and a great laugh afterward.
 

 
Flamenco dancers treated the audience to some great music and moves.
 

 
Yes, that’s the groom … breakdancing!
 

 
What a great way to spend the day!

Institute of Real Estate Management LA Forecast Breakfast at the Ritz!

Hey all!

I always have a blast working with a fun group of Los Angeles property management connoisseurs who are a part of the Institute of Real Estate Management, or IREM. They just held their 17th annual forecast breakfast downtown at the Ritz Carlton at LA Live, and I’d like to share a few of the photos!

The keynote speaker was Los Angeles County Mayor Michael Antonovich.

An always-entertaining Alex Stewart (above left) MC’ed the breakfast, and Lew Horne gave a great speech.

Larry Kosmont presented his ideas.

Chris Thornberg showed warming trends in his presentation.

Everybody Jump Jump: Eugenia & Richard’s Family Session!

I had a lot of fun with Eugenia and Richard, along with his energetic kids Zoe and Ryan, during their family portraits in Pasadena!

Eugenia and Richard are both designers of all things fun … including Rose Parade floats. I can tell that their creativity extends to Zoe and Ryan, whose personalities are so much fun! Here are a couple of my favorites from their session:

Thank you for a really fun shoot!

A Day with the Nortons!

I had the honor of photographing a family from my home state of Utah! Deb and Jeff Norton took their whole family to southern California for a week of vacationing, and we got in some awesome portraits and a Day-in-the-Life session while they were here.

All 12 of ‘em — which includes the Anderson and the Larsen families once you start counting all the kids — got a lucky comfortable So Cal summer experience because the heat wave hadn’t quite arrived yet.

Check out this video of their Day-in-the-Life session:

And here are some of their awesome portraits:

After jumping on all the beach rocks in La Jolla, we went for pizza. The kids then got dressed in Maltilda Jane clothing and we finished the day at Golden Spoon, a frozen yogurt shop in north San Diego county. It made a perfect backdrop!

The camera loves this family!

Barnsdall Fridays Wine Tasting begins again!

Last year, Ingrid and I got hooked on a series of  summer wine tastings at Barnsdall Park in the Los Feliz area of LA. Apparently we weren’t the only ones … this year’s first Friday wine tasting was another hit, as usual!

Right around 5:30pm on Fridays, a section of the park on the sunny side of the slope fills up very quickly. The west lawn becomes a tight speckling of blankets, friends, couples, and kids as the sun sets. It makes for a wonderfully unusual LA phenomenon … socialization with other friendly people! Ingrid and I went with friends, newly-married Heather + Brian (oh by the way, check out their wedding photos here), and had a great picnic on the lawn while listening to the nearby DJ’ed music.

Silverlake Wine does the generous pours, and always selects four boutique summery choices. This time, they offered a taste of their own blend, along with a story of  the bear art on the label that apparently also graces the walls of their bathroom (unconfirmed … I haven’t visited their bathroom yet).

Other attractions include an ice cream truck (Coolhaus) and a hot dog truck (Let’s Be Frank) that pull up to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House.

The tickets are available online, and seem to have increased by $5 this year to $20 + Eventbrite’s commission. Profits benefit the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation‘s projects and programs. We may not go as often because of the price increase, but it’s still such a very worthwhile summer activity when I’m not booked for an event or wedding!

Purchase tickets here: Barnsdall Friday Wine Tasting

Enjoy, and say hi at the next one!

Anchal+Lavinder Engagement Pictures – Laguna Beach, CA

Hey!

Here’s a few fun images from a playful engagement story session in Laguna Beach! Mixed a little sand, a little water, a little golden hour, a little yellow sun dress, and a little ooh-la-la, and this is what we got:

Angel+Lavinder will be gettin’ hitched at the Ritz Carlton in Newport Beach, and I am stoked to be there!

Anitra+Justin Engagement Portraits, part 2 – Lomo photos!

In anticipation of Anitra + Jusin’s Minneapolis wedding this weekend, I want to show off a couple more images. Justin is a cameraman himself, and he asked if I’d take a departure from my usual equipment to make some photos with a Holga camera.

For those uninitiated to a Holga, it’s essentially a toy camera that has gathered a following among a certain set of photographers both amateur and professional — those that enjoy unexpected results! Holgas are actual film cameras — “Wassat? Film?” –  known for their plastic elements and light leaks. To focus the lens is to choose a point somewhere between three settings: “one person,” “three people,” and “five people.” It’s photography guesswork, and the results rock!

Lomography is an unorthodox and freestyle way of making photos with an inexpensive camera such as a Holga. It’s  very hipster idea, and the cameras fill a table at any Urban Outfitters. To switch gears after wrangling a massive camera takes some getting used to, but is ultimately very freeing.

I used “redscale” film for these Lomo photos from their engagement session:

Nothing like a creamy, apocalyptic engagement session!

I’ll be experimenting some more with the Holga at their wedding … stay tuned.

Anitra + Justin Engagement Session preview!

Anitra + Justin, high school sweethearts from Minnesota, wandered the hills and streets of Silverlake for some engagement portraits on Monday. Here’s a little tease while they’re getting worked up!

Haram Iran Promo Photos

Take a look at the promos and setups I photographed for a very dramatic show called Haram Iran, which opens tomorrow in West Hollywood!

The show tells the story of two Iranian 15-year-olds accused and tried for homosexuality. It is based on actual events in Mashad, Iran in 2005. The show began in Chicago, and tomorrow evening is its west coast premiere.

We photographed the three leads (Andy Gala, Tamer Aziz, and Michael Tauzin) separately and together against a white seamless. I  lit to show plenty of definition and contrast, but it still was meant to make it easy for the graphic designer to alter the tones later for an implied hot desert environment.

The first image shows the three guys together:

The producers chose a different set of  images for the one sheet, and I really love how it came together! The final design actually reflects the relationships and story extraordinarily well (design by Noah Benjamin):

Surrounded by photo equipment after the shoot are produer Christopher Sepluveda (left), actors Andy Nala, Tamer Aziz, and Michael Tauzin, and producer Jeremy O’Keefe.

I went back to photograph setups this week. I was so impressed with the cohesiveness of the show, from the lighting to the costuming to the set design! And the actors really put their all into their parts, even though they were only performing their setups for my camera!

Tamer actually plays this scene (above and below, when he is put into prison) in silhouette, which is just right for what I think is one of the best-choreographed moments of the production. But a silhouette didn’t work as well for the photo — his lines and movement complete the visuals when he’s standing a few feet in front of you. So I took a little artistic license and added a kiss of light when he hit his mark (below), in hopes that it would play better as a still image. It turned out to be one of my favorites.

I urge you to make time to see this show! It is directed by Michael Matthews and produced by Jeremy O’Keefe and Christopher Sepulveda. For ticket info (it runs from March 5 to April 4 only), visit the Haram Iran Facebook event page or see the Celebration Theatre’s website.

Haram Iran on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=345262086252

Celebration Theatre – http://www.celebrationtheatre.com/

Happy anniversary, Stephanie + Ryan!

Oh, if I could shoot Stephanie + Ryan’s wedding every weekend! Now I know, it’s easy to say that every couple is my favorite. But these two have a style all their own, almost straight outta Middle Earth. Their wedding was so creative thru-and-thru that it’s impossible pick only a couple favorite photos! They were hitched on the secluded hilly grounds of the Center for Energetic Healing in Simi Valley, CA, which has no lack for forest-y nooks and crannies.

We were nearly done with the bride-and-groom session — and they were getting tired — when I spotted a tree trunk up a hill. It was a bit of a hike, so I gingerly suggested that I had one more crazy idea. I remember that Stephanie, though her feet were hurting, replied something to the effect of: if your wedding photographer has an idea, you should go with it. (Sound advice!) So we braved the hill, the ants, and the sticker bushes to make Ryan a Prince Valiant:

My other favorite image came at a very emotional moment during the ceremony. They had one of the most heartfelt ceremonies I’ve seen, and there was barely a dry eye in the crowd by the end. During a fantastic reading by her bridesmaid, Ann, Stephanie spontaneously reached for Ryan’s hand, then turned and looked at Ann. The moment gave me butterflies:

Happy one-year anniversary, you two! May you stay well!