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!

Roxana + Kevin’s Lake Tahoe Wedding – Oct. 8, 2010

Hey,

I wanted to sneak a few images from a Lake Tahoe wedding that my good friend and Sacramento photog Cassi Harms asked me to help with last weekend!

It was good to get up to a different elevation and temperature level (it was, like, 40 degrees at night! Awesome!), and I’ve always found that new locales pique my creativity like nothing else. Maybe that’s why I get all giddy at the thought of shooting a destination wedding.

Roxana and Kevin tied that knot at the Edgewood Golf Course and Restaurant. On a north-facing patio that overlooks Lake Tahoe, they had an intimate ceremony with lots of laughs. Then Cassi and I took them to the beach for some portraits as the sun got low over the water. Check it:

I wanted to experiment with lighting the bride while leaving the groom as a bit of an “accessory” and silhouette-y for this shot below … but hey, isn’t that how it usually is on a wedding day?

Roxana’s a brave one. The sun had dipped behind the mountains by this time, and the temperature was rapidly decreasing. She was always game for more, though!

Of course, I can’t get away with NOT showing a couple details … I was particularly happy with the glassy details this time.

One image is lit only by the sun, and one is lit by a flash-on-stand. Can you tell which is which?

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 Wedding, part 1 – Minneapolis, MN Wedding Photography

Oh, do I have a LOT of good stuff to show from Anitra + Justin’s wedding! So much so that this is going to become two blog posts. Kelli and I had so much fun among new friends and the extra kind people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, that we were sad to leave! I mean come on, they went to a roller derby on their wedding day. What could be better than a wedding that ends with a roller derby?

But I should begin at the beginning: They both started their day at 5:30am …

One of my favorites with Anitra and her dad:

At Justin’s family’s home, Kelli caught their very curious dog, Junebug …

These high-school sweethearts got hitched bright and early in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, before it opened to the public for the day. They wanted to see each other before the ceremony, so they had a private moment in the central Palm Dome:

What a beautiful location! They had a decidedly small ceremony, with about 20 guests and hundreds of eye-popping flowers in attendance.

Justin and the guys had a Reservoir Dogs moment outside the grounds …

Afterward, they had a cozy lunch reception at the Palomino restaurant in downtown Minneapolis (food = mmm, dessert = wow).

But I’m saving the best for last.  See Part 2 … tomorrow!

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!

René + Ed, Oct. 8 and 10, 2009

Hey y’all!

I want to share with you more photos from a fantastic,  stylish, marvelous couple I was honored to photograph in early October in New York City & New Jersey. René + Ed, both lawyers and world-travelers extraordinaire, met at a Halloween party in Louisiana. These two fit together like puzzle pieces, and they look good in front of a camera too.

True to their worldly ways, their two-part wedding spread over two states. Their official civil ceremony was in NYC …

after which we trolled the city for some photos.

My favorite shot took thirty seconds from start to finish, in which we borrowed a magazine stand from its grumpy-but-patient owner. My awesome assistant, NYC-local photographer Alejandro Duran, held a flash out of frame behind René on the right side. The natural light streaming into the plywood box from behind me, along with a fluorescent tube above Ed, did the rest of the work. Ha ha, I can find Buttman magazine — can you?

Afterwards, they had a small party at Café Asean in the West Village.

Then on Saturday, the girls (René, Catherine, and Zoey) got all dolled up in NYC, then hopped a limo two hours to Skillman, NJ.

René + Ed had their white wedding in his parents’ gorgeous backyard. The clouds, which had been threatening moisture, broke mid-day to become my favorite light, that lovely post-rain drama.

And then my favorite moment of the evening …after cutting (smearing?) the cake, Ed needed to clean his glasses! Inventive solution, if I say so myself.

Congratulations, René + Ed! May your many years be happy!

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!

Happy Anniversary: Shelly + Gary and Sylvina + Ken!

On Oct. 5 & 6, 2007, I photographed two weddings back-to-back at PJ’s Abbey, a church-turned-restaurant in Orange, CA. With killer stained glass windows and a homey interior, it’s such a great location, and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph a few brides and grooms there. While searching my archives, I came upon these two couples, and thought it’d be great to share a photo from each!

The first back-to-back couple was Shelly + Gary.  She’s such a gorgeous bride, and he’s a bit of a jokester and fun fellow; they remind me a lot of my own parents in how they relate to each other.  And they got enough country in ‘em to belong in the down-home stylings of PJ’s Abbey!

The very next day, Ken and Sylvina had a very beautiful wedding at the same restaurant.

Ken + Sylvina seem to have a wonderful sense of communication that’s all their own … one of my favorite photos from the night is a quiet one, with both of them at the bar late in the evening. I don’t think they knew I was there when he slid up to her. One thing that’s great about photographing people is being able to sense how they interact with each other … and then challenging myself to show it!

Happy 2nd to both of you couples!

Heather + Brian, Sept. 6, 2009

Ooh la la! Heather + Brian got married in the lush setting of Cambria Pines Lodge, 45 minutes north of San Luis Obispo. Heather and Brian are my wine-tasting buddies, so I have first-hand knowledge that they are a VERY CUTE couple (and putting it in ALL CAPS allows me, as a macho macho man, to declare such things in all seriousness).

These first photos are from the day before … Heather + Brian took family and friends to see the Hearst Castle, which will make any photographer drool. We snuck in a few portraits while touring one of the pools.

On the day, Heather got girlied up at the Bladerunner Salon & Day Spa in SLO, and they both got ready at the lodge.

Theirs was a very intimate wedding (only 60 guests!) in the gazebo garden. Their extra-furry ring bearer stole the show.

We made a mad dash through the gardens and then to the ocean for some portraits as the sun went down. The results turned out beautiful!

The party may have been intimate, but the festivities were fantastic!

Thank you, Heather + Brian, for the opportunity to photograph your celebration, and may you stay so darned, ahem, cute.