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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Hey all … happy Labor Day! I want to show off my favorite image from Brian + Heather’s wedding yesterday. They had a very intimate celebration in Cambria, CA, among the gardens of the Cambria Pines Lodge. One of my favorite photos came from our quick jaunt to the ocean for portraits. When I scouted the area earlier that day, I saw an 80-year-old couple — he with a cigar and fedora, she with a floppy sun hat — on this log, and thought, “perfect!” I’ll post more soon, when I’ve gone through all the images. But for now…
Don’t work too hard! It’s Labor Day!
- Russell
Kat and Paul are a fun, laid-back couple who are without a doubt truly smitten for each other. Two years ago, I photographed their engagement portraits in Orange and their wedding in Monrovia, and had so much fun with their family and friends! Today is their second anniversary … where’d the time go? Here are a couple of my favorites:
Happy 2nd, lovebirds!
– Russell
Last Saturday, I photographed Manal + Wajahat’s nikah ceremony at a beautiful home in Palos Verdes Estates for a fellow photographer friend of mine!
Their wedding follows Muslim traditions, and this could actually be best described as an engagement ceremony. With he on the backyard stage and she in the adjoining library, they both signed a contract (the nikah) to proclaim them as husband and wife while surrounded by male family members and witnesses. She was then led to the stage by her family, and the party began!
The property, rumored to be once owned by Sammy Davis, Jr. (I don’t have my fact-checker at hand), dropped right off a cliff to the ocean, and the setting sun glinted off each beach-side window in neighboring cities as far north as we could see. The waning light was so beautiful, and Manal was so into the photos … she was game for every portrait idea we had time for!
Congrats, you two!
- Russell