Wedding and Reception : Miramonte Resort & Spa

Erin and Chris represent a couple firsts for me as a photographer. First, they requested a studio engagement session. I had never had a couple request that, but I was happy to pack my backdrop and Profoto studio lighting gear and photograph them at their place. It proved to be a lot of fun. We all had a great time. Second, their wedding was scheduled for New Year's Eve. They figured why not celebrate the arrival of 2012 with their closest family and friends. That proved to be a success as well.

I love how fun Erin and Chris are to be around. They exude a joy that's infectious. What a pleasure to document their wedding on a gloriously beautiful day in the California desert. As you can see from the photographs, you could swear they were taken in the middle of Spring.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Erin and Chili (Chris' nickname) for making me feel so welcome on your wedding day. Although I was there to do a job, you made me feel like one of your guests. It's a day, night and morning I'll never forget. I wish you both much happiness.

Hair & Makeup : Happenstans Salon
First Look : Paradise Point Resort & Spa
Wedding and Reception : El Cortez

The El Cortez in San Diego, California was the beautiful venue for Deborah and Mark's wedding. Deborah was a vision in her flowing wedding dress. I'm so pleased Deborah and Mark found me on Google and subsequently booked me to photograph their wedding. Knowing how discerning Mark is about photography, I was honored they selected me as their wedding photographer.

I can tell from the way Mark looks at Deborah, he is totally smitten with her; not surprising based on her beauty. And Deborah's face lights up when she sees Mark. This is truly a wonderful match. I'm sure their love will continue to grow as they share their lives together. It was abundantly evident family is important to this couple. The sense of pride and joy was palpable on their wedding day.

Downtown Culver City
Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

Cindy and Sean wanted to shoot their engagement session in Culver City since that is where they live and play. Cindy is from California and Sean is from New York, but they have melded their bi-coastal cultures together very nicely. Although they have their differences when choosing MLB baseball teams, they share a common love of music.

It was so fun to see them interact with each other. A joyful, playful attitude is evident in these photographs. They were both adorable in their Dodgers and Yankees jerseys, super hero duds and their formal attire. Cindy was so beautiful in her purple dress and Sean looked fabulous in his matching sweater and slacks. It was great to get to know them better. I've been a long time Flickr friend with Cindy, but it was so nice to get to know her better in person. I just can't wait to photograph their wedding later this year.

Thank you, Cindy and Sean. Thank you for allowing me to capture your warmth and love for one another. I consider it an honor.

Wedding and Reception : Kellogg House, Cal Poly Pomona

Andrea and Sergio are the cutest couple together. See that first picture where they are forehead to forehead and nose to nose? That's something they just automatically do in real life! There's a special connection that's evident when they are together. Maybe it's because they have been together since high school. Whatever it is, I would love to see more couples interact in this manner.

Andrea and Sergio's wedding and reception was held at the Kellogg House on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona where Andrea is finishing up her degree so she can work with animals in the veterinary field. It was my first visit to the campus. I was impressed by the agriculture and livestock. They have horses and fields and even their own farm store which happed to sell the largest, most beautiful onions. Andrea says I need to try their fresh squeezed orange juice. I'll have to do that soon. I loved the market since I am an avid foodie who loves to cook.

They are dear to my heart because they honeymooned at Disneyland. In fact, my wife and I were there on one of their honeymoon days to celebrate my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows I love Disneyland. I even go by disneymike online. Thank you, Andrea and Sergio, for the privilege of getting to know you and get a glimpse into your wonderful life together.

Balboa Park & La Jolla

Meagan and Adam are one of the nicest couples I've met. They are so down to earth and personable. I couldn't ask for a better couple to ask me to photograph their wedding. Mark, a groom for a wedding I'm photographing next weekend, referred Adam to me. Mark is a photo enthusiast who loved my images, so when he told Adam about me, he was sold. Thank you so much Mark! So, I'm photographing Mark and Adam's weddings this month. And they will be groomsmen at each other's affairs. How cool is that?/p>

For Meagan and Adam's engagement session, we started out at Balboa Park, a favorite venue for me. Then we moved on the La Jolla to get some beach pictures. Meagan absolutely loves the beach, so that was a necessity. In fact, her wedding will overlooking Laguna Beach. I'm so looking forward to photographing them on the beach after their ceremony. Meagan let me see a picture of her dress online and I simply adore it. Adam is going to be blown away when he sees Meagan in her gown on their wedding day.

Iron Mountain & Balboa Park

Deborah and Mark have such an easy-going chemistry with each other. We met at Temecula Pizza Company to discuss their wedding. Mark is an avid amateur photographer and was drawn to my photographic style after viewing my website. They Googled my site during their search for a wedding photographer. Thank you Google for bringing Deborah and Mark in to my life.

With her winning smile, I know Deborah is going to be a stunning bride. I can't wait to photograph their wedding at the El Cortez Hotel in San Diego this month. If these images are any indication, their wedding photos will be amazing! Oh, how I love my job.

Rachel absolutely loves Jacaranda trees, so I made it a point to capture them in these engagement photos. Their love for each other and zest for life shine through in their images. Rachel and Damon, thank you for the privilege of getting to know you.

Wedding and Reception : Wuksachi Lodge

I met Dillon at a Griffith Observatory Flickr meet several years ago. When he contacted me about his engagement to Heidi and their desire for me to photograph their wedding in Sequoia National Park, I was thrilled. What a beautiful place to celebrate a wedding the Wuksachi Lodge proved to be. It was the perfect venue for Heidi and Dillon because of their love of the outdoors. They had perviously visited the Wuksachi Lodge and knew it would be the place they would exchange their vows.

Heidi's family traveled to Sequoia from Kentucky. In fact, her dad brought along a bottle of Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon to add to the festivities. After spending a couple days with Heidi and Dillon's family, I felt as if I had known them forever. Their warmth and love permeated the union of two beautiful people. Their celebration was truly a blessing to me and everyone involved.

Wedding and Reception : The Mitten Building

I was overjoyed when Annette and Ryan asked me to photograph their wedding. I've known Annette for several years. I met her while doing volunteer photography at the annual Ballet Folklorico competition at UC Riverside. Annette was one of the student volunteers for the event. I noticed her beauty and asked if she would pose for studio portraits in exchange for photographs. She accepted and our friendship began. I never anticipated I would one day photograph her wedding!

Annette, a school teacher met and fell in love with Ryan, a Fire Engineer. I can see the love they have for each other whenever I see them together. They chose the Mitten Building in Redlands, Californa for their wedding ceremony and reception. They exchanged nuptuals in the presence of some 400 friends and relatives. It was a joyous affair, filling the Mitten Building with laughter and conversation. Annette was so lovely on her wedding day. I was overcome with emotion and pride, not unlike a father because I feel so close to Annette. Ryan is truly blessed to have a woman like Annette.

We took advantage of the late afternoon light in picturesque Redlands for their couples session. The AK Smiley Public Library created a beautiful backdrop for images of this lovely bride and groom. Thank you, Annette and Ryan for being wonderful clients and good friends. I wish you both happiness forever.

I want to send a special thanks to Cary Pennington and Soupy B. for shooting and assisting. You both helped the day to go smoothly and efficiently.

Wedding and Reception : Riviera Country Club

Suzanne and Adam chose the beautiful Los Angeles Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades as the venue for their wedding and reception. Suzanne was a vision of beauty on her wedding day. Her loveliness shone from inside and out. Her joy was palpable in person and in the photographs I captured. She proclaimed that day as the best day in her life. I believed her. And I feel so privileged to share that best day with her. I want to thank Wind Productions for the opportunity to photograph Suzanne and Adam's special day.

Wedding and Reception : Indian Wells Country Club

Kellee and Jeremy traveled to Indian Wells, California for their wedding. Indian Wells is a beautiful community near Palm Springs, filled with golf courses and palm trees. Kellee chose the Hyatt Regency Grand Champions as the location to get ready for her big day. It was a warm, but gorgous day. Although I had just met Kellee and Jeremy that very day, I could feel the love they shared for each other. Both families made me feel so welcome. Thank you, Kelle and Jeremy for your warmth and hospitality. It was an honor to photograph your day and prepare the slideshow for your reception. I want to send a big thank you to Denise Neufeld for the opportunity to second shoot with Denise Neufeld Photography.

Kaitlyn and Eric exchanged vows at Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado, California. Rancho Las Lomas is a secluded wedding venue located amongst the Orange County hills. The venue is lovely for an outdoor wedding, complete with tigers and parrots, it looks like a wildlife sanctuary.

I was amazed by Kaitlyn's beautifully adorned wedding dress. She was a vision of beauty. As you can see, Eric was quite taken with how breathtaking she looked that day. I love the emotion displayed by the father of the bride. He was so handsome walking her down the aisle. I sensed he was focused on making Kaitlyn's wedding day the best day of her life.

When I photograph a wedding, I love to capture the emotions: the joy, the tears and the laughter. I am so blessed to photograph the special moments in people's lives. I consider it an honor and a privilege. I definitely don't take it for granted.

I loved photographing Kaitlyn and Eric's wedding with Hal Jurcik of Weddings of Distinction Photography.

I had a great time at Escalate Live 2010 this week in Newport Beach, California. Escalate was a 2 day conference for wedding photographers organized by Dane Sanders. I love the Regency Lido Theatre's retro design, the venue Dane chose for the event in sunny Newport Beach, California. If you look at my images, you'd think it was sunny for the whole event, but actually it was quite overcast and rainy most of the time.

There was only one stage at Escalate. And that was a good thing because it ensured every attendee would experience each and every great speaker on the schedule; and a wonderful group of speakers there was!

DAY ONE

Dane Sanders got things started by welcoming the attendees, both at the Lido Theatre and online via webcast. Dane organized this great event. His book, Fast Track Photographer was released during the conference. Dane encourages fellow wedding photographers to open up communication and dialogue with colleagues. Collaboration leads to a synergistic result which is more powerful than if we work alone.

Chris Becker, AKA Becker or [B]ecker, a native Orange County wedding photographer and namesake for the [b] school spoke next. Becker stressed how he focuses on giving his clients the best experience humanly possible. He concentrates on pleasing the customer, giving great customer service, making the day enjoyable and making the bride feel beautiful. Like Zappo's, great customer service will thrill your customers and bring you genuine referrals.

Jasmine Star, in her bubbly manner, encouraged fellow wedding photographers to blog to connect with clients. She tries to be herself, not a clone of someone else. She said it's important to be true to oneself and share who you are to your readers. If clients connect with you, they will want to employ your services. Look for what you can do for others, not solely what's in it for you.

Julianne Kost, digital imaging evangelist for Adobe Systems presented an overview of new features in Adobe Photoshop CS5. I beta tested and currently use Adobe Creative Suite 5 Photoshop Extended and am loving it. I love the new content aware features. I can't wait until all my plugins are updated to 64-bit, but I can run all of them in 32-bit mode for now. I use Nik Software products extensively and look forward to 64-bit versions in the future. Julianne was oh so informative about Photoshop. She knows Photoshop CS5 inside and out. She's a self-professed geek, but I was happy to find her humorous and witty. One would expect a lecture on Photoshop to be dry and boring, but one would be wrong in Julianne's case. She was truly a joy to watch. I would love to talk Photoshop over lunch someday. She was genuinely likable.

DAY TWO

I truly love Jerry Ghionis, his photography and his album design. I would be ecstatic if I become half the wedding photographer he is someday. I first became aware of Jerry at WPPI this year in Las Vegas, Nevada. I had the good fortune to speak with Jerry at the [b] school party. He is truly a gentleman. I was amazed by his gorgeous and glamorous mutliple award winning albums. Not only is his photography amazing, he is a joy to see in person. I'd love to attend one of his workshops. I'm a member of his Ice Society and purchased his set of Picpockets at the show. I like to watch his instructional videos before I shoot weddings to get motivated and improve with every shoot. Jerry has a way with relaxing his subjects. He casually guides his subjects resulting in poignant, glamorous portraits which don't look posed at all. Please check out the Soul Society, Jerry's non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children around the world.

Jessica Claire shoots her weddings with intent. She shoots with a purpose and encourages us to do so as well. When you shoot with intent, you increase your effectiveness because it forces one to think and plan to get the images you want to show your bride and future clients. It's important to shoot for yourself, but be sure to get the shots your clients can't live without. Please the client by meeting their desires and show what represents you and your style. My friend Catie purchased a Shootsac at the conference, a lens changing bag very popular with wedding photographers.

David Jay is a wedding photographer currently known for his Showit Sites product which helps photographers create compellng websites without technical web programming experience. David's father told him that as long as you make your business about helping others, it will work. I love that attitude. I personally aim to help others through my photography business. I connect and look out for my clients' welfare when they trust me to photograph their weddings.

Jeremy Cowart photographs his subjects employing his signature style. I was not familiar with Jeremy's work prior to Escalate. He has only shot professionally for 5 years, but has enjoyed great success in that short time. He has shot for most of the major television networks and has worked extensively with celebrities the likes of Sting, Kerrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Imogen Heap. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Jeremy recently relocated to Los Angeles, California. Jeremy has a heart for people. He puts it into action through his Voices of Haiti and Help-Portrait projects. It brought tears to my eyes seeing how joyful people in need can be through something as simple as photography. I would love to participate in Help-Portrait in my community.

I had a great time with my colleages and friends Katie Trujillo, Catie Stephens and Michael Boardman. After the conference, Katie, Catie and I ventured out on a photo walk of Newport Beach. I took the above photograph under the Balboa Pier, a location suggested by [b] school photographer, Paul Edwards. It was a perfect ending to a great event.

Crystal and Jay's wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Norco Village Banquet Hall. Relatives traveled from north of Monterey and from Mexico to celebrate their marriage. I started at Crystal's house to take getting ready pictures. Her family was so warm and welcoming. It was truly a joy to work with them.

The wedding was very touching and Crystal's parents were noticeably moved. After the ceremony, the guests were served a delicious traditional Mexican meal; so comforting. Once everyone had their share of dinner, it was time to dance the night away. And they did just that.

It was a great experience photographing Crystal and Jay's wedding with Shane Thompson Photography.

Katherine and Travis chose the Baileyana Winery as the venue for their wedding ceremony. The vineyards are just a stone's throw from their home in San Luis Obispo, California. It was a beautiful Central California day, a bit warm, but lovely nonetheless. I love the youthful innocence of this couple. I absolulely loved the wide open country surroundings of the vineyard. It was a refreshing change to be out in countryside, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

After their wedding, they were whisked off to the world famous Madonna Inn for their reception. It was the perfect venue because Katherine has a Victorian look in her beautiful wedding dress; a perfect match for the old world style of the Madonna Inn. The couple ended their day with a stay in the famous Caveman Room at the Inn.

It was truly a pleasure photographing Katherine and Travis' wedding with Elisa of Ahlin Photography. It was especially enjoyable since San Luis Obispo is one of my favorite places to visit!