Ryan and Rachelle Summer Wedding in Yorba Linda
I had been looking forward to this wedding for a long time as I found Rachelle to be so much fun to work with and couldn’t wait to meet Ryan as he has been off serving our country. We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the Messiah Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda made for an awesome backdrop to the ceremony. Afterward we headed over to the Alta Vista Country Club where we ran around the course for some special shots and then headed inside where Ross was keeping the dance floor rocking. Now something I have never seen (nor heard of until now) was the Hoedown Throwdown which the wedding party and a number of guests all did during the reception.
Note: The Hoedown Throwdown should be well known to any Hannah Montana fans
Lensbaby Wedding Project
I love the Lensbaby lenses and will pull out the Lensbaby Composer at every wedding to snag a couple of dreamy portraits and will often use it for a few special pics of the rings and details. For a long time now I have wanted to shoot an entire wedding with one as a pet project. What would possess me to use a selective focus (and manual focus) lens to shoot an entire wedding? First off, its a challenge. As photographers we generally do not push ourselves with our personal projects as much as we should. Many have taken up trying to use their cell phone camera but its still all automatic, although you can still work on composition and lighting. Using a Lensbaby on the other hand is all manual. Since the Lensbaby lenses have a small “sweet spot” of sharp focus and the rest has a unique type of blurring to it, focusing is a real challenge. Try holding a camera, adjusting a focus manually, while holding a flash off to the side with one hand and you can imagine how awkward it can be at times.
In talking to a friend of mine, Chris Diset, who also shoots weddings in southern California, we got to talking about our pet projects and when I told him I wanted to shoot an entire wedding with a Lensbaby, he immediately invited me to do it at the next wedding he was shooting. This is why its great to make friends with other photographers, I would never have tried this for a client that was paying me to get the best images as I knew going into this project that my “keeper ratio” was going to be far below average. In the end, a little over 800 images were taken. The camera was a Canon EOS 50D with a Lensbaby Composer. Most images were taken with the dual glass optic, many of those with the super wide angle attachment, and a handful were taken with the FishEye optic.
Without further ado, I present an Entire Wedding Shot with a Lensbaby.
Sandra and Kaleo Engagement Shoot – Los Angeles
Today I met up with Sandra and Kaleo in the artist district in downtown Los Angeles for their engagement shots. I had never been to the art district and the mural artists there simply do amazing things with cans of spray paint. Next was a quick stop off by the LA river basin followed by some quick pics at the Musicbox. They were both such good sports today and I can’t wait for their wedding this fall.
Kristi and Aaron Wedding at The Pacific Edge
I don’t know what got into me and somehow I completely forgot to post these images earlier. What a gorgeous day it was for a beachside wedding at the Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach. The house looked awesome and was well-prepped as always by the amazing staff from At Your Service Catering and Corey Morgan assisted as second shooter. Kristi looked absolutely amazing and Aaron looked fantastic. The ceremony may have been a tad bit late, but looked great against the setting sun. If you didn’t see them before, be sure and check out their engagement pictures taken at the location where Aaron proposed to Kristi.
Peter and Lilliana Wedding
YesterdayI got the pleasure of shooting a nice, intimate ceremony and after-party for Peter and Lilliana. Starting at St. John The Babtist church in Costa Mesa and then heading over to a parent’s house for a little party and some shots out on the gold course. Everyone was a joy to work with and were all a lot of fin to work with. Best wishes to them as they start their new lives together.
Leah and Darrel Wedding
I have been waiting for this wedding for quite a while as I have worked with Leah before as she is a coordinator and one half of The DoubleKnot Twins. For this wedding I shot alongside David Esquire (Esquire Photography) at the beautiful Diamond Bar Center.
What a fantastic day it was even though all week it threatened to dampen the festivities with some rain. Well, it did rain, but only early in the morning and was clear by the time the wedding time came around.
I want to wish Leah and Darrel and the happiness in the world, they are two terrific people who are obviously very much in love and deserve all the best. It was my distinct pleasure to be asked to shoot this wedding for them.
Alex and Genevieve Wedding
For what is probably the last wedding of the season, I shot along with David from Esquire Photography for a fantastic day with Alex and Genevieve. I went off to work with the guys while David was off with the girls. We then headed off to the Nativity Catholic Church for very nice ceremony, then off to the Seal Beach pier where we all froze of tooshies off. Finally we headed over to Old Ranch Country Club for a fun-filled reception that ran until midnight. Alex and Genevieve where a total blast to work with and their bridal party kept us laughing all night. Happy Holidays and best wishes on your new life together!
Patty and Josh Wedding
What an awesome day for a wedding it was yesterday and to be able to work with Patty, josh, and their wonderful family made very a fantastic event. David from Esquire Photography asked me to help him out with this shoot and I was happy to oblige. The morning started off at Bella Monde for hair styling, then off to the Lakewood Baptist Church to finish getting ready.
Most of the portraits were done before the ceremony except for Josh and Patty and Josh’s face lit up when he saw Patty come down the aisle. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was fun, and everyone was a joy to work with. As these two family’s come together, we wish them the absolute best.
Matt and Wendy Wedding
What a beautiful day it was yesterday for Matt and Wendy’s wedding. The wedding and ceremony were held at the gorgeous Rancho Capistrano and was all put together by the amazing Gini Garner. The ceremony was short and sweet and everyone was just awesome to work with. The reception was a ton of fun while everyone was dancing their butts off all night until the newlyweds were wisked off in the limo.
People like Wendy and Matt make doing this job so rewarding. Good luck to you both!
Carol and Anita Wedding
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and being right on the ocean there is always a fear of a marine layer coming in and ruining your pictures but Mother Nature was in full cooperation today as Carol and Anita exchanged vows after being together for 24 years!! It was quite a beautiful ceremony with Carol singing to Anita, and a lovely sand mixing ceremony that involved the entire family. Carol and Anita are one of the nicest couples I have had the pleasure of working with and the event went on with the precision you would expect from an event managed by Linda Gray from A Wedding Store. Linda is simply an amazing coordinator that I love working with since I know things are going to be done right. I was the primary shooter on this event working as an associate photographer for Esquire Photography.
