Uploads from Extra Medium, tagged weddingdress, with geodata

A Vintage Wedding

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:24:57 -0700

I’m located just north of Los Angeles. I do weddings. 90% of my work however is done north of LA. LA has such a huge saturation of “photographers” that I’d just rather focus on the smaller, more humble market to the north. I would much rather do a wedding at a ranch, barn, villa, old house, open space than a urban hotel, country club, etc. I don’t associate love and romance with concrete, taxi cabs, smoggy skylines and stucco.

So when the wonderful Jill Clardy referred me to photograph her daughter’s wedding in this amazing, historic barn in central California, I jumped at the opportunity. The trend of “vintage weddings” have been all the rage, but is hard to pull off in an urban environment. This location however HAD vintage equipment, tools and buildings. Not only that but everyone dressed the part and pulled it off amazingly well.

So just after the sun went down, I escorted the bride & groom around for photos of just them. Came across this hand-made rope swing and had to try it out. At this point it was virtually dark, so threw the D4 on ISO 4000 and hand-held the shot at 1/60th. I don’t schmooze with all the locations I shoot, but I’ll do whatever it takes in order to shoot here again.

Have a great weekend.

A Showcase of Beauty

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:47:02 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

Of all the weddings I have this year, this one at the Annenberg Community Beach House was one of the ones I was looking forward to most. A great couple, a beautiful venue AND the extra added pressure of many Hollywood-types being there. This shot just came to me. It’s one of those amazing feelings when you quickly envision something, and then make it happen. Makes you want to pump your fist, ya know?

Shot again with my Nikon D4. The cocktail hour was outdoors in pitch darkness with only small lights to illuminate the party. Below are some high ISO examples, and also these dresses in action

The Bride in Boots

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:43:05 -0800

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I didn’t take a single photo this weekend (with my big camera) and I’m starting to get feeling back in my trigger finger finally. I did finish editing the photos for the wedding from the previous weekend and what stuck out to me was this photo of the bride wearing boots. Her dad recently fell ill and was not able to make her wedding, so to remember him, she wore his boots. Boots he wore daily and it meant a lot to her to be able to do this to honor him. Not all photos are captured with the intent of being blown up on canvas and put over the fireplace. Some photos are simple but have meaning for those you’re shooting for. Other photos when seen along with the others help piece together the event or the experience.

More of their wedding photos here where you can see from her response she was thrilled with them.

The Path to the Honeymoon

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:30:10 -0800

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I’ve only been engaged a week, but the frustration of planning a honeymoon through Europe already makes me want to elope in Hawaii. I suppose that’s why a lot of newlyweds choose an all-inclusive resort which provides plenty of things to do and the ability to relax. What we want to do is a 9 day road trip through western Europe, hitting the highlights. Sure things in Europe are closer together, but in 9 days, including travel to/from really knocks down the things you can do/see. So right now I’m thinking Paris for 2 nights, then a night in the Rhine River valley, south to see Neuschwanstein castle, then a day or so in Switzerland, a day in Lake Como, Italy, then a day in Venice, finishing up in Florence for a couple nights. Something like that?

SURE, we’d also love to hit Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague… but in 9 days, it’s almost impossible. I mean it IS, but part of us also wants to relax.

So here’s my question to you married people: Where did you go, and would you recommend it?

Fountainhead

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:30:25 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I am kinda glad that wedding season doesn’t overlap with Landscape season, because right now I’m just socked-in with weddings/families/maternity/newborns. I’m not complaining, but I would if we started getting a bunch of fantastic clouds/sunsets, or fall color in the trees, etc. But looking forward, I think I actually have a couple weekends off this year, so one of which I just booked a camping trip to the eastern sierras to catch some fall color. So if you’re up around Bishop the beginning of October, you might see me pixel-peeping for some fall color.

A large majority of brides want their photo in front of a big fountain for some reason. I’m typically against this. You don’t want something else in the photo to outshine the main subject of the photo (bride & groom). I tell them this, but some still insist upon it. So in this case, using an f/1.4 lens, I blur it out a bit. Doesn’t hurt that there’s an awesome red barn behind them either, or that they’re a really beautiful couple.

I really can’t wait until it’s Sunset Season again. I miss my clouds.

Catch the Sun

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:50:36 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

It’s been a very long, frustrating and rewarding month for me personally, and after this weekend things should go a lot smoother. This weekend I have a client meeting, a wedding in LA, another client meeting, a wedding in Santa Barbara, a client meeting, a family shoot, a maternity shoot, and then back to work on Tuesday. Then in June I have a 10-day international trip to a location I ~~can’t~~ don’t want to talk about yet, but lets just say if I had my druthers, I’d say an entire month there.

I hope your weekend starts with a great sunset, and then a brilliant sunrise before you go back to work/school/lounging on the couch watching reruns of Oprah.

The rest of the session on my Facebook page.

The End of a Dress

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:12:08 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

Ever since hearing about the concept of trashing the dress, Jennifer was excited to do it. I photographed their engagement and wedding and then immediately she wanted to trash her dress and her police officer husband was all about letting her do it, and thought this morbid scene was so odd, but hey, you have to push the boundaries in order to create new territories, right?

So first we headed into the hills and had some fun frolicking in the tall grass, and then headed back to the beach at sunset for some wet & wild fun down there. She was such a trooper. Didn’t complain about the ticks in the field or the coldness of the water. And then after she saw the photos she emailed me a sweet thank you message. That’s all the justification I ever need for doing what I do.

Check out the rest of the session on my Facebook page and do me a favor and let me know via Likes or comments which one(s) I should post next.

Kthanksluvyoubuhbye!

STROBIST: SB900 triggered wirelessly camera right on 1/2 power via iShoot PT-04

Bigger is Better.

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:22:53 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I was asked to second shoot at a wedding FINALLY. I really just got to play and take candids without the pressure of really getting any specific shots. Now I did have time to pose the bride (like this) when the paid photographer was doing other things. So then my photos were to be shown at the reception on two large TVs - thus, I had no chance to edit them.

I have plenty of more photos, all UNEDITED on my totally neglected blog. Pay it a visit and comment and see if you can spy the "celebrity" that was there. (and I use that term very gingerly)

Blur Your Past

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:53:57 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

Dear British Press - I currently have no plans next weekend and I have a passport. If you need someone to cover that little wedding you're having for Will & Kate, let me know and I can handle it. I have previous experience with weddings, know English, only shoot with Nikon, and will give you a discount since it's in a castle. I can be ready on a moment's notice and promise not to post images on Flickr, or to come wearing a fro.

But I'm going back to lovely Paso Robles & Atascadero to do a beautiful barn wedding. And then Sunday, with any/all luck, I'll find myself in Long Beach at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

And I'm hoping to hear good news about the new house, as it's tied up in Escrow waiting for the second mortgage to get written off, and then we can close and I can start painting.

Have a good weekend all. Spring is here!

Don't Piss Me Off!

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:24:01 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I took this on Saturday with Bianca & KC in Santa Barbara just outside the courthouse. They built time into their schedule to have their wedding portraits done down at the beach at sunset, but we ended up having an overcast day, so instead we played around at the courthouse and ended up with photos like this. They should keep this over their fireplace as a warning of what could happen if he upsets his wife.

But what has my panties in a bunch is the vast number of people (okay, all girls) who have been stealing photos and posting them onto their tumblr without giving credit. I have no problem if you blog and give credit/link/attribution, but do NOT steal and not give credit. Do these girls really have nothing else better to do than sit in their room listening to Justin Bieber and steal photos to put on their Tumblr so they can share them with their friends? Wow, go outside and do something fercryinoutloud.

/rant

I'm Not Giving Up on Love

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:48:35 -0800

Extra Medium posted a photo:

The one thing that I’ve found is that the more willing the bride & groom are to accommodate the photographer’s kooky ideas, the better the possibility of unique, fun photographs.

No vegetables were harmed in the making of this photograph.
But everyone’s liver was injured by the end of the night.

For Lent today, I will give up ____________ for 40 days.

But I probably won't give up facebook as it's my #1 ~~time waster~~ advertising tool.

Chicks n Chips

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:57:34 -0800

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I always ask brides ~~& grooms~~ this question before their wedding:

“From your youth, are there photos you’ve always envisioned or a particular moment captured from your future wedding day?”

Brides usually have these idyllic, emotional, surreal visions of what their special day will be like, and I like hearing them talk in this so my photos can reflect this. Some are conservative, some just want someone to show up, while others have detailed princess/fairy tale concepts they’ve always dreamed about for their special day.

Grooms usually say, “I never thought I’d get married, just wanted the bachelor party…”

Vanessa and Kevin have a long history with Catalina island off Los Angeles, and she’d always dreamed of a photo of her and her girls out there in front of this historic Fish & Chips spot. We were running late for the wedding, so she said we were going to skip the shot. I said NO WAY and made arrangements with the venue to wait. No way I was going to allow a girl’s dream to go unfulfilled because of time. So we hustled out there, I posed the girls like this, shot it all in 3 minutes and they took a cab to the casino for the wedding.

Some people don’t realize the power of a wedding dress. It’s like a cape; you can do anything with one.

Just Moments Before

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:14:55 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

While at sushi last night, a ~~potential~~ wedding client asked me, “so regardless of money, what is your favorite thing to photograph?”. I just looked at her and said, “Weddings”. It’s the perfect combination of using your personality, technical abilities and creative ideas to create & capture someone’s most memorable day. And once I said that, I realized… crap, that’s a lot of pressure!

But it’s really not. Every wedding and every couple is different. Sometimes you have to create magic with a normal-looking couple at Conference Room B at the Holiday Inn Express in Bakersfield. Other times you get an attractive, young couple who pays for you to go out to an exotic island to photograph their wedding in a large, historic theater. My job isn’t to only take those amazing weddings. Everyone deserves quality photos of their wedding; this one just happened to be slightly more amazing.

This was all natural light.

More wedding photos and scenery photos on my updated blog

Be my fan-riend

A Perfect Nine

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:58:43 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

So working in reverse-chronological order of events, last night I got home from my second wedding of the weekend at around 11:30, which was earlier than the night before, getting in just past 11:45. The wedding last night was through a referral from David “ValCo” here on the Flick back in September.

It sounds unprofessional but when someone asked me last night how I got hired for this wedding, I had no idea. Then a woman asked me if I was friends with “David” and I said ummmmmmm. Took me a while, but I did remember the whole sequence and remembered. It’s always flattering, humbling and encouraging that of the thousands of ~~photographers~~ people who take pictures on the Flick that my name gets referred. So thank you DAVID and the many others who have referred me. I’m truly blessed to have met or inspired you.

I hope your weekend was perfect too. I got to take my kids to the roller rink and Dylan skated on his own. Took them to the park. Shot another wedding, did a little dancing, wrote a song, spoke at a photography seminar and had time to sleep for a couple hours.

I’ll do my best at returning comments, but those that know me best know that this week is going to be a rough one for me emotionally.

Jessica & Landon

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:58:05 -0800

Extra Medium posted a photo:

Just a quick shot from the wedding yesterday with Jessica & Landon. Ceremony was at a beautiful local church, then to the beach for some quick couple shots, then Casa Sirena for the reception.

Now this couple had NO problem being affectionate. It's great to see that. Well, to a point. I just hope and pray they continue that passion throughout their marriage.

Okay, time to finish shopping, decorating and relaxing. And then wedding photo processing and hopefully commenting on all your beautiful work.

Sarah Loves Flowers

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:32:38 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

Psyching myself up for this weekend; three weddings and a maternity shoot and then... vacation! Well not really, but then only a couple more weddings until around April or so. My hand needs the time off.

I have an adventure to share about last night, which I'll probably post tomorrow before the maternity in the hills.

I C U Peeking

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:11:20 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

One of my biggest gripes with professional sports is that players seem to move onto teams after just a couple years, if not less. They want a better team, more money, or just get tired of where they are. There’s no more dedication to the team to build the franchise. It’s hard to get behind a “team” if it’s constituents keep changing. I grew up with the Lakers in the 80s, which meant that Magic, Worthy, Scott, Kareem, AC & Rambis would be back year after year. And part of being a good fan is disliking the other teams. I disliked Shaq because he was this big dumb oaf who used his great size to dominate. But then… the Lakers got him, so I had to change my attitude towards him and like him. He was good for those years, but then left.

Then come to find out that the Lakers acquire hot-head Ron Artest who I’ve never liked because of his ill-tempered past. He was in the center of the biggest fight in pro basketball history a few years back and because of that, have always disliked him. Now… the Lakers pick him up, and I’m suppose to just accept him? How do I know he’s changed? Even this past year he got into it with Kobe, and now they’re going to be buddy-buddy teammates?

How do I know he’s changed? How do I accept him on my team? I know the Lakers will be better with him. I know he makes the Lakers well rounded and strong. Strong as a team they’ll be champions. I guess if I want the team to succeed, I’ll just have to trust that he’s changed and will benefit the team. Even if he has slip-ups, I know he’ll make the team and teammates better.

Wedding from two weekends ago in Channel Islands harbor. I’ll have to say this was the most fun wedding I’ve done all year. Both of them were just so fun, and in love and it made my job so much easier. I’ve had some (not mentioning names) that really seemed like a business conference. Just quiet, and business-like. But as you can tell from the pictures below, plenty of fun, and it went until almost 1am.

Skinny Dippin

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:47:47 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I like shooting weddings
I like barns
I like clouds

In my mind the most idyllic way to shoot the bride/groom shots would be to plant them smack dab in front of a big red barn and create some dramatic pose. We were already running late for the ceremony and by this time it was under 40°. I remember seeing a red barn somewhere while driving from the rehearsal dinner, but for the life of me couldn’t remember where. Based on Wisconsin’s “5 barns per square mile” average, I thought in the 7 mile ride between the two places we’d be sure to hit at least one barn. The bride/groom and the videographer followed me and with only about a half mile to go, finally found this big red barn.

It was on private property.

In a rare, unthinkable act, I actually got out and knocked on the door to ask permission to photograph the barn. The man said, Sure go for it………… it’s not even my barn. Thanks a lot. So we setup anyway, and before the first shot was taken, a tuckered out ol farmer came racing down on his quad.

Let me handle this.

Hey Congratulations kids! You guys are more than welcome to use my barn, and if you want, you can use our gazebo up by the house too. All the kids during prom use them, so feel free. We just baked some cookies too if you…

Wow, asking permission sometimes works!

It was freezing cold, we were running late, but Isaac was a good man and dipped his new bride a couple times until I got the right composition for this. And they love it.

Bride on the Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:51:37 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

One of my favorite shots of Crystal during her bridal shoot on the beach this past weekend. Looking just off center with the wind in her hair really makes it feel like it could be in a magazine or something. Or perhaps even better, framed on her wall.

The Dress and the Rock

nobody@flickr.com (Extra Medium) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:56:11 -0700

Extra Medium posted a photo:

I had the pleasure late last month to photograph the wedding of Nicole and Michael at the Inn at Morro Bay. What an outstanding location and a really genuine couple. Such a laid back day, which really helps.