Treasure Photography | Wedding Photography by Josh Gruetzmacher

Katherine and Tim

2010-01-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

I had an awesome first wedding of 2010! Katherine and Tim had an intimate weekday wedding in Carmel; I felt like I was just another member of the family. Also, weather was unbelievable for January. It felt like it was summer! You can also see more photos in their SLIDESHOW.

It's been fun playing with my new 100mm macro lens. It pulls details that shouldn't be missed, like the ice on both Katherine and Tim's wedding rings :)

These portraits are at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove.

The ceremony was at the Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel. It is a beautiful old church; the perfect ceremony venue.

Katherine and Tim ringing the bell to let Carmel know that they just got married :)

We had a good time doing some portraits while we filled time before dinner. There are so many spots all over the place if you are looking for them :)

The Church of the Wayfarer at dusk.

I was invited to dinner with the family. I love getting to know my clients... especially over an amazing steak dinner! Katherine and Tim are wonderful to be around, and it was an honor to share their day with them. Thank you!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

2009 was an awesome year for me: I got engaged, graduated college, turned 25, and got to be a part of the best weddings I could ever hope for and call it work. I have been so blessed, and I want to thank all of my clients for sharing their weddings with me. Sometimes I wonder if I'll wake up from the dream that I've been living. I have the most amazing friends and family: thank you for being in my life. I can't wait for 2010! I have a feeling it's going to be a good one... Happy New Year!

Daniel and Laura Nelson

2009-12-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

I had the absolute pleasure of being able to be a part of Daniel and Laura's wedding at Hotel Monaco in San Francisco. It was such a blast! You can also see more photos in their SLIDESHOW.

Laura's dress is awesome!

I love this shot!

Their cake had a cool fondant that had a custom pattern (similar to one used in their invitations) printed onto it.

There was a lot of fun dancing happening :)

I went out for a drink with the couple and some of the other guests after the reception.

It was a perfect day. Thanks so much for letting me be there to document all the good times!

Christmas

2009-12-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

Alexis and I drove down to Santa Barbara to spend Christmas with my family. It was nice to see all of the family and friends, and to share the engagement excitement with everyone.

Crazy flare experimental photos.

Lake Los Caneros at dusk.

The Gruetzmachers 2009. It's crazy to think that next year we will have two new members in our family photo, Alexis and Ashley.

My dad like to assign "photo projects" to himself. This time it was shooting everyone in the Santa hat. This collage came out cool with all of his shots. I was bummed that I didn't get to see of of my other relatives in Southern California, but Alexis and I wanted to make it to dinner with her family in San Jose.
We made the drive back up north on Christmas afternoon.

Alexis' mom, Lin.

Suzy (Adam's girlfriend) is getting her shred on.

Adam (Alexis' brother) got a Wii and was trying to figure out this crazy game that it came with.

Alexis and her dad, Andy.

I like video games, but I don't think that I'm very good at them. Figuring out the Wii controller makes me feel like I'm getting old because it's SO much different from the N64 controller that I spent most of my video game career on. I'm waiting for the day when we can control video games by using our minds...

I hope that you also had an amazing Christmas as well :)

25

2009-12-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

I turned 25 years old today! Here are some photos from my birthday party that were taken by my friend, Mark Kuroda.

I printed the photo from my engagement 20"x30" to hang in my room. It is a very special memory for Alexis and I, and I'm stoked to have such a cool photo to always remember it by. Thank you Olivia for taking this rad photo!

The hooka got fired up :)

Thank you everyone for making 24 such a good year for me! I have a feeling 25 is going to be even better though :)

I got engaged!!!

2009-12-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

On December 19th, 2009, I asked Alexis to marry me, and she said yes! It was an epic event! We are so happy!!! I will post again soon with our full story :)

Jason Roque

2009-12-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of portraits that I took for my roommate/fellow photographer, Jason Roque.

Brandon and Nicole

2009-11-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

While I was down in Santa Barbara, my best friend, Brandon and Nicole got engaged!!! I am so happy for them. Brandon and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, and it make me happy to see him with someone who compliments him so well. Nicole is very cool, and I have gotten to know her well since they started dating a few years ago. I love getting to hang out with these guys! I also have the honor of being able to be Brandon's best man for the wedding. 2010 is going to be a huge wedding year for me with so many friends and even family getting married. We took some engagement photos on the beach, and some under the pier (where they got engaged). You can see more photos in the SLIDESHOW too.

Even though I have done photos in so many spots in Santa Barbara, I had never used any of these spots before. I love the photo above, and the others from under the pier.

I saw these cool arches when I was driving down Chapala before. This building and these arches in particular build upon the Spanish architecture that defines Santa Barbara in a cool way. It was a cool spot to see and shoot at.

Congratulations!!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! I went down to Goleta with Alexis to spend time with the family. Lots of good food and good times :) I am very thankful for all of my family, my friends, and the wonderful people that I get to work for. You guys rock!

The Jorgensen/Myers/Spangler posse.

Madelyn is so cute!

Rylee and Francy. It's cool as the babies get bigger, you get to see parts of their personality forming. Francy thought it was the funniest thing in the world when someone said "Paul Blart Mall Cop," the name of a movie that we were watching.

My mom, Alexis and I went on one of those red double-decker tourist buses. They drive you around Santa Barbara pointing out all of the historical spots. Sometimes it's fun to be a tourist in your own town :)

A classic shot of the SB Mission from the fountain. Seeing the Mission made me excited about Natalie and Dan's wedding that will be there next year.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving!!

Zack and Chelsea

2009-11-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

I got to meet Chelsea and Zack earlier this year when I was shooting Chelsea's brother's wedding (Charlie and Chrissy). I'm stoked that I get to be their photographer too! For their engagement photos, they came up to San Francisco, and we cruised around the city finding spots to shoot at. You can also see more photos in the SLIDESHOW. Good times :)

Ryan and Michelle Buckner

2009-11-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of being able to photograph Ryan and Michelle's wedding at the Ceres Mansion. It was a beautiful day! You can see more images from the day in the SLIDESHOW too.

The flower girl was peeking out the window, when she saw Ryan and the groomsmen below. She had to pull the blind shut really quick so that Michelle didn't see him before the ceremony. It was very cute!

I was very moved by this part of the ceremony. Michelle's father and Ryan's Uncle took a moment to speak encouragement and blessings into their lives. I got a little misty eyed myself. I think that there is something uniquely empowering about parents speaking into their children's lives. Ryan's uncle spoke for his father who passed away, that he would have been so proud of everything that he was doing.

So cute!

What a perfect day! Thank you so much for letting me be there to witness it. Congratulations!!!

Matt and Allison

2009-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

I took some portraits for my roommate and longtime friend from Santa Barbara, Matt and his girlfriend, Allison. They are super cute together! Here are some of the shots:

International Justice Mission

2009-11-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

Alexis and I went to a benefit dinner for International Justice Mission at the Fairmont hotel tonight. We were both moved by the work they they do in trying to end human slavery worldwide. As the holidays are approaching, I can't help but feel lucky that I have been blessed in so many ways. Luke 12:48 says "To whom much is given, much will be required." I have been given much, and I want to make a point to always give out of my money, time, or talents, in order to help others. Slavery is a growing issue, and although there has been more effort in recent years to create awareness, I think that it will require a whole society to reject and work against it before we will see it disappear. You can find more information about what IJM does at their website: www.ijm.org.

Another organization that I have worked with that is also concerned about ending human trafficking is The Blind Project: www.theblindproject.com. Please take time out of your day to learn about the worldwide slavery problems and partner with these organizations in trying to eradicate it. Thanks.

Jonathan and Sarah

2009-11-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Jonathan and Sarah and an awesome couple! I had a good time getting to know them while we wandered around downtown SF looking for cool photo spots. Some of the shots we got are below, or you can see more in the SLIDESHOW.

Pumpkins and Halloween

2009-10-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of our house pumpkin carving:

Anthony is such a character

Jason found this creepy kids portrait somewhere, and it seemed fitting for the Halloween vibe.

Our family of pumpkins.

Alexis and I were Wednesday and Pugsley from the Adams Family for Halloween :)

Chris and Leiha

2009-10-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that I get to photograph Chris and Leiha's wedding next spring! Leiha is in charge of making all of the sports programs for Dos Pueblos High School. She arranged for Ryan and I to take photos of some of their sporting events to use in these programs while I was living in Goleta. This was fun, and we became friends. It is an honor to take photos for a fellow designer, but also really cool to see a friend in such a good relationship! Chis is great, and it was nice getting to know him while we were doing the photos. You can also see more in the SLIDESHOW.

These first photos were at the Lane Farms pumpkin patch.

The eucalyptus trees out on the Ellwood bluffs are a cool photo spot.

Chris and Genevieve Targoni

2009-10-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I had a pleasure of being able to be a guest at my good friend Chris Targoni's wedding. I think that this was this first time that I have been a guest at a wedding in probably 5 years because I am normally "working." Chris and Genevieve had an awesome wedding on the beach in Carpinteria. I took a few photos just because I couldn't help myself.

I was looking through these photos, and I realized that almost all of my friends at this wedding work at Reality Carp (or they serve there). Sean and DJ above and Cody and Jessica below.

Matt, Amber, Zoe and Ryan.

This is Chach, and probably the best cupcake toast that I've ever heard!

The youth group leaders/kids from Reality. When I first met Chris, he was still in high school. We did discipleship together for a couple years, although I think that I learned more from him than he did from me.

Congratulations!

Michael and Juliana

2009-10-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

I got to do some portraits for Michael and Juliana around San Francisco. We started out at City Hall, and surprisingly, it was my first time there. What a beautiful building! You can see some of the shots that we got below, or you can see more in their SLIDESHOW. Cheers!

Matthias came with me so that he could get some images for his portfolio. He took the shot above, and I really like it.

Thanks!

Kyle and Danielle Perry

2009-10-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last blog entry. I have been working on editing, albums, and staying alive. At any rate, I am going to try and get back on top of my blogging. Thanks for being so patient :)

I had the pleasure of being able to photograph Kyle and Danielle's wedding. It was such a blast! You can see more photos from their day in the SLIDESHOW. Here are some of the shots:

Kyle wrote Danielle a super cute note.

Super cool car, right?

My friend Matthias shooting with me for the day. The shot above is one of his. Between his 3000+ photos and my 4500 or so, I think that it's safe to say that I'll be doing some serious editing.

This was a time where everyone was saying encouraging things to Danielle to get her ready before the ceremony. I guess the sign on the window says it all :) Actually, this room is the same youth group room where Kyle and Danielle met in high school, at the Redwood Church. I thought that it was nice that they were married there too.

The Ringman/Perry love tree was planted.

It got dark really fast, and this shot in particular was totally in the dark (1600 iso, f1.2, at 1/13).
Another cool shot by Matthias.

It was a perfect day. Congratulations!

Albums!

2009-10-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have been designing and making lots of albums lately. The thing that I love about albums is that they are tangible. I am guilty of leaving tons of my own photos in the computer, where they get moved around, and then backed up onto other hard drives, and forgotten. It is really nice to pull a tangible book off of the shelf and flip the pages though. Here are some photos of the albums that came in recently, including some of the interior spreads. Cheers!
This one is my favorite.The black leather cover is very clean and classy--the inside is gold too!

This book has a metal cover that is unlike other albums that I have seen. It has a sleek modern feel that I enjoy.
This parent book has an ivory leather cover.
An engagement coffee table book.

I was so stoked when I got to this page. It came out really nice.

This spine detail show how you are able to have images span across the page without losing part of the photo in a gutter.

This coffee table wedding album came out wonderfully.

... and then I wrapped it all up and sent it out. Thanks for looking. I can post the layout pdfs if anyone is interested in seeing what a full wedding album looks like from front to back...

Jealous Sound and Dead Country @ the Fillmore

2009-10-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

I love seeing shows, and I had the treat of being able to shoot a couple of awesome bands at the Fillmore. Dead Country is fronted by Nick Long, who used to be in a band with my brother back in the day. Nick is still rocking, and I really like the Dead Country music. I have an enormous amount of respect for Nick and anyone who is willing to pursue their dreams. You can see more photos from Dead Country's set HERE.

The next band that played was the Jealous Sound. I got hooked on their cd, Kill them with kindness, a few years ago, and have been on it ever since. They also have a self titled album and an ep called, Got Friends. I like their music so much I did some stalking to find the singer's previous band, Knapsack, which I love as well. I guess you could say that I am a mega fan... They played a really good show, and I'm so glad that I got to be there. You can see more photos From Jealous Sound's set HERE.

Another band was headlining, Sunny Day Real Estate, but I got shut down from doing photos of their set. I was still able to pull this one though :) It was an awesome night!

Fleet Week

2009-10-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos that I took of fleet week here in San Francisco. The blue angles are really cool, but their show was unfortunately cut short due to the weather.

Alpha Pregnancy Center Design Work

2009-10-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

For my final design project while I was at SF State this spring, I opted to help Alpha Pregnancy Center develop a consistent way to communicate with their clients and supporters. Alpha Pregnancy Center helps meet the needs of bay area families by providing for their emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. I spent months doing research for this project, and not only did I learn a lot, but my designs were approved by the board and are currently being used. I developed a new identity system, including a logo, typeface selections, and a color palette. Here are some images of the final printed collateral:

I also did some work helping them to promote their big annual fundraiser in September. The event was a huge success, and I'm glad that Alpha will have more resources to help women and families in difficult situations this year.

There are still a million projects that could help Alpha Pregnancy Center accomplish their goals. If you are interested in hearing more about what they do, or the people that they serve, you can visit their website: www.alphapc.org. Thanks.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

2009-10-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Alexis and I went this weekend to see Gillian Welsh and Neko Case playing free shows in the park.

Mike and Rebecka

2009-09-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of being able to be a part of Mike and Rebecka's wedding. It was an intimate affair in Santa Barbara at Stella Mare's. On top of being a beautiful day, it was also a really fun wedding for me :) Here are some of the photos, or you can see more in their SLIDESHOW.

When this picture is larger, you can see Rebecka's expression as she peers through the frosty glass towards her groom, Mike.
Rebecka's father is a pastor in London and he was officiating the ceremony. Her brother, who came out from Sweden, Walked her down the isle.

Real joy :)

I like this one.

I really felt special getting to have dinner with Mike, Rebecka and their families. I think I was the only non-family member who was at the wedding!

Cheers!

The surprise cake with Mike's team getting solid representation. Underneath the frosting, was a rick chocolate heaven!

Thank you for letting me be a part of such a special day!