Katherine and Tim

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!

Daniel and Laura Nelson

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!

Ryan and Michelle Buckner

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!!!

Chris and Genevieve Targoni

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

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

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!

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...

Mike and Rebecka

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!

Kyle and Jamie Longacre

I had a blast this weekend at Kyle and Jamie's wedding out in Woodland. Everything was perfect. I love my job! This is a monster post (I had a really hard time chopping it down), or you can also see even more photos if this isn't enough in their SLIDESHOW. Cheers!

When we got back to the hotel after the salon, the Longacres has a bunch of food for me. I only mention this because there was this magical pasta that pretty much changed my life. It was So good!



The wedding was at a family friend's amazing house out in the country.



I love all of the country-style shots that we were able to get just down the street from where the wedding was. I am SO happy with every portrait that we got all day. Money!




"Don't eat the rock candy favors until after the photos... it totally turns your mouth blue!"

It was so hot that all of the girls changes back out of their dress until right before the ceremony.















I was stoked on all of this interesting lens flare. I think these photos have a nice warm feeling to them.



More hay shots :) On top of being attractive, Kyle and Jamie are SO cute together!







This photo might be blurry... I was crying right about now.




In case you didn't notice, Jamie's dad get 100 man points for his awesome mustache!


Ouch!

Father and son owning the dance floor.




This was the most extreme dance floor fishing that I have ever seen... and I have seen a lot! There is an awesome sequence of the whole event, even where the fish was caught and held up for a posed photo. Amazing!





The groomsmen on the left is getting married this weekend in Las Vegas. If you read this, congratulations buddy!


I got to chat with these guys at the rehearsal. They are super cool, and obviously lots of fun.



I will survive lip sink and dance... Priceless!



Thank you guys for letting me be a part of your day! It couldn't have been any more fun :)

Eric and Elke Reichel

I had the pleasure of photographing Eric and Elke's wedding this weekend. The photos came out fantastic! You can check out a sample below, or see more in their SLIDESHOW if you would like.

Anticipation for the first glance :)



The wedding was at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The old adobe buildings in the back made for some cool portrait spots.








Signing the Ketubah. I love this shot!

I like how you can see all of the groomsmen's kippahs in this shot.










I went to high school at Dos Pueblos with Josh and Lisette, who are cousins with Eric. I'm honored that they would refer me to their family. Thanks guys!







Even though this photo doesn't really have people in it, I think that you can get the feeling of how it was SUCH a nice Santa Barbara evening.



There were so many good shots from the dance floor!



I never try to intentionally embarrass people, but this photo gets me laughing every time I see it :)
Eric and Elke had a slideshow at the reception of photos from their childhood through recent times. I wish I could pair this shot with the photo that goes with it from the slideshow, but you know it was a good one. Rock on!
This courtyard when it is all lit up at night, looks really cool.

After the wedding most of the people went to the bar that they rented out on State Street for the after party. I was glad that I could make it out there for a drink as well. In case you didn't notice... all of the fun times from the reception just kept on rolling.

I was also able to see one my favorite bands of all time, Strung Out!

On my way out of the show, I bumped into the newly-weds, and all of the late night troopers. They were looking for the 1am slice of pizza that you earn after a good night out. It was awesome to be able to share a slice of the victory with all them. Thanks for everything! It was a day for the books :)

Also, Elke made my day yesterday by sending me this kind email:

"Everyone loves the pictures. My mom (and I) love the "Abby Road" one and all of the ones we have seen - you are so talented and create beautiful work. You have exceeded our expectations and I just wanted to complement you on an amazing job at our wedding!"

Weddings are such an important event, and I feel blessed that people would trust me enough to document their day. It was also nice to get this encouragement because I have been drowning in work lately, and it's good to know that all of the long hours at the computer are worth it. Thanks Elke!

Mercedes and Jarrod

Alexis and I went to her friend Mercedes and Jarrod's wedding reception. The ceremony was earlier in the day, and it was smaller, so not everyone could go. It was pretty nice being a guest at a wedding because I am so used to working at them. Come to think of it, I don't think that I've been a guest at any weddings since I've been doing photography. Anyway, it was a good time!

Jeff and Sarah Passage

I went to another awesome wedding this weekend! Jeff and Sarah got married at the Admiral's Mansion on Mare Island outside of Vallejo (Bay Area). I posted some of the photos here, or you can see more in their SLIDESHOW.

One of the most laughter filled lunches ever! Full BM (Bridesmaid Mode) ;)















Kevin Toqe has been friends with Sarah for a while, and he was singing at the wedding. I met him at church last week when he sang for us there. Amazing!

A beautiful day!










I love the industrial looking buildings in these shots! I think the color and the juxtaposition with the wedding outfits works out well.










A perfect day! Thanks for all of the smiles.

Mike and Betsy Braun

Mike and Betsy are one of the coolest couples! I'm so glad that I got to photograph their wedding in Pacific Grove this weekend. We are all friends from Dolores Park Church in San Francisco. There are a bunch of photos below, or you can see more in their SLIDESHOW. Cheers!

In addition to photos, I also tied Mike's tie for him.



Betsy and her dad entered from the path that was in front of the ceremony, so all of the guests just looked straight ahead, instead of turning and looking back. This was really cool, and I've never been at a venue where something like this could happen.







This part was awesome... I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now shake hands on the deal (or something like that). It was shortly followed by the kiss :)















After the reception we did a few more portraits; which turned out to be essential. There were a lot of cool spots that we were able to use right around the venue, and on the beach.










These rocks were pretty gnarly, but Betsy was doing it in her heels. Good stuff!
Thanks guys!!

Also a quick shout out to my friends, Jocelyn and David, who also go married today down south. Congratulations!

Jesse and Karen Diaz

I got to be a part of Jesse and Karen's special day. It was an adventure for the books, but everything always worked out. We got a lot of awesome photos too. You can see more in the SLIDESHOW, and I've posted some here too:

Right about the time that Karen was done getting her hair and makeup done, the bridesmaids went out to the car to get the dress. The only thing, was that the car was missing... It had been towed (SF parking is crazy!). This put a kink in the schedule, but luckily, Karen had planned a lot of photo time into the morning. It just cut into the photo time a little while they got the car, and the dress back. Through the whole scene, Karen was really calm :) No stress! Even I got a little worried when I heard one of the girl mention, "We could probably find another dress before the ceremony..." It all worked out, and the show still went on.

We were going to do photos at the Legion of Honor, and the Palace of Fine Arts, but we ended up just staying at the Legion of Honor. The courtyard there is an awesome spot for photos!








No stress!
Even though the photo time got shortened, we still got a lot of awesome shots, and had plenty of time to catch up with the schedule.
Jesse HAND PAINTED the sign below, and ALL of the name cards at the reception. They were beautifully done!


The ceremony was at the church I regularly go to, Dolores Park Church in the Mission District.






The reception was in China Town


Karen did a quick outfit change into a traditional Chinese dress.



Jesse got into taking photos with my other camera. It was pretty awesome because people had different reactions for him than they did for me.






It was an exciting day, from start to finish. I love all of the photos. Thanks guys!

Allen and Christine Frandsen

I got to photograph Allen Frandsen and Christine Cobb's wedding today. Christine is a friend from high school. Here are some photos from the day. You can see more in their SLIDESHOW too.

It was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara!
First glance :)



























One of their friends built this beautiful cake for them.







The reception site at night looked pretty cool.
Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your day. It was awesome!

Peter and Grace Lee

I had a blast at Peter and Grace's wedding this weekend! They are awesome people, and I had a lot of fun being able to hang out with them and photograph their day. Here are some picture from the day, or you an see more photos in their slideshow by CLICKING HERE.

I had my friend Matthias shooting with me, and he pulled some really cool shots, including the one above and the one below. Asqew has bunch of locations in San Francisco, and the food that they made for the reception was really good.




The wedding was at Loma Mar, amongst all of the big trees. It was a really cool spot for an outside wedding. For the ceremony, they had an intimate gathering for all of their family and friends. It was unlike any other ceremony that I've seen, and I think that the shot above gives you a feel for how organic it was.
Their families LOVE taking photos! I saw more cameras clicking away at this wedding than any other that I've been to. I felt like I was part of the paparazzi :)
They each wrote down the story of their relationship and the officiant read them. They had not seen each other's version before the wedding. This is a great idea for an added personal touch to add to the ceremony.


Finding an angle was a little bit tricky with all of the heads, but standing on a chair in the back with the zoom lens seemed to work out.
I really like the picture above.





It was really cool getting to do portraits here with all of the big trees.






So cute!

There was a debate about the difference between manger and a barn.


I love photographers!

The paparazzi loved this one with all of the babies. It looked like a firing squad!
It is a good shot though :)
They had a really cool gypsy folk band playing music.
Post-wedding relaxing
I was SO stoked that we did a bunch more portraits after the reception. Grace and Peter were down for the cause, and I think that it paid off.






The way that their reflections drained out onto the water was really cool.

On the way back out to Half Moon Bay, we stopped at the beach for a few more shots. There was a bunch of crazy sea foam, but we got some more cool shots.

I get a really good feeling when I take a picture that makes me happy. Sometimes it's catching an emotion, interesting lighting, or nice scenery, but the best is when all of these elements find their way into one frame. I felt like there were a lot of these moments at Grace and Peter's wedding. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your day. You guys rock!

Allison and Phillip Jensen

It was an honor to be able to shoot the wedding of Allison and Phillip in Santa Barbara this weekend. It was a beautiful day! You can see more photos in their SLIDESHOW.

I get to see all sorts of cute stuff at all of the weddings that I go to, but I really liked Phillip's gift that he gave to Allison on the morning of the wedding: socks. It was part of his plan to make sure that Allison didn't get cold feet :) It's a nice pun because it also showed was that he was thinking about all of the little things for Allison--the socks had toes, which Allison said she loves. 

Mikey shot with me, and he was hanging out with Phillip in the morning. I love it when Mikey can work with me first because he has a really good eye, and secondly because he's my brother.

I shot Kristin (on the far left) and her husband Mark's wedding, and also some family portraits with their son Luke this year.
Cool table shot=Mikey.

This is a cute shot with Mark and Luke.

The wedding was at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It's really lush and nice up there where they have events at the Zoo. It's a bonus that you could check out the monkeys while you're there too because none of the animals are directly around the events site.  
I thought that it was cool that instead of a best man, Phillip had a best woman. Friends are friends.



I really liked the rose pedals in the isle, and the bubbles during their exit.

The zoo's train is essential! I wish we could have ridden it around the zoo but we were super pressed for time.

I'm really stoked that these shots worked out. We almost didn't have time to do portraits because it took so long to get all of the family together for the group portraits. 











Animal crackers=cute!
The lighting for the reception was nice.






Thumbs up!!



Thanks!

Lloyd and Archana Miller

I shot Lloyd and Archana's wedding today at the courthouse in Modesto. It was the shortest wedding that I have ever been to (the ceremony was about 3 minutes), but it was really sweet. We went to a park down the street after the ceremony and did family portraits. You can see more photos in their SLIDESHOW. 

I got a call on Tuesday this week about shooting this wedding today (Friday), and it ended up working out for me to make it. It was a really nice day :)

The ceremony was cool. It was simple, but no less powerful than a longer ceremony. The officiant cut straight to the chase- Lloyd, do you take Archana... I do. Archana, do you take Lloyd... I do. By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride. 










One of the cool things about smaller weddings, is that it's easy to get a photo with everyone in it.


I think this one is cute. It was super bright out, so he was shielding her from the sun :)








Thanks for all of the smiles!

Daniel and Vanessa Yerekhman

The wirlwind brought me to Santa Cruz this weekend for Daniel and Vanessa's wedding. I've been scrambling to get school work done and editing (I have 10,000 photos from the last few weeks to edit. Yikes!), and several giant school projects that are all due in the next two weeks. Nonetheless, it was a nice weekend in Santa Cruz. Daniel and Vanessa are super cool, and I had a blast getting to hang out and photograph them. You can see more photos in their slideshow by CLICKING HERE. 

I was at the rehearsal the day before the wedding, and I stayed at a hotel in Santa Cruz. I woke up on the day of the wedding, got ready, and went out to the car--I had a flat tire! I changed into shorts (in the parking lot), and fixed the tire. Sometimes it's the unexpected events that happen along the way that make the adventure that much better.

Vanessa was really calm and relaxed the whole time while getting ready. 

A beautiful day.






Sean Lionello officiated the ceremony. He's a friend from Reality in Carpinteria, and I had the pleasure of shooting his wedding in 2006 also.






After the ceremony, everyone got pretty emotional. One person got teary, which made other people get teary too. Next thing you know, everyone was bawling.

It might just be me, but I think that everyone I shoot is good looking... Are you seeing these guys?





Vanessa's dad had a hard time holding back the emotions for his speech, and by the time he was done, everyone was crying.






Lots of good dancing fun :)







You might recognize Danielle and Kyle from their engagement photos. I get to shoot their wedding in October this year.
What? It was hot out. I thought about joining in, but I thought it wouldn't be professional ;)


BOOM!!!

It was an awesome day, and I was so blessed to be there to photograph it :)

Edgar and Jennifer Cabrera

I got to shoot a really fun wedding this weekend for Edgar and Jennifer in Santa Barbara. It has been crazy down there the last few days due the the Jesusita Fire that has been going wild and burning down homes. My mom has been working at the Red Cross shelters (she's a nurse), because about 1/3 of the city was on mandatory evacuation notice. That said, Edgar and Jennifer had to make some changes for their wedding because it has been raining ash in Santa Barbara. They moved the reception from Elings Park to the Lion's Park in Carpinteria, though Jennifer had never even seen it. I was impressed that they were not stressed or worried about anything because I probably would have been. You can se more photos in their slideshow by CLICKING HERE. 

Here are some shots from the day:

My brother, Mikey, was shooting the wedding with me, and in the morning, he was hanging out with Edgar while I was with Jennifer.



Peeking out of the windows to get a glimpse of the guests filling into the sanctuary at Calvary Chapel.

Their story is so CUTE! I smile every time that I think about it. They found me through my cousin, Rylee, who teaches at Coastline Christian Academy in Goleta. Edgar and Jennifer both have children who go to school there. They were both chaperoning for a school field trip to Sacramento, when they just happened to be in the same car on the ride home. They hit it off, and here we are, at their wedding :) Below you can see their kids, who were their bridal party. 









They had a "cake reception" at Calvary right after the ceremony for all of the people who came.


They also had a traditional reception (the one that had to get moved because of the fire) in Carpinteria. On the way there, we stopped to take some photos out on the bluffs in Carp. The tall grass made for some really unique shots. 

The groom normally rents a suit or tux, so they are always down to do anything for the photos. The bride on the other hand, searches high and low for the perfect dress and they are often pretty expensive. I'm always glad when brides are wiling to go somewhere that is risky for their dress, but good for photos. I'm sure Jennifer got a bunch of stickers in her dress, and it got dirty while we were out in the dusty field, but I think that the photos made it worth it-just my opinion.




Mikey was laughing at me because I had to run like I was hunting through the grass to get to the right spot. Oh yeah, I was holding the bouquet too :)


The pan pipes player was a cool addition to the environment at the reception. He played music on the pan pipes from all over South America.
Another cool addition to the reception was the bounce-house for the kids. 
I love the energy in this shot!
We snuck out for a couple of quick shots at the beach in Carp during sunset.

A guy ran out with some wine for the Bride and Groom. It was pretty classic.
This shot is really fun :)





This was one of the coolest things that I have seen at a reception. Photos don't even do it justice. The kids all practiced and put together a dance together for their parents. It was so AWESOME!!




It was a perfect day! Thanks!

Rob and Mandy Albanese

Rob and Mandy's wedding was awesome! You can also see more photos in their slideshow by CLICKING HERE. Their wedding was at an intimate chapel in the Presidio, San Francisco. Here are some shots from the day:

My friend, Arik was helping photograph the wedding with me. This is one of the sweet shots that he pulled.

Success!

We went down the street and did portraits in front of these cool brick buildings.




I was happy with the portraits that we got. There wasn't any rush, so we had some time to try different things, which always helps me get more creative. 





The bridal party danced to "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire. It was fun stuff!











Rob and Mandy are so cute together. It was a pleasure getting to meet everyone at the wedding too. Everything was perfect. I love that I get to do this for work! Thanks!

Adam and Carrie Poytress

I got to be a part of Carrie and Adam's wedding. The entire day was super fun, and it was the perfect wedding to kick off 2009! You can see more photos in the SLIDESHOW too. 

Tango anyone?

The wedding was at the Rockwood Women's Center, which is a really cool spot. We took some shots before the wedding right on the edge of Rocky Nook Park. 
So many funny stories!

Wedding wedgie? Haha. There are so many layers and parts to a wedding dress, and so many people help to get it on, that I'm surprised that this hasn't happened before :)

Carrie and Adam were cool with seeing each other before the wedding so that we could do all of the portraits before the ceremony and have less lag time before the reception. This is a cool way to do it if the other tradition of waiting to see each other at the alter is not your thing. They still made their first viewing special though.
Rockwood is just around the corner from the Santa Barbara Mission, so we jumped over there for some of the group shots.
There was a service going on, so this was the loudest inaudible noise I've ever heard.
They moved the ceremony inside because it was raining the day before. It ended up being a nice day despite the threat of ominous weather. 

These shots were taken outside in the dark, but the available light made for some cool scenery.
I love Rockwood's space for a reception. It has a perfect set up for a dance party!

Janna works with Carrie and is a friend through Reality Carp. Her and her husband, Devin, are leaders in the youth group with my best friend Ryan. Here they are getting down at the reception!

Um, yeah... They used a sword for cutting the cake! They had cheesecke (my favorite) with serve your own toppings. So tasty!!
Filling the shopping cart:
Wow, right?

Carrie and Adam are an amazing couple! I was stoked to be there for such a fun day. I also love that they are in New Zealand kicking off their adventure together the right way :)

Chad and Lauren Solbakken

Chad and Lauren's wedding was an awesome way to wrap of my 2008 weddings. It had snowed abut 8-10 inches the night before, so there was new snow everywhere! You cna see more photos in the slideshow by clicking HERE. 

We took photos before the ceremony (a really good idea), so this is Chad seeing Lauren for the first time on their wedding day. This gave us lots of time to get all of the portraits done before the ceremony.
With all of the new snow, and it currently snowing while we were taking these portraits, I think these are the most unique portraits that I've ever shot. I loved it!

Lauren had seen these barns before, and knew they would be a cool background. Good call :)


We took pictures in the snow for a while, even though it was really cold. Props to Lauren for making it happen in her dress!
I love how you can see the snow coming down in these shots!



1st time ever bridal party snowball fight.
We made it out of the snow, and inside for the ceremony. They had all of these hurricanes with candles that lined the sides of the isle.

It was super dark during the ceremony, but the shots still worked out.




I went to school with Nicole Mullen, who connected me with her college crew from APU. I got to know all of these ladies while I was in Las Vegas shooting Jolie's sister's wedding, Ashley and Jebron.
I don't mind using a flash if I have to, but I much prefer to use natural light if it is at all possible. The natural light in this shot makes a cool vibe.
Getting down!



We snuck out to get this shot outside during the reception.



Chad and Lauren took the boat back to Seattle after the wedding. It was an awesome day!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot... it was my birthday today!! I turned 24. There were so many cool people and fun stuff going on, that it was a good way to celebrate my birthday too :)

Mike and Katie Voight

I had the pleasure of shooting Mike and Katie's wedding in Modesto this weekend. It was a great time, and the shots came out sweet. You can see more photos in the SLIDESHOW.

The light was perfect before the ceremony for these bridal party shots. 




This is Jeremiah and Gigi Boek. They are missionaries in Japan, and they helped organize me to be there. It was great to meek them to because we had spoken on the phone and through emails for a while before the wedding. 
Mike's dad is a pastor, and he officiated the ceremony.


This was pretty funny. Katie's dress got tangled on something that were on the stage, and her maid of honor had to untangle it during the ceremony. Everyone got a quick chuckle, but it didn't take away from the ceremony. 




There are some cool fall colors in the background of these shots that I really like. 
I stayed with Alex, Savannah and Corbin in Modesto.

Katie's brother was getting emotional during his speech at the reception. It was one of those moments where even I start getting choked up too.

You might remember seeing these cute kids wedding photos this summer. After the wedding, Alex and Savannah had a get together at their house and Lea gave me a hair cut. I had needed it really bad--I was getting super shaggy! It is my favorite cut that I've had in a long time :)
For her bouquet toss, Katie had a handful of roses that all separated so all of the girls cought something. Clever, right?
I love Casey and Hope!

It was a great wedding.  I had a really good time :)

Josh and Emma Estrella

Hi Everyone. I'm sorry I dropped the ball on keeping this up to date. I have been stretched thin, and overbooked with more work than I could deal with. I am frantically trying to get everyone their photos/albums ASAP. Thanks for being so patient.

Josh and Emma's wedding was a blast! My brother, Mikey, came up to Monterey to shoot with me. Mikey pulled some sweet shots, and it was real fun to have him there shooting with me. When we met up with Emma in the morning at the hair salon, she told us about how Josh had gone out to the sand dune in the middle of the night and wrote on the hill. Mikey went over there to get a shot of the hill. Good job Josh!

We took the whole bridal party down to the beach at Cannery Row and got group shots and portraits there. It started getting dark, but I think the shots came out great still.

I love this one:

The reception was at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey.










Tim and Emily got married this summer too :) I met Josh and Emma through Tim.

I used to work at In-N-Out Burger when I was in high school, and Ryan Richardson used to work there too. Small world, right?

It turns out Laura Schmiess is good friends with Emma too.

Josh and Emma are a really cool couple. I was stoked that Mikey and I got to be there to photograph their wedding. Cheers!

Chris and Mia Thomas

I had the pleasure of shooting Chris and Mia's wedding this weekend in Goleta. We all went to high school together at Dos Pueblos. Knowing the couple, I was really glad to see that they added tons of their own personalities into the wedding details. Everything about the wedding was really fun :) You can see more photos in the SLIDESHOW too.

The day started at Glen Annie Golf Course at 6:30. Wow right? We had all been hanging out at the Thomas's house until pretty late the night before too. I didn't get there at 6:30 because I'm just not that hardcore though. I took some photos, and also got a few swings in myself. I think I played 4 holes with them, and lost 5 balls in the process. Oops. We had a good time though :)

I met up with Mia and the girls at the salon and then we went out to Casa Grande where the wedding was going to be. The house is old and really cool. The property around the house is also amazing. 
I like how you can see Caitlin and Mia in the mirror on the side of this photo even though the dress was the main focus. 
Chris wrote Mia a nice note and she read it out loud... Good job Chris, you're doing it right!

Mia and Caitlin were peeking out the window of the house to see the guests arriving.

Ricky also went to school with us, and it was his first time officiating a wedding ceremony. He did an awesome job!

I love the spot that the ceremony was! The big trees that line the sides of the field were really cool.

Chris and Mia planted a tree together as part of the ceremony. I have not see this done before, but I really like the symbolism and metaphor that this creates.

There were so many fun people from high school at the wedding. It was a fun reception for me because I knew SO many people.

Mia's brother Austin has the sweetest beard! I wish I could grow one this good myself, but every time that I've tried, it is always been super patchy.

Good times on the dance floor.
Mia's grandpa took a ton of good pictures. It was super rad. I'd be looking for a photo to get, and a lot of the time he had already beaten me to the punch! 
I had no idea that Omar had such a good voice. I was really impressed when he was able to pull off Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.
Everyone had a blast at the reception!
Among the other musical highlights of the night, Ricky helped back Timbaland's part in from Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back.
It was a perfect day :)
Photo bonus: I saw this horse by my parent's house on Sunday. Thanks for reading.

Shannon and Chris Trombly

It was raining when I woke up. It seemed like it might not actually rain yesterday when I was at the rehearsal, but it did. This can be hard when you are having an outside wedding and reception. Shannon and Chris weren't phased, and we went on to have a perfect day :) You can see more photos in the SLIDESHOW too.

The rain subsided for a little while, but then it came back again while we were at the salon. Shannon was super calm and just went with it. Good times.


I like this picture of Shannon getting into her dress because you can barely see her hand reaching up as she was getting in there.

Droplets from the rain.
We all got lucky and the weather cleared up for the ceremony :)







I really like how the clouds look in all of the ceremony shots. They are dark and dramatic, but it is nice where we were. 
The weather really worked out despite the way it seemed like it was going to be in the morning. The officiant read stories from how Shannon and Chris met during the ceremony. This was really cute. First she read one from Shannon's view point, and then one from Chris's. It was really cool.





An interesting parking lot reflection puddle. 
The rain cleared up for the outside reception too :)
The reception was on this really big deck outside their friend's house. Everyone had a great time!





One last tequila shot to celebrate a perfect day :) Cheers!

Jason and Tamara

Things started getting crazy last night when I left Carmel to come back to SF at 11:00PM. I was so tired from shooting and doing stuff all day that I though that I might fall asleep while driving. Somehow I made it home safe, unloaded memory cards and charged batteries. By the time my head hit the pillow, it was after 2:00 AM. Jason and Tamara's wedding today in Berkeley was supposed to be starting at 9:00 AM. I was up again at 7 to make it to Berkeley in time. It was INSANE!

Jason and Tamara's wedding was at Tilden Park, and it was another beautiful day! You can see their SLIDESHOW HERE.

I got to the park at 8:30, and nothing was set up yet. There was a snag with the park rangers opening the gate, but nobody was really worried about it. I helped set some things up with everyone who was there, and it all worked out fine. Jason and Tamara are so laid back.





Signing the Ketuba:






I was not really allowed to take any photos after this point (the beginning of the ceremony). I just couldn't help myself though, and I had to sneak some with the telephoto lens.






Haha. they told me about how they had been practicing for this shot. Cute!

I get a little break and I am looking forward to being able to breathe and edit everyone's photos in the next couple of weeks. Take care!

Germán and Sarah Bistué

I started this weekend by shooting Sarah and Germán's wedding in Carmel, CA. It was a beautiful day filled with tons of smiles :) I think that I'm forming a habit of doing monster posts  for weddings, but I figure the more the  merrier, no? You can see even more photos in the SLIDESHOW too. I met Sarah and Germán at Kevin and Tammy's wedding two years ago. 

The girls were having lunch and telling stories that had me totally laughing. Sarah's mom had the funniest story though :) 

Here is the, "Did my mom really just say that?" expression:

The girls were so worried that I was taking photos of every awkward moment. Someone bends  over to pick something  up - I bet Josh got a photo of it... like I have a secret stash of blackmail photos that I'm collecting! Haha. This one is pretty good ;)





There ceremony was at a park right by the beach in Carmel. It was really cool! Someone  would have to try hard to get a bad photo at this spot.






All of the portrait shots that we took turned out sweet!








Every morsel of food was amazing. They were also serving  two h'orderves that I have said that I'm having at my wedding (whenever that is): Quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches!
They had a backyard reception at a relative's house in Carmel. 
I was on a candid only photo mission that I think worked out well.






A combination of all of the speeches, and Germán saying, "this is my dream wedding," had even me tearing up. I felt honored to be there.  

You might remember seeing Kevin and Tammy earlier this year in some photos on my blog, and here they are again :)  
The Bistué family imports different wines from their home country of Argentina, and they were serving some of their wines at the reception. There was lots of good stuff. My favorite was the Malbec.





What a fun day! I realized two things that I want to be able to do way better: salsa dancing and speaking spanish. Thanks for reading :) 

Brian and Lea Doster

This summer has been non-stop! It has been awesome to be a part of so many sweet weddings! This weekend I shot Brian and Lea's wedding in Ripon. I'm not going to lie, it was a hot one! The SLIDESHOW is like 7 minutes long, and I put 42 photos on this post :) 

Hahaha! Good times!


The giggle-monsters:

Casey Joens was one of the groomsmen. I met Brian and Lea through Casey.

Originally the guys were not going to wear ties, but you will see that they came in handy later...




Brian and Lea collected amber-wear for months before the wedding to use for the tables at the reception. Even though all of the pieces were different, they matched in a really cool way. My garage sale and thrift store loving heart was SO into it :)




Trent and Olivia are two of the cutest kids  you could ever see!



Brian and Lea washed each others feet during the ceremony. This idea comes from John 13 where Jesus washes his disciples' feet. It shows humility and a willingness to serve the other person. I think that this was a really cool way of physically demonstrating what their wedding vows were verbally communicating.






I love this shot!
Coorrrbbiinn!
Haha. Papa Alex grew a new finger-stache :)

I love these kids! If I didn't like the city so much, I'd move to Stockton so that I could hang out with them all the time.


Apparently Trent was still hungry, and Hope was the first thing he could get his hands on.


See how the tie became a critical accessory for the dancefloor:
What a fun day! I'm so glad I got to be there for such a good time :)

Ryan and Zoe Hillner

It happened! Ryan and Zoe got married today!!! Just in case you didn't know, Ryan and I have been best friends since elementary school. I count Terry, Ryan's mom, like a mother to me too. We have done everything from skateboarding, surfing, dirt biking, traveling (over 20 countries together), school, youth ministry, In-n-Out Burger, and starting this wedding photography business together. I am so happy for Ryan and Zoe! I met Zoe about 5 years ago when she starting helping with the youth group at Reality. I have gotten to know her really well, and I am super glad that the Riz was able to pull down such a sweet catch! The SLIDESHOW is like 9 minutes long, so brace yourself...

I bet I could give Lauren a camera and she could take photos too. This summer, as you may remember, she has done hair, makeup, built a wedding cake, and she also help Angelo set up the food today.
Even though I am the best man, I am ALSO the primary photographer. How is that even possible? I covered all of the stuff before the ceremony with Dan Ramming, and then handed my cameras off to Chris Lazo and my brother, Mikey, for the ceremony. It was straight loco, but it was super fun seeing everything go down :)
Hahaha. Zoe is pretty funny! It gets better though... I was taking this picture upstairs while Dan was downstairs taking the next picture.
Funny, right?
If it wasn't for this mirror, I don't know how I would have got any of the groomsmen getting ready photos ;)

Long story short, it was getting hot and Ryan needed something to wipe sweat off while we were taking portraits, and what better to do so with than some Hanes! (They were new, thus clean)


Kathy and Greg are SO cool!
Cody and Jess Joens did tones of stuff to make the wedding happen. Jess made like 239293934389 cupcakes and Cody made all of the music and sound stuff happen. 
Chris is the other groomsman. Here he's with his lady, Sarah.


The reception zone:
The crew of photographers, Dan, Mikey, my dad, Gary, and Lazo did an amazing job! They totally nailed it!

What?! See me in this photo? It was kinda weird being on the other side of the lens, but it was a good view from right there :)

I didn't faint, but I did have to fish around in my sweaty pockets to find the rings.

Lazo pulled this SWEET shot!
Dan caught this one:
Hey, it's me again!





The reception was shorter, with no formal wedding activities; just hanging out.


My wonderful girlfriend flew down from SF to come to the wedding :)
The family:
Reality Carp youth:
Jess Joens cupcakes:

The rode out in this Mini convertable, but not before driving around the loop a couple of times! Now they are in Europe honeymooning for 3 weeks! Congrats guys!!! I love you both, and am so excited to see the amazing things that the Lord will use you both for!
Worker bees:

Thanks everyone who stayed to clean up, move chairs, tables, ect. You all rock :) Not only did she open up her house for this madness, but Kathy was straight doing work with the clean up crew afterwards!

Mitchell and Elizabeth Greene

I saw my uncle's band play at the Creekside last night after the wedding, and I saw the USA swimming team take the Gold in the Olympics. Michael Phelps is amazing! I went home, cleared the cards, and charged the batteries back up. Today I shot the wedding of Elizabeth Koppa and Mitchell Greene. I've know Liz for years. Our moms have been prayer partners since we were really young. You can see the slideshow (it's like 7.5 mins long) by clicking HERE.

Kim Cantello did Elizabeth's hair, which was fun because Kim's mom is in the same prayer group as Liz and my mom. We all spent tons of time at the Koppa's house growing up, and now we were back here doing stuff for the wedding :)

All I heard was, "the BBQ is on FIRE!" I ran out there, and there's Dave putting it out with shaving cream all over his face! It was a funny site to see. 


I guess you have to make sure that it's on there REEAAALLLYY tight ;)

The ceremony was at SBCC, and I was amazed at how cool this spot is. The view is literally unmatched. In the shot below, you see the mountains and the SB riviera. In the one after, you see the harbor and the ocean. It was a beautiful day!

They didn't have a bridal party, but they did have a bunch of kids...







My brother Mikey shot the whole wedding with me. Kid's got skills! This is just one of the hundreds of good shots he got.


Interesting fact: I worked for my dad on some of his side projects, including all of the exposed aggregate and brick concrete work around the Koppa's house. And you thought I could just take photos!


Liz wrote a love song for Mitchell and played it during the reception. I'm not going to lie, I was crying by the end of it. I was moved by the lyrics, but also by seeing Mitchell's expressions with the zoom lens with she was playing.





Hey look, it's my whole family!
Cheesecakes for days! Literally. I took one of the leftover ones home and ate it for days. I LOVE cheesecake!

Kolin and Sheena

I got to help shoot Kolin and Sheena's wedding with my friend AVG today. I've known Kolin for a few years now, and it was a super fun wedding! Here are some pics:

You can see a slideshow with more by CLICKING HERE :)

Everything was at the Rockwood Women's Club in Santa Barbara. This place is sweet! I'm surprised that I haven't shot a wedding here yet because it it the perfect spot.











We took the portraits over at the mission which is right down the street.




here's a couple of cute kids:
Haha. Just a couple of girls with some strawberries and chocolate. Mmmm...
Kolin's dad gave one of the funniest, and best speeches that I've ever heard.
Here are some more cute kids:









Here's AVG, having a good time at the wedding.

Grant and Laura Duncan

I am so glad that I was able to come out to Miami for Grant and Laura's wedding! If you noticed on the last post, the snorkeling pictures, those were from today too. Yep, I woke up went snorkeling off the Miami coast, and then went to an awesome party! It's really hard work, but someone has to do it :) Here are some of the photos. You can see the slideshow by CLICKING HERE. Laura got a sweet artsy hairdo at the Avant Guard Salon.

Grant and all of the boys sported kilts!



The wedding was at the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables. It is an amazing cathedral! They had a lot of restrictions on where I could be. The coordinator pointed at a spot on the floor and said, "this is where you can stand, here or up on the mezzanine, and that's it." I think the photos from the ceremony still turned out awesome though!







I don't know how this actually worked out, but we got a shot of everyone at the wedding! 




I hung out with Pat and Patty a bunch while we were out there. They are really cool people.



Why smash cake on each other when you have the best man and maid of honor to do it on?

WOW. I can't believe that this was happening...

The kilts were so money! It probably the only man-skirt that I know of that is still cool. We went out to a bar after the wedding, and everyone there was excited to see all of the kilts.
This was the first time that I've seen like 20 family and friends tuck the bride and groom in for the night. What a FUN day!

Chris and Gritchelle's Wedding

I had an awesome weekend hanging out in Cayucos for my friends Chris and Gritchelle's wedding. I got there the night before and met them and a bunch of their friends out at the only bar in Cayucos for a few drinks. I crashed back at the house that Chris and Gritchelle had rented for the week. We woke up and had some cold pizza for breakfast and went over to the wedding site to get stuff ready. We put up decorations everywhere, made the center pieces, set up the chairs, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was pretty fun being a part of setting stuff up because I normally am just taking photos. There is SO much stuff that goes into making a wedding happen!

After all of the set up, we went back to get ready and do all of the other stuff (where I normally start my day off). 









The barn location for the wedding was awesome! It is a country/rustic spot that made a pretty sweet background for the wedding.




We got this shot right after the ceremony with EVERYONE who was at the wedding. It was a lot of people to corral, but I think that is a pretty cool shot to have.



I like this shot :) It is such a classic wedding moment for the bride and groom to drink out of each others glasses, but here at the barn, it's beer bottles. Fun!

Their friend Cori built this beautiful cake! Her husband was the one who officiated the ceremony too.
Having a fire pit to hang out at is 
This is the moment where the guy in the blue shirt realized that the hands on his waist are not his girlfriends...
This is the whiskey bottle dance- one of those moments where you just stand back and enjoy :)

Such a good time! Thanks.

Andrew and Janet Valle

I shot Andrew and Janet's wedding at Calvary Chapel. It was a beautiful day :) The wedding started at 7, and was totally over by 9:30. It was short and sweet, but not lacking anything. Here are some of the shots. You can also view a slideshow by clicking HERE.

I thought that the industrial look of the other buildings in the parking lot made for some good backgrounds. I like the old and beat up look, especially when it's juxtaposed with well dressed wedding people.
I love photos of the groom right when the bride walks in. It's a powerful moment.
This photo is fun because you can see Janet excitedly poke her head around the corner to get her first glimpse of Andrew at the alter. Another key moment. 
More industrial scenes for the portraits. It was getting pretty dark. By the time that we took the last portrait, it was actually dark. It still turned out awesome though!
I love the sparklers for their exit. I don't know why more couples don't do this. I think it is awesome.
I like how you can see where they wrote Mrs. Valle on the window in this shot.
Such a good day! It was really nice to see all of the familiar faces from Calvary too. Thanks for all of the smiles everybody :)

Jesse and Carlin Curran

I had the pleasure of shooting Jesse and Carlin's wedding this weekend in Camarillo. It was a beautiful day! Here are some of the photos. You can see the slideshow in the client section of my website, or by clicking HERE.

This was pretty funny to watch this one happening :) We took a similar pic with the boys holding Carlin, and then the girls were like, "it's our turn now!" 
I shot Chrissy and Jeremy's wedding last year, and it was good to see them again at the reception.
So cute!
Get your dance on!
Uh... will somebody remind me to wear suspenders to the next reception that I'm at?
So much fun!!! 

Colin and Leah Cameron

I feel really lucky that I have been able to work with so many sweet couples this last three weeks. It's been a little bit of a whirlwind, but it's been a lot of fun :) I knew Leah and Colin's wedding was going to be sweet after meeting some of the bridal party and family at the rehearsal. They showed a really cool slideshow at the rehearsal dinner with photos of Colin and Leah growing up too. Both the Camerons and the Failors are solid Christian, "stick together" families, and I think that is such a cool thing to see. People learn a lot by example, and I know they both had good examples of marriages growing up that will be a part of their marriage now. I'm also super encouraged to see that Leah and Colin both stayed pure for each other, because this is no easy task. Anyway, here are some photos: 

The ceremony was at a small chapel in Fairfield.

There is a graveyard next to the chapel, so we had to take at least one shot in there :0

Good times! See the slideshow with more photos by CLICKING HERE. Have a good one!

Josh and Christina Dyczewski

Josh and Christina's wedding this weekend was a blast! The wedding was in Santa Clarita, and the reception in Burbank. I know Christina because she was a leader in the high school youth group at Calvary Chapel SB when I was in high school. Here are some of the images from the day:

A friend, Dan Ramming, shot photos with me and this is one of the many sweet shots that he pulled. I shot Dan's wedding a couple of years ago, and his wife Stephanie was one of the bridesmaids in this wedding. I got to hang out with Steph and also Lauren Hersey (she built the cake for Andy and Carly) on the drives from SB. We had a good time :)
The ceremony was really nice. It was in this cool outside amphitheater with a bunch of cool trees.
I love these old light posts that they had there!
There was so much fun dancing going on at the reception!
Y-M-C-A!
Josh and Christina are awesome people. It was a blessing and an encouragement to be part of their day :)

To view more photos, you can see the slideshow by clicking HERE. Thanks! 

Andy and Carly Schmiess

So this morning it was totally raining! I was worried for my friends Andy and Carly because rain and outside weddings don't mix that well. God hooked it up though and sent some good weather for the wedding :) I've known the Gray family for a really long time through Calvary Chapel. Carly's parents and mine have been friends for a long time, and we were all running around Pebble Hill together as kids. I met Andy about 5 years ago, and we've been good friends. We've stormed his hometown of Salinas and surfed together, Costa Rica trips, youth group... I was SO glad that I could be there to photograph their wedding!
It was a Montecito backyard wedding. It was AMAZING!!
From the rain this morning to this:
Seany, "...the ring is a symbol of their undying love... cat?" It's an outside wedding, and the cat was curious about what was going on :)
I love this shot!
The amazing mother/daughter tag team, Lauren and Geralynn Hersey, built this beautiful cake!
I had such a good time today!!! See more of the photos by CLICKING HERE. Thanks for reading :)

Matt and Abby Crescitelli

I had the pleasure of shooting Matt and Abby's wedding in Santa Barbara! I know Abby from high school and the youth group at Calvary Chapel, where they had their ceremony. Here are some of the shots:

Besides the fact that the entire day was just sweet, I really loved that Matt and Abby put their own personal touch on what happened at their wedding. I was at the hair salon with Abby and her sisters in the morning, and she was telling me that they got a special Mario Bros wedding cake. What? Matt and Abby both work at video game stores... Her phone rings, and the ringtone is the Mario Bros song. Abby mentioned that they had a few other surprises up their sleeves that i should look out for. During the ceremony it was at the part where Pastor Troy says, "I now pronounce you man and wife, Matt you may kiss your bride," and they kiss, but before they were done, they had arranged for a special sound effect to be played: the victory sound from Final Fantasy VII! It was so rad!!

You can listen to this sweet sound by CLICKING HERE!
Their first dance was awesome!! It started out with a nice Aerosmith jam, but them turned into The Evolution of Dance. You're like what? Check out what that means by CLICKING HERE. Although with 72 million views on youtube, you've probably already seen it :) Matt and Abby executed it wonderfully. It was a lot of fun.
Is that their wedding cake? Heck yeah, it's a Super Mario Bros wedding cake!!!!
Having one of the sections as a warp tube made my day! I grew up playing Mario Bros too, didn't everyone?

Matt and Abby's wedding was awesome! I'm so glad that I got to be there for it :)

See a slideshow with more photos by CLICKING HERE. Thanks!

Veronica and Enrique Diaz

I had the pleasure of shooting an awesome wedding this weekend in Santa Barbara. The couple, Veronica and Enrique are so cool!! They really know how to do it right, and I'm super glad I was able to be a part of their day :)

To see more photos, view the slideshow here.

The ceremony was at the Holy Cross Church on the Mesa. The inside is lined with cool stained glass windows.

After the ceremony was over, we all jumped in a trolley car that they had rented and drove to the Mission and the Courthouse to take photos. The trolley was really cool because unlike a limo, we didn't have to be packed in there to fit. We had a lot of fun on the trolley, there were a couple of impromptu toasts as well as some warm up drinks.
My assistant for the day, Kristin, is totally awesome! She scored all kinds of really sweet shots like the one above.
I think that this photo is really abstract, but I'm pretty into it.
You can never go wrong with a group sing along!
Yeah, people were dancing 'till midnight, and even I got on the floor for a little bit! The food was amazing, good wine, fun people, and really, I can't believe that I get to do this for work! I totally love my job!