Naomi & Jerry's Engagement Session in Santa Barbara
I had the honor of shooting the wedding for two really wonderful people, Naomi and Jerry. They're from LA and they got married at the Biltmore Four Seasons here in Santa Barbara. We shot their engagement session here in Santa Barbara, running around downtown, getting coffee, walking around in Chase Palm Park and winding up at Butteryfly Beach.
Here are a few favorites from their Engagement Session.
Kacey & Jake Scott's Wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, CA.
Life passes by so fast and then you realize you haven't updated your blog!! So...
I had the honor of covering the wedding of Kacey and Jake Scott from Texas! They were married at the beautiful church, All Saints by the Sea in Montecito and the reception was at the Biltmore Four Seasons. I met up with Kacey and Jake at the Biltmore with their planner Zohe Felici of Events of SB at the Biltmore a couple months prior to their wedding. They're such a great couple, too bad they aren't local so I could see them more often. Their families and friends were so amazing and fun. It was an absolute pleasure working with them. As usual, it was also a pleasure working with my cousin Carlo who flew in from NJ to help me out and Dana from FotoCielo.
Here are some favorites from their day. You can view a slideshow from their wedding day here.
Erin and Cameron - Engagement Session in Santa Barbara
I had so much fun with Erin and Cameron the other weekend shooting their engagement session here in Santa Barbara. They're such a great couple and they brought their dog along on the session! As usual, it was a beautiful day with an awesome sunset. They're getting married next June at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion on the beach. It's going to be a beautiful wedding!
I met Jewel a few years ago on a long flight to Maui and because of her, it was one of the best flights I've ever had! It's so great to see how things are coming along with her and her Plane Art! I've blogged about her before but Joel Hochberg created a documentary film about Jewel and it's featured on DarynKagan.com.
I even made it to the video, see if you can find me. I wanted to share so here it is.
Jayson and Michelle's wedding at The Fossil Creek Ranch - Ada, Oklahoma
Jayson and Michelle's wedding was the second wedding I assisted David with while I was in Oklahoma. This was a really fun wedding with lots of laughing, crying, more laughing and... oh yeah, more laughing! The wedding ceremony was in the town of Ada, Oklahoma. Michelle was beautiful and Jayson was a stud. She didn't know about it but Jayson planned a song to sing to her during the ceremony and he did an awesome job! Right after the ceremony, the whole wedding party jumped into a party trolley and headed to the reception, which was held at The Fossil Creek Ranch.
The Fossil Creek Ranch is a really cool converted barn. There was a tent for the reception of over 200 people and the place was beautiful. One fun fact from the wedding was that Blake Shelton was one of the groomsmen and he was also accompanied by Miranda Lambert. He gave one of the funniest speeches I've ever heard at a wedding and the whole place was cracking up! It was called... "Thanks a lot Michelle... by Blake Shelton", it still makes me laugh, just to think about it!
Lee and Nicole's Wedding - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
I love being a wedding photographer, it's such an honor to be a part of one of the most important days in a couples life together! It's also so cool to see how no matter where you are in the world, weddings have the same key elements... families, friends, happy couples, beautiful brides and lots and lots of partying! haha
I was in Oklahoma to visit an awesome photographer, David Baxter and most importantly, to assist him with a couple weddings. Everyone at Lee and Nicole's wedding were so wonderful. Nicole was beautiful and Lee was tight and neat in his uniform. An honor guard was present and the roses on the cake were hand made... what a perfect day.
David is such a great guy and we have way too much fun when we shoot together. At one point, we were both out on the dance floor! haha I love being a wedding photographer!
Here are some of my favorites from Lee and Nicole's wedding at Coles Garden in Oklahoma City.
Heidi and Tim's Wedding at the Santa Barbara Ty Warner Sea Center
I had the honor of shooting the wedding of Tim and Heidi Kolanko's wedding this past weekend at the Ty Warner Sea Center on the pier in Santa Barbara. I can't say enough about this wonderful couple and the amazing friends and family that were at the wedding. My team, (Karen and Kiel) and I were treated as if we were family, as if we all lived in the same house since we were little kids... not kidding! Like I said, I could go on, but I won't. :)
Tim and Heidi are from San Diego and had their wedding on the Santa Barbara pier at the Ty Warner Sea Center. They met up earlier at the Santa Barabra Court House for pictures and had their ceremony and reception right there on the pier. Heidi's hair was amazing, her jewelry was hand made just for her and Tim wore Vans, how awesome! The DJs were playing some killer tunes and how incredible to be dancing under two humpback whales! There were all kinds of sea life in tanks around the sea center. At one point I backed up into a tank and then realized it was full of sharks! It was an absolutely beautiful wedding and it was such an honor to be there.
Stefanie and Gil were in Los Angeles recording this past week and we've been trying to get together before they go back to Vienna, Austria. I covered Stefanie and Gil's wedding in Capri Italy back in May and that was the last time we all saw each other. They've been so busy but we had to make it happen somehow so when Stefanie said come to the studio, Melissa and I had to go. They are so awesome and it was so great to see them! I can't say enough good things about Stefanie and Gil.
I've never been to a recording studio and I was in heaven with the wall to wall electronics! The mixing board alone was so cool, I was like a kid in a candy store. Anyway, here are a couple pics of Stefanie from my iphone.
Wedding - Gina and Amos - Four Seasons Biltmore, Santa Barbara, CA
I had the last minute privilege of 2nd shooting the wedding of Gina and Amos Hartston for Melissa Musgrove at the Biltmore Four Seasons last weekend. I've known Melissa over the years through various photography organizations and was thrilled to finally get a chance to work with her and her husband Paul.
Gina and Amos had a beautiful wedding with all the things that make me love being a wedding photographer, a beautiful couple, awesome family and friends, a stellar setting and a perfect Santa Barbara day.
I had the honor of shooting Sherry and Brent's wedding here in Santa Barbara. They are both from Canada and decided to have their wedding in Santa Barbara. Sherry's daughter lives here and they've been here many times so they knew how beautiful it would be to have a ceremony here.
It was a beautiful, private ceremony with a total of 13 guests, made up of their closest friends and family. The ceremony was held at Unity Church; afterwards we walked around Alice Keck Park and the Santa Barbara Court House, winding up at the Biltmore Four Seasons where they planned a nice intimate wedding day dinner.
It was an honor to be included in their day and everyone was so wonderful. Here are some favs.
Adriana & Michael's wedding at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum
What a great weekend, busy and fun! Friday started Adriana and Michael's wedding weekend with a rehearsal at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and a rehearsal dinner at El Paseo restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara. Family, friends, great food and pitchers of Margaritas... what else do you need?
Karen and Craig drove up Friday night for the wedding and a great friends daughter also came along to shoot this wedding. Andriana loves photography and is really getting into it so I asked her if she wanted to come along and see what wedding photography's all about, first hand. I was super happy she came along, she's a doll and it was a pleasure having her there. I was also happy she was there because this wedding was a good size, 350+ guests and a wedding party of 20, awesome!
Everything was beautiful and everything went as planned, talk about awesome planning! Adriana was especially beautiful in her dress... the bead work was incredibly detailed. Her dad walked in and saw her for the first time in her dress and just stared. I did the same when I saw her too! The ceremony was held in the lower area of the museum, right in front of a vine covered trellis. All the bridesmaids started crying when Adriana started walking down the aisle. Michael also lost it the first time he saw her.
The dinner was served in the upper courtyard by Pure Joy Catering. The toasts and speeches started before dinner and I must say that the best man's speech was one of the funniest speeches I've heard in a long long time! The food was amazing and everyone partied hard right to the end.
Michael surprised Adriana with a horse and carriage ride that took them from the museum to their suite at the Canary Hotel downtown. Here are some favs from the day.
The girls started their day out at Mishay Salon on De La Vina, catching up on celebrity gossip, getting their hair and make up done... the usual. Everyone was so nice and calm and they were having a blast.
The guys on the other hand were having a blast in a different way. Jammin music, dancing and an open bar. On a side note, there was this incredible sand rail at the house that I couldn't stop drooling over. This thing was amazing, polished aluminum everything, full electronics and an aluminum block Corvette engine that puts out around 500 horse...... ok sorry, back to the wedding!
We all had a blast at the wedding and it truly was an honor to be a part of such a special day for Adriana, Michael and both families... thank you so much!
Boubulina and Marcus were married this past weekend at Elings Park in Santa Barbara. They did such a great job using all the park has to offer! They had their ceremony down in the amphitheater, cocktail hour on the deck and dinner was served out in the grassy area with the DJ and the dance floor. There were gas lamps for heat and lights were strung up over the party.
Boubulina's brother Stavros was her Man of Honor and there were around 150 guests there to celebrate the wedding. The DJ was playing requests that kept everyone dancing hard right to the end. At the end of the night, Marcus projected a slide show onto a huge screen of fun pictures of themselves over the years.
Both families and all the guests were so nice and it was an honor for us (my awesome team Karen, Craig and I) to be there, thank you.
Here are some favs! Check out these first 3 detail shots by Craig, Karen's husband, nice job!
Here's a great example of how 2 perspectives, a 2nd shooter (Karen), make a nice difference in a shot.
Dawn and Brian's Wedding at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
I had the honor of shooting Dawn and Brian's wedding this past weekend at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History! What's so great too is that I met Dawn over 4 years ago when she first came to Santa Barbara from Chicago! She moved into my brother's house when they went to Europe and was an original tenant to the day they came back to the states. I actually painted her bedroom... twice!
Anyway, the wedding was beautiful, the families and friends were wonderful and with Karen 2nd shooting for me, everything was perfect. It was an emotional ceremony with many people being recognized, especially Brian's late father that had a seat dedicated to him during the ceremony. One fun fact about their wedding day is that Dawn's parents celebrated their 40th anniversary on the same day. They had pictures of all the family weddings in the reception hall and there was one picture of Dawn's parents crossing a bridge on their wedding day so we re-created the same image.
Dawn has always talked about wanting a VW Bug so... Brian stashed the car at the museum the week before and right after the ceremony, he parked it right outside the gates so he could surprise her... too much fun. Also, just like the shower that morning, so much work had gone into the details during the reception. There were pictures of them all over the place along with fun facts about Dawn and Brian on all the tables.
Dawn's Shower at Cafe Buenos Aires in Santa Barbara
Yesterday Dawn and Brian were married at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History! Early that morning Dawn's friends and family threw a shower for her at Cafe Buenos Aires in Santa Barbara. It was such an amazing shower. So much work went into the details, flowers and the research about Dawn! She has been in 13 weddings and now she's finally a bride. They had a picture of Dawn from each wedding and a representative bouquet set up all over the tables! They also had a hilarious poster of dawn in a wedding dress with the pictures from every wedding all around her, too much fun!
Everyone had a great time laughing and crying! Here are some favs.
Santa Barbara Engagement Session with Adriana and Michael
Last Friday, I had so much fun running around with Adriana and Michael shooting their engagement session! They're getting married next month at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Awesome couple, beautiful venue, over 300 guests... I can't wait!
Adriana is a true Santa Barbara local. I think she should run for mayor because everywhere we went, she knew someone! We started at their favorite restaurant, The Chase, where the waiter was such a ham. We also walked around Alice Keck Park where right across the street they were having a Summer Solistice event, too much fun.
Here are some favs.
This image is Michael's favorite image! He loved his old senior portrait so much that he wanted another made. Can you tell we were having fun?
So here's some fun photography stuff. I created a mosaic from every image I took at Stephanie and Gil's Capri Italy wedding and made a mosaic out of it! I thought it was kinda cool! I'd love to see a huge print like this on my wall!
Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer in Positano, Italy
Another great experience we had while in Italy, was driving up the Amalfi Coast. There are so many beautiful little cities all along the coast and one that we stopped at was Positano. Melissa was in Italy for 3 months last year and while she was there, she visited Positano and did a review on the spa at Le Sirenuse.
We dropped by Le Sirenuse and gave them a copy of the article she wrote for them in YWD. They were so friendly and gave me a tour of the hotel and spa. They were also so kind as to have us there for dinner as their guests. The views from the hotel are amazing, the city, the coast... everything. We actually met two couples from the states that were staying there that were on their honeymoon.
After an incredible week in Capri, Melissa and I spent a few days in Rome before we flew home. I couldn't wait to see Rome and I had no idea what to expect. Being in Italy alone was culture shock enough but walking around the streets of Rome was absolutely amazing. As you walk around the streets of Rome, you know you're in a city but then all of a sudden, you're standing in front of St. Peters Basilica or the Colosseum! To think that there was a civilization that lived around and built these structures almost 2000 years ago blows my mind! My concept of "The Big Picture" has suddenly been magnified 100 fold.
The first piece of history we came upon was St Peter's Basilica. San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is best known as the home for Michelangelo's statue of Moses. It was surreal to be walking inside of this Basilica that was built in the years 432-440. Where are we now... 2008?
Again, as we are walking down the cobblestone streets, we turn the corner and there stands the Colosseum. This was incredible to see. The size, the age, everything about it. I walked up to it and just stood there staring at it with my hand on one of the walls... people must've thought I was nuts!
We walked for miles but it didn't matter because of where we were. We were starving and since we've been eating like kings for the past week during the wedding, we wanted something quick and bad for you so we found a McDonald's! How wrong was it to be eating at a McDonald's where the view out of the front door was The Pantheon! Yes, I know that's just wrong :)
After the Pantheon, we found ourselves at the Piazza Navona. There were people painting, sculpting, singing, dancing and acting all over the place. One of my favorites was this guy that looked like a business man on the move. He was pretty funny and the crowd around him was huge. He just stood there nice and still, but looked like a guy walking in the wind! He would raise his eyebrows with every tip he got.
The Vatican City was pretty amazing to see. You could see it way off in the distance but nothing compared to standing in front of it.
One of the last sites we saw was The Trevi Fountain. There were so many people here that I had to wait for the crowds to move just so I could stand in front of the fountain. Again, simply amazing. I read that the fountain collects around 3,000 EUR a day just from people wishing into it! That's awesome! I think we did really well for seeing Rome in a day, but there's so much more to see and I can't wait to come back!
Stefanie and Gil: Villa Verde Ristorante, Capri Italy
Capri is such a beautiful place and so are the people. The weather is perfect, almost as perfect as it is in Santa Barbara! haha. You can walk everywhere you want to go, unless you want to get to the other side of the island and visit Anacapri. I'm sure you could walk, but the thin winding roads and mountainous terrain make it hard so you either take a bus or taxi. We spent alot of time up in Capri Town where most of the restaurants, shops and bars were. it's pretty surreal to walk through the cobblestone streets with shops that make Rodeo Drive look like a strip mall.
On the last night, we all went to the super fun restaurant, Villa Verde. As you walk through the entrance, the walls are collaged with images of friends, families and celebrities! Our whole crew took up most of an outdoor patio and it was probably the most fun I've had at dinner in a long time! Stefanie and Gil knew the owner so we were all treated in the same manner as we were used to all week.. like family. Everyone was laughing, drinking and singing that's amore with Dean Martin. We were the biggest group there and the loudest but everyone in the restaurant loved it and sang along with us.
Stefanie and Gil opened up gifts and of all the wonderful things she received, one very special gift from her sister brought tears to Stefanie's eyes. It was pretty amazing and a complete honor to be included in this incredible life celebration between Stefanie and Gil for their wedding with their closest family and friends.
3D glasses that showed hearts when you look into the light were handed out right before a congratulations cake was brought out. The cake lit up like the 4th of July and everyone had sparklers... incredible. Thank you Stefanie and Gil for treating me like one of the family. My fondest memories of my first trip to Italy include both of you, your families and friends!
Here are some favorites from that night. The first picture is of Ori Kafre, the owner of the JK Capri.
One thing so incredible about this wedding is that it wasn't just the wedding that everyone came for. This was more like a family reunion that lasted for a week! Every day had activities planned and everyone had so much fun. One activity planned was Casino night. This was a casino night where everyone was dressed to the 9's in their best tuxes and dresses. The first round was a roulette game that brought out the gambler in everyone. The second round was a poker playoff that turned into serious rivalry with serious "all in" bets being called every other round! Cigars, Prosecco, serious competition and tons of fun!
The winners from each game even had Stefanie and Gil's wedding 2008 trophies given to them! Everyone looked amazing especially Stefanie in her Roberto Cavalli dress.
After the amazing civil Piazza wedding in Capri Town, everyone filtered their way back to the JK Capri for the Jewish Ceremony. This was a beautiful and touching private ceremony held by the pool.
I'm having an incredible time over here in Capri Italy! We checked into the JK Capri on Monday and it's been non stop ever since. People started to arrive all day Monday and Stefanie and Gil were so excited to see everyone come through the door. The JK Capri is a 5 star Luxury Boutique Hotel here on Capri and there are only 22 rooms. The whole hotel was reserved for a week just for guests! I can't even guess how many bottles of Prosseco Wine have been opened so far.... all I do know is that there were glasses handed to us the moment we arrived and they still haven't stopped coming!
Another amazing detail about this wedding is that they secured the whole kitchen staff to cater to the guests. The head chef, Rennato is the most charming little Italian man that never stops running around. He smiles constantly and is always checking on the guests to make sure everything is ok. Needless to say, the food has been amazing.
When we walked in the door, we were greeted... "buona serra, welcome home" and that's exactly what it feels like to be in this hotel with all the guests. Everyone is amazing and they all, especially Stefanie and Gil have treated Melissa and I like we're part of the family. One thing pretty amazing about everyone here is that they come from all over the world. There are guests here from the U.S.A, Vienna, Germany, Persia, Russia, Israel, Canada and London! And I'll say it one more time, they all treat each other like they're family, so cool! I just wish I knew how to speak Italian, German and Hebrew!
Here are some pictures from Monday.
I also wanted to show everyone the amazing view from my balcony in the next 2 pictures. This is where I'm sitting right now as I post this blog! I could really get used to this!
So Melissa and I left for Capri Italy on the 24th with a 5 hour flight to Philadelphia and then an almost 9 hour flight to Rome airport. We arrived in Rome and picked up this awesome little rental car, a Fiat Punto! We drove this little guy from Roma to Napoli and it kept dinging everytime I hit 130km/hr! The little thing would barely go any faster than that! I kept getting passed by all of these sweet cars and motorcycles! For those of you that know me, you know that didn't make me happy! hahaha I have also now decided that I must have one of those smart cars! Check out the picture, they're awesome!
We got to Napoli and dropped off the Punto at the airport and then found a cab that brought us to the Ferry. This wasn't just any ferry, it was a hydrofoil boat that brought us to Capri in 40 minutes. Way cool!
Check out the beautiful view of Capri! This is a beautiful island, every bit of it. We're staying on the other side of Capri, in Anacapri, which is on top of a mountain at the Capri Palace. There was a fesitval today up here in Anacapri and they had the roads closed to traffic. Everyone was out and about walking all over. There was this old couple sitting on a bench that I took a picture of. They were so cute, just sitting there laughing with eachother, saying hello to everyone they knew. They have probably lived on Capri their whole lives and probably know everyone on the island. Like I said, they were so cute and so happy sitting there talking away. She barely had any teeth and everytime she laughed she looked like a boxer!
I totally forgot about this picture but when I was shooting Mike Fine yesterday, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that this adorable little girl was fascinated by us and was watching from the other side of this huge water fountain. She's so cute and I just had to post this picture of her. She had such a curious face but the second I turned my camera at her she gave me this face! It's like she thought... "Doh! I'm busted!"
I was introduced to the greatest guy by my good friend Melissa. He's a fireman but he's done some modeling/acting in the past and he wanted to update his portfolio so Melissa sent him my way. We had a great afternoon shooting at the Santa Barbara Mission.
Raquel from Walter Claudio was with us taking care of hair and makeup, especially since the wind was really starting to pick up towards the end of the day. It was an absolute pleasure working with these two and Mike has completely inspired me to start working out again! haha!
Santa Barbara Engagement Session for Bubu and Marcus!
I had a ton of fun running around Santa Barbara yesterday shooting an engagement session for Bubu and Marcus. They're such a fun couple from Costa Mesa and they're getting married up here in Santa Barbara next month.
We started up at the Santa Barbara Mission, ran into David Caruso from CSI: Miami (being a tourist at the mission!), trekked down to Alice Keck Park where 5 different bridal parties were getting pictures done and finally wound up at beautiful Butterfly Beach in Montecito where the water was so incredibly warm!
Here are a few favorites!
Here is their slideshow and to see the show full screen, go here. Enjoy!
Here's a great resource for all of those brides to be out there or for anyone that loves jewelry! I've done some product photography for Ron Ziegler, a jeweler here in Santa Barbara. He specializes in pearls but also offers other jewelry along with custom jewelry.
His pricing is great because he doesn't have huge overhead. He's really nice and offers super personalized service. He mentioned to me that pricing can fall anywhere from $50 to $50,000. Here are a few of the pearl strands that I shot for his site. There are some really unique colors offered and I actually had a meeting with a bride and when she saw the copper colored pearls, she fell in love with them for her bridesmaids because they matched the accents on their dresses.
His site is currently under construction but you can contact Ron at 805-455-5526.
Destination Wedding in Capri, Italy at the JK Place, Capri Hotel
I'm super excited about the wedding of Stefanie and Gil for so many reasons, I don't even know where to start. I've said this before and I'll say it again, but the number one reason I love being a wedding photographer is for the people I meet, work with and become friends with. There are so many amazing couples that I've shot weddings for and are now my friends. I see babies come and families grow, I absolutely love it!
Stefanie and Gil treat me like one of their special guests and I haven't even met them in person yet! From all of the correspondence I've gotten from their guests and friends, this is going to be an amazing gathering of friends and family. Here's a fun fact... Stefanie, aka Fawni is an accomplished singer and artist signed with Sony BMG! They're having karaoke one night and now there's no way I'm picking up that mic!
I will be shooting their wedding on the island of Capri in Italy at the JK Capri Hotel, with wedding activites scheduled for 5 days! The JK Place is an amazing hotel rated "Hotel of the Year" in the Tatler Travel Guide 2008.
Stefanie and Gil are also excited because Your Wedding Day Magazine is doing an exclusive feature on this wedding. YWD is a destination wedding and lifestyle magazine and online publication. With engaging editorial, stunning photography, compelling graphics, and contributions by the industry’s finest, YWD provides their discriminating readers—brides and grooms, their parents, and their wedding professionals—with innovative and elegant ideas as well as a full complement of resources to make their wedding day a stylish occasion. YWD is a beautiful magazine so make sure to look for it on the stands!
This is going to be an amazing destination wedding so check back for updates!
Heather and Andy's Engagement Session in Santa Ynez
I had the honor of shooting Heather and Andy's engagement session this past weekend at a few wineries in Santa Ynez. They're getting married at a winery next summer so Santa Ynez was a perfect place for the shoot! Karen and Craig with KDC Photography, Heather, Andy and I all went up to Santa Ynez yesterday and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Too bad the grapes were super young but wineries are always beautiful places to visit.
I'm so happy for these guys and they're such an incredible couple. Here are a few favs and their slide show. To view this slide show outside of the blog, go here.
Clarification (from a reputable source) for the rules of calling "Shotgun!"
This is so funny. I got this email the other day and I'm so glad that the rules are now clear. I grew up with two older brothers so this was a game that I always lost!
Portrait Session with Dr. Jacqueline Richard, psy.d.
I had a wonderful shoot this past weekend with Dr. Jacqueline Richard. She is working on some ad work and is also updating her site so we shot a portrait session. She was a wonderful model and is such an interesting lady! We had a great session! If any couples out there ever thought about meeting with someone like Dr. Richard, make sure to give her a call, she's a fantastic lady!
I wanted to share this email from my good friend and business partner Melissa. The pictures are amazing!
The subject of the email was... Wildflowers in honor of an innocent squirrel.
"I went to Figueroa Mountain in Los Padres Forest above Los Olivos yesterday for a little solitude (spa health people!). The hike was great, but I think biking would be better. The wildflowers are at their peak and I thought you would like to see a few good pics -- looking at the photos makes you want to frollick naked in the fields, doesn't it? Well, maybe the thought of ticks or poison oak scares you, so maybe not. Aside from running over a squirrel in my miata, it was a great day -- not too hot, not too cold and really nice views."
I had the honor of doing a portrait session for the Bulov family this past weekend, right on Rincon Beach just south of Santa Barbara. I've known Mark and his wife Amanda for almost 9 years now. They moved away and just recently moved back to Santa Barbara so when he gave me a call and asked if I was available to photograph their family reunion, I said of course; I would've moved mountains to be available. My good friend Karen was in town so it was perfect timing, 2 for 1!
They are such an amazing family and they took us in like long lost children. I couldn't thank them enough for their hospitality. Here are a few of my favs.
So, I've been in Las Vegas this past week attending WPPI, the largest trade show in professional photography! WPPI stands for Wedding & Portrait Professionals International. It was amazing! It's all about networking, education on the latest and greatest in the industry and one of the biggest perks is that it's way too much fun!
I have many things to blog about like new products etc. but here's a photo from a photo booth at the Bludomain party. They went all out at this party being held at the Parisian Palace with casino tables, tattoo artists, a hypnotist and even a tarot reader!
The folks at Bludomain are an amazing bunch of people.
The Tammy and Spooky Dan Wedding at the Houdini Mansion in Los Angeles, California
I was a 2nd shooter for Karen at one of the most unique weddings of last year. Tammy and Spooky Dan were married at the Houdini Mansion in Los Angeles, CA. The mansion itself was incredible but what made the event so awesome were the friends and family that were there to celebrate the Goth wedding.
The details to this Goth wedding were pretty amazing. There were corpses laying around the grounds, skulls for centerpieces, guitar hero on the TV, body parts in the pool, Frankenstein and his bride were on the cake and more!
Here are some favs to show how awesome the wedding was...
I love cities and I've always wanted to see San Francisco but just never really got around to it. I've flown through it many times but never really saw it until this week! I was up here shooting and visiting and all the good things I've heard about this city are so true!
My good friend Dia Rao lives up there and she was so kind to take me literally everywhere around the city! She drove in and everywhere we went, we parked right in front! Talk about parking karma! Who says it's hard to park in the city!?
Anyway, it was awesome, even with the clouds. We went to see The Embarcadero, Pier 39, saw Alcatraz, the lions :) (Little did I know she meant sea lions at the pier. My first thought was the 4-legged zoo kind, whatever, I was a tourist! haha), finally got to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, the Pink Ladies, Lombard street, had Burmese food for the first time, ate some awesome pizza and so much more! I had a great time!
Here are some of my favs!
I had to take some pictures of Dia, my awesome tour guide! Yes, it was cold!
I had the honor of meeting little Benjamin Caputo the other night. Little Ben was at my brothers house for dinner and a visit while his parents Sara (Radiant Organizing) and Steve Caputo were out to dinner with family. I forgot what it's like to have a newborn in the house since my niece and nephew are getting so big now!
Anyway, I did a little portrait session with Ben and only got pee'd on once! Here are some favs.
We had some pretty cool clouds late this afternoon so I ran out the door to get some shots of the sunset and my dad came along. I just can't stand it... my dad is just way too cool! Check him out in his Maui Jim hat, sunglasses and even a Maui Jim neck strap that has "Got Aloha" written on it. I even got a picture of him rockin the iPhone! hahhaha He's just too stinkin cute!
How about a little Humpback whale 101? These are such amazing creatures! How cool that I was able to catch these pictures from my room? This little guy was probably a calf, he wasn't that big. You could also see his mom close by and she was huge, enjoy!
The humpback's pectoral fin is longer than that of all other species of whales, measuring one-third the whale's body length, or approximately twelve to fifteen feet. Humpbacks will often roll onto their side or back and slowly slap the water's surface with one fin or both fins simultaneously. The slapping of fins may serve as a communication signal to other whales.
A tail slap consists of a whale raising its tail flukes out of water and slapping them forcefully on the surface of the water. When the flukes hit the water, a loud resonant noise can be heard for miles. Humpback whales are known to repeat this behavior over and over. This behavior may serve as a warning to others in the vicinity.
Fun dolphin pics
I say that dolphins jump in the air because they can and because it's fun! This guy was motoring all over the place. He'd pop up on one side of the beach, then a few hundred yards away and then back over to the other side, what fun!
So I get up this morning and walk out onto the balcony to look at the ocean and there was this awesome rainbow out over the water... but this one was different. It was spread out over the ocean like fog, pretty cool, never saw a rainbow like this before. Anyway, as I was watching the rain over the ocean clear up, I saw a few humpback whales swimming by! Now this was way cool!
I've been on whale watching cruises before and they say that in order to spot one, you have to look out for the spouts over the horizon, so sure enough, here they are spraying all over the place. People have told me that the whales just got into town and that I should be able to see them pretty easily. Hopefully I'll get a picture of one breaching, how cool would that be?
I didn't think I had these images with me to blog about them but I did! Just before I left, Kacie Jean and David Jay had a PUG/Christmas party and it was held at David Jay's house. It was way too much fun! Thank you DJ for having us all at your new home. Lots of good food, drinks, heated competition on the Nintendo Wii and most of all, people. I saw friends I haven't seen in a while and also made some great new friends.
Here's a little collage of fun pics from the party!
My niece, Sarah had her Girl Scout graduation this past weekend at Alice Keck Park in Santa Barbara. I didn't realize how large of an organization the Girl Scouts was until this weekend. Since Sarah has lived in Europe for the past 4 years, she's participated in the Girl Scouts over seas so she has some badges that the other girls don't have.
When they graduate, they call it bridging so they all walked over the bride at the park to signify their accomplishments! I had to look all of this up online! haha
They all sang their songs and when Sarah walked across the bridge, she had to recite the Girl Scout Promise and Law. She's such a rockstar, I was so proud of her.
Jordan was a little rockstar too. Here he is, the little brother at his sisters Girl Scout Ceremony surrounded by what else.... girls! haha He kept himself busy with his scooter doing jumps the whole time!
I had the privilege of attending a Holiday party put together by Armando Martinez, the man behind Alegria by Design. The Santa Barbara Club was all decked out and the place looked pretty amazing! The lighting, the rooms, the food, the mock ceremony setup by Wesflora Inc.... all awesome. Scott Topper was the DJ for the night and kept everyone partying.
I had a ton of fun and met some really great people. Here are some pictures from the night with Dia, Katie and Nick, Armando bustin a move, and Melissa Musgrove who's probably going to kill me for blogging a picture of her dancing! haha
Maui No Ka Oi! - Delta flight with Jewel Van Valin!
Well, I'm off on a wedding shoot to Maui, going to visit some dear friends and to see my family. I took off from SB down to LA and then to Maui. My trip to LA was a short puddle jumper, which was a piece of cake. My flight from LA to Maui was another story, a great one! About two hours into the flight I decided to get up and walk around. Anyway, I made friends with two Delta employees and we wound up laughing all the way to Maui!
The flight attendants, Jewel Van Valin and Dave were so awesome! We sat and talked about everything from relationships to travel to their 30 years of marriage! Dave fixed me the most incredible bloody mary that never seemed to drop below half full! He kept that rather large cup full for the last 3 hours of my flight.
Jewel was so amazing. She walked the plane and had all the kids and any adults that wanted to play draw something with crayons that she brings on every flight. Once they were done, she would tape them up on the ceiling and the walls of the plane. Everyone loved them and there were some pretty amazing drawings! We had the plane laughing and playing games and at one point, we had a mother and daughter racing (fast walking) the aisles to see who could complete the most laps in 3 minutes. People were taking pictures of all the artwork that was hanging all over the plane and by the end of the flight I think I took pictures of everyone as if it were a wedding reception.
The flight seemed to last 30 minutes and before you knew it we were on the ground. I've never flown with a flight crew that was so friendly, helpful and fun. That's Jewel, Dave and me in the last picture posing with my work of art!
