The weather in Santa Monica today couldn’t have been any better for my engagement photo shoot with Erica and Jake. We had a blast playing the carnival games, listening to a reggae band, and watching some pretty cool street performers. It was the kind of day people who live outside of Los Angeles envision Santa Monica to be. While it took a half hour to find parking, the delayed start time to our shoot was worth it. As was the $12 purchase for a balloon I used for one of the more conceptual photos. Erica and Jake were naturals in front of the camera, which made my job fairly easy.

I thoroughly enjoy having my previous wedding clients contact me when they reach another milestone in their lives, and these two did just that. I shot Jessica and Garret’s engagement pictures and their wedding, so it seemed fitting to be approached by Jessica to do their maternity pictures. I first took them up to one of my favorite locations for outdoor shoots, way up Bouquet Canyon and into the Angeles Forest. While there we ran into some people panning for gold and I immediately had to control the urge to discuss the show Gold Rush with them. I’m an avid viewer of the series. After having several days in a row that felt like summer during the winter, I happened to schedule our shoot on the day that winter decided to return to its regular season. It was bitterly cold out, but Jessica and Garret were great about the nippy weather and allowed me total creative freedom with their shoot. We ended the shoot by going to a new addition to my favorite locations – a meadow in Saugus. No gold panners, but still a great semi-secluded spot.

Nautical weddings. This wedding marks a first for me. It was the first wedding I’ve shot on a yacht. The ceremony and reception took place on the Majestic in Newport Harbor on Black Friday. While my wife was waking up early to hit all the sales at the mall, I was getting up early to drive down to the ocean and partake in a beautiful wedding. The weather was fantastic, especially for it being the end of November.

Rain. It is nice because it brings with it a cloud cover so photographers don’t have to worry about the glare from the sun penetrating the pictures. It isn’t so nice because it gets items and people wet. Luckily for Ashley and David’s wedding, we really didn’t have to encounter the rain until five minutes into the ceremony. I had already taken a lot of the formal shots prior to the start of the ceremony, so I wasn’t that concerned. I had a plastic bag over my camera and I was prepared for whatever the sky had to pelt down on me.

Speaking of the formal shots, I did a lot of the pictures at a multicultural center adjacent to the Embassy Suites in Brea. The multicultural center offered a unique background for the bridesmaids and groomsmen pictures, as well as an intimate setting for the first look. The couple was a lot of fun to work with, which makes my job that much easier.

Ashley and David had several guests from Hawaii. I found this ironic since I’m accustomed to hearing about people traveling in the opposite direction over the Pacific Ocean to go on vacation or attend a wedding. The wedding also had one stellar and delicious dessert table. Each delicacy was thoughtfully planned out and arranged. It had the current trend in special events, cake pops, while also giving guests a large variety of other sweet goodies to choose from.

When Garrett called me to ask if I could shoot his wedding, I was more than happy to oblige. Garrett and I have been friends for quite some time. We had been in the same band together and later, went backpacking together in Europe.

Garrett and Amanda’s wedding was low-key and intimate, with only close friends and family in Garrett’s family’s backyard. A fire pit was lit to add warmth to the chilly evening and the DJ played hits spanning several decades to keep people moving out on the dance floor. My wife was invited to the wedding, so after I was finished shooting the major details of the night, I was able to converse with friends and dance with my wife – a luxury I’ve never had at a wedding I have shot before.

Shooting weddings the weekend before Halloween, you never quite know what to expect. I always enjoy working weddings where the couple has added unique touches to their ceremony or reception that sets them apart from the norm and makes their day truly their own. This wedding was filled with said touches. First, as you may have noticed from the photographs, Melissa wore a black corset dress as her bridal gown. The groomsmen had Chuck Taylor’s with their tuxes, a move I highly applauded since my groomsmen and I wore Chuck Taylors at my wedding. The bridesmaids wore bat-patterned dresses in a color reminiscent of Adam West’s Batman costume. The guests were invited to come dressed in their Halloween costumes. Needless to say, it was a fun wedding to shoot!

I photographed Nicole and Ryan’s wedding way back in January. So when they contacted me a few months ago to take some christmas photos I was excited to see them again, even more so when I found out the cool (pun intended maybe) idea they had.

Sara at the Newhall Ice Company was awesome. She with the help of her crew provided us with the snow and the location that made for these fun photos. Note to self: if I know I’m going to be photographing in the snow don’t wear converse.

I wasn’t sure if I was on a day-cation with some friends in Santa Barbara or on an engagement shoot. Either way, I had a blast. At one point we saw a fish backdrop at the zoo and immediately I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I asked that they summon their inner fish. They nailed it.

We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo after hours; we rode a carousel that the ride operator touted as being faster than most; and we walked along the pier. Not bad for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

This was the second weekend in a row that I shot a wedding at the Bridgeport Clubhouse in Valencia and the fourth time I have been there this year. Let’s just say that I know the place pretty well at this point. I try my hardest not to replicate what I have done there before and too my surprise I’m always discovering new ways to shoot the same background. It also helps when I have great subjects like Marine and Justin.

Justin had 11 groomsmen and Marine had 6 bridesmaids so it was a party all day long (12 hours to be precise). I’m glad I was able to remember all of their names so that I wasn’t just pointing my finger all day long. Who likes to be pointed at or to be called “Hey you?”