Think Outside the Aisle

Last month was just the craziest month I've had all year. I shot this wedding in between trips to Chicago. I actually came back just to shoot the wedding. It was really my pleasure to make it back. Caity and Brody were the sweetest couple to work with. Their love and respect for one another was immense. It was obvious they both felt that they had won the ultimate prize by marring each other.

My only complaint about the day was the horrible lighting in the church. I'm a jpg. shooter but I switched to raw for the ceremony. The overhead lighting was pink and orange which is a photographers white balance nightmare! I also added a side light to give some separation and more light to the already harsh can lighting.  At the last minute I was given the unexpected invisible boundary speech by the church staff and told if I crossed it they would stop the ceremony. Come to find out I was only allowed in the aisle which for me is not my favorite place to be. I made it work by going outside and grabbing a few shots through the window so the couple would have more than one view of their ceremony. Think outside the aisle is what I say! 

Happy Holidays!

A Catalina Island Wedding :: Ana Maria & David

My favorite part of this wedding was getting to know Ana Maria and David. I mean, getting to visit Catalina Island for the first time and waking up to an ocean view was also a plus! But honestly Ana Maria and David are two of the most genuine people I've met in a long time. We got along so well, we're planning to meet up again soon to just have coffee and talk about life. It's a beautiful thing to be able to connect on a friend level with my clients. It makes it so much more easy to capture the emotions of memorable moments with some understanding and appreciation for who people are and the journey they've lived.

One of the fun details from this wedding is that Ana Maria made her awesome veil as well as the homemade boutonnières and corsages for family members. She has a business called American Tart and told me, "I started making pieces for myself because I couldn't find anything that was 'ME' out there and certainly nothing that was unique at a reasonable price point." She has very affordable prices and loves to make custom pieces!

Flowers: Tracy at Bloom Floral (Avalon, CA on Catalina)
Hair Piece, Boutonnières, Corsages - American Tart (Ana Maria--the bride!)
Venue: Catalina Country Club (Jessica Marical, Event Coordinator)
Handmade Birds Cake Topper: Lauren Alane

A little bit of joy.

I looked for a location for at least two hours before the shoot to find just the right spot and ended up using shooting in the barn across the street. The tree shots came right at the end when I thought we were done. I love it when things like this reveal themself at the last moment.