What an event! Tara and Phil were married last Friday at The Ebell Club in Long Beach, CA. It was not your regular old wedding…it was a Masquerade Ball! Over a year’s worth of planning went into it all and it was fantastic. So many great details everywhere, highlighted by custom hand-made Venetian masks. The Ebell Club is such a cool venue in the middle of Long Beach. One of those places that you wouldn’t really notice unless you knew of it. Then when you walk inside, you’re blown away. Really a cool and unique place. Thanks to Clara Ross of Clara’s Perfect Occassions for running the show…she was a blast to work with. Some favs…check out their awesome details!

Tara, getting ready in the dark.

Phil, ready to get married!

Someone’s not smiling…

View from above.

I love the groom anticipation shot.

We did it!

Congrats time!

Shoes always manage to come off sooner or later.

A little twirl.

Alone time…finally.

The Newlyweds.

Back to the action.

Love me some brick walls.

Love this shot of Tara!

Groomsmen in their masks.

Nothing like hugging and dancing.

Dancing from above.

A duel broke out during the garter toss!

Some details.

And more details.

Happy Friday everyone! I haven’t been posting much Lucas stuff lately and he said “Daddy, I’m feeling neglected!”, so I figured I could do at least a photo or two of Lucas every Friday. BTW, I’m kidding about him saying that…it sounded more like “Dada! ugh ugh ughhhhh!” So, here’s some shot of my little boy romping around in Newport Beach in his favorite Skull T-shirt. I’m off to the first of 3 weddings this weekend!

Be warned…geek speak and weird numbers coming up!

I’ve been pretty bummed out the last few weeks since I killed my 17-40 f/4L lens. We had a shoot at the beach and I put my favorite wide angle lens in the cargo pocket of my shorts, which I occassionally do. Of course, this time, I didn’t but the back cap on (that protects the vital interior of the lens). So after some rolling around in the sand here and there, I found out that the inside of my lens was full of sand. Not too upset, since I thought it was fixable. Well, I was wrong. I went to the Canon service center in Irvine and they said that it was “beyond repair!” That’s when I was Sad. I love me some wide angle and I was already missing it.

So, I debated on whether to replace the lens with another one or not. Back and forth. I decided on not getting one and just using my existing gear. I can get to 24mm on my current kit. So I was Kinda Sad. Sad that I wouldn’t have the super-wide, which I’ve used for some of my all time favorite photos. But since I wouldn’t be spending extra cash, it was seamingly ok.

Another week went by… a few more events and shoots. I got away with 24mm and the (15mm fisheye) and it was ok. But, I really missed the wide, so today, I am Happy! I just ordered the new version of the 16-35mm f/2.8 L. Almost the same as my old wide angle, but newer and hotter and better!!! It got really good reviews and it’s for the greater good of photography! So it is justified. :) It should arrive tomorrow in time for all the good stuff going on this weekend. I can’t wait…and it should be fabulous for my upcoming NYC trip in October.

Ok, enough geek ranting. Thanks for reading!!! I’m off to get my gear insured!

New Hotness:

Random thought of the day. I was researching some wedding dress designers and their different collections out right now. And my absolute favorite stuff right now is from Monique Lhuillier. She has such super elegant designs and I just love the lace she uses in some dresses. The surprise was that when I ran across her entry in Wikipedia, I found out that she was born and raised in the Philippines!! So cool when I find some of the super talented Filipinos out there. I’m already proud of my heritage, but it’s just neat to see them find success in main stream America…especially when I really like their work.

Check out the latest collection in Inside Weddings and their website:

On Saturday, Katie and Ryan spent a fabulous day getting married in San Marino/Pasadena. They had their ceremony at the beautiful San Marino Community Church. After the ceremony and the Arch of Swords ceremony, Katie and Ryan took off in Ryan’s ultra-cool, restored 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. An awesome send off. It was off to the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena for the reception and an awesome night, full of entertainment. From the 9-piece band from Bob Gail to the special piano performances from their guests, it was non stop action. There was even this sweet ice sculpture. Thanks to Margie McCoy for keeping us in the know and for making everything just right. It was quite the event. Some hightlights:

Flower girl, Camille, was such a sweetie.

Some window action.

I love this straight on shot of Katie…with some texture.

Cool Bridal Party portrait in front of the church.

Bride walking down the aisle with Dad.

Some alone time witht the Bride and Groom right after the ceremony.

The Getaway.

The Getaway Car.

Took some shots in the Japanese Garden.

More garden portraits.

Flowers and stripes.

Some smelling action.

Ice and Gold. Super cool ice sculture in the Georgian Ballroom.

Some flowers.

First dance action with some help from the spot lights.

Chinese tea ceremony to cap off the evening.