The more time I spend in West L.A., the more and more I love it! I’ve always been such an Orange County boy and didn’t get outside the Orange Curtain too much. Only thing that kills me is the traffic :( But I spent another awesome SoCal day with Sara and Alex and we went to shoot in Venice and Santa Monica. We had great weather and light and they looked fabulous! We got an amazing range of shots. Can’t wait for their wedding coming up in Malibu/Santa Monica!

I’ve known Joe since my first year in college. He was actually one of the first guys I met who made me consider joining my fraternity. Needless to say, so many important things happened to me since that crossroad in my life. From meeting my closest friends and eventually meeting Tey!! :) So, when Joe emailed me to say that he was engaged, it was such great news!

I had the pleasure of shooting Tina and Joe in San Francisco. We spent some time around the Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts. A really awesome place to shoot! And then to nearby Crissy Field where, although a bit foggy, we could still see a bit of the Golden Gate bridge. Their wedding is coming up real soon in September. Should be great!! Here’s a few favs:

This was a fun one! Veronica and Kit were married at the Pacific Palms Resort in the City of Industry. A really great venue that they remodeled a few years back and it looks fantastic! The interiors are chic and modern and they have a lovely little corner out by the golf course for the ceremony. Veronica had a gorgeous custom made gown designed by one of her bridesmaids! She looked beautiful in it! They also had the most amazing cake EVER!!! (Check it out below). It was a blast as their friends and family really know to just have fun. Smiles and laughter everywhere…gotta love it! Check out some highlights:

What a spectacular day in Laguna Beach! Along with the amazing weather, Diane and Frank looked great, too! Not much more you can ask for :) We had a great time and they were pros right off the bat. Can’t wait for their wedding this October! Enjoy some goodies here:

A while back, we decided to enter some photos in our first ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) photo contest. We never really got into contests for a few reasons. Tey always thought that judging photos was such a objective thing. While I still think she is right, seeing what your peers can come up with in comparison is also a great reason to take part in the whole experience.

And the other big reason we never got into contests is that choosing which photos to submit can be so difficult. You can never tell what the judges are gonna look for. Also, many times, we both fall in love with certain images that it’s really difficult to subject them to judging. Who wants their favorite images shot down?! :) But there were some brilliant images in the contest and it really is one of those cases where merely participating (while stressfull!) is a really great experience.

In the end, we are proud that we placed 4 images in the Summer contest. Considering submissions were in the hundreds…not too shabby :) Now, we know what do for next time! Here they are:

Category: Decisive Moment
Place: 2nd

Category: Decisive Moment
Place: 10th

Category: Framing the Subject
Place: 10th

Category: All About Light
Place: 6th