Little Italy :: Stephanie and Mason :: Engagement

Chemistry is everything. First and foremost, when you hire your photographer for your wedding, you must be on the same page. Your photographer is the only vendor that will be by your side almost the entire day. That is why I love face to face consultations. There is no creating a false persona through email or over the phone, but I get to be myself and hopefully by the end of our meeting we have created some sort of connection that allows them to open up and truly be themselves. The reason this is so important to me is because I feel my best work is a direct reflection of those couples who fully trust me and are able to be themselves during their photography session. Trust me, I know it is not easy being in front of the camera, but as long as your are intentional in letting your true self shine the rest is up to me to produce artistic, raw images that you will love.

The second part of chemistry is often neglected during photography sessions, but is vital to the images I am trying to capture. I want my images to speak of emotions. I want you to look back 10 years from now and be able to rekindle that significant moment by looking at an image I took. Chemistry between the couple makes or breaks these types of images I am tying to capture. So what am I going to ask of you during our photography session? To genuinely LOVE on each other. To genuinely LAUGH with each other. To genuinely get lost in the moment with each other and be playful. For instance, look at the second image down. I asked Stephanie to look up at Mason, which could easily be done with a blank stare. But I don't think she is just "looking" at Mason, but rather "gazing" at him. The definition of gaze is a good one: "to look long and intently. Gaze is often indicative of wonder, fascination, awe, or admiration" I don't know about you, but I feel her eyes show you how much she adores him.

I loved this shoot. Not because I magically did something with a camera, or had the most epic location ever, but because Stephanie and Mason walked away from the shoot truly loving each other more. And as a result, their pictures had that special ingredient that sets them apart. 

San Jaun Capistrano Mission :: Erin and Mike :: Engagement

I have always wanted to shoot at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano. There is something about old Spanish architecture that I absolutely love and when combined with an engagement shoot you have a recipe for phenomenal pictures. Erin and Mike's shoot lived up to all I had envisioned. I wonder if they could tell by the look on my face how giddy I was to spend the afternoon with them on the grounds of the Mission. Erin and Mike are getting hitched tomorrow and I cannot wait to work with them again.


   

Coronado Community Center :: Emily + Dave :: Wedding

I love it when couples really want to make the most out of their time with their photographer. Emily and Dave made it very clear up front that pictures were of the utmost importance. Because of this, they gave me plenty of time and free reign to plan out a great shot list of places around Coronado to take pictures. For me, time is very valuable towards the end result of the images. It allows me to expand my horizons of where I will be able to shoot rather than being confined to the wedding venue, because most of the time there are pretty cool places to shoot just around the corner. Ample amount of time also allows the Bride and Groom to relax and take in the moment, which always shows through the images. It is tough to do my job the best I can if the B+G are only focused on moving to the next phase of the wedding.

One of the best ways to ensure enough time for pictures is going the "First Look" route. Yes, I know that might offend some of you out there, but it is something to greatly give thought to rather than turning a cold shoulder on the idea of seeing each other before the ceremony. In comparison, the average amount of time I am given to work with the Bride and Groom who chose the traditional route is 25 min compared to the 45-70 min allotted with the "First Look". I will not go into the great debate between the two since that should be reserved for a blog post of its own, but I would love to seriously talk with any couples who would love to find out more. I think it would be worth your time.


With that said, those planning weddings right now, really spend time with your photographer to find out how much time they would recommend being hired for in order to capture your day to the fullest. Before I even write up a potential contract I will make sure to try and gather as much of the wedding details as I can and put together a sample shot list/timeline to give the couple an idea of how much time I would suggest. It is extremely valuable to educate potential clients. Too often I hear about ways to cut corners and limit our time spent capturing the wedding in order to save a buck. Trust me, not a great idea if pictures are something you genuinely value. For those out there wanting help planning  the photography portion of their day, I would love to give any guidance I can offer. Just email me with any questions you have.























































































































































































 Venue: Coronado Community Center
Coordinator: My amazing sister Jamie of Ever After Events