Wedding Photography Favorites, Los Angeles, CA, part 1

I have personal favorites from every wedding.
Here are a few I couldn’t resist sharing the stories of how they came about…

I have so many favorites from this wedding. This one strikes me as the most making out at a wedding EVER! We just finished some bridal photos, and I turned around to give some instructions on my assistant. They I look back and the couple is missing. Well, the Pasadena City Hall, isn’t a huge place to get lost in, so I peeked around the pillar and saw them… I do think that having a private moment is important for your wedding day, but I loved loved loved the light and all the beauty that is in this shot.

This is from a beautiful wedding in Santa Clarita, CA. The ceremony and reception took place in the groom’s parents’ backyard. It was a lovely day and beautiful wedding. She asked if we could just use the rustic grounds that surrounded their home, and when I saw the buzzing bugs making beautiful sparkling highlights, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite shots of the year.

In Chicago at a boutique hotel we had an all day bridal shoot with models, dresses and boutiques. Being a California girl, I was over the moon with the gorgeous historic buildings, and lovely snow. When I asked the model if she would be willing to go out and “play” in the snow. I believe this was her reaction, yes, laughing at me. I think that I liked this shot a whole lot more and was able to enjoy the warmth of shooting inside.

Another shot from the Dana Hotel in Chicago. Instead of being limited to just the lobby and room, we were able to go up to the night club level. I loved this window that over looked Chicago and the city lights. The best part was this was in the ladies restroom of the club. It is amazing for the view and the creative inspiration.

After standing in the sun, making out in the shade, and “working it” in front of the architecture at the Getty in Los Angeles. We were getting ready to head to the beach for our final shots. In the parking garage at the Getty was a great place to have photos, but who knew? Each level has a different color… I loved the impromptu photo shoot, and I think that the negative wall space, but so colorful adds a lot to this shot.

Some of the most amazing shots happen on accident. This was a complete misunderstanding, but obviously, luck was on my side. I asked the bride and groom to walk down the path to the beach in Santa Barbara after their wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore. I suppose he thought I asked for them to walk up on the rail (who knows how that happened, but when he was lifting her up on the railing, I immediately helped her up.) And we got this beautiful moment.

I love doing portraits with the boys. It is always the one time in the day when I get to hear the dirtiest jokes and get the best laughs. This was one of those times. The boys were getting ready in some pool shed, and there was tons of window light coming in from behind me. I was laughing because I first asked them to line up facing the windows, they misunderstood and faced the wall (making for a urinal looking shot). Then when they turned around they were all laughing so hard, that I got this shot (which is much better, than the previous.)

This image marks an important moment for me. This was the first time I used my fish eye lens. I think that the carefree atmosphere and the lovely couple just brings it all together. For me, this is one of my signature photos in a sense that I didn’t do anything but stand back and let the couple interact. I think that is part of the magic, that and the beautiful sunlight shining through the branches.

Check back for more Wedding Photography favorites… if you have any favorite images you would like short story about, please comment and let me know which one.