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Hello. Thanks for taking the time to visit. Here we will share some of our professional and personal images and notes. I am lucky enough to work in some of the most beautiful city's in Southern Ca. like Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach,Long Beach, San Juan Capistrano,Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Pasadena, Temecula, San Diego and many more. For those of you with images and slideshows on the old blog, don't worry. The Old blog still lives, be sure to comment on any of the featured articles. ~Miguel Pola |
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Just wanted to drop some news. We will be releasing our wedding photography blog today at noon. On this wedding photography blog we will be have a couple of new features. One being Wedding Bridal Features. We are hoping to feature a new bride every 2 to 3 weeks. Be sure to tune in for that. These are real brides and real stories and advice. We will be starting the Bridal Features off with Natalie. Some of you remember Natalie and Joe's Wild wedding with tons of details and lots of fun. For those of you that are new to this blog here is Natalie's Richard Nixon Library wedding Photos. If you have your rss reader stationed to this blog please update your rss feed to the new wedding blog as well. Thank you so much for following.
And because it's always cool to have a picture on a post. Here is a photo of a recent family camping trip to Cedar Grove in the Sequoias.
Click here to visit the new Wedding Photography Blog
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Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Just delivered to our Orange County Wedding photography Studio, Rudy & Amber's haute and sexy wedding album. We will be delivering this album shortly. So we had to definitely get some yummy photos of their scrumptious album on our blog. Here are a few images of their album.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Trying to play catch up with my blog...
Eddie & Karla held their wedding at a private residence in the beautiful Friendly Hills of Whittier Ca. The wedding was very intimate. Thanks Eddie and Karla for having us at your wedding.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Last night while surfing the web, Amelia ran into this little article on MSN's home page. I thought it was a nice bit of information to consider while planning your wedding. The article was written by the Knot.
Wedding Guests' Secret Gripes
You've been to a few weddings yourself, so you know there are just some things that can rub you the wrong way. Here are a few helpful reminders about what guests can't stand.
You may think your wedding is all about you and your groom (or maybe just you) but, hello, you're hosting a party! If your guests are miserable, your wedding will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. So we talked to dozens of frequent wedding guests — from always-a-bridesmaids to recent brides to guys in their 20s and 30s — to find out what they hated about the events they've attended. We've kept the guests' names secret just in case they're coming to your wedding!
Your Timing Stinks
Huge time gaps between the ceremony and the reception — the ones where the ceremony starts at noon, but the party isn't until 7 p.m. — are annoying because you're often leaving us in the middle of nowhere with absolutely nothing to do. We don't want to kill time at a restaurant because we're hoping you'll feed us well at your reception. And there's only so much lingering we can do at a coffee shop or a bookstore ... in our dressy clothes! We'd much rather head straight to the party after the "I dos."
You Picked a Bad Day
We've had weddings on every holiday, from Mother's Day to Super Bowl Sunday (yes, that counts as a holiday). You must realize that we'd rather be with our moms or watching the game instead of going to your wedding on those days. And please don't ruin our holiday weekends. We get it; you can save a bundle if you get hitched on the Sunday before Memorial Day, but maybe we'd like to take our vacations then. If nothing else, please don't get married on some random Tuesday night. That means we have to take off two days from work just to go! Let us use our vacation days for vacations.
You're Boring Us
The ceremony may be the most important part of the day to you, but the reception is what we're really looking forward to. When it takes forever to get dinner served, each speech is 25 minutes long, and you play a string of songs that are all inside jokes with the same group of friends, there isn't much time for getting our groove on. Uh, and if the band's so bad that no one's dancing — including you and your groom — we just think, Why are we even here? Showing us a really good time is the least that you can do to thank us for giving up our free day, traveling, and getting you an expensive gift.
The Food Isn't Great
Why would you bother spending thousands on your flowers if your food is going to taste terrible? We want a delicious meal way more than we want pretty centerpieces. You don't know this, but we actually think of that $200 gift as a contribution to a great meal. If it's not as good as something we'd have at a restaurant, we're going to be disappointed. Even if the food is tasty, don't make us go hungry. We don't need an eight-course meal, but we don't want to have to push through other guests just to get to the tiny hors d'oeuvres you're calling dinner.
You Make Us Pay?!
Treat your guests like guests; don't make us bring our wallets whenever we want a drink! When you have more than 300 guests and a cash bar, we wish that you would've just cut the list and paid for our drinks instead. How exactly are we supposed to feel when we paid for flights, a rental car, a hotel room, and a gift, and then you make us pay at the bar? So not cool.
You Sat Us Here
We want to have fun at your wedding, believe us, but it's pretty tricky when you seat us right in front of giant speakers. We won't be able to talk to anyone at our tables or enjoy our dinner if you're blowing out our eardrums. Before you book your venue, make sure there's enough space for tables without having to make us sit in the DJ's lap. And don't make us suffer in the heat. If you're having a summer wedding, do it somewhere with air conditioning!
Also, if you want to be outdoors, don't make us rough it: Walking around in the mud, swatting bugs, or using porta-potties is even less fun in formal attire. And please give us plenty of places to sit. Cocktail hours are great, but it's pretty tough to balance our plates, drinks, and purses while standing — in heels no less!
You Don't Invite a Plus-One
Nothing reminds us of our dating status like a wedding. No need to rub it in our faces with even more reminders. The garter and bouquet tosses are like saying, "Hey, look at them. They're single!" Could you blame us if we hide in the bathroom as soon as the DJ announces it? And, come on, even if they did honestly predict we'd be the next to marry, do we really want some cheesy guy slipping garters up our legs? Of course, we'd prefer to be invited with a date, but we get why you may not be able to give us that, especially if we'll know lots of other people there. But if everyone we know is making out with their significant other all night, we're going to be pissed that you couldn't include one extra person to make us feel a little more comfortable.
You Put Us to Work
We know we'll have to help out with some tasks when we agree to be in the bridal party, but it's insulting when you consider a task like manning the guest book table an honor. We'd rather just be a regular guest at the wedding than have some silly duty like that. At the very least, give us a heads up if you'll need our help. Don't spring flower girl babysitting duties on us minutes before the reception.
You Don't Say Thank You
It's frustrating when we fly all the way to your wedding and you don't take the time to thank us for making the trip. Even if we haven't come a long way, make an effort to thank us for coming anyway. We know it's hard to talk to every guest at the wedding, but that's why, at the very least, we better get a thank-you card from you when you get back from your honeymoon!
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Bodas USA is a wedding magazine with content 100% in Spanish specifically designed for the Latino market in the US. I was lucky enough to be one of four photographers from around the world to be featured in 2009 summer issue. I'd Like to thank my awesome couple Anthony and Jessica for allowing me to use some of their images for the article. I also want to thank the staff of Bodas USA & especially thank Lilian de la Torre-Jiménez, Director of Bodas USA.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
A couple months ago I was contacted by Karla in regards to photographing her wedding. After the both of us hit it off so well, It was a must to shoot Karla and Eddie's wedding. I usually get an Idea of the type of setting that my couples would like their engagement session to be in. Once we figured out that Karla loves the beach so much we decided that Laguna was the place for her and Eddie. At first Karla Started out a little nervous but after Eddie chimed in with his antics, Karla warmed up the camera really easy. As for Eddie, Can you say HAM? He was goofing off right from the start. Which usually makes the session super fun. Here are some of my favorites from their E-Session. Feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Just delivered a Signature Crystal Cover Leather album to a super fabulous bride & groom. James & Jihan Came over to pick up their super sexy album. Jihan was super excited! They also loved their three piece Aluminiart prints. Here are a few photos showing off the album yumminess.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Last Saturday I met up with Don & Catherine at the San Juan Capistrano Mission to shoot their Engagement session. These two are hilarious together. Catherine is a crack up. As Don says, "She's the comedian of the two of us." Don & Catherine are getting married in early August and will be having their wedding at the San Gabriel Mission. I'm Really looking forward to shooting their wedding. Here are several of my favorite images from their engagement session in San Juan Capistrano.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Found this on another photographers site Great article!... So true! Great article written by Grant & Deb. Thanks for such a real article. Miguel
So you're meeting your prospective wedding photographer for the first time. You found them on a Google search, and their site seems nice enough. But how do you really know they are the best for you?
The easiest answer is also the most ridiculous; in 30 initial minutes you can't. BUT ... there are a few things you can look for to become more comfortable with your decision.
1. Relationship - Relationship - Relationship
The absolute most important aspect to you reaping the results you desire from your final wedding photography is that you fall in LOVE with your wedding photographer(s). And by LOVE I don't mean you'd ebay your rings, cancel your date and marry them - but I do mean you feel so comfortable that you'd be able to brag about them to your closest friends or have them over for dinner at your house.
A wedding photographer worth hiring doesn't take pictures, and that sounds totally weird, I know. A great wedding photographer isn't really a photographer at all but an artist who uses a camera and lens to paint and CAPTURE MOMENTS in digital files filled with emotion and passion. Their images - each and every one - CAPTURE a narrative or story that with one glance creates an emotion from the viewer; namely you. ANYBODY can take a picture, especially with the advances in today's geeky low-priced digital cameras. But only true wedding photography ARTISTS can capture your story with passion and emotion.
Someone who is bestowed such a precious and significant task as being your ONLY wedding photographer must be someone you absolutely love and admire. In fact, a true wedding photography artist will almost always be easy to be comfortable with because they themselves are depending on building a strong relationship with you so they may better understand what is important to your final outcome.
2. Passion
Ask your prospective wedding photographer if they take their cameras with them to family birthday parties or if they shoot pictures of their niece's soccer games. Only someone passionate about their craft integrates that passion into their lives - and a great wedding photography artist always integrates their passion into their lives.
When you're sitting across the table from them, how do they make you feel? Are you getting excited about your day as they talk about their involvement? When they talk about their product, do they exhibit a kind of giddiness or are they just selling? What adjective comes to your mind to describe them if you were asked 5 minutes after you've left the appointment?
Passion HAS to at least be a likely adjective you could choose. If not? Run - do not walk - to the next photographer.
You see - any great wedding photography artist is in the "game" for more than just the coin. They are always - and I mean always - looking to become your wedding photographer because they are passionate about painting your special story with the lenses of their camera that tell the story through fine art photography. In fact, a passionate wedding photography artist will always be a remarkable artist.
3. No new stress - please!
The wedding photographer sitting across the table from you has no idea what your plans are for your upcoming fairy-tale day. In fact, just because they've taken pictures for hundreds of brides before you, there are no other weddings even close in style or substance as yours, period.
If your prospective wedding photographer isn't asking the right questions of you, questions pertaining to your day, how YOU plan it to unfold, how many bridesmaids, groomsmen, the venue, is there going to be dancing, will your dad walk you down the aisle, who your maid-of-honor is and who she is to you ...
If they are insisting on showing you their previous work, and how awesome they are, and who they've photographed before ever asking about how YOU envision your day? RUN - do not walk - to the next prospective photographer.
The most counter-productive and stressful situation is to have your wedding photographer not clearly understand your time line. And the best scenario in this situation is to have a needy, whiney, and question ridden person running around taking pictures creating more stress. The worst scenario? They don't ask and subsequently don't GET the pictures you envisioned. In either scenario? Stress and disaster.
Actually, the absolute BEST scenario is a wedding photographer who sits across the table and interviews YOU. That's right, you've invited them to the table to choose them - but what you really want is someone who wants to work with you because you both click. Someone who asks you a bunch of questions, and diligently writes down YOUR answers about YOUR day as they interview YOU. Why? Because when they truly understand YOUR day, and how it will unfold, you have found someone who doesn't need to create stress on your day (or before), you've found someone capable of discovering and understanding what you want prior to your day. Someone who can click with you (and hopefully - FOR you - wink).
4. Show me your stuff
More than likely, you've seen a lot of your prospective wedding photographer's work (and probably their best work) from their web site. And having a look at an album or prints or canvas or ... is a good thing too. But understand this, nothing they show you across the table is going to be what you get - ever. You are seeing a compilation of work from perhaps their best work, which is understandable. But even on a perfect day, no two weddings are the same, nor are any two wedding albums, or prints, or ... the same.
Obviously your wedding photographer needs to be able to nail their focus, and exposures, and all of those technical photography details in order to even be considered. But, going back to the number one "must" - other bride's relationships with your photographer have got to be great.
Ask your potential wedding photographer to give you a couple of brides you can contact. And when they provide those names, call those brides and ask one question; "What do you remember most about Photographer xx?" That's it! You'll get the whole story from that one question. And the best part? You'll also get your answer overall from that question.
5. It's gotta be fun
Ask the wedding photographer this question; "So what do you do for fun?" Not that you need to care WHAT they do for fun - but you do care if they do anything that IS FUN.
Just because your wedding photographer will be working as a "vendor" on your awesome day does NOT mean they have to portray it as work. They have to have fun at it - and you've got to have fun at it - and that does NOT mean it's up to you to make it fun. THEY have to make it fun - the whole day. It may be 98 degrees in the shade or 2 below zero - but THEY have to be able to roll with the punches or change direction at any given time and still make it fun and stress-free for your entire party.
And there is really no way to know if that person you just met is that person other than to know they know how to have fun on their own, hence "So what do you do for fun?"
Fun = happy. Stress = ugly. Which do you choose?
My best friend Deb and I specialize in being a husband and wife Wedding Photography Artist team. You can view more of our work and our galleries at our Wedding Photography Artist Site at GrantDeb.com or you can stay up to date with us on our BLOG at blog.GrantDeb.com.
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
I was contacted by Sarah a few months ago, I said myself I know this familiar voice on the other line. Sure enough it was Sarah. I've known Sarah for a couple years now and when she told me she was going to marry this awesome guy by the name of Michael I said I have to see that for myself! Her comment was you will because your photographing it! Michael & Sarah are outdoorsy (is that a real word?) people and they wanted their images to represent that. So we headed to South Orange County for their Engagement Photography Session to one of my new favorite spots. Here are some of my favorite images of our engagement shoot. Enjoy
Thank you for visiting My Wedding photography blog.
Feel Free to visit my portfolio.
Contact me. (800) 497-1815
Weddings
