Temecula Wedding Photographer | Rock This Moment

San Diego. Drink it slow because it always goes down good. I have photographed a number of weddings in this gorgeous city, but this trip to San Diego was a little more special to me because it marked the kick-off to my 2013 wedding season! That means all the editing and personal photos sessions I did over the Winter were nothing more than training for days like this. I have to admit I was a little bit nervous. Therefore, I put on the strongest deodorant possible, my lucky yellow “I’m awesome at ping pong t-shirt” and headed down to San Diego with my good friend Anthony Carabajal. We are both a couple of Temecula wedding photographers who you would think should hate each other since we are both competing for the same clients in the same area, but nothing could be further from the truth. He is a very talented wedding photographer and I always enjoy working and collaborating with him along with my other friends in the area who also photograph weddings for a living. Here is the story of our day photographing Erik and Dani’s wedding at the Bahia Resort in San Diego told in nothing else than images. Anthony had the pleasure of taking photos of the girls so as you scroll down you will notice the testosterone is flowing a little thick, but don’t worry! This story is not about the groomsmen, but rather of the super romantic, epic, magical beach wedding of Erik & Dani. Now go grab yourself a glass of something delightful, kick back and soak in the good!

When Kelsey and Brad contacted me a couple weeks before their engagement session they asked if I had any ideas or themes I wanted to incorporate for their day. Naturally, I gave them an idea that I thought was pure magic:  a “Baywatch” themed engagement session where Brad plays the role of David Hasselhoff (short red shorts included) and saves Kelsey from a pack of wild sharks thirsty for Nordstrom style fashion. Kelsey was in love with the idea, but we ran into one serious road block which was that Brad lacked the necessary amount of chest hair to make the scene really come together. We discussed an application of Just For Men hair dye to give the visual appearance of more depth in chest hair, but at the end of the day we simply came up empty handed. Back to the drawing board we were again.

After the failed Baywatch themed engagement session we were all left sad and disappointed. Some tears were shed and hurtful things were said in moments of anger. However, after some discussion we realized that it was not Baywatch or the sweet melodies of Hasselhoff’s voice that were the inspiration for the love between Kelsey and Brad, but rather Kelsey and Brad themselves! Therefore, we decided to make the engagement session about the two of them. Their personalities and love for one another. Here is the true story of our time together at a mysterious beach location in Encinitas, California. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the moments captured by this Temecula wedding photographer of Brad & Kelsey living it up in Encinitas!

Engagement Session In Los Angeles, CA

Jessica and Jay have known each other since high school and have been dating for what their families would call “forever”. Now before everybody starts jumping on Jay and giving him a hard time for his choice to take the dating long road to marriage it is important to recognize that this is a man who is now finishing up medical school and about to be a doctor. That means lots of studying, hard work and a schedule that is packed tighter than a mini fridge full of booze in Lindsey Lohan’s hotel room. Sure he could have purchased a degree online, but do you really want that guy operating on you in a life or death situation? Jay didn’t think so either.

After discussing different places in Orange County and Los Angeles to be the setting for the engagement session, Jessica and Jay decided upon the park area on the way up the hill to the Griffith Park Observatory. For those who have never been up to the Griffith Park Observatory it truly is one of the gems of Los Angeles. The location has gorgeous views, wildlife and is simply a great place to escape the grind of Los Angeles. So make a plan to take your significant other up there when you get an opportunity, and if you do not have a significant other than take your dog. If you have neither a significant other or dog than take yourself for a hike. Although the engagement session was an absolute blast, we did have one draw back on the day of the shoot and that was no sunshine. Gray clouds covered the skies and hid the sunshine from us, but we did not let that get in the way of all of us having a good time!

This Temecula wedding photographer decided to switch things up a bit for this engagement session and use more film style actions during post-processing. I have to admit that some of the black and white filters came out pretty rad after some tweaking with the Visual Supply Company tool kit. Okay I will stop blabbing now and let you check out the photos from Jay and Jessica’s engagement session! Bon Appetite!

As a person who loves being involved with pretty much anything creative, I was both impressed and excited when Jessica showed up with a variety of items that included a old typewriter (this thing had to have weighed 50lbs), some books, a quilt, a banner and a cake platter. Jessica had a bunch of awesome ideas to incorporate the items into the engagement shoot that all came out great! Her creativity was amazing, and even though we ran into a couple hurdles I am glad she stuck out many of the concepts she had came up with because they really helped bring her personality into the shoot!

I would like to extend a special shout out to Jessica’s sister for hanging out and helping us during the engagement session! She was great throughout the process, especially when she took the car and drove around in circles in the parking lot because their were no spaces available, allowing us time to walk up to Griffith Observatory and shoot the Los Angeles skyline.

Temecula Wedding Photographer Reflects On 2012

One of the best years of my life, 2012 was an incredible gift. I was able to photograph so many wonderful couples, spend time with amazing friends and most importantly I married my better half in Corissa. In 2012, I also turned the ripe and tender age of 30, acquired a palate for single malt scotch, began eating more vegan and somehow survived the zombie apocalypse that the Mayans so accurately predicted (Rule #1 Cardio & Rule #8 Get a Kick Ass Partner). Although my New Year’s resolution to get in shape never actually really transpired (I gained weight), 2012 was a journey full of accomplishment, madness and love that I wouldn’t trade for all the gold in the hills of Corona.

To all of the brides and grooms who let me photograph them on their wedding day, all I can say is thank you! You have all been so great to me and your support is very humbling. I wish nothing more than a very long, happy and healthy life for you all. And if/when you decide to pop out some kiddos and need family photos taken be sure to give me a shout (wink, wink)!

Without further to do, here is a compilation of some favorite engagement, personal and wedding photos taken in 2012.

(Raise your glass to the sky) Cheers to a great year and an even better one in 2013!

Once again, thank you everyone for your support, love and encouragement. Being a small business owner can be a very challenging experience and that is why this photographer in Temecula appreciates all the comments, referrals and kind words on Facebook. You guys all rock! Now let’s close this bad boy up and get ready to kick the ass of 2013!

When a potential client by the name of Ryan called me up and told me that he was getting married in late August, needed a Temecula wedding photographer and that the ceremony site would be Ponte Winery, I have to admit I had mixed emotions. The reason for this is because most of the people who choose a winery in the Temecula valley as the ceremony and reception site on their big day tend to be more conservative in their personalities. These are the type of people you would feel more comfortable talking politics or the state of the economy with rather than sports and drinking stories. Since I only take on a very few number of weddings each year, I feel it is critical that both the bride and groom understand my energy, personality and unique style to wedding photography. I also prefer beer over wine. However, once I spoke with Ryan over the course of a couple days it was obvious he liked to rock. I instantly began looking forward to his and Nicole’s wedding, even though the ceremony was the day after my birthday. That meant I would have to maintain myself the day before in order to prevent being hungover for the wedding ceremony. The end result was somewhere in the middle, but that did not stop this small wedding of about 60 people from being one of my top 10 all-time favorites ever being part of. So without further to do, here are my photographs of the Sipp wedding that took place at Ponte Winery. ENJOY!

These girls seriously made me and my camera smile all day long. Even though the the beautiful young lady on the far right was a bit sassy **I mean that in the most endearing way possible Kristen**, these girls could not take a bad shot. What was even better was that they continued to mix up the shots all day long, especially Natalie. Also known as the sister of the bride (with her arm on Nicole), Natalie was a lot like Will Ferrell’s character Buddy in the movie Elf. By this I mean she liked to smile because smiling was her favorite! And to be honest it really paid off because she straight killed the photo sessions! When I first met the bridal party they told me they were going to give me amazing pictures and they did not disappoint at all. So thank you ladies!!!

Okay so I have to give some background info about the photograph above, which also happened to be the moment of the reception. Nicole, the maid of honor, not the bride, heard the DJ play a jam she simply could not sit on the sidelines while playing. When sugar went down to get her bump and grind on, the sound of fabric ripping filled the night time sky. It was though the music had stopped completely, and the only thing heard was the tearing of the beautiful black bridesmaid dress. Of course this was quickly followed by two things 1)  the shrieking howl of a young woman, and 2) the complete exposure of one bridesmaid’s bum. Truly an awesome moment, and by far one of my favorite photographs during a reception of all-time! Thank you for this Nicole. Thank you.

Ryan and Nicole, you guys were seriously amazing! Congrats on the new home, wedding and of course the little one soon on the way. I truly had a blast shooting your wedding! You seem to have a very close group of tight friends full of personality that really rock. Great people, great times! Cheers to you all!