Temecula Wedding Photographer | Rock This Moment

Typically, wedding season does not begin until May, but the photography Gods smiled upon me when they gave me the opportunity to shoot a wedding at the beginning of February. Shooting a wedding is always a blast, but the first wedding of the year is always a little nerve-racking. This is because during the off-season most of us photographers are shooting personal work, family photos or other projects. However, it is easy to forget how fast-paced wedding photography really is when you have not been in the saddle for awhile. That was why when Temecula Wedding Photographers, Your Inner Song, hit me up to shoot a wedding in February, I was all-in. They were cool enough to let me tag along for this wedding featuring Justin and Jessica in Anaheim. Below are my photos. It’s go time!

The groomsmen for the wedding were really pretty cool. They were knocking back whiskey in the limo ride, and were ready to rock right out the gate.

These are some sharp dressed men, and we all know that every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man. Thank you ZZ Top.

Unfortunately, I only had a brief few moments to get some shots of the ladies. This is because they probably lagged doing their hair, make-up and whatever else it is that girls do that requires 2 hours in the bathroom. However, I was still pretty happy with the photographs I was able to capture.

Below is a photograph of the father during the ceremony, and one of my favorite photographs in the entire set. Although it is cool to set up shots to make epic photographs, there is something even more captivating about genuine raw emotion that no other staged shot can compete with.

The wedding was movie themed, but all the movie names designating each table for guests were romantic films. I would have preferred Rambo themed movies, but I guess I will have to save that idea for my own wedding. Maybe I can just do a Rambo-themed wedding? Have the guests dress like Vietnamese soldiers, and I can wear a sleeve of bullets instead of the traditional tuxedo. I will speak to my lady about this one.

As you can probably tell from the photographs above, when the booze starts flowing and the bass starts kicking, s*** gets wild! Party on guys. Party on….

I was pretty happy with the ring shot even though I tend to struggle a bit using the macro lens on manual focus at 2.8. All in all, this Murrieta Wedding Photographer had a blast rocking in Anaheim, and left feeling good overall about the photos that were able to make the cut onto the Rock This Moment blog. The only thing that sucks about shooting with the dynamic duo at Your Inner Song is that when I see their photos of the wedding I am going to hate mine. Hopefully, they lag a bit sorting and editing them so I can enjoy mine for a few more weeks.

I have known Tenaya for years, and years and years, back when Meat Grinder and Kettlecadaver would battle it out in garages and at dirt parties in the hills of Temecula for local music supremacy (They really should have tried booking shows rather than playing dirt parties) … so naturally when I heard she was engaged and getting married next year I was pretty excited for her and her soon-to-be husband Chad. I never really met Chad in person until this engagement shoot, but I recognized him as a guy who goes to the same Gold’s Gym that I do. Chad is that type of guy who benches like 5,000 lbs and pretty much makes you hate your fat-self, but he couldn’t have been more awesome. Since I myself also will be tying the knot next year, I understand the stress and hassle it is to find a venue for the ceremony, reception, food, music and of course wedding photography.  Therefore, I contacted Tenaya and asked her if she wanted me to shoot her engagement photos as a way to reduce her photography costs. She agreed, and I was also able to pull Justin from YourInnerSong Photography away from his man cave for a couple hours to help out. We drank Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBRs) beforehand, knocked back PBRs during the shoot and pretty much rocked the entire time! It really was a blast having all of us hang out while shooting pictures, and I think that good energy came through in the photos.

As hard as it is to do with all the stress of wedding planning, I really believe that people should soak up and enjoy every moment of the wedding process they possibly can, especially during the engagement sessions. This is exactly what Tenaya and Chad did. They not only got dressed up for the shoot, but they brought a good attitude and champagne! This kept the whole atmosphere loose and more natural. Later that night, we even did some rad action night shots where Chad busted out the wife-beater. Those were captured on Justin’s camera so they will be coming soon!

For some odd reason, most photographers do not like to classify or define themselves as “wedding photographers“. Maybe it is some mild form of ego, or the fact they simply view themselves in the same level as some of the real photographic artists such as Mr. Top Gun himself, Ansel Adams. Personally, I enjoy photographing a number of different things as well, such as people, events, my feet and my dog when he is sleeping, but when random strangers and acquaintances ask me what I do, I am quick and proud to proclaim that I shoot weddings.

With wedding season just around the corner, many of us “wedding photographers” have had some holes in our schedules that allow us to shoot other stuff like maternity photos, family photos, engagement photos and personal photos. Since I myself also had some flexibility in my schedule recently, I was more than willing to hang out and photograph a family hanging out during a casual gathering at their home this past Friday. Below are some random shots I took at their house off Temecula Parkway near Butterfield Stage Road. Although the setting was nothing more than a simple backyard of a track home, and inside the house, I was really happy with some of the photographs I captured. Not to mention, the simplicity of the shoot made me feel comfortable enough using some Visual Supply Actions created by a local Temecula wedding photographer. The actions are actually pretty cool, and have been endorsed by a number of reputable (and stupid expensive) wedding photographers in Southern California such as Bobby Earle and The Image Is Found.

This series of photographs is basically what made me decide to blog about this photo-shoot in Temecula. The family took down this irie looking hammock in hope that the kid in the pictures below would sit and chill out on it so I could get some photos. Unfortunately, the hammock only added fuel to his fire, as he began folding the hammock and playing inside of it. I was able to play some peek-a-boo-ish, large loud guy with a camera games to get some photos. Total crap shoot, but I was pretty happy with what I came across. Typically, I do not prefer photographs where the sun is harsh and fragmented on the skin (especially the face), but the colors and feel of these shots were absolute gold in the mind of this Murrieta weddding photographer.

There is nothing smoother than a cold beer on a hot Summer day, or the rear end of a babies’ butt, a wise man once said. Since I do not have children, I had no way of testing this theory, but felt strongly confident nothing was smoother than an ice cold beer on a hot Southern California day. This seemed impossible to dispute in my mind. As I was pondering this great and important question, a couple named Danielle and Tim, who trusted me to shoot their wedding, contacted me about also putting together a little family/baby shoot. Initially, I was a little hesitant because I pretty much consider myself strictly a wedding photographer, but since this was a couple I already worked with I felt comfortable doing the whole baby photography thing-a-ma-jigger. The images below are of Tim and Danielle’s new addition, Gabrielle Quinn! She is a lovely baby who kept it classy during the entire photo session!

One of the coolest parts about this shoot was that it was real simple. The parents were not interested in putting Gabrielle in a bucket or some laundry basket to make the photos appear “cool”. Instead, they wanted simple photos of her hanging out like she normally does everyday, while playing with Tigger and some of her other favorite toys. They were not interested in making this some crazy photo-shooting session, and I have to say I respect that.

I have to admit that this little baby photography session was actually pretty fun, and a nice break from the normal Murrieta wedding photography sessions I am used to dealing with. Another special part of the day that boosted my ego was seeing my wedding photos in Tim and Danielle’s living room. There is no better feeling than seeing someone appreciate and enjoy your art!

Also, after talking with Tim and Danielle, they assured me that a babies’ butt was indeed smoother than any ice cold beer on any Summer day. Knowledge is power people. Knowledge is power…

After putting in another sixteen hour day feeding homeless people whole grain bagels at the nearby shelter, my good friends at Your Inner Song Photography (YIS) were kind enough to let me tag along with them for a local wedding at a really cool venue called the Condor’s Nest Ranch. I have been trying to get more experience shooting weddings because I simply became bored shooting gorgeous half-naked women on the runways at fashion shows from Milan to NYC. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy lingerie models and artistic female nudes as much as the next person, but I was becoming exhausted hanging out and partying with celebrities until the early hours of the morning with people who may or may not have had names that rhymed with Tustin Jimberlake. Now that I have sold my yacht and gave almost all of my personal wealth to charities such as “Stop Rabies”, I have been dedicating my time to learning the artistry of wedding photography (FYI the devastating disease of rabies kills three Americans every year).

The wedding at the Condor’s Nest Ranch featured a couple named Dan & Lauren who basically looked like the all American couple. I would not be surprised if in the future Dan saves a elderly women from a burning building, Lauren discovers the cure for hiccups and together they have a child who becomes President of the United States. Seriously… Anyway, here are some of the photos I was able to capture with my Canon 5d Mark ii. Enjoy!

If you are sitting in your office chair wondering why there are no pictures of the bridesmaids and the ladies getting ready that would be because I did not shoot the chicks getting dolled up. DUH! Jessica from YIS was designated with the assignment of taking photos of the ladies getting dressed. Typically, bridesmaids and soon-to-be brides prefer girl photographers shooting in the dressing room because of the high probability of a nude breast making an appearance. Therefore, I instead decided to solely shoot the men of the groom (groomsmen) for the day.

Thank you for reading my blog post. I understand there is a lot of other stuff online you could be involved with like watching YouTube videos of Justin Bieber, or looking at photos of what your friends had for lunch on Facebook, so I appreciate your time!

And remember kids, Dreams Really DO Come True!