I had the extreme honor of attending a photo shoot put on by Betty Sederquist at a wonderful location owned by a couple of artists.  One of the most amazing parts of the property was this darling little lilly pond.  We were lucky enough to have several gals there who brought their wedding dresses (or found some dresses to borrow) and were willing to pose around, over and in the pond.  They were brave gals because, although the pond was beautiful and full of lilies and iris’…it was also full of algae, frogs and probably other things.  For this post, I’ll highlight Alyssa.

Here she is inside a willow tree.  We set up one light about 3 feet from her face inside the tree with her in order to get this shot.

This next shot is the same set up only she is about 1/2 foot closer to me and I cut back on the ambient/available light.  This gives the photo a slightly creepy/Twilight-y look.  I like it, but I wouldn’t do it for every bride.

These next shots were taken on a little rickety bridge over the lily pond. I love the reflection on the first one.

Someone told me she looked a little sad on this next one. Maybe.  I think she looks more pensive or thoughtful.  I love that she’s dipping her toe in the water.

Here she is in a canoe on the pond. I love this shot with the lilies in the background

Here, she is finally in the water.  I think this photo is my favorite of the series.

And last, she finally gets out of the water.  Even though she is pretty mucked up, she is still beautiful.

Next post will be from the same shoot, but with different models.  I hope you enjoy these.  I loved taking them.  Thank you Alyssa.

As I was sitting on the floor in the MGM Grand Convention Center waiting in line for the first speaker of the convention (Sal Cincotta who was fabulous, by the way), this is the view that made me happy to be there.  I spent 5 days in fabulous Vegas attending one of the biggest photographers’ conventions of the year, WPPI or Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.  Sixteen thousand wedding and portrait photographers, vendors, and other people affiliated with the industry were present.  Although most of my days were spent either listening to speakers or browsing the trade show, I did have some time to walk around the city with my camera and a photographer friend of mine. Here are some of my impressions.

And, of course, I made a video slideshow of the whole adventure.

It was tough to pick because I had so many fantastic people that I was fortunate enough to photograph this past year.  Thanks to all those who touched my life with beauty and grace and down right fun.

Enjoy

I used all the edited photos for this wedding in a fun, but quick, slideshow.  This is a great way to use all the photos that I took to tell the story of your wedding.  This type of slideshow will be offered with all wedding packages this year.  A more elaborate and elegant slideshow will also be offered a la carte.

Enjoy.

My husband is a part time chef.  He frequently makes our dinner.  I especially like his Sunday night meals, but that’s not the point of this post.  My husband made the food for the wedding in Lake Tahoe a couple of weeks ago. My daughter acted as sous chef.  My two sons and my niece served the food.  The china was from the groom’s grandparents.   It was a family affair.

The food was fun and delicious.  The bride and groom wanted to stick with food from their heritage.  The bride’s heritage is Irish and the groom’s heritage is Cornish and Scottish. So, my husband scoured the internet to find tasty servings from the United Kingdom.

There were three kinds of stuffed potatoes (Irish), Irish Soda bread with smoked salmon and a cream spread (Irish and Scottish), bangers (Cornish), potato pizza (Irish) and other goodies.

The food was a big success.   The bride and groom loved the food and so did the guests.  My husband and daughter were heroes. Of course, they have always been heroes to me.

All in all, it was a beautiful family wedding.  Much success and congratulations to my brother and my new sister-in-law!

The groom was equally fun and dashing.  (And so were his Groomsmen.)

The wedding and reception were held at a wonderful Placerville, CA restaurant, Sequoia Restaurant.  The restaurant was originally a beautiful old Victorian Home that was been wonderfully restored.  The light coming through those old windows was a photographer’s dream.

A wonderful time was had by all who attended, including me.  Thanks, Jesse and Jackie, for letting me be a part of your wedding.

These are the people that make the photographers job easy.  Hair and makeup, done properly, can cut down the processing time for me by 10-20 minutes per model.  When I have 5-600 photos to go through, that’s a lot of time for me.  I am very grateful to these hard working artists.

The models are already beautiful, but a good make up and hair artist can turn a beautiful gal into “Drop Dead Gorgeous”.

Also, for brides, I would highly recommend a makeup and hair stylist.  Less stress and they know how to make up your face so that it will look good in pictures.  If you need some recommendations, ask me.

I was fortunate to be able to participate in a photo shoot at the California Museum in Sacramento, CA. It was a fun place with colorful walls, great architectural details and wonderful exhibits. The models were gorgeous and fun to shoot.  The event was put on by Mark Behrens and, as usual, was run professionally and smoothly.

I love these events because I get to meet other photographers and learn from them.  I also get to work with up and coming models and I end up with great photos.  Here is but a small sampling of some of the shots I got from this event.

I was so fortunate to be one of the photographers for the delightful wedding of Daniel and Melissa in Southern California at the end of April.    It was a beautiful wedding with a huge bonus for me.  I’ve known Daniel and Melissa’s families for over 20 years.  We lived in Southern California until about 1996, when we moved up to my hometown, Placerville, CA.  My daughter used to play with Daniel when she was young.  My oldest son played with Melissa’s older brother.  There were many, many people who were invited to this wedding that I hadn’t seen since 1996.  It was like a homecoming for me.

The weather was beautiful on the day of the wedding and so was the bride.  Her dress was gorgeous and her bridesmaids were adorable.

Jack and Julie Winkle  (our best friends) provided the transportation for the bride and groom.  (That’s Jack Winkle playing chauffeur for the darling bride.) My dear friend, Debbie Mangiafridda, shot this wedding with me and it was wonderful to work together.  Together we shot over 1400 photos, which I am still going through.

My favorite shot of the day:

God bless you both, Daniel and Melissa.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your wonderful day.

What is more beautiful than a bride?

…4 brides!

Book your wedding now.  I still have openings in July, August and September.