Lauren and Blake - newport beach, california

lauren and blake on-line proofing website

it was the most perfect day... heading to newport beach, ca to photograph lauren and blake’s wedding at the newport beach california lds temple. the shot above, is a “stop, turn around, did you see that” shot that we actually looped around two tolls booths, twice, to get this shot. it was too cool not to stop! toll booth fee’s $8, spilled coffee $4, full tank of gas $54, getting the shot…priceless.

we patiently waited outside the temple for lauren and blake after their ceremony and grabbed a surprised and elated lauren upon exiting the temple as “husband and wife”.



we immediately whisked them off for some pretty awesome family portraits and some amazing editorial shots throughout the grounds of the temple. the sky is soooooooo incredibly vibrant and dramatic because the rains were in full force. only to break for a few moments to shed some light on a beautiful couple.






what’s so special about lauren, is she knew right from the get-go what she wanted... she wanted to marry blake and couldn't wait for the day! most definitely, her photography was the most important to her, in telling their story. taking full advantage of us! we had the pleasure of photographing their engagement session, lauren’s bridal portrait and their wedding day. it has made for some amazing story telling.







how cool it was to see how they would display the images at their reception? great idea lauren.


i think one of the more memorable moments was the cutting of the cake. i can recall an image of yesteryear that reflected and resonated quite poignantly. the image has a late fifties vibe to it.





lauren and blake's first dance will go down in our book as truly an intimate moment between a bride and groom. they were literally dancing on a stage with all the lights turned out but a single spotlight on them as they danced.


salute!

Bellisima "Beautiful" Bride

just this past sunday, we celebrated with our couples at the “bellisima bride bridal show” at the hyatt in valencia.

stephanie made the journey all the way from huntington beach with her whole family in our booth. it was amazing, we laughed, we cried, we laughed and cried some more and boy did we celebrate!


amanda and craig came out from thousand oaks and made the journey in the rain. a lotta, lotta rain! craig is even recovering from an injury to boot. that’s a commitment for ya! we were so grateful they came out.


the fashion show was really hip and the brides (samantha and lisa) popped into to say hello and grace us!


jorge and sandra are the producers of the bellisima bride bridal show & they are also the owners of j&m entertainment. the two of them are such a dynamic couple. we love spending time with them and jorge always, i mean he always has the best stories.


ruby and edward came by with their family. Now, Edward was our very first groom to look at our photography “up close”, to the side (examining the texture and grain) feel the paper and view our images in true TECHNICOLOR. WE LOVE THAT!!! so, we had to take their picture!


we salute all the couples along with their families as we celebrate this very special time in their lives! it gets even better... heirlooms are being creating... karen

Raising the Roof

in santa barbara, we literally “raised the roof”! a couple times a year we come out to meet and talk to future brides, newly engaged and couples planning their weddings.


we have so much fun at the shows! shortly after the new year we celebrated everything bridal at the santa barbara bridal expo. we even had some of our brides come back in to see us just to say hello (we love that)!


jaime stopped in with her mom and of course we had to pull up her engagement session on the big screen while she was in the booth. her wedding is this summer and we cannot wait!



joey and i also visited fotocielo and climbed into their photobooth for a few fun shots. tim and monica from
“in the mix” couldn’t help but to join in on the fun... wait, they are "the fun"! hence “raising the roof.” it was hilarious!


a week later in westlake, at the hyatt we toasted again with our future couples at the “bridal premiere” show.


gina and jason came by to see us before the show started and spent some time celebrating their relationship & their up coming summer wedding with us!

happy new year as we celebrate 2009 and take you to new heights. congratulations to all our brides! please take this oath and raise your right hand and solemnly swear you won’t let uncle bill or cousin john photograph your wedding with his new digital camera! we have been doing this for 18+ years. call a professional...
call joey carman today.

more photo booth memories to share:

me and joey pictured here in puerto rico on our honey moon... june 1999
– celebrating 10 years of marriage, together for 14!


also... hooting it up at dana and dave’s wedding last fall in dana point!

Lisa and Jeff - westlake village, california

lisa and jeff on-line proofing website

they are young and they are in love, “high school sweethearts” …they are lisa and jeff! to be in their presence it is evident. they complete each other. the way they love ... the way they laugh. they also have something that is very unspoken, their own language. we all know this exists but jeff and lisa live and breathe by it. along with their parents and families i could safely say this was a much anticipated wedding day. just days after christmas, no less and every detailed was noticed. this was a joyous celebration of two families coming together






the day was clear, crisp and time seemed to stand still…then it switched into overdrive. there is always an anticipation waiting…but things like gathering around to view pics from your favorite camera, trying on your new shoes and receiving a text message from the one you love helps in a big way!




i think one of my favorite moments during a wedding is when the father walks his daughter down the aisle, puts his hand out to his son-in-law and gently holds a moment to “take it all in” before they make that small but subtle turn to face the…future.



taking snap shots of moments that come sooooooo very quickly at times karen and i can really feel the moments. unexplainable, somewhat, but only through our photography.


“there is something about a man in uniform”…you can see the pride that permeates through his confidence in wearing his uniform, being surrounded by a ban of friends and embraced tightly by the woman that loves him. jeff arranged to have a sabre arch (the tradition varies slightly among the different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and is considered a privilege accorded to members of the service. usually, Officers or NCOs form the arch with sabers or swords respectively) for his bride upon exiting the church. stopping only to kiss lisa before being aloud to leave.

the following images reflect a light, fun, elegant and free spirit that lisa and jeff are…body and soul.








congratulations!!!!

rehearsal dinner: mediterraneo westlake village, ca
ceremony: saint maximilian kolbe catholic church
reception: north ranch country club – manager donna leary
entertainment: barry lamster
christmas ornaments: canfield persons

Sasha - Expecting Mother

every now and then, something happens in our lives that gives us pause, makes us shake our heads and say, “Wow!”

this past week was one of those times.

let me take you back a bit. when i lived in nyc i met a young woman by the name of sasha. she is a very dear girlfriend of my wife karen. i photographed sasha and karen 14 yrs. ago, on the roof top of my 5 story walk-up apartment right smack in the heart of manhattan, and soon thereafter saw an endearing quality between karen and sasha that, to this day, brings me great joy to be around. several years went by and i receive a phone call from sasha announcing her engagement and that she wanted me to photograph her destination wedding on the island of st. barths. i was honored. sasha's wedding was absolutely beautiful. to date, one of a handful of my most influential photographs to shape my photography was sasha's portrait. from the very moment i heard the release of the shutter i knew our photography would never be the same.





flash forward 3 years to the present. a few months ago karen and i received a phone call from sasha announcing that her and her husband were expecting their first child due in late janurary '09. now the question was whether or not we were going to photograph her here in la or in chicago. time got away from us so we decided to fly out to chicago to photograph sasha and mark in their home.

the results are a combination of talents both in-house and emulating one of my all-time favorite photographers, annie leibovitz.

annie leibovitz photographed john lennon in december 1980, again, one of a handful of my most influential photographs to shape my photography, the portrait of himself embracing yoko ono that graced the cover of the janurary 1981 issue of rolling stone. annie leibovitz acknowledged that she wanted to emulate "the kiss" from the cover of double fantasy album. this is where the vision stemmed from and turned into a session not to be forgotten.



the beauty that comes from within can not be more evident than when a woman is loved, in love and bearing love. sasha has all of these traits. the girlish laugh that comes from her belly when she laughs to the confidence that she is surrounded by those who love her and the comfort that she displays in the arms of her husband is both inspiring and enjoyable to be around.





finally, "coming full circle" has been the story of sasha and her beauty. when sasha announced she was expecting karen immediately began thinking of how her vision was to come to fruition. she wanted to have an image that told a story of yesterday to today.



the above image is karen's mind at play. the effort that came from this one photograph would make your heart beat a bit faster. all that is needed to be told is that when karen and i put our heads together wonderful story telling happens and...

every now and then, something happens in our lives that gives us pause, makes us shake our heads and say, “Wow!”




this past week was one of those times.

we love you sasha and mark and can not wait to welcome caden with open arms!

p.s. no way we were leaving chicago without stopping in to take in a favorite past-time of 2.5 million people... the famous "chicago dog" yummy, yummy! oh, did i mention that it was 16˚ outside!