Elegant Weddings I

     How do you wish to remember one of the most important days of your life? Ultimately, it’s with beautiful, elegant photography.

    Welcome to my wedding gallery. It’s my sincere wish that as you view my images, you will notice the passion I have for creating exceptionally beautiful photography. My award-winning images will indeed capture the many reflections of emotions of your special day – pictures that you will cherish as you enjoy your lives together.

   With over 25 years of experience, having photographed over 500 weddings, I have set myself apart by mastering the art of lighting – the key ingredient in creating some of the most beautiful wedding photography around. You have all heard that photography is “all about the light”. This is very true when it comes to capturing beautiful wedding images. “Off-camera Lighting” is usually used and is without a doubt the finest skilled lighting technique used in shaping the light for the best look in beautiful, dramatic wedding portraits. Of the thousands of wedding photographers in southern California – it is estimated that only 4% use this advanced skilled technique. You will notice that I seldom use what is called “natural light”. This is a practice that the vast majority of wedding photographers use of using only the ambient light around – without the use of any photographic lighting equipment. But in most cases, this causes overly bright backgrounds (nuclear explosion) and colorless pictures. The reason is that it’s the simplest way of taking pictures – both in skill and equipment. Even most professionals have adopted this lighting technique because it has become very popular with the flood of new wedding photographers in the digital age. Proper lighting skills in professional wedding photography is being lost. Sadly, it’s the direction of my profession.

   I accept the tradition where most brides wish not to be seen by the groom until she comes down the aisle. But the “first look” before the ceremony is always favorable since it allows many of the formal pictures to be taken beforehand without rushing – therefore allowing a shorter amount of time for remaining family portraits to be taken after the ceremony. The majority of photographers will have a set policy or will strongly insist that the formal pictures of the two of you has to be taken hours before the wedding ceremony. What’s even more ridiculous are photographers who insist on dressing up for pictures days before or again after the wedding, making the bride once again do make-up, hair etc. And believe it or not, unfortunately, you may be charged for the opportunity you are giving that photographer. I consider myself “old school” when it comes to respecting the brides wishes of being seen for the first time as she comes down the aisle. And, without a doubt, only the finest wedding photographers today are still able to capture exceptionally beautiful images, without having a policy of pre-ceremony bride and groom formals or re-dressing for portraits before or after their wedding day.

   I feel that photographers who rely on “Photoshop” or “AI” in consistently creating dramatic images are more “computer artists” these days than real “photographers”. The Art of Photography is being lost with the camera. I have been accused of creating in photoshop a beautiful sunset in some of my wedding images, probably because they feel it could never be captured in the camera. I can assure that they are indeed “real”, and my wedding couples were there to remember the image they took part in capturing a work of art to be displayed in their home for years to come. Photoshop is great for making images look their best in color, contrast and vibrance, removing distracting objects in the final image, or retouching the face for a beautiful bridal portrait – but going so far as to adding fake skies for a more dramatic effect is going too far in my opinion. It’s just not “real” in my opinion. You can just imagine a family member looking at your wedding album and commenting “I didn’t know you had a thunderstorm on your wedding day” since the photographer decided to add some menacing clouds in one of your portraits. It wasn’t “real”. Over the years, Photoshop and now AI, are making photographers less skilled in the true “art of photography”.

    With several packages to choose from, you also have the option to custom design your own package to fit your needs and budget. Packages may include a beautiful wedding album, engagement session, signature board, parent albums and wall portraits. And all packages will include a set of DVD’s or Flash-drive of all your hi-resolution images of your wedding with “full printing rights”. Videography is also offered as well for your special day.

   Photographing a wedding requires hundreds of images in an all-day event with time constraints. As you browse through my galleries – notice that I have included sample images throughout the entire day. From getting ready candid’s, to pre-ceremony formals, ceremony, bridal party, and entire reception. Also, bridal portraits, groom portraits and most of all – couple portraits. If you view a photographer’s website that include only samples of couples in beautiful locations – it’s very likely that most, if not all, were not photographed the busy day of the wedding. You want to make sure that the photographer can provide exceptional photography throughout the entire wedding day under time constraints. This is a true sign of a professional with experience and skills to give you beautiful images.

  With studios in Santa Clarita covering Valencia, Canyon Country, Saugus and Newhall; and the Antelope Valley covering Lancaster, Palmdale, Rosamond, Tehachapi, Quartz Hill, California City and Lake L.A. – I also cover entire southern California to include Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County and will travel to other destinations as well.

 

* All images were taken the day of the wedding, without asking the couple to painstakingly dress for pictures before or after the wedding day. 

*Absolutely no models, who are knowledgeable in posing, were used for staged photo sessions in the creation of my galleries. My “couples” on their wedding day were my models.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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