New Website!!!

I can't believe it is finally here! I am thrilled at the way everything turned out. It feels really great to have my current portfolio online. It's funny to admit, but I am bit addicted to watching the slideshow galleries on my site. I think it's because I really love all of the people that I have been blessed to meet and work with this past year. All of their wedding memories become in part my memories. The creative process is really such an emotional and intimate thing. I love being reminded of who I've photographed and all the adventures I have had in my travels this past year.

I've got to give some props to my friends who have brought this site together. Mainly my friend Seth Roberts, who has been like a brother to me since we were wee lads. He is first a musician, second a graphic designer, and third a web-master! His true love will always be music and for that reason he learned at a young age to make websites for his bands. This past year he has been asking me to let him design me the best photography website in the world. Well, here it is. Thanks so much Seth, for putting your heart into this site for me. You have gone above and beyond what I could have imagined. I really appreciate you and believe that you will continue to live your dreams.

Also, The Awesome Jeff Newsom is the man behind the lens for my bio shot. He is so good he amazes himself on a regular basis. Whenever I talk about gettting married, people always ask me, 'Who is going to shoot YOUR wedding?' It's funny how many people think this is an original thought... The answer is Jeff Newsom. He's the best!

Please enjoy my website and share it will anyone who appreciates the art of humans in love.

Wedding & Party Cover!

Wedding & Party is a magazine that I have been advertising in since I started my business 5 years ago. It is a good resource for couples searching for Central Coast vendors. I have met so many amazing people through this magazine and I am proud that the editor chose my image for the cover this year. It is an honor to have my work published in this way. This is Bryce and Harmony. They are good friends from years past and Bryce, an old roomate. What a beautiful couple for the cover!

Cabo Wedding!

Well, we are back from our first wedding of the year in Cabo San Lucas. After getting organized and back to work I got hit with a bit of the Baja-California-Revenge. Sparing you the details, I was out of commission for a couple of days. Greatful to be rested and (almost) returned to normal, I am making a little time to share about the beautiful wedding and the amazing people that we shared the week with.

Chad and Monica met me at Monica's cousin April January's wedding back in the summer. They got a sneak peak of her wedding pictures during the reception and fell in love with my work. Monica timidly approached me, "Did you take the pictures on that slideshow?"
"Yep!" I proudly replied.
"We want you to shoot our wedding next year. Do you travel?"
"Anywhere you want me to go!" I answered starting to get excited.
"Would you be willing to go to Cabo?" She timidly asked.
I told her I would have to think about it and a second later responded with, "YES!"


From the beginning Chad and Monica were warm and welcoming. They even invited Simon's wife, Brook, and my fiance, Anna to come to all of the festivities. They assured us that since they had such a small event, the more the merrier. Brook and Anna fit right in. We all did. By the end of rehersal dinner we felt like wedding guests and long time friends of the couple. A band of Gypsies showed up to our restaurant during the rehersal and I nudged Chad to join their circle. He grabbed one girls shaker and shook it with everything he had. I think the gypsies wanted to hire him. He certainly was a crowd pleaser!




Here's an amazing shot of the dudes standing behind the infinity pool. Simon suggested the idea after we had finished the guys pre-ceremony shoot. I really didn't have enough time so I told him, if he could get them to put down their beers and try something more, than he could get the shot. Well, it turns out they were willing to experiment and Simon got this amazing shot! It's definitely my favorite of the guys.


To top the night off, Anna caught the bouquet! Good thing too... because she is the next to get married! We are getting hitched in 45 DAYS! OH-MY-GOSH-45-DAYS!!! I've got a lot of work to do! I should go now.



Check out Chad and Monica's sweet Mexican slideshow. We had a blast hanging out with them and their families. Thanks guys for being so hospitable and amazing!

Adventures in Cabo!

For those of you who haven't been to Cabo, it is awesome! The weather is a perfect late-70's and the margaritas flow like milk and honey. We shot an amazing wedding and left a few extra days in our travels for rest and play. Here are some pictures of our adventures during our time there. This pool is our view from our little balcony at our condo rental. It was mexico-old-school, but it soon felt just like home.


One of the interesting things that happens when you are in Cabo are the free breakfast offers. We found out after a couple of days just how common it is to be approached be a perfect stranger offering promises of free breakfast, glass bottom boat tours, para-gliding, jet ski rentals, and even a day's free car rental! Well, it was just too much for us and our slim budgets to pass up. All we had to do was visit a new resort just up the road, eat a nice hot breakfast and take a tour of the facilities. The man offering the free-bies boldly instructed, 'Just go to breakfast, don't ask too many questions, I get my come-ee-sion, you get your gooood-ies, everyone is happy!' Sounded easy enough! However, it turns out they ask you lots of questions and talk to you for about 3 hours! It was a lot of work getting our free gooood-ies, but we all agree that it was worth it. However, I probably won't ever do it again. ;)















Simon challenged me to grow a Mexi-stash with him. He didn't last but one day because his wife looked at him like a stranger and that threw him into a bit of depression. I held onto mine for a few good days until I could barely look at myself in the mirror.


Here is my best creepy-stash look.

Sisters

Believe it or not, Jessie and Sophie are sisters. Sophie came over on boxing day (what the english call the day after Christmas) to visit Darren and Jessie for a week or so. Darren and Jessie are the couple that caused me to realize I wanted to be a real professional all-the-time-wedding-photographer. Because of that they will always hold a special place in my heart. It was 4 years ago last September 16th, I think. I shot their wedding with one of my first film cameras a 35mm Canon Rebel G. It was a real inspiring wedding, which thrust me into a world of photography that I didn't even notice before. I am really amazed where God has taken me in these short 4 years and I am so blessed to do something I love. It makes me want to see everyone I meet doing their 'thing that they love'. Darren and Jessie's 'thing' is actually Music Lab, a guitar school here in San Luis. It is a rockin' school and Darren is an amazing teacher. I've learned a few hot licks from him myself. The pictures of Jessie were a birthday present and also potential cover material for a solo album.

Sophie on the other hand is an incredible Jazz singer and needs some shots for a portfolio to perform as a session backup vocalist. Check out a couple of her songs on her myspace. We didn't have much time to plan the shoot so I shot most of these in my backyard and in front of my blue garage. The red doors are only a couple blocks away. I've been excited to shoot in my new neighborhood and this was the perfect opportunity. Hope you enjoy!






And then Jessie took the camera away from me and snapped up this juicy image!

One Month Anniversary.

Garrett and Ashlee got married one month ago today. Well... yesterday considering that the 2nd of January just slipped into midnight. The wedding was beautiful, romantic, peaceful, and an amazing celebration. There was only one major problem. We ran out of daylight. Avila Beach has this GI-NORMOUS mountain between paradise and the nueclear power plant which is great for hiding Diablo Canyon but not so great for early evening photo shoots. I could have my flashes and worked with the couple for a bit longer, but there really is nothing like the purity and presence of natural light. Besides, once the sun went down the tempurature dropped a hundred degrees and there was a soon to be frostbitten bridal party of 20 waiting for me to finish shooting the bride and groom. So, I called it. We headed to the reception and I was hearbroken that we didn't get more time on the golf range or the beach for at least a handful of breathtaking images of the couple in solitude. Garrett and Ashlee have ordered the most amazing album that I offer; Queensberry's hand made albums crafted all the way from New Zealand. This fact sunk me further into depression. Having a Queensberry album without pictures of the bride and groom alone is like having cake without icing.

So, to continue my long story, thus making it longer, I begged them to let me take them out today (yesterday) for a little one month anniversary private photo shoot. It was so much fun that I think I might start doing it more often! Linda Renfro, the Avila Beach Resort coordinator was kind enough to escort us by golf cart around the beautiful grounds. We got all of the shots I needed and then some. After our visit to the resort we drove onto the beach and got our feet wet until our legs went numb. Here are some of the pictures I got today as well as the slideshow of some of my favorites from their wedding just one month ago. Happy Anniversary Garrett and Ashlee! Thanks for being so awesome to take the time to go out today and thanks for being my friend.

Happy Hollywood Newyear!

Wow! That was the funnest New Years Eve party ever! Probably in the history of time. The theme was Hollywood which was appropriate because we just shot a wedding there the day before. Simon and Brook hosted the party at their house and as usual Simon pulled off a sweet glam rocker costume whereas Brook looked like an elegant movie star. I'm not exactly sure what I was going for. I just kinda pulled stuff out of the closet until I found my look. Somewhere between a 70's country-nerd-rocker and an ecentric record producer.

It was a legit New Year's party complete with bottle rockets ricotcheing in the backyard, wild dancing, champagne, and even a midnight ballon drop in the hallway. I wasn't sure why we were all cramming in the hallway until the countdown ended and Matt pulled the sheet that held the ballons.








I am excited about all that this year has in store. All of the new people I will get to meet/photograph and all of the places that I will travel. AND...... I will be married! That's going to be pretty cool. I hope everyone continues to enjoy my photo journal. I will keep updating as much as possible. I have really had fun sharing my heart and adventures. God bless you and your families this new year.