Merry Christmas, friends. I hope the holidays are dazzling and warm for you this year.
photo: Gia Canali
Tag Archive for 'Portrait'
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I found this photo while I was digging through my archives, searching for something else. It’s such a happy find! LA is a bit dreary today, even though we are all pretty thrilled about the rain (we wait for it ever-so-long …).
photo: Gia Canali
Nicole and Abram had a beautiful summer wedding in Malibu. And although they wanted to wed on the beach, both imagined having some photographs that were decidedly more woodsy and magical. I’m not sure how many times Abram went scouting by himself—at least twice!—but the afternoon the three of us visited this site (pictured above), we knew we’d found what we were all looking for. This brings up an important point about working with a photographer: communicating your vision can make all the difference in the world. While you’re at it, it’s good to let your imagination run a little wild. You don’t know, really, what is and isn’t possible.
The feeling I got from this place made me want to pull out all the toy cameras …
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Megan Fickling-Pearson from {La Partie Events} did an outstanding job on the day-of wedding coordination. We love her boundless creativity and good spirits and cannot wait to photograph a wedding where she does the floral design, too. Her {blog} is always a good read—Meg knows where to find all the cool stuff! Below: a few photographs from the ceremony. Nicole and Abram were so sweet with each other. I love that!
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Below: some of the details. Chalkboards can be really fun decor elements at weddings. Abram decorated these for the reception. DIY projects like this are great for weddings, as they are easy and memorable. We also liked the sweets table!
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After the ceremony and just as the sun was setting, Nicole and Abram took a few more minutes to run around the beach. If you have an opportunity to take advantage of multiple setups or locations for portraits, do it! Your album will have lots more variety.
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Nicole and Abram made a point of getting the portraits they wanted—and it really paid off. Photographers are always ready for a happy collaboration! We highlighted their good sense previously, but this tip from their wedding is definitely worth reiterating: take a walk! It’s nice to have some quiet time with your beloved and it makes for really good photographs.
photographs: Gia Canali Nicole’s gown: Edgardo Bonilla Florals: Michelle, Larchmont Village Florist, (323) 464-8146
Some weddings are so marvelously right. Julia & Eli’s was one of them. The equation might have read: happy couple + beautiful yard + perfect day + perfect night + joyous guests + “fireflies” = magical. We’ve featured bits of their wedding all summer, partly because I think this blogging real weddings thing rushes me much too much—as I prefer to turn over my photographic fascinations slowly—but mostly because we loved their wedding. Even the intangible things, like Eli saying his {vows}. Above, one of several Polaroid 55s I took.
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We loved the whimsical florals and decor by Krislyn. The groom’s boutonniere was fashioned from a single (tiny) perfect echeveria ‘afterglow’. I grow them in my garden, and in just the right light, the pinkish rims really do glow. Below: celebrity stylists Nina and Clare Hallworth help Julia into her gown. Sweetest up-do ever by Chris McMillan. Chris did Julia’s hair three or four times that morning before he came up with the final look, which made me realize how essential it is to allow all the vendors at a wedding time to give a top-notch performance. (More on that later.) I never would have guessed tulips would have been “just the thing,” but they were, and Chris’s hairdo inspired lots and lots of my photographs of Julia.
I spoke with Nina and Clare for a few moments before the reception, and asked if they had any advice for my blog readers. They said it was so important to take time (by which they meant quiet time) to get dressed. The way they spoke of dressing, it seemed like dressing oneself and composing oneself were the same act.
Some details from the ceremony. The huppah was one of a kind, with peonies, branches, and a quilt the groom’s mother made by hand. Yifat Oren & her gifted crew, led by Amy Cain, masterminded the design and production of the whole affair. Great job, Amy!
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Nina and Clare reused Julia’s veil as a wrap during cocktails and dinner. It was not only a very inventive instantly “upcycled” accessory, but offered Julia a second glorious look for the evening. Bride’s gown, Carolina Herrera. Groom’s three-piece suit (♥!), Tom Ford.
Above: a few images from Julia and Eli’s hora. I love getting guests out on the dance floor (and before sundown if possible). It’s one of the few chances we ever have in a wedding day for truly energetic and totally camera unaware photographs of everyone who came out to celebrate your tying-the-knot.
Because it was so sunny and because so much was going on in both the front yard and back yard all day, we couldn’t do any outdoor portraits. So Julia and Eli agreed to sneak away for a quick walk after their first dances. So worth it!
Julia felt differently about the sunshiny day. She was thrilled to wake at six that morning and see the sun was out. Those of you who live in Southern California will know “June Gloom,” and Julia & Eli’s wedding day was the first day after our (particularly long) June Gloom ended this year. I laughed when she told me this: when I awoke on my own wedding day, I, too, jumped out of bed to see what the light was like, but was practically gleeful to discover a bright overcast morning!
Julia’s advice? She says to take a couple days to do relaxing things before the wedding. On the day of the wedding, she had no stress for the first time in the planning process!
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The End.
p.s. I left lots of stuff out. I want to have photographs to illustrate my “real” posts!
photographs: Gia Canali
We’re so pleased Sonya and Kevin’s adorable engagement photo is featured in Brides local edition magazines this winter. Sonya and Kevin met on the 45 bus in San Francisco, which I think is so sweet and just-out-of-a-movie romantic. We featured photographs from their lovely black-and-white wedding a while back.
Take a walk. It is a way of taking {quiet time}, to be sure. And it always renders so nicely on film. Congratulations, Abram & Nicole!
These are the dog days (and nights!) of summer and I find myself wanting to paint everything in the hottest colors I can imagine. I want even my blues to be hot. Tammy and Mickey’s wedding has been on my mind lots these past days and mostly because of their hot, hot colors. The pairing of pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, and electric blues with their venues and the very sensuous mood of their wedding worked especially well for them. And although we use lots of these images elsewhere in our blog and site, I thought it would be good to get an idea of how everything worked together to create what was really a breathtaking event. As in any good color design, the color should work with the color scheme and season and general mood of your location, rather than against it. Throughout the images, you might notice bits of blue and turquoise. I think … little accents of cool color bring out the heat in all the other colors. I also got the distinct impression that their wedding became warmer and hotter as day became night.
Genius florals by Michael Mantalos, {Louloudi Design}.
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Tammy’s accessories included a barrette she made by hand at work (she’s a fashion designer!) …
Mickey getting ready, and showing off his Canali suit. Love it!
A few photographs from their sweet ceremony. When you wed at a church as ornate as this one, no adornment is necessary.
And here’s where it goes from warm to hot—the warmth of candles, the heat of red dahlias and yellow orchids, and the opulence of a gilded cake combine perfectly. Cake by Margaret Braun.
A belly dancer entertained the guests during dinner.
I am a fan of any excuse to get everybody very happily dancing. It is one of the best opportunities to photograph bride and groom with their wedding guests. After the first dances, Greek dancing began.
The evening ended with some of our favorite nighttime portraits. (Yep, I posted some of these earlier this week. That’s what put Tammy and Mickey’s wedding fresh in my mind).
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Revisiting their wedding these many months later, I am wondering how so few of these images made it through to our portfolio. Of course, I’m always a little discouraged by how little of our work we can really show—but that’s a major reason we started this blog. I think Tammy and Mickey’s wedding is a fantastic example of a wedding that was opulent without being extravagant. There were little handmade touches. We love that. Hope it inspires.
photos: Gia Canali
