Razan + Andy | Gaslamp, Seaport Village and Coronado

This was such an awesome shoot! Yes, the locations were great, and the weather was wonderful…but most importantly, this couple was just amazing. Razan and Andy were ready to have fun and just radiated with love for one another during the entire shoot. We explored downtown San Diego’s garages, alleys, loading docks, textures, shadows, steps (the many, many steps of the Convention Center!) and views.  During the shoot, we really just felt like we were hanging out with some friends, doing what we love to do…finding cool spots for taking photos.  I did end up on Rick’s shoulders for the first three photos you see here.  I needed to get higher up to get this shot, so Rick just set his camera down and said, “hop on.”  It’s always an adventure with Rick!  And I’m sure the sight was amusing for Razan and Andy.  In fact, I bet in the photo above, they are laughing at us! After downtown, we then ventured on to Seaport Village and ended up in Coronado for sunset.  This shoot was like a little sample of some of the best San Diego has to offer… And it all ended perfectly when Andy started playing Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” over on Coronado, while they looked out towards the San Diego skyline.  What a sweet, sweet couple! We cannot wait for this wedding!

Savannah in Portland

My cousin in Portland recently had a sweet, sweet baby girl, Savannah.  I flew up there for a few days to hold this little baby and take some photos…and here she is!  It’s so cool to be able to experience my life through the camera because I am able to get close and observe the details, to pull back and view things from a different perspective and to share how I see things.  What I saw on this trip was not just a newborn baby but a new-born Mom. It was so cool to witness my cousin’s transformation into motherhood. And a beautiful Mama she is! I’m so happy I was able to spend this time there and document the beginnings of a family…

show hide 1 comment

Rachel - Beautiful baby, beautiful family, beautiful photos.May 1, 2012 – 12:14 am

Marie And Sean | The Prado

Some images from a gorgeous Spring wedding at The Prado… Marie and Sean are a really relaxed, low-key couple who are obviously head over heals in love.  They planned an afternoon wedding in beautiful Balboa Park on a gorgeous Spring day.  Their decor was amazing! They incorporated a lot of old books into their center pieces and even made paper flowers from the pages.  Since they are both teachers and lovers of theater, this was perfect.  Another touch I loved…Marie had fabric from her Mother’s lace wedding dress added to her own dress. The neckline was absolutely gorgeous!  There were so many sweet, handmade touches at this wedding.  For their first dance, they danced to “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” but an incredibly sweet version by Ingrid Michaelson.  I felt like this song was just so fitting for them… understated, authentic, simply and absolutely lovely.  Best wishes to this lovely couple!  I can tell they are going to continue to be very, very happy together.

These flowers were made for this window!
Love this sweet moment between mother and daughter.
Look at those eyes! Stunning.
I absolutely love the way her fingers are delicately reaching for her veil…
Dapper.
Officiants are using iPads!
Walking down the aisle.
Father of the groom…
The wedding party
The bike was kind of their mascot for the wedding, as it could be seen on their invitations, programs, etc.  So cute!
Books are works of art filled with stories, history, knowledge… Why not use them as centerpieces? What a cool idea.
A globe…another great decorative piece with lots of meaning…
Paper flowers made from the pages of books!
Check out that beautiful light.
Last dance of the day.
Our mobile photo studio, Snapshot Studios, was a huge hit! Everyone had lots of laughs and lots of fun.

Venue  |  The Prado

Coordination  |  Swann Siorees

Music  |  Michael Tiernan

Florist  |  Rae Florae

Cake  |  Flour Power

Photo Booth  |  Snapshot Studios

All flowers & centerpieces were donated to the SD Hospice after the event through Swann Soirees…really great idea.

show hide 1 comment

Arlene Jenkins - Every picture was thrilling to me. I am Marie’s Great Aunt, and so very proud of her. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Sean yet, but know he’s wonderful just by her choosing him. I was unable to make the wedding due to illness, and am very excited to see all of the pictures. My favorite one is with her Mom, Kendra (my niece). She has always been like a daughter to me, and to see them in that picture brings me great joy. The Dasteels are a beautiful family.April 22, 2012 – 8:02 pm

Lusha + Rodion | North Park + Torrey Pines

Rodion and Lusha are a laid back couple who are enjoying life together with their doggies in their neighborhood of North Park.  Lusha is in school for fashion design, and her fashion sense really added a lot to this shoot.  I love how each outfit perfectly fit the location. We started at Torrey Pines, down on the beach. We then headed up to the trails for some more rustic/naturey shots.  The shoot ended in their North Park neighborhood where we stole some urban shots pre-dusk and also had some fun with night photography.  During the shoot, we actually ran into a couple whose wedding we photographed last year.  It was pretty awesome to be shooting on the street and hear “Bernadette and Rick!”  We felt very celebrity-like.  (Just kidding!) We had a blast with Rodion and Lusha and can’t wait until their wedding!

show hide 15 comments

Konstantin Steshenko - Love the photos guys! Especially the one of your reflection in the water. And maybe just because it also features Winston.April 11, 2012 – 10:45 pm

Konstantin Steshenko - Love the photos guys, especially the one of where you are reflected in the water. And maybe just because it also features Winston.April 11, 2012 – 10:58 pm

Huiquan Chen - Love the 5th one, it is so romantic when you guys hold hands and walking by the beach, and the reflection in the water is amazing too!!April 11, 2012 – 11:46 pm

Eve - Beautiful pictures. I love all of them but my favorite is the one that see you are kissing from the reflection in the water. You two look great together. Congrats! :) April 12, 2012 – 12:15 am

Pete Gutierrez - Love the photos, especially the one with the pants Rodion would only ever wear in an engagement photo. Congrats guys!April 12, 2012 – 3:16 pm

Sue - Awesome photos! Love the one with you on the beach and the one with the photographerApril 12, 2012 – 3:23 pm

yulia - My favorite of you two is the fourth from the bottom (Ro in green polo, Lusha in polka dots), but I also love the one of you guys on the beach (fifth from top).April 12, 2012 – 5:05 pm

Tiffany Billings - Gorgeous couple, captured beautifully! My favorite is the reflection photo. Congratulations!!April 12, 2012 – 5:25 pm

Tiffany Schillereff - I love, love, love them all!!! The 7th one down is my favorite! :) Also, the reflection in the water is awesome too. I love the last one with the North Park sign, it looks great in the background, but you and Lusha are cleary focus of the picture! The picure with the Torrey Pines Sandstone in the background is a bonus too! :) April 12, 2012 – 7:05 pm

Frank - Hey Ro & Lusha,

Great shots… really. You picked one hell of a photographer. I must admit when Yulia told me “pre-wedding” shots, my “schmaltz / staged photo hell” radar went off, well because that’s what I usually see. These are very genuine, slice-of-life, beautiful shots of you two. And the best part is how much the photos evoke your love for one another. Bravo.

FrankApril 12, 2012 – 7:56 pm

Tricia - So hard to choose a favorite! Love the reflection photo and the polka dot dress close up – your expressions look really natural in that photo! Ro – I think the thumbs/hands in the pockets is your signature look?!April 13, 2012 – 12:21 am

Viv - Look guys look awesome! Each picture is like a snapshot of your life. I feel very privileged to see them! Loved each one!April 13, 2012 – 7:52 pm

Nora - Congratulations to both of you. I especially like one under the tree which reminds me of a cover from a storybook.April 14, 2012 – 2:55 am

frank - These pictures are all great. I think the best one is the one with the reflection since it tells the complete story in a single picture. Great work capturing the happy couple…April 14, 2012 – 7:21 am

Crystal-JINGJING - love all the photos!sweet love birds!!! c’t wait to see u guys!April 19, 2012 – 5:35 am

Surprise!

Jen and Brett, one of the fabulous couples we have photographed recently got our work and their wedding photos and story published. They didn’t mention that they were submitting the article and images, but we found out when we received the magazine in the mail. What a great surprise!

f a c e b o o k
t w i t t e r