So many weddings to share with you .. so happy to be spending so much time in my office this past week or two. Playing catch up is serious therapy for me ... checking things off of my todo lists never felt better. I talk a lot about finding balance in life while being a business owner and as much as I know I need to practice what I preach it is really easy to just work. all. the. time. when it is you and only you who can create your income. It's important to know when to pull back and spend some time cultivating your craft rather than executing it. Since I shot my last wedding of 2011 last week I fully intend to spend time on some house projects, design lots and lots of albums, finally send images to patient vendors (more on this later), and enjoy decorating for the holiday season!

We are having new stairs installed today ... hopefully this:

will look more like this soon....What?! A girl can dream.. right? ;)

Lets talk wedding photography....

Erica and Derek had a lovely outdoor wedding at Creekside earlier this year surrounded by not only friends and family but beautiful towering redwoods. Weddings in the Santa Cruz Mountains always hold a special place in my heart .. I always pictured myself getting married surrounded by redwood trees .. there is nothing like that fresh smell of the woods. Alas, we tied the knot in November so redwoods would have meant freezing evening temperatures but in May the mountains were in beautiful form and the sun peeked through the tree boughs for perfect light on their big day.

Onward!

Kristen and John had a beautiful wedding at the new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. I've shot a handful of weddings in Palos Verdes this year and have never seen it get so cold on the cliffs before. The day started out warm and bright and just before the ceremony the fog rolled in- and I am telling the honest truth when I say I have never felt so cold in my life! It was like I was in snow in my swimsuit. My fingers were freezing as I clicked the shutter and I kept chanting to myself, "Pretend your in the desert....pretend your in the desert..." But we all made it through and got some gorgeous images overlooking the Terranea bluffs. I'm going to start a new thing... every wedding I shoot is different. Nothing ever unfolds exactly alike, no ceremony is identical, and no bride and groom are equal- after every wedding I learn something new. I am going to start adding in little tips for you guys in hopes that you'll create a picture-perfect wedding day and realize that there are a lot of factors that contribute to getting great photos and it's not just the photographer!

Tip for great photos: Having your ceremony overlooking the ocean is beautiful but be warned- unless the fog rolls in, there is cloud coverage, or you schedule your ceremony directly before sunset the light is going to be bright and harsh- you'll most likely be photographed squinting and will have shadows on your face. Make sure to talk to your photographer about your lighting conditions before setting everything in stone if beautiful evenly lit photos is your cup of tea!

Thanks to Kim Fox for referring this wedding to Heather, and to Heather for having me out to lend a hand!