Filed in: Events

Good evening from Huntington Beach everyone!  I’m back in from a dinner meeting at Sabatino’s in Newport Beach and I’m sooooooo stuffed, but I still had to write to you tonight.

First, it’s been a totally crazy past week and weekend running all over Orange County shooting (including my good friend; Michelle & her studio partner Bill (aka; Kill Bill) from Studio Z (here’s a Photo I edited on the iPad over dinner)) in Laguna Beach, so if you saw a Tweet and a Facebook posting last week, I just wanted to let you know that I’m a little behind in the great news that I wanted to share with you tonight and I’m mucho sorry.

Ok… so if the title didn’t give it all away….

I want to let you know that you’re not crazy and you did read the title of my posting correctly.  I am giving away FREE wedding photography to one lucky couple.  I’ll be on the Queen Mary coming up in a couple of weeks on August 15th for the Bridal Showplace Anniversary Bridal Show.  It’s the 100th event & I’ve donated to their drawing FREE Wedding Photography.

There’s only one catch though.  I have to be available on that wedding day.  So the best thing that I can suggest is that if you or someone you know would like to save a chunk of money to put towards something else in their wedding.  Perhaps a few extra guests, extra flowers, a videographer or maybe towards the honeymoon.  Then this is the event of the year to attend and get those raffle tickets in that day!

Also, if you would like to attend the Bridal Showplace event, let me know.  I have been given 20 FREE tickets to the event.  So all I need to know is how many people you would like to bring.  I’ve heard that there are a gamut of free things that are being given away from a variety of vendors.  So if someone has their lucky charms with them – they could walk out at the end of the day with a ton of free things to put towards their wedding!

In the mean time, if you’re on the fence about braving a bridal show, but you’re thinkin… Hey! – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California that wants to enjoy life to the fullest, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.

Have a great week & I hope to see you at the event – cheers!

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Filed in: Wedding Tips

Happy Friday from Huntington Beach everyone!  It’s just about time for a fun weekend in the sun and I have a special Wedding Tip Of The Week to share with you today.  It’s from a good friend of mine & Newport Beach Bride that is getting married in October; Ashley Drake.

You might remember her previous article; From One Bride To Another back in February before I left to attend & shoot WPPI as a Pictagerazzi for Pictage & then to host my Workshop in Hawaii.  Well she’s back & has some incredible first hand experience that she would like to share with you.

There are some fantastic pointers that Ashley covers in the article that you won’t want to miss.  Things like; bridal shower, wedding shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties.  Along with resources that are right at your fingertips to help ensure a much more fun experience too.

But before you check out today’s Wedding Tip Of The Week and you’re thinking to yourself…  Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California that wants to enjoy life to the fullest, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.

I hope you’re having a great start to your weekend & check back very soon.  I’ll have some scrumptious photos to share with you from Keren & Pete’s wedding tomorrow at the UCI University Club – cheers!

Timing Is Everything
By Ashley Drake

We are often told as both children and adults, that timing is everything; good things come to those who wait; and my favorite:  it will happen when the time is right.  Well, when planning a wedding—I’m here to tell you that the time to plan your wedding is NOW.  My fiancé and I are getting married in October, and our goal is to have everything 100% completely planned by the end of June—that deadline is fast approaching, and it looks like we will be done.

Setting things in place this far in advance may seem like overkill, but its not.  Remember, you are going to have lots of parties leading up to your wedding.  There will be bridal shower, wedding shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties—these are once in a lifetime events, where you get to be the star.  Lots of people will have questions about your wedding, and if you plan ahead—you will be able to answer all of their questions; as well as enjoy your days as the guest of honor—without having to worry that on Monday after work, you really need to get to the rental shop to pick out your linens.

Planning ahead is a key component to realizing the vision of your dream day.  Your planning stages will take a while.  Make sure that you plan and book crucial components of your big day as far in advance as possible.  First, make sure that you have an officiant, and book the place of your dreams to have you ceremony—this is the cornerstone of your wedding, and if you – make sure you get him/her on the books well in advance, to avoid any timing conflicts down the line.  Many venues can only accommodate one wedding per day—so make sure you book early.  This will ensure that you have the right date and time, well in advance—and you will be able to cross the most important part (the ceremony) off your to-do list for your big day.

The next stage is planning your reception.  Let the internet help you here—I know I have.  Look up places that you might like to have your reception.  We looked at dozens online.  Plan a day to go look at places.  Once you find the perfect place, book it on the spot!

Let the internet help you.  You can find great deals, and cut down on running around—as long as you allow yourself shipping time.  I found disposable cameras for my reception and wedding favors for a great price online, but they were backorder for 2 months.  That’s no problem for me, my wedding isn’t until October (I found the cameras in February!).  My cameras and favors will be here in plenty of time for my big day—because I planned ahead.

Don’t procrastinate, and use your wedding party to their fullest extent.  This will only lead to a stressed out wedding day. Planning ahead will allow you to have a stress free and budget friendly wedding.  Make sure that everyone knows their place.  Have a meet and greet with your bridal party well ahead of time, and explain their duties.  Best Man—you get the tuxedoes, Bridesmaid 1—please make sure the centerpieces are correct; Groomsman 3—You are in charge of coordinating the chairs for the ceremony… etc.  Dole tasks out early, these are your closest friends, and they want to help you.  The more other people help you with, the more you and your fiancé get to enjoy the best day of your lives.

My recommendation is to finish planning your wedding, have all of the deposits down on everything, all of the attire chosen, and the reception completely planned, and hotel rooms reserved for out of town guests no less than 3 months before your big day.  This will allow you plenty of time to handle any last minute fiascoes that may come up.  There is a lot to do, and not a lot of time to get it all done.  Make sure that you are able to enjoy the weeks leading up to your big day, rather than stress about not having picked out your napkin color.

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning from Huntington Beach, California everyone!  This week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week is inspired by those times when you just want to burst out of your body.  For me, when those moments strike, I want to stop the clock & do something purely creative.

Fortunately, I have a small freedom to be able to share my creative mind with you not only in my photography, but also through art & music.  The latter being something that I do my best to discipline myself and share with you on a weekly basis.

The song that came to mind for this type of feeling is U2’s; “Where The Streets Have No Name.”  The lyrics are from a handful of some of the most creative minds in the world. I mean really… this is poetic:

I wanna run, I want to hide
I wanna tear down the walls
That hold me inside.
I wanna reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name.

On U2’s website, they have a succinct and eloquent bio of their background that really drives home their story in just 3 short paragraphs.

“In 1975, four teenagers from Mount Temple School in Dublin gathered in a crowded kitchen to discuss forming a band. The drum kit just about fit into the room, the lead guitarist was playing a homemade guitar, the bassist could barely play at all and nobody wanted to sing. Over thirty years later, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are still together, bound by intense loyalty, passionate idealism and a relentless belief in the power of rock and roll to change the world.

In a epic journey that has taken them from the clubs of Dublin to the stadiums of the world, U2 have sold over 130 million albums, been number one all over the world, revolutionized live performance, spearheaded political campaigns and made music that defines the age we live in.

From the anarchic days of their Seventies punk origins through their Eighties ascent to superstardom with the epic rock of The Joshua Tree, the dark post-modern ironies of Achtung Baby in the Nineties and their 21st-Century resurgence as rock’s biggest and boldest band, this is a tale of faith, love, drama, family, birth, death, survival, conflict, crises, creativity . . . and a lot of laughter.

Told with wit, insight and astonishing candour by the band themselves and manager Paul McGuinness, with pictures from their own archives, U2 by U2 allows unprecedented access into the inner life of the greatest rock band of our times.”

And, I love what U2 share’s on their site about their music is quite powerful too.  “The music of U2 has always been about heart and mind, body and soul. Down the years the band have successfully thrown a spotlight on the work of key campaigning groups who are trying to make the world a better place.

From Amnesty International and Greenpeace through to DATA, ONE, (Product (RED) and the Chernobyl Children’s Project, U2 have used benefit concerts, songwriting, public campaigning, special visits and fund-raising projects to promote a range of charities and activist communities worldwide.”

Before you check out this week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer that is on the rocking edge of amazing fashion, music and videos, feel free to contact me anytime.

I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.

So without further ado, I give you U2 in “Where The Streets Have No Name” for the West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.  And, don’t just have an awesome West Coast Wednesday, but make it a totally positive one for someone else too – cheers!

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Filed in: Portraits

Good evening from Huntington Beach everyone!  Have I got a yummy treat for you.  If you’ve been following me on Twitter or on Facebook back over the July 4th holiday- you would have seen some updates that came through when I was on location for a jewelry shoot for F & C Creations in downtown Huntington Beach.

Now I’m guessing you’re probably having the same reaction that others have had like; “Huh?  A jewelry shoot on location?” or “Wouldn’t you want to have a jewelry shoot in a studio?”  My answer to the two most common questions were; “Yes” and “Yes and No.”  As an artist and a photographer I’m constantly seeing things in a way that isn’t mainstream to the average person.  And on top of that, I see a universe in the smallest things like a tile in the entrance of a retail store or the gradient in a cross walk.  Or better yet – a man hole cover with crushed glass.

Also, if you’re not too familiar with F & C Creations, it is the brainchild of Stephen Arnold.  Who, in my opinion is literally THE Best jeweler I have ever had the honour of working with.  And, I mean EVER.  We first met at a Bridal Showplace event last year where I was blown away in his genius of his work.  Since then, we kept in touch here & there, but never quite connected.  So when I received a call from Stephen that he wanted me to photograph his work, I immediately and without hesitation gave him a resounding YES.

AND!  What made the entire process that much more incredible for me is that I hired him to create a newer more modern redesign of my Esquire family ring.  I have a photo of it above & here is one of the Photos from the shoot during our Nachos-inspired lunch break.

I asked Stephen if he could share with you some of his background and he put together a fantastic Biography to share with you.  Check this out!

Stephen Arnold Biography

 

All his life, Stephen has had a passion for art and jewelry.  With a strong art background in oil painting and illustration, jewelry design came naturally to him.  He started training as a silver smith when he was just 16 years old, learning how to solder, cast, finish, and wax carve over the next two years.

Stephen continued to work on jewelry (mainly as a silver smith) until he enrolled into the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad California.  He enrolled and excelled in the Graduate Jeweler and jewelry design programs.  While still enrolled, Stephen worked full time as bench jeweler in Pacific Beach as the “custom design jeweler.”

Immediately after GIA, Stephen took on a very rigorous and difficult apprenticeship at San Diego’s premier retailer Charles Koll Jewelers.  It is there that Stephen learned the true meaning of quality craftsmanship, combining old world techniques with the latest in jewelry manufacturing technology under the strict observation of a master jeweler whose view of craftsmanship went only two ways; it was ‘bad’ or it was ‘perfect’.

Stephen would later voluntarily leave his apprenticeship to work for Niessing, a German jewelry designer and manufacturer and a pioneer in modern, minimalist European design.  Stephen found himself sitting side by side with German goldsmiths and stone setters as part of his ongoing training to be able to work on the unique and high quality designs.   As Niessing’s goldsmith for their North American operation, he executed all repairs and stone setting for their retail accounts.  While working there, Stephen spent his free time experimenting with his own designs.

The influence of and European modern design inspired Stephen to create a jewelry company that could bridge this influence with traditional American glamour.  Steering away from traditional American over load of pave stones, frills, and lace as well as adding more dimensions to the hard architectural designs of European Modern, Stephen has created F and C Creations, a true American contemporary artist.  Art combined with simple shapes, art you can wear.

By now I bet you’re dying to see the photos from the shoot & since I know no other way other than to go 100% or go home – I’ve put together one of my delicious slide shows from the photo shoot on location in Huntington Beach.

But before you check out the slide show and you’re thinking to yourself…  Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California loves to capture all the amazing details in jewelry, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.

I hope you’re having a great start to your week & check back very soon.  I’ll have some scrumptious photos to share with you from Merelin & Arthur’s wedding this past Friday & Erin & Kevin’s wedding on Saturday – cheers!

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  • Tamara - SHUT UP!!!! Between your stunning images and these unique and captivating designs…my mind is utterly blown!

    (Now if I could just get my hands on those earring cuff-thingies…..)

  • David Esquire - Shut the front door! Thank you so much for your comment Tamara. You totally rock & coming from you, that truly means a lot to me. XOXOXO!!!

Filed in: Wedding Tips

Happy Baby Friday from Huntington Beach everyone!  It’s Baby Friday and I have a different kind of Wedding Tip Of The Week to share with you today.

This is a fantastic bit from my good friends at Elegala.com about the emotional struggles that many women face during the engagement process and getting married.  But what’s interesting about this article though, is that I don’t feel like it’s women-specific as lot’s of men have many if not all of the same feelings during the process of getting married.  Feelings like; “What if” was a big one for me.  I’m a bit of a control freak, so that kept creeping up in my head from time-to-time.

There are quite a few other strong topics that are touched on in the article, but before you check out today’s Wedding Tip Of The Week and you’re thinking to yourself…  Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California that wants to enjoy life to the fullest, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.

Have a great Baby Friday & check back very soon.  I’ll have some delicious photos to share with you from Merelin and Arthur’s wedding tomorrow at the Malibu West Beach Club and then Erin & Kevin’s wedding at the Dove Canyon Golf Club in Trabuco Canyon on Saturday – cheers!

Getting Engaged – The Emotional Struggle Many Women Face

May women soon realize that engagement is one of the most significant psychological transitions in our lives…

Inside the newly engaged woman often lie fear, anxiety, sadness, and loss. It is these important internal details, so largely ignored by conventional wedding guides and planners, that an engaged woman must face and confront if she ever hopes to arrive at the altar fully prepared to enter into a healthy marriage.

Feelings of loss?

There is no other time in your life when you are truly giving up one identity for another. The transition is more complex than simply taking a new last name, a literal change of identity and a decision that brings with it its own set of questions and anxieties. You are also giving up your symbolic identity as a single woman, even a child. Women often worry, “I’m losing my youth,” or, “I won’t be able to relate to my single girlfriends.” A stage in your life, the only stage you have ever experienced, is ending, and many women experience feelings of loss as a chapter closes on their lives.

What if…

As one chapter closes, another begins – a chapter of commitment and togetherness. This new stage brings forth feelings of joy and excitement, but fear and uncertainty are also involved. You are entering into a partnership with another human being, causing your future’s happiness to rely so heavily on the actions of another. Needless to say, this realization can expose feelings of fear. What if our marriage doesn’t last? What if he cheats on me? What if I cheat on him? What if the passion fades and we grow apart? What if something terrible happens to him? These questions can penetrate the veneer of even the most outwardly joyous bride.

Am I making a mistake?

Popular culture and society seems to conveniently ignore these questions and uncertainties. As engaged women, we hear a barrage of “Congratulations!” and “What will your dress look like?” when we announce the big news. Even those closest to us neglect to recognize the importance of more internally probing questions and advice during our engagement. As a result, many women begin to question their readiness for marriage. Any feeling less than euphoric is deemed as indication of making a mistake, as we have been conditioned to believe that anxiety and confusion are a reflection of “not being ready” or choosing the wrong partner. Thus, instead of accepting and discussing these feelings, we distract ourselves with the wedding planning and ignore our internal emotions.

Learning to accept your feelings

In reality, these thoughts could not be more normal. In every other major life transition, simultaneous feelings of loss and gain are not only expected, but encouraged. When you graduated high school, when you graduated college, when you moved away from your hometown, when you left your first job for a better opportunity, those around you understood and sympathized with your conflicting emotions. But did those feelings of sadness and loss hinder you from taking that next step and succeeding with flying colors? Of course not. You allowed yourself to address and analyze your thoughts, then you proceeded with the change. This is exactly what you need to do during your engagement as you prepare for your journey to the altar and marriage. Realize that feelings of sadness and anxiety are normal, allow yourself to feel these feelings, and discuss and analyze them with those around you. Don’t allow your friends and family to focus solely on the wedding planning details to the exclusion of your internal struggles.

The engagement stage involves more than simply planning a big party. It involves introspection and emotional analysis. It involves open communication with your fiance, family, and friends. It involves acceptance of fear and sadness. Once a bride realizes the complexity of this transition, she can address her emotions and move forward in planning for both a fabulous party and a successful next chapter in her life.

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