Filed in: Weddings

Before I share Lynnsi & Sam’s wedding at The UCI University Club in Irvine, California (on the campus for University of California, Irvine) 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 gets to photograph some of the coolest people.  Feel free to Contact Me on the Website or send me an email direct at david@esquirephotography.com.

You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.  If you’re reading this right now, you’ll probably catch me online.

So as I’m writing this post in-between amazing performances by Pink, Black Eyed Peas and Sir Elton John & Lady Gaga (this past week’s West Coast Wednesday featured video of the week) during this year’s Grammy Awards tonight at Esquire Photography HQ in Huntington Beach, I really wanted to share Lynnsi & Sam’s wedding that I photographed yesterday.

Lynnsi, her mom and I first met at the Bridal Showplace Wedding Expo where I was an exhibitor and a featured guest speaker on “How to make the most out of your wedding day.”  The three of us totally hit it off & even had the opportunity to enjoy some apple martinis a couple of weeks ago going over the time line and final details for Lynnsi & Sam’s wedding.

Fast forward to yesterday & amidst blue skies, a few puffy clouds here & there and cold beerskies on ice – Lynnsi and her ladies were cutting jokes while putting on the final touches for the ceremony.  While the ladies were in their room, I happened to catch Lynnsi’s Dad AND Sam sporting some styling socks over a few cold ones as well.

After Sam & Lynnsi’s Dad got their socks pulled up and their ties on with their Men’s Warehouse Tuxes, we headed out for some “Sopranos” inspired portrait’s in the library.  Sam & the guys were totally cool representing striking poses inside and a couple of relaxed portraits outside as well.

Lynnsi was wearing her mom’s beautiful pearl earrings, her stepmother’s antique amethyst ring and a gorgeous Oleg Cassini gown from David’s Bridal – all topped off with sexy purple Unlisted pumps from Kenneth Cole.  Her killer pumps totally complimenting the colour spectrum of her wedding which I’m sure you guessed was purple; the colour of royalty.

They had a perfect ceremony with a beautifully decorated gazeebo by Nancy Thompson with Floral Creatsions by Enzo.  And, the entire crowd erupted after the breaking of the glass cheering and clapping.  After the ceremony & all the family and formal portraits were done, Lynnsi, Sam and I headed out to capture some of my Signature Romantic, Artistic and Sexy portraits as the full moon was rising over the trees.

When we completed the portraits outside, we headed back into the UCI University Club to get the party started.  Straight away, Lynnsi & Sam had their first dance with “Grow Old With You” by one of my favourite comedians; Adam Sandler which was followed up with some special toasts & then dinner as DJ Eric Morales from Extreme DJ Service spun a veritable cornucopia of music for everyone to enjoy.

While Lynnsi & Sam were enjoying a bite to eat, I pirated their wedding rings so I could do my classic ring portraits with the cake topper that Lynnsi made along with the guest favour box that was filled with delicious chocolates.  And, I was a good boy and didn’t eat my favours as I saved my appetite for the scrumptious dinner.

I could keep going on about their wedding day, but I think that the photos I’m sharing with you will have more than a thousand words in them.  But before I sign off, and you’re considering having your wedding at the the UCI University Club in Irvine – be sure to ask for my good friend; Ms. Cindy Lee, the Catering Manager & Wedding Coordinator (Direct: 949.824.7961).  From the very first minute that Lynnsi & Sam met with her to the last song of the reception – Cindy, her impeccable staff and with the help of all the top shelf vendors masterfully oversaw and coordinated a perfect wedding day.

So without further ado, here is a slide show that put together of Lynnsi & Sam’s wedding and is also available on Pictage.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did capturing it & have a fantastic evening – cheers!

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Filed in: Wedding Tips

Good morning to everyone in Orange County and abroad from Esquire Photography HQ in Huntington Beach, California!  I received a note that has a fantastic wedding day tip from my good friends at Elegala.com and I really wanted to share with you this week.

So let’s say you’re an Orange County bride (or groom!) and you’re really excited & wondering how to work on setting your budget now that you’ve gotten engaged over the holidays.  Having planned my own wedding and been to my share of weddings in Orange County, Los Angeles, and around the country, I think that this easy-to-read list is really creative and will help you enjoy the fruits of being newly engaged.

But before I present you with this week’s wedding tip and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California, feel free to Contact Me on the Website or send me an email direct at david@esquirephotography.com.  You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.

And without further ado, here is the list from Elegala.com & have a super Baby Friday – cheers!

Get started with these three steps to setting your wedding budget and be able to relax a little more planning your wedding day.

The numbers are in, and they aren’t pretty.  With the average wedding cost at over $28,000, it’s no wonder tackling the budget is one of the most overwhelming tasks on your to-do list.  We’ve sorted the figures to help you put it all in perspective and build a plan of attack.

Step 1: Talk to all contributing parties
As the cost of weddings increase, so does the number of people paying for them (good news for the bride’s parents, who no longer need to take out a second mortgage to fund their daughter’s nuptials). You’ll need to sit down with everyone who is going to contribute to the wedding-day piggy bank and discuss how to logically divide the tab and arrive at a total number.

The old-school rules dictating who pays for what are meant to be broken, but you can definitely use various wedding etiquette guidelines on who pays for what as a starting point for your budget discussion.

Step 2: Allocate totals for each service accordingly
Now that you’ve arrived at a reasonable total budget, you’ll need to determine where that money is going to go.  Come up with a list of items/vendors/details you’ll need, and how much you’ll allocate to each.  Then you can customize each amount based on your style and priorities. For instance, if a fabulous. wedding gown is particularly important to you, you may splurge in that area, and make up for it by cutting back on your floral arrangements.

Step 3: Get a system and start saving
You’ll need to establish a reliable method to keep track of all savings and expenditures.  There are endless ways to save and track your finances, from sophisticated software to old-fashioned spreadsheets.  You can download easy-to-use budgeting software at My Wedding Organizer, Five Star Software or Elm Software for $29.95.

Bank it
If you’ve already got a hefty seed to put down for your affair, talk with your financial institution about the best way to accrue interest leading up to your big day.  A seemingly nominal interest rate can mean the difference between Vera Wang and hand-me-downs.  Just be sure to open an account separate from your personal savings so that you won’t be tempted to dip into the funds and ultimately find yourself in the hole.

Save smart
If you are starting from zero with your wedding-day savings, consider paying for as many of your expenses as possible on a credit card that amasses benefits like frequent flier miles, rewards, or cash back that can go toward your honeymoon travel.

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

I’m sipping my cup of legal addictive stimulants (aka; coffee) here in Huntington Beach thinking about Sheri – the Maid of Honour and twin sister of Stephanie from Stephanie & Lester’s Wedding I just photographed in Hacienda Heights.

I have to give up props to her because Sheri was uber cool to have fun with while getting our shots during the wedding day.  I had all my gear & Sheri was with her point & shoot snapping away while Stephanie was getting ready & then at the reception.

What made her so cool to be around was not only her outgoing personality great sense of humour, but her ability to be a “Stalkerazzi” while respecting what I needed to do for Stephanie & Lester for their wedding.  So when I thought of the word; Stalkerazzi this morning, it reminded me of a song from Lady Gaga; Paparazzi.

The Paparazzi video from Lady Gaga is a little long, but has a great theme and message webbed throughout the music video.  So I just had to go with it for today’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.  Who by the way is selling Lady Gaga t shirts with all of the proceeds going to the relief project in Haiti.  Awesome!

But before I present you with this week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this eclectic Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California, feel free to Contact Me or send me an email direct at david@esquirephotography.com.  You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.

So without further ado, I give you Lady Gaga’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.  And, don’t just have an awesome West Coast Wednesday, but make it a positive one for someone else too – cheers!

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Filed in: Inspiration

As we’re in-between the rains in Huntington Beach and throughout Orange County, I remembered a blog posting that my partners over at Shoot Dot Edit did earlier this month.  They had shared some really amazing information with a fascinating graph and blog post provided by the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers that really helps clear up the perception and reality of what us professional photographers do with our time.

So if your an aspiring photographer, student or enthusiast considering a career in professional photography or a client wondering why it make take a little longer to receive your photos – I really think the article I’m sharing on my blog (with permission I would like to add) from Shoot Dot Edit and the graphs help clear that up and paint a realistic picture (no pun intended) of what we’re doing.

Let’s face it, the requirements to “make it” as a professional photographer in this digital age are not for the faint of heart.  And, for those of you who understand this, you are also familiar with the difference between your family/friend/customer perception of what you do, and the REALITY of what you do!

The Perception
“How some people think professional wedding photographers spend their time (and how some photographers WISHED they could spend their time):”

The Reality
How professional wedding photographers REALLY spend their time:

That about sums up all of the countless hours of conversations us photographers are having with friends and family about how we are WAY over worked!!!

Here is FACT that no human can deny, and we liken this truth to the computer RAM analogy.  Each of us (and our business) have only so much RAM.  Try and run too many applications at the SAME TIME and you will begin to CRASH.

How much RAM do you have?  What if you no longer needed to use your personal/business RAM towards your post production.  What portions of your life and business could benefit from that extra time and energy?  Considering the new and very true dilemma of post production for the professional and passionate digital photographer, this is question worthy of asking…, uh, and answering!

Based on the proposed graph above and several other sources we have included, here are a few items that your business is definitely putting it’s RAM towards:

1.    Marketing
⁃    Brand Development & Collateral Development
⁃    Website design and upkeep
⁃    SEO
⁃    Social Networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
⁃    Blogging
2.    Sales
3.    Pricing Matrix and Strategies
4.    Vendor Relationship Building
5.    Accounting
6.    Consultations
7.    Email
8.    Print fulfillment
9.    Customer Service
10.   Gear upkeep and management
11.   Human resources
12.   Manage your second shooters
13.   Editorial Submissions
14.   Post Production

Oh, and then there are the bare essentials:
– Take photographs
– Eat
– Sleep
– Have friends and hang out occasionally
– Be with your family (wife, husband, children, parents, etc.)

In conclusion.  If you’re coming up as a photographer, then only you know what is best for you as a person and your business.  Hopefully this post has helped you some how someway is move forward with succeeding!

If you would like to add to this or have a comment, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.  I’m definitely open to your thoughts and ideas.

And, if you’re an Orange County or Los Angeles County Bride or Groom that has a question for me or is interested in me being your photographer so you can have that mantlepiece of one of my Signature Romantic, Artistic & Sexy Portraits, feel free to Contact Me through the website or email me directly at david@esquirephotography.com.

You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.  If you’re reading this right now, you’ll probably catch me online.

Have a terrific Tuesday – cheers!

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Filed in: Testimonials

There are times in my career where I absolutely love what I do.  To know that just being me, doing the thing that I’m most passionate about in my creativity and receiving confirmation that my life is in alignment with my talents is a wonderful experience.

Yesterday I was really touched by an Email that Stephanie had sent me about her Wedding in Hacienda Heights and today I received an incredible email from her twin sister; Sheri.  Who by the way was an amazing stalkerazzi during the reception and was so much fun to work with as she was getting some great shots too.

But before you check out their testimonial and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California, feel free to Contact Me on the Website or send me an email direct at david@esquirephotography.com.  You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.

I hope you’re having a great start to your week and check back soon for some exciting news that I’m about to share with you – cheers!

“Oh David,

I just saw the slide-show you have created so far of Stephanie and Lester’s wedding.  It is absolutely beautiful!  And here I thought I had cried all my happy tears last Saturday, but just “reliving” the joy of that day through your photos and seeing how you captured the happiness in Stephanie’s eyes brought more tears to my eyes.  Thank you so much for helping to make Stephanie’s (and Lester’s!) wedding day such a memorable and enjoyable one.

I know how much they loved having you there, and I sincerely enjoyed watching you work throughout the night to capture each and every special moment.  You were amazing, and you weren’t afraid to “have fun” with us and take the silly shots as well as the beautifully poised shots.  And you even put up with my camera stalkerazzi-ness!  (I got a few pretty good shots, by the way!).

Thanks again for your willingness to go all out and help to put together a lifetime of memories for Stephanie and Lester.  I only hope that I am blessed with a wedding of my own someday, and when I am, I hope that you will be there to help me create the same kind of beautiful memories that you helped to create for my sister.

With sincere appreciation and the fondest of memories,

Sheri (Maid of Honor, better known as “Stephanie’s other half”)  :)”

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