Filed in: Weddings

Good evening from Huntington Beach everyone!  I hope everyone had a great West Coast Wednesday yesterday and I have a terrific San Clemente Wedding that I recently was a photographer for with Bernadette & Vlad.

I first met up with Bernadette & Vlad at a Bridal Showplace event on the Queen Mary well over a year ago.  Over time, Bernadette and I would touch base on the phone or via email getting to know each other better as she shared her vision for her wedding day.  One one of our meetings, we met up at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.  What was really awesome about that meeting is there was another wedding being filmed for David Tutera’s; My Fair Wedding on WeTV (Like I did for Shelby & Matt’s Silverado Wedding at Rancho Las Lomas!).  After the meeting, we headed over to Olivera Street to meet up with Bernadette’s parents for dinner at a local restaurant.

We even had an opportunity to meet up at one of my favourite spots in Laguna Beach where I love to meet some of my other wedding couples; The Surf and Sand Resort.  That meeting was perfect with a delicious sunset, some martinis and finger foods.  Again, chatting about the wedding day, the details of their wedding and how much fun it would be while I’m photographing all the awesome memories.

Fast forward to their wedding day that was held at the Casino San Clemente and to say that it was beautiful, filled with tears of joy and tons of great times & laughter wouldn’t even begin to describe how amazing it was.  From the flawless hair & make up provided by Chach Ontiveros at Skin Rituals to the Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress and Joan & David Shoes that Bernadette wore to the opulent floral arrangements provided by Katrina O’Donnell Custom Florals (who was just featured on the latest episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” BTW!) – their wedding day was perfect.

As I was mentioning about all the awesome memories, there truly were!  I had a little juniour stalkerazzi rockin’ a Canon G10 all day capturing her vision of Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding day.  Bernadette & Vlad opted for a 1st look prior to their wedding ceremony – which is totally the best thing ever.  That gave them a private moment between themselves AND a great deal of time for us to head down to the beach for me to capture some absolutely epic romantic portraits of the two of them.

There was also a little bit of “Kung Fu Fighting” going on while DJ Andy from Disc Go Round kept the night moving, some humour during the toasts… AND!  Yours truly here did what I now refer to as a “Royale McTwist & Jump” when the chair that I was standing on during the family portraits decided to give way.  I nearly ate it in slow motion as I was going down.  I totally didn’t and landed on my feet and it was sooooooo awesome!!!  I just wish I  had video of it because it was that cool.

I would like to give an uber shout out to Ms. Kelly Roemer, the General Manager of the Casino San Clemente down in (You guessed it) San Clemente for orchestrating a PERFECT wedding day for Bernadette & Vlad.  She and her team of professionals not only made sure every detail was precise, but that every guest and even little ole me was well taken care of during the day.  She is the consumate professional and I highly recommend you chatting with her if you’re considering having your wedding at the Casino San Clemente.

Before you check out Bernadette & Vlad’s Laguna Beach Wedding at Casino San Clemente – in Orange County and you’re thinking to yourself…  Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer in Orange County loves to capture romantic portraits, timeless moments and wedding details, then 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.

So without further ado, below is Bernadette & Vlad’s Laguna Beach Wedding that I photographed at the beautiful Casino San Clemente in a gorgeous slide show that I put together.  If you’re interested in delicious professional prints, I’ll have their wedding photography available on Pictage too.  I hope you’re having a great Baby Friday and stay tuned for some more amazing events that I’ve photographed from San Diego to Orange County and Ventura – cheers!

PS, If you missed the latest episode that was filmed in San Diego and released on Monday, be sure to check out the totally fun & awesome Katrina O’Donnell who I recently worked with as the wedding photographer for Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding day on the latest episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” – where she’s sharing some terrific advice on how to save some time, some money & your sanity planning your wedding.

PSS, I’m really excited to share with you that the butterfly movement is alive and well in Orange County!  I recently when I was a guest teacher at Fountain Valley High School and Marina High School – it really hit me that I’m more than just a Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer in Orange County capturing beautiful portraits and covering amazing events all over Southern California – but a photographer that wants to help dilate minds and make positive changes in this world.

PPSS, I thought I would share an awesome quote with you from the romantic movie; “Robin Hood” with Russell Crowe; “Rise and rise again. Until lambs become lions.” Awesome!

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning everyone! I’m one Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that took a walk down memory lane this morning & found myself strolling the streets of Portland, Oregon.  Let me tell you that even though Portland is an absolutely beautiful city bursting at the seams with art, culture, clubs, music, food, BEER (TONS of microbreweries) and awesome people – it really does rain as much as you hear and that ultimately made me seek out the beautiful sunny Southern California weather.

When I lived up in Portland, I worked with quite a few musicians, DJs and artists that gave me the opportunity to photograph their portraits from time-to-time along with becoming good friends with some of them.  I had the opportunity of hanging out with an awesome musician; Dave Koz, to bands like Jane His Wife, His Boy Elroy (Yup, named after the Jetsons!) and many many more artists.  I also learned how much I like playing pool with my old friends; Jonathan & Anissa and was introduced to some serious trance, rave and techno artists by my old friend; Denmark (as in Sweden!).

One of the artists that I fell in love with that Denmark introduced me to was Moby.  I have to tell you that once I heard Moby in his car at 4:00 a.m. when we were leaving Front Street – a pretty cool club facing the river in downtown Portland – my entire paradigm of music totally changed.  And I mean channnnnnnged!

If you don’t know much about Moby, check out his biography from his website.  He’s quite an accomplished artist!

“moby was born in new york city, but grew up in connecticut, where he started making music when he was 9 years old. he started out playing classical guitar and studied music theory, and then went on to play with seminal connecticut hardcore punk group ‘the vatican commandoes’ when he was 14. he then played with post-punk band ‘awol’ while studying philosophy at the university of connecticut and suny purchase. he started dj’ing while attending college, and was a fixture in the late 80’s new york house and hip-hop scenes, dj’ing at clubs such as mars, red zone, mk, and the palladium.

he released his first single, ‘go’ in 1991 (listed as one of rolling stones best records of all time), and has been making albums ever since. his own records have sold over 20,000,000 copies worldwide, and he’s also produced and remixed scores of other artists, including david bowie, metallica, the beastie boys, public enemy, among others.

moby has toured extensively, playing well over 3,000 concerts in his career. he has also had his music used in hundreds of different films, including ‘heat’, ‘any given sunday’, ‘tomorrow never dies’, and ‘the beach’, among others.

currently he’s touring in support of his most recent album, ‘wait for me’, as well as working closely with a variety of different charities, including the humane society and the institute for music and neurologic function.”

I even had the opportunity of seeing Moby perform twice; once at the VFW Hall in Hollywood and then at Area One (which Moby put together) that was completely AHFREAKINMAYZEENG!

But 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 Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that loves 80′s music, fashion, photography and art, 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 Moby with “Go” (Live) and “God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters> (featuring UNKLE).  Feel free to sit back with your favourite morning beverage and enjoy the music from Moby and kick off your West Coast Wednesday positively in Huntington Beach, another spot in Orange County or another part of this huge planet that we’re all a part of.

Have an awesome West Coast Wednesday and also remember to make it a totally positive one for someone else too – cheers!

PS, If you missed it on Monday, be sure to check out the totally fun & awesome Katrina O’Donnell who I recently worked with as the wedding photographer for Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding day on the latest episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” – where she’s sharing some terrific advice on how to save some time, some money & your sanity planning your wedding.

PSS, Totally check out the video program; Photo Night Live from the UK that I was a guest on.  YEAH!!!  Be sure to read the Story about it and the program episode.  We had a total blast and there was beer involved too at 11:00 a.m.!  Well… Not by me, but the guys in the UK were already at the end of their day.  LOL!

PPSS, I know I said it last week, but I just had to say it again. I guess I can’t say it enough.  Maybe to remind myself or that there’s someone out there that is reading my article & needs to hear it over & over again until it’s driven through their noggin…“The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world… are the ones who do.”

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Filed in: How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day

Good evening from Huntington Beach everyone!  This is one wedding photographer that survived three days out of the office in San Diego photographing Engagement Shoots and more and I’m super excited to share with you to the next episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day!”

Every other week “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” is committed to help Brides and Grooms be introduced to some of the best wedding vendors in the industry.  We’ll be sharing tips & tricks, along with features & benefits of why hiring professional vendors on your wedding day will not only save you time, but your money & your sanity.

For this week’s program episode I am joined with Ms. Katrina O’Donnell; a professional floral designer from Katrina O’Donnell Custom Florals in San Diego who I recently had the honour of working with while I photographed Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding day at Casino San Clemente (You might remember me chatting about her a couple weeks ago during a West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week).  If you don’t know much about Katrina and Katrina O’Donnell Custom Florals just yet, check out her bio.  I know that she totally rolls out the red carpet for her couples and I think you’ll love her background too.  She really puts her heart into each and every wedding.

“Just a basic gal, growing up in Orange County.  At 14, I got my first job in a flower shop.

Yes, I was the bucket washer & rose stripper… glamorous, huh?  But here is where my total & complete passion for fleurs & the art of floral design started taking root.

All through high school I worked at flower shops.  I was extremely lucky to fall into a local floral business in Costa Mesa where I met my mentor & inspiration for where I am today.  Berdine had been designing florals since the 1930’s~can we say old school!

She taught me the importance of mechanics, color theory, & how to properly care for cut blooms… She was an amazing lady!

Needing a change of scenery and meeting the boy of my dreams, I closed up shop in O.C. & moved on down to Oceanside in 1997.  Here I restarted my business & fell in love with San Diego!

My love for flowers & the need to know more about how our lovely blooms grow took me to South America in 2010.  I visited some of the most amazing & best farms in Ecuador.

The knowledge I gained from this trip, learning the scientific growing processes, cut stages, best shipping techniques, along with up & coming varieties… priceless!

And so here I am now… Happily running a very detail oriented & passion inspired floral studio, specializing in weddings & events.  We travel throughout San Diego, Temecula, Orange County, and beyond.  Whatever your style~funky, whimsical, modern… we inspire to blow you away!”

So sit back with a pad of paper & pen and be ready for some great information on “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” with Katrina O’Donnell a professional floral designer with Katrina O’Donnell Custom Florals down in San Diego.

If you have any questions or are a vendor that would like to be on the program, 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.  Cheers!

PS, If you haven’t already – totally check out the video program; Photo Night Live from the UK that I was a guest on.  YEAH!!!  Be sure to read the Story about it and the program episode.  It was a complete blast!

PSS, Totally check out some of the awesome students I had the honour of being a guest speaker at – at Fountain Valley High School and Marina High School last Friday on my Facebook Fan Page.  It was a total honour being able to inspire tomorrow’s future wedding, portrait and fashion photographers!

PPSS, ALSO!  Stay tuned for some of the fun photos that I captured last week when I saw Duran Duran at the Art Theatre in Pomona.  So many awesome shots and videos that I am excited to share with you.  You can also get a sneak peek on my Facebook Fan Page too.

And, because “Pobody’s Nerfect” – Here are some totally fun outtakes!

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning everyone! I’m one Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that wants to dedicate today’s West Coast Wednesday Videos Of The Week to my late mother; Reina Francis Feleciano Mills.

I woke up yesterday with “Hey Jude” a favourite Beatles song that my mother loved and would walk around the house singing from time to time stuck in my head & it’s been on high rotation since then.  Even this morning when I woke up – it was the first thing that I was hearing in my head.  It’s such an amazing song bringing people of all races, religion, and walks of life together.  AND!  On top of that, before music videos were made popular on MTV by Duran Duran and many other bands of the British Invasion in the 1980’s, their music video is awesome as well.

Since I think the best way to communicate the message in the song is to share the lyrics along with some photos, I’ve got them right below for you.  Check this out:

Hey Jude don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude don’t be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And any time you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Da da da da da
da da da da

Hey Jude don’t let me down
You have found her now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in
Hey Jude begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you
Hey Jude you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Da da da da da
da da da da Yeah

Hey Jude don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you’ll begin to make it better
Better, better, better, better, better, Yeah,Yeah,Yeah

My mother once told me a quote by Albert Einstein; “Creativity Is More Important Than Knowledge” and it is so true in everything we do.  Anyone can memorize notes on a page, a mathamatical equation or a scientific formula.  But true creativity starts with a blank palate.  That’s where the pure human genius lies.

But 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 Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that loves 80′s music, fashion, photography and art, 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 The Beatles with “Hey Jude.”  Feel free to sit back with your favourite morning beverage and enjoy the music from the Fab Four, the message in music and kick off your West Coast Wednesday positively in Huntington Beach, another spot in Orange County or another part of this huge planet that we’re all a part of.

Have an awesome West Coast Wednesday and also remember to make it a totally positive one for someone else too – cheers!

PS, If you missed it last week, be sure to check out the award winning Reverend Michael Ahern on the latest episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day” – where he’s sharing some terrific advice on how to save some time, some money & your sanity planning your wedding.

PSS, Totally check out the video program; Photo Night Live from the UK that I was a guest on.  YEAH!!!  Be sure to read the Story about it and the program episode.  We had a total blast and there was beer involved too at 11:00 a.m.!  Well… Not by me, but the guys in the UK were already at the end of their day.  LOL!

PPSS, I know I said it last week, but I just had to say it again. It’s totally poignant and please remember this…“The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world… are the ones who do.”

PPPSS, Yep… in that last photo, it’s me in the middle, my brother Jason to my right sporting his Hawaiian shirt, and Tony to my left representing the 80’s properly in his Frankie Goes To Hollywood “RELAX” shirt.  It’s my absolulte favourite photo of the three of us that she captured on one of our days out and I know that I got the gift of capturing people as themselves from her, because all three of us are exactly how we are today.

I miss you mum.  I Love You.  Your son; David

 

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Filed in: Testimonials

Good morning everyone!  Can I just start off by saying that it’s a totally gorgeous day for a wedding in Huntington Beach, Ventura or wherever you’re at today!  As I’m preparing my gear to photograph Lisa & Chris’ wedding up in Ventura today – I just had to share an awesome testimonial that I received on Facebook from Michelle about her wedding album that I created for her.

Check this out:

I’ve known and been working with Michelle for nearly a decade.  Her and Rafael are a totally amazing & because of wonderful couples like them, I’m inspired to be a wedding & portrait photographer from Huntington Beach to Los Angeles, San Diego, London and more for nearly 30 years.

If wanting a similar wedding photography experience or a beautiful wedding album like Michelle & Rafael, and would like to get to know this Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that loves fashion, photography and art, 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.

I hope you’re having a great start to your weekend & stay tuned for so much more that I would like to share with you from weddings, to the concert with Sugar Ray to other portraits I’ve been photographing – cheers!

PS, Totally check out the portraits of me at the Playhouse in Hollywood for the RAW Artists Gallery Event that my great friend; John Remus photographed of me.  He also is sharing in the fun on his Website already too.

PSS, If you missed it on Monday, be sure to check out Reverend Michael on the latest episode of “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day.”  Reverend Michael is an honourable man that is a treasure trove of information on how to save some time, some money & your sanity planning your wedding.

PPSS, Totally check out the video program; Photo Night Live from the UK that I was a guest on.  YEAH!!!  Be sure to read the Story about it and the program episode.  We had a total blast and there was beer involved too at 11:00 a.m.!  Well… Not by me, but the guys in the UK were already at the end of their day.  LOL!

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