Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning from Huntington Beach everyone! What do you get when you combine a Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach (down behind the “Orange Curtain”), Duran Duran and a couple of my favourite singles ever?  Today’s West Coast Wednesday Videos Of The Week.  Yeah!

I realized this morning that as I was thinking about all the amazing music I’ve been sharing with you that I haven’t shared that much of my favourite band; Duran Duran.  Go ahead, say it… Sayyyyyy whaaaaaat???!?!?

Then I started thinking about the photo shoot that my good friend John Remus III did of (yup, “of”) me a couple weeks ago for a HUGE Gallery Show that he’s having up in Los Angeles at the Playhouse, Hollywood.

Now as you know, Duran Duran is all about a lot of things that are really awesome to me.  Things like fashion, clothes, music, art, photography, and so much more.  Hence, the cool photo that John took of me in the posting!

So I was digging through the Duran Duran archives & kept coming up with a couple of songs that really stuck out to me.  One of them is; “Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile)” and the other is a David Bowie cover; “Fame.”  Two very important songs to me as Fame is one of my all time favourites by David Bowie and Come Up And See Me was one of the very first boot leg import songs that I was able to get back in the early 80’s from friends of mine (I swear, no Duran Duran pun intended!).  In fact, I still have the casette tape!

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 Duran Duran with “Fame” and “Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile).”  So feel free to sit back with your favourite morning beverage and when you’re done, jam over to your closet, pull out some of your favourite clothes that you like to wear and step out today feeling like a million bucks!

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 Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual 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 and event.

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!

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Filed in: Testimonials

Good morning everyone!  As I’m preparing tons of Wedding Photography for you that I’ve shot from Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach, Ventura and beyond – I just had to pause for a moment & reflect on an awesome testimonial that I received in Facebook yesterday.  It’s from London Model & Actress; Jane Lavin about her recent Urban Glam Portrait Shoot that we recently did up in Los Angeles.

I think Jane’s words are much more expressive that what I can say, so check this out:

I’m totally beside myself with this & all I can really muster up at the moment is to quote Keanu Reeves & say; “Whoa!”

But before you check out Jane’s Urban Glam Photo Shoot that we did in Los Angeles and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really 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 week & stay tuned for so much more.  There are so many things going on that I’ll be sharing with you – cheers!

PS, 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!

PSS, If you missed it this past week, be sure to check out Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual 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 and event.

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Filed in: Portraits

Good afternoon from Huntington Beach everyone!  As I’m sure you probably already know about me is that I’m not just a Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer as I love shooting fashion, commercial, sports, rock bands, and pretty much anything that involves people, adrenaline, sexiness and the occasional potential for death or dismemberment.  LOL!

Last month in February I had the honour of working with with Studio Z down in San Diego for an Oscars Party at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles where we worked with Kate Mesta capturing tons of celebrities coming through the event.

Well… at one point, out of the corner of my eye I had seen a couple of ladies heading our way & I had this “Butterflies” feeling right down to the core of my being.  I was like; heyyyy… “this mean’s something” (B Movie Reference.  Comment if you get it!).

When they came over to me, I obviously couldn’t help myself & strike up a good chat with the two of them.  It turns out that they’re both from the UK where my family is from and Jane is an international working professional model & actress and her mum who was with her makes sure that she’s well taken care of.

After the event, I shot Jane an email that it was totally great to meet her & in a few days, Jane said that she was in the US for 5 more days & wanted to know if we could go out & shoot.  Needless to say I was totally stoked & rearranged my calendar to make it happen for us to go out.  AND… I knew exactly the look that we would do for her shoot too and Jane showed up totally prepared and even wore her Kate Mesta dog tag too!

The day of the shoot came around and Jane hired the totally bad ass professional stylist: Kristen Quintrall in Los Angeles to make sure that Jane was totally stunning from daylight to nightlife.

If you’ve ever been out on location with me shooting, you know that there is never a shortage of laughing, breaking down barriers and totally amazing experiences.  From the beginning of the day where I nearly got acousted from a guy delivering water that was 1/2 the size of me, to taking over the lobby & bar at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood and having plain clothed and armed people stop and stare – it’s a veritable cornucopia of experiences from beginning to end.  There was almost a “Mission Impossible” inspired moment where a garage door started coming down & we were running back out.  I thought I was going to have to slide down under the door to get out.  Crazy awesome fun!

Jane totally killed her shoot like it was a walk in the park, Kristen was so much of an amazing experience that I can’t wait to work with her again, Belinda trucked my 1,000 pound roller and made sure I had all my changes of lenses in the flashest of flashes and Jane’s mom & I were able to have a total kismet connection.  The one word that describes our connection is “Butterflies” like I had mentioned above.

But before you check out Jane’s urban glam fashion shoot that we did in Los Angeles and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really 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.

So without further ado, I give you Jane’s Los Angeles photo shoot.  Feel free to enjoy the next 2 1/2 minute of urban glam that we did.

I hope you’re having a great weekend & stay tuned for more.  There are so many things going on that I’ll be sharing with you – cheers!

PS, 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!

PSS, If you missed it this past week, be sure to check out Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual 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 and event.

PPSS, Jane’s Urban Glam photo shoot is also on Pictage if you’d like to order any professional prints or canvas wraps too.

UBER PS:  Is it me, or did Jane totally look like a Patrick Nagel!  Wholly Nachos & Newcastles!!!!

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning everyone from Esquire Photography HQ in rain free Huntington Beach!  One of the greatest things I get to experience as a wedding photographer in Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles and beyond is all the absolutely amazing people I get to meet in my travels and shooting.

Two weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of working with a fantastic florist from San Diego at Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding (stay tuned for some delicious wedding photograph from that day.  WHOA!).  Her name is Katrina & she’s with Custom Florals.  Right away, when I first saw her preparing everything for Bernadette & Vlad’s wedding, I picked up on this aura or “vibe” about her.  From the brief chat we had at the wedding, I could totally tell that she’s not your run of the mill, paycheck player florist.

So a few emails later, Katrina & I met up for a beverage at the Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach to hang out & get to know each other a little better.  I knew that it was going to be an absolutely amazing meeting just by the absolutely awesome sunset iPhone Portrait that I captured when I arrived a little early.

Fast forward to the end of the meeting & I am completely beside myself.  Like Wholly Nachos & Newcastles!  Katrina is an absolutely awesome lady that has been in this incredible wedding industry for nearly as long as I’ve been a wedding photographer.  She knows her stuff in a way that if she was on a game show – she’d win everything.

We chatted about pretty much everything under the sun from motorcycles, our passion for our craft and why we love what we do and on top of it all – the infinite love that we both have for music.  Can I get another Wholly Nachos & Newcastles!

She told me that she had the honour of seeing the late John Lee Hooker live before he passed away and I told her that she was the inspiration and catalyst for today’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.

So here I am everyone – with a very special treat of some of the best blues you will ever let your ears listen to.

If you’re not too familiar with John Lee Hooker, check out this amazing bit about his story.  Reading John Lee Hooker’s totally says so much about where his heart, mind and soul is with his music.

“John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 June 21, 2001) was a Grammy Award-winning influential African American singer-songwriter and blues guitarist, born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a half-spoken style that was his trademark.

Though similar to the early Delta blues, his music was rhythmically free. John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing. His best known songs include “Boogie Chillen” (1948) and “Boom Boom” (1962). Hooker’s life experiences were chronicled by several scholars and often read like a classic case study in the racism of the music industry, although he eventually rose to prominence with memorable songs and influence on a generation of musicians.Hooker’s guitar playing is closely aligned with piano boogie-woogie. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs.”

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 “Boom Boom” and “Blues Before Sunrise.”  So feel free to sit back with your favourite morning beverage and tap that toe, snap that finger & let your body sway to the grooves of the soul.

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 this week, be sure to check out Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual 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 and event.

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!

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

Good morning from Huntington Beach everyone!  This is one wedding photographer that after a 72 hour marathon of post reduction, is 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 Mr. Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual.  Mike is a professional videographer and film maker that I’ve had the opportunity of working with on several weddings all over Southern California.

If you don’t know much about Mike from Mission Visual yet, check out her a bit from his bio.  Mike has quite a bit of personal attention to details in her experience and it’s totally impressive.

“Mike McCaleb is a film editor and cinematographer that specializes in event documentaries.  He loves shooting and editing wedding films, because it let’s him tell the story of an emerging family and relationship.  His strong family ties and love for life makes his job NOT just a job.

His company, Mission Visual, has won the Knot Best of Weddings award three years in a row.  He has also done work for American Music Awards, Make A Wish Foundation, and The Improv.”

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 Mike McCaleb from Mission Visual.

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 missed it on Friday, I was filmed for Photo Night Live in the UK.  YEAH!!!  Totally check out 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!

PSS, I hope we don’t disappoint, but there aren’t any outtakes for this episode. We nailed it in one take which was awesome!

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