I’m heading out tomorrow morning to the The Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura, California for Angela & Mike’s Wedding (You may remember them with their Engagement Shoot back in January) and then straight to Lost Wages for WPPI that I’m attending & being a Pictagerazzi for the great people at Pictage.

What’s really cool is a lot of the photos that I’m shooting as a Pictagerazzi will be streaming live online for anyone who attends the show and can order prints for free.  Sah-weet!

WPPI is the largest conference and expo in the world for professional photographers.  One of the coolest things other than all the soirees is getting to hang out with my friends & colleagues from around the world.  There are also all kinds of photo shoots around the city along with business classes to attend that will help me catch up on the latest trends in the art and science of photography.

So even though I’m heading out of town 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.  Or get old school & send me a text message to my iPhone.

I hope you’re having a great West Coast Wednesday & stay tuned as the T Shirts For Photographers From A Photographer goes live in the next 24 hours – cheers!

So with all the things going on now, I was having a little trip down memory lane thinking about the wild year of 1999.  So much happened that year with Y2K & the celebrating of the millennium into the year 2000 – that it reminded me of how things are now with the 2012 year approaching.  Not to mention all the killer music that was out then.  I remember ringing in 2000 at Excalibur in Chicago with all the fireworks, people celebrating and the world not ending.  The times were exciting and a lot of artists were totally about to emerge to dominate the music industry today as we know it. Kinda like things now with all the amazing artists in the music industry.

One artists that I’ve blogged about in the past is Moby.  In one word that encapsulates my opinion of him is; Genius.  The man has the all-time most songs licensed to date for everything from movies, to commercials, video games & more.  He’s also a great idealist, visionary and on top of it all – one heck of a performer.  I had the amazing experience of seeing him at Area One and it was stellar to say the least.

So if you’ve guessed it, I just had to go with Moby for today’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.  The song is Bodyrock and the video is the original one that was more like an audition and Moby used the outtakes from it to make the video.

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 Moby’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!

PS, stay tuned for the T Shirts For Photographers From A Photographer.  They could go live today…. they could go live tomorrow when I’m on the road for Angela & Mike’s wedding.  Muah Hah Hah!

Well if you did, you’re absolutely correct!  Just in time for WPPI, I will be releasing a line of T Shirts for photographers by a photographer (Me!).  I can’t say much just yet and I’ll be shooting some absolutely FANTASTIC talent over the next week here in Southern California and in Las Vegas, Nevada too when I’m there for WPPI.

So if you want to know more – Email me as soon as possible.  The first run of shirts is being done in a limited quantity and when the first run is out, it’ll take a bit to get my crazy British printer to whip up some more.

As I was mentioning about the fantastic talent a second ago… Well, I’ll actually be heading out tomorrow to start the principal photography of all the great “models” we have lined up for the shirts.  They are some great people that I know & I am honoured that they’re involved.

But before you reach out to get your Esquire Photography T Shirt and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California, who thought he could take on more with his calendar – then 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 weekend as well and stay tuned for more bits and pieces that I’ll be sharing before the T Shirts go live – cheers!

Don’t click the graphic below:

Actually, this week’s Wedding Tip is from Ashley’s fiance’; David who I just had the honour of photographing their Engagement Shoot at Disneyland & Disney’s California Adventure on the 13th over Valentine’s Day weekend.

You might remember Ashley from her Wedding Tip Of The Week – last week with her thoughts from one Bride to another.  Well as luck may have it, David shared his thoughts about Engagement Shoots when we were heading out of the park that day.  He even mentions in his testimonial about the fun and romantic old fashioned Video that we shot there on my iPhone too.

So let’s say you’re a newly engaged Orange County groom (or bride!) bogged down with wedding planning, questions from family and everything else that goes into taking over a country – er… I mean planning a wedding – then I really believe what David has to share with you is some honest & insightful information that may help you think twice about an Engagement Shoot with your future wife and help put things about them into a little more perspective.

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.

Without further ado, here is this week’s Wedding Tip Of The Week & have a great weekend.  Also!  Check back in the next couple of days as I have Something New coming out for photographers from a photographer (me!) – cheers!

PS, Sorry iPhone users, but I had to go with Vimeo for the video – You Tube trashed the quality of the video.

I’m also glad that I don’t look like the guy from the movie; The Hangover and on the mend to a fixed up – previously chipped tooth.

So, as I’m sipping my afternoon cup of legal addictive stimulants thinking about the ickiness of  yesterday’s experience and the “happy place” that I went to during the procedure yesterday – I remembered one of the songs that I was listening to on my iPod.  It was a favourite that Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran did with Delores O’Riordan from The Cranberries back in 2007.

It’s a romantic ballad titled; “Linger” and I really liked the way both Simon & Delores’ voices complimented each other during the live performance.  So… I just had to go with it for today’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.

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 Simon Le Bon & Delores O’Riordan for this week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week.  And, I hope you’re not just having an awesome West Coast Wednesday, but making it a positive one for someone else too – cheers!

But before you check out her 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 weekend as well and stay tuned for more amazing things on the horizon.  Ashley just shared her thoughts from “One Bride To Another” for the Wedding Tip Of The Week yesterday & I have a couple more things that I think you’ll be excited about as well – cheers!

“Hi David,

Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful you were! All of our friends and family thought that you were so much fun to work with and obviously very skilled at your trade. The pictures we have so far are absolutely amazing, I have received nothing but compliments on them. Sam and I watch the slideshow over and over and can’t wait for the rest of the no doubt amazing pictures we have to look forward to. You caught some stunning candid moments!

You are so accomidating, understanding and just full of life, and Katherine is such a beautiful, sweet soul as well. You two make a wonderful team! You truly have a spectacular gift and Sam and I feel so blessed to have had you as our photographer for the most romantic day of our lives! Your hard work shows through your beautiful images.

The memories with last forever thanks to you and your ever revolving lenses Thank you!

Love,

Sam & Lynnsi Friedman

You may use us as a reference anytime.

xoxo”

Actually, this week’s Wedding Tip is from Ashley who I just had the honour of photographing with her fiance; David at Disneyland & Disney’s California Adventure for their Engagement Shoot last Saturday the 13th over Valentine’s Day weekend.

So let’s say you’re a newly engaged Orange County bride (or groom!) and you’re finding yourself bogged down with wedding planning, questions from family and everything else that goes into taking over a country – er… I mean planning a wedding – then I really believe Ashley has some true, honest & insightful information that may help you take some of the burden off your shoulders & put things a little more into perspective.

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 this week’s Wedding Tip Of The Week & have a great Baby Friday – cheers!

From One Bride To Another
By Ashley Drake

When my fiancé, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, at Disneyland—I put out the wrong hand, cried and nodded.  Fifteen minutes later, I said: “you know I said yes, right?”  He giggled and kissed me.

The next day, we woke up, and started calling our families—still in bed, pajamas and not showered.  There were so many questions, and we hadn’t even been engaged 8 full hours!  What is the date?  Where are you getting married?  Where are you registered? These people couldn’t be serious!  All of these questions—in less than 8 hours.

Would I have to spend the rest of the year answering this onslaught of questions with “I Don’t knows?”  David (my fiancé) and I made a deal, that I would not turn into wedding planning crazy bride until after the first of the year.

One thing, when planning your wedding is to keep the end goal in mind.  The idea behind a wedding is to get married.  Your marriage should be the focus of your wedding.  Your wedding should represent you as a couple—not you as a bride, or him as the groom—but your couple-hood.

My fiancé and I have planned almost everything together.  Our wedding is representative of OUR couple hood.  Have a vision, know what you want and go for it.  Have fun together.  We found our wedding spot while on a weekend getaway.  We were at a spot, and David said –“too bad we can’t get married here.  It’s perfect for us.  We have to come back.”  I responded, “Why can’t we?”   As soon as you find something that works, and is within your budget, go for it.

Here are a couple of “do’s and don’ts” that I came up with:

Do keep to a vision of your wedding that is true to your partner and yourself and is representative of your relationship. If you are a casual couple, have a casual wedding.  If you are fancy people, go ahead with a fancy wedding.  Don’t do anything just because you think you should.  If you don’t want to have a cake, you want to have pie, go for it!!

Do keep organized. Write things down, take notes on things you need.  Don’t buy an expensive wedding organizer, you don’t need one.  Keep track of appointments in whatever fashion works for you.  I have a day planner; I can take notes, and keep it in my purse.  It’s small, goes everywhere with me, and has a place for all of my vendor business cards.

Don’t let friends work at your wedding. If your sister-in-law is a great photographer, and wants to do your wedding for a great price—TELL HER NO.  Your family and friends should enjoy your wedding—not have to work at it.

Do spend money where you think it would be spent best. If it is important to you to have a designer wedding gown—get one.  If good food is more important, go ahead and skimp on the flowers.

I am by no means an expert, and not a wedding planner.  I’m just a future bride, hopelessly in love with my perfect match.  Our wedding will represent us, your wedding should represent you.

You’ve probably seen other weddings that I have photographed at the Wedgewood in Ventura, like Callie & Mike’s Wedding or perhaps Amanda & Mike’s Wedding.  Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph weddings and events at various properties in Orange County, Los Angeles, the valley & other cities in the US and I must say that Sarah and her team at the Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura definitely makes sure to roll our the red carpet in customer service.

The Wedgewood in Ventura has been a staple of excellence for over 20 years and since 1994, they’ve been awarded “Ventura County’s Best Banquet Facility.”  The location is a perfect golf course setting less than 2 miles from the ocean – which was great for Amanda & Mike’s wedding as we started at the beach & worked our way back to the Wedgewood.  Their wedding ceremony site is nestled in a rose garden surrounded by majestic palm trees and the banquet room has recently undergone a full renovation. Their banquet room has a built in fireplace, fabulous bar, and beautiful golf course views – which I tend to take advantage of quite often for my Signature Artistic, Romantic and Sexy portraits on the green.

For the wedding day, Brooke had a signature dress from David’s Bridal with a beautifully beaded veil with crystal accents while Eric & his “men in black” were stylish in their Men’s Warehouse tuxedos.  Their Valentine’s Day Wedding was definitely a romantic and relaxing afternoon that everyone will remember over the years.  From the rich red tones to the to the song that Eric wrote & played for Brooke – which left everyone without a dry eye.  I did my best to choke back the sniffles as well so I could capture photographs while he was playing for Brooke.

So without further ado, here is a little slide show that put together of Brooke & Eric’s Wedding which will also have the Artistic Edits available on Pictage.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did capturing their day & have an awesome West Coast Wednesday – cheers!

This week’s video is from a group that breaks the mold with their music, lyrics, videos, fashion-sense & style.  I’ve been following them for a couple decades & I think that this week’s West Coast Wednesday Video has some raw flair and creativity that was ground breaking and chart topping back in the early 80’s.  In fact, their music was very “pop” and a lot more “happy” back then – but over the years, this band kept raising the bar in music that inspired some of today’s rap, pop and rock stars.

You may or may not have heard of a little band out of the UK called…

Depeche Mode (IPA: [dɛˈpɛʃ], de-PESH) are an English electronic band who formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group’s original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980–81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, and was replaced by Alan Wilder (keyboards, drums, production) with Gore taking over songwriting. Wilder left the band in 1995 and since then Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio, enlisting the services of additional musicians for live performances.

Depeche Mode are one of the most successful, influential, longest-lived bands from the early 1980s. They have had forty-seven songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide^[1], making them the most successful electronic music group in music history.^[2][3] Q Magazine calls Depeche Mode “The most popular electronic band the world has ever known”.^[4]

This week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week is from Depeche Mode & the video is “Just Can’t Get Enough.”  It’s definitely one of my favourites and I think it lends itself to a fresh and new year that we’re entering in.

But before I present you with this week’s feature of my 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 Depeche Mode’s West Coast 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!

I first met Ashley & David at Pamela & David’s Wedding back in July of 2008, so when I received an email from Ashley that she & David got engaged, I was so excited.  Not because I get to be their wedding photographer, but I knew that they were going to be a great couple judging by the amount of fun the three of us had back in 2008.

Fast forward to 2010 & I want to go on record that they didn’t just take it to the HNL (Ho… Nuh-Thah… Leh-Veh!) with the romance between them.  But that it was so cool as we all really got to know each other well while I was capturing romantic portraits where David proposed to Ashley and some other shots in little-known / “off the beaten path” spots in the parks.

After their Engagement Shoot we hung out at Avalon Cove in Disney’s California adventure for a couple of beverages & tasty snacks in the shade.  We even were graced by King David!  He not only graced us with his presence once, but an encore visit as well.  He told us how he is from Australia and owns part of Disneyland as well.  Ahhhhh yes.  There is never a dull moment when I’m “Oot & Aboot” (as they say in Canadia).  LOL!

So if you’re an Orange County or Los Angeles County Bride or Groom that wants to not only have a blast like we did Saturday at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure during your Engagement Shoot – but also be able to share with your family and friends some 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 tonight, you’ll probably catch me online right now.

By the way… Be sure to check back this Thursday the 18th for a special guest of my Wedding Tip Of The Week.  You’ll not only love what has to be shared – but the guest as well!

Without further ado, here is a collection of some of my favourite Romantic Portraits from Ashley & David’s Engagement Shoot at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim and have a wonderful rest of your President’s Day – cheers!

OH!!!  PS, There’s a secret treat in one of the photos below…  Enjoy!