Fotografo Bodas Condado de Ventura

** Llovió, pero la boda fue un éxito y adorable. Hemos tenido que ir con la corriente y ser creativos.

LA fotografia de la boda de hoy marca la primera boda del año 2008.
Hoy es jueves, ya veras. Sí, un jueves de boda.
Tuve que tomar un día libre de mi trabajo diario para esta boda.
La novia y el novio llegaron con un extraño calendario para su bodas .. Comprueba esto.

- - - - - Lista para la Boda - - - - -

Jueves, Febrero 21, 2008

• Ambos, Novia y Novio se prepararan en su casa de Santa Bárbara.
• La novia y el novio seran recogidos por la limosina.
• La Ceremonia para la boda: Misión Rose Garden - Santa Bárbara.
• Fotografía después de la ceremonia de boda: Shoreline Park / Leadbetter Beach Park - Santa Bárbara.
• Fotografía formal adicional en la playa de Santa Bárbara.
• Almuerzo en el restaurante Cava - Santa Bárbara.

Sabado, Febrero, 23, 2008

• Recepción para la Boda: Arnoldi’s Cafe, Santa Bárbara

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - -

El calendario de la boda se hizo, con la esperanza de que no la lloviera.
Pero llovió - por lo que el compromiso tuvo que ir con la corriente.

Debido a la lluvia, la ceremonia de boda en el Jardín de Rosas estaba fuera de cuestión. La novia y el novio de alquilaron el curto de Justicia de Santa Bárbara (La habitación del Mural) durante una hora. La habitación es un mural histórico que habitación del Condado de Santa Bárbara, como es el mantenimiento de una atracción turística. A medida que se prepara hubo flujo constante de turistas con cámaras en pie para tomar fotos.

Tomamos la mayoría de las fotografías oficiales frente al Mural en el interior de la habitación de la corte. La habitación estaba muy oscura. Es el más oscuro de fijar que nunca habia tenido. He utilizado el sistema de iluminación inalámbricas .  

Hemos tenido que cancelar nuestro plan en la playa así como la fotografía. En cambio, sugirió que todos nos subimos a la torre. En la torre, aún pude obtener luz natural y aún nos queda un techo sobre nuestras cabezas para el viento y frío. Todo el mundo estaba temblando. Tuve que llevar mis guantes, porque mis manos eran demasiado frías. Los invitados de la Boda estaban diciendo “Vaya, John esta usando guantes”:)

En definitiva, todo funcionó bastante bien.

Esto completará el programa del día. Todos ellos fueron a Cava Restaurante para un almuerzo. En este momento en que se lloviendo muy fuerte. Volveré en 2 días para una recepción.

La Corte de Santa Barbara
1100 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara (California) , 93101
(805) 568-2220

Cava Restaurante
1212 Coast Village Rd
Montecito, CA 93108
(805) 969-8500

Tuve un 2007 muy ajetreado y rara vez tuve 7 horas de sueño. He planteado en mi precio de paquete para boda una vez más, pero aun hay peticiones de fechas para bodas. Estoy buscando un 2008 aún mas ocupado. Estoy muy contento que puedo gritar, pero puedo utilizar algunos dias de descanso.

Hoy es 3 días antes de Navidad. Tenían una boda en una iglesia en Thousand Oaks, con todos los adornos de Navidad. El novio no tiene que luchar para recordar su fecha de aniversario. Muchacho con suerte!

Después de las chicas, todos los chicos tomaron fotos en este mismo lugar sobre la hierba. Los chicos no tienen tacones altos, se puede ver.

Una cosa sobre la boda de invierno es que perdemos luz solar rápido. Hemos tomado la mayor parte de la fiesta de bodas fotografías antes de la boda. Después de la ceremonia, tome fotografías en el interior de la iglesia (la fotografía con flash), ya que fue fuera de tono negro y frío.

La recepción es un acto de clase en Palm Garden Hotel en Thousand Oaks. Hubo un mucho baile. La gente estaba haciendo todo tipo de bailes estúpidos. Tonto es bueno cuando usted está teniendo diversión. Tonto es hermoso, es un bendicion. 

Mesa 14, donde todas las chicas jóvenes se encontraban.

Echa un vistazo a la mesa. Esta es una clase de configuración. Buena decoración, y complementa el ambiente de Navidad.

Feliz Navidad ~ ~!
Gracias a todos. Voy a disfrutar de vacaciones fuera de mi.

Stauffer capilla, Pepperdine University, Malibu

Tuve unos clientes para su boda, ellos vinieron  de Japón. Ellos se casón en Malibú, Stauffer Capilla en la Universidad de Pepperdine. Hice dos trabajos para ellos, Ias fotografías tanto su compromiso de boda y sólo en 1 semana de intervalo. El cuadro para las firmas tuvo que ser realizados en 5 días antes de la boda. El álbum de Boda  fue terminado y entregado en 5 días. La novia y el novio se quedó en los EE.UU. por lo menos de 2 semanas. Y regresason a Japón.

Les ayude a la novia y el novio con la localización de artista de maquillaje y floristería. A continuación se muestra la boda en mi revista Aki & Noji.

• October 15:He recibido un mensaje de correo electrónico del Japón. Dijo que viene a Malibú, de Japón, para casarse. También dijo que él ya decidió enviarme el depósito. Yo era muy escéptico acerca de este mensaje. Le envió mi respuesta genérica. Tenía la esperanza de que ella no responder mi e-mail.
• October 16:  La perspectiva de Japón respondió mi correo electrónico al día siguiente. Hemos intercambiado mensajes de correo electrónico por 8 días. La novia y el novio son japonés. Ellos viven en Japón. Pero ellos tienen amigos americanos en la zona de Malibú. Ellos ya alquilaron Stauffer la Capilla en Malibú (Pepperdine University). Bueno, eso es lo que ella escribió. Estoy todavía muy escéptico.
• October 16: Le pregunté a la novia si necesita cualquier ayuda para la organización de su boda. Dijo que está buscando un artista de maquillaje y una florería. Y sucedió que yo conozco un artista de maquillaje japonés en Luisiana. Y presento a el artista de maquillaje a la novia.
• October 17: El artista de maquillaje me ha enviado un email dandome las gracnias. El artista de maquillaje dijo que ella ya lo ha reservado para su boda. Yo le respondí “No se entusiasma hasta que vea el dinero”.
• October 21: La novia me pidió más preguntas. Ella le preguntó por la secion fotografia de compromiso, el cuadro para firmas y el caballete, etc. La novia, como es japonés, había una muy buena habilidad en su Inglés.
• October 22: Fecha de depósito de la novia a través de PayPal.
• October 23: Fecha de boda información detallada de la novia.
• November 8: La Florería es reservada.
• November 24: los novios llegaron a los EE.UU
• November 25: La sesione de la fotografía de compromiso fue en el Observatorio Griffith. Dado que la boda fue sólo una semana de distancia, todo lo que tenía que hacerse a prisa. Web álbum se hizo en 1 día. Novia y el novio elegido su fotografia favorita en el mismo día. el cuadro para firmas estaba dispuesta el viernes
  
• December 2: Boda en Malibú. En la hermosa capilla Stauffer en la Universidad de Pepperdine.
  
• December 2: Cena en Geoffrey’s Malibu. Fui tratado como un invitado de la boda. 12 de nosotros fijado en un cuadro. Geoffrey’s Malibu es un restaurante de primera clas, donde la gente viene. El estacionamiento parecía un concesionario Europeo.
  
• December 7: El álbum fue terminado y entregado a la novia y el novio. Nos reunimos en Starbucks en Woodland Hills. Estos son los de la fotografías.
  
• December 8: La novia y el novio voló de vuelta a Japón, con lo que una gran cantidad de memoria, dejando un montón de nuevos amigos detrás
• PS: Oh, La novia y el novio me trajeron un regalo de Japón. Que leen mi blog y se enteró de que yo voy a beber café cuando me voy a toma fotos. Ellos trajeron algunas marcas exóticas de café importadas. Gracias.
  

- Fin - 

Al final de la noche, cuando nos estaban diciendo adiós a todo el mundo, el clima cambió radicalmente. El viento de Santa Ana comenzó. El viento soplaba muy rapido. Fue la mañana siguiente (octubre 21) la totalidad de Malibu estaba en pánico con el fuego. Espero que el Rancho Calamigos no se queme. Espero que el fuego en Malibú se presentará muy pronto. Tengo una boda en Calamigos Ranch la próxima semana también. Voy a pensar positivo por ahora. 

Horario para la Boda de hoy.
La novia estára preparandose en Homewood Suites de Hilton, Agoura Hills
Para llegar a el Rancho Calamigos en Malibú - 4:30 pm
Todas las actividades tienen lugar en Rancho Calamigos en Malibú hasta las 11 de la noche.

Homewood Suites Hilton, Agoura Hills.
** Nota de dos chicos en el vestíbulo me miraban. Esto me sucede todo el tiempo

Decoración de flores para la Boda en el Rancho Calamigos. Suministrado por la novia y el novio 

La Imagen de arriba: Habían dos de esas estructuras de flores. Más tarde se trasladaron hasta la zona de recepción. Yo no sabía al principio, pero estas estructuras son cuidadosamente equilibrada de la pesada carga de ramos. Por la noche, como los invitados se fueron, uno de los invitados tuvo uno de estos ramos. Pronto toda la estructura se redujo de lo pesada de un lado, dañando todo el resto de ramos. Al tiempo que la ceremonia casi terminaba. Y, por suerte, la novia pensó que era divertido.

Rancho Calamigos, antes de la boda.  El sol se estaba poneniendo.

La Fotografía de encima : Rancho Calamigos dispone de 130 acres de tierra. Se puede celebrar muchas número de bodas al mismo tiempo. Ellos pueden acomodar 500 personas o más. Cada zona de boda es tan aislada que nunca ahora que hay otros eventos que se celebran en la misma rancho. A partir de este panorama, se puede ver la ceremonia de boda en la zona del nivel del suelo (lado derecho). Después de la ceremonia, los invitados de boda llegará hasta el piso superior área de recepción, comedor, y el baile. Como puede ver, Calamigos Ranch es una boda muy impresionante sitio. Esta es sólo una sección de El Rancho Calamigos. Hay otros sitios de bodas de este lugar.

Rancho Calamigos, Malibu (Centro de la recepcion), en la noche.

Homewood Suites by Hilton, Agoura Hills 
28901 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills, California, United States 91301
Tel: 1-818-865-1000   Fax: 1-818-865-1091

Calamigos Ranch, Malibu, California
Malibu Conference Center at Calamigos Ranch

327 S. Latigo Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265
(800) 821-2097 or (818) 889-6280
(Please Note: This is a mailing address only)

I have 7 weddings this month, I am trying to catch up with my blog.
But I need to take care of my customers first.
I beg your understanding.

More coming

I have been in Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (Long Beach) a few times before.  I was here last month as well.  But I have never came to the Japanese Garden for a night wedding reception. It was a perfect day for outdoor wedding.  The entire garden was lit up.

Today’s wedding was at Lost Canyon Golf Club in Simi Valley.
I was surprised to find a wedding site in this side of Simi Valley.
When you get off Tapo (101 freeway) and go up north about 2 miles, suddenly you will see nothing but mountains.  That’s where Lost Canyon Golf Club is located, in the north edge of Simi Valley.

I parked my car and looked all around me.
There was absolutely no sign of civilization, except for the golf club and people getting ready for the wedding.  My cellular phone couldn’t pickup signal from this edge of Simi Valley. 

Lost Canyon Golf Club can hold about 400 wedding guests.
The club house is designed for wedding and large events in “Ranch” style.
Bride and groom can get ready at the locker room.  Women’s locker room even had a room custom designed for the bride.

We have originally planned for an outdoor wedding, but we were having a windy day.  The staff at Lost Canyon Golf Club setup two wedding sites for them, one for outdoor wedding and one for indoor wedding.  Since there was no sign of wind slowing down, we have decided for indoor ceremony.  It was too bad that we didn’t have an outdoor wedding.  At the same time, I have witnessed how staff at Lost Canyon Golf Club was trying to give us the best wedding day possible.

Lost Canyon Golf Club, Simi Valley
3301 Lost Canyon Dr, Simi Valley, CA 93063
www.lostcanyons.com  (805) 522-4653

DJ FX - Mobil DJ Service
www.DJFXENT.com  818-421-KRIS

Today’s wedding schedule.
1:00pm - Arrive at Pasadena - The Westin Hotel
3:00pm - Ceremony at Saint Philip the Apostle Church, Pasadena
6:00pm - Reception dinner at Bistro 45, Pasadena
9:00pm - Leave Pasadena

The bride and groom are Pasadena locals.  So they have arranged all wedding activities in the city of Pasadena.  We had an engagement session in January also in Pasadena.   And I made a signing board to place at the wedding reception (picture below)

Saint Philip the Apostle Church  was an extremely busy wedding spot.  When I arrived at the church 30 minutes before the ceremony there was another wedding party taking formal photographs (ready to move out).  We moved in.

As soon as our ceremony was over I got the tap on my shoulder.  There was another wedding party waiting for us.  I had to hurry up and move out.

Bistro 45 is an exclusive (High End) restaurant.  They are well known for wine as well.  It’s  very hip and trendy.  They serve kind of food that you might see at “Hell’s Kitchen”.   The reception area was full with about 70 people.

Reception entrance at Bistro 45 (Pasadena), Signing board shown

No Rest in October
This month of October has 8 days of weekend, and I booked 8 photography jobs this month. Along with my full time job, I will not rest a single day.
I plan to take some days off from my day job.

—————- Wedding Vendors ———————-

The Westin Hotel Pasadena
191 N. Los Robles Avenue Pasadena, 91101
626-304-1442

Saint Philip the Apostle Church
151 S. Hill Avenue Pasadena, 91106 
626-793-0693

Bistro 45
45 S. Mentor Ave Pasadena, 91106 
626-795-2478

Wedding Planner - Lavish Celebrations

Bridal Makeup & Hair - Elizabeth Dahl

Spanish Hills Country Club (Camarillo) may be the fanciest wedding site in Camarillo.
Spanish Hills Country Club is an elegant and exclusive private club. 

I was here once before.  I had a business lunch here, but it was at the other side of Spanish Hills Country Club.  It was my first time coming to this area for a wedding photography.  Spanish Hills Country club is custom designed for weddings and high end meetings.

They have sites for both indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies.  It’s a great place for reception and dance.  They can lay down dance floor by the huge bay window. 

The view from Spanish Hills Country Club was amazing, you can look down at Camarillo, Oxnard, 101 freeway, houses, and farmlands over Ventura County.

Below picture shows a section of Spanish Hills Country Club.  I marked spots to show where I was and what took place.

Spanish Hills Country Club - Wedding Photography Plan

After wedding ceremony, we tailgated to the relative’s house, still in Camarillo.  This big house was a perfect setting for 60 wedding guests. 

Lunch was provided by DJ’s California catering, so you know the food was the best.  DJ’s Catering is local in Camarillo, but you see them all over the Southern California.  DJ’s California Catering is a big company with 30-40 employees.  They provide catering for high end events.  I have met them many times and ate their food many times.  The bride and groom were quite happy with the food.

At the reception, two people asked me for my business cards.  One particular couple was going to get married next year in Ventura area (perhaps on the beach).  I don’t usually expect people to keep in touch with me (because people are naturally flaky), but I am crossing my fingers for that couple to keep in touch.  I have a good feeling. 

Spanish Hills Country Club
www.spanishhillscc.com
999 Crestview Ave Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 388-5000

DJ’s California Catering
www.djscatering.com
1221 Avenida Acaso, Suite C  Camarillo, CA 93012

The bride and groom opened the album to public, click to view. 

Today’s Wedding Schedule
———————————————
3:00pm - arrive at Radisson Suites Hotel, Buena Park
4:00pm - Ceremony starts, Radisson Suites Hotel
5:00pm - Formal photography by the pool.
6:00pm - Grand entrance, reception hall. Radisson Suites.

My incredible luck with rain continued today (and this year).
It rained hard yesterday, but I managed to complete formal wedding photographs outdoor.

Today’s wedding was in Buena Park, Radisson Suites Hotel.
It rained even harder today than yesterday.
When I was driving through Los Angeles it was pouring in full force.
Traffic was jammed, visibility was bad, and road was dangerous.
Look at the picture below.
Yes, I was photographying and driving, don’t try this at home.

Puring rain in Los Angeles. Professional photographer, don’t try this.

But, somehow, I knew I will not get wet.  I believed.
I am on my incredible streak of luck with rain.
When I arrived at Buena Park, the rain stopped.
This is what I saw at Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park (below).
I photographed below shot about 20 minutes after going through heavy rain in Los Angeles.
If you look at lower left corner, you can see the dark cloud in Los Angeles area.

Buena Park is a big city in the middle of other big cities. They don’t have much parks and golf clubs in Buena Park, so if you want outdoor wedding, you should count out Buena Park.  Buena Park has a very few small golf clubs.

It’s ironic.  They are named “Buena Park”, but they don’t have a lot of good parks.  Perhaps “Park” stands for a family name.  FYI: My last name is Park .

Anyway, I expected I would not be doing any wedding photography work in the woods. Indeed, all our photographs were taken inside the hotel. It was a big wedding, so the only place I can fit this big group was either parking lot or by the swimming pool.

I chose to photograph the group by the swimming pool.  I was standing a few inches away from the edge of the pool most of the time.  I had to be extra careful not to fall in the water.  All the reflections from concrete and glasses made my job difficult, they turn people’s skin look cold and gray.  I had to compensate for that. 

The bride and groom stayed at Radisson Suites as well, so bride was less tired and looked fresh. 

Soon, the party went on. And rest was a history. 
God bless everyone.

Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park
7762 Beach Blvd. , Buena Park, Ca, 90620 , USA
Reservations: (888) 201-1718 US Toll Free
Telephone: +1-714-739-5600 Fax: +1-714-521-9650
www.radisson.com/buenaparkca

Messengers - The DJ Entertainment
JoJo Valenzuela
pvalenzuela3@yahoo.com
(858)652-8783

Wedding & Event Videography
www.MedalMediaProductions.com
714-623-2589

It didn’t rain all Summer, California desperately needs rain.
This weekend a rare Storm was coming to Southern California. 
Santa Barbara was getting some heavy rain.
We pulled a small miracle today and did all the photography without getting wet.

Wedding Ceremony took place on top of the clock tower at Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Santa Barbara Courthouse is a popular tourist attraction.  But it’s also a functioning government building.  Santa Barbara Courthouse is always open to the public.  A lot of people come by to take pictures, some people read books on the lawn, and I even saw a young couple taking a nap  (on dry weather).

It rained yesterday at Santa Barbara Courthouse, the lawn was muddy.
It was Sunny this morning.  But the sky was getting darker.

After the ceremony we hurried down to the lawn and moved super fast to get the formal photography done. We couldn’t take photographs on the lawn because ladies’ heals were sinking to the wet lawn.
There were only few places we can stage for formal photographs.  Look at the picture below.  We took most formal photographs at the steps in the middle of the lawn. (see picture below).

Santa Barbara Courthouse, Lawn, red circle marks the -
spot where formal wedding photographs were taken

It started to rain as we started to wrap things up.  I did take some pictures in the rain.
Bride and groom got a little wet, it wasn’t bad.  It was a perfect timing.
We have managed to take care of all standard formal wedding photographs.

Before the wedding ceremony, Santa Barbara County Courthouse

After formal photo-shoot, Santa Barbara County Courthouse

It rained hard while we were driving to Ventura for Reception.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse
1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, California (805) 962-6464

vfw veterans of foreign wars, ventura
Available as a wedding reception hall
3801 Market St. Ventura ca 93003

Today’s wedding was at Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Long Beach.
The garden is located inside of California State University Long Beach.

It was a morning wedding.  Ceremony was scheduled to start at 9am.
I was scheduled to come to the wedding site (Japanese Garden) by 8am.
So, I had to wake up 4 am and hit the freeway by 6.

Waking up 4am on Saturday was not easy.
I was worried about not making it to the wedding on time.
I hit the freeway at 6am, the Sun was not up yet.

I was super hungry.  I only had my ritualistic coffee.
Traffic to Long Beach was very good.
As I was driving, the Sun was coming up.  It was a clear day over Los Angeles area.
But, when I arrived at Long Beach, everything went dark… morning fog was very thick at Long Beach.

California State University Long Beach, 30 minutes before wedding ceremony

It took me less than 70 minutes to get to Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.
In fact, I was too early.  I left CSU Long Beach and went to Krispi Kreme near by.
We don’t have Krispi Kreme in Ventura County anymore, so I enjoyed a couple doughnuts there.  I bought 3 bags of coffee as well.  They should last about a year.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese garden is not just known for the garden. it’s also well known for the Koi Fishes.  They sell fish food right by the pond for $0.25.  You need to bring your own container.  You can sit by the pond and feed the fish… and watch them fighting for food.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
CSU Long Beach 1250 Bellflower Boulevard  Long Beach , CA 90840
http://www.csulb.edu/~jgarden/ 562-985-8889

This is my second Carpinteria Wedding of the season.
I usually drive by Carpinteria when I go to the weddings at Santa Barbara.  I don’t know much about Carpinteria.  One thing I know about Carpinteria is the big Santa Clause.  After 50 years, the City of Carpinteria had decided to kill the Santa (get rid of him somehow).  City of Oxnard had to rescue the Santa Clause from Carpinteria.

Santa in Oxnard, rescued from Carpinteria
Photographer: John Park

Back to the wedding: 
The bride and groom got ready at Best Western Carpinteria Inn.  Everything went smooth, but the bride and grooms were a bit nervous like many newlyweds often do (you know how it is).  But it was all fun.

The bride checked into Carpinteria Inn.  Then she went to Rincon Beach Club to get ready.  Rincon Beach Club is on Santa Clause Lane, by Carpinteria beach.  We were right by the railroad and Carpinteria Beach, but we never went out to take photographs there.  The Sun was way too bright. 

Note: We see a lot of beautiful beach photographs.  Those kind of beach photography weathers don’t happen every day.  The weather and timing have to be absolutely right for good beach wedding pictures.  Also, photographers normally use 1-3 assistants to control the lighting situation.

Rincon Beach Club is a cosy and fancy place.  It has a small room in the back of the wedding site so the bride can get ready and come out for the ceremony.  It was a hot day, but Carpinteria’s beach breeze kept everyone cooler. As a wedding photographer, beach breeze was a heaven sent.

A few wedding pictures coming up.
Thank you.

Rincon Beach Club and Catering
www.rinconcatering.com
3805 Santa Claus Lane Carpinteria,  CA 93013  
805-566-9933

Best Western Carpinteria Inn
www.bestwesterncalifornia.com
4558 Carpinteria Avenue Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 684-0473

Carpinteria Photographer - VenturaPhoto.com

** Today's wedding guests included 6 of my paste wedding clients ** 

I have never met the bride and groom until today.  The mother of the bride knew me enough from prior weddings, so everything was arranged by the mother of the bride over email. You see, I did two of her brothers' weddings 1 and 2 years ago. Now I am a wedding photographer for the baby sister.

We went back to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Oxnard for a traditional Catholic Wedding. One of the bride's brothers had his wedding here, so I knew the lighting situation (dark, tripod absolutely needed).  I was rubber necking for the two brothers to come to the church.  They showed up with a few babies. Then I saw yet another couple from my past wedding!  So there were total 6 of my past wedding clients in one place. 

We had a standard "No flash photography" rule during the ceremony.  In general, "No flash photography" is expected during traditional catholic wedding ceremonies.  Some priests enforce "absolutely no photography during the wedding ceremony" rule.  But that's a rare case.  If you are that strict about photography, then you don't get booked as often. 

After wedding ceremony, we went to Heritage Square for formal photography and outdoor reception.  I did several weddings at Heritage Square before.  I directed everyone to my favorite spot.  I picked that location because it had the only solid shadow at that time.

The Heritage Square looked very classy.
As you can see from the picture, it was super fancy and super romantic.

During the reception I had a chance to talk to some of my past clients.  One of the couples will get re-married in 2 years to renew the vow.  I better come up with some kind of discount system for returning photography customers.

Having 6 of my past clients in the same reception was fun.  Not only that, I could recall a lot of guests from prior weddings.  It was fun, but, at the same time, it was a little strange to have all that familiar faces in the same reception. 

Back to Heritage Square, Oxnard

St. Anthony Catholic Church
* Popular Catholic wedding ceremony site for Hispanic people in Oxnard area
2511 S C St Oxnard, CA 93033    

Heritage Square Weddings and Events
715 S a St Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 483-7960

* blog not completed… more coming.  ZZzz….

After last night's wedding, I only had a few hours to get ready for today's wedding.
Yesterday's wedding was a film photography. Today will be a digital photography.

Today's wedding took place around San Fernando Valley, centered in the city of San Fernando.  Bride's house was in Sylmar, the church was in Granada Hills. But we spent most of our time in the city of San Fernando.  It was a Mexican wedding but I didn't have to showcase my Spanish skill.  They all all pretty much Americans.

San Fernando Valley ?? 

I used to live in San Fernando Valley. I grew up in Granada Hills.
I have a lot of memory of San Fernando Valley.
My mother still lives in Granada Hills.
I graduated Granada Hills High School, I am a Scott.
Chatsworth High was my Summer School.
I also took a few courses at California State University Northridge.
Every new year, I went to Galpin Ford in North Hills to pickup free calendars.

After all these years, I finally visited San Fernando Mission and saw the statue of Father Serra.
Across the San Fernando Mission was Brand Park where we took formal pictures.
Brand Park was packed with the wedding parties taking pictures.
All wedding parties appeared to be Hispanics.
I saw at least 10 wedding parties while I was taking photographs.

It was interesting to observe other photographers.
Some came with a full team of photo, video, and lighting crew. They were from Spanish TV, Telemundo.
Some photographer wore pirate pants and bandanna.  Yikes, too artistic for me, I guess.

Brand Park, San Fernando

De La Sale catholic church
10738 Hayvenhurst Ave. Granada Hills, California 91344 

Brand park (across from the San Fernando Mission)
15174 San Fernando Mission Rd. Mission Hills, CA 91345

The Elks Lodge
804 Pico street San Fernando, CA 91340

DJ - Party People Productions (Joe Vasques)
Serves San Fernando Valley and beyond  818-365-7643

Mariachi - Fiesta Mexicana, San Fernando Valley and beyond
mariachi11gonzalez@yahoo.com
818-365-1088

I took a day off for today’s wedding (Friday) 

Before going to the wedding, I met yet another customer and booked September 21 wedding. I met them a few weeks ago.  Today, I dropped by at his work to exchange signatures and make things final.

I came to Wedgewood Banquet Center several times before.
I am very familiar with Wedgewood  Banquet Center in Ventura.
Everything was going like clockwork.

Well, there was one minor incident.
10 minutes before the ceremony, a screw from my eye glasses came lose.
A lens fell to the ground.
I calmly picked up the lens and went to the men’s room.
I produced a piece of duct tape (from my emergency supply) and fixed the glasses.
I come prepared, you see.  That’s what the pros do.
I have a backup glasses in the car as well, but it’s really ugly.

McGuyver of Photography. Duct taped joint.
Fixed 10 minutes before the wedding ceremony. No sweat.
Lighting provided by men’s room in Wedgewood Banquet Center

Wedding was scheduled for 6:30pm.
We took all the formal pictures before the wedding ceremoney.
Yes, bride and groom saw each other before the wedding ceremony.

Wedding went smooth.
During the reception I talked to the newlyweds’ neighbors who will get married next year.
They have already booked Ventura Fairgound as a wedding location.
They were (very) interested in booking me as their wedding photographer.
We talked a little.
I have a good feeling about them. I think I can book their wedding.
Wish me luck.

I came back home 11:30pm.
I have a wedding tomorrow, so I really need to rest and get my cameras ready for tomorrow.

It’s almost 1am, so I only have a few hours to sleep.
A full day coming up.  I need some kind of energy drink… ZZzz

It’s still a lot of fun.. good time.
Thank you for your support everyone. 
I feel very good.
God bless today’s newlyweds. They looked so cute.
Oh, the father of the groom looked exactly like Lee Van Cleef.

Night view of Wedgewood Banquet Center

Wedgewood Banquet Center, Golf Course.
Buenaventura Golf Links
5880 Olivas Park Drive Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 658-13083

I got off freeway at Carpinteria and drove toward to Lion’s Park & Community Event Center. As I was driving, I could see the Zaca fire coming closer to my view.

Zaca fire started in Santa Ynez Valley, close to Buellton, on July 4, 2007.
7 weeks later, the fire is now active in Santa Barbara County (close to Carpintieria).
From Lion’s Park, I can see the thick smoke pumping like a power plant.

The fire didn’t effect the wedding at all.  Everything went on smooth.
Both bride and groom are in Military.  The bride served a tour in Iraq.  I was humble before them.

When I arrived at the bride’s apartment I was rather confused for a while.  I saw a tall gentleman wearing military uniform who’s face was familiar from my prior wedding.  I was hoping I would refresh my memory fast and say “hello”.  But it took me about five minutes to pin-point who he was.  For that five minutes I tried to act natural, but I think he noticed that I was struggling (that was embarrassing).  His wife came out and said hello to me.  That’s when I realized exactly who they were.  She was Nicole from two years ago (I file my weddings by wife’s first name).  It turned out that Nicole was the one who referred me to the newlyweds. The groom and Nicole’s husband were military buddies (more like brothers).

At the ceremony there were four bridesmaids but they only had two groomsmen.  Th other two groomsmen were out protecting our country.  During the reception the father of the bride asked people in military to stand up.  There were a dozen or more people from a party of 60.  It was a very special and very unique experience.

I think today’s wedding was one of the most “stress free” wedding I have ever seen. The day cruised by fast.

Carpinteria Lions Park provided everything in one location (bride’s apartment, ceremony location, photography location, reception hall).  The entire park was closed for the wedding.  They had the whole park for themselves.  There was an on-duty security guard walking around the parking lot. 

Pictures coming…

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Carpinteria Lions Park & Community Event Center (website)
6197 Casitas Pass Road, Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 684-5434

Wedding Schedule
———————————————
Bride Getting ready:  Hotel Mar Monte, Santa Barbara
Wedding Ceremony:  Cabrillo Beach, across the Street.
Promal Photography: Right after wedding.
Reception & Dance:  Hotel Mar Monte, Santa Maria Room.

The last time I was at Cabrillo Beach was June 2nd (last month).
I love Santa Barbara.
When it comes to Santa Barbara Wedding, I need to be extra careful with two things.

1. Give plenty of traffic time
   Normal driving time between Camarillo and Santa Barbara is about 50 minutes.
   But, sometimes I get stuck on traffic for 2 hours.
2. Bring Sun protection
   I will be toasted today on Cabrillo Beach, yikes.
   My story on Sun Protection

I feel more comfortable everytime I come back to Santa Barbara.  There were fair amount of people at the beach.  But, I knew where I can get some free parking :).  I arrived at Hotel Mar Monte 30 minutes earlier.  I put thick coat of Sunblock lotion at the car and headed out to Mar Monte.

I went to the bride's room for getting ready shots.  She was in the exact same room that my past customer used. (this wedding).

The Sun was very strong. But the wedding ceremony was over pretty fast.

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte

Customer’s Testimonial is located  here June 2, 2007 - Wedding Schedule: Getting Ready Shots - Mar Monte Hotel, Santa Barbara Ceremony - St. Joseph’s Church, Carpinteria Formal Photography - Court House, Santa Barbara Reception - Cabrillo Arts Center, Santa Barbara Beach Photography - Cabrillo Beach, Santa Barbara

I had a full 12 hours of working day today. (left home 10am and came back home 10pm). I brewed my usual coffee and headed to Santa Barbara.  At 10:00AM the traffic was very light. I arrived at Mar Monte Hotel by Cabrillo Beach.  I’ve been in Mar Monte before. The day started out as a gloomy day at Cabrillo Beach,  but we started to see the Sun right on time.

The bride’s makeup artist didn’t show up to the salon.  So she was having her drama.  At the hotel, one of bridesmaids was in desperate need for a safety pin.  I provided one for her.  I think she actually used the word “Hero”.  I’m not so sure.

All in all, these were all parts of fun memory.  Everything turned out to be nice and fun. Then we headed out to Carpinteria.  I followed the limo to the church. 

As usual, I asked the father about my photography.  He said “No photography during the ceremony, except for the ring exchange”.  So, I kept myself low.  I waited for noisy moments (people laughing, etc) and took some quick shots during the ceremony.  I hope God would forgive me.

After the ceremony, we went to Santa Barbara Courthouse for formal photography.  There were a lot of tourists at the Courthouse.  As we walked across the grassy area, I have noticed dozens of people taking pictures of us.  I can understand how it can be an interesting scene for them.  Wedding party was all dressed up for the occasion, and I was running around with three big cameras (no assistant here, I keep my price low).

There, we took all the standard formal shots and a few “cheesy” shots.  As I tried some creative shots, I told the bride and groom. “This may seem cheesy, but we must try and see how they come out”  The bride and groom were sitting in uncomfortable positions.  But I thought I could create the illusion.  I am extremely happy with the results.  I hope they like them also.

Reception started as we planned. Everything went smooth.  They had a real nice looking wedding cake.  When the Sun set, we went out to the beach and took some more pictures.

God bless them.

Update: The bride wrote me a good testimonial.  Thank you, thank you… They liked my “cheesy” shots. (I said “cheesy” because I was pushing the limit.  Personally, I liked them a lot.  I was worried that the bride and groom might not like my taste)  Customer’s Testimonial is located  here

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Wedding Vendors:
Hotel Mar Monte: 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, California 93101
St. Joseph’s Church: 5048 El Carro Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013
Cabrillo Arts Center: 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center

Click Here For Web Album

Wedding Information:
Wedding date: May 12, 2007
Wedding Location: Heritage Square, Oxnard
Reception Location: Four Points by Sheraton, Ventura.

Photography schedule:
Formal Photography
Ceremony
Formal Photography
Reception

Fill flash photography

Our schedule was to skip on "bride getting ready" shots and take formal pictures before the ceremony. So, bride and groom saw each other before the ceremony.  It was a real nice day with a full Sunlight.  Actually the Sun was very strong.  Luckily we found a small shaded area just enough to create the illusion.  When I was taking above picture, I was standing under the direct Sunlight, looking at the Sun.  When I tilted my camera just a little higher, I would see the Sun blasting at my lens.  One of the wedding guests offered to block the Sun for me.  But it was not necessary. I was a little worried about the empty space between two trees in the back.  Strong Sunlight was coming through there.  I measured the shaded area accordingly and used fill flash.  After I got the mathematics down, everything else worked like a clockwork.  By the time of the ceremony, the groom already had a Sun-burn on his face.  It was a nice, Sunny day.

A perfectly restored VW bug. 

The officiant was a Pulitzer-nominated novelist, Rev. Mary Helen. After the ceremony, we drove to Four Points by Sheraton in Ventura. 

Bride's photograph taken at the side of a parking lot.
We had about 10 minutes before the grand entrance.

Their wedding theme was "Disney".  If you look at the bride's bouquet, you will see the face of Mickey Mouse.  Everything was about Disney.  They had Disney cake, Disney decorations, and Disney everything. 

But they didn't know that they had a BIG surprise coming up.  Captain Jack from "Pirates of Caribbean" was scheduled to make a surprise visit. Nobody but a few people knew about this surprise.

Oh, oh… the mother of the bride was very hip.  She danced "Hand Jive" in front of entire wedding guests.

     
1). Grooms-men's fancy cuff-links never saw the light day. Their shirt sleeves were too short. 2). Ring barer with Mohawk hair. (cute) 3). Captain Jack crashed the wedding (he was a surprise guest for bride and groom) 4). Disney theme decoration & cake.

Heritage Square Weddings and Events
715 S a St Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 483-7960

Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor
1050 Schooner Drive · Ventura, California 93001
Phone: (805) 658-1212

:: Sticky Post ::

Wedding Schedule
——————————————–
4 July, 2006 Santa Barbara, Beach House Wedding.
4:00PM - Arrive at Santa Barbara
6:00PM - Wedding Ceremony
7:00PM - Formal Photography
8:00PM - Dinner / Reception
9:00PM - Reception ends
9:30PM - Fireworks at Cabrillo Beach.

After 2 days, I am back to Santa Barbara for another wedding, again, near Cabrillo Beach.
Today’s wedding will complete my long weekend with 3 weddings.
Today is independence day.  The house was right by the beach in Santa Barbara.
There were thousands of people coming to the beach to view fireworks and show patriotism.
The parking was impossible. But, I was lucky to find the best parking space right in front of the wedding site. This was a sign I was going to have a good day.

It was a small wedding in the backyard of a beach-front house.
The background was a full view of Santa Barbara beach.
Sun was very strong.  I had to use flash on every single photograph.
They had a short wedding. Everything was over in less than 4 hours.
Then there was a firework on the beach.

I had a memorable weekend.
I did 3 weddings, had a dinner with my parents, bought a computer, and went to Hollywood Bowl.

I forgot, today was Sunday. I can’t believe I have to go back to work tomorrow morning

Today’s Wedding schedule
———————————-
Wedding Date - Saturday July 22, 2006
Wedding location - Hotel Mar Monte, Santa Barbara, California 3
:00pm - Arrive at Santa Barbara, ca
5:00pm - Wedding Ceremony.
5:30pm - Formal pictures at Cabrillo Beach.
6:00pm - Grand entrance, wedding reception.
10:30pm - end

I put on a thick coat of sun screen and headed up to Santa Barbara. This was my third wedding at Santa Barbara this month.  Santa Barbara’s been good to me and I love going to Santa Barbara.  Hotel Mar Monte is yet another high class wedding/reception spot in Santa Barbara by Cabrillo Beach. The statistic shows that, at any given weekend, about 200 weddings take place in Santa Barbara area.  As I drove up to Santa Barbara, I saw number of wedding photographers working already. I’m always paranoid when I go to Santa Barbara, because traffic is unpredictable.  Today, I arrived to wedding site one hour earlier.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

The wedding ceremony took place on the sand at Cabrillo Beach.  Everything went very smooth.  It was a good beach wedding day.  Pictures came out very nice. The only challenge was the clouds.  We had small patches of cloud all over the sky. After the ceremony, we had the formal photography session on the same beach at Cabrillo.  As usual, people were nice to me, so my job was easy.  It’s hard not to take good pictures when people are happy and good looking.  As you can see, pictures came out good.  Little patches of cloud gave us a cool effects.  But, I must confess that I was extra busy with constant changes of lighting situation.  Because of the clouds, the lighting situation was keep changing.  I had to measure the light every minute .  I had to adjust shutter speed and flash output constantly to make pictures look natural.  Every single picture was taken with a flash. 

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

After formal photography, we all crossed Cabrillo street, waved to people honking at us, and headed to Mar Monte Hotel.  From there, everything went smooth. The reception was held at La Cantina Room.  The bride sang “Could not ask for more” to the groom.  She sang with a lot of feeling.  She was a good singer.  The entire bridesmaids cried. I swapped business cards with the DJ (Coastal Entertainment Group) and the videographer (You’re The Star Video Productions).  I cracked a lot of jokes with the videographer because we were working side by side for 8 hours.

Hotel Mar Monte
1111 East Cabrillo Blvd Santa Barbara, California 93103
805-963-0744 Resv. 800-643-1994 www.hotelmarmonte.com

You’re The Star Video Productions
P.O. Box 60703 Santa Barbara, California 93160
866-STAR-959 www.see-your-memories.com

Coastal Entertainment Group
805.896.2777 www.conejovalleydj.com

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center

Wedding Schedule
——————————————–
Wedding Location - Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort Hotel, Santa Barbara, California Wedding date - Saturday July 1, 2006 3:30pm - Arrive at Santa Barbara 5:30pm - Wedding Ceremony 6:00pm - Formal Photography 7:00pm - Reception 10:00pm - End I have three weddings on 4th of July weekend. Today’s wedding was the second one. We are in the middle of a major heat wave. I left for wedding 2 hours before the scheduled ceremony. But, the traffic was bad. From Camarillo, it took me over 1 hour to get to Santa Barbara County line. This is a wedding photographer’s worst fear. Anyway, I managed to arrive at the wedding site early for photography. Perfect record Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort Hotel is located near Cabrillo Beach ca. I think this is the biggest Hotel/resort in the entire Santa Barbara area.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

I went to the bride’s room and took some candid (photo journalistic) pictures. Some of the relatives came to the hotel room to say hello to the bride. One lady gave the bride such a big hug that she unintentionally broke off the veil from the bride’s head. We all ran down stairs, where the hair saloon is located, and got her veil fixed. Meanwhile, at the wedding site, when we were getting ready for the wedding, the guitar player finally showed up. He came from Thousand Oaks area. He was complaining about how horrible the traffic was. He almost couldn’t make it to the wedding.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

My biggest task was the strong Santa Barbara beach Sunlight. Strong Sunlight will cast strong shadows. So, I had to use flash as much as possible. Also, I had to come close to the subjects so my flash can reach the subjects. There were a few palm trees blocking the Sun. I had to constantly move people so they would stand in that small patches of shadow.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

The beach was right across the street from the hotel. We went to the beach and took some pictures on the sand. After a few posed pictures, we took a short break. “Just relax for awhile”, I said. That’s when the groom talked to the bride and kissed her on her chick. I had time for a quick candid shot. When people are beautiful and in love, pictures usually come out beautiful as well. We photographed flowers and rings on the beach as well. It was hot, but we had a beautiful day in Santa Barbara today.

They had a good reception. The dinner was well planned. Music was provided by All Occasions Entertainment, locally from Santa Barbara. All Occasions Entertainment provided mariachi for dinner time and DJ for the dance.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

The DJ knew exactly what kind of music to play, and he didn’t talk much, as if he was shy. He just kept the party going. When the night was about to end, the DJ sang one song (Karaoke style). He sang very good… everyone was saying “Wow~~!!. One more~!!” The dude was amazing.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

This (above) is my new buddy Juan. When he first saw me at the hotel, he was a little shy. He didn’t seem comfortable in front of my camera. So, I tried to break the ice. I said “I’m John, too. My friends call me Juan. If we play basketball, it will be Juan-on-Juan”. He really liked that joke. After a little introduction, Juan became my buddy. At the reception, he came to me a few times and said “I would like to play Juan-on-Juan with you”. And the whole table at the wedding reception would laugh. Throughout the night, I gave him hand gestures saying “You & me, Juan-on-Juan”. We laughed a lot. good time.

Photographer VenturaPhoto.com

Wedding album was mailed to the bride and groom in about 3 weeks. They loved the pictures. They wrote me a nice Customer’s Testimonial on my web site. It was memorable even to me, and I was just a photographer. I can only imagine how much fun the bride and groom must have had. This wedding was a fun one, a well planned one. All Occation Entertainment set the mood from very beginning. I could have gone home earlier, but I stayed until the very end.

Oh, there was a bartender who was a typical Santa Barbara “surfer dude”. He was very popular. Young ladies came by to touch his muscles.

God bless everyone.. God bless my Juan-on-Juan buddy. Thank you.

Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard Santa Barbara, California 93103 (805)-564-4333

All Occasions Entertainment Heather Levin PO Box 445 Santa Barbara California 93102 (805) 687-5225

Today’s wedding schedule
——————————————-
Wedding date: June 30, 2006 Friday
Photography before ceremony - 5pm Wedgwood Banquet Center
Ceremony - 6:30pm Wedgewood
Formal Picture Photography - 7:00pm Wedgewood
Reception - 7:30pm
End - 11:30pm

The wedding schedule was exactly as same as my last Wedding at Wedgewood Banquet Center. It was a Friday wedding as well. Friday weddings are not unusual. A lot of people get married on Friday.
I got off work early today and went to Wedgwood Banquet Center in Ventura.

Just like the last wedding at Wedgewood Banquet Center, we were losing light fast. I had to hurry everyone.

I was happy to see some familiar people there (officiant & DJ).
Wedgewood Banquet Center has its own resident DJ. So, I’ve met him a few times here.

Today marks the beginning of my super busy wedding season.
I have 4 weddings in 2 weeks.
I have a wedding tomorrow in Santa Barbara.

As soon as I came home, I got ready for tomorrow’s wedding.
I fell asleep while I was recharging batteries… ZZzz…

Wedgewood Banquet Center
5880 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 658-1308 ext 11 (866) 966-3009
www.wedgewoodbanquet.com/main.htm

Wedding Schedule
—————————————
1:00PM - Arrive at Long Beach Airport Marriott Hotel              
Limo shots. 2:00PM - Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (CSU Long Beach)              
Formals 3:30PM - Ceremony 6:00PM - Back to Long Beach Airport Marriott Hotel              
Reception 11:00PM - End

Long Beach Airport Marriott

I was looking at a long day (1pm - 11pm, plus 3 hours driving) I left home 10:30AM, 2 & 1/2 hours before my schedule. I went through some heavy traffic, but I arrived at Long Beach Airport Marriott about 40 minutes before my schedule.  It’s always better to get there early. After a few limo shots, we went to the Japanese Garden. We took care of formal shots before the ceremony. We had a very strong Sunlight. Luckily, there was a big tree.  I took all the pictures under there. Everything went smooth.

Before reception, when I was taking detail shots of the table, I leaned on my camera and broke my flash cable.  It didn’t really effect my work because I carry 3 identical cameras at the weddings just in case. 2 of them are equipped with identical flash system.  So, broken cable didn’t effect me at all. Well, I’m out $60.00 I got to know the DJ.  We joked a lot. The DJ kept the party going.

Long Beach Airport Marriott Hotel
4700 Airport Plaza Drive  Long Beach, CA 98015
www.marriott.com/property/propertypage/LGBLB
(562) 425-5210

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
CSU Long Beach 1250 Bellflower Boulevard  Long Beach , CA 90840
www.csulb.edu/~jgarden/ 562-985-8889