WOW.

I just got back from an amazing wedding with John again.

I know that most photographers usually say that their most recent wedding was great--which is often true....... But sometimes a wedding is so great and I have so much fun it's almost beyond words.

Gabrielle and Jeff's celebration was just such a wedding :)

So much love, warmth, humor, and joy. And FUN. The whole shindig was at Gabrielle's mom's house in La Jolla (near San Diego).

Jeff is from Australia, and many of his relatives came over for the nuptials.

And I have some really cool stories! Read on!

So being a casual outdoor So Cal wedding near the beach on a gorgeous day, palm trees swaying nearby with the cool ocean breeze, many people were out and about riding their bikes, taking their babies for walks, and skateboarding. I asked Jeff's best man if they surf and skate. He answered "Of course!" as if it was a no-brainer. Hmmmmm. Wheels turning in my head..... I spotted 2 kids on their boards, I started talking to them, trying to explain why I wanted a posse of skateboarders to ride back to the house because I was shooting a wedding and wanted John to be able to use them as a background for a cool portrait with the couple. John had set up some lights from the curb facing the house there anyway, as you'll see in some of the shots in the slideshow. It seemed only natural.

"Dude, gather some of your friends and come back when you can in the next hour or so and I'll pay you and your crew some $$!" They understood the money angle :) They came back with some friends, but unfortunately due to time constraints--the wedding timeline and the kids needing to leave for dinner or something--we were unable to do a creative gonzo portrait. Hey, I tried! However, I did play around with what I had to work with as I always do, and sure enough some folks in the bridal party were avid skaters and I got some nice picks of one of the wedding guests skating, in his suit :) Yes, I freely admit I was involved in creating the possibility of coolness, but neither John nor I had any clue how if at all it would play out, and we were both cool with that. So none of the images shown are set up; what unfolded was real, unrehearsed, and genuine.

John and I have a have a great working relationship: we read ocher other well, communicate very easily and efficiently, sometimes simply by hand signals or 10 words or less. It's great when you find people you like to work with. I knew he'd dig the skateboard thing if he could work it in amid the chaos of the group shots. Anyway, back to the next adventures an' stuff ....

I was advised how much I rocked for recruiting the skateboarders. And yes, I really did pay them, I have a witness. Best $20.00 I've ever spent at a gig :)

Also, a very cool inquiry from a nice lady about, "Uhm, I hope you don't mind my asking, but, uhh, why were you lyng down on the sidewalk next to the gutter?!?!" I explained (pontificated, really) that different angles are about seeing things differently-- literally, metaphorically, photographically, etc. I saw a light bulb go off as she totally got it. Coolness.

People totally loved the fact that I was dancing with them as I perched on benches and worked on the dance floor with them. As always, no photoshop in any of the dance pics--it was all shot that way, in camera ;)

Towards the end of the evening, I got down on my belly on the ground again and crawled under a table that Jeff's family was seated at to get a shot of their Scottish guest's kilt. I am generally hands off, and am a total chameleon-- but I do interact with people! So, why crawl under the table, to shoot up a Man's dress kilt??? Jeff's Dad dared me to. Really.  His wife was totally mortified, but just for a few moments.  Everyone at the table started laughing hysterically once they realized what was happening! Not a jaw-dropping shot, but we were all laughing a great deal! And the "kilt guy" then got up and came around to harass me (in a totally good natured, fun way), and then helped me up off the ground. I told him it was the first time I got my butt kicked by a man in a dress :) I know they will remember the fun they had -- including the above -- after traveling from half way around the world.

Some of the warmth was because it was a smaller, more intimate wedding with about 100-125 guests. I found out later that it was even warmer was because it was I was almost like family by proxy; John's wife has known the bride, Gabrielle, since around high school, so all night he was being introduced as his wife Jen's husband :) Everyone was so friendly!

U2 is Jeff's favorite band, so I used one of the bands mid-career songs for a slideshow. I'm pretty familiar with U2's entire catalog, and the song Spanish Eyes really spoke to me when I was listening to a mix CD of my own creation featuring that song on the drive back up from La Jolla and I was like--that's it!! That would pe perfect for a short slideshow!

As always, a big thanks to John for being so gracious in allowing me to use the images here! If you haven't done so already, please check out his work! You'll dig it :)

Enjoy the show, and here are some singles, plus the kilt shot :)

Jeff being "wowed" as Gabrielle comes down the stairs. Everybody was :)

Say Hi to Tom and Katie (insert wave here). They just moved to California recently, so they don't have a favorite hangout yet, e.g., a place of *significance* to both of them to do the shoot at. Upon further inquiry (yes, I ask my clients lots of probing questions!), I learned that they love the outdoors and are enjoying So Cal weather and hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains. We did their engagement pictures at Ferndell Park, which is part of Griffith Park. When we finished there, we went up to the Observatory.

They're gettin' hitched at The Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey in January 09. The funny thing about the date is it's almost their "original" anniversary; they met three years ago while skiing in Colorado over New Years Eve.

They will be going to Japan for their honeymoon. What's in Japan? Well, they have both traveled a lot, and thought Japan would be fun..... plus I hear there's some good skiing there, too :)

I don't give folks a lot of direction as my approach is mostly hands off, even in situations where I have more creative control. I did encourage them to find a warm fuzzy place inside, have fun, and kiss a lot. There was more to it than that, but that was the jist of things. They did really well with their assignment! :)

Yes, the crescent moon in the background is real! :)

I did more black and white conversions on some of my work from their shoot because there were more opportunities to make interesting black and white images. The shot above and below are good examples. The beautiful, rich light that you see in some of the color shots is awesome, but you also get wonderful shadows and rich tones combined--in this case--with some equally awesome architectural elements. Hmm.... Does that make for double the awesomeness? Or is that better expressed as awesome squared? No idea, but I think they look awesome together ;)