Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer

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It’s a long story, but I didn’t have internet for about 1 month.
I managed to take care of all my work, but it was a nightmare.
I hope I don’t repeat this anytime soon.

Last 4 weeks, I had to go to my work in my jammies at night to check emails.
Oneday, I spent a whole day at a coffee shop so I can use internet.

I am finally connected with Verizon fiber optic connection.

Anyway, I’m back, and I’m faster.

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Happy new year!

I am enjoying my slow season.
I’m not exactly “Slow” because this is my chance to catch up with my other projects and hobbies.  I booked three weddings this month… possibly more clients will send in deposits.

I had two items in my to do list today.
12pm: Engagement photography session in Thousand Oaks (Job completed).
3pm: Meeting with the potential clients in Woodland Hills (Wedding booked).

The Name Game:
Groom’s name from engagement photography session was Brian.  The other groom’s name from 3pm meeting was Bryant.  Their names Brian & Bryant were somewhat confusing.  I had to be extra careful to avoid a potential disaster (If I get the names mixed up).  Both Brian and Bryant called me before the meeting to juggle their schedules.  I was kept making sure I was talking to the right person.

The engagement photography session went smooth.   The bride brought her parents (I told them to bring the family).  I photographed some family pictures as a bonus.  Oh, they had a one year old daughter.  I wonder if she can be trained to be a flower girl this Summer

1  hour later, I met Briant.  We met in San Fernando Valley.  The bride and groom came from Glendale.  The Starbucks Coffee we scheduled to meet was closed for some reason.  We had to re-arrange the location.  We had a fun meeting.  I felt like I was doing stand up comedy.  They were laughing everytime I said something.  They came to the meeting with the deposit ready.  That’s the kind of meeting I like :) .

Oh, by the way, the wedding will be at San Bernadino area.  I expect to drive 4-6 hours.   I hope the wedding will be as entertaining as the meeting we had. 

I had a productive day.  I’m happy.  My customers are satisfied.  It’s all good.
Happy new year everyone.

** 2008 **

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This is my key-chain.  Figured… 

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Along with my Coffee & Minolta Cup, this is yet another one of my photography ritual.  I must wear this watch when I take pictures.  I never forget this watch when I go to weddings.  I am afraid I will misplace this watch, so I bought another one as a backup.

I’ve been wearing this watch for over 15 years now.  I lost two of them already.  These are #3 & #4.  I use the calculator all the time.  I don’t know how some people can go out shopping without a calculator. 

I use stop watch and timer almost every day.  Also I frequently use tele-memo function to take short notes (where I parked, bride’s room number, etc).  This watch is a “must have” item.  People think I wear this watch to look different, trying to look “old school”.  But I really need this watch.

Casio has a newer model of this watch, but they only have 12 buttons on front panel.  My older model has 4 more buttons (a lot more calculation power). 

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* Related Coffee Story

After years of weddings photography, I have developed some rituals.
One of them is coffee.
I always brew a fresh coffee right before I hit the road.
I have a good thermos mug that keeps coffee hot for 8-10 hours.
I always use a Minolta cup.  It’s plastic and insulated.
All my photography equipment is Canon, except for the light-meter and this cup.
I love this Minolta cup.

Anyway.
Today, when I was running tight on schedule (rainy day driving), I have realized that I forgot to brew my coffee.  I was devastated.

I went to McDonald’s and bought a cup of coffee.
McDonald’s’ coffee is pretty good, you know.
This coffee kept me company, but it was not the same.
I will never forget my coffee again.

 
McDonald’s Coffee, September 21, 2007 - Before Wedding

Next day, September 22, 2007 - Before Wedding

There is yet another ritual that I do right before the wedding.
I arrive at the wedding site and get out of the car with my Minolta coffee cup.
I set my Minolta coffee cup on top of my car and I get ready for the wedding.
Sometimes I fix my tie and put on Sun block lotion.
I do the last checkup on my cameras and take the lens caps off.
And I take a few test photographs. 
When I look for an object to take photos of, the closest object is always my Minolta cup.

Below are more pictures of my Minolta Cup.

Carpinteria

Oxnard, Heritage Square

Long Beach

Oxnard

Santa Barbara

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I just watched this clip from a TV news program.

Ivy House, an Inglewood wedding chapel, shut down September 11 and took all money from the customers.

Some customers paid $16,000.00 so Ivy House can provide everything (Music, Cake, Photography, Videography, food. flower, etc, etc…).  Considering most people book weddings 1 year earlier, there may be a lot of victims.

This makes us look bad.

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I had a meeting with a potential customer at Culver City.
405 Freeway to Culver City was not that bad on Sunday Morning.
All and all, it was 2 hours round trip.

This completes my busy weekend.
This weekend, I had two weddings, had two meetings, and booked one wedding.
I ate out almost all meals and I drank a lot of coffee (my ritual).
I was in Ventura, Camarillo, San Fernando, Simi Valley, and Culver City for business.
I ate breakfast at 5pm today (the first chance I've got).

People in Ventura County didn't realize, but San Fernando and Culver City was extremely hot and humid due to The Hurricane Dean. When I was taking pictures, beads of sweat dripped down on my forearms. At least I was able to roll up my sleeves. 

Anyway, the weekend is over, job well done.
I can't wait to go back to work Monday so I can take a nap at my desk, ha ha…
Actually I am not that tired.

I just need to be very careful not to get burned from my busy schedule.
I think positive, don't get angry, eat good meal, drive careful, etc…
If I hear my co-worker coughing, I don't stay at work. 
I just come home and stay home until the sick co-worker gets better or makes a sick call.
I refuse to catch anything funky.

OK back to work.
Thank you all for keeping me busy.  I love it…

Next week's schedule:
2 meetings, 1 wedding, camera repair shop, photo lab, complete 3 web albums, send out 3 print orders, keeping touch with wedding customers.

Mental note:
Watch less TV and sleep at least 6 hours a day.

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We had a quick engagement photography session at the beach.
Their wedding is three weeks away, you see.
We meet at Point Mugu rock and tailgated to my favorite spot.

The couple was fun and free but not used to be photographed (like the most of us, including myself). Not a lot of people can be "natural" in front of the camera.  I surely cannot.  I think I have a few good shots for the signing board.  I have three weeks to come up with a signing board.  I personally hand-mount 20"x24" signing board by hand, on the kitchen table.

I think today's engagement photography session is going help them on the wedding day. Because now they are comfortable being with me (I hope). 

Anyway, I have three weeks to come up with the signing board.  Everything must run like a clockwork. There is no room for delay or error.  I feel very confident that everything will be smooth.  In fact, I enjoy this stress.  September 8th wedding  coming up.

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After engagement photography, I went to a local restaurant for a steak dinner (I will not name the name of the restaurant to protect the people I met).

I walked in there with my three big cameras.  I was wearing my photographer's vest.  Two waiters cracked jokes about taking pictures of them.

After dinner I offered them free photography session on the spot.  The entire restaurant was excited.  Kitchen crews were too shy to come out.  They only peaked out from the back to see what was taking place.  The rest of the waiters and clean-up crews took some fun pictures. Some of them posed as Captain Morgan. (you know, with one leg up)

The next day I emailed the images to one of the waiters. I am going to burn a CD so I can give to the guy who didn't have internet access.

Photography is fun.  We should use photography to spread happiness.  Some people are up-tight about photography, as if it's a privilege to know how to take good pictures.  Some people try to send their kids through college with your wedding budget.  Some people think their photography skill is equal to that of doctors or lawyers.  But the truth is for 1 professional photographer, there are 1000 hobby photographers who can take equally good pictures. Photography is a cheap hobby and is fun.  Don't let photographers intimidate you. 

PS. People should enjoy my service while I still think this way. 

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I received an email from a bride’s mother from Santa Barbara wedding in 2005.  She is one of my favorite mothers-of-the-bride (See? she keeps in touch with me after almost 2 years).  On her email she mentioned that she has a few people whom she will recommend me as their wedding photographer.  She also asked how long I was going to keep their web album on my website, VenturaPhoto.com/album

We exchanged several emails throughout the day.  She said she would like me to keep their wedding pictures on my website for a long time.  She said she often visit my website to look at the wedding pictures.  I am going to keep their wedding pictures on my website for a long time.  I like their pictures a lot.

Pic 1. Mounted 8×10 in my portfolio case.  I show this to prospects.

We talked about the wedding day…. how fun it was and how hot it got at the reception hall (it wasn’t that hot.  It’s just another fun memory to them).  I told her about the mounted 8×10 print from her wedding that I show to my prospects.  You see, the bride has a twin sister.  So, when I meet prospects for the first time, this picture is a perfect ice-breaker.  It brings smiles to people’s face.  You cannot help but smile. :)  I wrote that in my email to her.

I took a quick picture of my portfolio case showing a mounted picture of their wedding.  I emailed that picture to her (pic 1).  I explained how I printed them from a digital file.  I didn’t do any retouching, it was just a straight $2.00 machine print.

It was nice talking to her.  It made my day. Thank you and God bless.

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I have a new hobby. I make custom mat boards. At first, I wanted to hang a few of my personal pictures on the wall. I thought the most economical way of hanging pictures would be the mat boards. Quickly I discovered that custom mat boards are expensive.

I thought “I can cut those on my own”. So, I bought mat board cutter, T-Square, spray glues (x3), and a lot of different boards. I even bought a table and a shelving unit just to dedicate to mat board cutting.

I don’t usually get excited on anything. But I when I find something I like, I tend to get obsessed. I was cutting mat boards all night. I went to sleep around 6am this morning. I had a lot of fun.

I will be adding custom mat board to my wedding package.
Now I can make a fancy signing board for the wedding.

PS. Happy Thanksgiving~!

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One of my photography rituals is coffee..

I always drink coffee when I do any kind of work related to photography. I bring coffee when I meet wedding clients. I drink coffee in the car when I drive to the wedding site. I drink coffee when I go to the photo lab. I drink coffee when I put wedding albums together or cut mat boards.

Besides that, I almost never drink coffee.

I am a tea drinker. I have a dozen or so different kinds of tea at work. But, I appreciate good coffee. I have several different kinds of coffee. Some are vacuum packed and frozen for long term storage.

Starbucks is always good, Krispi Kreme's Smooth Blend is good.
Pete's coffee and the rest fancy ones are all good.
Sometimes I even enjoy flavored coffees (Vanilla, butterscotch toffee)

I'm not a big fan of cheap coffee.

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Hava Nagila is my favorite wedding song/music.
I do more Jewish weddings in Los Angeles County than in Ventura County.
I think Jewish weddings are very sexy and cute.
They wrap the bride and groom in a blanket (sorry, I don’t know the proper term).
They tie their hands together.

Jewish wedding is very fun… the dance… the blessing…
I love it when they sing Hava Nagila.

I know the lyrics to Hava Nagila by heart.
I have different versions of Hava Nagila in MP3.
I practiced that song so many times.
I can play guitar and sing.
At my next Jewish wedding, if something happens to the singer, I can grab the mic and sing Hava Nagila.  (I am not kidding)

Hava Nagila is my favorite wedding song.
Here’s the lyric.

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Hava nagila,
Hava nagila,
Hava nagila,
Ve’ Nismecha.

Hava nagila,
Hava nagila,
Hava nagila,
Ve’ Nismecha.

Hava neranena,
Hava neranena,
Hava neranena,
Ve’ Nismecha.

Hava neranena,
Hava neranena,
Hava neranena,
Ve’ Nismecha.

Uru, Uru achim,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim
Uru achim
Belev sameach.

(Repeat)

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There is nothing awkward about this subject.  Well, it can get awkward with some vendors.  But, in most part, we know how a typical wedding is like - we come prepared.

Sometimes I eat.  Sometimes I don’t.  Sometimes the clients ask me to eat, but I don’t get the chance to eat.  Sometimes I don’t feel like eating.  Sometimes I find perfect chance that I get to enjoy the meal with a DJ.   Sometimes the clients send me formal invitations and treat me just like a wedding guest.  Sometimes I eat in the kitchen standing up.  Sometimes I ask the waiter “Do you feed photographer?”.  Sometimes I prefer to sit in the dark corner and review the pictures I took earlier.  The point is that I go with the flow.  It’s all good.

That’s how it is…  We go to weddings to work, to make big bucks.  I can get careless about eating.  Sometimes I eat and sometimes I don’t.  I believe photographers should go to the weddings prepared.

One of my routine rituals on wedding days is a good meal. I treat myself with a good meal right before I go to the wedding.  I am physically ready to work full day without eating.  At the wedding I am so focused on my work, I honestly do not feel the hunger.  I don’t realize how tired I am until I get home.  Wedding photography is a stressful job.  Food is the last thing in my mind.

The bride and groom have a lot of things to take care of.  The bride and groom should not worry about “Did the photographer eat?”.

There is one exception.  That’s when I drive long distant.  Sometimes I drive 4-5 hours round trip.   So I am looking at 12-14 hours of non-stop working.  In that case, I ask my client to either feed me or allow me to take a break for 1  hour.  That’s the only exception.

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The newlyweds from September 2nd wedding insisted upon treating us to a lunch. And I asked (please~!) to take us to a cheap place so I wouldn’t feel embarrassed. They gave me the direction to a restaurant in West Hills in San Fernando Valley. This restaurant turned out to be a real fancy brunch place.

It was my first time ever to eat a trout. I didn’t even know the name of tasty soup that came before the main meal. The brunch came with champagne and bread.

For a short time I had a funny thought. I thought ‘How do I know if I’m really eating a  trout? I have never eaten a trout before in my life… so this can be a mystery fish’. It was an excellent fish by the way.

I was too shy to take pictures. I managed to take 2 quick shots so I can show and tell.

I gave the bride and groom their wedding album. They liked it.  A few days later they wrote a recommendation post on my web site. I felt very special to be appreciated like this when I’m the one who should be thanking them. I will remember this forever. Thank you very much.

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One of my wedding clients had a birthday party for their baby. And I was invited. It was fun. I ate a lot :0

Chavez was my wedding client 2 years ago.  They kept in touch with me with baby news.  I had a referral client from them as well.  I also photographed the baby’s baptism last year.

Baptism 2005

It was really nice to get invited to my past client’s family event. It was fun to meet family members wearing shorts and aloha shirts. Because I only remember them in formal-wears.
The baby was only 1 yr old, but he had a lot of friends.

1st birthday party 2006, Piñata time

I took some pictures with my pocket camera.

A few clients keep in touch with me with baby news. God bless all of them…

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I have received a real nice thank you card from a past client today.
Using the images I photographed, she made a real good thank you card.
She printed on a glossy stock paper.
On that card, she hand-wrote a nice note.
I love it when I receive thank you letters and/or baby news.

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Today, I booked a wedding for Oct 14, 2006. 

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FYI: I have a full-time day job.

We attended Oxnard Business Expo. (We had a booth there)
I am a computer/photo guy, so I don’t do much talking.
I let my coworker (sales) do the talking with the visitors.

I took some pictures for possible use on our newsletter (and/or press release). Today, we had good Mexican food and $2.00 margaritas.

One of the chamber members had a brand new Nikon DSLR camera.
I don’t know how, but my boss ended up telling her “Ask John, he knows everything (about photography)”.
This started 30 minute conversation with her.
I took that opportunity to promote my own wedding photography business.

I came home and got ready for tomorrow’s Bar Mitzvah.
I am tired.