Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer

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The bride and groom purchased a full wedding package including engagement photography & signing board.  I have done their engagement photography a month earlier.  Erik Griffin was the videographer.  Erik and I have done about 4-5 wedding gigs together.  I am currently working on Photo/Video packages with Erik.

Padre Serra Parish is an exclusive Catholic wedding venue in Camarillo.  I have done 2-3 weddings at Padre Serra Parish in the past.  Catholic couples cannot resist its high class construction and decorations.  They have somewhat strict guideline on using this holy Parish.  The church is exclusive and high class sitting high on the Mission Oaks hill of Camarillo.

I believe this was the first time they allowed outdoor reception at Padre Serra Parish

The groom is a studio musician.  He plays a bass guitar in a Funk/Jazz band.  He also sings.  So, naturally, most of his friends and family were hip musicians.  Their music style was somewhat similar to Tonight Show band (Kevin Eubanks) with more funk to it. 

Power outage:
The reception started and everyone was having good time.  The DJ was playing music, some of the friends and family members took turn playing live music.  When they started the Dollar dance the DJ lost electricity.  They were having a tough time getting the power back.  They were keep blowing one fuse after another.

That’s when the “Magic Moment” happened.

A gentleman walked up to the band stand and started to play drums (slowly).  Then another gentleman came up and started to play acoustic guitar.   He started to sing Eagles medley.  His wife (I assumed) came and sang harmony with him.  To me, that was the highlight of the reception.  It was unforgettable.

Finally the juice was back on.  And the band proceeded to funk.  My favorite song was their funky version of Mustang Sally.

Groom on the bass while sax was on solo

Padre Serra Parish - Camarillo
www.padreserra.org
5205 Upland Rd
Camarillo, CA 93012
(805) 482-6417

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** It rained, but wedding was successful and cute.  We had to go with the flow and get creative. 

Today’s wedding photography marks the first wedding of the year 2008.
Today is Thursday, you see.  Yes, a Thursday wedding.
I had to take a day off from my day job for this wedding.
The bride and groom came up with an odd wedding schedule.. check this out.

- - - - - Wedding Schedule - - - - -

Thursday, February 21, 2008

• Both Bride and Groom getting ready at their house in Santa Barbara.
• Limo to pickup bride and groom.
• Wedding ceremony: Mission Rose Garden - Santa Barbara
• Photography after wedding ceremony: Shoreline Park/Leadbetter Beach Park - Santa Barbara
• Additional formal photography at Santa Barbara Beach
• Lunch at Cava Restaurant - Santa Barbara

Saturday, February, 23, 2008

• Wedding Reception: Arnoldi’s Cafe, Santa Barbara

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

The wedding schedule was made, hoping it would not rain.
But it rained - so we had to go with the flow and compromise

Because of the rain, wedding ceremony at the Rose Garden was out of question.  The bride and groom rented Santa Barbara Courthouse (The Mural Room) for one hour.  The Mural Room is a historic room that County of Santa Barbara is keeping as a tourist attraction.  As we were getting ready there were steady flow of tourists with cameras walking in to take pictures.

Wedding Ceremony was officiated by their close friend.  The officiant was cool and calm at first.  He told some of the tourists to “sit back and watch the wedding”.  Ceremony soon began.  There were only about a dozen people attending wedding ceremony.  The bride and groom were relaxed.  They were smiling and enjoying the moment.  But the officiant was sweating bullets.  After the wedding ceremony, they all made fun on the officiant about how nervous he was while he was officiating wedding ceremony.

Because of the rain, we had to get creative about the formal photography session.  We were originally scheduled to go to the park and the beach around Santa Barbara area for photographs.  But, outdoor photography was not going to happen.  We had heavy wind along with rain.  Rain was falling in side way.

We took most of the formal photographs inside the Mural Room.  The room was very dark.  It was the darkest setting I ever had.  I used my wireless lighting system. 

We had to cancel our plan on the beach photography as well.  Instead, I suggested that we’d all go up to the tower.  At the tower, we would still get natural light and we still have a roof over our heads.  It was windy and cold.  Everyone was shaking.  I had to wear my gloves because my hands were too cold.  The wedding guests were saying “Wow, John’s wearing gloves”

Because of the wet & cold weather photography session on top of the tower ended rather quick. 

All in all, everything worked out pretty nice.

This completed today’s schedule.  They all went to Cava Restaurant for a lunch.  By this time it was raining really hard.  I will come back in 2 days for a reception.

Santa Barbara Courthouse
1100 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara (California) , 93101
(805) 568-2220

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

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Please don’t get me wrong, I love photography.  I always have fun at the weddings.  But I was happy to know that this was my last wedding of the year. 

I had such a busy 2007 that I rarely had solid 7 hours of sleep.  I have raised price on my wedding package yet again, but there is no slowing down on wedding inquiries.  I am looking at even busier 2008.  I am very happy that I can scream, but I can use some rest. 

Today is 3 days before Christmas.  They had a wedding ceremony at a church in Thousand Oaks, with all the Christmas trimmings.  The groom doesn’t have to struggle to remember his anniversary date.  Lucky guy

Above picture was a test shot (the very first shot to test shutter speed & flash).  We had some wet days earlier.  We were lucky to have a blue sky.   My good luck with rain continues.  But we had a classic “sinking heels” problem.  We tried to see if we can work around and take pictures here on the grass.  But the ground was way too soft, we had to move to the concrete ground. 

After the ladies, all the guys took pictures at this very spot on the grass.  Guys didn’t have high heels, you see.

One thing about the winter wedding is that we lose Sunlight fast.  We took most of the wedding party photographs before the wedding.  After the ceremony, we took formal photographs inside the church (flash photography) because outside was pitch black and cold.

Reception was a class act at Palm Garden Hotel in Thousand Oaks.  There were a lot of dancing.  People were doing all kinds of stupid dances.  Stupid is good when you are having fun.  Stupid is beautiful, it’s a bless. 

Table 14, where all the young ladies were at

Check out the table setting.  This is a classy setup.  Good decoration, and it complements the Christmas mood. 

Merry Christmas~~!!
Thank you everyone.  I’m going to enjoy my holidays off. 

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Stauffer Chapel, Pepperdine University, Malibu

I had a wedding customer from Japan. She got married at Malibu, Stauffer Chapel in Pepperdine University. I photographed both their engagement and wedding only in 1 week apart. A signing board had to be made in 5 days. Wedding album was completed and delivered in 5 days. The bride and groom stayed in the US for less than 2 weeks.

I helped the bride and groom with locating makeup artist and florist. Below is my journal on Aki & Noji’s wedding.

• October 15: I received an email from Japan. She said she’s coming to Malibu, from Japan, to get married. She also stated that he’s already decided to send me a deposit. I was very skeptical about this email. I sent her my generic reply. I was hoping she will not reply my email.
• October 16: The prospect from Japan replied my email the next day. We exchanged 8 emails that day. The bride and groom are Japanese. They live in Japan. But they have American friends in Malibu area. They already booked Stauffer Chapel in Malibu (Pepperdine University). Well, that’s what she wrote. I am still very skeptical.
• October 16: I asked the bride if she needs any help organizing her wedding. She said she’s looking for a makeup artist and a florist. I happened to know a Japanese makeup artist in LA. I introduced the makeup artist to the bride.
• October 17: The makeup artist sent me a “Thank You” email. The makeup artist stated that she’s booked for her wedding. I replied “Don’t get excited until you see the money”.
• October 21: The bride asked more questions. She asked about engagement photography, easel, etc.. The bride, as a Japanese, had a very good English skill.
• October 22: Received deposit from the bride via PayPal.
• October 23: Received detailed wedding information from the bride.
• November 8: Florist is booked.
• November 24: Bride and Groom arrived in the US
• November 25: Engagement photography session at Griffith Observatory. Since wedding was only a week away, everything had to be done in rush. Web album was made in 1 day. Bride and Groom picked their favorite shot the same day. The signing board was ready by Friday
  
• December 2: Wedding at Malibu. At beautiful Stauffer chapel in Pepperdine University.
  
• December 2: Dinner at Geoffrey’s Malibu. I was treated as a wedding guest. 12 of us set at one table. Geoffrey’s Malibu is a top notch restaurant where rich people come. The parking lot looked like a European Dealership.
  
• December 7: Album was completed and delivered to the Bride and Groom. We met at Starbucks in Woodland Hills. They loved the pictures.
  
• December 8: Bride and Groom flew back to Japan, bringing a lot of memory, leaving a lot of new friends behind.

• PS: Oh, The bride and Groom brought a gift from Japan. They read my blog and learned that I drink coffee when I take pictures. They brought some exotic imported coffee. Thank you.
  

- end - 

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At the end of the night, as we were saying good-bye to everyone, the weather changed dramatically.  The Santa Ana wind started.  The wind was blowing very hard.  It was the next morning (October 21) the entire Malibu was in panic with the fire.  I hope Calamigos Ranch will not burn.  I hope the Malibu fire will be contained very soon.  I have a wedding at Calamigos Ranch next week as well.  I am going to think positive for now. 

Today’s Wedding Schedule
Bride getting ready at Homewood Suites by Hilton, Agoura Hills
Tailgate to Calamigos Ranch in Malibu - 4:30pm
All activities take place at Calamigos Ranch until 11pm.

Homewood Suites Hilton, Agoura Hills.
** Notice two guys at the lobby looking at me.  I get that all the time

Wedding flower decoration at Calamigos Ranch.  Supplied by the Bride and Groom 

Above Picture: They had two of those flower structures.  Later they moved them up to the reception area .   I didn’t know at first, but these structures are carefully balanced by the heavy bouquets.  At night, as the guests left, one of the guests took one of these bouquets.  Soon the whole structure fell to the heavy side, damaging all rest of the bouquets.  By that time ceremony was almost over.  And, luckily, Bride thought it was funny. 

Calamigos Ranch, before wedding.  Sun’s already setting

Above Picture: Calamigos Ranch has 130 acres of land.  It can hold many number of weddings at the same time.  They can accommodate 500 people or more.  Each wedding area is so secluded that you will never now that there are other events being held in the same ranch.  From this picture, you can see the wedding ceremony area at the ground level (right side).  After ceremony, wedding guests will come up to the upper deck area for reception, dining, and dancing.  As you can see, Calamigos Ranch is a very impressive wedding site.  This is only a section of Calamigos Ranch.  There are other wedding sites other than this location.

Calamigos Ranch, Malibu (Conference Center), at night.

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)

From Los Angeles:
Ventura Freeway (101) West to the City of Agoura.
 Left on Kanan road, South 6 miles, through 2 tunnels.
Right on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.

From Pacific Coast Highway:
Pacific Coast Highway West past Paradise Cove.
Right on Kanan-Dume Road, go North 6 miles.
Left on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.

DJ - Music To Go

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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** 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

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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.
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. Those guys were from Telemundo, a big Spanish TV station.  Some photographer wore pirate pants and bandanna.  Yikes..

Brand Park, San Fernando

I was super hot and humid today.  The groom took his jacket off every time he was not being photographed.  We had a record-breaking heatwave, you see.  It was not just the heat, but it was unusually humid today.  As I was taking pictures, beads of sweat rolled down from my arms.  TV news described today’s weather as “Tropic”.

But, despite the temperature and humidity, photography wise, I got very lucky.  Sky was over-casted.  I couldn’t see the Sun.  So I had even lighting.  Look at the picture above.  No harsh Sunlight.  No squinting.  It was a “Golden Hour” at 3pm.  I couldn’t ask for more.  Imagine the same picture with a full Sunlight beaming down.  At that position, the bride and groom would be looking right at the Sun.

Recetion went on smooth with Mariachi band and DJ to follow. 

UPDATE, April 26, 2008: I had a very similar Granada Hills Wedding Photography gig.  I went to the same church in Granada Hills for wedding.  And I also went to Brand Park in San Fernando for formall wedding photography session.  And it was also super-hot.  [Granada Hills Wedding Blog]

De La Salle catholic church
10738 Hayvenhurst Ave. Granada Hills (Mission 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

Missing Attachment

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

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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

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Wedding Schedule
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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

Missing Attachment

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 up to Santa Barbara.  At 10:00AM the traffic was very light.  During the weekend traffic from Ventura to Santa Barbara can be very heavy.  Sometimes it takes me 2 hours to get to Santa Barbara. 

I arrived at Mar Monte Hotel by Cabrillo Beach very early.  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 when the wedding ceremony started. 

The bride’s makeup artist didn’t show up to the salon.  So the bride was having a drama.  But it all worked out.  At the hotel, one of bridesmaids was in desperate need for a safety pin.  You know, I always carry a bunch of safety pins.  So, I provided one for the bridesmaid.   The bridesmaid was very happy, I think she actually used the word “Hero” on me.  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