Brittany & Brad's Wedding

A couple of months ago I had the tremendous pleasure to meet Brittany & Brad when I shot their engagement session. And I told you how I was looking forward to shoot their happy day.

Well I had a lot of fun shooting their wedding! Here we go.

The beautiful couple is getting ready.

And of course, everyone has their priorities in order to be prepared...

The ravishing bride...

The couple got married in Point Dume, where we also shot the engagement session. The rock climbers made this already lovely beach ceremony unique.

Brad did not hide his excitement and happiness when he saw Brittany walking down the aisle.

The ceremony was emotional at times, the Maid of Honor Angela (the bride's sister) and even the groom could not help but shed a few tears. But look at the big picture below. Do you really think these two are seeing anything around but each other? I think the world stopped turning for them during the ceremony and I'm glad I was there to document it!

Mr. and Mrs. North...

One of my favorite shots of the night.

The tosses...

One of the most original, fun and creative mother/son dances I have ever seen in all my years of wedding photography... I believe the song was Ray Ross' Elbow Dance.

Old friends had to have their bourbon shots... Although Brad prefers Scotch, I believe these were Makers Mark.

Brittany and Brad, thank you for giving me two great days and making my work fun and my job easy! Have a happy, healthy and properous life together!

Look Up.

Many of you may not know this, but I have a twin brother. His name is Tolga and he lives back in my hometown Istanbul and he makes his living as a Corporate Communication and Personal Development Consultant. A couple of weeks ago, I saw through his Facebook Page that he was going to be on one of the Turkish TV Channels, so I tuned in via Internet.

The subject matter was how to deal with pessimism, or the dark moments that may haunt one at one point or another in one's life. There were many suggestions, but one of them surprised me as I often use it, and I have even shared it with you almost a year ago. I was talking about changing your angle, your perspective. He suggested to "look up". And, interestingly, I have been looking up lately and here are a few photographs I hope that would elevate your week.

An obviously urban one... In several photography classes that I took, the instructors always mentioned those rules... The ones that I often feel the urge to break or bend... I distinctly remember at least a couple of them telling me to avoid powerlines in my photographs... Non sense! Right after I took this picture, I found myself (in my mind) looking at the music sheets in my music class and it immediately put a smile on my face.

How about an opportunity to get some free stuff?! :D

Who can guess which church this is? You can either leave a comment or email me with your answer and I will pick a random reader to offer him/her a portrait session at half price along with a free print!

I have a soft spot for tall buildings.

Sherman Oaks... Sitting in traffic... Impatient to get home... I looked up and appreciated the moment I was in... Even if I was sitting in my car in the Valley heat.

Another "through the sunroof" photograph.

Let me leave you with the one I shot today. I literally had to lay on the floor and get under the flower. This is what I am talking about changing angles and perspectives... Observe, think and find a somewhat unusual angle. Let me know how it goes! :D See you my peeps!

Ke'Shae & Julio's Wedding

Oh, do I have some fun wedding to share with you! Do you remember Ke'Shae and Julio from last February? I shot their engagement session.

Well, they recently have a lovely ceremony in Santa Monica and I personally had a great time. These folks knew how to have fun!

I hung out with Ke'Shae and the girls for a while and I had the pleasure to document the excitement and the happiness of the bride while she was getting ready.

Then, I met with the boys in the Palisades Park of Santa Monica on this gorgeous day and we spend some time together talking about life, getting to know each other and having a blast shooting several pictures...

When it was time for him to take his place, Julio's excitement was very visible and he was all smiles.

The wedding party, the reverend and the groom were ready and the anticipation of bride's arrival was at its peak.

And then she showed up in her father's arm. Julio, seeing his bride for the first time in her gown was ecstatic.

The ceremony was absolutely wonderful. The reverend was to the point and incredibly funny. It was obvious that the couple and her knew each other for a long time. Following the Unity Sand Ceremony and the exchange of vows, we proceeded to the wedding party photographs.

Groom with the girls...

Bride with the boys...

The wonderfully adorable idea of having the miniature bride and groom...

Following the portrait session, we drove to Malibu where the reception took place.

While the couple was on the dance floor for the first dance, Julio serenaded to his wife...

Following that, the father/daughter dance and the mother/son dance were absolutely wonderful. I decided to keep the mother/son dance private as it was beautifully emotional. Usually, the songs chosen for father/daughter dances are from the point of view of the father... This one however, was from the point of view of the daughter who was marrying a man and was singing to her father how she loves her unborn son to be like her dad. It was absolutely wonderful to see the love between the father and the daughter. The song is called "Daddy" and it's by Beyoncé.

The tosses!

Than the party started, and let me tell you, these people knew how to party!

And the line dances! I have to be honest here. I never thought in my life that I could enjoy this many line dances in a row. Obviously, the fact that this group can dance helped. I had so much fun photographing them, I had a constant smile on my face.

It was also fun to follow this little guy around. He.Did.Not.Stop.

You remember that picture of the bride with the boys? Well, the groom was jealous.

This is probably my favorite moment of the entire day... Almost all the guests have left the place... A few family members still linger on around the tables, getting ready to get their cars from the valet... And Julio is still serenading to Ke'Shae... I wish you both a prosperous life together, in health and happiness! Congratulations!