Junebug Weddings- World's Best Wedding Photographers

We made the list! Brook and I were pleased to be added to Junebug's Weddings hotlist, which they call the World's Best Wedding Photographers. We can be found in the San Francisco section, and we are so honored to be in such a great group of talented artists. We plan to send them some of our lovely weddings, and we will post when we have a feature!

Well, we were definitely overdue for a blog post. After PPA's Imaging USA in San Antonio TX (last blog entry in Jan), we were in Vegas at WPPI speaking for a Masterclass, sponsored by Kodak, Bay Photo Lab, LuxArt Books, and Tamrac. Our Masterclass was really fun, it was a great group, and we had a lot of awesome giveaways - which always makes it a good time! A few weeks ago we flew to Minnesota to visit Graphi Studio's U.S. headquarters. They make gorgeous albums in a castle just outside of Venice, Italy. Yes, Italy!!! I hope to visit the castle there in the future! So we had a nice tour with Rachel and Maureen on our trip in MN, and spoke to a local group of photographers there. Not much time for sightseeing, but walked through the Mall of America for an hour. The largest mall in America! An hour. No we did not see much. However, a very kind photographer gave us a driving tour before our flight back.

That's it for now. Next we will post some runway shots from Stella & Dot's fashion show!

Thanks for checking in with us,

Alisha

Times Square: Our images on Kodak Marquee!

Let me say we were thrilled when 2 of our images, with a photo credit, were chosen by Kodak to be used in a video commercial airing on the Kodak Marquee in Times Square, in New York City. The video seen here on the Kodak site began airing the last 2 weeks in December, through the new year, and into most of January. The video reminded people of the importance of connecting with pro quality: hiring professional photographers, not leaving moments to "happenstance". This aired several times an hour on Broadway, and where Kodak Marquee is located. I think it was a fantastic message. While the public is taking more pictures than ever since the introduction of digital, the importance of documenting weddings and family should still be entrusted to a professional that has the skills and talent that will help preserve momentous events, and family history!

These are the two images that were used:


Both images were from the wedding of Rebecca & Orbie Pullen! They are too fun, and we love that two wedding photographers married each other! Very talented people. Also, I like to think they have great taste in photography. ;o)

Wish we could have been in New York to see Times Square in person while our photographs were there. Though we have been really busy with work, can't complain. Work here and in Texas. We also spoke this month at Imaging USA in the Kodak booth. We are looking forward to speaking at WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) in Las Vegas later in February. We have a Masterclass we are looking forward to teaching. We were pleased to learn that SOLD OUT in 2 hours! Very cool. If you are one of the people in our upcoming class, we look forward to meeting with you!!

Here are some pics of Brook & I speaking at the Kodak booth in San Antonio at PPA's Imaging USA:



We were interviewed with Sarah and Glen, who represented Bay Photo Lab.



After we finished, I got a hug from Joe (Clooney) Paglia of Kodak!

Junebug Weddings FEATURE: Shiva & Brett

We were thrilled to have our wedding images of Shiva & Brett featured on the fabulous wedding blog Junebug Weddings! A really great interview and well written article accompanied our photographs of this unique wedding that encompassed two ceremonies that day: Iranian and Jewish. The details were beautiful, and the setting was the lovely at Holman Ranch, in Carmel Valley. This bride is very creative, as she is an amazing textile designer. As the founder of her studio, Gunny + Galloon, Shiva has had her fabrics used in the bridal gowns of Reem Acra, Oscar De La Renta, and Vera Wang. Her fabric designs have also been in many designers for ready-to-wear, including Carolina Herrera. Shiva's wedding came together beautifully with the help and organization of her wedding planner, Amy Nichols, of Amy Nichols Special Events. Amy was an absolute pleasure to work with, as well as the talented and sweet Gina of Lola Video. It was a dream team and I look forward to working with Gina again soon in a few weeks at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco!
Please check out the Junebug Weddings blog feature, as well as the Real Weddings gallery!

Thanks again to Shiva & Brett, and Junebug Weddings!

Alisha

Best of Wedding Photography's 1st Lens & Light Honor!

Brook and I are proud to announce a special first time honor bestowed on us by Best of Wedding Photography which is invitation-only association for the world’s top wedding photographers! The membership standards are uncommonly high, as they seek photographers who are leaders in the field – in quality & style of imagery their success and recognition by brides, fellow photographers, and others in the wedding industry.

We were recently awarded in February. This is the premier Lens & Light Honor. Hard to believe we hadn't blogged about it sooner! We are quite thrilled by this recognition and we accept it with appreciation. We invite you to read about the Lens & Light Honor which includes an interview.

Thank you for checking in! We will post again soon...

Warmly,

Alisha

May 18th, 2010

Hey peeps,

How's it been? We are heading into our busy season. We photographed a fantastic wedding two weeks back at Holman Ranch, an amazing location in Carmel Valley. At the wedding we had a chance to work with some amazing people including wedding planner Amy Nichols, and Gina of Lola Video. Thanks to all for making our day a fun one!

I also wanted to take a second and plug the NACE meeting tomorrow night. I will be speaking along with celebrity wedding planner Sasha Souza, cinematographerAndrew Hsu of Studio MSV, and Jen Kwapinski of Jen's Cakes. It's on May 18th and begins at 6pm at the Silver Creek Country Club in San Jose. It should be a fun time so come on out and say hello, we would love to see you.

Brook out!

Roller Derby

First off, I gotta say that I love shooting weddings, it has been an amazing ride. However, let it be said that I also love photographing beyond the realm of weddings. I think it is good to give yourself projects as photographers. So this year I am giving myself photo assignments. The first one this year was the roller derby. We have a local Roller Derby here in Santa Cruz. So I contacted them and told them that I was interested in coming down and shooting for the evening. After I was given a press pass, I was on my way! I had a great time!! It was a challenge due to the lighting, but it was fun. Bottom line: FUN. If you are a photographer or not, tell us what you like to photograph. Also, feel free to suggest other cool stuff ***IDEAS*** for me to shoot. Now I am on the hunt for some random stuff. I think next up is the rodeo. Yeeee haw!

The Brook

Beautiful Thoughts..

Brook & I are really touched by some of the cards we've received recently from our amazing clients! Above image is a postcard from a bride and groom on their honeymoon in Bali! Who sends a postcard on their honeymoon? Brian & Ha Na do! Here's what they said:

Hello from Bali! We're having a great time here(as evidenced by me having no idea what day it is...) You'd have a field day here. We thought we'd avoid sending you a bad photo postcard, so we're sending you a drawn one instead that won't offend your professional sensibilities. In any case, thanks for being such an integral part of our wedding. You helped keep us both(esp. Ha Na)calm and we can't imagine the day without you. Alas, no more weddings of ours to photograph, but we hope to find reasons to keep in touch.

Love and best wishes,
Brian & Ha Na

Also wanted to share this lovely card:



And last but definitely not least, we got a card from some clients who were coming up on their anniversary.



We have a lot of passion for what we do and know the importance of taking beautiful images for the memories of their wedding day! We feel truly honored to do so!

Alisha + Brook