Fish Out of Water: a film by Ky Dickens

Fish Out of Water is a documentary by Ky Dickens that looks at the impact of homosexuality and religion on America...exploring the seven most notorious Bible passages on the subject with the help of theologians from across the religious spectrum. Presented as a mix of insightful interviews, endearing animation, and witty illustrations, Fish out of Water takes the subject (but not itself) seriously.

Golden-Globe nominated Kaki King, whose music has been featured in films like Into the Wild and Twilight, created the original score for this genre-bending work.

This is a really important film and, while I was contacted months ago about contributing images to it, nothing prepared me for the excitement of actually seeing my pictures in the trailer--I think I scared the dogs yelling so loud when I played it. I think there are at least 2-3 of my gay wedding images in there, and possibly more in the full feature. It's premiering at Outfest in LA on July 18th, I wont be able to be there but if any of you live in LA you should go, you can buy tix on the website.

Here's the website with the trailer: www.fishoutofwaterfilm.com

And here is a fascinating Chicago Reader article about filmmaker Ky Dickens, why she made this film, and what she hopes to do with it, here.

Sts. Peter and Paul Church and the Marine's Memorial Club

Lisa and Keith
April 25 2009

Slideshow
Full set of proofs

While only my 3rd wedding of the year, Lisa and Keith represented a few different "firsts" for me. First of all, they were the first clients in 3 years to talk me into meeting with them at a location other than my studio. I normally don't meet with prospective clients anywhere else-- it's too difficult to control the ambience in a public place, where every little thing (from the crying baby in the corner to the cleanliness of the floors to the type of soap in the bathroom) has an unconscious impact on what the client thinks of me, regardless of whether I have anything to do with those things or not. I want them immersed in a comfortable, quiet environment that is all about my photography, and consistent with my image. A studio or dedicated meeting space lends a lot of credibility and value to a business. Plus, those sample albums are heavy!

Despite all this, Lisa and Keith managed to convince me to come to Redwood City to meet with them before they booked (I think the dessert they offered to buy me may have had something to do with it. ;) And obviously I'm happy I went!

Their E session turned out to be another first--it was my first time shooting in an aquarium, as well as my first time incorporating fish into the background composition of a shot:

I love the unique images we got and how easily the distraction of the exhibits helped Lisa and Keith loosen up, despite the bit of spectacle we made with the other people who where there.

Their wedding was my first time shooting at Sts. Peter and Paul, a beautiful ornate church in San Francisco with, like last week, really decent light (this time it was mostly from well placed spots rather than window light). And for their reception, I got to check out the Marine's Memorial Club, and this wedding was a great introduction to the space as Annie Siu went all out with her bright, luxurious candelabra floral arrangements on the tables. Mariell from the MMC was a doll to work with--she actually took the time to do a run through of the schedule with us when we arrived and we vendors got our own table, complete with name tags, full course dinner, and bread!

Here's some of my faves:

bride's bouquet


flower girl's headpiece


Lisa by a window in the MMC hotel


the ride to the ceremony in the cable car was a bit bumpy!


giving flowers to Mary during the ceremony. This is a new Rose tinted b/w I'm trying out,
I think it has kind of an old fashioned feel.


we took the cable car out after the ceremony for some bride and groom shots.
I gave this one a little texture to emphasize the grain in the wood.


I was trying to get this shot with just Lisa before the ceremony, but she had her ring on the opposite hand. I'm glad I waited though because the couple's kiss really makes this shot.


fabulous decor by Annie Siu and the MMC











this kid caught the garter. There was talk of a do-over but it never happened.


same kid, breakdancing.





Vendors:

Saints Peter and Paul Church

Marines' Memorial Club

Annie Siu Floral and Events

Peter Haley and the Spinheads (DJ)

Victoria Pastry Co. (cake)

Trudy's Brides (dress)

Diana Debiagio (makeup) and Cheri Farina (hair) for Indigo Salon

Lydia and Mike Featured on San Francisco Style Unveiled!

Style Unveiled's new San Francisco-specific resource site is a fresh, bright, and upscale alternative to other wedding planning sites. Their mission is to connect brides with the "hottest fashion, innovative ideas, and most elite vendors...to help you create a day as unique as you are". They contacted me in December to ask me if they could feature Lydia and Mike's wedding in their Real Weddings section, as one of only 8 photographers from around the state who would be featured.

Well, the feature just came out this week and Here it is. Good timing too, cuz the couple just picked up their finished Couture book wedding album.

The site interviewed Lydia and Mike about every aspect of their wedding. I love what they had to say about me:


Aww you guys...{blush}.

Golden Gate Club and St. Agnes Catholic Church

Nicole and Greg
April 18 2009

Slideshow here
Full set of proofs will be here

After a looong break I had my first wedding of the 09 season with Nicole and Greg's wedding. It was a great way to get back into the swing of things, with beautiful light everywhere we went and some new (to me) but awesome vendors.

I usually cringe when a bride says she's getting ready at a friend's house "because it's close by", esp. in SF...experience has led me to expect a tiny, windowless apartment with barely enough room to move, much less photograph. But this MOH's apartment above the park was lovely, spacious and full of light in all rooms, and even the MUA was knowledgeable enough to seat Nicole as close to the window as she could get while doing her face.

I've been wanting to try the "rings standing on end" thing ever since I saw it beautifully done by Jules Bianchi, a colleague of mine and fellow Pictage PUG leader for Southern CA. But most women's rings are thin and circular and wont balance upright by themselves without something holding them up. Finally at this wedding I got the squarish rings necessary to try it out with! The trunk I sat them on was cool and antique looking and provided interesting reflections with the light coming from head on.

pretty bridesmaid dresses, and flowers by Annie Martinson


Nicole gets into her Paloma Blanca dress, with help from her mom


I love the lace and lines of Paloma dresses.


I looooove this shot! I looove dramatic light!


only a bride would cry while riding around in a Rolls. ; )





OMG the LIGHT in this church! It was amazing, shafts of golden light coming in from the huge high stained glass windows on both sides.


sometimes the awkward in between moments at weddings end up as my favorites


This cake, by Kelly Zubal of Inticing Creations, was by far one of the most delicious wedding cakes I've ever tasted. There were two flavors in it but I only got to try one, because the cake was totally GONE in about 10 mins. My assistants didn't even have a chance to get a piece, that is how quickly it went, which never happens at weddings by the way. There was a line across one side of the entire room for it. Anyway the layer I got was salted caramel chocolate, which is not something I would have thought translated well into cake form (and I'm usually not a big chocolate cake fan anyway), but this was amazing. The little salty-sweet sugar chunks in the caramelly buttercream really made it stand out. And Kelly did a great job on the butterflies, which were a recurring theme of the wedding, making them look artful and painterly.


cute and elegant little butterflies on the place cards.


more beautiful open light at the Golden Gate Club. I had been here for a networking event previously but had not seen a wedding done here before this. I loved the potential for unique shots offered by the overhead balcony and the lawn outside the windows.


great live music by Laurent Fourgo and his Ensemble


this is my 2nd wedding in a row with impromtu, surprise guest singing. Is this a new trend?


I took lots of reaction shots during the playing of the slideshow, which included shots from Greg and Nicole's childhoods through the present. Many people teared up. Greg will probably lie and tell you he just had an itch or something...but we know the truth. : )


I love the way the 3 different sources of light (one from the windows and 2 different off camera flashes) highlight their embrace, the dress, and the crowd's reaction.





right at sunset I took the couple outside for some final shots with the venue in the background. This is them going back inside to their party. I think it's a nice note to end things on.


Thanks Nicole and Greg for having me there!

Vendors:

Golden Gate Club

St. Agnes Catholic Church

Ann Walker Catering

Flowery Affairs by Annie

Laurent Fourgo and his Ensemble

Inticing Creations (Cake)

Isis Boutiques (bridal dress)

Madu Salon (Jackie Shyu and Theresa Wondra, hair and makeup)

Winner: 2009 Bride's Choice Award

WeddingWire, a very cool bride-driven wedding website, just contacted me to let me know that Cohn Frankel Photography has won a 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! Here is some info about the award:

"In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Cohn Frankel Photography is one of the very best Wedding Photographers.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”"

Thank you to all my past clients for speaking on my behalf, leaving your awesome reviews, and helping me win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! Also thanks to all the wonderful vendors I've worked with who also left endorsements on my wedding wire page. Here's a couple of my favorites:

Brides:
"We couldn't be happier with our wedding photos. I receive so many compliments on our pictures. Lauren does way more then take pictures, she turns wedding memories into art.
During the wedding she's just a fly on the wall and captured us in very sweet moments that we'll treasure forever.
Choosing Cohn-Frankel Photography for our wedding was the best vendor decision we made.


"Some people may be wary of reviews with 5 stars in every category, but Lauren was fantastic! She was attentive to our needs and worked with us to give us the most for our budget. She surprised us with little extras here and there, which made us feel like she really values her clients and the relationship she has with them.

We booked her services over a year in advance and decided to purchase one of her wedding packages. We also ordered an album and plan on purchasing the digital negatives from our wedding.

If you're looking to capture your event, wedding or otherwise, with an experienced photojournalist, request some information. You won't be disappointed when you see how beautiful your event turned out when all of the special moments and details are captured by Lauren."

Vendors:
"Lauren is definitely one of the most highly regarded photographers in the Bay Area. Her photojournalistic style is very sought after and she's also a really great leader amongst the photographer community here."

"Lauren is a true photojournalist at heart capturing beautiful touching moments. Not only does she have a great eye, but she has fun yet professional personality that puts couples at ease."

"Lauren's work is beautiful...filled with touches of perspective an humor and a overtone of vintage glamor. It was truly my pleasure to meet Lauren and have the opportunity to get to know her. Laurent would be an incredibly fun, unique, and sincere person to have at your side on your wedding day!"

You can read the rest on my wedding wire page here.

A Certified Star!

This week I was delighted to learn that Lisa Edd, Managing Editor of Here Comes the Guide, decided to feature me on their blog for the 2nd time in a row this month!

Here is the text from the recent post:

"Wedding photographer Lauren Cohn-Frankel has had quite a year. In addition to being officially Certified By The Guide, she was nominated for this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Baylist Best list and had her gorgeous photos featured in Today’s Bride, and on East Bay Express’ Wedding Wednesdays, KRON 4’s gay marriage special, HBO Family. Busy girl!

To see what all the fuss is about, take a look at some of her photos."

Here is the link to this week's post, and here is the link to the older post. In that one, Services Coordinator Denise Auerbach mentions some of my most recent awards and accolades, and describes my work as "gorgeous and full of personality." [blush!]

Thanks Lisa, Denise, and HCTG for the awesome recognition!

Five Wounds Church and Villa Ragusa

(with getting ready pics at the Cypress Hotel and portraits in downtown San Jose and Santana Row)

Karen and David
November 08, 2008


Slideshow
Full set of proofs to be posted here

(I am swamped with work right now so I will add text to this post and the last one later: for now please enjoy the pics!)