Some people may remember me talking about the first Pictage Partner-Con, and how much it changed my life and the way I do business. Everything the speakers said was exactly what I needed to hear, and I attribute much of the speed and intensity of my success to things I learned there.
So it was a real honor to be asked to photograph this year's Partner-Con on behalf of Pictage--and not just because of the free room and board either. Think about it--a company with over 5000 photographers at their disposal, some of whom are the most successful and well known in the industry, and they picked ME to shoot it for them. Wow.
I raced around like a madwoman for 2 days straight, trying to get shots of everyone and everything, sometimes attending up to four simultaneous events. Being the official photographer also provided me with a chance to get to know some of the "big names" in photography personally--and I'm so honored that my work is now appearing on some of their websites and blogs!
But the coolest part was realizing that people are actually starting to find out who I am too. Some of the people I was excited to meet, were just as excited to meet me! It was bizarre and fabulous at the same time.
Here is a brief selection of some of my favorite images from the event:
Proofs
Pictage Partner Conference LA-- 2006
Dublin Ranch Wedding, Dublin CA, September 7 2006
Okay, first of all this wedding was a bit of a milestone for me, because when Laura and Aaron hired me way back in fall of '05, it marked the first wedding I had booked from an event coordinator referral. Thanks to my partnership with Pictage and the conference they put on last year, I had learned somewhat early in my career as a business owner that the key to long term success was building up a network of referral partners, and that all the really successful wedding photographers got most of their work via word of mouth. I took that message to heart, making a point to be generous with my images and my time with other wedding professionals, and this wedding was the first time it had begun to pay off. So I was psyched. Plus Laura and Aaron seemed like such genuinely nice people, and were really impressed with my work. So I was really looking forward to the big day.
There were a few things I didn't count on, however--I didn't count on how BEAUTIFUL Laura would look in her dress, or how much chemistry there would be between Aaron and her, or how much fun her friends were and how willing and eager they were to try anything. I love it when my clients want to collaborate, when they have ideas of their own, when they are prepared to have fun and enjoy being photographed. Laura, Aaron, and their friends were all that and more.
I guess I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I will say one more thing though--by the end of the night, when everyone had seen the slideshow and at least 30 people had come up to me and told me how incredible the shots were, when I was packing up to go home, Laura came up to me and told me that everyone loved the pictures SO much, she was actually sick of hearing how great they were! Now THAT's a compliment!
Slideshow
Proofs
San Jose Rose Garden and Silicon Valley Capitol Club, San Jose CA
Sarah Hinojosa and Rafael Gameros
Sarah and Rafael and I hit it off really well at our E session at (where else?) Baker Beach back in spring, so I knew their wedding was apt to be just as awesome. Their ceremony took place at the Rose Garden in downtown San Jose, which looked and smelled amazing in the middle of August, with a reception following that at the Capitol Club, where the decor was beautiful and the food was great. I really appreciated how organized Jenna (the event coordinator was), and how she took time out to make sure I had eaten and had everything I needed. Sara and Rafael's guests were a definite party crowd, and so there was no shortage of fun and interesting things to photograph as the night went on.
Slideshow
Proofs
Grass Valley United Methodist Church and Lake of the Pines Country Club, Grass Valley CA
Kirstin Aanestad and Steven Bolton
Yet another gorgeous couple--and tall! I felt like I needed a stool or maybe a small
ladder. What really stood out for me at this wedding was this period during the ceremony where Kirstin and Steven went to the back of the sanctuary together and took communion together--no one could hear what they were saying, it wasn't meant to be public. It was a private moment, and I haven't seen that in a wedding before-- most ceremonies are as much about performance as they are about ritual. The MOH sang a song while all this was going on to give the guests something to listen to, but I was focused on the bride and groom. It was really special.
Slideshow
Proofs
Album Design
Claremont Resort and Spa, Berkeley CA
Nancy Zabala and Shonn Graham
My E session with Nancy and Shonn on the Berkeley campus brought back a lot of memories, it seems like a lifetime ago that I moved here from New York to go to Cal, trudging around campus in the El Nino rains and thinking that the winters here sure are mild. It was nice to explore the campus again from a photographic point of view, I never realized how many beautiful spots there are on it.
Nancy and Shonn were married at a beautiful church that I didn't even know existed, in the heart of West Berkeley, and their reception at the Claremont hotel (where I've been dying to work for years) was the icing on the cake. And speaking of cake...they had the yummiest dessert bar with these excellent little lemon tortes (tarts? tartlets? whatever), I couldn't resist taking a few of them with me--call it a tip. Brian considers himself very lucky that they made it through the drive home without being eaten...
Slideshow
Proofs
The Bridal Path, Santa Rosa CA
Nicole Brewer and Scott Gross
What a beautiful place to have a wedding--the Bridal Path in Santa Rosa is a working horse ranch-turned-wedding venue, complete with it's own horse drawn carriage. Nicole and Scott have known each other for 12 years--they met at college, where they lived together in the dorms--and they are obviously best friends. The energy at this wedding was great--everyone there was obviously really close, and as cheesy as it sounds I could really "feel the love in the room". Dont' they make an incredible couple? Nicole is SO beautiful. By the way, the party animal with the mustache is Scott's dad.
Slideshow
Proofs
Album Design
Private Estate, Yountville CA
Nicky and Jeromy Smith
Slideshow
Proofs
Album Design
(yes, that is a he-man sword they are cutting the cake with)
Private Estate, Napa CA
WOW this summer has been incredible! And very busy. I've shot some gorgeous weddings and celebrated with some wonderful people. Here are just a few of them....
Diane Weider and Kevin Reid
Slideshow
Proofs
(the bottom photo is of Diane dancing with her father, who was living with cancer and almost didn't make it to the wedding.)
