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Featured : Professional Photographer Magazine
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I received an email from Cameron Bishop--Director of Publications for Professional Photographer Magazine--a few weeks ago and he asked if I'd like to be interviewed for an upcoming issue of the magazine. I immediately responded and told him I'd find time between the dog walks, laundry, and blogging. I'm so fancy up in these here parts.
I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with writer Stephanie Boozer and we spent an hour or so talking. About life, laundry, and dogs. At the end of our conversation, I worried if she had enough to write about. Unless, of course, her article would focus on Polo. If that was the case, she'd have plenty. Stephanie assured me she had enough, and we said our goodbyes. Lucky for me, she is fantastic at her job and wrote an article focusing on how I leveraged social media to grow my business. At the time, I was putting the finishing touches on my Showit website, so Stephanie found her angle between that and Facebook. Word to your mother.
To read the article in its entirely, please CLICK HERE for more! |
    
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Seattle Wedding : Laura + Billy : creativeLIVE
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T here are versions of history often told through different spigots of truth. College. Neighbors. Parties. He saw her washing her car in shorts. She thought he was charming. Laura and Billy were friends. Laura and Billy kissed at a party. He'd peek out his window across the street when she'd pull up in front of her apartment. I saw Billy staring at me through his window shades, but he'd pretend he wasn't! His response? Why was Laura looking at MY window to see if I was checking her out, huh?!
There are always two sides of the story. Or ten, depending on the couple in love.
Laura transferred to Brooks Institute of Photography her junior year of college. She left Oregon, home, and Billy in hopes of following her photography passion. What she didn't expect was to reel from the loss of her best friend, Billy. They dated just two months before she left, but decided to stay in touch. Billy soon realized Laura was someone different. A girl who removed the zest of life when they didn't share the same zip code.
One weekend Laura drove 17 hours to spend the day with Billy and his family for a family reunion. That's when the gravity of her love struck him. Billy moved to Santa Barbara and lived with Laura...and remained together for seven years before he proposed with a vintage ring she coveted for months. There are versions of history often told through different spigots of truth. College. Neighbors. Parties. The single most important factor in this love story is just that....love. Two friends promising to stay in love.
Laura and Billy...what an adventure!!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank YOU for being absolutely amazing. I've never felt so supported from a couple, and I can't express how much this means to me. Your friends and families rallied behind this crazy idea and, in turn, made me and JD believe we could do anything we put our minds to. Thank you for your trust, allegiance, and willingness to embrace...and let go. We love you to the moon. And back. xxxo.... j*
The wedding day started impeccably well...anytime there's a Priscilla of Boston wedding dress, the day can't help but be perfect... |
| ...once you add a pair of Jimmy Choo heels to your wedding day, you're walking on sunshine... |
Some of the crew at Chase's studio saw me shooting the following photo and asked if I'd like for them to clean the whiteboard behind Laura. I declined for two reasons: 1. What if that text was Chase's late-night brainstorming and he discovered some photographic theorem that remedied lens flare...or something like that...if we erased it, he might hate us. Forever.
2. I actually liked the text. It makes the photo less perfect, and more revealing... |
| Like always, I loveloveLOVE when a couple decides to see each other before the wedding ceremony. A First Look provides for more time for wedding photos, a relaxed environment, and plenty of time for candid and details photographs. Lucky for us, the ever amazing Theo Chocolate in Seattle provided the perfect spot for Billy and Laura to share their first moments together... |
| One of my favorite wedding photos of the day... |
| Laura...seriously?! You're so fierce I can't even handle it... |
| We were relegated to using areas around Theo Chocolate Factory, but it's amazing what you can find if you just see past what is traditionally considered as beautiful... |
| The morning of the shoot it was pouring rain. I, of course, was panicking (cut me some slack...I'm a California girl!), but we were so blessed when the skies parted and the rain paused... |
| Fierce. Fierce. Fierce!!! |
| Many, many (and then some more) thanks to Daniela Faget of Bella Signature in Seattle. She started with a factory, and transformed it into a wedding venue...in four short weeks! The day wouldn't have been possible without her help, dedication and expertise. We're so incredibly lucky to have her on our team! |
| Laura and Daniela scoured every nook of Seattle to get various chandeliers to hang from the Theo Chocolate Factory ceiling... |
| The newly minted Mr. and Mrs... |
| The highlight of the evening were the toasts and watching Billy and Laura's outtakes video. For those who are new to the blog, this amazing couple entered the creativeLIVE contest. In a nutshell, if they allowed the crew to broadcast their wedding live on the internet while I photographed it, they'd get a free wedding in four weeks. They entered the winning video (and were undoubtedly the most perfect fit for this overwhelming project!), but they showcased the outtakes from their video the night of the wedding. It was...hilarious. |
| Laura looks positively radiant...no, really, she's gorgeous. And, as a fellow photographer, I know she wouldn't mind sharing a little geeky photo data...all photos were shot without flash. I used my ever amazing Canon 5DMII, 50mm 1.2, f/1.2, 1/60th, 2500iso. |
To see more of Laura and Billy's Seattle wedding, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow! The music used--as denoted on the slideshow--was generously provided by Jubilee, the band that performed live the evening of her wedding...they're awesome!
Lastly, special thanks to...
*Chase Jarvis (and his uber fab wife, Kate), for this opportunity and endorsement.
*Craig Swanson and the entire creativeLIVE crew...they're the backbone of this project and an anchor during my weakest moments.
*Christy Weber of Junebug Weddings for her insight and expertise.
*Sachin, Nate, Audrey, Stephanie, and Victoria for being the Fab Five and amazing third shooters...
*JD...for being the better half of me. |
W hen she called to pick us up from the airport, I overheard JD tell his sister to bring Polo. He whispered it to keep it a surprise for me, but I have super bionic hearing. No, really, I do. Just ask my clients. They can be standing 40 feet away from me, and I can hear them. Not gonna lie, sometimes I hear inappropriate things. I kid...I kid...
Anyway, Claudia picked us up from the airport and Polo sat perched against the passenger side window. The minute I hugged him, all was well with the world. The entire ride home, Polo jumped from my lap to JD's. And back. When Claudia left our house, me, JD, and Polo just fell back into our routine. The quiet rhythms I missed so much. JD on the couch with his computer. Polo sleeping. Me in the office, singing. Polo walking up the stairs to check on me. Maybe my singing worries him. |
| It's nice to get back to work. To wake up in my own bed. This morning, Polo jumped onto the bed and nuzzled into the crevice of my neck. Then he sighed. No, really, my dog sighs when he's happy. Then I sighed too. You know, just to let him know I was just as content. |
T here's no mistake. I'm my mother's daughter. Puerto Rican, passionate, expressive. She was an actress, received a promising scholarship to study theater, but gave it up when she met my father. She can still recite her favorite scene from Oliver Twist from memory, which includes holding an invisible bowl of porridge and incredulously asking, MORE?!
Yes, she's a bit odd. But she's my mom. And I love her and all her pretend bowl holding ways.
I spoke last night for the WPPI Roadtrip in Seattle. I was exhausted and didn't think I'd be able to form a single coherent thought. Lucky for me, the 400 photographers in the room were darn amazing. Together, we made it through and I can't wait to see the changes we'll make to move our businesses forward. I'll also be speaking in Chicago and Washington DC, so if you're in the area, I'd be honored to meet you.
From the appearance of these photos, it may look like I was reenacting my mother's favorite scene from Oliver Twist. I just need to work on my English accent. |
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Terrenea Wedding : Erica + Brian
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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S he sat on an overstuffed chair, her hair pressed in curls, with tears streaming down her face. She held his letter and lightly touched his hand-written words. He reminded her of their love...he promised her forever...he swore his love and devotion. Erica held the letter in her hands and wiped her tears. Their wedding day had finally arrived.
Surrounded by their closest family and friends, Erica approached Brian at the altar and the breeze brought in new beginnings. The Pacific ocean caressed the sandy shores of Palos Verde and their love seeped into even the deepest crevices of the Terranea Resort. Erica looked radiant in her wedding dress, but a special accoutrement was her mother's ring. After losing their home in a fire a few years ago, Erica's father discovered the ring in a pile of ashes. It was one of the few things that survived the blaze. The amethyst stone was originally purple, but the fire changed it to a soft yellow hue.
Love, much like her ring, changes through life's fiery moments, but still manages to remain beautifully intact when you're willing to search for it amongst the ashes.
Erica and Brian...thank you for the distinct honor of being your wedding photographer. It's been a joy working with you both and I have no doubt life is going to be even sweeter for the both of you. Your day was perfect and I couldn't have dreamt of a better experience. Hope you're having a blast on your honeymoon and I wish you only the best! Much Love and Appreciation... j*
The wedding day couldn't start any better...a pair of Jimmy Choos and Badgley Mischka
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| The florals were designed by R. Jack Balthazar and I was thrilled to work with them again...they're work always blows me away! |
| Erica and Brian just moments before their First Look... |
| Erica and Brian weren't going to see each other before the ceremony, but changed their minds a few weeks before the wedding. Their wedding was full of details and and events, so they wanted to make sure they allotted plenty of time for me to capture everything. I lovelovelove this moment of their First Look... |
| Erica, you're stunning... |
| While I was getting these photos... |
| ...JD was getting this photo.... |
| A classic wedding portrait still gets me... |
| The wedding day was extremely windy and bright at Terranea, but Erica and Brian were troopers and rocked it out...I love them! |
| Erica kept a locket with pictures of her grandparents on her bouquet... |
| Ceremony time along Terranea offers gorgeous views of the Pacific... |
| JD's view of the First Kiss... |
| While JD was getting this photo... |
| ...I was at the end of the aisle getting these photos... |
| After the ceremony, we took ten minutes to capture more wedding photos along the beach of the Terranea Resort...and the sunset light was just perfect! |
| Now onto one of my favorite parts of the wedding day...detail photos! |
| The wedding was coordinated by the uber fabulous CARAVENTS...Erin and Cara did an amazing job with the ebb and flow of the day and I'm extraordinarily thankful to have worked with a team who understands the power of collaboration...love them! |
| When I walked into the ballroom, it literally took my breath away. R. Jack Balthazar rocked it out like none other and I could've photographed every detail for ten more hours! |
| The First Dance with lovely video light from Elysium...my most favorite videography company. Ever. Seriously, ever. I adore working with them! |
| JD captured this photo of Brian and he looks so proud... |
| I HAD to give a MAJOR shoutout to The Spazmatics, a fabfabfab 80s cover band. They kept the party rocking all.night.long...I want to throw a party just so I can dance to their music again! |
| Okay, so these glasses? Makes me feel like this photo was taken in 1987! |
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