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The London Hotel Wedding Photoshoot
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T here's a back story. There's always a backstory. And because I like to talk alot, I'm gonna share it here. On my blog. With y'all. A few months ago after I spoke at the OC ABC meeting, I was approached by a kind, bubbly, and energetic woman. Her smile illuminated the dim room and I felt an instant connection with her. Gloria of Grand Engagements told me about her passion for wedding coordination, how her business was growing, and how she was building her web presence. I loved her right away. She gave me her business card, and followed up with a thank you email a few days later. I'm telling you, she was fabulous.
A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of working with Gloria on a shoot she designed and coordinated. To see her thoughts, ideas, and passion come to life made me incredibly happy for her and I know the future is bright! I was honored when she asked me to photograph her promotional work, and extra stoked to be collaborating with some of my favorite wedding vendors in the field. I'm also very excited because the ever amazing Wedding Chicks is featuring more of their shoot on their blog as well, so check it out!
Many thanks to all who were involved...
Venue: The London Hotel West Hollywood
Event Design: Gloria McCune - Grand Engagements
Floral Design: Carissa Jones - JL Designs and Events
Cakes: Melody Brandon - Sweet and Saucy
Chairs + Settings: Classic Party Rentals
Linen: Wildflower Linen
Stationary: Allison Howell - The Innovation Company
Photography: Jasmine Star |
| I've said it before, but I'm a total paper snob. I collect stationary and paper goods like it's going out of style, so when I saw Allison's work, I died. I loved her vision and execution of her ideas for the shoot... |
| Per usual, Wildflower Linen always provides the best detailed linen and the combination of the tablecloth and purple napkin was simply beautiful... |
| It's always a pleasure working with Carissa of JL Design and Events...this girl sees wedding design and floral decor like nobody's business! Give her a theme or idea, and the following day you'll have hundreds of ideas in your box, complete with photos and an inspiration board! ;) |
| The London Hotel West Hollywood is a perfect setting for wedding pictures and you have such an awesome view of Sunset Boulevard and the Hollywood hills...so beautiful! |
| Per usual, I get overly excited when I hear we're collaborating with Melody of Sweet and Saucy. Seriously, this girl can bake desserts like no one else! She always brings sweets for us to take home and if I was being honest, they're eaten before I get back in the car to head home. They're delish!! |
    
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FAQ : Off Camera Lighting at Wedding Receptions
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T his past week I was contacted by Nate at Photoflex inquiring about a link I posted on my blog a while ago. At first I had no clue what his email referred to, but after a little research, I realized I posted a blog entry back in 2007 about my off-camera light set up for receptions. When I went back to this post, it brought back so many warm memories...the photos were from my first year as a wedding photographer and experimenting with off-camera flash for receptions. I learned so much about myself and the type of light I prefer, so I thought I'd update my previous post a bit...
I'm still using the same light setup, so here's what it looks like: |
It's comprised of:
*A Photoflex Small LiteDome soft box (16"x22")
*A light stand
***You can find a my entire set up on this page of Photoflex.com
*Pocket Wizards (with one attached on the lightstand itself, and one mounted on my camera)
*Sunpak Auto 383 Super Flash
I also use a Canon 580EX Speedlight on my camera, so I love when I can capture a subject backlight or with a little rim lighting…. Here are a few recent photos using off-camera flash during wedding receptions to illustrate its affect on my photos...
In the following two photos, the light was set to camera left, behind one of the band's speakers...
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| The off camera light was placed to camera left about 15-feet from the subjects, and pointed toward the guests, and I used on-camera flash to illuminate the the bride and groom... |
| Off-camera light was placed to camera right and my on-camera flash was bounced from the ceiling.... |
| Off-camera light was placed behind a pillar to camera right, about 15-feet from the bride and groom... |
| Off-camera light was placed behind a pillar, and in this photo, the light is directly behind the bride... |
| The off-camera light wasn't moved from its location (behind the pillar) for the ceremony and reception, so you can see how it can achieve two very different looks... |
| Off-camera light was placed adjacent to the DJ's speaker to camera right |
| Off-camera light was placed behind the camera, and no on-camera flash was used... |
| Off-camera light was placed 15-feet away from subjects (and guests) to camera right, and on-camera flash was bounced using a white bounce card... |
| I know this post might have been repetitive, but seeing how the other post is two years old, I thought it'd be cool to revisit the topic....if it bored you, please forgive me. Tomorrow I have something else in store, but thanks for stopping by anyway! ;) |
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FAQ : The Knot Magazine + Rebecca Crumley
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I first met Rebecca Crumley last February, at WPPI in Las Vegas. I received an invitation to join her for breakfast with a group of photographers, but couldn't make it due to scheduling conflicts. I was bummed, but shot her an email and asked if I could meet her another time during our short stay in Sin City. Rebecca is the Weddings Photo Editor for The Knot, so I didn't even hope she'd accept my flaccid offer...but she did!
We spent some time getting to know each other at Wolfgang Puck and at the end of our conversation, I not only walked away with an industry peer, I walked away with a friend. She's insanely bright, articulate, and knows more about photography than I could ever hope to know. Rebecca's the real deal, so when I asked if she'd like to post a Q+A on my blog, I was stoked when she agreed!
I hope these guest posts help fellow photographers hone their craft, buttress their confidence, and raise the bar for the industry. I'll be the first to admit I'm learning the ropes along with everyone else, so I hope you take away at least one bit of info that'll make you fall more in love with photography and wedding magazine publication...
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Photo Credit: Mel Barlow
*What are growing trends in wedding publications?
Recent announcements of wedding magazines forfeiting has taken everyone by shock in the industry. I'm actually very happy to say The Knot is still holding strong and rolling out new exciting features like The Knot Live, upping our national issue of The Knot to four times a year, launching over 200 local and niche websites this year (under the domain weddings.com), and completely re-vamping our community boards. We're also eagerly anticipating our next book to publish in 2010 (its a photo-driven book all about wedding style, stay tuned for more info!).
Generally speaking, there's an immediate need for wedding trends to be reported. It used to be that fresh content was held for print (which can take 6 to 8+ months before content is released). Between the blog world and our aforementioned projects, were getting the information out there quicker than ever before.
*What are some things to avoid when submitting a wedding for publication?
Be sure youre presenting your work in a legible way. If a contact sheet has about 30 images crammed on it or extreme color shifts, it's not doing your photography justice! On the flipside, there's no need for bulky presentations, prints, and special bindings. The work should speak for itself, so ink printouts (about 12 images to each page) and a disc of individual files will do! Emailed files shouldn't be so tiny or optimized that it takes away from the initial viewing quality either.
*What are common mistakes people make when submitting a wedding for publication?
It's important to take some time to understand the difference between editorial needs vs. client needs. Typically a blog entry or a slideshow teaser is not a sufficient range of images. Most magazines are selecting the Real Weddings because of the overall style. So that means we should be seeing more detail and décor shots than of people (though well still want to see a couple of them too!). Also familiarize yourself with the publications brand and if the tone of the wedding fits in with the company's voice. There are several factors that go into the final selections, so make sure you provide access to all the requested information with your submission. We're always on tight deadlines and the slightest detail, such as not knowing the venue location can result in a missed opportunity.
*What would make your job easier in regard to wedding submissions?
My preferred submission format is a disc accompanied by a printed contact sheet and all the requested info, but most importantly including the online proofing gallery info. While it seems overwhelming to go through 1000+ photos from a wedding, I'd rather take 15 - 20 minutes upon our initial review to know if we have enough content and image variety to design a spread. It takes more time to go back and forth requesting additional images, which we usually don't have available on deadline. Sometimes we also have internal image needs, such as running a full bleed photo and might spot an image that will better afford room for type in the design.
*What is one photo you think should be in a wedding submission, but is hardly ever included?
An overall shot of the ceremony prior to the guests arriving. This is the photographer's opportunity to create an impressionable image that sets the environment and tone of the wedding. While couples love to have this shot during the actual ceremony, the editorial side of me prefers just the scene people tend to be a distraction from showing the décor and make it less dramatic. These images also reproduce well at larger sizes and can be very helpful to have a horizontal and vertical option when were designing a layout.
*What type of submissions make you smile?
I love my job to pieces, so this is hard to reply with just one answer! First, couples that take an extra step to personalize their wedding with their history and creativity a themed wedding that relates to how they met; photo displays of themselves as children or from earlier in their relationship; a DIY photo booth setup with props; designing an original monogram, etc. I also applaud couples that manage a stylish wedding on a smaller budget. It's always great to share these ideas with our audience! Last but not least, a beautiful and striking environmental portrait. I love it when photographers show off their talents with a unique and custom image of a couple, but the image is more about the surroundings.
*Anything else you'd like to add?
I could talk all day about the importance of blogging and also including vendor and location info in the posts. Sometimes we have very specific image request needs for venues or certain cities. We'll almost always run a Google Blogsearch to find the most current results. Additionally, with just a little bit of research, knowing and understanding the world of SEO information can yield much success for your business.
If you'd like to learn more about Rebecca, be sure to follow her on Twitter or see all the fun judging she'll be doing for the Top Knots Contest!
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USC Engagement : Bree + Zack
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I t was the same every morning. He'd receive a phone call from her at 3am, on her way to work at 6am. Waiting for the subway to take her to work, Bree, a newly minted New Yorker, called Zack in California to help her make it through another day of working a very difficult job. In the darkness of morning and the warmth of his bed, Zack reassured her and promised things would get better. And they did.
After meeting in college at the University of Southern California, they became friends and took on leadership positions in the fraternity system, which basically meant they went to all the parties together. They were just friends--with their morning walks to Jamba Juice remaining completely platonic--but a strange thing happened a month before graduating: they became more than just friends. It was nothing, they said. Bree was moving to New York, Zack was staying in California, and, really, Zack swore he couldn't afford Bree's shopping sprees.
When Bree moved, they stayed together and the 3am phone calls began. She missed him, work was challenging, and she was losing her tan. When the opportunity arose for Zack to move to New York for a job, Bree was elated and their love took on a whole new meaning. And, just like Zack promised, things got much better.
I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding next July and it sounds like it's going to be a blast! Bree and Zack decided to have their engagement pictures at USC, and as we strolled the campus together, I felt so lucky to meet them and document their love.... |
| On a personal note, I'd never met or spoken to Zack or Bree before the engagement session (we love email!), but I was incredibly stoked to chat with Zack toward the end of the session...he's really, really smart. Get him talking about finances, and the guy's a machine! He's kinda awesome. |
| Like I just mentioned, Bree and I spoke for the first time last Friday and...I...LOVE HER! She's fun, type-a, and a no-nonsense kind of girl, and just my cup of tea! |
| Bree and Zack specifically requested we stay away from traditional USC engagement pictures and shoot in places a little more urban, chic, and them.....yesssss! |
| Bree and Zack flew to Los Angeles with their dog, Reggie...named after none other than their football wielding classmate, Reggie Bush... |
| After a quick change, Zack pointed to a set a stairs and we climbed to a rooftop....I wish I had thought of it on my own! ;) |
| Bree, you're beautiful. That is all. |
| Many thanks to Zack's mom, Karen, for coming along and watching Reggie between shots...she taught me a few Cesar Millan tricks throughout the day! ;) |
| Gotta love the gorgeous November light and weather in SoCal... |
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