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El Cortez Wedding : Rachele+Will
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T he number 13 is considered unlucky in some instances, but for Rachele and Will it's the perfect number. It took that many years for them to walk down the aisle together--surrounded by their friends and family--in San Diego, and when they did, the room collectively held their breath as they said I Do. She's seen him through his long-hair phase, and he's seen her through I-just-got-my-licence phase (memories their friends didn't allow them to forget), but after drinking shakes at Carl's Jr late one night in high school, their paths were fated to coalesce through life's biggest moments.
While she worked at a Congresswomen's office, Will made himself known as a constant source of support...and while he attended law school, Rachele became a pillar of strength and encouragement. Their friends and family promised to stay by their sides through the thick and thin, but after 13 years of goodness, everyone in the room knew luck was on their side. And just like the best man, Jeff, said, it took less than 13 years to build the Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, and the Brooklyn Bridge...so their love was destined to be stronger than some of the nation's beautiful wonders.
Rachele and Will...words can't express how much I appreciate the honor of capturing your love and the long awaited kiss at the altar. Your friends and families are amazing and made us feel like an extension of your love. The day was perfect and we managed to get everything to fall into place, regardless of what was thrown our way...which is a true sign of your positive outlook on life and love. It was an honor documenting your wedding. Much Love and Appreciation... j* |
| The day started in beautiful San Diego with perfect wedding details... |
| The day started later than expected, but Rachele's bridesmaids went into overdrive and ensured the wedding day was perfect and the champagne flowed! |
| And this? This right here? This is why I adore First Looks...when the bride and groom see each other before the wedding ceremony, the moment is beautiful, special, and belongs just to them...I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Will is more than excited to see his bride... |
| With a few minutes in Downtown San Diego before heading to El Cortez for their wedding, we roamed the streets and captured their love... |
| We arrived to El Cortez for the wedding and the lighting was just perfect... |
| I was told Will was a pretty chill guy, but the sight of his bride walking down the aisle brought out his best emotions... |
| Rachele and Will incorporated personal details into their wedding ceremony, including a family chalice in which both the bride and groom can simultaneously drink...I'm not gonna lie, I wanted one, too... |
| Just moments after the ceremony, we snuck outside of El Cortez and JD captured this photo... |
| Lovely and heartfelt toasts were delivered... |
| ...and I'll end on this note...their First Dance was special and left the room thrilled for what the evening had in store... |
To see more of Rachele and Will's San Diego wedding at El Cortez, feel free to CLICK HERE with music provided by Hannah Miller from The Music Bed.
Happy Friday! |
    
S o, yeah. This is it. The final turn of the key to lock the door on what was one of the most incredible adventures of my life. And the only reason it was so far beyond what I imagined it'd be was because of the people I met, the stories I cherished, and the dreams you whispered...out loud. For those of you who attended, thank you...theFIX would have been nothing without your presence, support, and encouragement.
If you'd like to check out the gallery of images from each event, feel free to CLICK HERE to view by city (and if you're reading this and were one of the city photographers who haven't uploaded all the images of the night, feel free to add new photos as soon as possible...it's not too late!) and I'm incredibly honored to share the wrap-up video created by my good friend Chach.
Inside The Fix from Showit on Vimeo.
Lastly, big love goes to the sponsors who made this trip possible: PASS, White House Custom Colour, and Adorama.
Happy Thursday! |
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FAQ : Meeting with Clients in a Public Space
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Y esterday was one of those days when I looked at my calendar, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes, almost like I was going to dive underwater. I scheduled two meetings (and lunch with my best friend) in Los Angeles and a meeting in Orange County later that night. I intentionally scheduled the day knowing I'd be on the road for most of it, but planning meetings with clients outside of a studio brought me back to my roots. Oh, did I fail to mention the lease ended for the last studio in December? And that I wandered Orange County looking for a new space like a crazed maniac lost duckling? The good news is that I'm incredibly excited for the new studio, but until the new floors, paint, and furniture are in, I'm meeting with clients in a myriad of locations (their wedding venue, their wedding coordinator's office, Starbucks, etc).
I explained to JD last night that one of the biggest challenges when it came to meeting clients outside of a formal studio is making it feel like home turf, a space I carved as my own. So, do you think it negatively impacts the chance of the clients to book your services, he asked. No, I didn't think it did, but I worked harder at making things intentional. He asked me to explain, so I decided to share my thoughts here in case it'll help someone meeting clients outside of a studio.
Speaking of JD, here's a photo of him at last Saturday's wedding adjusting the bouquet...talk about ATTENTION TO DETAIL...I just wish he didn't apply such scrutiny when we reviewed my credit card bill. |
If you're meeting with prospective clients in a public space, here are a few things I discovered helped me feel like I'm playing on home turf. I like that word. Turf. Makes me feel all athletic and stuff.
1. Arrive Early
I try to get to a meeting no later than 20 minutes early if I need to find a table and chairs (say, at a coffee shop) and a location that is away from noise and traffic. Of course, you'll always battle the ambient sounds of your environment (yesterday I had to talk over a crying child who just spilled his chocolate milk...can you say AWESOME?!), but the key is to take things in stride. If a child is crying or if a barista is yelling for Margaret to pick up her soy latte, I need to carry on and remained focused on what I'm there to do: get to know the clients.
2. Offer a Drink
After making small talk with the prospective clients, I offer to buy them a drink (this works well at a coffee shop, hotel lobby, or a wine lounge), which allows the opportunity for me to step away from the meeting space. Sure, the space is technically a table and three chairs, but it's a space I carved nevertheless. Leaving them alone with 3-4 sample albums is a good way for them to view my work away from me staring at them as they do so. Let's be real...if I stared at a couple as they flipped through my albums, I'd feel creepy, almost like I was expecting them to applaud or something once they got to the last page.
3. Understand Client Dynamic
If I'm meeting at a place the clients haven't seen, I need to allow them the time to take in their surroundings. Once I met clients at a wine lounge because I discovered the prospective groom was really into the art of wine making. Knowing this, I had to give the clients room to breathe before I dove into having a meeting. Allowing people to relax and just be is sometimes hard because I want to act professional and streamlined and use big words, but--sometimes--a quiet conversation away from wedding photography is juuuust right.
4. Showcase Professionalism.
My grandmother's legacy is imprinted all over my soul. She imparted such priceless wisdom, and one of things she taught me was to act the way you want to be treated. If one desires respect, be respectful. If one desires to be heard, she must listen. I'm making her sound like Yoda...but she was way cooler. And spoke with a Puerto Rican accent, which means she usually had to repeat things a few times before I fully understood what she said, but the point is the same: if you want clients to think you're a professional, act like one. Show up on time, dress appropriately, showcase kindness, and listen. Some of the greatest professionals are the best listeners...they hear what their client is saying (sometimes between the lines) and serves them with honesty and respect.
Hope this helps at least one person...if not, I'm still glad I wrote it out because I'm thankful for my clients...and their willingness to see me--the real me--in any environment. |
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Win a Canon 5DMII from Adorama!!!
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J D and I are meeting with our accountant this week for...wait for it...taxes. While this is normally a lackluster moment for any business owner, I definitely use as leverage for emotional purchases. In the midst of preparing our financial records, I'll usually point out that I should've invested in gear for more write-offs and JD will absentmindedly nod his head...which I'll interpret as free reign to buy new gear (ladies, you can thank me for this technique later). I'm excited because I'm buying the new Canon 5DMIII from Adorama...but this news gets even BETTER...because...
Adorama is sponsoring one of the biggest giveaways this blog has ever seen! Yes, one lucky winner will score so much swag JD even wants to enter the contest to keep my spending at bay!
If you'd like to be entered to win a...
* Canon 5DMII with a Canon EF 24-105L Image Stabilized Lens
* Think Tank Photo Roller Luggage
* SanDisk 16G Extreme Pro CF card
* SanDisk 8G Memory Vault
{that's almost $3,500 in gifts!)
...then feel free to sign up on Adorama.com. There you'll be entered for this giveaway and even if you don't win, another lucky Adorama contestant will win $200 to spend that month (it'll automatically sign you up for both contests when registering). |
The deadline to enter is THIS Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 9pm EST and the winner will be picked on Monday...I'll do a End Zone Dance right along with you. Well, really, just because I like dancing.
I'm terribly excited for what's in store and I hope it's the start of amazing things in 2012! If you'd like to see my entire gear set-up, you can feel free to check out this blog post for more details.
Happy Tuesday! |
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Hopelessly In Love with Hope
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W e walked into a large room with a mahogany desk and two overstuffed chairs, and I straightened my neon green shorts before plunking into a chair while simutaneously sizing up my competition. My hair was in a side-pony tail and I wore a t-shirt with a koala emblazoned on the front, and the kid next to me wore khaki pants, a red polo shirt, and his hair parted down the middle. I'm not going to lie...I was feeling good. Invincible, maybe.
I was eight years old and my mom got wind of a Christian radio station auditioning kids for a voiceover on a Saturday morning show. Why she thought I'd be a good fit was beyond me, but I was just happy to be wearing a new pair of neon green shorts.
Khaki Pants and I were introduced to the radio producers, quickly handed scripts, and told we had a few minutes to review our lines before our audition. Then I froze. Read? READ?!? Who said anything about reading?! My palms became sweaty when I realized I didn't have the nerve to tell the adults in the room I didn't know how to read (and reading wouldn't come for another two and a half years...cut me some slack, I was special!), but sighed relief when Khaki Pants was told to go first. I decided I'd simply memorize the lines from his recitation.
He stood from his chair and, honestly, delivered a Broadway performance...I pictured little Orphan Annie appearing out of thin air and them kick-ball-changing their way to stage left. Jazz hands and all. He delivery was so good his eyebrows moved in unison with his punctuation, like a young Groucho Marx. In a polo shirt. The producers loved him so much they brought out a device that simulated sound effects and asked him to read again as they added the ring of a doorbell and a dog barking in the distance.
Then the producers clapped and asked me to read. I could be wrong, but the koala on my t-shirt started crying.
I didn't even make it through two sentences before I was stopped and thanked for my time. The producers walked Khaki Pants to his mom in the waiting room and I slithered into the hallway where I saw my mom waiting. She continued smiling as I recounted the horrid details and at the end--when I was on the verge of tears--she stopped me and said if I quit after every tough moment in my life I'd never be good at anything.
That's my mom. She was--and still is--hopelessly in love with hope. |
Years later when I started my business, I called my mom in tears after assisting another photographer shoot a wedding. She said I better not quit. The time had come for me to be good at something, even if I didn't really know how things worked. I explained to her that I felt like I was doing things wrong, and she replied, Get better. I said photographers make fun of me for shooting in Aperture Priority (but have since gone fully Manual) and she replied, Who cares what they think?
This weekend I thought of my mom, the Patron Saint of Hopers, and thought I'd pass along her advice because, really, guys who wear khaki pants shouldn't always walk away with the leading role. |
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