Keri & Walt 07.13.07

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Chantler!
Occasions @ Laguna Village- Laguna Beach, CA

The groom was on crutches! He was nicknamed 'Crash' for braking his tibia/fibula? in several places just a few weeks shy of the wedding...

The ladies rocked out in the bridal suite to Ms. Gwen~


Tracy whipped out a ton of awesome detail shots ... I just LOVE her style!

Keri & Walt's ceremony overlooked the sparkling waterfront...


Tracy was SUCH a fun person work with, she was delightful, upbeat, and totally fun to shoot with! Congrats Keri & Walt!!

Kickin' it at Laguna Beach

Laguna =beach, beauty & SUNSHINE!

I'm kickin' it at my hotel packing for today's wedding. Tracy Kumono is my assistant for Keri & Walt's bombshell event at Occassions, Laguna Village. Chatting with Tracy last night I realized that lots of photographers let travel and status go to their heads. For hours on end we talked about how to avoid it if our lives start to go that direction.

No matter how much my shoes cost or what I roll in, I have to stay planted on the ground like my momma taught me. Lord knows there are plenty of people who stare down their noses at others in this world. What I admire is a strong character, good sense of humor & compassion for the underdog.

I can't help but think of all the people in the industry that have helped me in the last few months getting my head in the right place and offer a shoulder to lean on! This post is dedicated to my photo girlfriends & guyfriends out there that have selfelessly offered suggestions, advice & been in some way shape or form instrumental in my sprouting career as a wedding photographer.


Kelly Chandler- mentor & super tough photographer www.kellychandler.com

Stephanie Cristalli- local industry leader in beauty pics & down to earth womanhood www.stephaniecristalli.com

Rita Wiebner- artistic Hercules & master pro-photo mom http://www.thewiebners.com/

Cory Olsen- hard core pushes everyone to beallyoucanbe man www.gr-press.com

Ray Rosario-keeping it real 24-7 New Yorker to the core, the man whose heart i
cherish

Christopher Cumming-zen photographer at the brink of brilliance, total east-coast hard ass www.christophercumming.com

Greg Sweney-zen photographer, super nice guy, wise owl, perfectionist, and sweetheart of a provider to his family www.sweneyproductions.com

Bill Rugen- the funniest guy photographer out there, super talented & thoughtful, he'll be one to watch when his images hit the big screen www.williamrugen.com

Lucien Knuteson-the misenthrope that has NO idea how talented he really is, good humored, very loyal www.lucienknuteson.com

Alex Hayden - Mr. Haagen Daaz has a dry sense of humor and seasoned career, he makes me want to work THAT much harder to achieve the best imagery possible.

Great mentor www.alexhayden.com

Photo Elan- a good pair that value family www.photoelan.com

Yoram Bernet- peaceful and professional www.yorambernet.com


And if I forgot anyone I apologize...

Cheers to Keri & Walt on Friday the 13th!

Whip it up in your mind

I read an interesting quoteon Laura Novaks' blog. Its a quote from Jerry McGuire: "We are less ourselves than we were when we started this organization."

When things get too hectic, I hoarde my own projects. This makes no sense, I know! Realistically I'm hurting customers by not being the photographer they chose to invest in. I become less of what I am when I started this organization.

What's the dealio? In the not-too distant future, we're looking at outsourcing our entire office workflow. Email, calendar, booking, accounting, phone calls, even cleaning, its all going to be outsourced. That frees us up for at leat 25-40 hours a week! During that time I can shoot more, travel more, invest time with clients and other professionals. More time to learn and BE and think!

Until then, my breath of fresh air is on walks with Ray. Its our dream time. We stroll around the block, whipping up extravagant dreams parading on golden clouds. Its a time when I don't laugh at his dreams and he doesn't laugh at mine. The more we achieve together the more creative we'll have to be with new ideas. If you were to eavesdrop on one of these conversations, you would have a belly full of laughs!!

All I'm saying is that I know a lot less now, than when I started my own business, but one thing stays the same, keep it real. Because in the end, the more you know, the more you don't know. :-)

Have a great Tuesday!

Working for Peanuts.

For the record, I'm peanutted out. No more peanuts! By that I mean, I just can't eat airline peanuts anymore. Blech!

Looking forward to a wedding in Laguna Beach this Friday the 13th! Also excited for an awesome reception in Salem, OR on Saturday. I'm racking up my frequent flying miles fo' shizzle!

Small request to brides & grooms this week: Can someone promise to call or email Ray while I'm gone? He gets lonely. He also gets lazy and attaches to the couch. I need to make sure he's consuming healthy foods and drinks while I'm gone. his email is : raymond_rosario@hotmail.com

Thanks everyone!

Hugs,
Apester

7-7-7

Here's the scoop on our 07/07/07 wedding! This couple booked with us so far in advance, they received their packages for almost a quarter of what we book for today! Lucky ducks! With just about everything regarding the big day, they totally lucked out! A very animated couple, they're both educators from Chicago with ties to Seattle. Three cheers for Emily + Adam! 07-07-07 Lovebirds!

Venue: Skanosia Ferry Boat
DJ: Sounds Unlimited


A little funny business in the groom's suite....



The ceremony incorporated Jewish values and several readings from family members, just beautiful!


Bill assisted me yesterday, he scored a ton of awesome shots from the balcony!

MORE funny business with the groom & his groomsman~

Here's a happy closing shot with my lucky pair! All the best!



To learn more aobut the luckiest day of the year to get married check out this story in the NY Times. A little tidbit of info:

For those with big hopes of getting wed at at the Ritz-Carlton in Las Vegas: two nights in a seventh - floor room, seven hours of spa treatment and a shopping credit of $777 at Neiman-Marcus.
Price tag: $7,707.
***************************************


And finally : at the risk of sound weak and whiney, I have to just share my thoughts here: At some point I feel silly writing about all wedding & marriage stuff when Ray and I have yet to get hitched!!! We're still struggling to set a date, a place, a theme, a guestlist. Juggling all these things is getting a little nutty for us, we're not up for reinventing the wheel. Everyone asks what our plans are and we don't have answers! We have NO idea. In fact, we have a few other priorities right now, like purchasing a new home/office. We decided to buy first THEN get married (do it all backwards!)

The crux: With all the family splitting off into different directions next year for international travel, my bro is going overseas for 7 months, I feel like things are just working against us. If not next year, then 2009? I mean, we CAN wait, but I just wish there was an easier way! Its either before March or after October! Major bummer.

I'll just ask if anyone has any brilliant ideas? I feel like eloping at this point. Only that I really want to celebrate with family. (insert frustrated sigh here)

So enough of my gripes, because as they say on Flip this House : Save the drama for your mama.

La Belle Elaine's Bridal

I'm excited to share new about a smokin hot magazine for those of you are bridal magazine junkies like myself. Its called Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom. I received my copy yesterday!!!

It will be released on shelves today! Other than Seattle Bride, there are limited magazine resources in print for Seattlelites...so this is a big PLUS having a new paperback to collect.

Also, I'm really excited to share this ad I shot for La Belle Elaine's. The shoot took place back in May, it was tons of fun collaborating on this project. I LOVE Elaine's new advertisement approach and their new look- they specialize in customer service and focus on a bride's needs~ They were great to work with and I can't wait until the next photo shoot! Here's the photo selected, you'll find it on on page 3. I hope to have lots of new publicity coming out this year, one in Arizona, some in SoCal, and the rest, well we'll have to see...

Enjoy!

Elizabeth and David 07.04.07

Moon Palace, Riviera Maya -Mexico
Although we've seen a huge variety of weddings ranging from traditional to fashion-forward, I've never quite experienced a wedding like this one! I remember Liz explaining that the only thing she really cared about was her pictures from this special day. No show, no fluff, just beautiful simplicity ...

Calm, cool & collected they prepped inside their room at the Moon Palace Resort.

In traditional Mexican garb, two attendants whizzed Dave & Liz away in a carriage...

Wedded at last!

Last but not least, the GETAWAY CAR!

Grand Avalon

This is my last post this week before we have to cut off internet until we get back to Seattle(sniffle, sniffle). Thought I'd just include a snap of our cozy room & the view from the balcony. Top notch facility! Manana we're shooting with Liz & David at the Moon Palace!

Happy 4th of July everyone. Peace out, we're headed to the beach!

Shannon + James 06.30.07

Venue: Tsillian Winery (Chelan, WA)

Shannon & James are a very cool, very fun & very elegant couple... They had a 100% urban e-session downtown Seattle earlier in the spring, between an urban e-session and country setting for their wedding, they covered all the great aspects of the NW!

Cancun!

We made it! After a scenic wedding with Shannon & James in Chelan, WA on Saturday, we drove all night and returned to Seattle to catch our plane bound for Cancun. We're here to shoot Elizabeth & Dave's wedding on the 4th of July.

Of all the places we've traveled this year, Cancun generated the funniest inuendos in the shortest amount of time! Within ten minutes of standing at the airport we were hoodwinked, next, we woke up to cold calling sales phone calls 7:40am, and followed by today's breakfast which we were again hoodwinked and the story has only begun! Its all good, we're here to enjoy life. But this place is super comical!!!! Ray's fluent in Spanish, but we're both feeling a bit naive despite our extensive European & domestic travels. Cancun is fit for the advanced to expert traveler!

Our room is PHENOMENAL. We were astounded with accomodations. A jr. suite with a view of the ocean felt more like a luxury apartment on the hills. Within 2 hours of checking in there was a knock at the door. Delivery of complimentary champagne bottle filled with a bucket of ice, for two! Ray camped out with his champagne glass, gummi bears and the remote control. Spanish paradise!

Very happy to be here, thank you for checking out our travels here on the blog! Maybe pictures, maybe not, don't know what we'll have time for during this trip. Promise to post when we get back...

Beunos Dias!