Howdy, Folks!

With day one of jury duty (haha..duty..) in the books, I thought I’d celebrate my very first day of serving my civil duty with another blog entry. Two entries in one day is quite epic for my standards, considering I can’t update regularly to save my own life.

Anyways, this engagement session is a perfect one to write about, especially since it took place just a block away from where the criminal court house was, where I was for jury duty. Doug and I were able to shoot some engagement pictures at the LA Times Building because Manu was a marketing associate for them. It was quite epic being able to get access to shoot there and get a tour of the building. There was so much history there and such a privilege to be roaming through the halls the way we were. Nita and Manu definitely had a blast as well. Check out some of the shots we took at the LA Times building before we moved onto the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Santa Monica Pier.

I can’t remember exactly what Manu said, but this was a very important executive room where there would be huge meetings around this large round desk where everyone can see each other. It’s always fun working with hair light to give that nice silhouette around them.

On to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, another icon of Downtown Los Angeles.

Here we are in the middle of the street in front of the Wells Fargo Building. Right after we were finished with this spot, we saw a couple of other photographers use the exact same location with almost the same pose after they saw us. It’s a compliment!

Nita and Manu really wanted to some beach pictures at sunset, so we raced to the Santa Monica Pier just in time to get the shots they really wanted.

It was quite unfortunate that we weren’t able to be there for their big day due to other obligations we had, but we wish them the very best! That tour through the LA Times building really felt once in a lifetime and we are definitely humbled. Walking through those halls really felt like stepping back in time and reliving some of the epic events that happened while the LA Times were around for.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and stay tuned for more!

Cheers,

Danny

Today, I am blogging from a very weird location. Instead of being in front of my usual two monitors at home or in front of my laptop at my favorite tea house, I’m in Downtown Los Angeles at the crimminal court house serving  my civic duty as a potential juror. It’s actually the first time I’ve been called in. I’ve always been lucky and able to dodge the jury duty bullet, but it was bound to happen. If I get picked for a case, I will do my best and perform my civic duty to my county.

I’ve had this really awesome wedding in my drafts for a while and have been meaning to post it up for some time, so what better time than now while I wait for my name to be called to be on a panel.

Kelly and Dean are quite the fun-loving couple who have been putting off getting married because life got in the way in the from of two little rambunctious boys. Better late than never and definitely worth the wait, their big day had finally arrived at the beautiful and historic La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes Estates. Check out some of the awesomeness that Doug and I were able to capture.

You’ve got to love the blue lips from the lolly pop!

Everybody loves a candy bar! We’ve been seeing these more often and they never seem to disappoint.

Cupcakes? Why not, right?

I knew I could only dodge the bullet for so long. Just as I thought about wrapping up the entry, my name was called to be on a jury panel after lunch. Lets see how this goes. Who knows, I may get on a celebrity case. I think Lindsey Lohan is supposed to be around here =)

Cheers!

Danny

Salutations!

This wedding takes Doug and me all the way from Los Angeles to Cancun, Mexico! This event marks the first destination wedding that required me to use my passport, which made this event a tad more special. Sue and Armando were the happy couple to be wed and they were joined by close friends and family to share this intimate event together. We almost missed our flight due to traffic getting to LAX, but we were still about to catch the red eye flight from LAX to our final destination of Cancun, Mexico. We went straight from the airport to the Casa Magna to check in to our hotel and to meet up with the couple. Sue did her preparation at the JW Marriott, which was connected to the Casa Magna, while Armando was next door at the Castello Orsini Hotel getting ready for their big day.

This was the view from the suite Sue had at the JW Marriott Hotel. Breathtaking, isn’t it?

These tiny converse shoes belonged to their little boy, Peyton. I swear, for some reason, things look so much cooler when they’re tiny!

Here we have Peyton’s grandmother handcrafting a garter for her new daughter. How special is that?

A little sentimental action going on between mother and daughter. There was a wardrobe malfunction with the zipper, but mom was able to fix the problem like all moms know how to. Sue was not worried at all as you can tell in the picture below.

A proud and happy brother walking his sister down the aisle. The ceremony was originally supposed to be out on at the gazebo that overlooks the water, but there was a really high chance of rain and the couple did not want to risk it. It doesn’t look like they mind by the look on their faces.

The happy family.

The portrait session at the JW Marriot hotel.

After a few shots there, we walked to the Casa Magna to finish up the wedding portraits.

Not a happy Peyton.

It was a pretty epic day. Straight off of a red-eye flight to shoot an all-day destination wedding in Cancun. What an adventure! I’ve never been fed so much food at a wedding before, but boy did Sue and Armando keep the courses coming! They were a great couple, very fun-loving and simply good people. There was no amount of rain that was going to spoil a celebration like this. The couple invited us to join them in their party bus that was headed to Coco Bongo, but we were spent and looking forward to some much needed rest. I have no idea how they had the energy to go on an all-day excursion the next day at 7am, but they did. Doug and I went on an excursion, but ours started at 9am, which was still not easy to wake up on time for after a long day. Cancun is an awesome place for a wedding and it’s just beautiful out there! I can’t wait to go back for fun or for work. Thank you again, Sue and Armando, for inviting us to your big day. It was a pleasure! Congrats and best wishes to you all!

I’m on a roll. Lets see if I can keep this up!

Cheers,

Danny

Howdy, folks!

May I introduce Cynthia and Joel, a totally cute and down-to-Earth couple who have been able to overcome the obstacles that come with long-distance relationships. These two have been able to make their 400 mile relationship grow and work and are an example for those who don’t believe that long-distance relationships can survive.  After a few years of flying from San Jose to Los Angeles and from Los Angeles to San Jose to see each other, they were ready to make the final commitment to each other.

We started our day off at LAX. I know what you’re thinking, “That’s not a typical location to take engagement pictures, is it?” It’s not, but Doug and I were able to work with it and came out with some really cool shots. Since they were in a long-distance relationship the whole time they were dating, the airport was the place they would hug each other hello and hug each other bye-bye for now, so it was a sentimental place to them. We like it when couples pick memorable locations like that.

After several shots at LAX, we headed to Maxwell’s Cafe in Venice, where they liked to come for epic pancakes. They treated us to brunch and before we left, we asked if we could take a few pictures of the two. It happened to work out because they were about to close and didn’t have any other customers at the time.

We headed to the Getty Museum in hopes of wrapping up the engagement session there, but once we got there, we got the bad news that they were closed that day. So with Doug’s quick thinking, we decided to head to UCLA. Here are a few shots that we got inside the Powell Library at UCLA. It’s such a beautiful library and I still get amazed every time I shoot there.

It’s safe to say that we all had a great time working together and running around the west side of Los Angeles. Even though we weren’t able to take engagement pictures at the Getty Museum, I think we got the look and feel that they wanted there at UCLA. Their wedding was at Calimigos Ranch in Malibu and I was humbled to be their photographer for their big day. I’ll blog about their wedding day and their Day After pictures soon! You guys are awesome and congrats, Cynthia & Joel!

I have plenty more to come! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

Danny