Summit House Wedding | Charisse and Justin

I can barely put into words the amount of energy, excitement and love surrounded Charisse and Justin throughout their wedding. They opted to be married in the beautiful St Paul the Apostle Church in Chino Hills and had their reception at Summit House Restaurant in Fullerton. They seem cool on the outside, but their friends and family definitely know how to celebrate!

We were able to help out our colleague Alex Mo  with Charisse and Justin's wedding and the team we had throughout the day was so awesome to rock out with. We're so grateful to be able to serve each and every couple we meet, and we absolutely love our "job". 

Charisse and Justin brought it and loved every minute of their day. From the custom suits the grooms and groomsmen wore, to the uninhibited emotions they allowed themselves to feel. It was definitely a special day for them and it was on full display. 

We're so happy for these two and many blessings to you guys! 

The glow on Justin's face is all natural, no camera tricks or photoshop. The excitement and love between these two was truly radiant.

Three Tips For Choosing Men's Wedding Rings

Mens Wedding Ring and Fashion Tips

Today's post is very subjective to your style and taste. I understand that men say they don't care what their ring looks like, however I beg to differ. Just like your bride is going to be browsing multiple styles, cuts and diamonds that she feels will represent her, you should care about the style of your ring as you will be adding a fine piece of jewelry that represents you.

First off, I want to say that I am not one to wear a lot of jewelry. I have to confess, at one point in my life I thought it was cool to wear a thick gold chain, accented by a thick gold bracelet and a diamond pinky ring however, I quickly learned that I can make a bold fashion statement with a minimalistic approach. Thank God for that!

Plus I learned I am allergic to nickel so anything I wear that may touch my skin (metal eyewear, watchbands, belt buckles, etc) needs to be of the highest quality or I will break out with uncomfortable irritations and who wants to deal with that?! 

Since, I often get a lot of questions and compliments on my ring I figured I'd give you some of the reasons I chose mine. Even if you haven't given it a lot of thought, hopefully these three tips to help you choose yours: 

1. Hypo-Allergenic
2. Discreet Style
3. Fashion Statement

Hypo-Allergenic

As I explained earlier, I needed a hypo-allergenic metal so I can wear it without causing a skin irritation. As my ring is made from tungsten carbide, the main skin irritant (nickel) properties are absent. Although, it's not a fashion forward way to think, this was one important thing

Discreet Style

Style is something I wanted as well as I was going to wear this everyday.Since I don't wear much jewelry other than a simple watch and my wedding ring, my ring stands out on it's own. As much as I use my hands while working around the house or under the hood, my ring is it's scratch-resistant. Which is pretty cool because I can look back at it anytime and it will be as clean as it was when Gina first gave it to me. 

Tungsten Carbide Wedding Ring, John Varvatos

Fashion Statement

Statements are made in a bold way. My ring makes it's own statement as it's weight, size and color stands out the most. I never wanted anyone to ask me if I was married because they couldn't see my ring or what have you.  I always felt my ring should be a nice size to show that I am married to the love of my life.

Hopefully these tips will help you choose your ring as you get ready for your wedding.

Talk soon, 

Valuable Tips On Being An Awesome Second Shooter

Rancho Las Lomas Wedding Photography - Reception in El Teatro

A few weeks ago my buddy Tommy, from Thomas Pellicer, texted me and without many details given he asked if I was available to help him out for an upcoming wedding at Rancho Las Lomas.  My schedule was open and I quickly told him, "I'm in!" I've known Tommy for a few years now and this was our first time working together. It was a pretty cool day as he asked me to hang out with the groom and groomsmen and cover their details and formal images prior to the wedding ceremony, while he was with the bride and bridesmaids.

Groomsmen

Groomsmen Candids

WHY WE OCCASIONALLY SECOND SHOOT FOR OTHERS

As Gina and I primarily shoot weddings as lead photographers, we occasionally work with our colleagues to help them out when they need it. We do this for a few reasons:

• As lead photographers, we all need help at one time or another and as our schedule permits we lend a hand to support each other
• It challenges us to work on our photojournalistic techniques without the pressure to capture the main events during the wedding
• The lead photographer is only one person, so having a second set of eyes allows the client to get some awesome images from different angles

Groomsmen at the tool shed

Villa overlooking El Teatro

Pre Wedding Bridal Prep With Her Watchful Ringbearer 

SIX VALUABLE TIPS TO BE AN AWESOME SECOND SHOOTER

Without further ado, here are some valuable second shooter tips I gathered from my most recent experience:

1. Make the primary photographer's job easier; don't be too proud to carry their bags/equipment
2. Set your ego aside and shoot what the lead photographer needs you to cover
3. When shooting in the same space, shoot with a different lens to give the client a different perspective
4. Be ready to shoot as if you were the primary photographer
5. Self-motivation is key; anticipate the emotions during each part of the day as the primary photographer will most likely be capturing the essential parts of the day
6. It's common courtesy to ask if you intend to use them for your own portfolio

Pre Wedding Groom Prep

Pre Wedding Groom Prep

Custom Suit for the Groom

Pre Wedding Groom Details

The Wedding Ceremony in El Teatro

DETAILS AND THE "IN BETWEEN" MOMENTS

Primary photographers rely on second shooters to get the details the bride and groom have taken countless hours and effort to make sure everything is perfect for their day. 

By the way, how cool are those personalized glass flasks for the groomsmen?

Dessert Table

Sweet and Saucy Shop Three Tiered Cake

Cocktail hour outside of the Grand Salon

The newlyweds introduced as husband and wife

Anticipate the raw emotions throughout the day to help tell the full story

Again, these are based on my experience and I hope these help you to become a better second shooter. I also want to say thanks again to Tommy for letting me hang out and rock this beautiful wedding!

Much love and Congrats again to Roxanne and Michael!

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GROOMSMEN STYLE | HARRY'S SHAVE SET

Guys and Gals,

I hope you had an awesome weekend as we definitely did. The kids are on summer break and our first outing will be spent in Big Sur for the next few days, so be on the lookout for some of our shots on Instagram! They're so excited to go "real camping" and get away for a bit. I haven't taken them camping as much as I'd like to so they're excited to use their Swiss Army knives, lanterns and other camping gear to good use while I'm just hoping I can show them how to light a campfire without burning my eyebrows!!

Speaking of facial hair, I wanted to share with you an awesome shave kit I've tried and loved recently. I know beards are what the hipsters are doing, but my Japanese blood doesn't allow me to grow a nice, full beard. So I like to have a clean shave every 3 days (or whenever it's patchy self decides to show itself). For years, I've shaved with the store-bought razors and spent a ton of brain cells trying to remember which razor I had at home in order to get the right blades at the last minute. I've also tried different online delivery services that were awesome at what they did, but I could never get as close a shave as I liked. 

I then decided to try out Harry's to see what the hype was about and after that first shave, I was hooked. I'm not going to get technical, but the blades are as close to a straight edge razor as you can get while managing stay in a reasonable price range. Plus you can set up a regular delivery option so you can auto-refill your shave cream and blades automagically (yes, I said it) on your shaving terms. I don't have to shave as often as some, so my blades and cream is shipped every 6 months.

Boom, just like that! No more trying to remember which blades I need when I'm down to my last one and spending a crazy amount of money to take a few follicles off my face. To make it even better, my initials were engraved in my razor handle for free in case Jarron decides to steal it ;)

It's not often guys like to be pampered (as most likely, they won't ask for it). So treat your dad, grandpa, husband, fiance, boyfriend, brother, uncle, groom, groomsmen or yourself to an awesome shave and they will definitely appreciate it.  

Have an awesome week and I'll catch you later!

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The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop | Downtown Los Angeles

We know grooms and groomsmen may not want to admit it, but dudes want to make sure they look as good as they can, just like brides and bridesmaids care about what they're wearing on their wedding day. I know I'm always looking for something fresh to make me look good, yet stand out just enough to be distinct. That's exactly what we've found with Yun & Kevin's fashion brain-child: The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop.
Not only can you look good on your wedding day, but you can wear their stuff after the wedding as well so you stay fashionably awesome! 

Recently we teamed up with The Grunion Run to shoot their 2013 fashion line in Downtown Los Angeles. This Southern Cali based, husband and wife fashion duo are going to be a force to be reckoned with as they are on the tips of everyone's tongue. Check out their feature on Style Me Pretty. 

​Also, between now and June 3, 2013 they are giving away five (5) ties or bowties to one lucky winner. Click >here< for the details! 

​Good luck if you enter and even if you don't win, make sure to pick up a bow tie or two and add it to your fashion repertoire. ​And in case you're wondering, Yun pre-tied the bow ties for you so you don't have to struggle to look good. 

Stay fresh.