Yesterday I met Susan and Charles on the Santa Monica Pier for their engagement session. Charles is from Hawaii so he really wanted some sand in his photos; Santa Monica was a great place to make that happen. Susan was the maid of honor for a wedding I photographed last year so she was no stranger to my style which focuses on having lots of fun with my clients. Susan and Charles are getting married in January of 2010 at St. Christopher Catholic Church in West Covina with their reception at Royal Vista Country Club in Walnut.

This was the first photo of the day. I love the symmetry of the pier bleachers! Charles and Susan look madhotsexy™ too!

No session in Santa Monica is complete without a photo in front of the Hot Dog Stick

Swing me baby! Higher! Higher!

Tell me again how much you love me …

They look awfully happy don’t they?

Found a new "spot" for photos at the pier. Always a good thing!

Charles has crazy good jumping skills!

Come into the water honey; it’s not cold!

I love candid photos. Or did I ask them to look at the top of the Cirque du Soleil tent in the pier parking lot?

I’m still amazed they could fit into this taxi! It’s tiny!

Charles and Susan are such a prize!
(you can groan now)

I love bright colors!

I couldn’t decide if I liked orange or blue better.

This pier fisherman was quite entertained by Susan and Charles.

Anyone want to guess who won?

After Pam and Larry’s fabulous engagement session in Santa Monica, I was certain that their wedding day would be amazing. And I was right! We started the day at Pam’s childhood home Glendale (only minutes from Pasadena). Vanessa Stump, my second photographer for the day, met Larry and the groomsmen at the Courtyard by Marriott in Pasadena.

Pam’s dress was crazy amazing! It was designed by a student at the Fashion Institute! When Pam was dressed and the guys dressed, we all drove over to the Tournament House and Wrigley Gardens in Pasadena. It was there that we set up a first look and Larry saw Pam in her wedding dress for the first time. The Tournament House was a great backdrop for a few creative photos before the ceremony. The wedding ceremony at First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, California. During that ceremony, the Officiant told a touching story of how Pam and Larry first met and fell in love. Everyone in the building was smiling or crying by the end of his tale. After the ceremony we took a few family portraits and left for Altadena Country Club for the reception. Larry played his guitar (he’s a real rock star) and we were treated to a piano solo by his mother. A great time was had by all!

I intentionally positioned Pam’s dress to showcase her grandfather’s paintings in the background.

Three of the bridesmaids help Pam get ready.

This is my favorite photo from the wedding day!

I liked this one a bunch too!

Many brides and grooms see each other before the ceremony. Here are bridesmaids and groomsmen
counting down to zero. Larry then turned around and saw Pam in her wedding dress for the first time.

Pam and the bridesmaids as they walked down the driveway to the waiting limousine.

Pam and Larry brought along their favorite reading materials. For folks who know them, 
Vogue and the business section of the LA Times typify Pam and Larry’s personality.

Dad walks Pam down the aisle. Pam cries.

First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, California

After the ceremony at First United Methodist Church in Pasadena

The Wedding Party

The Cake

Pam and Larry at Altadena Country Club in Altadena, California

The First Dance

When you have bubbles at your wedding, the fun never stops!

For portraits, the warmth, depth, texture, form, contrast, and color in photographs are dramatically affected by the angle of sunlight. When the sun is low on the horizon in the early morning or late afternoon, I’m provided with a diffused light that’s often gold or orange in hue and is typically ideal for portrait and outdoor event photography. Since the sun is in this position for only a short period of time, photographers call these two times of day–near sunrise and sunset–the “magic hour.”

In the morning hours, as the sun begins to climb across the sky, the sun becomes a harsh light source–and harsh light sources generally aren’t very complementary for most photography. This “hard” light can cause deep, dark, and distinct shadows on your facial features and underneath your eyes. Although problems with that harsh light can sometimes be addressed using open shade or flash photography, those techniques don’t create the same kind of pleasing effects you’ll see when I’m using natural warm natural sunlight present only during the magic hour.

The sunrise magic hour generally begins fifteen minute to thirty minutes after sunrise while the sunset magic hour usually ends about fifteen minutes before sunset. In both cases, the “magic hour” only lasts thirty to forty-five minutes. Because of this limited timeframe, it’s helpful to stay on schedule to take best advantage of the light. Generally speaking, the farther away you move from the magic hour, the less complementary the light becomes for photography.

If you’re interested in spectacular sunset skies in your photos, you’ll find that the sunrise / sunset “effect” you probably want typically appears ten minutes before the published sunrise time and ten minutes after the published sunset time. However, if there are no clouds or dissipating marine layer, sunrise and sunset skies in Los Angeles are often brief and unspectacular.

Another weather-related condition that affects photography is seen on days with overcast conditions. With overcast skies or fog, sunlight is highly diffused. And diffused light is often excellent for photographers. Although the sky may not be particularly interesting, the evenly diffused light is extremely complementary to most subjects.

As a closing comment, I want to mention that I realize important events can’t always be scheduled around the “magic hour.” As a professional photographer, I’m expert in the various techniques needed to mitigate issues related to harsh lighting conditions. However, when possible, I do recommend that you take the “magic hour” into consideration when scheduling your events and portrait sessions.

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: “This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com).” Thanks a bunch!