Ann + Ed Long Island Wedding + Allegria Hotel

 

Ann and Ed on the Long Beach, New York Boardwalk at the Allegria Hotel

May 12th was a perfect day in May to get married and I was honored to be able to capture images of this special day for Ann and Ed. The happy couple from Colorado tied the knot at the groom’s mother’s home in Long Beach, New York. A perfect spot away from the chaos of New York City, on Long Island.
Close friends and family gathered in the covered backyard at noon to witness the exchange of vows followed by continued celebration inside. After all the hugs it was off to The Allegria Hotel on the boardwalk.
Cocktails and socializing led to a wonderful dinner in the chic hotel.
Finally, they couldn’t have picked better musicians to bring people to their feet than the Irish Ceili duo of Martin O’Connell and Allen Gogarty.
It was a pleasure to be their for Ann and Ed and was a wonderful experience in doing a destination wedding. I can only hope that I have the opportunity to do more of these weddings locally and abroad.

-Cheers!


Before the ceremony, the family prays over Ann's fathers bible.


Pictures of family weddings of the past.


For some it was casual comfort yet still formal.











Puppy Palooza III: Mexican Style


What a better way to spend a sunny Cinco de Mayo then with yummy tacos and enchiladas, margaritas and a great band! We did this Cinco de Mayo puppy style, Puppy Palooza style that is. The Animal Compassion Team (ACT) in Fresno county hosted an awesome event to raise money for our furry friends. ACT is a non-profit rescue group whose mission is:

“To provide a safe haven for domestic animals, regardless of breed or species, through rescue, rehabilitation, adoption and sanctuary. To advocate for the humane treatment of animals and promote the human-animal bond. To educate the public about the importance of kindness, compassion, and responsible pet ownership which will emphasize spaying and neutering. To cooperate and work with other animal rescues and shelters towards the goal of becoming a no-kill nation.”

We are blessed to be a foster family with this group and are currently smitten with kittens, all five of them! So it was our honor to be able to document this amazing event.




Rodney and Rosie Rusca generously welcomed Puppy Palooza into their gorgeous lake-side home for the third year.

Everyone loved meeting the guest’s of honor, three ACT fur babies, Geoffrey, Madison and Ally.



Geoffrey is an eight year old Boston Terrier who came to ACT in pretty bad shape and had to have both eyes removed. With lots of love from his foster Mom, Whitney he made a full recovery and even found his forever home at Puppy Palooza!

Madison, a two and a half month golden-lab mix, is fairly new to the ACT family. She suffers from Swimmer Puppy Syndrome, a condition that among other things cause her hind legs to be weak and as a result Madison is unable to use her back legs. She is making amazing progress thanks to ACT and the love of her foster Mom.

Meet Ally, a two month old Aussie mix. Allie was part of a litter that ACT rescued about a month ago. Ally is mostly blind but that doesn’t stop her one bit! She energetically gave out puppy kisses all night long.






As local band Heavy Foot entertained the crowd they feasted on yummy food generously donated by Chevys, Whole Foods, Sugar Shack and Dug Out Cookies.

The event was a huge success and the energy electric. Not only did ACT, their volunteers and donors raise much need funds to help the animals it successfully used the opportunity to raise awareness of the desperate need to help our four-legged friends.
Check out ACT on Facebook or their website: www.animalcompassionteam.com

Laguna Beach Bridal Portrait Shoot


Samantha poses in Laguna Beach, California.
I spent an overcast day in Laguna Beach, CA shooting Samantha along with local photographer Brent Stanley. It was a great time to explore some of the hidden nooks and crannies of the costal community. Probably my favorite place on the day was a hidden walkway between two small homes on a dead-end street. Afterwards while ending photos I noticed in the lower, right corner of the photo there is a small red heart carved into a large rock. In fact it even matched the color of her flowers.
No place was safe from our using it as a backdrop, including a concrete wall with rust stains dripping down it from metal deteriorating in the salt air. I hope nobody ever thinks to “fix” this.

An overcast day at the Pearl Street Beach - Laguna Beach, CA makes for near perfect, shadowless light on Samantha.




And finally, some variations on the rust portrait. Leave your pick of the four in comments.

Lily, Butterflies and the Pink Cheetahs

Lily and her team mates walk off the field for the last time for the season.

I pride myself in telling stories by capturing photos which seem to freeze small moments in time. Images that when woven together evoke emotions and take the person viewing them back to that day. A client asked me to capture a special day for a very special little girl, Lily.
On a beautiful warm fall morning Lily and her team mates on The Butterflies, took on the Pink Cheetahs in their final soccer match of the season! Lily was very self conscious of having me there so I was careful to be a “fly on the wall”. The result, timeless images of a little girl and her friends enjoying a priceless moments of friendship, childhood and fun.
While Lily may have been shy for the camera, she certainly isn’t on the field! Check her out in action:



What I really loved where the images I captured of Lily simply being a little girl playing with her friends.

Lilly congratulating her friend and team mate for a good play.


The team celebrates a goal


I was so pleased to have the opportunity to capture these moments and Lily’s Mom was very grateful for the opportunity to “freeze” a small moment of Lilly’s childhood forever.

Emily and Shawn Fresno City College Engagement Session

Emily and Shawn at Fresno City College Library

Emily and Shawn at Fresno City College Library


Ok, Emily and Shawn are probably my favorite couple at Northpointe Community Church. Emily is an administrative assistant and program director for the church. It’s her job to make sure that each service goes off without a hitch. Shawn is a drummer for the worship band. I along with everyone that knows them have been waiting patiently for them to get engaged and when it happened I knew I had to shoot them.

The day came while I was at the Wedding and Portrait Photographer’s International conference in Las Vegas. My Facebook was blowing up so I knew it was big.

Flash forward to the Friday before Saint Patrick’s Day and we were able coral the former Miss Fresno County and her partner for an engagement shoot. We were shooting for a session in the Tower District of Fresno but the weather looked like it wasn’t going to cooperate with us. That’s when my partner, Lisa suggested we head on over to Fresno City College and the old Administration Building.
It was a perfect setting for us to hang out, be goofy and photograph two people who are so perfect for each other.

We finished just as the rain was starting to come down ending the session with beverages at Sequoia Brewing in a pre- St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Emily and Shawn at the library

Emily and Shawn at the library



C a l e n d a r