Manhattan Beach Engagement Photos | Toni-Lynne & Robin

Twas a windy day in Manhattan Beach on Sunday, May 11, 2008, but love was in the air and all was okay. We met with Toni-Lynne and Robin, our June 28th Long Beach bride and groom to be, under the Manhattan Beach Pier, and then took a few minutes to set up an umbrella on our light stand--only to watch it want to fly away. So much for that!
After a few shows, we decided to put the light stand and umbrella away and went for a great walk on the sand, stopping by a cool lifeguard station for a little shelter from the wind. Toni-Lynne and Robin were real troupers, and ready for anything--including laying in the sand, jumping in the water up to their knees (Poor Robin's jeans got soaked!) and Toni-Lynne hopping on Robin's back.
Looking forward to the Queen Mary next month--and a little less wind!

UCLA Engagement Photos by Graham & Graham

We usually photograph our happy couples at the beach, but Gaby and Dave both attended UCLA, loved it, and have chosen the Bruins as the theme for their July Los Angeles wedding. So it was off to Westwood for us, and we were thrilled to be there.
We're huge fans of Royce Hall and Powell Library as terrific backdrops, and have spent many hours at UCLA ourselves--including four years of an evening novel writing class with the great Claire Carmichael.
We met Gaby and Dave last year when she was a bridesmaid for her UCLA alum Marlen's wedding. Like Marlen and hubby Williams, Gaby and Dave will also have their wedding sweets provided by Westwood's own legendary institution, Diddy Riese, home of the 35 cent cookie.
Can't wait!

Manhattan Beach Engagement Photos | Olivia & Wesley

We met with Olivia and Wesley Sunday morning for a fun session by the sea. The week before it was so hot we could hardly stand outside. This weekend, when we started it was so cold poor Olivia was shivering. But the clouds started to part, and we were all able to warm up. We spent a good deal of time under the world famous Manhattan Beach Pier, in and around the sand and in the great overlook by the parking lot. The Pier is one of our all-time favorite engagement session locations. Olivia and Wesley are planning to wed at the historic Mary, Star of the Sea church in San Pedro, with a reception right afterwards at the stately Queen Mary in Long Beach.
See you there guys!

Jenna & John | Redondo Beach Wedding | Palos Verdes Portraits

Jenna and John met at Redondo Union in their sophomore year at high school, and nine years later finally tied the knot. They married on Saturday at St. James Parish in Redondo Beach, never forgetting their Redondo roots. Afterwards, we went to the bluffs by the old historic Redondo Beach library, by the Pier.
The amazing green grass field is in Palos Verdes, an open piece of property visible from Jenna's grandma's backyard!

Palos Verdes Wedding | Los Angeles Wedding Photography in Malaga Cove

Rain? What rain? If you look really closely at this wedding day shot of Jenna and John, you can see some raindrops on Jenna's eyelids. But love was in the air on 2/23/08, and Jenna and John were determined to pose for pictures by the historic Malaga Cove Library in Palos Verdes, California, no matter what. The wedding party came armed with umbrellas, and held them over their heads to survive the dropping pellets, until we yelled out, "Drop `em," for a quick shot. And guess what? We all survived! Malaga Cove is one of our all-time favorite picture spots, and we look forward to returning again and again.

Salt Lake City Jewish Wedding

A Jewish wedding in Salt Lake City? On Christmas Day no less? Don't laugh. Stranger things have happened. It was a glorious day (lots of blue sky and sun, no snowfall) for a simcha, complete with kosher food and klezmer music. And did we mention the absence of snow? A hearty mazel tov to the couple.

Manhattan Beach Wedding | Cynthia & Jack

Moments after Cynthia and Jack made it official at the swanky Manhattan Beach Shade hotel, we hauled off two blocks away to the Manhattan Beach Pier for some fun shots down by the beach. It was magic time in one of the premier locations in the world.
All morning long, we had worried it would rain--bad news for an outdoor wedding. While it did drizzle, by 1 p.m., all was fine, and we had not a drop during the ceremony. Then it was off to the Pier, wedding party in tow, for some fun shots on the Pier. Lots of well-wishers screamed out "congratulations," and graciously gave us room on the Pier for our pictures.
Then, when we were done and had to return to the (indoor) party, the rain started to fall, and we returned to the glamorous shelter.

Redondo Beach Engagement Photos | Ben + Allison

Sunday at 5 p.m. in Redondo Beach on Avenue I.
The sun was just starting to make its way down, and the light had that soft, flat, people friendly sheen that photographers love. We met Ben and Allison at the ramp, and headed down to the Hollywood Riviera sand--just us, a whole lot of birds, and a handful of folks who had come out to watch the glorious beach sunsets.
Our couple is getting married next October in Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love. We're sure it will be a beautiful, glorious affair. But for our money, there's nothing like Redondo Beach!