Southern California Fine Art Wedding Photographer - SherriJ » Personal

While I was busy in the world of wedding planning, my fiance Mat was doing some research for our honeymoon. After talking with a few people, he decided to book us a dream vacation to Bora Bora and Moorea. Both are places I’ve never heard of before, and if you haven’t either, imagine an island where the sun warms your skin, a rainbow of tropical fish, sea turtles, and other marine life swim in crystal clear water, and you can walk barefoot along white sandy powder beaches, while sipping on the juice of some freshly fallen coconuts. Something I thought only possible in postcards, was my dream turned reality for the past 2 weeks in French Polynesia! Our first stop: Bora Bora, (aka the second most expensive place you can travel to in the world.)

Most of the resorts on Bora Bora are only accessible by taking a plane to the main island of Tahiti, then a small prop plane to the island. From there, you then take a small boat to your oasis in the middle of the Pacific. We stayed at place called Le Meridian, which had some cool over-the-water bungalows with glass floors to see into the water, a sea turtle sanctuary, and private lagoon for snorkeling.

We stayed for a few days, and on our last day we woke up to a double rainbow sunrise. It was so magical!

Some underwater screen shots from the Go Pro camera, swimming with black tipped sharks, sea turtles at the turtle sanctuary, chopping into some fresh coconuts for a snack, our amazing glimpse of a humpback whale and her calf, ended with a uber rare shot of a manta ray (these things have a wingspan of 15 feet!)

The second half of our honeymoon was spent on the remote island of Moorea. Here, we explored more of the local life.

One afternoon, we drove around the whole island and ran into this giant holding a pineapple. As legend has it, the statue is designed to be life-size of a man who lived on the island many years ago. They say he was so big, that if he wanted to travel from island to island he would just swim across.

During our whale excursion, we came across a documentary crew filming the new IMAX movie about the humpback whales. I learned a lot about whales that morning… like how mother whales give birth to their calves neat Tahiti in the warm waters. During the time they are with their babies, they don’t eat anything for months, since their food source is only the plankton that is found in the Arctic. They end up loosing a lot of their body weight. Our guide drove us around the waters all morning, and after about 3 hours, we finally saw the whales surfacing. I had my camera with me and got one lucky shot of a whale breaching out of the water! At the end of our boatride, we got to get into the water and swim with the whales! We were about 30 feet away from them at one point. It was so surreal to see them swim, but it was over faster than I could even comprehend what was going on! Thankfully we were able to get some shots of it on video. =)

Many things were checked off my “Life’s To-Do” adventures list during my honeymoon. It was really an amazing trip!

Our Wedding: Personal

sjphoto — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:57:44 +0000

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may know that I’ve been planning my own wedding for the past 10 months. Our wedding finally took place on October 2nd, 2011 at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu (exactly one week before our 3 year anniversary!) Now, looking back at our wedding day, I can definitely say it was awesome and really everything I could have hope for. I’m really looking forward to the new chapter in my life as a Mrs. =)

Our vendors
Venue: Calamigos Ranch, Malibu
Photography: Alison Yin
Florist: Exotic Green Garden
Hair/Makeup: Kelly Zhang
Dessert: Sprinkles Cupcakes
Graphic Design (all paper goods): Manami and Nick Leebert
Music: DJ Celeste Lear (Processional: Nick Drake “Cello Song,” Priscilla Ahn “Dream.” Post ceremony: The Who “Cant Explain.” First Dance Bride/ Groom: Chuck Barry “You Never Can Tell” (choreographed first dance from Pulp Fiction). Father/Daughter: Rascal Flatts “My Wish”, Mother/Son: Harry Connick Jr “It Had to be You.”)

Our Engagement Pictures: Personal

sjphoto — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:25:11 +0000

By nature, I am a huge procrastinator. It seems like, the less time I have to do something, the more I get done! With only one month left before our wedding day, we are on a mission to overcome the “Wedding-To-Do” list. One of the things on the list was finally getting our engagement picture taken, so the other day Mat and I went out to Western Town in Malibu. I love the sunset light, ranch vibe, and beautiful hills covered in tall grass. I have to admit, it did feel a little awkward being on the other side of the camera, but I definitely believe everyone should have their portrait professionally taken at least once a year! It’s a great way to document your life, and remember the good times; where you lived, what stylin cloths you rocked, and how in love you were. Well, at least I hope that’s what I think of when looking back at these pictures. I want to thank my lovely photographer Dana Grant!

Personal: Wedding Planning Update

sjphoto — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:42:51 +0000

What happens when you start wedding planning 10 months before your wedding? You have way too much time to think about details! I’ve been in wedding planning mode since my engagement in December. Almost immediately after deciding on the venue, I got a wedding dress, and started planning some of the fun details. It turns out I wasn’t completely focused on a vision, so 2 weeks ago, I bought a 2nd wedding dress and now everything has changed! I’ve had some time to think about it, and what I’ve come up with is a new inspiration board with a couple of details of the colors of our wedding: navy, nude, blush. Those colors together have a nice balance of both feminine and masculine. It’s not too far off from my original color scheme, but the overall feel is now more elegant and less whimsy. The style of the wedding is officially “Romantic Rustic Ranch.”

(ABOVE: Bridesmaid image by: Kelly is Nice from my favorite wedding blog, Ruffled! Veil image by: Jose Villa). Yes, I’m newly obsessed with lace and veils. Next, here’s a sneak peek at our custom wedding invitations designed by one of my past brides Manami!

Pura Vida Costa Rica!

sjphoto — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:13:42 +0000

This past week, I traveled to Costa Rica to capture event coverage for Playstation during their annual conference. It was an amazing experience traveling out of the country, eating some amazing food, and lots of fun adventures! On the first morning, we woke up at 5:30am to see the monkeys, but couldn’t find them. Instead I took this photo of a pretty butterfly.

My favorite lunch, sea-bass ceviche. Desserts were also amazing!

Cigar Rolling demonstration.

Debi Nova. (The Costa Rican “Shakira”)

Relaxing Weekend at Pismo Beach

sjphoto — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:11:22 +0000

Pismo Beach is a seaside town just halfway between Los Angeles and San Fransisco, featuring miles of pristine sand and surf, perfect climate, with small town charm. It was also this weekend’s destination getaway for Mat and I! We decided to stay at Seaventure Resort because #1) They had rooms overlooking the ocean, #2) Fireplace in the room, #3) Private jacuzzi on the balcony, and not that I need more than 3 good reasons, but #4) Would be the fact they have a restaurant-bar in the hotel. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about the forest green walls when we entered the room, but I think by the end of the trip it kinda grew on me.

On our hotel balcony overlooking the ocean. (taken with camera phone) Oh yeah, and these are my new glasses! What do you think? I love how they have a slight rim of blue in the frames. It’s not really noticeable from the front angle. And Mat is sporting his new favorite hoodie; you can barely make out the “DMC” on the front. He’s so proud of his new car.

View from our hotel balcony right after sunset. I put the camera on the ledge and set a timer, so I would be able to get a long exposure without any blur. I gotta use a tripod more often because it came out perfect! This is my favorite image from the trip. I love the colors, clarity of the moon, and pier in the background.

We visited Hearst Castle, I’ve been wanting to visit this place for years! They have 4 different tours that take you though different parts of the Castle. Visitors aren’t allowed to use a flash and tripod during the tour, because the artwork could fade and “it might disturb other guests” so did my best with a higher ISO and holding my breath with a slow shutter. (All of these were taken with Canon 5MD2 and 14mm 2.8L lens, ideal for low light and interior shots.)

Indoor pool, lined in 24k gold tiles on the bottom, the pool is 10 ft deep through the whole main area but in the center of the image shows the women’s pool at 3ft deep.

I’m looking forward to the next time we’ll be able to make it up that way. Hopefully, that will be a trip to San Fransisco to see the Mystery Spot!

Wedding Planning: Month 3

sjphoto — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:29:33 +0000

It’s my 3rd month of wedding planning and things are coming along really well. I haven’t really posted a “favorite things” or updated anything about my own wedding since the venue was picked, so I figured it might be a good time to share what I’ve been working on! I’ve been keeping organized with help from a wedding planning checklist on mywedding.com; it allows me to set the budget and check off things as they are completed. They also have a section to customize a personal wedding website, so guests can easily see what’s going on and get more information about our wedding details. I love it! We’ve included some of our favorite places to dine in LA when they’re in town visiting. Most of the places are right around the Santa Monica area, with the exception of Ahi Sushi in the Valley.

1) Enterprise Fish Co: Great seafood and happy hour. We recommend getting the steamed muscles!
2) Ahi Sushi: Best sushi restaurant in Los Angeles.
3) Newest find of great BBQ on the Westside: Mr. Cecil’s Ribs. How awesome is that architecture? The building looks like a tub-o-ribs!
4) The Palace Seafood & Dim Sum: Great Chinese food including Dim-sum in the morning/afternoons and the twice served Peeking Duck is heaven.
5) El Cholo Mexican: Great combination plates. Be sure to try one with one of their signature enchiladas and save room for dessert! They only offer one choice… Flan. It’s the best!
6) C & O Trattoria: Italian Food. Fun atmosphere and casual dining. You will NOT leave here hungry!

Dreams Do Come True

sjphoto — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:23:16 +0000

A lifelong dream of my dear fiance Mat, finally came true on Friday morning. The time-machine/car that is the 1981 DeLorean has been the envy of classic movie buffs and car enthusiasts alike, since its appearance in the Back to the Future movies. Mat doesn’t really call himself a “car-guy”, but he has been dreaming of owning a DeLorean most of his life. After all these years, he’s finally found the perfect one to call his own. DeLorean Motor Company has only 4 dealerships in the United States, one of which is conveniently located about 40 minutes away in Garden Grove. Here’s some of the pictures I took as he picked up his new toy!

1) Welcome to DMC
2) Home of lots of DeLoreans
3) Mat’s new car getting a wash
4) Tricked out Timemachine version of a DeLorean. (I think this one belongs to Seth MacFarlane.)

Thank you 2010… and Hello 2011!

sjphoto — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:10:02 +0000

I want to share some news and updates about what’s going on in my photography-engagement-happy-world. First up, the “Bride’s Choice Award” from Wedding Wire! This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network, who demonstrate quality and service excellence in the wedding industry. I want to thank all my 2010 brides who shared their lives with me and gave some awesome feedback with top ratings! Thank you so much it really means a lot! Looking forward to 2011, if you’re like me and just started the wedding planning process, you might be in search of the perfect wedding team. After you have a few things figured out such as venue and date, then it might be a good time to get in touch with me to discuss wedding photography. =)

Now, if you’re wondering… where does a wedding photographer find a wedding photographer? Well, my thoughts are at WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photography International) Convention. Every February, thousands of photographers (from hobbyist/amateur to seasoned pro) will flock to Vegas to network, share, inspire, be inspired, and learn about the newest technologies in wedding and portrait photography. One of the best things I accomplished last year was finding my amazing Wedding and Engagement Album vendor (Vision Art). I looked at every single album vendor who was there (including the popular Leather Craftsman, Queensbury, and Finao), inspecting the quality of albums, paper, and prints. After I found Vision Art, I knew it was the one. They feature high quality layflat binding, allowing images to spread completely across the pages without ANY gap in between the pages. They also have custom photo cover wraps all the way around the book. Definitely high quality and timeless, the two best features in a wedding album… and wedding photography!

If you’re curious about what I’ll be doing there this year, I’d love to share! First off, I want to praise WPPI’s Share a Room’s message board, where I found 3 complete strangers (hopefully cool girls) to share a room at the MGM. I’ll be attending 4 days of classes and lectures including everything wedding photography, lighting, business, editing, and video. I’m most excited about seeing Jose Villa, JVS, and Blair + Suzanne Phillips. I’ll also spend at least 1-2 days browsing the trade-show for cool new toys. At night, there may be time for a couple of parties sprinkled in there (Airplanes and Blazers)… and lastly, I’ve registered for a high fashion desert-bridal workshop with the amazing Erin and Gavin Wade. As of this morning they had only 2 spots left, so if you want in, do it now. If they’re booked, I recommend sending a box of red velvet cupcakes… to my address… and theirs… then start begging. =)

If you’re a photographer who is pondering going to WPPI, I hope this gave you some great reasons why you should go. For future brides looking for a wedding photographer I just have this question for you… do you know where you wedding photographer will be February 19-23rd? Hopefully it’s WPPI!