Southern California Fine Art Wedding Photographer - SherriJ

Veronica + Floyd: Engaged!

sjphoto — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Veronica and Floyd have been together for 7+ years. They met while working together at an afterschool program for children. Now a teacher, Veronica is thrilled to be planning the details of her November wedding! One of the first places these two went when they first started dating is Lacy Park in San Marino, CA. The park was the perfect spot for their fun engagement pictures. With a beautiful rose garden and wide open spaces, they were able to bring some things that expressed their personalities!

Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Something New

sjphoto — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:27:41 +0000

As a wedding photographer, I have the opportunity to work with lots of great wedding vendors in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I know who can truly do an amazing job for them on their wedding day! I have a dedicated a section in my blog for my favorite vendors. I thought it’d be cool to feature some of them more in depth, so today we’re featuring Corin Cruz of Something New. Here’s some Q&A to help us get to know Corin a little better.

Q: Do you have a speciality?
A: We offer Makeup and Hair Services for any special occasion, in addition to Eyelash Extensions, Manicures and Pedicures at the location of your choice.

Q: Let’s say I’m a bride about to get married, who is thinking of professional make up but I’m also thinking I could save money by doing it myself…what would your advice be?
A: There’s a couple choice, as we of course offer one on one makeup lessons in the comfort of your own home. Another great resource for DIY Makeup and or hair is Youtube it has an amazing variety of Artists who will show you step by step any look you would like to achieve.

Q: When a bride is looking for a make up artist what should she look for?
A: I would have to say ask lots of questions and ask for references from past clients. I think a great Makeup and Hair Co will cater and listen to your needs. I love being flexible for my clients every need. Also have a trial done then you can also get to know who your working with on a professional and personal level.

Q: What should a bride do to prepare for her trial?
A: I think the best thing a bride can do to prepare for her trial is having pictures of what styles shes likes most for example Pinterest has lots of pretty ideas for wedding hair and makeup.

Q: Let’s talk about airbrush make up vs. traditional liquid foundation…
A: I Use foundations that will photograph well, like MAC shadows and blushes and bases, I also use NYX pigments. As for my Foundations I use Dior, MAC and Chanel and Dinair’s Airbrush foundation. Yes I get asked all the time and its a great question because some clients are more sensitive than others. Also if there is something in my kit that I don’t have I have no problem adding it in for them. Well if you don’t wear a lot of makeup normally. Airbrushing provides excellent coverage, yet doesn’t feel like you are wearing a face full of makeup. An Airbrush Pro Less touch ups. Traditional is also great it also has awesome coverage. I usually get more natural results with traditional makeup.

Q: Anything other additional information you’d like to add?
A: My one thing I would like to add is I absolutely Love what I do and that quote find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life is so true and it definitely applies to me.

Corin was photographed with her family, husband Chris and son Carter at the Long Beach Lighthouse.

Victoria + Tony: Married at Calamigos Ranch

sjphoto — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:35:23 +0000

Victoria and Tony met while attending school at UCLA, and celebrated their 5th anniversary of being together on their wedding day this past Saturday. Tony is currently a successful video game designer for the biggest selling game of all time, Call of Duty and Victoria is exploring the PR field and is pursuing her passion for event planning. It was no wonder their talent and creative mix lead to lots of fun and personal details! Victoria and Tony chose yellow and grey as their wedding colors, as also seen from their engagement session at the Santa Monica pier. These two tied the knot this past weekend at one of my favorite venues, Calamigos Ranch in Malibu!

Venue: Calamigos Ranch. Malibu, Ca
Photography: Sherri J Photography
Entertainment: SOS Entertainment
Florist: Butterfly Floral & Event Design
Cake Designer: Jaqki’s Cake Creations
Videographer: Make My Day Videography
Flipbook Booth: VC Flip Books
Invitations/Stationary: Save the Date Designs
Wedding Planner: Beverly Bliss Events
Bridal Gown: Winnie Couture
Rings: Bridal Rings Company

Sakura & Nathan: Backyard Wedding

sjphoto — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:04:34 +0000

Sakura and Nathan’s wedding took place on Saturday afternoon at Nathan’s family’s home in Garden Grove. The details of this wedding were planned to a T, with lots of bold style, handmade details, and cultural elements.

The style of the wedding was BW stripes with red accents. While some brides do a second dress for the reception, Sakura wore a white dress that showed her striped BW stockings and 3 different shoe changes (well, actually 4 if you count the ones she wore while getting ready). Her first set was a fierce red high heel with deadly spikes! Nathan wore a BW striped tie and red converse shoes.

Sakura and Nathan chose not to see each other until the ceremony; however, beforehand they wanted to do some formal pictures with the bridal party. Sakura had a mix of bridesmaids and bridesmen.

Rambo and Halo the “kids” with handler Amber. She brought them down the isle with her during the ceremony!

Team Sakura’s Bridal Party Wars! Guys: 0, Girls: 1

Sakura waited with her father in a BW canopy tent as guests arrived. I think everyone was pretty surprised when her sisters unzipped it and Sakura came walking out to a Muse song. Guests were seated at their tables as they watched.

More info about the wedding

Site: Nathan’s family home in Garden Grove
Desserts: A. Cake – Ebisu Roll
Make Up: Amy Tervis
DJ: Chirs Gagon
Photo Booth: Oh!Snap
Photography: SherriJ + Dawn Topete (thanks for the behind the scene shot below!)

Kristin + Jordan: Print Order

sjphoto — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:42:09 +0000

I just wanted to share a couple of Kristin’s favorite images. Today, I got an order for an 8×10″ from their engagement session we did back in July at Manhattan Beach (this was one Kristin selected from her proofs and it hasn’t been published before!) And also a 11×14″ from their wedding day taken a couple months ago from their wedding at the Victorian. I love what she picked out!

Christina and Jason: Culver City Engagement Session

sjphoto — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:54:03 +0000

Christina and Jason are an outgoing pair who love the theater (among many other things). Christina is a real Opera singer and Jason is a graphic designer who love acting. They met many years ago when they were both in their teens, during a stage performance of Guys and Dolls. About 7 years ago they reconnected and have been inseparable ever since! They’ve been spending the past few years in NYC and recently moved back to California. Christina first contact me back at the beginning of this year saying “Yours are the first wedding photos that I have not rolled my eyes at! I love how they are candid, tasteful, and beautiful.” I knew then she was Awesome, with a capitol A! We soon met and they shared with me their plans of a beautiful November wedding. This weekend, I had the great pleasure of capturing Christina and Jason’s engagement pictures at their old stomping grounds… The Pacific Theaters in Culver City!

Another fun fact about Christina, she is an avid knitter. She made a jumbo red scarf just for her engagement session!

I love when my couples make their photo shoots personal. When Christina told me about her and Jason’s new “bat-mobile” purchase, we both agreed it would be awesome to have it as a prop for the session! We took these last few images on a parking structure’s rooftop. From there we had beautiful views of Culver City and a beautiful sunset.

More to come of these two lovers on this date…

San Diego is for Lovers

sjphoto — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:04:23 +0000

This past weekend, Mat and I took our first trip to San Diego. Neither of us had ever been before, so it was a new experience and a much needed time away to relax. We stayed a couple of nights at Pacific Terrace Hotel; a welcoming place right on the beach and just a couple of blocks from many great restaurants. One afternoon we went over to the USS Midway, a Navy aircraft carrier. Outside of the ship, I found the popular KISS statue called “Unconditional Surrender.” (Rendered from the iconic photograph from Alfred Eisenstaedt taken on Aug. 14, 1945, the day the Japanese surrendered after the war.) Just a couple of days prior to our visit, a campaign was launched to raise $1 million to replace the statue with a permanent bronze state of equal height. I’m not really sure which I would prefer, but I’m pretty happy we got a chance to see the color version and capture this great picture of it! I think my favorite part of this image is the small child at the foot of the statue looking up under the skirt. It captures innocent curiosity while also giving some reference to the grand size. If you get a chance to visit and you want to photograph this statue well, the best angle for this statue isn’t head on (as you first see when approaching the statue). Just walk a little to the right so you can see more of the woman’s face too. It’s magical. =) Anyway, if you’re looking for a weekend getaway place to visit with your love, I definitely recommend San Diego!

Fleming & Samantha: Married!

sjphoto — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:35:58 +0000

Fleming and Samantha tied the knot this past weekend at The Victorian in Santa Monica. They were surrounded by their closest friends and family, from both near and far… It was fun to see how much love and traditions they incorporated into their wedding day like, family heirlooms, ceremonies, and food! Here’s some of my favorite images… If you attended the wedding and want to see all of the images, you can access them online HERE. Enjoy!

Jenna King

sjphoto — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:44:08 +0000

I recently added a new lens to my arsenal, the Canon 50mm 1.2L. It’s taken me a while to pick it up because I’ve had the range in a 24-70 2.8L (my first pro lens back in 2004). I actually bought a “cheaper version” Canon 50 1.8 (non L version) a few years back for $400, but it ended up getting dusty in my camera bag, so I sold it. Looking through a 50mm is kinda like what your eye naturally sees so I didn’t find it that interesting. Lately though, I’ve been having a change of heart. The 50mm gives great clarity and minimal distortion around the edges, being a great lens of choice for detail shots and portraits. So, $1500 later… I got the upgrade. I wanted to try it out some more, so I teamed up with Jenna to do some test shots at one of my favorite spots for engagements, Paramount Ranch in Malibu. All of the pictures below were either taken with the new 50mm 1.2L or second to newest lens 24 1.4L. I’m pretty happy how it they came out!

Client Meeting Area: First Impressions are Everything!

sjphoto — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:45:11 +0000

I used to be one of those photographers who met clients out at coffee shops. Doing this was kinda stressful for me, because I wanted to bring all of my albums and enlargements with me. After many years of lugging, hoping to find enough seating, and the loud barista atmosphere, I finally realized it wasn’t really working for me. I wanted to bring my client meetings up a notch! When Mat and I moved to Santa Monica a year and half ago, I knew we had to get a space big enough for my client consultations… after all first impressions are everything! That’s pretty much where I’m at now. My meeting space is in my home, customized with my images, and my branding. Doing this has been much more efficient for me, because everything is at my fingertips! This week, I got some new jumbo canvas enlargements in and they look fantastic! Here’s a little peek to what the space looks like!

Pictured: a large 60″ HDTV to project client images on. A 20×30″ Canvas Gallery Wrap, two 40×60″ Canvas Gallery Wraps, and some miscellaneous mounted prints: 8×10″, 16×20″, 10×15″, 24×30″. Some leather and photo wrapped sample albums. Personal prints: a drawing of Bjork Mat did and a framed 16×20″ print of our engagement picture.