Southern California Fine Art Wedding Photographer - SherriJ » Portrait

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!

Monina + Matt: Engagement in Malibu

sjphoto — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:29:16 +0000

Last night, I had a great time hanging with Monina and Matt, my awesome August couple. They both met 6+ years ago during guitar classes and have been inseparable ever since. They’re getting married at Calamigos Equestrian in Burbank, and plan on including many personal touches to their wedding!

Victoria & Tony’s Engagement: Santa Monica Pier

sjphoto — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:09:29 +0000

I met Victoria and Tony last week, as they started planning their April wedding. It so happens, we’re both getting married at Calamigos Ranch! With similar tastes and styles, Victoria wasn’t hesitant booking. She pretty much inquired, consulted, and decided to book within 72 hours! I guess, when you know, you know… and I’m so glad to be a part of their wedding day plans! On Friday, we did their fun engagement shoot at Santa Monica Pier. Victoria brought a couple of props and we had a great time exploring. I think this first picture pretty much sums up their playful spirit! =)

The first outfit matched their school spirit. Blue and gold for UCLA!

Lauren & Chris: Wedding at the Santa Barbara Zoo!

sjphoto — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:39:45 +0000

I met Lauren last year as she started planning her wedding. As soon as she told me it was at the Santa Barbara Zoo, I was a little confused and thought “wait, you can have a wedding at the Zoo?? That’s genius!” Lauren is an animal lover, and super sweet. I’ve been dreaming about her wedding ever since then and I’m very pleased to share my favorites from her wedding day. Enjoy!

These earrings are special to Chris, it was his mother’s before she passed away. I think they’re beautiful and it matched Lauren’s dress perfectly!

The First Look…

After the first look, we were able to photograph the family formals. I love this spot with palm trees and the ocean in the background.

I think the following series is my favorite set from the wedding. Such a sweet moment, and Lauren’s eyes just sparkle!

A unique German marriage tradition, is for the Bride and Groom to drink wine out of the same glass. And they did, without spilling a drop!

After the ceremony, guests were allowed to visit with a friendly Penguin and feed the Giraffes! How cool is that~?!

First Dance.

Lauren and Chris did a lot of nontraditional things, at their wedding. Like, instead of a traditional wedding cake, Lauren and Chris opted for Sundaes and Root Beer Floats.

The SJP Photo Booth.

Lastly, one shot behind the scenes.

Venue: Santa Barbara Zoo
Florals by: Passion Flowers Design
Photography: SherriJ Photography
Music: DJ Shark
*Update, this wedding has been published on Wedding Channel.

Danielle and Gabriel: Married!

sjphoto — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:50:26 +0000

I met Danielle and Gabriel in September of last year. They brought an entourage of both their families including parents and siblings. I have to be honest, I can get a little nervous when meeting couples for the first time, but even moreso meeting a group for the first time! Turns out they were really awesome and Danielle and I instantly had a connection. At that time, Danielle and Gabriel were engaged one month and had about 9 months to plan a May wedding. When we met, Danielle already had a detailed vision of their wedding day. She wanted it to be feminine, soft, “with a Marie Antoinette” vibe. I’ve been looking forward to their wedding ever since their Malibu engagement shoot. Friends and family can view all of the beautiful images here.

Danielle is a makeup artist and a future licensed esthetician. She’s also super talented and crafty. For her wedding, she wanted to keep it personal and do lots of DIY projects for pretty much everything including the floral alter, decorations, head pieces, flower girl baskets, feather fans, candy bar at the reception, and treats! The ceremony took place in the home Gabriel grew up in in Alhambra. Danielle’s sister Jen made the bridal bouquet and wanted to surprise Danielle with it right before she walked down the isle. I had to promise to be super careful taking pictures of it, before she allowed me to touch a leaf! I’m really glad we got some shots of it… it’s proof how good it looked! Danielle almost had a tear in her eye when she saw it for the first time.

I guess now is a perfect time to thank my 2nd shooter Elizabeth Kitchens. She got some great alternate shots! While Danielle was slipping into her dress, I was stationed in front of her and Elizabeth in the back corner of the room. Working with a mirror reflections can be difficult with even just one shooter, but these pictures came out perfect. I guess we both kinda know what we’re doing. =) As the ladies were getting ready inside, the guys hung out outside int he back yard at the ceremony site.

Shooting a ceremony at a private home comes with some challenges. One of which is availability of quality lighting, like full shade or changing lighting scenarios during sunset. Another would be available open space for group shots. Danielle and Gabriel chose not to see each other before the ceremony, so the guys stayed in the back yard and the ladies stayed inside. I really wanted to get some outdoor pictures, so we slipped the girls to the front of the house for some beautiful natural light pictures. The following image was shot on the front lawn in front of the bay window and next to the driveway. I really love sun flares, and I was so happy it worked out in this shot!

After the ceremony, we headed over to a rooftop lounge at the Hilton just down the street. By the time we go there, the sun had set giving us a great dramatic atmosphere for dinner and more fun. Danielle and Gabriel really wanted to spend as much time with their guests. As they walked around to visit everyone before dinner, we took a couple REALLY quick pictures…. I think maybe 5-10 minutes max. I think these are some of my favorites of the night! Danielle is so amazingly beautiful. I also must comment on how awesome her makeup stayed in place the whole night! It looks awesome!

A totally unscripted moment. While shooting Danielle, Gabriel came over and gave her a sweet soft kiss on the shoulder. Just… Beautiful.

The following cake pictures shot by Elizabeth.

Danielle and Gabriel’s wedding is the first ones to try out the new 2011 Photo Lounge. What is that you may ask? Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about Photo Booths, right? Well the Lounge is the same kind of concept, but a much better quality and experience. We had a little studio setup in the corner of her reception area to take some fun pictures! Danielle arranged all of the props for the Lounge, including feather masks, mustaches/lips, hats, whiteboard, silly string, and bubbles! Thanks to my assistant Cynthia for taking these.

A couple shots behind the scenes with my hard working assistant Cynthia and super awesome 2nd shooter Elizabeth Kitchens!

Some shots of me by my 2nd shooter Elizabeth.

Angela + Eugene: Malibu Engagement

sjphoto — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:20:19 +0000

I’m happy to share an amazing session from this weekend, featuring Angela and Eugene. We met during the holidays and they shared some great plans for their June wedding at Rancho del Cielo, in Malibu. For their engagement, they wanted to incorporate some fun and style. The colors of their wedding will be honey and wheat with accents of coral and blue. Angela did an amazing job preparing with cute outfits and a basket full of goodies that included bubbles, a paint kit, letters, and origami cranes and hearts they both folded together. I love the personal touches!

Update: Angela and Eugene have been published on Fabulously Wed! You can check out their feature HERE.

Danielle + Gabriel Engagement: Malibu

sjphoto — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:58:39 +0000

How did I get so lucky to have the coolest clients in the world? I seriously love my job. Tonight, I got to spend some quality time with Danielle and Gabriel in the beautiful mountains during sunset. These two ooze creativity and talent…. she is a makeup artist and he loves to write poetry and together they’re planning a Marie Antoinette inspired May 2011 wedding.

Ralissa Engagement: Griffith Observatory

sjphoto — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 22:30:21 +0000

I first met Ray and Melissa a few months ago at Urth Cafe… we sat on the patio and sipped our drinks. They shared the story of their love and plans for a beautiful June wedding. These two met in LA during film school when Melissa was casting a leading man in her short… turns out Ray was the perfect man for the part. Melissa shared with me, the first time she knew she was in love with Ray, was during their Euro trip a year later. Ray loves astronomy and they both visit the Griffith Observatory often. It was the perfect places for their engagement photographs! When we went to the Observatory, it was overcast and foggy. Where you could usually see the Hollywood sign and downtown LA, visibility was very poor and we couldn’t see very far at all. Turns out, the light was perfectly diffused for some amazing pictures.

Kaye + Scott: Malibu Engagement Photography

sjphoto — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:10:33 +0000

Kaye and Scott met a few years ago during the production of a music video and recently took their friendship to another level. Kaye loves fashion, Scott is a self proclaimed geek lover, and together they make quite a picture perfect pair! We spent some time Monday afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather and took some fun pictures.

Love the back lighting on this first ones. Kaye handmade this awesome purple feather headband for the photoshoot and did her own makeup. Definitely a woman of many talents.

Scott matched from head to toe. I love the purple socks!

I love how in love these two are… makes my job look easy. =P

Smile!