Wedding Documentary Photography and Videography Blog

What a beautiful day, with such beautiful colors! Omi and Minal’s wedding this summer at Palmdale Estates was one to remember.

Omi first made contact with me via email and let me know both him and his fiancé lived in LA, and that there would be a narrow window of time for us to meet before he was to begin an all day film shoot. Learning Omi was a filmmaker and editor, as well as Actor, I knew we would have a lot in common, but also, since he had vast experience in front of the camera, I knew we could do some really nice work together on their wedding day with poses and whatnot. Omi is also a master at pretending the camera is not there, and that is extremely helpful to any photojournalistic photographer as well.

When I met Omi up in San Francisco at 8am before his shoot I actually woke him up. “You’re four minutes early”, Omi said. While he scratched his eyes and stretched into an upright position, he began to look at my albums and portfolio and then called Minal. She was excited and did not have any questions because she exclaimed “she loved my work” and they booked their wedding right there.

It was a great sense of accomplishment because, like other couples who are artistic professionals, it is great to be hired by couples who are very discerning because their industries are related to mine. Omi has worked on many short films, has had acting appearances on The Office and other shows, as well as, has a role in a new Bollywood movie called, Three Idiots which, has been receiving rave reviews around the world.

Omi and Minal’s day was perfect and the weather and blue sky at Palmdale Estates was phenomenal! We had a wonderful time shooting the ceremony and then had a break in the day as they prepared for their reception at the Fremont Marriott.

The photo sessions I was able to do with them throughout the day was when we got to really make some nice images with minimal effort. My style is casual and relaxed portraits, with fun and creativity mixed in. I like to flow from traditional, to candid, to romantic, to artistic, and contemporary, all within a few frames. I tend to explore what’s possible as opposed to boxing myself in to what I know will for sure work. I don’t mind breaking rules to find unexplored boundaries and sometimes we get some truly  unique and story like images. These types of shots are what excites me most about wedding photography and is part of my shooting style that sets me apart from what others may do.

Omi and Minal are fun, they don’t take themselves seriously, they are honest, caring, and communicate extremely well. I enjoyed my time with them and look forward to seeing more of Omi Vaidya on the big screen as he takes over Hollywood, Bollywood style! Enjoy some of the 2,400 shots we delievered to the bride and groom just one week after their wedding day!

Tina and Dan were married on November 6, 2009 at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose on a beautiful day! The sun was out and the clouds made for some dramatic images. It started to get a little dark during the ceremony so it was good that we did all the formals before the wedding! I also got to reconnect with Jessie and Craig, who’s wedding we shot a couple years ago, and the DJ, Matt, whom I have known for almost 1o years. That is really cool when you see people at a wedding you actually know!

Tina and Dan were really great to work with and we wish them the best. Now here is a recap of their special day!

Alejandra and Lawrence were married at the Santa Clara Mission at Santa Clara University on June 21, 2009. They had a lovely traditional Catholic ceremony followed by an intimate reception at Los Gatos Hisory Club, just minutes from my house. Everything from the Rolls Royce Limo, to the amazing table settings by Panetta’s Catering was absolutely picture perfect.

Alejandra is originally from Venezuela and Lawrence grew up in Saratoga. They met and fell and love and really wanted to have a traditional style ceremony, with a focus on friends and family for the reception. What is really special to me about their wedding was being able to meet such interesting and diverse people. Everyone was so fun to work with that the 10 hours just flew by! Since everyone at the wedding really enjoyed being photographed, we had lots of mini portrait sessions throughout the day. I think it’s cool when I can give each member of the bridal party their own “mini sitting” and they get a really nice photo of themselves. Here is a taste!

Way back before I started blogging or even knew what a blog was, I shot and edited Ilya and Katerina’s wedding highlights reel. Now that Ilya and Katerina are about to expect a baby, I thought now would be a good time for them to remember their wedding day by posting this highlights here.

It is really fun for me to watch my work from a few years ago because I can see how I have changed and what techniques I still use and which ones I have moved on from. I shot this with the HVX200, a camera I owned for a couple of years, and I do miss that 4.4.2 color space for sure. Also, I miss the over cranking and under cranking feature, and still I had the camera, I bet I would include more slow motion in my films.

At any rate, it is great to get a blast from the past. Their wedding was a ton of fun and the day was gorgeous. The location is the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, Ca. Hope you enjoy some of Wedding Documentary’s classics!