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Wedding

Buddy and Priscilla: Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer, Courthouse, Elopement, Civil Ceremony

There are a lot of moments as a wedding photographers where we get let in on moments so special and intimate it almost seems like we shouldn’t be there. This was definitely the case with Buddy and Priscilla. They decided to elope at the (stunning) Santa Barbara courthouse and tell their friends and family later. We were the only witnesses and really the only ones (besides the court clerk) who can even verify that it happened. Well let me tell you: Buddy and Priscilla got married and here is the photographic proof. It was such an honor to be there to witness their union we and wish them all the best in their life together. Thanks to our good friend Jenn for the amazing flowers – she kills it. Enjoy!

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Engagement Session

Randy and Allie: Engagement Photos, Fullerton Airport, Cessna, Flying, Catalina Island

When Randy and Allie asked if we wanted to fly to Catalina and back for their engagement photos, we were like, “mmm nah, that doesn’t sound very fun.” …….Not. Actually, they had no idea they’d be fulfilling a long time photographic dream of ours. Hanging out with Randy and Allie couldn’t have been more laid back and enjoyable. We met them for a great lunch and then soared through the sky thanks to Randy’s awesome skills. 

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Engagement Session

Casey and Megan – Engagement Photos, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria

So these photos you are about to look at are of Casey and Megan. This is a really special one for me. Megan is one of my oldest friends and I couldn’t be happier that she found Casey and is getting married. They’re such a rad couple and are going to do great things together. We spent the afternoon exploring a magical forest then ended the evening watching the sunset. Kind of a normal day for Emily and I but it’s fun to bring some other people along 😉 Anyway, we can’t wait for Casey and Megan’s wedding!

-Peter

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Wedding

Kevin and Tracy’s wedding: Montecito Country Club, Santa Barbara

It was such an honor to witness to witness Kevin and Tracy’s joyful union. Their friends and family were such a blast to hang out with. They couldn’t have picked a better location than the Montecito Country Club with its fantastic ocean views and old-word charm. Class-central. And can we mention the fact that even in the dead of winter, the sun graced the newlyweds with its warm rays all day? It was meant to be.

Take a gander. 

-Emily and Peter

Categories
Engagement Session

Ryan and Amanda – Engagement Photos, Ace Hotel, Palm Springs, Botanical gardens

There’s just something about being in the desert. All that open space. The quiet. The otherworldly landscape is seriously inspiring. When Ryan and Amanda told us that they wanted to do their engagement session in Palm Springs we freaked out a little bit. Palm Springs is one of favorite places and we couldn’t have been more excited. We met them at the Ace Hotel (our normal haunt when we’re in town) for a day of exploring and good times. Ryan and Amanda were so fun to hangout with and we had a great time showing them around one of our favorite towns. We can’t wait for their wedding later this year!

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Personal

Bali, Indonesia. A travel story. South Kuta, Tanah Lot, Ulan Danu, Lake Batur, Ubud

Thanks to some amazing people who trusted us to take their wedding photos half way across the world, we were able to travel to Bali in September of 2014. If you haven’t had a chance, you should check out Kelly and Albert’s wedding – it was breathtaking. The first few days of our trip were spent near Kuta close to the wedding location. After a few days, we made our way to Ubud, where we were able to do a bit more exploring. Bali is a place we’d been dreaming of going to for many years but when we were finally there, we realized our dreams hadn’t at all done this place justice. We’ve never seen a greener green, or a more breathtaking sunset. The people were kind, the food was cheap, and the Bintang was flowing.

Here’s a (not very) short photographic narrative of some of our adventures. If you ever have a chance of traveling to this unique wonderland, take it!

We stopped at the Deus ex Machina “Temple of Enthusiasm.” Not a real temple. But nonetheless, we got some good drinks, talked to other travelers, and found a little home-away-from-home amongst the surf boards, cafe racers, and art. The place is basically a compound that houses surfboard shaping bays, a motorcycle garage, a barbershop, an art gallery, a killer restaurant, and probably a bunch of other rad stuff.

Tanah Lot: “Land in the Sea.” This temple was a must see if you can deal with crowds of tourists. We came at low tide so we waded the tide pools and watched many a tourist get soaked from the waves crashing against the temple walls. 

Exploring Ubud was way cooler than we ever could have hoped. Though the city center is somewhat tourist saturated, its very easy to escape into more rural landscapes and get a glimpse into every day Bali life. 

One of the absolute best decision of our lives: renting a scooter for $5 a day and taking to a few of the roads less traveled. Mind you, many of the pictures from this point on were taken from the back of said scooter. Driving in Bali took some getting used to. They drive on the left and don’t really seem to have many rules other than the person in front has the right-of-way. People pass on every side and there are “one way streets” but people will still ride their scooters against traffic. Once we got a little more comfortable we had a blast. Being from LA, we were amazed at how kind and patient all of the drivers were.

Our next journey on our Scoopy scooter brought us through 160km of jungle, rice terraces, volcanoes, and mountain lakes. We had no gps, no street signs, and a paper map.

At the top a long climb with hairpin turns and people passing dump trunks like mad, we made it to Danau Beratan. Intead of the $6 it would be to enter the temple here, we payed a man in a little wood shack $10 to take us on a speed boat road around the lake – second best decision of the trip. Our boat driver put the boat in full throttle, climbed onto the front, and told us he’d take our picture with our camera if we wanted. In these situations, the only right answer is “yes.”

From Danau Beratan to Danau Batur. We got a lost a few times on this rural road through the mountains, but somehow we made our way around the bend to some amazing views and found the road down to the lake. 

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Wedding

Erica and Gino – Big Sur Destination Wedding Photographer, Elopement, Carmel, California

I can’t tell you how much of an honor it is to photograph weddings. I’ve worked a lot of jobs where it seemed like the work I did didn’t really matter or have any lasting impact. I could go home at the end of the day not really be affected by what I had done or seen. This is not the case with wedding photography – it touches me to the core. We get let in on some of the most vulnerable and beautiful moments in peoples’ lives and our job is to memorialize those moments forever. It seems high and lofty but really, it is. Weddings are a pivotal point in people’s lives. It’s choice to no longer live for your self but to willingly give your life for another person. This decision deserves a lot of forethought and is also cause for serious celebration. When Erica and Gino told us they were planning on getting married on the cliffs of Big Sur and wanted us to be their photographers, we pretty much freaked out. Erica and Gino are some of the nicest and warmest people we’ve ever known and we’ve ALWAYS wanted to photograph on the Big Sur Cliffs. Basically dream come true. Emily and I, along with a total of 8 guests, were invited to spend the weekend in Carmel to celebrate this gorgeous union. The actual ceremony was like something out of a fairy tale. Erica and Gino said their vows overlooking the mighty Pacific and surrounded by only their closest friends and family. When the knot was officially tied, and the champagne was consumed, the 4 of us climbed down the cliffs to play in the golden light. To top the night off, we all went to celebrate at Casanova, a European style cafe where the menu is dictated by the current produce in the chef’s personal garden. Let me just say, the food was amazing and the company even better. Congratulations Erica and Gino! You guys are the raddest and your wedding was seriously stunning.

-Peter

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Wedding

James and Lindsey: Backyard Wedding Photography, Santa Paula, CA

James and Lindsey’s wedding can best be described as a dream. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a joyful group of people as those who came together to celebrate this union. The home Lindsey grew up in laid the perfect background for the comfortable family affair. We felt like we became friends with everybody around. There was cigars, bocci ball, steak, and also a lot of  daners who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Let’s relive this event through a few (aka a lot) of images.

-Emily 

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Wedding

Jessica and Jamie: Destination Wedding Photography, Santa Barbara, Cabrillo Arts Center

Jessica and Jamie really know how to celebrate. Their wedding wedding was far from typical. On Friday night they gathered with a handful of their closest friends and family and spent the evening riding through Santa Barbara in a trolley and completed the night at the Wine Cask for a beautiful dinner. The next day, they threw a party for 200 more friends at the beach. Unbeknownst to the guests, Jessica and Jamie had arranged to have a judge marry them on the sand in front of the Cabrillo so they could still have a private wedding while their friends watched. You could definitely tell by the way this group celebrated that Jessica and Jamie have a whole lot of supportive friends. At about 11pm, everyone took shots. We took shots of the shots.

-Peter

Categories
Wedding

Jon and Savannah’s Wedding: Secret Garden, Moorpark, CA

These two have something seriously special together. We were so stoked when they asked us to shoot their wedding. Its hard to describe a life-changing event in just a few words. But we will tell you that this is one of those wedding that reminds Peter and I of all the reasons we got married. Jon and Savannah had a lot of love surrounding them in the secret garden where they got married. Here’s a little bit of what their day looked like. 

-Peter and Emily