Debbie and Thompson's Mexico Wedding

On Sunday I drove about 50 minutes south of Mazatlan to Estrella del Mar, a beautiful, isolated, resort and golf course with 2 ½ miles of beach to enjoy. I met up with Debbie and Thompson who had asked me to photograph their uniquely simple and romantic wedding on the beach at sunset, along with their four kiddos, Christie, Conner, Blake, and Camden. I did a few pre-ceremony shots then all eight of us, including Laura, the officiant, and myself, strolled down to the beach for the ceremony. As far as you could see in either direction there was not another soul on the beach. Unimaginable! It was partly cloudy that day and the setting sun was hidden behind the clouds, with only a slight bit of color showing through. Then, about 5 minutes before sunset, and just after the ceremony, the sun broke through for a glorious sunset. I was able to get some beautiful, romantic, sunset shots of the family celebrating their vows. I very much enjoyed meeting this very nice family in this beautiful part of Mexico and share in their celebration of love. Love this job!

Christie was nice enough to take a shot of the photographer hamming it up with Thompson and Debbie after the ceremony.

Mazatlan

This evening I arrived in Mazatlan. Love the warm ocean breezes! Here's a shot of the ocean across the street from my hotel. Tomorrow I shoot Debbie and Thompson's wedding at Estrella del Mar. Sunset on the beach. Can't wait!

Anna's Hummingbirds

This afternoon I noticed the hummingbirds were back at the feeder. After having neglected it for several weeks or more, I had refilled it 2 days ago. Every 10 minutes or so 2 males would come in to feed, and they weren't happily sharing. It had been a while since I had photographed the little creatures so I pulled out my 30d and 70-200mm IS lens with 2x converter and pulled up a lawn chair to where I was about 7 feet from the feeder, so I could get some really tight shots. Using manual settings I preset the focus and set the exposure to f16 so I would have a decent depth of field. The little guys come and go so fast the auto focus doesn't have time to work properly. Usually I use a tripod and remote shutter release but this time I hand held and braced my elbow on the chairs arm and waited for them to fly into the picture. It's a numbers game, for every 10 shots you get 1 decent one. This species is called Anna's Hummingbird. Here in the Sierra Foothills it's the only species not to migrate to Mexico during the winter. The males are distinguished by the bright red feathers around the head.
Speaking of migrating to Mexico, on Saturday I'm headed to Mazatlan for 9 glorious days. I will shoot Debbie and Thompsons sunset wedding on the beach on Sunday. Very much looking forward to shorts, sandals, swimming pools, and table tennis.

One of the cats seemed a little interested in the birds as well.

Jula and Annie

My daughter, Jula, had her good friend Annie over on Sunday and I took the opportunity to shoot a few photos with my Canon 5d which I recently purchased. With the new 5d Mark II out now, there are great deals on this wonderful full frame digital workhorse. Love it, beautiful images!
The girls are both natural hams and wanted a 100 more photos than I had time to take at the moment. More later, girls.

Alisha and Anthony Engagement

On Sunday Alisha and Anthony drove up to beautiful Nevada County from Sacramento and met up with me for their engagement photo session. What a delightful couple, their personalities compliment each other, and their love for each other is evident. They are getting married in an outdoor ceremony in March at the Whitney Oaks Golf Club in Rocklin, Ca. and I am looking forward to photographing their wedding day celebrations.
The day was cold and clear with the sun setting early this time of year and I was hoping to get all the shots in before it ducked behind the mountains and tall pines surrounding Pioneer Park. The ice crunched beneath our feet on the baseball field so no lying on the grass shots this time. Everything flowed smoothly and we had time to jump in the car, and warm our hands up as we drove to the nearby railroad museum to finish up the shoot. Always great to be able to get to know work with a couple before the wedding. Below are some of the photos I took. Now, ... we're in sync to take some great shots at their March wedding!