Reno & Christina

I had a blast shooting and felt like i ventured out into new territory with this shoot. I always strive to continue to get different images and bring out the personality of each couple I work with. That was no different this week. We had such a fun time at the beach shooting these yesterday. The story of their wedding was very similar to ours. They wanted a Hawaii wedding, and ended up having it here in CA, then they chose a beach wedding on the same beach as we did. They are getting married on the same beach we shot these images at. Reno & Christina both own their own businesses here in town. Their wedding is tomorrow and I can’t wait!

Lightning Storm!

In a rare week, two events in the sky captured my attention as well as re-kindled my love for shooting this amazing world. Earlier this week with the Eclipse, and tonight with the lightning storm, I spend over 2 hours driving around the county getting some cool locations (while trying not to put myself in a position to be struck) and chilled out to music. I love being spontaneous. As I was finishing up some late night editing, at 11:30 I hear thunder. At 11:35 I head outside, and my buddy tells me its going strong. At 11:40 its getting closer and more frequent. And I think to myself, ok, its now or never. I rarely get out of the house late like this. But not tonight, its lightning hunting time. Game on! As the thunder rolls around I drive around seeking the most insane location to view the show. I end up out at pismo beach, and for the 1st time in my life, I see it above the water with the reflection across the glassy water. The bursts are almost 10 seconds apart and I even got a sweet shot with my iphone! Maybe it might win Beckers Blog iphone blog contest.

Well here is how I got the shot…
Set up my camera on my tripod, ISO 1000, Aperture 5.6-11. 11 if there is a lot of ambient light and 5.6 if its darker outside. The longer you leave the shutter open the more ambient like it will pick up. Set camera to bulb, then with your remote trigger, hold down, usually the lightning bursts go in 30 second increments or whatever, so you can “time it” but I recommend holding down for enough time to get the ambient exlposure, then release right after the lightnging to finish exposing the shot. Here is an example

F 5.6
Shutter speed (bulb setting or manual @ 20 seconds) 20 seconds (holding down for 20 sec)
ISO 1000
Its pretty easy, just make sure you hold the trigger down, focus on street lights or the moon, then compose and shoot! Easier than it sounds!

Total Eclipse!

Ten years ago when I first got into photography, i remember running home from soccer practice to make it to the photo lab to get super duper sensitive slide film to photograph the eclipse up on Mt. Diablo. The hardest part was waiting 2 days to get the images back from the lab to see if the shot even turned out!!! Well, I did nail it, and that was so long ago I think I lost the slide and the print. Either way, tonight brought me back. I worked until 1:30 and then got to tired, then woke up at 3:52am. When I ran outside, I first thought, “oh no, its behind the mountains”. Then running around the corner I came back and realized it was just super dim! Its crazy to see our moon like this. But here is how you take a picture of the next one in however many years.

Take a tripod, and take your camera, shutter release and a long lens, preferable something over 200mm. Mount the tripod onto the lens, and then go into your camera and select mirror-lockup. This way the first click will open the mirror, the second shutter click will fire the image, without the camera blur of the shutter moving up and down.

Then set your ISO to roughly 1600, and your shutter speed to 1/4th of a second. with an aperture or 5.6. The faster the lens the better, if you shoot too much longer the moon will move in the sky while the shutter is open or the moon will look tipsy and blurry. Those settings should right about nail it!

Amal B Harakat Bridal Fashion of Beverly Hills- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Recently, while we were down in Cabo shooting a secret ring proposal shoot, (the main decoy for the soon to be bride), but important shoot for us as well, was some bridal fashion we were shooting. One of my favorite Beverly Hills Couture designers Amal B. Check out her work! Thanks to Baja Sur Vacation Rentals. Casa Luca is an amazing place and I highly recommend it as a great getaway in the resort town of Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Thanks to Jennifer and Mike for being gorgeous models for the day, and thanks to my wife for doing everything behind the scenes. She is incredible. During this shoot she was setting up for the whole secret ring proposal dinner and after events! I am stoked to be finally getting this online! We are in LA this weekend for another amazing wedding surrounded by surf and sun. Have a good weekend, maybe I will post some stuff from my iphone…

Pacific northwest Road trip part 2!

I have been really excited to post this post. There were SO many images from this trip, it was hard to choose down. I have been stoked because I have not been very active with taking editorial, travel photography lately and this is kind of a revival for me. Its what I used to spend all my time doing!
The Oregon Coast is AMAZING and this is one of the many bays with a lighthouse. There is little more relaxing than to watch a sunset in a brand new place you have never been before.

My wife and I love to chase each other on trails as we hike around, there were so many beaches to explore, and since our trip was limited on time, we jogged out to see each different beach, it was kind of like a speed scavenger hunt, driving to each trail/beach and then running out to grab a view & photo, then run back to the car and head to the next spot. Great exercise for a day long drive!

Here starts our Sailing adventure to the San Juan Islands. My father grew up around here and spent a lot of time in this area. It was exciting to see this area. Thanks to our friends Chris+Lynn we had a blast going to all 3 islands to check out their coves and bays. I was shocked at how beautiful it is out here. It gets pretty crowded sometimes during weekends in the summer, but its just like a popular campground in the mountains or beach, except this time when you sail out there, you have to get a mooring buoy. No buoy, no docking, next port.

My wife took this shot of me getting ready to adjust the sails.

Sunset is immaculate with Mt Baker in the background lit up with a golden alpenglow.

Then after a long drive back through Portland & Bend, OR, we hit up Crater Lake, this is where my dad proposed to my mom. Over in the Rim Village. Wow, I think that was summer of 1976! It’s their 30th, this year! I am so proud of them and blessed to be in this family.

Road trips are the culmination of the best of summer, you get to see the country, get lost from cell reception, no emails, (I had to ration myself with my iphone) and a ton of time to chat, hike, and explore as you spend time with friends and family. Its sometimes is hard to get away, but looking back, the best times of my life have been when I took time away from my work and spend it with family and friends developing relationships over traditions and fun excursions. I want to encourage you to get out there this summer/fall before winter and take a road trip, even if its for a day, go somewhere new and explore. You never know what new places you will find and want to return to! We take a rock from places we want to return to! That keeps us accountable and gives us a tangible part of that place to get us amped again!

Vacation & friends...

On our 3,000 mile road trip, (on the back end) we got a chance to hang out with some good friends over some great food and had such a sweet time catching up.

Mera & Brian invited us and Dane Sanders over for a dinner under the stars and an evening chilling out and have a blast catching up.

And the sailing trip with Chris+Lynn (from Vancouver BC) was amazing and it was such a great time hanging out with them!

Here we are in Bend Oregon with Erik from BIG Folio, it was so nice in Bend, OR. I think its been 12 years since i have been there as a kid. Big Folio creates great websites and i have been super stoked with them.

Right before that we met up with TJ Cameron and had breakfast in Portland, OR. TJ is doing his new seminar in NYC this fall. It will be great to see him there.

Preach it!!!

So today, we are spending the day in Seattle, its so amazing when the weather is nice like it is today! Our legs are incredibility sore from our recent hike, after hiking 6,000 feet up and then 6,000 feet down Mt Rainier. Strolling around the downtown area, my wife pointed out this sign in the window of the North Face store as we were window shopping in town. I can connect with this quote. I can’t believe I thought the EXACT thoughts in this quote as we were gazing at the other peaks on the horizon as the sun gently lit up the sky as morning approached. Go climb mountain, it will be more fun than you can imagine.

Climbing Mt. Rainier

I love the outdoors, and I was really excited when our friends Michaela & Travis asked my wife Rachel and I to join them on their mountaineering trip up to Washington to climb Rainier (14,410 feet). A few years ago my dad and brother climed up to Whitney which is the highest peak in the continental US @ 14,500. Our original plan was to ascend to the top, but due to a weather front, we were unable to reach past the basecamp @ Muir which is at 10,300 feet. Bummed out we decided to plan another trip next season, as this is the last window this year, every day new crevices are opening up, those can be 1-20 feet wide, and can open up a foot or more a day. They also can run up to 100 feet deep. Earlier in the year, say in July, its much better.

below, the view of the Muir basecamp, at 10,300 feet.

Sunset at Muir, looking at Mt. Adams in the distance.

Here below is the best way down the mountain, to slide down, we must have slid over 2,000 feet down in over 15 shoot runs.

Above, my beautiful mountain woman wife, and below, Travis and Michaela as we were 1/2 way down the mountain

All in all, this was an amazing trip and i can't wait to get to the top next year!

Sailing in the San Juan Islands!!

Our amazing friends chris+Lynn invited us out to sail with them today
while we were on vacation. This post was shot and emailed while on
the boat from my iphone! We are having a blast and will post more later!!

Road Trip, the Story

So here is round one of our trip so far, there are 3 more post to come, as I showcase how amazing the coast is. Here we are just about starting, north of San Francisco, with hopes of surf, sun and open roads.

Sunset on the 1st night as we eat dinner somewhere in Northern CA

Welcome to Oregon Sign as the climate changes and everything becomes more green.

There were so many blackberries, we filled our bellies as we filled up for gas, you can probably tell, but i LOVE fresh blackberries.

Lastly here is a shot of a rock sitting on a BIG log, and then i am off to go sailing today with some friends in Vancouver, Chris & Lynn Jaska,

Well, I cant wait to show you whats coming up in the next week, so check it out, have a great week...

Pacific northwest road trip!

Here is a shot from our amazing road trip, I am SO amazed at how
beautiful it is here!!

Santa Cruz engagement session!

A few days before our 2 norcal weddings, we were able to escape with Rob & Kellyn for a little bit and we had a fun day in Santa Cruz shooting on UCSC campus, the redwoods, and down to the beach.

I loved these reeds, whe probably shot more here than anywhere else!

DUDE. how much fun is it being a kid in a candy store. Rob & Kellyn had so much fun together, and that made for some really original and fun images that are totally "THEM"

Ok, this is a sidenote, but its fun to have for the rest of her life, this is Kellyn's dream house, i think its so cool and original. Her colors matched perfecty, she could have walked into the house and owned it! Maybe someday...

Montage Laguna Beach Wedding Photography | Mark & Christyn Wilkins

We just did an amazing wedding at the Montage in Laguna Beach

We started off the day early at 9am and the guys invited me to go surf with them, it was really a fun 2 hours, however i got a little bit sunburned, so the rest of the day i was a bit warm, We managed to pull some sweet maneuvers with the guys on the beach here, I LOVE these stunts!

Christyn's girls came fully prepared for a great time, its was sweet!

So.... you cant have a pillow fight without the feathers, and i will let your imagination run as far as where we came up with the feathers. This was priceless, literally.

I think the Montage is an AMAZING for its backdrops.

Mark & Christyn had a great time getting away to take some shots down by the beach. We had like 8 minutes, but they pulled it off, I was proud of them!

montage wedding highlights

Next level seminar with mike colon and ray santana

I am proud to be a part of the Next Level Miami 2007 seminar coming up on Sept 4-6th later this year!! Mike colon, Ray Santana and myself will be here. Its gonna be a Blast!!!! We, have been talking about doing this for a while and are teaming up to bring photographers a chance to take their businesses to the next level. Whether you want to shoot better, double your quantity of weddings, improve how you serve and take care of your couples or reach a different clientele. Our goal is to inspire you to REALLY produce better work, more efficiently so that you can develop the relationships with you couples and others in the industry rather than develop 4x6’s. Develop a business that can give you a better lifestyle, more profit, so you can give more to everyone else. I want to thank the sponsors: Shoot Q, Bludomain, Album Crafters, California Sunbounce reflectors, check out more details at nextlevelseminar.com

Next Level Seminar.com Bottom line, come with your todo list, and we will make sure you leave with that finished, or a clear direction with more motivation that you have ever had before.

New images coming this next week!

I am so excited to present some new images on the new BIG images on my blog, we have new stuff from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Tuscany Italy, a Montage wedding, as well as a couple AMAZING photo shoots, with some Bridal Fashion. We are going on an expedition to the top of Mt. Rainier in Washington, yea 14,500 feet of amazingness. Stay tuned, and have a great week!

My Beautiful Wife

This shot is from cabo, where we just got back from working at. We had a few jobs we cruised down for. And Rachel in her true style, helps me out so much. As she relaxed for a second, i snapped this shot! I am so blessed to have her. Sometimes I feel like I dont deserve her, and I am thankful that we have an amazing marraige. I have been surrounded by friends who have given me great counsel, advice and wisdom about marraige, and how to be a better husband. I have a long ways to go, but i am so STOKED every day!

New Larger Images!

I wanted to send a thanks out to Justin Marantz, for helping me enlarge the images on my blog, they were trapped in a super small format, screaming to get out! thanks Justin!

Meals with Friends...

I feel fortunate enough to travel, and lately, we have been traveling SO much, it seems almost 1000 miles a week, and that doesn’t count where we fly to. But its “all good” when you get to sit down with friends or family and eat and catch up.

My cousin Caitlyn who just turned 20 and is at UCLA came up to Morro bay to eat at windows on the water, which has been made famous thanks to Rachael Ray.

Next is our second hometown, in Newport Beach with my little brother Matt.


A few weeks ago we were at the CCWP dinner meeting and we were hanging out with these guys, from left to right, Kenny Morgan and his new fiancé!, Then in the center Cameron Ingalls and his wife Anna. They are so sweet to chill with! And finally me and my beautiful bride.


The last shot here is of Shaun Austin and his wife Jaime holding their daughter, my wife and I on the right. Shaun owns an amazing new album company Kiss wedding books. Thanks guys for making my travel more personal and fun as we travel around the country!



Now i just got to remember to take my iphone out and snap some shots of everyone we catch up with, i am so bad at taking photos of everyone when i dont have my big camera!

Carmel wedding

After finishing a sweet wedding in livermore, in the wine country, we
headed to Carmel California for a wedding for Nouhou & Amanda. I am
really excited about this because Nouhou is from Africa and the
culture they are bringing is exciting!!

Sent from my iPhone

The proposal story, in their words...

I thought about how i was going to post this, and i think that it is best stated in their own words... so, without further ado, here it is....

This is the story from Mike & Jen's point of view...



"Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"Yes! I would love to hear a story."

pause........realization moment.......

My breath is taken away and the world is spinning fast as Mikey and I stand still. Butterflies flutter all throughout me and I cannot believe this is it....'Is this really it??? Oh my gosh......what do I do.......breathe Jen breathe and listen. Listen.....take it in.'



"This isn't what it seems." pause. Breathe. "The main reason for us being in Cabo isn't for a photo shoot Jen." pause. I have been waiting for this, longing for this moment and now it is here! My heart is beating out of my body. He is looking me straight in my eyes and and I am looking right back at him. I am giddy, in shock, and so in love. This is it. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." ...I can't explain this feeling now...I have never experienced it before... He drops to one knee and pops open the box, "Jen, will you marry me?"




"YES!!!!!!!!!!.........of course I will." I throw my arms around my boyfriend, no, my fiancé! Yes, I throw my arms around my fiancé and I can't believe it. I never want to let go. Ever. I suddenly remember...there is a ring involved here! Almost too abruptly I reach around my back and find Mikey's hand with the box. He shows me. It's absolutely perfect. "I designed the band," he says proudly "and the center stone" pause "is your great grandmothers". Speechless. Perfect. He is perfect. Perfect for me and perfect for the rest of my life. I love this man. We are the only two people in the world in this moment.

We are starring at the ring, looking at each other, laughing, enjoying, asking and answering questions....putting all of the puzzle pieces together. I hug him so hard that we fall over in the sand together. He tosses the ring box as if his work is done and now a new chapter is born. We embrace and laugh and float together. These feelings have never been felt before and need to get out so we run close to the water and let the waves take us in...we are running and hugging and dancing around. Nothing in the world matters. I am as content as ever and as happy as I have ever been. This is my man, my Mikey J and it's final.....we are getting married!!!!!!




Well, as it turns out, Mikey and I weren't the only two people in the world. It just so happened that Mike Larson (camera in hand) and Ben Potter (video in hand) were documenting our magical evening. I thought we were doing a bridal gown photo shoot, which we were, but the 'extended' portion of the shoot happened to be very planned out, little did I know. Mike Larson and Mikey J have been planning this for quite some time...my mom was even in on it too! They played it off to the 't'. Sneaky, sneaky!

So, next August Mikey and I will be hanging out with Mike, Rachel, and Ben on a very special day. We will also be getting together in the mean time to beat them in Nertz!!(a fun card game) I want to say well done to all of you, for keeping a secret and documenting it at the same time...it is beautiful.







Thank you so much for all that you did and for your kind words and blessings...'Today is the day Mikey and I love each other least...our love will grow deeper and stronger with each day.' And to you Mikey J, that was the best proposal I have ever heard of. You are amazing and the man of my dreams. I love you today, and forever. Now get ready for a fantastic year fiancé!!!!

WOW!, I am so excited for Mikey & Jen. They have such an amazing relationship, family support behind them. I feel that this is why I do what I do. As a photographer, I do no justice to a couple if I don’t fully capture who they are, the story behind things, and get EVERY moment without missing a thing. It’s a challenge to cover an happening like this, there is no directing by me, just a combination of running around, shooting, and diving into positions, throwing myself in the sand to get the right angle, and then getting up again to move to another spot. It was quite a workout, but looking back, I would have regretted letting a minute or even a second slip by and miss the entire story of what happened. This is how I approach weddings, there are thousands of little things that happen, and from all different angles, no one angle can capture the entire day, and its my job to make sure I get everything that is happening to be captured in a consistent artistic and original style. To capture not only the decisive moments, but also the experience, details, and emotions. Those moments often change faster than the shutter speed of the camera. So I have to act fast! I am humbled as I see Mike & Jen propose, and I know that this will be something that their entire family will have as an icon of their relationship. Just as a trophy on the wall, or a diploma, or certificate, yet more important, this stands as the reason why they got married, the beginning of a beautiful family. Unscripted by me, but everything they wanted it to be, and more, this will open their eyes to every other photograph of them the rest of their lives, so that when looking back at this story, they would never settle for anything less than an amazing relationship (even during rough times say, 5,10 or 20 years in the future), and always remember the hope, joy and optimism they have when they proposed. It’s written on their faces, and it’s these “trophies” that will be the most treasured in their lives.

So Mike & Jen, Cheers to you, may this day and the story be a legacy, the start of your new family. I love the pride you have of each other. Its contagious and you guys are amazing, May God bless your marriage forever. Thanks again for the honor of having me be there to photograph this for you guys. Thanks to

48 Hours in Mexico

We just got back last night from an amazing whirlwind trip, I can not wait to share these images and stories! The coolest thing is we have video of everything.



Here we are at Zippers, with Mike & Jen (the newly engaged couple!), and Ben on the far left, having a final lunch before we head off to the airport, and below, the sunset as we arrive into LAX.


We has such a great time there, thanks guys for the honor of being able to witness such an event!