Lauren & Scott's "We Did" Fri. June 29, 2007 we did
Yesterday I posted the slideshow of Lauren & Scott's wedding, but I wanted to talk about a few of the things that they did that made their wedding so special. One thing that I loved was Lauren's pride in her Scottish heritage. The fabric you see Revan (Lauren's brother) tying their hands with during the ceremony is in the pattern of her family's tartan. Immediately afterwards, bagpipers came down the aisle and played "Amazing Grace" as a gift from Scott and Lauren to her parents. Who knew you could get bagpipers in Hawaii?! Scott's family is originally from Iran and his mother gave a beautiful Persian reading.
Lauren and Scott could have had a big wedding in their hometown with hundreds of guests, but they chose to keep it very small and personal and spent their time in conversation with their closest family and friends. Every single person at this wedding was just so genuine and kind, and so happy to see Lauren and Scott exchange their vows and begin their lives as a married couple. It was just beautiful!
So yesterday afternoon, we all headed out on a little treck around the island to capture some more photos of this beautiful couple. I am totally indebted to David Hessemer for taking his entire day to drive me, Marisa, and the couple around and show us all of his favorite spots from Wailea to Hana! We stopped in the town of Paia, drove through an area of Keanae with cindery black lava rocks, and eventually ended up on the most pristine little black sand beach in Wainapanapa (the first one I've ever seen in person). Lauren said that the last time she was on a black sand beach was in Santorini with Scott, which I was thrilled to hear because I'll be there in September for Cortnie and Andrew's wedding!
We started off in the town of Paia, which had tons of character and bright spots to shoot in
Check out Marisa with her Shootsac!
I had seen these tall sugarcane fields on the side of the road as we drove from the airport to the hotel when we arrived and decided then that we would be shooting there! Marisa was smart enough to snag the parasol from the wedding
Next was Keanae where the lava had hardened into huge formations that we played around on for a bit. The rocks are not like regular ocean rocks--they are very stable and not as slippery
Last but certainly not least we made our last leg of the trip on the famed road to Hana, notorious for it's winding pathway through the hills. Now we all know why you can get t-shirts that say "I survived the road to Hana!" I think we all deserve one of those shirts now! The black sand beach is called Wainapanapa and it is absolutely gorgeous.
At first as you can see, Lauren was a bit dubious about getting near the water with her dress, but look at how helpful Scott was in encouraging her!
I backed off for a few minutes and let her get more comfortable
But seriously, if you're going to drive for three hours or more to get somewhere, you may as well make the most of it, right?! For you concerned readers out there, the dress soaked, but certainly not trashed. The black sand is quite gravely and doesn't stain, and the dress will be dry cleaned and preserved:
while we were shooting these, I was thinking that this couple must REALLY trust me if they actually listen to me when I tell them to like facedown in black sand:
But these photos are so hot, they were totally worth the encouragement and the trip out there (right Lauren??)
Congratulations Lauren and Scott! You are so stunning, both inside and out. Best of luck in your 4th year of med school internships and your life together!
Lauren & Scott's Maui Wedding! Wed. June 27, 2007 i do
What can I say about Scott and Lauren's utterly amazing wedding at the Four Seasons Wailea in Maui yesterday? Well, I can say a few things. It was a simple and elegant affair. Lauren and Scott kept the guest list to best friends and immediate family only, and not a detail was spared. The day and weather were perfection, the ceremony emotional and beautiful, the portraits relaxed and fun, dinner delicious. It was, in a word, exquisite.
There are so many good things I can say about this couple, but I'm going to do most of it tomorrow or the next day when I blog about the ridiculously cool day after shoot we did on a black sand beach (among other locations) today. I fly back tomorrow, but for now, check out the slideshow of the wedding:
Braedon & Lindsay's Wedding! Tue. June 26, 2007 i do
Okay, I get it--I need to blog everything! Well, I don't normally love to go out of order, but I just have to blog Braedon & Lindsay's wedding since they are leaving for Italy for THREE WEEKS and I want them to get to see this before they go!
As most of you know, I have gotten to know Braedon over the past few months because he's also a photographer and has been second shooting with me at a few weddings. Braedon and Lindsay also modeled for me for the fantastic vintage shoot I did while filming for shootsac. The literally dropped everything to drive up to LA to help me out on a moments notice because that's just the kind of people they are.
This wedding was in every way possible, amazing to be at. Looking at this couple, I see what true love is in it's purest form--best friends who are totally and completely in love. Everyone surrounding them was just a pleasure to be around and if I shot this wedding every weekend for the rest of my career, I'd be thrilled! I was choosing images for the blog on the plane yesterday and there were so many I just couldn't even choose few enough to post here, so you get a slideshow of my (just under 200) faves. And believe me, it was hard to narrow it down to those!
Congratulations Braedon & Lindsay, and enjoy Italy!!
There are so many things I need to blog that I just can't decide what to do! I'm quite behind on blogging even though it may not look like it. I've been traveling for the last two weeks with no breaks, and am leaving tomorrow for a killer wedding in Hawaii, so I'm going to leave my next few blog posts in your hands, blog stalkers!
Take the poll below and vote, or tell me in the comments what topic of blogging is of most interest/importance to you! Whichever post wins will be blogged tonight after Braedon & Lindsay's wedding!
The Anti-Workshop: Part 1 Thu. June 21, 2007 my life
I just returned from the Anti-Workshop with the Boutwells and the Coopers in Seattle, and the whole experience just blew my mind! These people are amazing speakers, unbelievably talented, and so organized. I have some experiece with seminars and the logistics of planning them, and I can tell you--it is not easy. These people pulled it off flawlessly.
I was actually one of the models for the shoot yesterday, so that means I wasn't taking photos! Once I get a few back from the group, I'll post them up.
If you ever get a chance, hit up the next ANTI WORKSHOP you can!
I do want to talk for a minute about an amazing experience within the seminar experience that I had the first night. It had been a long day of traveling and learning, and Jasmine and I had been planning to just lay low, when Jesh showed up at our door with a pint of cooke dough ice-cream and and invitation to go play instead. So off we went, pajamas already on, up to the roof of the parking deck next door.
Me, Jasmine, Fred Egan, Shyla, Marisa, and Jesh sat there with the ice cream talking about philosophy, love, art,, and religion as if it was just another night.
But it wasn't.
After our conversaion had ended and the ice cream had been drained, I found myself still thinking about the things we had talked about and how they related to my life. Of of the things Jesh said about love was that it's not a thing you have, it's a process of taking away--removing all walls between you and another person until there's no space left between you. I found that hauntingly beautiful and so perfectly expressive of my own thoughts on the subject.
I was also think about friendship and the people who were there that night, and I just want to say a couple things about each of them:
Marisa is a total inspiration to me. The way she is so passionate and diligent about taking good care of herself and prioritizes that in her life is something I've struggled with for a long time. She makes time every day to do things that make her happy, and she's looking unbelievable to show for it!
Jasmine is someone who is loved by everyone who meets her. She's hands down the most compassionate, kind hearted person I know, and a truly beautiful person inside and out. Jasmine is just one of those rare people who has everything but takes nothing for granted. She is constantly rewarded for the kindness she gives out to others.
Shyla is ever-optimistic--I don't think I've ever seen the girl get down about herself or anyone else for longer than half a second. Shyla is always amazed at the world around her and finds beauty and goodness in everything. She will do anything asked of her if it will help someone else, and is completely unselfish with her time and affection.
Fred is just the nicest guy! He's a little bit guarded with the things he cares most about, preferring to share those things with those he is closest to, and as a result, those people feel even more special. Fred is a person who really "gets it" and is constantly making connections and friends everywhere he goes.
Jesh seems like such a mysterious person with this crazy talent and his deep philosophy, and he is, but he's so open and straightforward with who he is that you can't help but know that you are looking at a really unique, special person. Jesh has the ability to connect with many people on a very deep level, and spends his time in conversation, peeling away the layers that close people in to see who they really are. He's a person with a gift you only come across once in a lifetime, and come away changed because of it.
He's actually going to be doing some teaching about his philosophies and photographs coming up! I believe his next one is teamed up with the super talented Jose Villa. If you can go to this workship to see Jose and talk to Jesh, even for a day, DO IT RIGHT AWAY. Click Jose's link above.
Anway, thank you guys for being my friends! Everyone reading this should click their names above and bookmark their blogs so you will see that they are just as awesome as I think they are. Marisa shot these photos and I stole them from Jasmine's blog:
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we did
