Santa Barbara Mission Wedding

By jethro | June 7, 2010

Josh & Melody were madly in love and a fun couple to photograph! The beautiful location, the Santa Barbara Mission coupled with Santa Barbara Wedding Photographers team Infocus Studio made for a perfect event.

Undoubtedly, the Mission is a romantic venue for a wedding in Santa Barbara and all the wedding we photographed there were incredibly special.

Walking through the Santa Barbara Rose Garden

The couple decided to be photographed before the ceremony and the rose garden near the Santa Barbara Mission was in full bloom and provided a gorgeous background for candid wedding photos.


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Santa Barbara Engagement

By jethro | June 4, 2010

The Santa Barbara engagement photo session is a great way to work with a couple before a wedding to see how comfortable they are in fount of a camera, give them general tips for photography, and build the relationship.  This Santa Barbara engagement session was done in a ranch where the couples family lives.  It had tall grass that had gone to seed, and had turned a deep golden color in Santa Barbara.  As sunset approaches, the low angle light hits the spent husks and illuminates them. My clients both have a fair complexion and light hair, which matched perfectly with the golden background.

I I photographed them sitting in the field, and framed the background so that it looked like they where in a huge field. When I photographed them I let the sunlight fall over their shoulders, which illuminated their hair and used a fill flash for the face for proper exposure. I really enjoy using nature (trees or a group of boulders) to frame the subjects I am photographing.  And living in Santa Barbara, this is super easy to get to Nature.

After that we relocated to the foothill of Santa Barbara, near on the rim overlooking Rattlesnake Canyon Wilderness Area. Its name comes from its serpentine shape and curves of the canyon, not rattlesnake occupation, even thought I have seen them in the Canyon.

It also has views of Santa Barbara, the ocean, and the Channel Islands on a clear day. The location we where photographing has a very typical Santa Barbara foothill background, sandstone mixed with chaparral. The light was perfect, and by this time they where really comfortable with the camera so we got some great photos!

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Ojai Wedding Photography

By jethro | June 4, 2010

I was thrilled to get the chance to photograph a Ojai Wedding wedding and reception. Held in tranquil Ojai, California at the beautiful Ojai Presbyterian Church, the wedding itself was a small and private affair for family only. Ojai which is about 45 min away from Santa Barbara.  Wedding Photography in this type of setting is so personal and intimate, you feel like a part of the event.

The weather, with clear blue skies, a few scattered clouds and a light wind, was perfect. I absolutely loved shooting at this location; the grounds were so inviting. I got some great photographs of Daniel’s family lighting candles and some shots of the gorgeous bride before the ceremony.

One of the best things about being a Santa Barbara wedding photographer is getting to see how new families come together. In this case, some had never met. Kristina’s attendees included her mother, father and grandmother, all of whom had flown from Korea and don’t speak any English. Many of the women wore beautiful traditional Korean wedding dresses.

Daniel, who works for a Los Angeles law firm, comes from a large family that lives in Santa Barbara. He has five brothers and two sisters, all of whom were in attendance. One brother is the Ojai church’s minister, and he did an amazing job.

The candles created an amazing backdrop with which to present the new husband and wife. I couldn’t get enough of the perfect light and setting for a Ojai wedding photography shoot at the Presbyterian Church and took over 400 pictures there.

Eventually, though, it was time to move to the reception, which was held at the dramatic and elegant Ojai Resort, renowned for its pastoral valley views as well as the cooking staff’s delicious dinner creations. The atmosphere was that of two loving families brought together.

This particular wedding left me with a feeling of profound respect for the ancient ritual of marriage, an institution that bridges cultures and brings people from all over the world together. This wasn’t so much about a party as it was a story about love.

More photos at this link under recent events: Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer

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