On 9.10.11 I had the privilege of photographing the wedding of Lauren & Yong in O’ahu, Hawai’i! I met them through one of my favorite wedding coordinators, Kevin Omura at Kuleana Design. I’ve worked with Kevin over the years at weddings in Aspen, Napa Valley, and now Oahu (also our chosen wedding coordinator). We had such a creative blast at their Hawaii Five-O inspired engagement session in San Francisco, I knew shooting their wedding in Oahu was going to be relaxing, fun-loving, and low stress. And it was. Here’s a sneak peek at a few of my favorites.
View the slideshow by clicking HERE. To view the wedding images once available, CLICK HERE to sign the online gallery. Tag yourself on Facebook HERE.
Let’s kick off this colorful wedding post with one of my favorite images of the day, full of energy and awe thanks to a double rainbow (look closely):
Beautiful, simple details:
Lauren looked radiant!
Moments after her father saw her in her wedding dress.
The First Look photos at the Grand Waikikian in Honolulu. 
This is love:
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Posted by R. J. on September 12, 2011
Kat & BJ treated family and friends to a quintessential Colorado wedding experience! The September weather couldn’t have been better! Since we went 0-100mph on their engagement session, trust on the wedding day allowed us to cruise 0-60 mph in style. I was honored to serve as their destination Colorado wedding photographer along with a my good friend and second shooter, Scott Stebner. For friends and family, if you’d like to register to receive an email when Kat & BJ’s wedding photos are released click here to sign the guest book. Scroll to the end of the post for a link to the slideshow:)
This first shot took the combined efforts to pull off (to herd the deer and create the lighting in the background). Cheers to two deer & this dear couple in love, in the same photograph: 
Their wedding ceremony at St. Malo Chapel on the Rock in Estes Park treated guests to the tradition of a Catholic wedding ceremony. 
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Posted by R. J. on September 7, 2011
Not too many business industries we train our ‘competition.’ Yet as a Denver wedding photographer, I know well that we can only shoot one wedding on any given Saturday. So when I speak with a bride about a date for which I am booked, I am happy to pay it forward and pass the referral along to a friend. It’s what makes the wedding industry so cool. We all help each other.
I saw that theme clearly at the Free to Create workshop held in Sterling, Colorado two weeks ago. I was honored to speak to a packed crowd of Mile High Photographers who drove the 2 hours from Denver to participate. BTW: I’m still plucking bugs off my Sportwagon grill… still well worth the trip! The goal of the workshop was to take a step out of the box to create something unique, daring in a supporting and educational environment. We encouraged each other to take chances at the risk of failure. Safely to say, everyone has a blast and learned a ton!
I love the warm/cool push/pull juxtaposition of the warm and cool colors. Eerily appropriate, considering we were shooting in a haunted beet mill. See the ghost?
Don’t forget to focus when lightpainting, otherwise you could end up with this a blooper in the making (we all shared a few laughs):
’Get out fast,’ jogged in my mind as I was thinking how I was gonna pull this shot off. Bingo! Inspiration hits where you least expect. Diamonds are always formed under pressure (no Photoshop compositing here):
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Posted by R. J. on September 1, 2011
Fashion photography isn’t as hard as it seems. Cliff notes’s version:
- Land a good gig. Finding your perfect client isn’t as hard as it might seem. Yet many filters may be needed.
- Connect. They are human, too. We all have insecurities.
- Re-interpret previous step: Play one part photographer, three parts therapist. Master the when, where, and how, then write YOUR book.
- Understand your client. What do they peruse in the newsstands? This may give you a glimpse. If you have a significant other, ask them. Use info as key inspiration.
- Click.
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Posted by R. J. on August 31, 2011
