Engagement: Abba & Paul in Los Angeles, CA

I met Abba and Paul back in March… and I remember them being so excited about their wedding and choosing their vendors.  They were supposed to meet with another photographer from her friend’s recommendation, but I guess something magical happened that day that Abba thought I was the right person for the job and she decided to go with me on the spot.  I was flattered and it was a huge honor on my part.  A couple weeks ago, we went off to the Staples Center where their favorite team the Los Angeles Lakers just won their 15th Championship to kick off their engagement photo shoot.

Here are a few shots from the day.  Enjoy! :-)

     

Engagement: Becky & Ben – continued

 

This is one of the most memorable photo sessions for me thus far this year.  I’ve been away from home 70% of the time over a span of 2 weeks on several mini trips, and honestly I was a little home sick.  But then again Becky and Ben really made it worthwhile for me rewarding me with some images I personally really enjoy. 

As I mentioned before, we travelled to the Central Coast around Solvang, Buellton, Lompoc area in June, and it was glooooooomy… It really got us worried the day we arrived before the photo session because we couldn’t see the sun at all.  Luckily the weather opened up in the afternoon on both days, and gosh it was indeed a lovely day when we finally got our cameras out! :-)

This one above is one of my favorites that day where we just busted our ways into a wild flower field.  Becky and Ben looks so sweet in this picture even thou they thought they looked nervous. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is another one of my favorites in the bunch.  Becky’s eyes really speaks to you telling you that she’s in love in Ben’s arm in this picture.  This was shot outside of that same cute green barn house that is… a wine shop (I think?).

 

Towards the end of the late afternoon after our short break at Solvang, we stopped over a few wineries to take pictures to try to get the shots that I believe Becky and Ben envisions.

 

By now the love birds really warmed up and I really love their natural interactions and their smile.

 

An abandoned rusty truck we found along the way heading out from Solvang provided a slightly different look that you would rarely find in LA.. ;-)  Their outfits and the bouquet works pretty well in my opinion.

 

and of course… I have to spice things up a little with my vibrant colors… trying not to overdo this… ;-)

 

 

 

and finally we wrapped up the day at Alma Rosa winery with some beautiful flowers, a cute house, beautiful sunlight, a cute and very fat kitty who scared Becky twice, and we headed home with memory cards full of pretty pictures to show off. ;-)

 

Again, thanks Becky! thanks Ben! Thanks wifey for assisting me, and I look forward to your wedding in September! ;-)

Engagement: Becky & Ben - Central Coast

And so I haven't been in my office for the most part recently... I was working on my birthday a couple weeks ago, and then my wife took me out to Las Vegas for a short break. I had to catch up with work once we got back, and then we're off to Santa Barbara, Buellton, Solevang area for an engagement shoot. I'm still out of town at the time being, and I seriously miss working on my pictures on my beloved Apple iMac... Working on my pictures on this little netbook I have is frankly a little difficult. :-)

Anyway, I've been making changes my packages lately to provide a little more freedom for the brides for them to order their prints online and choose the sizes they want a little easier with Pictage. Hopefully I can have everything ready by the end of June and I can start focusing on other things.

Back to Central Coast... It's really nice to have a little getaway like this once in a while. I think I've gotten a little tired of seeing the freeways and traffic in LA. Vineyard, wild flowers alongside the freeway, ranch, llama, ostrich, and so on are actually quite refreshing for my eyes. I have Becky and Ben to thank for getting us out here for their engagement session. =)

The e-session has been an absolute blast last Sunday, and I finally got to shoot some images that I’ve always wanted to capture.  Becky and Ben are just awesome to work with, and we’re so thankful that the gloomy weather cleared up in the afternoon.  Anyway, back to work… and here are a few teaser shots.

Wish you were there!

 

Engagement: Helen & Danny

Helen! Danny!  I still remember you guys told me that you needed “a lot of help” with posing, and didn’t I tell you not to worry? ;-)  You guys started off being real shy, but we ended up having so much fun that day… and they even did a little chicken dance in front of the Chicken Graffiti.   It was a hot day, but nonetheless it’s another fun e-session as usual.  We started off the engagement shoot at China Town:

 

We strolled around a little bit and  went off to Olvera Street nearby before visiting the Los Angeles Union Station.

The little skylight there made the scene look real dramatic.  :)

Danny is the man!  He got us free parking in LA just one block away from the Disney Concert Hall… *grin*
We got there just the right time for some nice directional early evening sun.  The Mickey and Miney mouse plush we brought along fitted perfectly along with the magical building. =)

  

 

I’ve shot the Disney Concert Hall several times, but I’ve always been shooting the architecture but not people there, it’s nice for a change here.

 

And here’s one of my favorite shots of the day, the Chicken Jump. =)  

Next up… Helen & Alex’s wedding – French Dip (Diep) Style~

 
Herman Au is a Wedding Photographer located in Los Angeles, California
http://www.hermanau.com

Engagement: Helen & Alex

 

Ahh… the weather has been very unstable lately, one day we have a heat wave and then the next day we’re hit with a cold front.  I don’t even remember when’s the last time I dressed properly for the weather.  Helen and I probably just picked the hottest day this year for their e-session, but nonetheless we had a great day of photographing.  We originally wanted to start around 1pm, but ended up waiting a little until we started because of the heat.

We started off taking shooting in South Pasadena at a cute and quiet commercial district:

 

 

I gave them a blank canvas in the background and asked them to do their thing.  Helen was presently surprised by Alex’s dance moves. =)

We headed over to these cute phone booths and let them have a little fun inside.. =P

I really like how these B/W pictures turned out.  The reflection on the glass gives it a rather abstract and timeless feeling.

 

 

The shot above is the next shot right after I asked Helen to kick her fiancé… and look at her confident look and how Alex reacted to it. *grin*

We wrapped up the day at a nearby neighborhood harnessing the beautiful sunlight.  I love how the bokeh in the background turned out and how natural the two of them look in their pictures after the first couple of hours of my dry humor. :P

 

That’s it folks, I really look forward to Helen and Alex’s wedding this week.  I have a feeling this will be something special. Congrats again you two! ;-)

 

 
Herman Au is a Wedding Photographer located in Los Angeles, California
http://www.hermanau.com