It was last November when I first met Courtney & Andy! As we discussed the details of their Portofino Hotel & Marina Wedding Courtney and I clicked instantly. We wrapped up our consultation and I walked away a little unsure. On one hand I was like that went really well, I think I nailed it, but Andy's demeanor had me questioning my skills. Not too long passed and I heard from them again, and after a few more email/phone chats we put together a package that worked for these two lovebirds. Courtney then confessed Andy was playing a little hard to get, and it worked LOL! As the months passed Courtney and I began texting about the engagement session, and then it quickly turned into randomly texting about our favorite trash TV shows (Real Housewives, The Bachelorette, etc)! We bonded over our secret stashing of bags of new clothes we keep hidden from our other halves, and our OCD tendencies. It was then I could tell this was going to be an AMAZING couple to work with! I guess our secret is out now, sorry Court! Hurry and hide those bags in the back of the closet or under the bed. As we discussed locations for the shoot we talked about the beach, but we wanted it to do be different than every other beach shoot you see out there. One weekend I happened to be shooting in Santa Barbara, and saw a sign for Lompoc Flower Fields. I quickly researched it, Google image searched it, and then texted Courtney and was like listen we can still do the beach but you have to check this out! Immediately she fell in love and began buying outfit upon outfit, I think she confessed to buying 10 like new outfits, don't worry Andy she "returned" the ones we didn't use...And by return, I mean she returned them to the bag, and then put them in the back of the closet lol! The day quickly approached and the occasional text from Courtney would come in, "Are you sure the flowers will still be there?" Or "What if it rains?" Or "Did you see what happened on The Bachelorette last night?" All her texts or emails were appropriately signed "OCD GIRL!" I can't help but laugh, because anyone who knows me can vouch that I'm pretty OCD myself and am guilty of the same thing! As you can tell the flowers were still there when we got up there so we just went with it and had a little fun running through someones flower fields, very careful as to not to damage them :-) As we drove from Lompoc back to Santa Barbara to wrap up the shoot and finish at the beach we encountered a couple of obstacles! I kept seeing these gorgeous fields, with rolling hills, and beautiful cloud covered skies and was like we have to stop and shoot here, but every field is fenced off with electric fences and barbed wire. So I had to get creative, and we had to trespass! We hopped a barbed wire fence only to land into a field filled with cows. Courtney had on a dress and risked showing the passing cars her backside but was most concerned with ripping her new "sexy Bebe dress" lol. We made over without tearing a dress, a layer of skin, or a hamstring! It was all fun and games until a few of the bulls looked like they wanted us gone so we had to make moves to a different area of the field. The end result was not arrest, but some very beautiful shots showcasing the gorgeous fields of Southern California. As we made our way down the coast to Santa Barbara a man filled with anger and road rage decided to pass me going 90 on the shoulder of the road nearly side swiping me and hitting another car. Can I just add he was DRIVING A PRIUS, and no it wasn't Andy lol. However he and Courtney witnessed the entire thing driving behind me! Seriously dude you're not Vin Diesel, and I'm not sure where you're going that fast in that Prius of yours, but you should probably relax before you kill someone. Once our lives were not in danger anymore, we made it to our final destination, the beach and as you can see we captured some really amazing sunset shots! So to make a long story even longer, there's not much we won't do over here at LA Exposures to give our clients some amazing photos paired with an ACTION packed day to remember forever! Stay tuned for their wedding photo BLOG post coming soon!
Matt & Elysse | Palm Springs Photographer
Last fall when I first met Elysse and Matt I knew this wedding was going to be amazing. It wasn't until a month later when we did their engagement shoot at Griffith Observatory did I know just how awesome these two were! They were fun, friendly, and soooo in love! Lugging along their new little puppy Scout to the engagement shoot added a unique fun touch to the engagement shoot!! Fast forward about 6 or 7 months to the wedding day! How can you go wrong when you choose an amazing venue like the Riviera Resort & Spa? As you can tell from the photos, we spent most of the day laughing, joking, and having a lot of fun with everyone in the bridal party! One of the funniest and most memorable moments was when I told all the bridesmaids to keep a straight face with no expression. Unsure exactly what I meant by that, Elysse's friend Kristin explained it as "RESTING BITCH FACE." I couldn't help but laugh, and as you can tell from the photos neither could they! Up next for their shoot were the groomsmen. Normally groomsmen, unless intoxicated, are pretty tough to make smile, and have a good time with. Not these guys! Between nicknaming one of them a nugget (Razmin), and cracking jokes left and right, these guys were nothing short of HILARIOUS and fun! BTW-side note, each of the groomsmen came up to me throughout the course of the night, separately, letting me know that I had successfully come up with a nickname for Razmin that they would continue to use! Everything about this wedding went seamlessly! I can honestly say this goes down in my TOP 10 favorite weddings that I've had the privilege of shooting! I've never had so much fun editing photos after the wedding as I did with this group either! The many expressions from every single member of this bridal party were priceless, especially Matt during the ceremony! :-) It's always the "tough guys" who surprise you and can't hold back the tears! With an assist from both Tim and the lovely Harleene, we were able to capture every loving, laughing, and candid moment. Let's not forget to give major kudos to Artisan Events for a job well done with the event decor, floral arrangements, and most importantly coordination! I couldn't have asked for a better group to work with on both sides of the camera!
Santa Barbara to Paris with a stop in NYC | Amourelle & Ryan | Destination Wedding Photographer
Sometimes it is definitely about who you know! Thanks to my other half, I was fortunate to meet a new friend named Greg, I call him my nugget. My nugget's close friend Ryan recently got engaged to the gorgeous Amourelle! Check her out below! Greg was kind enough to pass along my card to Amourelle, who reached out to me that same day to schedule an engagement session in Santa Barbara. Fast forward a week and we were finally able to sit down and go over some ideas, wedding samples, and her vision for her engagement shoot. As we were talking I asked where the wedding would be, and if she already had a photographer for that. I think I fell off my chair when she replied with, "We are having a family wedding in New York, and then a second wedding a week later in Paris." My two favorite cities in the world!!!! She had been talking with a local photographer for the Paris wedding, but didn't really think about having someone shoot her NYC wedding. Before wrapping up our meeting, I put together a custom package to include Santa Barbara, NYC, and Paris. The Paris wedding will be held inside The Rodin Museum Gardens. I DIE!!!!! A week later Amourelle called and made my day, well let's be honest she made my year! They were excited to move forward and bring me on board to shoot everything! Thanks to the amazingly talented Elizabeth LaGue, Amourelle's hair and make-up came out stunning! Not only did we spend hours making our way around SB capturing their love, we spend quite some time bringing out their fun, quirky side too. Amourelle bought a few really great props for the shoot, including an amazing blanket, and gorgeous Eiffel Tower champagne flutes! She also made one prop that had the potential to be great, but let's just say the confetti took a nose dive for the ground before exploding in the air. The only thing that would have made that series of photos better, would have been capturing a sad face as the confetti took a nose dive! So here's the magic we made up in Santa Barbara, and I can't wait to share their NYC and Paris wedding images next spring!
Carrie & Nick | Venice Engagement Photographer
The first time I met Carrie she was with her Mom, and sister at the Brideworld LA Convention Center Bridal show in January. After chatting with her Mom, I learned she wasn't just planning one of her daughters weddings, but 2 of her daughter's weddings within an 18 month window. That's no small task for any parent. So we give major kudos to this Momma! Chatting for 15 minutes or so I encouraged them to walk around the convention center see what else was out there in the world of wedding photography. Within about 2 hours they had seen it all, and Carrie came back to book her July 5th Marriott Marina Del Rey wedding with me! Carrie and her fiance Nick live in that area just a few blocks from Venice beach. They spend a lot of time over in the area and frequent a lot of the local hangout spots, which I learned during the couple hours we spent together during the shoot. As we walked around we got to hit some of their favorite spots, and use them as unique backdrops for their shoot. Whenever I think of Venice Beach my mind quickly goes to the many "Doctors" who are in, or the hundreds of peddlers, not to mention the numerous crazy people running around the boardwalk. This time I couldn't help but see the beauty, the love, and the connection between Carrie and Nick, showing me a completely different side of Venice. Anyone can smile and say cheese for the camera, but the camera doesn't lie and these two did way more than that. Just looking at these pictures you can tell how much fun they have together, and how in love they are. Cheers to both of you for showing me another side of Venice Beach! Let's just say that doesn't happen very often!!!
LA EXPOSURES
I guess I should start by saying I’m Jeremy, and it’s nice to virtually “meet you,” as cheesy as that sounds LOL. Welcome to my website, my blog, my love, and my life; here’s where you get to see what truly makes me happy. Not many people can do what they love and call it “work.” For me photography is not work. It’s something I’ve always had a passion for. I got my first camera for Christmas when I was 10, and started taking pictures of anyone and anything. When I was 16, I was the kid who took 27 rolls of film to Europe on a class trip and still needed to buy more. In any event I think I’ve just dated myself by confessing I first used a film camera. No need to worry I’ve since upgraded to a pair of pretty amazing digital Canons.
Growing up in Detroit, Michigan is probably the biggest reason I have been able to stay grounded even after 11 years here in sunny Southern California. I am currently living and working in Downtown Los Angeles. Please hold back the ooohs and uh ohhs as it’s actually pretty amazing and A LOT safer than it used to be. Now I only have to carry mace and a stun gun at night, just kidding! All joking aside in case you can’t already tell I’m a pretty sarcastic and funny guy. Well at least my Mom tells me I’m funny, she also tells me I’m pretty cute too, doesn’t that count for something?
Checking out my Facebook and website, you can probably gather my better half (Tim), my family and my friends are very important to me. I may not get to see everyone I love as often as I like, but thanks to things like Facebook, Facetime, and texting I manage to keep in touch with everyone. I have the best support system anyone could ask for. I have the best parents, the most amazing significant other, and the most supportive and loyal vendors and clients. Without anyone of you I wouldn’t be where I am today, doing what I love to do!
So as you explore my website, my blog, my work, and ultimately my life just know that I am so grateful and humbled for the opportunity to take what I love doing and share it with you and your families! I am honored to be given the chance to create memories that will be passed on through your family for generations to come, to create amazing pieces of art to be displayed in your homes for years to come, and most importantly, I am very happy to invite you into the LA Exposures family!