A full post will come soon.

Another gorgeous day overlooking the Monterey Bay and another gorgeous Bride! She was slim and lovely with a perfect figure… I was afraid nobody would even notice the wedding flowers I designed for her!!! Oh well, she noticed them and she loved them, that’s all that matters. One of the rare brides that DIDN’T  ask for peonies so she was really happy with those big full fragrant blooms! The size of a baseballs, with a border of her favorite, anemonies with black centers… or so she thought, it wasn’t until after the ceremony I showed her that I had hand painted all the centers of all the anemones! Poor Luke who works with me, I thought he’d get cross eyed hand painting flower centers, but there were only white on white available, the black centerd ones had ended their season just a few weeks before, but it was worth it and she loved them and laughed at the thought of us with our little brushes painting her anemones one by one!

She had another surprise waiting for her at the reception, she had wanted blossoms, but knew it was way past blossom season, I told her not to worry. When she walked into the ballroom, each center piece was a tall black vase to match her black and white theme, and in them were three foot tall manzinita branches with hundreds of white blooms! Hand glued Dendrobium orchids from Hawaii glued one at a time, it looked just like blossoms, and with the little hanging tea lights in each branch they just glowed!

Ok, now I’m tired just thinking about all the work that went into that wedding, but what really sweet people, it was a pleasure! I  have to start planning this weekends wedding, all living plants, orchids etc, for the center pieces and a brides bouquet made up of succulents, and a grooms boutonniere to match, that way they can plant them after the wedding and keep them forever!

Fredrick V. James Luxuries flowers
www.fvjluxuries.com

Leica M9. I love the camera. When I started the process of researching which new camera system I was going to dive into, I didn’t consider the rangefinder camera. I didn’t know there was a viable digital version that had the quality I was used to with my Nikon D2X.

The reason I wanted to change systems is honestly out of boredom. I had this big camera with big lenses, and it all impressed people. Honestly I think people were more impressed with the size of the D2X than anything else. It’s massive, and has lots of buttons and screens and stuff. Big deal. Honestly I was enamored with all that tech for several years, but it all soon faded. I didn’t take the camera out as much, as it was a hassle just to put a lens on it, and grab a quick snapshot of my kids. I tended to use my iPhone for that stuff. When I got a great shot on the phone, I wished I had the RAW file to edit, and a higher resolution. I keep threatening to shoot a wedding on my iPhone, but no one is going for it yet!

Back to being bored… take a look at the Nikon shots below. It’s massive. It does takes amazing photos for sure. The files felt more like film than other camera I have used in the past. I’ve also had the Canon 1DS, and a Fuji S2Pro. Ergonomically the D2X was better than the others as well. I’m not really sure what Canon is thinking with their buttons, controls, etc on their pro models. Sometimes it just makes no sense at all. I became so fluent with the controls on the Nikon that I felt like I wasn’t really thinking about the art of photography anymore. Yes, I was able to focus on what I was composing more, but I was not as close to the art of the shot as I wanted to be. Even when I shot 99% of the time in manual. I can’t tell you how many times I would just put the camera down on the ground or by my hip and hit the shutter button to take random “hip-shots” and get great results. Meh. If I can do that, then anyone can.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bored with photography. I was bored with my equipment. Everyone has access to such great photo gear now. In fact when I’m shooting a wedding, it is so funny seeing how many other people have cameras (dslr’s, cameras, etc.) shooting the wedding. Weddings are so over-documented today by at least 30-40 people at each wedding I’ve been to. Many times I have to tell the couple or groups I am photographing to “look over here at my camera!” In times past, you would be lucky to have one or two friends with a camera to help photograph your wedding day. Where does this leave me? I feel I have a great eye for photography, and capturing candid moments unlike most others who do what I do. What is my next step?

The Leica M9 was my next step. I can’t explain fully how it has changed how I shoot, but it has. Everything about this camera is just lovely. The camera itself, the files it produces, the various lenses that are available (more on this later), the size, the weight of it, etc. There is something special about holding this camera that makes one feel differently about taking pictures.

Every single photo I take is now more calculated, and manually exposed, framed and focused. Some might say “well, you can do that with your Nikon”, but the truth is that it really is different with a rangefinder. Maybe it’s the physical metal knobs. Or the way you focus with a rangefinder. Or the size. Or it’s the gorgeous lenses. I honestly think it’s all these things and more.

I photographed my first wedding with the Leica M9 two days ago, and absolutely loved the experience and how the photos turned out. I have less shots to review, as each photo I took was extremely calculated. With the Nikon I had a bunch of photos that we out of focus, even though I knew I was on target with the auto-focus system. I remember every single photo I took, and almost remember the exact settings I used and which lens I used, and I shot over 2000 photos for this wedding.

Regarding lenses, I have two that I mostly use. They are both by Voigtlander, and I absolutely love them. I haven’t actually used a Leica lens yet, and can’t imagine anything better than what I have. I have a 50mm – 1.1, and a 35mm – 1.4. In low-light they are stunning. With a rangefinder I am able to focus so much quicker manually, than with the Nikon auto-focus system.

I bought the Leica SF 24D flash before this wedding, pulled it out for 5 minutes, and promptly put it back in my bag. I’m not a fan of flash, and with these lenses I wasn’t missing anything. Take a look at this unprocessed image, and how I converted it. The room was dark, but I was able to capture what I knew I wanted when I went to edit. Shot on the 50mm – 1.1, at 1.7, 180/second, ISO 160.

I have another wedding to shoot this weekend on Saturday that I am so excited for. She is a friend, a wedding coordinator and it’s at a beautiful winery. I will post photos this Sunday after editing. Please come back and take a look, as I look forward to your comments.

Email me if you want to chat more about shooting a wedding with the Leica M9… I think it’s one of the best tools around, for the style I shoot in. Editorial. Candid. Up close and personal.

Despite their eccentricities, everything seems to fit together in a way that draws you in to examine more carefully the intricate details and displays in their shop. Every time I go in, I look at something from a new angle and see it completely differently, and often walk out with it under my arm later. I even learned that you can ask them to keep an eye out for a specific piece of furniture or even as far as coming to your place and designing your interior. I think it’s time to redesign my whole apartment.

So essentially we spent the majority of our time together getting to know a bit more about both Dana and Suna and chatting about how their new Men’s store will be (next door to the original Stripe), which got Ted very excited and prompted him to point out the dozen or so item he actually had on his body that were from Stripe (t-shirt, wallet, not-underwear, etc.). Ted and I are by their own words, the essential Stripe Men, so to be able to connect with the creativity behind the style that feeds us, the afternoon turned out to be quite the privilege.

Oh, and we hear they are getting into vintage wedding dresses. Oh my!

Ted stopped by later that day to snap a few photos of the shop. Check them out.

The big day is finally here. All the work, all the stress, all the ups and downs have all come down to this. The hours and hours of phone calls, meetings,  the last minute preparations to ensure that your wedding day is exactly as you’ve been imagining are finally coming to fruition. The excitement, the anticipation, the happy times ahead are all represented at your wedding. Which  brings us to the details. All the hours turned to days to weeks to months of gluing, sewing, ordering, glittering, flowering, and last but not least, dreaming, to set the scene you want on your wedding day.

The details that are making your special day YOUR SPECIAL DAY. That’s why we know it’s important to have pictures of those details. The decorations, the lights, the place holders, these are all little details that took time and thought to put together, and we like to honor that. We have an eye for detail, whether it’s the flicker of a candle or the sparkle of a bride’s shoe, we’re sure to pick it up. We capture all the good stuff that the bride might be too busy to see, but definitely wants to remember.

Oh, and what an amazing location! It’s at the Clos La Chance winery in San Martin, California. Brieann Cox is the bride, and she is a wedding coordinator, which means this wedding is going to be absolutely amazing. The details she was describing make this one to remember.

We can’t wait to photograph their wedding, and post the photos. Here are a few from our meeting today. Nothing special, just a few while we were there.

Hollins House at Pasatiempo: www.pasatiempo.com

The Dream Inn: www.dreaminnsantacruz.com

Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyard: www.fogartywinery.com

Nestl Down: www.nestldown.com

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay: www.ritzcarlton.com