And we were lucky enough to have two weddings shot last year in Northern California wine country featured on Style Me Pretty in one month! (See our previous post about Julie and Brian’s wedding, too, if you haven’t already.) I greatly respect and admire both couples, and they both make such handsome pairs, they made my job was that much easier.  See for yourself in our newest feature on SMP today.

Heidi and Nicholai’s wedding in Sonoma County, just outside of Healdsburg, had an abundance of love as well as one of the most memorable and charming ceremony entrances (of the groom, no less) that I’ve ever witnessed. Nicholai loves big wave surfing,  so instead of walking down the aisle, he crafted a giant wave to ride to his ceremony. The wedding was held at Nicholai’s family’s vineyard and the ceremony itself was held on the bank of a beautiful pond. He grew up spending summers and holidays on the amazing property, so the location itself had great meaning to the couple, too.

A few more of my favorite moments:

Heidi, who has Mexican heritage, for a hoot, agreed to let the uncle who officiated the ceremony fire off three shots on his gun after they said, “I do”. That was a first for me!

Near the end of the evening Heidi and Nicholai experienced one of those moments you watch and wish were happening to you: they were literally swept up above the heads of their friends and crowd surfed to the pulsing beat of a Rhianna song. To this day, every time I hear this song, it evokes this scene for me.

And there’s nothing better than sharing new photographs as a tool to help new clients make choices about what coverage is best for them. If you are debating whether to book film or digital coverage, you may want to consider both. At Heidi and Nicholai’s wedding I shot a mix of vintage medium-format and panoramic cameras with a pair of Canon digital SLR cameras. Since creating our Three Artist, Mixed Media: Vintage Camera package last year, it’s definitely become my favorite way to approach a wedding. I find the addition of film makes a meaningful difference in the way I shoot a wedding for several reasons. The unique perspective of a twin lens camera and the square frame (I mainly shoot with a Mamiya C330 and a Rolleiflex), plus the choice of the film type itself (which lends a color palette and texture to the images not present in RAW digital images) helps me to capture the world as I see it in my mind. Creating a photograph in camera, as opposed to on a computer screen, is a luxury today when so many images require time in front of a computer to turn them into what you envisioned when you shot the scene. (See a few of my favorite square-format photographs shot on film below). So when you pair the benefits of film with 35mm digital camera coverage, which is incredible for documenting quick moving subjects as well as working in low light (and I can’t recall a wedding in the past twelve years that didn’t have it’s fair share of both!) the end result is a pretty perfect way to document a wedding.

Additionally, for this Three Artist package we asked a former apprentice of the studio (who is now local to Sonoma) to be our third photographer. She beautifully captured the top photograph of Nicholai’s arrival.  If you are considering coverage with film and debating the idea of a third photographer, this is an example of the additional investment paying off. Knowing the sandy beach (with all the guests) would be difficult to navigate, we decided Dana should shoot from the more flexible and higher vantage point on the deck of the boat house. My photograph of the same scene works, but her perspective was better.  So although it’s not necessary to have a third artist in a film package, I always appreciate having the extra perspective, especially when working in a tight quarters where your ability to move around is limited.

Congrats again to Heidi and Nicolai!   Check out the full feature on Style Me Pretty’s main page. And lastly, if you love Heidi and Nicholai’s tent as much as we do, visit Zephyr Tents.

-Laura

Shot on Kodak Portra 800 rated at 400 ISO on a Mamiya C330

Shot on Ilford HP5 at 400 on a Rolleiflex 2.8

Shot on Ilford 3200 at 1600 ISO on a Rolleiflex 2.8

Shot on Ilford HP5 at 400 on a Rolleiflex 2.8

Shot on Portra 800 at 400 ISO on a Mamiya C330

Shot on Ilford HP5 at 400 on a Rolleiflex 2.8

Shot on Portra 800 at 400 ISO on a Mamiya C330

Shot on Ilford 3200 at 2000 ISO on a Holga plastic camera

Julie and Brian married at the family estate in Rutherford, CA. The couple was inspired by the Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford’s novels about impeccably dressed, high society characters that threw fabulously eccentric party.  Read more by going to the SMP blog post.

The very first wedding I shot in Los Angeles was a gay wedding. One of the grooms is a very close friend of mine. His trust in me gave me the confidence to approach the day with creativity and wonder and the beautiful pictures of his perfect day inspired me to create Docuvitae. I post the below photo in honor of Johnny and Bill. I’m thinking of you both today.

-Laura

This series of Garry Winogrand’s photographs from the 1960’s Democratic Convention held in LA is worth your time. Winogrand’s innate ability to capture moments stands the test of time.

On a personal note, I lived in Washington, D.C. for a brief stint to try out political photography. I still wax poetically about my experience photographing President Clinton on Airforce One, but after a few days of being elbowed in a press pool of mostly sweaty, aggressive men with bad fashion sense, I decided political photography was not for me and I moved to LA where the men are better groomed and the town and weather much more to my liking. Within my first few months in LA, I shot my first wedding and shortly thereafter, launched Docuvitae. The experience in D.C. gave me a great appreciation for those who make art in the midst of a political landscape and this series by Winogrand was a treat.

Happy Friday. Enjoy your weekend!

-Laura

Hat’s off to Rachel (who, coincidentally, we spoke to about photographing her wedding in 2010) for creating such a creative (and fun) way to document her child. I actually told a friend last week that I’d like to buy a new house  – so I’d have a NEW BACKDROP to photograph the girls in!  But considering we just signed STACKS of loan documents with our refi last week, instead I’ll thank Rachel for the inspiration to document my girls more creatively  – and to always think outside the box.

To see more of Hulin’s work, look at Time Lightbox or Hulin’s personal site.

Don’t forget to watch Kristin Banta in the upcoming special “The Ring Leader” tonight on Bravo.

XO,

Francie

P.S.  This beautiful shot was made on one of Hannah’s first weddings for Docuvitae.

Francie