Sheila + Marcos [Palos Verdes Bridal Session]

PALOS VERDES WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

You've sat down to work out your wedding day schedule. You're crunching the numbers, yet can't seem to crack the code to balancing your photography with the other priorities of the day. There's simply no time for a relaxed, unhurried portrait session. Or, perhaps you did pencil in what you thought would be ample time for pictures, and the big day is now upon us. You're ready for pictures, but family and friends occupy you with congratulatory hugs and kisses. You had hoped to shoot in several locations, but you're not as nimble in your gown and tux as you thought you'd be. Only ten minutes until the reception? Where did the time go?

Sheila and Marcos had a wonderful wedding planned. But they also recognized it would be difficult to set aside a sufficient block of time to capture the volume of portraits they were hoping for. So instead, they opted for a pre-wedding session - my first - and I'd be lying if I said this wasn't one of the preferred approaches to shooting bridal portraits. Private. No clock watching. At a location and time of your choosing completely independent of where and when your wedding might be. For the bride, a chance to trial run your hair, make-up, and dress. For us guys, well, we can practice tying our shoes. It's the equivalent of an engagement session, in your gown and tux. And if a "pre" session prior to the wedding isn't in the cards, you can also schedule a "post" session on any day after.

I'll concede this approach isn't for everyone. Many will, and do, find ample time for such photography on their wedding day. But it's fantastic to have options -- and having also shot Sheila and Marcos' wedding, I think they made the absolute right choice investing in a supplemental afternoon to capture the images they wanted.

Sheila and Marcos sought a natural location, and I suggested a favorite of mine, Palos Verdes. Southern California can get pretty toasty this time of year, and yet this peninsula stays comfortably mild. We hopscotched about for a couple hours and dropped anchor at some really scenic spots. It was our very first time meeting as well and a true testament to the fun even new acquaintances can have. I want to thank Sheila and Marcos for their boundless energy and willingness to explore, hike, sit, climb, jump and embrace everything else that should soil a wedding dress, but miraculously didn't.

Enjoy the photographs, with more to come from their wedding!