Last month I travelled to Dallas to shoot Taylor and Amanda's wedding at the Old Red Courthouse in downtown Dallas. Its probably most famous for being where JFK was shot. In fact all of the outdoor portraits were taken right next to the infamous "grassy knoll". Fascinating, eh?

Anyway, here a some of my faves from the day.


I've got to give Amanda some props. It was about 16 degrees that day and she was such a trooper. Sooooo cold, and she never complained once! My kind of bride! :)

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[February 27, 2010] camille said:
photos look great! your exposure makes me jealous. :) good stuff!!
[March 1, 2010] Lissette Q Garcia said:
You are so incredibly talented. I am sooo happy to see you blogging more often so people can see the genius at work.
[March 2, 2010] jeret slack said:
Great post cute couple. Amazing images once again :)
[March 2, 2010] Matt Paddack said:
That blue wall was sweet! To bad you didn't have more time to shoot there.
[March 3, 2010] bob Parsons said:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
[March 11, 2010] Rachel Perry said:
I love that dress! You wouldn't happen to know what designer it is, would you?
February 19, 2010 Weddings

Since we're smack in the middle of winter... (well most of you are, we don't really get winter here in Orange County) ...I thought I'd pull out a wedding from last summer that was never blogged to warm you up a bit.


This wedding was designed and coordinated by Courtney Toney of Joyful Weddings and Events, one of my favorite people to work with. The flowers were by another one of my favorite vendors, Kristin Brancaleone of The Treasured Petal. The wedding was held in the backyard of the bride's parents home. Calling it a backyard really isn't fair though as it would give most other backyards an inferiority complex.

Carl and Kelsey were so fun and so easy to work with. Loved this wedding.


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[February 19, 2010] Kayla said:
Gorgeous! So pretty!
[February 19, 2010] Shawn Kloster said:
Killer job, man! Looks like that was a rough day. ;)
[February 19, 2010] kristin @ The Treasured Petal said:
you rock, michael! you're so good at photographing fluffy pink weddings; who knew? but seriously, these turned out amazing. such a fun day!
[February 19, 2010] jessica claire said:
i always forget how freaking good you are when you don't post weddings for a really really long time. this is FAB photography, great job.
[February 19, 2010] Hayley said:
love your detail shots!!! and actually my favorite pictures are the ones you took during the ceremony. you are good!
[February 20, 2010] Matt Paddack said:
You know you shoot too many awesome weddings when a wedding like this just gets "skipped" for 6 months or so. I agree with Jess though, this week of productivity has completely reestablished your awesomeness.
[February 20, 2010] courtney toney said:
Yay!! Love these two and it was so fun to work with you on their wedding! The photos are stunning. I could look at them all day.
[February 20, 2010] Bethany said:
I do not know if you remember me but I just wanted to let you know this wedding is absolutely amazing!! God I just love your work!!! BRILLANT
[February 21, 2010] Jamie said:
What a cool wedding party!! Love everything!
[February 22, 2010] Anne Nunn PHotographers said:
beautiful! You are so talented! :)
[February 22, 2010] tim tab said:
love it! thanks for sharing!! If ever I do get married I'll do my best to get you out to chicago and capture my day !!! haha...
[February 22, 2010] jenberry said:
that last photo is naturally beautiful. It's a moment/memory gorgeous.

Sunday I shot Patti and Ji's intimate rooftop wedding at the amazing L'Auberge Del Mar. They're from Maryland so this was a destination wedding for them. About 40 of their closest friends and family made the trek with them. I think if I were doing it all over again I'd have something about that size. It was perfect. The day was coordinated by one of my new favorite people, Merilee Hennings, of Ever After Events. Merilee and her assistant, Alesha, were so helpful and wonderful to work with and made the day go so smoothly!

A couple details from the super swank L'Auberge.

I love how on your wedding day people do things for you that they never would otherwise... like putting on your suspenders, shoes, jewelery. :)

I LOVE the lobby at L'Auberge!

The ceremony site was so incredible... maybe the best lighting I've ever had during a ceremony.

Seriously. Look at these images under the chuppah. I need to bring that thing everywhere. Its like a softbox.

After the ceremony we headed down to a park for some images and then down to the beach. You can't come all the way to California for your wedding and not hit the beach for a little bit!

A few reception details.

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[September 23, 2009] kristin @ The Treasured Petal said:
You are the king of capturing all the details! I can't WAIT to work with you this Saturday at Kelsey's wedding. It's going to be unreal!
[September 24, 2009] Jane Hasty said:
WOW! Wish I knew you when I got married! Love the detail work!
[September 24, 2009] Araxi said:
So beautiful and so elegant! I can definitely see why you would want to take the chuppah everywhere!
[September 24, 2009] Bill Blakey said:
Great shots. Looks like it was fantastic day. Great to talk with you the other day.
[September 24, 2009] Larry said:
Awesome work! I love the lighting...perfect!
[September 24, 2009] Ian Andrew said:
Wow! These are great shots! I love the details. Nice works!
[September 24, 2009] Jeff Norwood said:
So what is the difference between a...nevermind.
[September 24, 2009] merilee said:
Michael- You did such an incredible job shooting this wedding! Thank you for showing off all that we did! I can't wait to work with you again!
[September 24, 2009] andrea blair said:
what beautiful imagery to go along with a beautiful day!!
[September 25, 2009] Ji said:
Awesome pics Michael! I especially appreciate the "touch-up" on my skin and the detail shots. LOVE the grand entrance (walking up stairs) shot. Can't wait for the rest.
[September 25, 2009] Brian Fletcher said:
Great stuff as always, Michael. Absolutely phenomenal stuff!
[September 27, 2009] Patti said:
I love the pictures. You are amazing, Michael!
[September 29, 2009] Amy Russell said:
Absolutely exquisite work, Michael.
[September 29, 2009] Clark Lara II said:
Great shots, what a cute couple!
[October 1, 2009] JEAN OLUMBA said:
I REALLY LOVE THESE PICTURES....... THE TRUE MOMENT WERE CAPTURED FOREVER. MAY THIS LOVELY COUPLE LAST FOREVER.
[October 1, 2009] Alissa Ferullo said:
Wow, these are stunning! I got to meet you from a distance at Jessica's workshop, but never actually introduced myself unfortunately; I have pictures of you though! lol. Anyway, just wanted to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your work - you are insanely talented!!!
[October 2, 2009] Cathy and David Photographers said:
This post proves why you're still one of my top ten fav photographers. :)
[October 12, 2009] ajira said:
Superb work! The wedding looks delightful and your images are even more so. I adore the shot with the bride's veil floating around her... so lively and dreamy! The one of the bride and groom heading down to the beach together is wonderful as well... so full of promise. Well done mate, well done!
[October 13, 2009] Adam Sitcoscy said:
This is beautiful! Funny, I just shot a wedding here a little while ago.
[October 16, 2009] Kyle Richter said:
Love all the details shoots!! Great work!!
[October 19, 2009] todd pellowe said:
ballin' details. love the guy's flower.
[October 20, 2009] KARL Bratby said:
Awesome you have such greta details in the US.
[October 22, 2009] Sherry said:
Wow!! Gorgeous photos. You're right, the lighting for the ceremony is PERFECT!!! (And I love the beach shots!)
[October 23, 2009] J.Vallecorsa said:
I'm such a sucker for the detail shots, and you captured them perfectly! I love the sequence of them both getting ready. Very nice job!
[October 25, 2009] Irene Frankhouse said:
Wow!! Really stunning work!
[October 28, 2009] Jory Cordy said:
DUDE!!! That shoe shot is siick. If you had to choose a pair of Zuriick shoes which ones would you pick?
[November 1, 2009] Maximilian Motel said:
Beautiful pictures. Especially the detail shots are killer! xD
[November 7, 2009] ProImage Weddings said:
Very classy, sharp, beautiful work!
[January 12, 2010] Jerry- Chicago Wedding Photographer said:
Great collage at the end!
[February 3, 2010] Robert J. Trenske said:
What an amazing venue and the details are really out of this world gorgeous!

I was going through my images today and came across a wedding I shot a few months ago. In May, I went with my friend, Travis, to Aruba. What an incredible place. If it weren't for the humidity, I'd pack up and move tomorrow.

I was thumbing through a past issue of Grace Ormonde a few days ago and noticed that my good friend and dad to new twins, Mike Colon, shot Timbaland's wedding on the same beach on Renaissance Island. Small world.

Anyway here are a few shots from the wedding.

How amazing is this place? We had a little free time and took a few personal pics too. Not a ton though as we spent most of the time swimming in the most incredible water I've ever seen.

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[September 22, 2009] Dennis Bullock said:
These are so fantastic....I can just smell the salty air.
[September 22, 2009] Eliza Lewis said:
I have always loved seeing pics of Aruba. You did a great job with their wedding! That water is truly unbelievable!!
[September 22, 2009] jenberry said:
i CRAVE that reverse hammock shot. I want one just like it of my husband and i. amazing. as usual you make me jealous. gorgeous.
[September 22, 2009] megan welker said:
you are on a blogging frrrrenzy! and i love it! these photos are absolutely stunning!
[September 23, 2009] Kayla said:
These are beautiful! Love them!
[September 23, 2009] Bri Stine said:
You are on a blog roll... and I love it! Looks like you've got some good experience in Caribbean weddings! ;)
[February 1, 2010] Dorie said:
Love the last one of the couple on the hammock. Lovely

Karin and Dan got married at Descanso Gardens. I love outdoor ceremonies and this is one of my favorite locations. The wedding site is positioned perfectly for beautiful backlit ceremonies.

Here are some images from their day.

They chose to see each other before their wedding so we were able to get most of the portraits done before the ceremony.

Of course after the ceremony we had some amazing light so I stole them away before heading off to the reception!

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[September 20, 2009] Leslie B said:
Great shots, I love love love the flowers in this wedding, great job catching them in all their brightness!
[September 20, 2009] BEN + LAURA said:
awesomeness!!! you are soooo talented ... you definitely create timeless imagery that your clients will love forever!!
[September 20, 2009] Johnny Five said:
These are amazing! Do you ever have to shoot in bad light?! Everything you post is in the best light ever. Love that last one!
[September 21, 2009] Liz Kausteklis said:
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!
[September 21, 2009] brad peters said:
beautiful images, Michael. Thanks for posting. I especially like the first ones in the grove of trees. what lens did you use?
[September 21, 2009] brad peters said:
beautiful images, Michael. Thanks for posting. I especially like the first ones in the grove of trees. what lens did you use?

Last month I shot Terry and Bernice's wedding at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. That place is so amazing. I think I could shoot there every weekend and be happy... at least for a few months.

I shot some film that day and recently got it back from the lab and wanted to share it. There's nothing like medium format Fuji Pro400h. Love it..

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[September 16, 2009] andrea blair said:
I adore these, so very lovely!
[September 17, 2009] connieMchung said:
these are gorgeous. the colors are absolutely beautiful.
[September 17, 2009] Edmund Prieto said:
Great job man, these look amazing!
[September 27, 2009] Chelsey said:
Love these pictures! You really captured the feeling of the day!
[September 30, 2009] Mary Kate Walton said:
Bernice- you look so happy. What a beautiful bride you made! May God grant you many years of happiness together and send you many blessings!
[October 22, 2009] Monika manowska said:
Hello... I found your blog on Beckers :-) ... and I wanted to say, I love your work... especially this film session, wow the colors are amazing... Lots of hugs from Spain... :-)
[November 19, 2009] katealtmix said:
i am in LOVE with your portraits. you always nail them and they're so clean and crisp!

Jeff and Kelly were married a few weeks ago. Their amazing reception was held at the incredible Rancho Las Lomas, one of my favorite venues. Carolyn Chen did an incredible job coordinating as usual. I love working with her, I never have to worry about a thing.

Here are some favorites.

I've shot at Ranch Las Lomas several times and I've never seen this staircase. I love finding new spots at familiar venues.

Details, details.

I love these moments during the toasts.

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[September 10, 2009] Emilie said:
Oh wow!! It's gorgeous!! what a beautiful couple!! Your photos are stunning!!
[September 10, 2009] chipgillespie said:
Very nice, friend. Love the color!
[September 10, 2009] tim tabailloux said:
nice... I'm diggin' the backlit portraits... cool location too!
[September 10, 2009] Gavin Wade said:
Nice! Rancho Las Lomas is one of my favorite venues as well! Awesome images Mike! :)
[September 10, 2009] daniel said:
Michael....you were correct, that is the stairway to "heaven." That series is amazing!!~
[September 11, 2009] jeret slack said:
WOW.. This couple is amazing awesome stuff man
[September 11, 2009] Kayla said:
These are totally gorgeous!
[September 13, 2009] jen rogers said:
lOvE the colors and the lighting is to die for!!! amazing work! ;0)

I shot Michelle and Jack's awesome wedding a few weeks ago and I finally got some time to get it up on the blog. I love this couple. They were so great to work with and so in love... which always makes my job easy!

Here are a bunch of favorites from their wedding at Oak Creek Golf Club.


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[September 2, 2009] tim tabailloux said:
great stuff man... as usual - top notch! thanks for posting... keep it coming!
[September 3, 2009] Mali Workman said:
Beautiful images, Michael! I love your work!
[September 5, 2009] Jessica Pressley said:
Wowzers, these are beautiful!
[September 8, 2009] Brandon G. said:
The red doors and the details. Love 'em! Thank you for inspiring us to focus on the details!
[September 9, 2009] Drew Renner said:
Hey Mike, as always I love the pics. I was waiting for the post for a few weeks itching to see them. It was a blast working with you and Edmund!
[September 10, 2009] Jenny Sun said:
those location shots are stunning. LOVE em :)
[September 14, 2009] Eliza Lewis said:
I love your work. This wedding was especially stunning.
[September 20, 2009] Johnny Five said:
BOOOOOOM. That was the sound of you blowing it out of the water! You killed it on this one!

...well, a month after, but who's keeping track?

I was working on these images today and wanted to post a few. I just love this location. It was so fun to have a bride and groom to shoot here. And its right by my house which makes it even better!

I love this couple. Check out their awesome wedding a few posts down!




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Lauren and Kyle had an AMAZING wedding at the Nixon Library. Square Root handled the florals and did an incredible job and the fabulous Kerrie Underhill coordinated. I love working with Kerrie. I always know things will go smoothly when she's around!

Here are a bunch of my favorites from their day!

The amazing bouquet by Square Root:

I love this shot of Lauren's mom looking on as she finishes getting ready.

More of Square Root's beautiful work!

This guy stepped right into the aisle in front of me... I had to throw an elbow to get him out of my shot, haha!

Kyle's grandparents... pretty much the cutest couple I've ever seen!

We had such amazing light that afternoon!

Amazing reception details...

The radical sweetheart table.

Finally, a sweet shot after the cake cutting.

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[June 26, 2009] Lauren Egkan said:
I can not thank you enough Michael! I am in awe of your talent for photography... Kyle and I love each and every picture so much and are so happy and blessed that You and Shawn were able to capture each of these moments so perfectly; you brought them back to life and take us back to what an amazing celebration we had. You were such a joy to work with and made our Engagement Photo Session and our Wedding so enjoyable (it was important to me that Kyle & I feel comfortable letting loose in front of our photographer - your not only a great photog, but also a pretty cool dude to boot;)!! This just being only a few of the shots you took, I can only imagine what the rest of the pictures will be like - Thanks again for sharing your talent with us, God Bless!
[June 28, 2009] andy said:
love the grandparents.
[June 28, 2009] Dennis Bullock said:
Fantastic work Michael!
[July 6, 2009] ashley said:
Gorgeous wedding Michael! The details are just amazing.
[July 6, 2009] Bethany Murphy said:
Awesome and breathtaking work! LOVE them all!
[July 7, 2009] Amy Russell said:
Absolutely gorgeous work, as always, Michael!
[July 7, 2009] Mollie said:
I am in love with how clean and raw your images look. Beautiful!
[July 22, 2009] steelman said:
As always Michael, you rocked it! Great images...
[September 15, 2009] Megan Zeller Photography said:
Beautiful detail shots.