Engagement session for Suzanne and Chris

Photographing the engagement session of Suzanne and Chris was a lot of fun, we met in the city of San Dimas. Suzanne and Chris are going to celebrate their wedding in November. The reception will take place at the
Doubletree Hotel in the city of Claremont. Suzanne is using some of the images from this engagement session as "Save the date"; how fun is that!! Thank you guys for a wonderful afternoon.. I want to especially thank Elena for the referral!!
Some of my favorite images..

Alliance of the Arts at Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village

A few days ago I had the opportunity to be invited by my friend Mark Brandes to photograph the annual event. The Angels of the Alliance present a luncheon each year which is enjoyed by over 500 guests. The luncheon features shopping at over 50 boutiques, a delectable lunch and of course, the table decorating contests, which highlight the event. Independent professional judges bestow awards in several decor categories. Proceeds from the event support the Alliance for the Arts children and youth programming efforts. This time I was very excited because it was being held in one of favorite places, The Four Seasons hotel in Westlake Village, one of the best hotels in Ventura County .
Some of my favorite images of the day.

Love the decor...

Engagement session in Long Beach

Hello my friends. Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the engagement session of Claudia and Ian. Their wedding will take place in July, I am looking forward to photographing this event. We met at their home in Long Beach, then together we drove to the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at the California State University, Long Beach; great place. The engagement session almost got cancelled because we thought it was going to rain; but I was wrong, the sun came out to it's fullest. After shooting for a while in the Japanese Garden, Ian and Claudia felt a bit hungry. They invited me to have lunch with them, so we all drove to a sushi place with very yummy food. Thank you guys!! Right after we had lunch, we walked some more the streets and looked for more locations to photograph. Their wedding will take place at the Long Beach Petroleum Club next month.
Some of my favorite images of the day.

My very first workshop of the year..

Education has been always very important for me; I'm learning new techniques or just improving what I already know. Being a professional wedding and portrait photographer is more then having a great digital camera. It's way more complex and wonderful! As you know, my very good friend Rodolfo Arpia and my new dear friend Sergio, the photographer from Arizona, team up to give a two day workshop In 100% in Spanish. I have a lot of respect for Rodolfo and Sergio. Each day of the workshop was super long. I am not kidding you; 12 hours a day and it just keep going and going. In the workshop there where nine other photographers, besides me, that attended. They came from Spain, Arizona, Texas and of course California. I was sad when we finished, but happy to gain all this new information that I am using as we speak. I want to thank my dear colleagues, Alma Beltran, Cayupe, Karen Savignon, Miguel Mayo, Rene Miranda, Sergio Angon, Jose Luis Melgar, Jorge Flores and to Antonio Garcia who flew from Spain to be here with all of Us. Special Thanks to Foro de Fotografos for giving me the opportunity to meet such a wonderful people.

~~ Group photo courtesy of Sergio ~~

Photo taken by Rodolfo, do I look happy or what?

One of my best friends Rene

Engagement Session in Malibu

Last Sunday I met Carl and Melissa, here in Simi Valley, to photograph their engagement session. They chose a beautiful outdoor location. While we were hiking at Malibu Lake, into the wild areas of Malibu Lake National Park, we came across real wildlife, which we tried not to disturb. We moved slowly, very slowly, to find another location. After a very nice hike we all drove to the beach to Leo Carrillo State Park. This place was perfect, the fog started to come upon us and it got cold. We finished the session, then drove back home.
Melissa and Carl’s wedding will take place in Burbank at the Castaway..I can’t wait to share this very special moment with them and their family..


Some of my favorites images..

I love Melissa's pose!!


this is one of my favorite images, love is in the air...

Thank you Carl and Melissa for spending a wonderful afternoon with me...

Wedding at the River Gardens in Los Angeles

Love my clients! Last Saturday I had the opportunity of covering the wedding of Samson and Sylvia, a very sweet couple. The wedding was very traditional and I love Sylvia’s family and the fact that she is one of twelve children. Before leaving for church, Mom and Dad gave the blessings to her daughter, a very Mexican tradition. The ceremony took place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Los Angeles. Sylvia works at this church which is one hundred years old. Then Mariachi time! The reception took place at the River Gardens, which is located in Los Angeles too. I really love this venue because it is like going back in time. It looks as if I were back in my hometown. Sylvia’s brother and sisters had prepared some folkloric dances to entertain the guests while we took photos of the new husband and wife. Thanks to my buddy, John, for this referral. Some images of the day.

This is when the parents give the blessing before leaving the house.

Love this images of Miguel's great angle..








This is Samson's new family, Sylvia's brothers and sisters..

Thank you Miguel for Helping me to create beautiful images...

Chris and Elena's Wedding in Santa barbara

This past Saturday Chris and Elena tied the knot in Santa Barbara. The day started well; it happened to be Memorial Day weekend. It was a good time to photograph a wedding in Santa Barbara. I have always wanted to be part of a wedding like this one. The family, the most important people to Elena and Chris, were invited and were part of the celebration. I felt so good all day, Elena looked preciosa! I arrived at the Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort located in Santa Barbara, and as I was looking for the room, I saw many brides getting married. It is a great hotel. After everyone gathered, we all rode a trolley that they had rented for the occasion. I had so much fun! Then we all arrived at the beautiful Court House in Santa Barbara, the place for wedding photography and the place where Chris and Elena got married. Then we all jumped in the trolley again and had a wonderful time at Stella Mare’s French Country Cuisine. Then the tequila shots started. I want to thank everyone for making me feel like a guest!!

Some of my favorites of the night.





I love this image that David took!






David took this shot at the right time to catch this moment, lots of love...

Thank you David for always being willing to help me out!!

Wedding of Tiffany and Douglas at the Elk Lodge

The day was warm and windy; last Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Tiffany and Douglas in Simi Valley. The ceremony took place at her mother’s residence in Thousand Oaks. Tiffany looked like a goddess with her blond, long hair. I cannot say less about Douglas; he looked like the prince from a fairy tale, Tiffany’s fairy tale.
The bridge that Tiffany walked down was built specifically for the occasion. Her daddy’s friend built it for her just like her daddy would have if he were alive.
During the ceremony we had a harpist playing sweet melodies. Then, right after, they drove to Simi Valley to meet everyone at the Elks Lodge where the reception took place.

Right at this moment her uncle handed her a very special note... very special!



Love this view from Rene's camera..



Special thanks to all the vendors who made this possible..

Perfect Cakeable
Tuneful productions
Susan Kanin Ceremony Harpist
Michael's Flowers

Thanks to my buddy Rene for helping me and always looking out for me.. ; )

Wedding at the Wedgewood in Ventura

On Saturday I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Ryan Kirk and Brittiany Molloy, now Mrs. Kirk.
I really enjoyed working at the Wedgewood; the staff was very helpful. Brittiany and Ryan had planned their wedding for 3 years; it sure was perfect!! The wedding ring that Brittiany put on Ryan’s finger was from Grandpa who passed away some time before the wedding. He was well missed!
Brittiany looked beautiful. Her dress, hair and makeup were just perfect. Thanks to Angelina for making every one look their best.
The night arrived and everyone danced the night away. I would like to take a moment and thank the catering sales directors Elaine and Sarah for all of your help!!

Love this lighting...



Thanks to Roger Taylor and David for all your help!!!

Engagement Session at the Botanical Gardens

On Sunday, I met Tiffany and Douglas for their engagement session at the Botanical Gardens in Thousand Oaks. It is a great place if you like to garden and to be close to Mother Nature. When I met Tiffany, we talked and talked. We clicked instantly. She is so easy to talk to. If you need a wonderful masseuse, she would be the one to call. I can’t wait to photograph her wedding; it’s going to be a fantastic event. She and Douglas have worked on many of the details. I can’t wait to see the results. Some of my favorite images…

Thank you so much for stopping by my bloggito!

Wedding Photojournalist Association new member..Me!

Hello my friends. I am so happy to inform you that I got accepted to this wonderful association, the WPJA.
I am very happy and would love to share this information with all of you, my dear friends. If you are wondering what that information is, well I took some paragraphs from the WPJA website that explains in better words what the heck this is. So here it goes: "The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography". there! Now here is more information, this is very important:
"The Wedding Photojournalist Association grants membership to the most talented professional wedding photographers in the industry--photographers who focus solely on using their photography skills in documenting weddings." Yeah! I just love that!!!

Engagements session of Chris and Elena in Pasadena

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Elena and Chris for the very first time. Last year when Elena contacted me, she wanted me as her wedding photographer and she hired me the first time that we talked. When I met them, I felt as if I had always known them. It was great to finally hug them in person. I always sign my e-mails with “hugs, Gloria”. Her wedding will take place in beautiful Santa Barbara, the best place to get married and of course, she will have the best photographer in Ventura County…Me! ;) We met in beautiful Pasadena city hall and then the Old Town Pasadena strolling the streets together. Here are some images of the day…

Guys, I had a blast!