Los Angeles Wedding Photographer - Polka Photos Photo Blog: Wedding Photography, Photojournalism, candid photos

Happy Halloween!

Hollywood, California

Never know who or what you may come across when strolling through Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Have a wonderfully chilly Halloween!

'Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world.
- William Shakespeare

Guitar Hero

Las Vegas, Nevada

Meet Jayme and Joe. Jayme wanted a wreck the dress session incorporating Joe's guitar. She also wanted her photos to look dark and mysterious. We decided to go to an old cemetery for the shoot.

I toned some of the photos to look like prints made from film. I even burned the corners here just like I used to do in the darkroom.

I'm not sure which photo looks creepier.

I think this one is probably the creepiest bridal photo.

It was pretty hard to get Jayme looking like an extra from a horror movie. First of all, she's super cute. And when I asked her to be serious, she burst out laughing.

The perfect place for a fall serenade. And look at that light! The sun works its magic.

Joe's guitar case is shaped like a coffin. It's even lined in red velvet!

What's Jayme doing with that guitar?

Don't let her smile fool you!

And down he goes!

R.I.P.

And now they kiss & make-up!

Thank you guys for a super fun time! We'll definitely let you know next time we're in town!

Labels: Las Vegas, The Day After

Reflections on Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

We're back from our shoot in Sin City! Las Vegas Boulevard is one big fantasy, reflecting a vision of glitz and glamour and gold, or in this case reflecting Mike and me.

I love the aquarium in Caesars Palace. Only the statue's head is swimming with the fishes, everything else is just a reflection in the glass.

Reflections are fun, but not always desirable in a photograph. I didn't want anything detracting from these colorful fish.

Here's the view from the hotel window.

I could have turned the lights off inside to lose the reflection, but I decided to take a photo through the sheer curtain instead for a different look.

Here's the mirror again from the first photo. You could say this post has come full circle. I know my friend Melody would enjoy the pun.

Labels: Las Vegas, night, travel photography

Trash the Bridesmaid...

Playa del Rey, California

I love The Day After portrait sessions as a chance to capture some unique, even crazy photos. These are usually reserved for brides or newlyweds. But what about the bridesmaids? Here's one bridesmaid happy to trash her dress. This is my sister Alicja, who's been a bridesmaid more than once. She recently visited me in California and we decided to wreck her dress on the beach!

My focus when shooting a wedding is to document the event and stay in the background as much as possible. With these sessions, the brides, grooms and bridesmaids get to be models for the day.

We were losing sunlight but we had a lot of wind as Alicja danced with her wrap.

I love how the colors of the sunset complement her lavender dress.

Another reason I love these sessions is because they give me a chance to experiment and try new techniques. Some photos are more stylized, others are more classic.

Alicja braved the waves for more photos. She reminds me of a young Sophia Loren and I wanted to give some of the photos a nostalgic, vintage feel.

One of the only photo requests Alicja had was to make a cape out of her wrap. Here she is - SuperWoman!

I love this photo!!!

Michael assisted and also captured this image.

And here's the lovely assistant himself...

Labels: portraits, The Day After

Fast Eddie

Playa del Rey, California

We had a wonderful time today with our friends Kim, Liz, Joel and Eddie from San Diego. We've seen Eddie grow from a little baby with big cheeks and bigger smiles to an articulate and funny three-year-old who loves the beach.

He's super fast!

and silly

I love this photo of Eddie with his dad.

"Happiness is time spent with a Friend and looking forward to sharing time with them again."

- Lee Wilkinson

Labels: beach

By the Light of the Moon

Playa del Rey, California

Tonight Michael and I went on a "Full Moon Tour at the Wetlands" led by Ballona Institute's Roy van de Hoek. Did you know tonight was the Hunter's Moon, probably so named because the full moon is so bright that hunters can continue tracking their prey into the night. Each full moon of the year has a different name.

We heard a few different bird calls and compared them to a bird book that played audio clips of different birds. Here tour guide Roy is trying to find the song of the killdeer.

This is the Del Rey Lagoon. We saw raccoons, ducks, geese and coots. We also woke up a heron sleeping in an Indian fig tree.

Thank you Roy & Marcia for a fun and informative tour. We hope to see you soon on another tour!

Labels: night

Graceful

Playa del Rey, California

Grace saw some of my wedding photos and asked if I could take headshots for her performance posters. She met me at my studio (the first client to see it!) and we walked around Playa looking for shady spots to shoot. This green wall fit the bill.

Grace is gorgeous! I love love love her hair!

We shot this one indoors.

Thought I'd try something different with one of the photos. What do you think?

Labels: portraits

A Perfect Match

Palos Verdes, California

Rob and Michelle were married on the anniversary of their first date, which fell on a weekday. The following Saturday they held their wedding reception at the beautiful Palos Verdes Country Club. I love all the red.