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

Do You Know the Way To San Jose?

San Jose, California

We met Katrina and Jeremy for an engagement portrait session.

The couple first met at The Cheesecake Factory, where they both worked.

Katrina and Jeremy are super cute together.

They weren't sure of how to pose but once we started shooting they were naturals!

I love Katrina's ring!

We found this cool old door...

and a funky spiky tree!

Thank you Katrina & Jeremy for a fun shoot!

Labels: engagement, San Jose

And the Sun Shines on the Bay

San Francisco, California

We met the adorable Melissa & Ryan for an engagement session at the Presidio.

We started out at the Palace of Fine Arts. I love these doors on the Exploratorium building.

The Palace of Fine Arts is undergoing construction but that didn't stop us from finding a few great locations.

The sun came out...

We headed over to Baker Beach for some more photos. Melissa and Ryan love hiking and spend many of their weekends either surrounded by trees or on the beach. This place has both.

Ryan is a firefighter and he effortlessly put Melissa over his shoulder.

I wanted to give this photo the look of an old postcard.

That is one sexy couple!

I love all the different looks and backgrounds we were able to capture in one session.

Thank you Melissa and Ryan for a fun shoot! We can't wait for your wedding next June!

Labels: engagement, San Francisco

Polka Photos Wins Accolade of Excellence!

Santa Monica, California

I decided to enter some prints in the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) 8 X 10 Competition. This was my first time entering and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Today I received an email that one of my prints won the Accolade of Excellence!

From the accompanying press release:

"Aleks Bienkowska of Playa Del Rey, CA, has received special honors in the WEDDING & PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS INTERNATIONAL (WPPI) 2008 WPPI 8 x 10 1st Half Print Competition. Designed to recognize outstanding photographers, the judging was held in Santa Monica, CA on June, 2008.

"Sea of Love" received an Accolade of Excellence in the Engagement category.

Bienkowska competed against an international field of photographers to win such honors.

The 2008 competition included 932 prints in 18 different categories submitted by photographers from all over the world. "

And here's the winning photo of Selina and Steve:

Labels: engagement, photo contest, Shameless Self-Promotion

California Girls

Malibu, California

We met Tiffany and Jill for an engagement portrait session at Paradise Cove. There were tons of people around but we found a few secluded areas, including this sign.

We took more photos above the beach before heading down to the sand.

Under the boardwalk, down by the sea....

Tiffany and Jill will be taking the plunge in just a few weeks!

Labels: beach, engagement, Malibu

Sail Away!

Newport Beach, California

Leah and Oscar wanted to do something different for their engagement session. Since they loved the water they decided to have their photos taken on a sailboat.

Leah was as comfortable walking around the moving boat as on land. Not too much a surprise since she was on the sailing team in high school and even taught sailing to kids one summer. Oscar got his sea legs pretty quick, too.

I on the other hand kept thinking I'd end up overboard at some point. But I love a challenge - especially when it involves a new photo adventure!

We couldn't have had a better day. Calm waters and the bluest of skies.

This reminds me of the old Nautica perfume ads.

Leah wore a silver starfish necklace.

Time to head back to the dock.

"Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder, dear,
Your head like the golden-rod,
And we will go sailing away from here
To the beautiful land of Nod"
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Thank you Leah and Oscar for a great time! We'll see you in a few weeks for your wedding!!!

And many thanks to their friend Laura and her parents who took us out on their boat.

Labels: boat, California, engagement, Newport Beach, Orange County

Beach Engagement Session

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Before their wedding, I shot a quick beach engagement portrait session with Selina and Steve. The bride and groom were real troupers. We found a cool palm tree and Steve walked in his bare feet over all sorts of spiny needles.

All was going well when out of the corner of my eye I see a hotel employee approaching us.... with a shotgun. Since it wasn't pointing at any of us, I took a few more photos as quickly as I could in case we were about to get kicked out. As the man approached I started speaking to him in the best Spanish I could muster. Knowing more than one language always comes in handy! After explaining to him who we were and what we were doing he let us finish taking photos and even posed for a photo - without his shotgun though.

We decided to take some photos in the water using my new underwater housing. We took quite a beating from the waves but out of it came my favorite photo from the shoot.

Labels: beach, Dominican Republic, engagement, Punta Cana

Sandy Paws...

On our drive back from the Bay we met Kim and Ryan for lunch at Cilantro's (yummy!) and a beach engagement portrait session. Their beautiful Pit mix Gixer joined us.

Gixer was the perfect canine model. Kim and Ryan have been taking him to obedience classes and he was very well-behaved...

although a bit distracted...

but he still sat patiently...

probably wondering what his parents were doing...

instead of running with him on the beach.

Thank you guys for a great lunch and a fun shoot! We'll see you in Yosemite!

Labels: beach, dog, engagement, woof

I Left My Heart In...

San Francisco! Michael and I drove up to Frisco for an engagement portrait session with Phuong and Joe, which was more like a tour of the top ten things to see in San Fran. We had so much fun spending a whole afternoon with them and can't wait for their wedding in October. Here are some of the highlights:

We started out at the Legion of Honor with its gorgeous columns.

The Legion of Honor sits on top of a hill with views of the city, the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.

From there we drove to Golden Gate Park, where many scenes from the movie The Wedding Planner were shot.

I had fun playing with the rays of sun peering through the trees.

We passed on the Japanese Tea Garden - too busy - but stopped in front of a set of huge wooden doors to get these shots.

Next stop was the Palace of Fine Arts with even taller columns than the Legion. The light was beautiful.

We took advantage of the last minutes before sunset with a portrait on Baker Beach with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Then we took some less serious photos.

And we ended the day on a romantic note on the other side of the bridge.

Phuong left her heart in San Francisco, too. Not sure exactly how my camera captured it, but this "heart" was made by the sunset reflecting on my lens - no effects were added in Photoshop.

Thank you Joe for driving and Phuong for navigating down the one-ways and closed streets. We had a blast with you guys!

Labels: California, engagement, San Francisco

Nicole & Justin

Oxnard, California
Thank you Nicole and Justin for a great photo session! Nicole and Justin chose their favorite place for an engagement session: the beach. And they brought their cute Boxer puppy Ranger with them! Ranger was a natural - and the most patient dog I've ever photographed. I added some of their photos under engagement portraits on my portfolio page but here's a few more that I liked. Can't wait for the wedding in September!