Love.

(An overview)

With a candid approach and a cinematic eye, I shoot slow(-ish) weddings and elopements for mindful couples who want to live in the moment and look back on a delicate, joy-filled, and true document of their experience.

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My journey here started in 2017. I was driving my dusty ‘00 Rav4 through the dry Nevada desert one afternoon, headed back home to Los Angeles, when I received the (literal) call. My friend Roy said he knew a couple that needed their wedding shot the next week. They were both creatives who didn’t want a traditional wedding photographer—they wanted someone with a graphic eye they could trust. Even though they had been together for years, the bride-to-be’s visa was set to expire as she was on the verge of being deported to South Africa. The night before, I was so nervous in an excited kind of way. Up until that point, I had only shot film and I remember quickly scrambling to learn how to shoot digital for this one day, not to mention memorizing all the parts of a wedding (why are there so many!?).

The big day came and went in a frenzied flash. We rushed from the intimate ceremony in Koreatown to the portrait session at Union Station, where we climbed a fence into a restricted area to get the “sunset” shot. Once we had it, we made our way back running through the busy crowds of onlookers and laughing uncontrollably as if we were reenacting a scene out of a French New Wave film. And then suddenly, we stopped—time expanded just like in the movies. The couple, feeling the emotions of their day catch up to them, began to slow dance among the strangers as if they were the only two people left on earth and I softly pressed down on the shutter. (click*click)

Weeks later, I dropped off their pictures in person and thanked them for sharing their lives with me, even if for a day. What I didn’t know then, was how much I would truly love the experience, and ultimately, how much joy I could bring a couple by being there for them when they needed it most. Contrary to what you see in the movies or on Instagram, weddings aren’t always “perfect”, and they certainly are not all the same. There are moments for pause, moments for laughter, moments for rest. Understanding this early on made me realize what moments were really worth capturing, the ones worth observing and letting things unfold on their own.

Like the couples I’ve come to shoot, I prefer things when they’re a little imperfect, a little out of place, a little rebellious, a little dusty, and a little off-balance. I also want them to enjoy in the company of close-friends, families, and onlookers that come together for this once in a lifetime celebration—I believe that’s so important for them to experience this abundance of emotion without me getting in the way.

If this resonates with you, write me a message below and tell me what kind of day you have in mind. Likewise, I’m always down to meet up for a coffee and hear about what makes your connection so special.