DeRemus Photography | Pasadena Portrait & Wedding Photographer - Los Angeles Orange County » weddings

wedding photography engagement session Pasadena

DeRemus — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:34:52 +0000

For this engagement session in Pasadena, we were very fortunate to have access to this beautiful and stylish location, and it is fitting, as their wedding photography will feature them at the historic San Gabriel Mission and Pasadena’s Castle Green Hotel.

As you can see, we set out to have a good time, and we got to the good stuff (having fun) right away. I find photographing couples for engagement sessions to usually be really easy to do as there is almost always a certain amount of emotion that I can tap into.

Although the majority of the photography in all the engagement sessions I do primarily focuses on and features the two as a couple, I also spend some time working with each person individually. By working with each person on a one-to-one basis, I can get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses (speaking in photogenic terms only here), how serious or playful they can be, and what they may or may not respond to. This, of course, gives us a great advantage for doing their wedding photography on their wedding day.

Doing an engagement session in an urban setting can be every bit as aesthetically pleasing as working in a natural environment. It is especially rewarding when you have a great location such as this with pleasing architecture, a classic look, and a number of different settings to work with.

Watch for a future post on this couple which will feature photography from their wedding ceremony at the San Gabriel Mission and reception at the Castle Green Hotel in Old Town Pasadena.

To see more of my wedding, engagement session and portrait photography, please visit www.deremus.com. I specialize in wedding, portrait and fine art. I am available for travel and do destination weddings to just about anywhere.

You might also enjoy seeing other engagement sessions or more of my work as a wedding photographer at DeRemus-Photography -In-Motion.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

And I’ll leave you with this final image featuring a very happy couple and our beautiful Southern California sunset afterglow…

wedding photography engagement session Los Angeles

DeRemus — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:47:23 +0000

A quick post from my most recent engagement session in a small wooded area in Los Angeles, only minutes away from Pasadena.

This was a fun session with a lively couple on a somewhat cold Southern California day. Yet we managed to have a good time, and we walked away with a lot of good images.

This image is an example of one of my favorite shooting styles, which is controlled candid. It is a great way to capture non-posed and candid moments, yet I have the advantage of selecting my background and predefining my composition. It is a style that the majority of my clients respond well to. This type of photography, blended together with inter-active posed and posed, are some of the elements of my style of photographing weddings, engagement sessions and even a family portrait session, and is referred to as photo-fusion.

Another item I like about this image is the background. It was early winter, so we have leaves both still in the trees and fallen on the ground adding additional depth, dimension and highlights. And on a side note, I think it’s a good thing that the City of Los Angeles has at least some areas which have been left to nature, and I support efforts of groups such as Tree People Los Angeles to plant more.

To read more about my styles for wedding and engagement session photography, please visit my html website, www.deremus.com. And from that page, you can also connect to my flash website to see my much larger wedding, engagement session, and portrait photography galleries.

To see a slide-show video of a different engagement session click here.

David DeRemus is a Pasadena based wedding, portrait and fine art photographer offering service to the San Gabriel Valley, the City and County of Los Angeles, Orange County and Southern California and is available for destination weddings worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

wedding photography Langham Huntington Pasadena

DeRemus — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:03:56 +0000

This wedding ceremony was in the Horseshoe Gardens at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. To view more of my wedding photography coverage of this event other than the wedding ceremony featured on this post, please check out my slide-show video of this event at Wedding at the Langham Hotel.

The bride is often led in by a brother or uncle, where the groom waits with the bride’s parents. The bride’s parents offer their daughter in marriage in a ritual called kanyadan.

Indian marriages are known for their lavish and vibrant look, but in reality there is much more than just the gloss and glamour in an Indian wedding ceremony. In fact, the Indian wedding ceremonies are the most ritualistic and serious of affair than any other kind of marriage performed anywhere else in the world, and it is considered as a soulful affair of the merger of two souls.

Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted at least partially in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. This Hindu Priest was also fluent in English and translated the complete ceremony and the meanings of each ritual he performed into English.

In most Hindu weddings, the ceremony is held on a small, usually covered stage, known as mandap. This couple decided against the covering so that the guests could see and enjoy the ceremony, and they also felt the backdrop of the Langham Hotel was sufficient enough. It also allowed me to get better unobstructed wedding photography coverage.

After the initial exchange of garlands by the bride and groom, the bride and groom are next seated in front of a holy fire, or agni, as a priest recites various mantras from the Holy Scriptures. In Hinduism, fire is regarded as a purifier and a sustainer of life. In a ritual called Mangal Fera, the couple offer prayers to the fire, which represents God serving as the couple’s witness as the two are joined in marriage. Prayers are offered by placing honey, rice, and flowers in the flame. In this ceremony the sashes worn by the bride and groom are tied together for the bride and groom walk around the fire seven times; each time around the fire, a symbol of the four ashrams of life, praying and exchanging vows of duty, love, fidelity, and respect.

The rituals performed at an Indian ceremony vary greatly depending on what area of Indian they originate from. This ceremony was predominately based on traditions of Northern India, and one of the most cherished and symbolic tradition is the placing of the toe ring on the bride by the groom.

Brides typically dress in colorful saris and are painted in elaborate mendhi or henna designs covering her hands and feet before the ceremonies begin. It is said that the darker and bolder that the Henna becomes shows the deep love that she will hold for her husband. The groom is dressed in a sherwani (long jacket) and ‘churidars’ (fitted trousers).

And one of the final rituals performed in this ceremony was the application of the ceremonial Tilaka on the bride’s forehead by the groom to indicate her marital status.

It is worth mentioning that according to Indian tradition, in a Hindu wedding, the bride and groom marry each other and the priest only assists with the Mantra.

Te santu jard—istayah sampriyau royisnu sumansyamanau
Pasyema sharadah shatam jivema sharadah shatam shrunuyam shardah shatam
“We should be able to live a graceful life that is full of mutual love and warmth. Our sentiments should be auspicious.
We should be able to see for a hundred years, live a healthy life of a hundred years and listen the music of spring for a hundred years.”

To view more of my wedding photography coverage of this event, including pre-ceremony work and the reception, please check out my slide-show video of this event on DeRemus-Photography-In-Motion.

Their reception was in The Georgian Ballroom.

The Langham Hotel in Pasadena is located at 1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue and is set on 23 lush acres overlooking the immaculate suburbs of San Marino.

To see more of my work, please visit deremus.com.

DeRemus Photography is an award winning photographer who specializes in wedding, portrait and fine art and is available for travel throughout Southern CA and for destination weddings worldwide.

All images are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

engagement session wedding photography

DeRemus — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:30:48 +0000

Some days are truly blessed… For instance the day I photographed this couple’s engagement session in Monrovia*. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect or the location more ideal. And this couple, Jennifer and Dylan were both very upbeat and relaxed and they both took direction exceptionally well.

Photographing an engagement session is typically a lot different that doing the same couple’s wedding photography in the sense that, I have the couples undivided attention and we have more time devoted just to creating photographic images.

When I photograph an engagement session my preferred style is to combine a certain amount of posed work, with a usually much larger amount of inter-active posed, and also a lot of controlled candid or “faux-tojournalism.” You will see examples of each of the mentioned styles in these few images. I use this same style of blending different types of photography when I am photographing weddings. Although when I doing wedding photography, I include at least two other styles as well. For more about my style of photographing weddings, please visit my html website: deremus.com. Or, if you haven’t been there already, check out My Style as a Wedding Photographer.

While most of the photography in an engagement session is devoted to the couple, I also work with each person individually. This not only gives them images which can be used in my totally unique, custom designed and fully retouched guest sign-in albums, it also gives us a chance to work with each other on a one-on-one basis.

And the more experience we have working together, both individually and as a couple prior to their wedding day, the easier it is to quickly create those beautiful images of the two of them on their wedding day.

Oh yeah… another thing I personally like to do and, I also encourage my clients to do, both at their engagement session and for their wedding photography, is to HAVE FUN!

To see more images for this engagement session, please check out my animated video slide-show: On-location engagement session in Monrovia, CA.

To see more of my engagement session photography, please visit my main photo galleries on my flash website: deremus.com.

Pasadena-based DeRemus Photography specializes in Wedding, Portrait and Fine Art and is available for destination weddings worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

*Monrovia is a small and beautiful foothill community in the Pasadena area. Monrovia is the fourth oldest general law city in Los Angeles County and the L.A. Basin (after Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena). Incorporated in 1887, Monrovia has grown from a sparse community of orange ranches to a residential community of 37,000. People traveling between Los Angeles and San Bernardino traveled “via Monroe’s Ranch,” hence the name.

wedding photography at Calamigos Ranch Malibu/Los Angeles

DeRemus — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:28:19 +0000

This is Melissa and Michael and their wedding was an October event held at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. CA.

To see more of my wedding photography coverage from this event (over 100 more pictures actually) in an animated video please check out this wedding video from photography stills at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, CA.

This first image shown was a quickly done photograph taken just minutes after the ceremony on one of the several wooden bridges you find at the Calamigos Ranch.

Of course we began the photography much earlier in the day with ready shots of both the bride and the groom.

My wedding photography coverage always includes a fusion (or mixture) of photojournalism, editorial and posed. And whenever I mention the word “posed”, I feel I must add that we can do as little or as much as you like. And although this couple had a lot of requests for posed work of both their rather large wedding party and their families, they were such a fun couple that when it was all said and done, I still had many more candid, photojournalistic images than posed.

The image below on the right, might be on of my favorites of the day. It is the bride’s father and brother as they see her for the first time in her gown. It just goes to show its not only the women who can get a little choked up…

The first look…

A small sampling of portrait work…

Their wedding ceremony was at the very picturesque Garden Patio which features waterfalls at each end and at night the trees and redwood arbor illuminate with strings of lights.

To see more photography of this event (over 100 more pictures actually) in a slide-show format, please click here.

Their reception was in the Calamigos Ranch Main Dining Room which is just a few steps away. One of the room’s most memorable features is the romantic “waterfall”, a curtain of water that descends like a light rain just outside the glass widows of the south wall. To see more room shots from Calamigos Ranch and also the Calamigos Equestrian please go to my wedding reception room shots post.

This was a fun couple and it was a very high energy night with most of the guests on the dance floor for most of the night.

My congratulations to Melissa and Michael. My your life together be blessed with good health and good fortune.

Please visit my DeRemus-Photography-In-Motion blog to see more images from this event.

The Wedding Coordinator for this event was Karin Detweiller of Artistic Weddings.

The florist was Susanne Lawrence of Jardin del Sol Flowers.

The Calamigos Ranch is located on Latigo Caynon Road in Malibu, and is a Los Angeles wedding location and reception site.

To see more of my work and for more information please visit www.deremus.com.

Pasadena-based photographer David DeRemus is available for travel worldwide and specializes in wedding, portrait and fine art photography

engagement session on-location in Los Angeles

DeRemus — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:00:18 +0000

Autumn is a great time of year for on-location portraiture and engagement sessions. The sun is golden and warm and when you add to that the autumn colors, you can have a great backdrop for photography.

This tall and attractive couple with the disarming smiles were both very comfortable in front of the camera, and we very easily got into a photogenic groove.

When doing engagement sessions and portraiture, one of my main objectives is to help whoever is in front of the lens to relax and feel comfortable. With couples this is typically easy as they have each other to play off of and the excitement of their wedding day is beginning to build. The engagement sessions can also be a nice break from their wedding planning and a chance to relax and to have a little fun.

Images from engagement sessions are used for save-the-date-cards, guest sign-in albums, invitations, signature portraits and of course wall portraits and prints. And my fully retouched and custom designed guest sign-in albums are a “you can only get them here” type of item.

To see more pictures from this engagement session, please visit DeRemus-Photography-In-Motion

To read more about my style and see more of my work please visit www.deremus.com.

To go directly to my main galleries (flash required) please visit: www.deremus.com/index.

Pasadena based wedding, portrait and fine art photographer David DeRemus is available for travel worldwide.

Watch for an upcoming post for their wedding in San Marino and their reception at the Altadena Country Club.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

in-home family portraits

DeRemus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:03:04 +0000

These two very happy and very proud parents and their healthy and handsome 3 week old baby boy chose to have their family portrait done in the comfort of their own home. I offer in-home portraiture, done either in the environment of your home bringing in only lighting, or as seen in this session, I bring in a studio backdrop in addition to the studio lighting.

When this couple decided to do a family portrait to commemorate their firstborn child, they naturally thought of me as I was their photographer for their wedding a few years ago.

Their wedding was at the University Club of Pasadena* in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Here are a couple of pictures from their wedding ceremony and reception.

For their first dance, the couple danced to “Dance Me To The End Of Love” performed by Madeleine Peyroux. If you’re familiar with this song, you know it is a bit upbeat. And a song that is this lively, of course, deserves to conclude with a rather big dip…

To see more of my portrait and wedding photography and more for about my photography styles, please visit my website: DeRemus.com. Pasadena based professional photographer, David DeRemus, is available for travel in all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern CA and offers destination wedding photography worldwide.

You can see a room shot of this reception room in the University Club of Pasadena by visiting my earlier post: wedding reception room shots.

All images are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

*The University Club of Pasadena is located at 175 N. Oakland Avenue in Pasadena, CA.

A little history of The University Club of Pasadena.

In 1921 Howard W. Carter was sitting in his dentist’s chair having a tooth drilled, when he conceived of the idea that Pasadena should have a University Club.

“UNIVERSITY CLUB FOR PASADENA IS NOW IN EXISTENCE” HEADLINED THE STAR NEWS ON APRIL 29, 1922.

The first meetings were held in the south end of the second story in the east wing of the Hotel Green Hotel adjacent to the old Santa Fe railroad station.

Few Clubs have been so fortunate in the speakers who have addressed their meetings. These included many illustrious men, but perhaps the most famous was Professor Albert Einstein who addressed the Club membership in 1931. Another prominent member and speaker at the Club was Dr. Albert A. Michelson, who first measured the speed of light and was America’s first Nobel Laureate in science. Another prominent member was Professor Edwin Hubbell, the man who changed the whole world’s concept of the universe.

wedding photography at the Tampa Garden Club

DeRemus — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:42:26 +0000

This is Julia and Bill, and their wedding was at the Tampa Garden Club in Tampa, Florida. For their wedding, they did a BYOP (Bring Your Own Photographer)… which was me. Just goes to show the value of a good referral.

They both have two daughters from previous marriages that made for a very close-knit and lively wedding party.

Before the wedding ceremony began, we did a few pictures of the bride and groom and their girls. The bride looked smashing in her retro, yet modern wedding dress.

The ceremony – short, sweet and peppered with bits of humor, and of course, ended with a kiss.

The girls did a little dance for the recessional they choreographed by themselves.

Another kiss, this one showered with rose pedals.

The Tampa Garden Club was nicely done and beautifully lit for this event. Credits listed below.

The last dance done only as children can do it. I think these two were celebrating their new sisterhood…

A rose pedal send off… Congratulations to Julia and Bill. May your lives together be blessed with happiness and good health.

If you live in the Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg or the Sarasota, Florida areas and you like what you see, call or email to inquire about my special deals for your area.

To see more about my style as a wedding photographer, check out “My Style As A Wedding Photographer“.

You can see more many images from this Tampa Garden Club wedding at my “DeRemus-Photography-In-Motion” blog.

To see more of my wedding photography and more for about my photography styles, please visit my website: “DeRemus.com.”

Wedding Coordinators: Simply Divine Events
Wedding Officiant: Lynne Walker
Caterer: Rita Carlino Catering
Florist: Events in Bloom
Band: Les Sabler
Decorator: Event Design
Cake: Cakes by Caroline
Plant Rental: Plant Directions
Linens: BBJ Linens
Chair Covers: Concept Bait

Photography by Pasadena, CA based, DeRemus Photography.

“DeRemus Photography” is available for travel in all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern CA and offers destination wedding photography worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

wedding photography at The Pasadena Museum of California Art

DeRemus — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:23:58 +0000

This is a wedding with the ceremony and reception happening at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. We had made arrangements to use the grounds of a private facility within walking distance of the museum for the pre-ceremony wedding photography. We were scheduled to start our session with the “first look”, but as the bride was running late with makeup and hair, I started with the groom. (One always has to be flexible in this profession.)

You will be seeing a lot of black and white on this post as I felt it worked best. For those of you who might not like black and white, I should mention that it was all shot in color and then a copy converted to black and white.

The bride arrives…

And we have the first look.

In spite of the fact it was a hot southern California summer day, everyone was upbeat and we easily slipped into a photogenic groove. This couple is involved in the world of the arts and both have an artistic flair and were not afraid to create their own style, which is evident in the bride’s gown and unique bouquet.

We’re then off to the Founder’s Gallery at the museum for their ceremony.

After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom and I slipped away into a section of the Pasadena Museum of CA Art I had previously scoped out, where the light was radiant, warm and directional and the lines of the room were inspiring.

Then we were quickly back to join the guests for their wedding reception on the PMCA’s Rooftop Terrace with its panoramic views of Old Town Pasadena, historic Pasadena City Hall, and to the north, the San Gabriel Mountains.

A few photographs for detail.

A quick night shot with Pasadena City Hall in the background.

We end the night with closing night-shots on Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge.

You can see more photography from this wedding and reception in an animated video here: Pasadena Museum of CA Art wedding.

To see more of my wedding photography and more for about my photography styles, please visit my website, deremus.com.

(All images are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.)

The Pasadena Museum of California Art is located at 490 East Union Street in Pasadena, CA. I have worked here on several occasions and find it to be an intimate and well run venue with a warm and cozy atmosphere and wonderful evening and nighttime views of the city.

wedding photography Calamigos Equestrian

DeRemus — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:02:07 +0000

The wedding of Mandy and Salvatore at the Calamigos Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA.

The floral arrangements were the perfect shade of blue… which as you can see in the photographs, made both the bride and her mother very happy.

The ceremony was held at the Little White House, with the reception in the Polo Room and patio.

I find my wedding photography to be much more enjoyable when I am photographing people whose hearts are so obviously filled with joy and their emotions so flowing…

The wedding ceremony begins and the groom, with his family from Italy looking on, is presented with his bride from his soon to be father-in-law.

To see more of the photographs from their wedding ceremony and reception at the Calamigos Equestrian Center, please visit: DeRemus Photography-In-Motion.

Congratulations to Mandy and Salvatore! May your journey together be filled with happiness and blessed with good health. l’amore è un viaggio, non una meta.

To see the complete set of previews (edited wedding photographs), please visit deremus.com/online_viewing.

To contact DeRemus Photography regarding your upcoming wedding, please go to my flash gallery: deremus.com/your wedding, then select “your wedding”.

Floral arrangements by Shirvan Design in Burbank, CA.

Cake by Porto’s Bakery in Glendale, CA

Music by VIP DJ Entertainment.

Wedding coordinator: Tana Ingels of Ingels and Co.

To see more of my wedding photography at the Calamigos Equestrian Center, please visit another Calamigos wedding.

To see room shots of all three ballrooms at the Calamigos Equestrian Center, please visit my post: room shots.

The Calamigos Equestrian is located at 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank, CA. They are located in the northeast corner of Griffith Park. You have views of both Griffith Park the San Gabriel Mountains.

DeRemus Photography specializes in wedding, portrait and fine art photography and is Pasadena-based, serving Los Angeles, Orange County, and Southern CA and offering destination wedding photography worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.