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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.

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.

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.

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.

wedding photography at the Calamigos Equestrian Center

DeRemus — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:00:25 +0000

This is Peter and Rebecca, and they’re smiling ear-to-ear because they are in the midst of getting married. And I can bear witness to the fact that it was a moving and beautiful ceremony for this fun and really wonderful couple.

You might recognize this couple from my first “wedding photo of the day” post, which is a great example of their dancing abilities.

The ceremony was at the Little White House at the Calamigos Equestrian Center in Burbank. (I work here often, so please check back for more posts on this location.) After the ceremony, Peter hopped in their get-away car, and it was off into the sunset… OK, it actually wasn’t sunset yet and where they were off to was the Flamingo Banquet Hall in Tujunga.

They forewent many of the traditional reception events. However they did not dance just one or two, but three extremely well choreographed dances for their guests. (Their choreographers were Francisco and Stacey Martinez, a.k.a. “The Teachers of Teachers” of The Dance Family Studio in Pasadena, CA.)

You can see more of their images at DeRemus Photography In Motion.

You can see the complete set of previews (password required) at deremus.com/online_viewing.

You can see room shots from all three ballrooms at the Calamigos Equestrian in Burbank at “room shots“.

You can see more of my work at www.deremus.com.

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

The Calamigos Equestrian (also known as the Los Angeles Equestrian Center) is located at 480 Riverside Dr. in Burbank, CA 91506. This is a wonderful venue with three options for ballrooms. It is actually located in Griffith Park and has great views and large sycamore trees.

The Flamingo Banquet Hall is located at 7179 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga, CA. It is right on the corner of Foothill Blvd. and Commerce Ave. and is easily accessible from the 210, 118, 134 and 2 freeways. The management and staff here are really great.

wedding photography at the historic Castle Green in Pasadena

DeRemus — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:01:05 +0000

This was a summer wedding with the usual hopes (and expectations) for a clear and warm day with the ceremony scheduled to be in the Castle Green garden. Unfortunately it rained the night before, and the decision was made to move the wedding ceremony inside to the main salon of the Castle Green.

Despite the unanticipated rain, Valerie’s spirit was not the least bit dampened. And as her bridesmaids and her mother helped her to prepare, they were all in a convivial mood. Matt, the groom, on the other hand, was a bit on the nervous side.

We did the first look in the Castle Green’s velvet draped Moorish Room, and finally we see a smile on the groom’s face.

We did a little photography in the Castle Green gardens with its sweeping graceful lines. (I swear, every time I go there, I see the place with fresh eyes.)

F.Y.I. This photo was created in high-resolution digital color, and then a copy was converted into black and white. With the exception of my work done with infrared (not pictured), all of my wedding photography is done in this manner so that you may have the photograph in black and white and someone else can have it in color.

While I was photographing with the bride and her girls, my second photographer photographs the groom busily writing. It seems he woke up being not satisfied with his vows he had written for his bride, and he was now very intently doing a rewrite. And as you will soon see at the ceremony, the reading of his vows caused quite an emotional response.

And with the rewrite of his vows now being completed, the expression on the groom’s face has become totally different.

We have all of the bride and groom and wedding party photography work completed and the bride out of sight before the guests arrive.

And then a few candid moments with the bride as the bridal party lines up in the Castle Green ballroom before she enters the room. And then we go into the marriage ceremony in the main salon…

They did all of the traditional wedding reception events, and then they danced the night away…

You may notice that even in this big room with its tall ceilings and large groups of people, that the backgrounds of my photographs are well lit.

And I will leave you with this tender moment from their last dance…

To see more of my work, please visit my site at “www.deremus.com.”

To view photographs of the Castle Green ballroom with different configurations, visit “Wedding reception room shots.”

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

The historic Castle Green is located at 99 S Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, CA. and with its spectacular towers, turrets and grand staircases, the Castle Green has been and continues to be the location of many Hollywood productions.

wedding photo of the day

DeRemus — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:35:38 +0000

No, this isn’t a wedding ceremony gone terrible bad…this is Peter and Rebecca and this image was taken during their second dance at their wedding reception and yes, she is upside down over a marble dance floor without a net. They did three solo dances for their guests and they were all done exceptionally well. This couple definitely had the spirit moving within them, oh yeah…

Their dance instructors were Francisco and Stacey Martinez of The Dance Family Studio in Pasadena. I have had the pleasure of photographing a number of the couples they have given dance instruction to, and I’ve always been impressed and have heard nothing but the highest of praise for them.

Watch for a post to follow. The ceremony was at the Calamigos Equestrian in Burbank with the reception at the Flamingo Room in Tujunga.

Congratulations again to you both, Rebecca and Peter. I wish you good health and happiness and whatever you do, keep on dancing.

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