Belinda’s little me is the She-Devil, Sindee, Michelle’s is Molly Ringworm and mine is Senor’ Gomez. You’ll be seeing a lot of these little guys, but first up, here’s everyone Tarp Surfing yesterday in Vista…. – Bill

A few months ago, we made a contact through Michelle’s sister Keri. Keri works for Kate Mesta, an artist and jewelry designer from Laguna Beach. Kate was looking for a photographer to do lifestyle shots for her teen line of cuffs and tags. Nordstrom’s recently picked up her jewelry line and she had an in-store appearance, marketing her designs. The next shoot was with the adult line of jewelry. We shot on the beach at the beautiful Montage in Laguna and captured some beautiful images.

So now Kate Mesta’s jewelry in Macy’s and Nordstrom’s and in hundreds of boutiques nationwide. Needless to say that her business is blowing up!

Her jewelry recently got the attention of the Hollywood people and she was invited to have her product in the celebrity gift bags at the Emmys and the Teen Choice Awards. Several of the nominees at the Teen Choice Awards even wore Kate’s Jewelry on stage when accepting their awards!

So when Kate got the invite, she immediately asked if I was available to accompany her and take photos of the celebs.

It was really cool to see some of the stars up close and personal. Kevin Sorbo who played Hercules actually said “hey, I use to be a muscular as you”. Seriously, did Hercules actually just say he “use to be” as muscular as me????

So brows through the photos, there were sooooo many people there and I couldn’t include them all in this blog post.

Oh yeah, and that is me getting a spray tan!!! – Bill

Ok, so L’Auberge is quickly becoming one of our most favorite places to shoot weddings in San Diego. They have a wonderful staff and the accommodations are outstanding. There are so many unique backgrounds to shoot near as well, and to top it all off; easy parking.

So back to the bride and groom. Michele and Steven had amazing weather for a June wedding. The difference between the sea water and the air temp causes a coastal fog to form in the early summer. Known as the dreaded “June Gloom”. Well, the gloom stayed away all day and gave us blue skies, a nice breeze and a perfect setting for an outdoor ceremony at Seagrove Park, just steps away form the venue.

After a heartfelt ceremony, performed by Steven’s sister, we grabbed the new couple to do some great “romantics” around the park and on the grounds of L’Auberge. We could have photographed them all day, but we had a coordinator that needed them back for their grand entrance and time was ticking.

The reception was great. Everybody danced, sang and had an awesome time. Even Stevens grandmother cut a rug with Steven on the dance floor.

Congratulations Michele and Steven, your wedding was picture perfect -Bill and Michelle

The Vendors for Michelle and Steven’s Wedding
L’Auberge
Florist: Janice Lewis 619.987.0904
Cake: Eidelweiss Bakery
Video: Javits Video
DJ Gil
Coordination: Diana Sotelo

La Jolla Cove Suites is a spectacular venue with THE BEST view of downtown La Jolla and the Pacific. You get to see an amazing, 180 degree view of the Ocean! The rooftop setting is perfect for taking in the amazing San Diego weather and the ocean breezes. Joy Richards runs the show at La Jolla Cove Suites and does an awesome job. You can contact her at 800.248.COVE or at La Jolla Cove Suites, tell them Studio Z sent you!

So I started with Kristin and Belinda with Wes. We arrived at the tail ednd of the hair and make-up to start shooting the details, dress and final touches of getting ready. Hair and make-up was done by Patricia Garcia-Norvell with Cara Mia. You can contact Patricia directly at pnorvell@san.rr.com

As always, the ceremony is so beautiful to watch on the rooftop. You can hear the waves crashing on the reef only a few hundred feet away. A nice, intimate and personal ceremony was officiated by Bethel Nathan, whom we’ve worked with on several occasions and we highly recommend her.

After the ceremony it was a whirlwind of photos with the family, friends and bridal party before we were off to the beach with Kristin and Wes for some alone time. The great thing about La Jolla Cove Suites is the variety of looks and feels we can capture on such a diverse property. We used the beach, the park, the alleyways and even La Jolla Cove Suites parking garage. Its nice to get a mix of “feels” to the photos.

So up to the reception where it was food, drink and dancing all night. The catering was done by Authentic Flavors out of San Diego and their food was delicious….not to mention the wonderful cake they provided as well. Give Mark Vogel a call or email and ask him to prepare you a meal that will knock your socks off.

The remainder of the evening was filled with fun, dancing and a beautiful sunset over the Pacific. We even managed to drag Kristin and Wes away from the party for a couple of quick photos before we left for the night.

The wedding was super enjoyable, planned to the smallest detail and flowed very well. Thanks to Kate Capshaw with Resolusean Events, the entire wedding was a hit and made it easy for the guests, vendors and most importantly; Kristin and Wes.

Congratulations guys, it was sincerely a pleasure working with all of you! – Bill and Belinda

During the downtime when Ashley and Nick were in the Temple, Michelle, myself and a few family members waited outside and talked about the customs. I learned a lot of things I had no idea of regarding the Religion. The family not attending the service did LOTS of photos with Michelle and I around the beautiful grounds of the Temple and we got to know each other fairly well; even some family gossip (lol).

After the service, we did lots of family photos on the grounds before, again, shooting just Ashley and Nick. Ashley and Nick were so easy to work with and we had all the time in the world to photograph them. We would have kept them all afternoon, but they needed to attend some kind of reception, or something? All kidding aside, when we were all finished with photos, Ashley and Nick were swept off to their dinner party, celebrating their new unity together. Congratulations Ashley and Nick. -Bill & Michelle.

So we walked around the park and the beach for an hour or so, photographing the whole family, individual families and groups within the families; we covered it all! 6 kids are definitely a challenge to photograph, but in the end, I pulled it off.

Lorraine’s family is very sweet and loving. Also, I clicked immediately with the native New Yorkers. I think my accent came out a little towards the end of the shoot when I asked a jogger what kind of “dawg” he had.

On May 29th Ashely and Adam were married in Point Loma under blue bird skies and perfect conditions. Family and friends watched as they exchanged vows, rings and kisses before partying it up with a lively crowd at their reception.

Sometimes technology bites us in the butt, but is a blessing in disguise. Ashley’s maid of honor couldn’t call up her saved speech on her cell phone and was in utter distress. After a few minutes, she stood up and spoke from the heart. I don’t think any written speech could have come close to the words she spoke unrehearsed. Both were in tears by the end.

Congratulations Ashley and Adam – Bill