Palos Verdes Wedding Photography - Cara and Craig

they stop at nothing short of the best. so when i rolled up this past weekend to photograph cara & craig's wedding in palos verdes, california, i was thrilled. i knew all the details would be in order.

and they were.

carlie & i made our introductions with the bridesmaid's and immediately began collecting cara's accessories for some detail shots, which included a rocking pair of jimmy choo's. i told you this bride has style!

after some of the finishing touches were made, we raced over to the malaga cove plaza, to meet craig and the boys, for cara & craig's first look. from their, the day seemed to flow effortlessly, much thanks to lindsey & her stellar team with circle the date.

cara & craig, your ceremony was gorgeous, your party was rockin, and we can't imagine this year without having crossed paths with the two of you. as always, we are blessed by your invitation, but even more so by the value you have placed in what carlie & i have offered you. i don't think i have ever received so much praise, at a wedding reception, as i did from you, your family, and your guests. i was humbled & blessed.

enjoy.your.story.


cara's jimmy choo kicks.



cara & craig decided to exchange gifts on their big day. and cara was thrilled when she pulled her luxurious new chanel handbag out of this box.





i love the editorial feel of this pairing.

to our fellow photographer friends, fortunately cara had allotted more than enough time to shoot portraits before the wedding. but, i still find it helpful to grab a couple different angles on each shot, simply to offer a bit of variety... not to mention, it's incredibly time efficient. one pose - two photographs.







rolling hills rocked out on the floral arrangements for the grand affair.





aloha, and enjoy your honeymoon in maui. and even more, enjoy your new life together!

Dana Point Wedding Photography - Noel and Brett

when we first met noel in costa mesa, over a light lunch, carlie & i couldn't wait for her engagement shoot at the lab. at the engagement shoot, we finally had the chance to meet brett. and when we met brett, we couldn't wait for their wedding in dana point. this past weekend, we photographed noel & brett's wedding in south orange county, and... you guessed it... we can't wait to see them again.

not only are noel & brett two of the most cheerful and lighthearted individuals you might run across, but the posse they run with is just as delightful. in fact, it was the first wedding where the groomsmen traveled in tandem with a rolling cooler; stay thirsty my friends. and, another first for our studio was a voice mail that carlie received just yesterday. one of the groomsmen asked noel for our phone number, and called to leave a message, simply telling us that he appreciated our attendance & work at noel & brett's nuptials.

this weekend's event ended up being one of those days where i showed up to work, to serve our clients and add value to their story, yet it turned out i was the one whose value was increased. a light thank you, simple yet intentional, and a couple so excited about spending their life together, has truly blessed me in my work.

here's some of the photos from their wedding day...




we all knew noel would be stunning, but when she slipped on her bridal gown, we all agreed. and a few of us saw a bit of resemblance to the late marilyn monroe. what do you think?








at the reception, we had just enough extra time to put together a slide show with a handful of images from the big day. the groomsmen flipped over this one... literally... i think i saw one do two double-backs in a row.


can i tell you how much i love when my client's decide to do a first-look. they are always happy they did. and happy brides usually seem to photograph so nicely.








i had to throw one of brett looking stunna, as you will notice, most of this post is overshadowed by noel's awesomeness.











you guys rule! enjoy your honeymoon in costa rica!! pura vida!!!

Focus

i like it, was never a suitable critique. it was my first formal interaction with photography, and my instructor, mr. bill hendricks, sought out a deeper response from all his students.

most of us were in the same boat; we saw a photograph somewhere and were drawn in deeper. something intrigued us about what we saw, we knew we liked it, we didn't know why, and we wanted to create the same thing. in response, we signed up for a black & white photo class at the local community college.

we still didn't know what we were in for.

fortunately, our prof rocked! and, over the course of that semester we dove into aperture & shutter speed, we meticulously digested basic daylight exposure [aka BDE], but most importantly we learned why certain images seemed to capture our gaze, while the rest faded into the background of our memories.

to prove a point, take a moment to find a photo somewhere... anywhere... right now... okay, if you like the image, chances are, it is composed well, and your eye first landed on the brightest and sharpest part of the photo. now there are of course, exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking our eyes seek contrast; something sharp against something blurry, something bright against something dark. and we like it. contrast helps us focus. and having a strong and singular focal point seems to almost always be preferred over an overly cluttered and staged image.

our lives are not much different.

and, though it pains me to share, i quite often find myself biting off more than i can chew. whether it be over-stating what i might accomplish in a single day, or chasing every rabbit trail i think might lead to greater success, i can be rather zealous in my pursuits, much to the same end as a good [not great] photograph that seems to lack intention.

fortunately that is not the end of the story. because, what i do feel strong at, and i would urge you to pursue the same, is an ability to re-set, re-compose, and fire again. perfection is never the goal - excellence is.

my name is gabriel ryan davis. i am a wedding photographer. i love my job. and i choose to pursue THAT with excellence. how might you do the same? what areas are you focusing on that are simply distracting from what you could be great at? trimming the excess is risky business, but my hunch is, the risk is worth it.

and because a photo blog post isn't complete without a photo, here's a little diddy taken by fellow mammoth men michael chantastic.

Porcelain Carlie - Maternity Photography with Carlie

i know carlie behind the veil.

you see the tweets - the iPhone belly photos. you see the zany video blogs - the wacky dance moves.

you see her strength. you see her flawless beauty. you see her resounding sensibility. you see what she wants you to see.

i see all that, too. but i also have the privilege of knowing carlie renee davis in between those things. i see it all. and i love it. i love her.

so, earlier this week, with the birth of our son just around the corner, i asked to photograph my wife. she accepted, and the following is what we created. behind the veil, i wanted to show the frail, the fragile, the porcelain... that is my bride and she is beautiful.

Indian Wedding Photography - Santa Barbara, California

i grabbed a cup of coffee at peets, jumped back in my car, and cranked the volume for the rest of my drive up the coast. kings of leon shot out of my speakers, and i shifted focus to the task at hand.

this past weekend, i had the pleasure of joining dane sanders for three days of shooting, beginning with a mehndi ceremony on thursday, an indian wedding on friday, and a stellar western ceremony on saturday. the couple was incredible, the details were fabulous, and the party's were each 100% rock star!!

i can't begin to express how stoked i was to have been asked to take part of such an epic wedding, all of which, was craftfully pieced together by the incredible lisa vorce. for the rest of the details, check dane's blog...




victor yields his sword, during the baraatis.





gia flashing her indian wedding bling [aka bangles].

no detail was spared on day 2...

...or day 3.