The Perfect Engagement Shoot - Melanie and Jason

you guys up for it?, i asked through the small sliver-like opening of their driver-side window, rain dancing off our cars in the parking lot.

jason nodded his head in agreement and anticipation with melanie leaning over from the passenger side. i parked my car, grabbed my gear and my umbrella, and we started shooting.

i am always in awe, though not usually until after the fact, of how creative the Master Storyteller can turn an unfortunate change of events, something completely out of my control, into something truly remarkable... and all He asks, is that i lean into it.

though i can't take much of the credit on this one. the day of melanie and jason's engagement shoot, the weather picked up momentum throughout the day, until we found ourselves in the parking lot of the lab, in costa mesa, watching sheets of rain pour down on our shoot location. and it was melanie and jason who saw opportunity to pursue something unique that rainy day. so, with their willingness to get a little wet, their excitement to capture something special, and their confidence in my leadership to guide them, we started shooting...

we found nooks & crannys, shot under trees & umbrellas, through corridors man made & natural... and finally, as it subsided just enough, under the soft rhythm of the rain itself.

the first half of the images below are some of my favorites ever, and not because of the rain... nor because of the setting or the wardrobe... and not because i feel like i am God's gift to photography [because i am definitely not]. these are some of my favorites because melanie and jason are just the kind of people we feel blessed to come across in our work; the kind of people that find themselves no matter the setting.

we can't wait for your big day, and are so thankful we will be there to capture it. oh yeah... and thanks for the sprinkles.

enjoy.the.story.










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This Is How We Do It - Image Processing

a core value here at gabriel.ryan.photographers. is setting clear expectations for our clients and delivering the goods on time, every time, exactly as promised... and with a smile. simply put, we make promises to our clients and we aim to follow up on each of those promises.

and though most of what we do, the actual work of owning a wedding photographer studio, is social; connecting with new people and getting to know them... there is still a very tangible need: delivering remarkable photographs.

for that aim, every image we present to you goes through a very specific artistic process. first, we capture the raw image. second, we create a proof of each image. third, we refine a select few that have been chosen to be hung on your wall or shared in your wedding book.

as simply as i can share, but no simpler, here's an overview of how we do it here, at gabriel.ryan.photographers.

.::THE CAPTURE::.
nothing can compare to a well-crafted image. as photographers and student's of our craft, we first focus to capture quality images... in camera. we define a well-crafted image to blend a great moment with the right light, great composition, and proper exposure. even though you will never see one of these raw images in your custom gallery, or on our website, it serves as the foundation for what defines our style here at gabriel.ryan.photographers.



.::THE PROOFS::.
what is a proof? well, first, the "proofs" are simply a set of well-crafted images that we have been further processed, to refine exposure, contrast, and tone.

after we have culled through the raw images from a shoot, we promise delivery of your proofs quickly, but without sacrificing quality. for weddings, we can turnaround proofs in 6-8 weeks. and, for engagements, the turnaround time is 2-3 weeks. it takes time to refine each image, but considering the debut of your proofs will be the first time you see your wedding images, we want to make sure they look great.

the first time you see ALL of the photos from your wedding, you will be browsing through your own custom online gallery. and, we also include a disc of the hi-resolution proofs in all of our collections, unless otherwise specified, which are delivered WITH the wedding book. these proofs are a great way to archive ALL of the images from your wedding and engagement.


.::THE SIGNATURE EDIT::.
for a select few, the artistic process continues. if an image is going to be shared in your wedding book, maybe you plan to frame & hang an image in your home, or even send a few fine art prints to your parents as a thank you gift, we want those images to look their absolute best. basically, any image will receive this special attention that is either: ordered through your online gallery to be printed, OR is selected to be a part of the story in your custom wedding book.

for this final step in the process, carlie [aka our empress of style] will open up each image individually, adding that signature gabriel.ryan. flare you have found on our website & blog, or in our custom books. though other photographers might disagree, we want to give you the digital copies of these fully-edited images, too... which is why we wait to deliver your disc of images with your wedding book... that you might have ALL of the final edits on disc.


we get asked all the time what do you actually do to your images and what do we get if we book you. at the end of the day, we revel in the responsibility to tell your story through our lens. and we can't wait for the day when that package arrives in the mail, with the gabriel.ryan. signature, and you open a box full of memories to be cherished forever.

.::UPDATE::.
p.s. we use a combination of our own custom lightroom presets, tra's totally rad photoshop actions, and kevin kubota's magic sharp, when processing our raw images to produce each client's set of proofs, and to achieve our look. also, we believe that our post-production efforts are best invested in the initial selection of our favorite images [the initial cull] and the final artistic retouching [the signature edit]. those two parts of the process are our stamp, our brand, our signature... so, we hold those parts of the process close, while outsourcing the bulk of our color correction to the incredible team over at shoot dot edit.


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Finding a Tree in the OC - Amy and Shayne

the two of them looked overhead, at the canopy of branches that seemed to stretch from one horizon to the other, and chuckled to each other. amy could not have been happier; we had found her "big ol' tree."

in emailing back and forth about wedding plans, amy mentioned that her invitations would have an oak tree motif and she really wanted a woodsy look for her engagement photos. we set the date and location. but, as the day approached, and due to the rain, many of the local parks were closed, including our location for the shoot.

fortunately, for every missed opportunity, one just as great seems to appear.

we had dismissed one of the local wilderness parks, having shot their before, and looking for something unique to offer shayne and amy. but, with the scarcity of open trails, still recovering from the passing storms, we headed for the local park, praying that they might be open...

...and, sure enough, they were. not only were they open, but the winter storms [thanks to the glorious climate here in southern california] had given birth to a blanket of green foliage, sprouting up from the once dry earth, transforming the entire park.

needless to say, amy was thrilled. the following images tell the story. thank you shayne and amy, for the invitation to photograph your wedding, and amy... i am so glad we found you your tree.










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Dingy Driving 101 - Colleen and Jason

carlie graced off the back of "reverence," camera in hand, into the boat, giving me the go-ahead to hit the throttle and pull away towards the horizon as the sun began to fall. i felt a little like james bond, motoring at the edge of the harbor; the chaotic industry of society behind me, and the unrestricted open ocean at the tip of my gaze.

as i began to drift off into my own macho-romantic fantasy, carlie began calling out orders to colleen and jason across the water, and... like a splash of cold water, woke me from my day dream.

although we typically divide the engagements and weddings on our calendar, with carlie & i taking on separate shoots since the restructuring of our studio and brand, carlie & i couldn't pass up this experience together.

colleen and jason had not only invited us to play a role in the telling of their story, by hiring us to photograph their wedding this spring, they also invited us onto their [forgive me, jason if i am wrong on the numbers] 58 foot sailboat named reverence, to shoot their engagement. and what started as a casual portrait shoot on board, quickly turned into a testing practice of my sea-legs and my ability not only to navigate a dingy, but to navigate a dingy as carlie shot from on board that dingy, capturing colleen and jason aboard reverence, from across the aquas gap. i immediately went from james bond, to steven spielberg, using motion to help capture the story of colleen and jason's engagement.

for the tequila, the music, and the company, colleen & jason, carlie & i thank you. we are thrilled to play even a small role during this part of your journey, but even more so, to get to know the two of you.

enjoy.the.story.








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They said our life would never be the same...

...and "they" were right.

the "they" that had 4 kids of their own. the "they" that never wanted to have children of their own. the "they" that were in the thick of it. the "they" that loved us dearly. and the "they" that happened to be in line with us at the grocery store.

it didn't matter who "they" were, they all said the same thing.

case in point; up until now, i have never had to change my shirt 30 minutes into the start of the day as a result of regurgitated soy powder and prune juice. up until now, i have never kept my fingernails manicured for the specific purpose of avoiding the unnecessarily accidental collection of poo-poo. neither, up until now, have i laughed so hard at somebody who was crying so hard.

maybe its to mask the frustration. maybe its because God has given me just a bit of insight into how He must see us. whatever it is, every once in a while [more like... 3 or 4 or 5 times a day], lincoln will begin to express his opinion. his face begins to shift hue, followed by a lower lip that begins to curl downward, and finally... the release. the release of all that tension, all that stress... his opinion. and the release comes in the form of a seizure of wails, uncontrolled and sporadic.

and for some reason, whatever it is, i laugh. not at him. not with him. but, because of him. lincoln, not his birth, not simply his arrival into our family, but lincoln himself, brings me joy.

he turned 3 months yesterday, and after a long day celebrating life and family together, he had to let go of just a little bit of stress ;)

enjoy.the.story.




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This Is How We Do It - Custom Books - part 1

albums hold photographs. books tell stories.

one of the most rewarding parts of doing what we do here at gabriel.ryan.photographers. is telling stories. and we like to think, that should we continue to hone our craft and tell each story in its own unique light, as artists... no, as passionately intentional story tellers... that the stories we tell will live much longer lives then we ourselves will live. that 100 years from now, some 20-something young girl will crack open one of our custom books, and ask her mother to share the story of her great-grandparents when they were her age.

it's about a lot more than just pictures.

the weight of that responsibility enlivens us; it gives passion and importance to not only what we do here, but also HOW we do it here.

from how we shoot each wedding, to how we select the images for our client's wedding book pre-design, to the quality we expect from our vendors that artfully craft each book into the final product: a living breathing story.

we would like to share, in part 2, a little more about how we do it here, but we couldn't without sharing our perspective first.

enjoy.the.story.









.::UPDATE::.
p.s. we use pro dpi to print our pages, and leather craftsmen to hand-craft our books.


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Teachers Pet - Stacy and Kevin

they were there for the sole purpose of checking out other people. but neither of them was interested, in physical appearance; at least, not on the surface. rather, they looked deeper into their subjects... to bones, to ligaments, to muscle tissue. stacy and kevin met in anatomy class.

stacy was the TA. kevin was one of the students. and when stacy found herself quizzing kevin, after mutual friends had talked about setting the two up, it turned from being strictly educational inquisition to a little something more.

now, with that anatomy class 4 years behind them, stacy and kevin pulled two large hand-crafted skateboards out of the back of kevin's truck, and rushed down to the boardwalk to catch the sunset, beach-side on their boards.

since stacy and kevin had found us online, this was my first time connecting with them in person, and i must say the pleasure was all mine. stacy and kevin, thank you... we look forward to fall, and the wonderful responsibility gabriel.ryan.photographers. will play in the telling of your story, as you tie the knot in september.

enjoy.the.story.









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