Jason Zalameda Photography Blog » Wedding

Los Angeles Wedding | Genevieve and Nick

admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:51:47 +0000

She was only 5 the last time I saw her! See Gen and Nick’s wedding on our new Coco Gallery blog.

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Los Angeles Engagement | Joynia and Mark

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:37:00 +0000

I just posted Joynia and Mark’s engagement session on our new company’s blog site, The Coco Gallery. Check it out here!

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Bridal Boudoir | Jeanette

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:29:30 +0000

Jeanette’s wedding night gift to her groom, a steamy boudoir art album. Check out some of her bridal boudoir images on the Coco Gallery blog.

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Laguna Beach Wedding | Jeanette and James

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:49:41 +0000

Jeanette and James’s Laguna Beach wedding up on the Coco Gallery blog.

Check out the highlights here: http://www.thecocogallery.com/blog/weddings/laguna-beach-wedding-jeanette-and-james

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Hawaii Destination Wedding | Herrianne and Allan

admin — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:28:23 +0000

Usually, for destination weddings a bride and groom can expect 10-30 close friends and family to make the trip and attend their wedding. Maybe 50-60 max for popular destinations. Herrianne and Allan had 130+ in attendance for their wedding on the island of Oahu. 130! That’s a good sized non-destination wedding. I can imagine how big their guest list would’ve been if they had it in LA. Well over 300 I’m sure.

Planning a wedding is hard enough, but Herrianne and Allan went the extra mile by making sure all their guests would have a great experience in Hawaii. They organized hotel accommodations, group transportation, and tons of activities. Although they had tons on their mind, all I saw were smiles from the bride and groom. They loved seeing familiar faces everywhere they went. Experiencing everything the island had to offer while running into different friends and family. It was literally vacationing with 130 people they knew and loved. It couldn’t get any better than that.

The wedding was beautiful; an awesome sunset, food, drinks, and some very tan folks. During my dinner break Herrianne sat down at my table. She exhaled and glanced over all her guests as they ate, drank, and laughed. I asked her how she was doing and if she was having a good time. She looked at me and said, “I usually hate being the center of attention, but… I’m having so much fun!!” She looked back at her guests with a huge smile, “I don’t want it to end.” That very moment made all their hard work and planning worth it.

The wedding, the vacation, the island, and the people will be engrained into Harrieanne and Allen’s life as a married couple. They’ll forever remember how their marriage started; surrounded by beauty, love, and the spirit of aloha.

Church: St. Jude Catholic Church- Kapolei, HI
Reception: Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute - Kapoeli, HI
Wedding Coordination: Savvy Coordination
Hair and Makeup: Belinda Torres – Bel Marie Styling with Parasol of Design (Fullerton, CA)
Jewelry: Nolan Nakai – Newport Jewelers (Newport Beach, CA)
DJ: Troy Michael (Hawaii)
Photobooth: StarShotz PhotoBooth (Hawaii)

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UCI | Bradbury Building Engagement| Sarah and Vijay

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:27:01 +0000

Sarah and Vijay’s relationship began and blossomed at the University of California, Irvine. As students they shared a college experience that helped them grow as a couple and individuals. It was a perfect spot to start their engagement session. If you’ve read my last posts you’ll know that the possibility of rain has been a small factor in each session. Finally, Spring arrived and we were greeted with a warm Sunday morning. As we expected the campus was nice and quiet that weekend. We had the run of the joint. Sarah and Vijay showed me around and shared stories of where they studied, worked, and spent time together. It was a great way of really getting to know them and how they started. I was literally walking through memorable locations in the history of their relationship. I could see it in their faces as they held hands and strolled down the walkways. There were noticeable changes to the campus since they graduated, new buildings and student facilities. Just like them the campus grew and changed a bit, but the memories were still there.

For a change of scenery we headed to Downtown LA for some formal portraits. Time to make new engagement session memories for Sarah and Vijay. The Bradbury Building is one of the most historic buildings in LA. It’s been featured in a number of movies for it’s obvious architectural splendor. Visitors are limited to the first floor but we made the best of it. Although there were a lot of great angles to shoot from I hunted for the best quality of light. I positioned the couple near the biggest light sources. The buildings interior textures and natural shadows added great drama, but of course capturing Sarah and Vijay’s intimate moments was what made the shots.

Congrats Sarah and Vijay!!

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Claremont Engagement | Aleli and Randy

admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:36:12 +0000

Engagement session season is in full swing. With Summer weddings approaching, all the couples are preparing for their e-sessions. The first question I usually get is, “What’s a good location?” My response is that it really doesn’t matter. LA is full of great places to do engagement sessions. To me location is 3rd on the list of importance; number 1 being the couple’s connection and number 2 being the quality of light. Yes, it’s nice to have a grand backdrop, but a parking garage or alley can be just as awesome. The “wow” factor increases when any element of the image is unexpected.

Aleli and Randy were down for any location. They wanted fun and modern. I’ve done a couple of Photog Shootouts in Claremont but I haven’t shot any of my couples there yet so I thought this would be a great chance. I could literally shoot all day just in the parking structure. We found some cool textures and searched for the best quality of light. Most important for me was that Aleli and Randy were comfortable and had fun. Aleli seriously looked like a model just standing there. I gave her a few tips and by the end of the session she was rocking it. Randy, was a natural too. He perfectly complimented his bride to be. We ended the day at one of my favorite spots, Cal Poly. Again, looking for the best lighting situations and helping Aleli and Randy tell their story.

Claremont and Pomona don’t sound like fabulous places to shoot. But add a great couple like Aleli and Randy and ANY place is gold.

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San Juan Capistrano Mission Part II | Scott Robert Lim Workshop

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:25:16 +0000

These images are from a Scott Robert workshop that I attended back in November of last year. It was the second of two workshops done at the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission. I can’t believe I almost forgot to post these. I’ve been pretty busy with weddings and engagements that some of my workshop images have taken a backseat. Better (5 months) late than never.

This workshop focused on posing. Mainly, group posing and posing to tell a story. With groups, the primary goal is to create interest and diversity. With a large group of people in a shot, it’s important to have everyone involved to keep the viewer’s attention. This skill is very helpful with large bridal parties. Posing a couple is a basic skill needed by all wedding photographers. But to create a more dynamic image, Scott teaches how to pose a couple while creating a story. Again, a way to keep the viewer’s attention and vary from the common poses.

As in all of Scott’s workshops, we are encouraged to create drama with light. In the last few images I used an orange gel on my strobe to create a sunset feel. Way more interesting than the available sun at 2pm.

All the models and dancers were awesome. The authentic costumes and Folklore Mexicana dancers were a perfect fit for the setting. Although the images don’t seem wedding related, you can easily substitute in a bride & groom or a bridal party. Overall, some great tools for when you’re in the middle of a wedding day rush with only 10 minutes to do bridal portraits.

Scott Robert Lim Workshop
San Juan Capistrano Mission
Dancers: Folklore Mexicana
Model Makeup/Hair: Vivian Tran and the All Made Up Team
Dancer Makeup: Christy Stevens

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Rancho Cucamonga Wedding | Torrie and Josue

admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:21:10 +0000

It never rains in Southern California…. except on weekends…. during weddings and engagement sessions. My last five shoots have had rain in the forecast. Most of the time it’s only sporadic drizzle that can be easily dealt with. But, sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate. The morning of Torrie and Josue’s wedding the skies were beautiful. Blue skies and puffy white clouds. As the day went on, rain clouds rolled in and the plan to have the wedding outdoors had to be modified. Everyone worked hard to move the wedding decor indoors. All the beautiful details quickly came together with everyone’s help. The ceremony began on time and finished without a hitch. Although it didn’t start as planned, the day was filled with heartfelt emotion and love. Torrie was calm and cool the entire day. I caught Josue tearing a few times, but it was because of his joy. Just looking around the room it was evident that all the guests were truly happy for the couple. Maybe they didn’t get the outdoor wedding they planned, but what everyone experienced indoors more than made up for it. After all, rain on your wedding day is good luck.

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Los Angeles Music Center Engagement | Jacqueline and JP

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:46:27 +0000

Jacque and JP contacted me 16 months before their wedding date. I remember our consult well because we had an immediate connection. Unfortunately, there was a bit of excitement at the end of our consult as a kid nearby got injured on an escalator. I’ll save you the details, but the kid was fine. His mother, on the other hand, was a bit freaked.

As Jacque and JP’s engagement session approached, the beautiful LA weather started to change. The forecast predicted a 70% of rain. (Why does it always seem to rain on a weekend?) Since our schedules were pretty busy, rescheduling wasn’t an option. Our only chance was hoping that the rain wouldn’t start until the afternoon. We headed to Downtown LA and shot around the LA Music Center. The creative center of Downtown LA consists of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It servers as a diverse and beautiful backdrop for any photo session. Jacque and JP were very easy going and a pleasure to photograph. They are a happy couple enjoying this special moment and celebrating their engagement.

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Luckily, we completed our session without a hint of rain. *Whew*. I dropped them off at their car and as I drove away raindrops started to hit my windshield. We wrapped up our day just before the storm rolled in. Just like we planned.

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