Tuesday, October 30, 2007

A San Francisco Wedding

rachel & dan - day one
october 19, 2007

Unlike most people who have a wedding DAY, Rachel & Dan had a wedding WEEKEND with two full weddings in two different cities. Wedding #1 was on Friday, October 19th on a cloudy day in San Francisco. Because of Dan's heritage, the couple wanted to have a more formal Armenian ceremony at the Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco. Before the ceremony, we jumped into two "his & her" limos (to accommodate the 18 person wedding party!) and shot at the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts. The cocktail reception was held at The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus in Union Square.

Rachel's stunning Day One gown.



I LOVED the colors of her flowers, artfully created by Michael Daigian Design.













the gang!











The Rotunda.



Yum!





The city....

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Monday, October 29, 2007

Pacific Palisade Portraits

Yesterday I drove over to the lovely Pacific Palisades to photograph the Rowen Family. The sisters told me that they are best friends, and I could really tell that they are! They are so cute and were remarkably good listeners, too. Thank you, girls, for sharing your Halloween costumes with me!!















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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Napa Family Portraits

I photographed Grace, Margret & Ron when Grace was a year old and again when she was two years old. For Grace's three year old photographs, the family decided to do the shoot in Napa since they were spending the weekend there for Rachel & Dan's wedding. Because Rachel hired me to shoot her wedding after Margret told her about me (THANK YOU, Margret!!) I was in Napa, too! It all worked out perfectly.

A few favorites from the day:













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Saturday, October 27, 2007

Harvest Inn, Napa

domenique & david
october 14, 2007

One thing I LOVE about my job is the opportunity to travel to all these amazing places. Domenique and David were married on October 14th at the most gorgeous venue, Harvest Inn. It is lush and charming and has so many amazing places to shoot!

The day was made flawless by the energetic Duncan Reyes of Duncan Reyes Events by Design. The flowers, done by Mary O'Connor of Out of the Weeds were perfect. I LOVED the turquoise accents and the turquoise wedding cake!!

Some favorites:









One of my first attempts at adding texture to an image... I like the depth it adds!



David is English, so Domenique really wanted to get some fun shots in this old-fashioned English telephone booth!





Love this shot that Joy got from the balcony. Can you believe this location??











Turquoise cake!!



Every single seat had a name tag gracefully tied to it along with a personalized menu for each guest.











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Friday, October 26, 2007

Wedding Celebration in Beverly Hills

lara & ike - day three
october 6, 2007

The third and final day of the Lara & Ike Wedding Extravaganza took place at their private residence in Beverly Hills. There was a lush Mexican/Moroccan dinner (with handmade Naan!) after which everyone danced the night away. Lara & Ike are a really fun couple, and I was so thrilled to be a part of their wedding week!































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Thursday, October 25, 2007

San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara

lara & ike - day two
october 4, 2007

The party for Lara & Ike continues in Day Two of their wedding celebration! In their Santa Barbara ceremony, Lara & Ike were surrounded by their friends and family in an outdoor, poolside ceremony. Their vows were sweet and funny, but left not many dry eyes. I loved the butterfly theme throughout the day, and I thought the wildflowers were a lovely touch.













































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Monthly PUG

Every month, I lead the Los Angeles Pictage User Group. This month, Gene Higa came down all the way from San Francisco to talk to the group about how to get into destination weddings. THANK YOU Gene! You were great!

Also Matthew Lin of Poetry in Light was our Studio Spotlight for the month of October. The slideshow he shared of his work was absolutely remarkable. Thank you, Matthew!

And lastly, I would like to thank Michael Andrews who kindly shot all of the following photographs since I forgot my camera last night!

Gene Higa!









Matthew Lin!



I like this shot Michael caught - its Robert Evans, me, Gene Higa & Jay Goldman at the back of the class...2 cool 4 skool. ha!




After the PUG, a few of us went to the Troubadour to see my FAVORITE band, Earlimart. We were practically standing ON the stage - I got this one with my Razr!

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Kahal Joseph Congragation

lara & ike - day one
september 25, 2007

You know how you plan and plan for your wedding day, then it finally comes... and its over in a flash? Well Lara & Ike didn't have that problem. They had THREE separate parties in three different cities. Here are a few favorites from Day One - an intimate ceremony on September 25th at Kahal Joseph Congragation in West Los Angeles.















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Associate Needed!

Hello my Bloglets!

I know I promised a wedding-a-day, and I will get to that later today. I have been meaning to put this post up for a while, so here it is: 2008 is booking up so fast that I have not only raised my shooting fee to $6000, but I am in search of a good associate shooter. If you are a wedding photographer who might be interested in working for Jules Bianchi Photography, please shoot me an email to: jules@julesbianchi.com.

If you are a bride thinking about hiring me for your 2008 wedding, I would not wait much longer to inquire about your date!

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Wedding a Day...

I have decided that I am going to try to blog a wedding a day until I'm finally caught up with everything! ("try" being the opperative word here...) Here goes:

joy & tom
september 29, 2007

Joy & Tom were married in the extremely lovely Sausolito. They were a blast to be around because they are so clearly best friends. I had so much fun with them on their engagement shoot last year that I knew the wedding day was going to be fun. Joy's colors were turquoise and brown - a very lovely combination and one of the more unique ones I've seen!

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Lilia Ahner of Lilia Photography for tagging along as part of the Tea for Two mentoring session she did with me.

Elements that made Joy & Tom's wedding awesome:

Wedding Coordination: Eric Yee of Spintronix
Ceremony: Westminster Church of Tiburon
Reception: The Spinnaker Restaurant of Sausalito
Green wedding cake: Inticing Creations
Stunning flowers: Nicole Ha Floral & Event Design
Super fun photobooth: Photoworks Interactive
Adorable Bonsai Trees: San Gabriel Nursery

And, of course, a few favorites from the day:



































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Monday, October 22, 2007

Napa Wedding

Here is a shot from Day Two of the 2-part wedding... Today's wedding was so cool - it took place at Carneros Inn in Napa. I'm pretty beat right now, but I'll try to post more soon.

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Saturday, October 20, 2007

San Francisco Wedding

As I am so sadly behind on blogging, I am going to only post TWO favorite images from today's wedding. Today was Day One of a two part wedding... today was in San Francisco, and part two, Sunday, will be in Napa. Stay tuned for more!!



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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Olive portraits

Today I had the great pleasure of spending a few hours with the talented photographer and my friend, Ann Hamilton. Ann is very well known for not only her wedding photography but her dog portraits, so when she offered to shoot us I jumped at the chance! I know I am constantly photographing my dog, but I thought it would be great to not only be in front of the camera with Olive, but to see her through another photographer's eyes. It was a wonderful experience! Olive is being featured on her blog right now - click here to check it out!

How CUTE are these?? THANK YOU, Ann! Ann is also going to shoot with me and Joy on Sunday for part two of this weekend's two-part wedding, so I'm really looking forward to that. Part one is tomorrow, so come back to the blog soon to see images!

















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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Shooting with Joy

melissa & mike
october 13, 2007

This wedding was actually JOY'S gig, but I am still the luckiest person on Earth! Joy is my twin sister AND my best friend AND I get to work with her all the time!! We have so much fun together. Although I have been shooting since I was 12, Joy only really got into photography when she started working for me. So when her friend asked her to shoot their very very tiny home wedding, Joy asked me to second shoot for her - just for a little support. The entire event was very small, but here are a few favorites! Good job, Joy!











this was just after Melissa & Mike were announced as husband and wife.



This little statue was just some silly fun...



I love this cute one of Joy in action!!

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

a blogging first!

This is a shot from today's wedding... and I'm still AT the wedding! I couldn't resist the free internet access here at the amazing Harvest Inn in St. Helena. More soon!

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Saturday, October 13, 2007

San Mateo Family Portraits

I'm back in the Bay Area for the next ten days... today I helped Joy with a wedding SHE was shooting (more on that later!) and then drove to San Mateo to shoot Jonah, Casey & Tuan's family portraits. I love watching my client's families grow! I shot Casey & Tuan's lovely wedding back in September of 2005 and then their maternity portraits last November. There are sooo many cute ones from today, but here is a tiny sample of favorites:



















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Friday, October 12, 2007

Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica

renee & david
september 22, 2007

Renee & David's wedding has so many amazing elements from the Barbie & Ken dolls made to look exactly like the bride & groom to the funky tennis shoes that all the guys were given as bridal party gifts. I loved the buttons on their wedding cake and the tiny magnetic love dolls that were given as favors. To see many more images from Renee & David's wedding, please either click on the image below or click here to see it in its own window.



Kelly Gin of Picture Perfect Events brought the whole thing together, well, perfectly!!

Also, I want to say two Thank Yous... one to Ronnie Slavin who, as a part of her Tea for Two session with me, came along to shadow me for this wedding. Ronnie, you were a TOTAL asset to our team, and I was glad to have you there! And the other Thank You goes to Michelle and Dakin who told Renee & David about me after I shot their beautiful wedding in June of 2005.

Some favorites from the day:

































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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Beverly Hills, California

October 6th marked the third day of the three-day wedding extravaganza for Lara & Ike. It started at a temple in Westwood, went to a ranch in Santa Barbara and ended at a private residence in Beverly Hills. I need to go through all three days to put together a nice post for you, but for now, here is a favorite of mine from the third day - the bride & groom up on chairs during the hora!!

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Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Descanso Gardens

Today I shot engagement portraits for Heryati & Michael. They said they were very stiff in front of the camera, but I beg to differ!! They are adorable.

BTW, I know I still owe you more images from my 9/22, 9/29 and 10/6 weddings, so check back soon!





















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Saturday, October 06, 2007

Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island

teri & chris
september 16, 2007

Joy and I had so much fun on Catalina Island shooting Teri & Chris' wedding. We even saw dolphins and a HUGE whale on our helicopter flight! I loved Teri's vintage look and the veil she wore with lace imported from England.

What made Teri & Chris' wedding so amazing:

Wedding Coordination: Cindy from Red Velvet Events
Flowers: Bloom Floral Design Studio
Hair & Make-up: Sheree Pouls of Lips & Locks
Band: Swing Kings

I have made another fun slideshow with many more images from Teri & Chris' wedding. Please either click on the image below or click here to see it in its own window.

































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Friday, October 05, 2007

San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara

Since I spent my birthday shooting an adorable wedding in Santa Barbara yesterday, Joy and I are going to celebrate today and spend the day together at our favorite spa!!

Here is a shot from day TWO of a three day wedding event... more to come soon!

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The Freedom House, Santa Barbara

On Thursday, October 4, Joy and I were together to a. celebrate our birthday and b. shoot part two of a three part wedding. Part two was happening in Santa Barbara, so before we began we HAD to visit the Freedom House of my buddy, David Jay. Check out the kick-ass view from his porch! After the house tour, DJ sat us down to show us some top secret stuff going on at ShowIt... It is unbelievable, but you'll have to wait to check that out at Show It Fast later this year.



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Thursday, October 04, 2007

Tea for Two with Lilia

I have been having so much fun with the Tea for Two sessions lately. Whenever possible, I bring my mentee to a wedding with me because I think there is a lot to learn from observing how another photographer works. My latest mentee, Lilia Ahner of Lilia Photography just wrote me the coolest testimonial AND put a post about the experience on her blog! If you are a photographer who would be interested in a Tea for Two session, feel free to shoot me an emaill at jules@julesbianchi.com.

The lovely Lilia:



"I came home beaming after my Tea for Two session with Jules Bianchi. Having a private mentoring session customized for my needs with personal attention from Jules was priceless. Not only was Jules enthusiastic and dynamic, but she shared her years of experience and answered my questions about lighting, exposure, marketing, advertising, and client consultations. Most importantly, she taught me how to become organized and to create very specific, manageable goals--both short-term and long-term. She has helped me to think differently about my business and shared so much valuable information that I can definitely take my photography skills and business to the next level. I can't thank Jules enough!"

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Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Incredibles Party!

On Sunday we celebrated my niece, Millie's, 3rd birthday. She decided a while ago that she wanted the theme to be "The Incredibles" so everyone got pj's that looked like Incredibles costumes. ElastaGirl showed up, too!







Joy brings out the cake!!



I love this shot of Millie trying to figure out how old she is now.



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Networking fun!

I come to San Francisco a lot, but I don't get to hang out with my photographer friends as often as I would like. I had four hours of meetings today, but afterward I drove over the bridge to hang out with photographers Gene Higa, Ann Hamilton, Lisa Neighbors, Linda Chaja, Jose Villa and wedding planners Stacy & Alison of Alison Events. Thanks for the fun time, guys!

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