LOS ANGELES WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - RUSTIN MICHAEL BLOG » Rustin Michael is a Los Angeles based wedding and portrait photographer

Last week I headed just down the coast to Manhattan Beach to meet up with Tom and Jessica for their engagement session. Tom and Jessica were so much fun to work with. They brought along some great props to play with which made the session even better. They even brought their dog, Jack, for a couple of shots. We had beautiful weather and light for their session which made shooting a breeze. Tom and Jessica are getting married earlier next year up in Northern California. Here are some of my favorites from their session.

They brought along their beach cruisers and a cute sign reminding people to “Save the Date”

I love these next shots on the bench.

We had some beautiful light as the sun went down.

Jessica and Tom wanted to end the session by getting a little wet. It is always fun to get the natural expressions when people are having fun.

One last shot.

Last Saturday I drove down to Laguna Beach to capture John and Misty’s wedding day. The sky was overcast for most of the day. It even rained earlier in the day which is really odd for Southern California in June. Luckily the sky cleared up a bit leaving some beautiful clouds, and the only water anyone needed to worry about was the rising tide on the beach at Hotel Laguna. Here are some of my favorites from this Misty & John’s joyous day.

Misty Getting ready

The girls watching guests arrive

Misty just before leaving her room for the ceremony

John just before the ceremony.

The ceremony was right on the beach. The surf came up into the seating area at least once during the ceremony. Sadly I happened to be standing where it came in and it got my shoes, socks, and pants wet. I am sure everyone had fun watching me try to jump to avoid the surf. I know I saw a couple of laughs from some of the groomsmen.

I love capturing couples right after they are married. The joy and excitement is always so fun to capture. John and Misty were no exception.

A couple from the first dance.

The details

Misty along with the rest of the wedding party didn’t wear any shoes for the beach ceremony. These are what she chose for the rest of the evening with her beach wedding.

This past Sunday I photographed Tom and Kate’s wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. The ceremony and reception took place at “The Oaks.”

Kate was described as being both 5 years old and 85 years old at the same time during vows and the toasts. I can definitely see why people say that. As she was getting ready you could see the old part of Kate’s soul shine through with calm anticipation of her wedding ceremony approaching. At other parts of the day you could see the fun 5 year old come out living her dream. I think one of my favorite times when I saw that 5 year old part shine through was when I asked how she liked acting. Kate, has appeared in several TV shows and movies over her acting career. Recently she has appeared in “Mad Men”, “SwingTown”, and “Big Love.” Kate answered my question with a joyous “I love it!” I understand how she feels. That is the way I feel about photography.

I wish Tom and Kate the best and many years of happiness. Here are some of my favorite images from the day.

The Ceremony

The exchanging of vows. Mark Bennington, an incredible photographer, was the Master of Ceremonies.

Kate was about to lose it here before she even started to read her vows to Tom. She burst into “It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time” from the “Family Guy” to recover. She then read some of the most beautiful vows to Tom.

Just Married

Tom and Kate’s dog, Rutherford, served as the ring bearer. Here is a shot of the family.

Some portraits

The toasts.

First dance

Tom and Kate enjoying a poem read by a guest.

The details

Each table had it’s own unique centerpiece handcrafted by Tom and Kate.

Just wanted to update everyone on a few new items you can find on my blog and website. I just posted an explanation about cropping on my blog in the links section. You can find it here. I also added a new section to my website wedding portfolio called “Engaged.” See the screen shot below and make sure you head over and check it out.

You can also look forward to a new category of posts my blog called “Before & After” where I show images before and after my artistic edit. This will give you examples of what you can expect when you order a print through me verses one from the DVD you get of unedited images. I also will be opening up the “Featured Couples” section of my wedding website and possibly even have a sample album up at the same time.