Artistic Imagery (old works)

Congratulations Sade and Brent!

2011-06-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Alan here... What a way to kick off the year with a same day edit in Sonoma, CA with the gorgeous Sade and the handsome Brent. Hailing from the east coast, the couple chose to have their wedding here in Sonoma, CA. Both are wine aficionados and love the outdoors. The wedding was also adorned by the intricate decor of Very Merry Events. The wedding wouldn't be the same with Mary's detailed and amazing designs throughout the entire area. Here it is folks, the same day edit of Sade and Brent!

Sade and Brent's Instant Gratification Short Film from alanjosephsilva on Vimeo.

Congratulations Prety and Shak!

2010-06-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

An awesome 4 day event deserves an instant gratification short in the end!

Prety and Shakti's Instant Gratification Short Film from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations Esther and Derek!

2010-05-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we filmed Esther and Derek's gorgeous wedding in San Francisco, CA. The getting ready portion was filmed at the Ritz Carlton in Downtown SF. I have to tell you, I've never seen a hotel bathroom toilet each adorned with a chandelier. So yeah, the hotel was awesome! I've never met the bride and groom prior to their wedding day. I was referred to them by Stephanie and Chris from our Biltmore Hotel Wedding in Los Angeles. Esther was so easy going and great to work with that it made my life a lot easier. Her bridesmaids were so camera shy that whenever I pointed our cameras at them, they would walk away. Well, I had a solution for that... I just left my cameras on tripods and let them roll. I had some great candids out of it just wait and see! Derek was also a pleasure to work with. Very calm and collected and he was willing to do anything you asked.

The ceremony was held at Saint Cecilia's Church and the reception was celebrated at the exclusive Olympic Club where everywhere you turned is a photo opportunity. My team of Rob and Travis made my job of editing this same day edit so much smoother. So thanks you two!

I hope you guys enjoy this instant gratification short, partially edited in a moving car while zipping through the traffic in city.

Esther and Derek's Instant Gratification Short Film from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Rosie and Patrick's Citizen Wedding Instant Gratification Short

2010-05-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Adriel, Jessie and I pulled off a 6-hour long wedding day instant gratification short for Rosie and Patrick at Sacramento's Citizen Hotel and Saint John's Lutheran Church. Both places provided such beautiful settings for the lovely couple that it made my editing job a breeze. For your viewing pleasure, here is Rosie and Patrick's instant gratification short edited in 2 hours and immediately shown at their reception.

Rosanna and Patrick's Instant Gratification Short from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Angela and Cuong's Save the Date Movie Trailer

2010-05-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I spent the afternoon with Angela and Cuong filming their engagement session with Sarah Dawson Photography. The result? An awesome save the date trailer for their upcoming September wedding! A Save the Date Wedding Video Trailer is a great green alternative from shipping save the date cards to your family and friends. You can email a link to the video or embed the video on your own wedding website!

Angela and Cuong's Save The Date Movie Trailer from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations Cheryl and Derrick!

2010-05-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time shooting Cheryl and Derrick's wedding at the beautiful Lake Natoma Inn back in April. All I have to say is they must've felt so much love that day since everyone wanted to say such nice (and some funny & embarrassing ) stories about the couple during open toasts. What a way to officially kick off our wedding season! Congratulations Cheryl and Derrick!

Cheryl and Derrick's Wedding Film Summary from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Jocelyn and Mark's Love Story Film

2010-05-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

This was two days in the making. We went through some crazy hot weather, trying to run away from a crazy drunk guy and some really fast melting ice cream... but it was all worth it in the end. We now bring to you, Jocelyn and Mark's love story. Technically 11 years in the making since that's when they first met!

Special thanks goes out to Practical Cycle of Old Town Sacramento for the usage of their cool bike rentals with electronic assist. Trust me, you need to get one for those hilly rides next to the river.

Jocelyn and Mark's Love Story Film from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Becky and Isaac's Engagement Session Part 1

2010-05-11T03:17:00.000-07:00

Amber and I had the pleasure of shooting Becky and Isaac the other day at the beautiful William Land Park area before it started pouring! Yes, we barely covered a half hour before mother nature decided that we were done for the day. But hey, we got some pretty fun pics and we can't wait to shoot them some more!

Hellen and Johnny's Instant Gratification Short

2010-05-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

2010 has been the year of same day edits! It looks like almost every other wedding film I shoot has one. Johnny and Hellen's is number 4 for this year. And I would have to say, theirs has been the most stress free wedding I've shot so far! Why? Because of my new and awesome Macbook Pro! I don't have to wait as long to render and the files are being saved to my hard drive a lot faster. Johnny and Hellen's was also a record breaking 16 hour day for me since I arrived earlier than everyone else to capture establishing shots and to make sure that I get everyone getting ready from start to finish. Don't worry ladies, I make sure that everyone has at least their foundation on! He he he. The best thing about this same day edit? I had three hours to spare before showtime and that's never happened before! Special thanks goes out to my crew that day, Shirley Corpuz and Sharon De Castro. Here's the 4th Artistic Imagery Instant Gratification Short Film of the year... Enjoy!

Johnny and Hellen's Instant Gratification Short from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Ashika & Jim!

2010-05-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

Indian weddings... Holy Cow...

(hehe - pun not originally intended, but it did make me laugh as I was writing it!)

I finally got to shoot my very first Indian wedding this past weekend, and it's a completely different game! Ashika's mom graciously hosted the Indian portion of the 3-day event in her home in Elk Grove, amidst the ridiculous wind we'd been having these past few days (side story - Jim had to do an emergency re-construction of the backyard's fabric-drape tent the day before the wedding by himself, as it'd blown over after they'd completely finished putting everything up. Trooper!!). It was AWESOME of Ashika and her family to explain everything as we were going along... it kept Alan and me on top of things, and now we know what's to come for the next one...!!

Day 3 was dedicated to celebrating with an intimate western wedding in midtown's Vizcaya Pavillions, complete with a classical guitarist for the ceremony and a mariachi band for the cocktail hour. Despite starting late (the ceremony started when it should have finished!! Que sera, sera...), we caught things up, and it ended up being a wonderful party.

Thank you, Ashika and Jim, for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your nuptials. Enjoy!!

(I'm just warning you now, there are quite a few pictures to go through... then again, it was a 3-day wedding. What did you expect?!)

The colors were so vibrant!!

Because there's so much to go through, everything moves pretty fast. I was going cross-eyed, trying to keep up the first hour... (I got the hang of things, after that!)

Ashika's beautiful peacock-themed mehndi design. (I went gaga over it, so I got one hand done, too!)

During the evening of the first day, Ashika had to remain inside, so she didn't really get to see much of what was going on.

OH!! So you'd think that your neighbors would be happy for a wedding celebration, right? One of their neighbors got all bent out of shape when the celebration was brought to the street (customary), complaining that we woke her up (who goes to sleep at 8pm?!), and to go have the wedding in our own yard... Thank goodness there were some college students across the street willing to let Ashika's relatives finish the (completely harmless!!) prayer at the edge of their lawn...

Day 2. Jim decided to share yet another animal companion with us. :)

Again - LOVED the depth of colors and textures.

Jim's ceremony before he can head over to the mandap in back.

The couple walk around 7 times, one round for each vow to one another.

Sindoor time!

Squeezed this last one in right before they booked it to their rehearsal!

Day 3.

Shout Outs:
MUA/hair: Aman at Glamorous
Henna: Nazia Khan
Venue: Vizcaya Pavillions
Florist: Esther's Floral Designs
Cake: Freeport Bakery
Stationery: Stephanie J Designs
Troubladour: Earl J. Rivard
DJ: Psyched Entertainment

Leilani & Andrew's E-Session

2010-05-01T11:41:00.001-07:00

...in Fort Bragg!!

Lots of our couples keep their E-Sessions close to home, for many reasons - convenience, timing, favorite locations, etc. I'm not gonna lie, though, and say that we prefer these over getting outta Dodge... traveling to (slightly) unfamiliar territory can make it fun for everyone!!

Leilani and Andrew didn't want the same E-Session as everyone else, with the same generic locations and quickie "just get it over with" feel, so they set us up in a beautiful bed and breakfast called The Atrium for the entire weekend, and we spent all-day Saturday exploring Fort Bragg's small town charm.

We hit up various neat spots up there, like the botanical gardens, the lighthouse, downtown and Glass Beach (kinda gross about the glass, but it was really pretty!!).

Anyway, it was an awesome trip that Alan and I would have never made on our own, so thank you, guys!

PS: There was this really yummy restaurant that Alan and I found Friday night called Mendo Bistro... I had this AMAZING roasted chicken breast that you HAVE TO try! And the best part? Instead of a mint with the bill, they give you a temporary tattoo of a pirate!!! That just says it all. :)

Surprise Wedding Thriller Dance!

2010-04-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Alan here. Not everyone considers wedding films a necessity for his or her wedding. Whether it's because they remember watching their friend's sub-par wedding video from a so called professional or because the budget just doesn’t allow for it. All valid. People may have a dozen reasons why they shouldn’t have a video but sometimes they fail to remember why they should…

… Even the very best photographer can't capture the sound of your laugh or your wedding vows (except for Amber. She's that good! Ahem.) A picture of your maid of honor holding a champagne glass pales in comparison to hearing her toast, don't you think?

… A grandparent smiling at you and your new spouse as you begin your new life together.

… Your parents’ heartfelt toast telling you how they’ve never been prouder.

... Chances are, your future children and grandchildren would rather see video footage over pictures in an album of your big day.

... In a recent survey, 98% of newlyweds who did NOT hire a wedding filmmaker urge brides to include a wedding filmmaker in their plans

Why is it sooo important to hire a wedding filmmaker for your big day? Well, it's for moments like this....

Surprise Thriller Dance at a Wedding Reception from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Cheryl & Derrick!

2010-04-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

This past Friday marked our unofficial/official start to our wedding season for 2010, with Cheryl & Derrick's wedding in Folsom at the Lake Natoma Inn. Greg, Alan, Adriel and I enjoyed the perfect weather while they held their nuptials in the open shade, behind the hotel. It was a convenient treat that Cheryl's brother officiated the ceremony, and I loved how their first kiss was the right balance of "yay, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you!" and "we're gonna take as long as we need to enjoy this moment...".

After some photo time, we all filed in to the reception which started off normal enough, but the second the toasts started, it turned into a groom roast...! Good thing Derrick rolled with the punches with style. ;) Games and dancing soon followed, culminating in a night of good vibes for the newlyweds.

Hope you're having fun on your honeymoon - y'all got me jealous of the pics you posted on FB, already...! Enjoy!!

I love the calm moments of anticipation...

Cheryl was good at keeping cool.

Derrick kept cool, too, but with a little help. ;)

LOVE this cuddle moment after they finished kissing. (nice shot, Greg!)

Brides: when we do the couple portraits, PLEASE bring some comfy shoes to walk around in... I can guarantee you, you WILL have a difficult time walking around in your heels in the places I end up taking you.

When we were discussing this moment 2 weeks before the wedding, I had originally misconstrued, "We wanna take a shot after the grand entrance," to mean, "take a picture of everyone, once we've all been announced." Not that it would have been a problem had I gotten that info wrong on the wedding day, but at least I avoided a big dumb-ass AH-HA!! moment in front of everybody with these two setting me straight at the meeting. Thanks for having my back, guys. ;)

Yeah, the picture's out of focus, but I love the moment.

I can't remember what the question was (maybe who spends more time in the bathroom...?), but I do remember Cheryl taking half a second to think about it, then almost violently thrusting Derrick's shoe in the air. You can just barely see her energy in this shot.

Ashika & Jim's E-Session

2010-04-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Alan and I spent the 2nd half of the day with Ashika and Jim in and around their workplace - Fairytale Town!! Ashika takes care of the special events, and Jim takes care of the animals (like the ever-photogenic Gus (aka "Eeyore") and Moolawn)... obviously, it's where they met, and I think it's awesome that they get to work with the person they love. :)

We started out over by the pond (geese poop and all), but with the sun roasting everybody, we quickly made it to the Rock Garden (which I totally didn't know existed... but I guess everyone else did, since there were 2.5 other shoots going on). Shortly after, we made it into the park, after all the kids were gone. This enabled us to take out a few extra friends, and with a few lookie-loos, we cranked out the rest of the shoot.

Thanks for the time, guys! Enjoy!

Okay, so maybe the "Rock Garden" might be a misnomer... didn't stop it from having some beautiful flora.

Another surprise - there's a Shakespeare in the Park?? Maybe I can drag Alan to it someday...

Apparently, Gus isn't too fond of getting up on stage, or going over bridges, or water...

Uh, hope I don't get in trouble putting this one up... ;D

When Hellen Met Johnny

2010-04-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

Amber and I are truly lucky to be working with such amazing clients. I really don't like using the word "client" because even before their big day, we already consider them friends. Filming a story that takes 2-3 days, you really get to spend time with the couple. Johnny and Hellen's story is a fun one to re-create. Yes, they did meet at Johnny's family owned restaurant and they also met by chance in Las Vegas but I had the artistic license to stretch and twist the story a bit. Much like Hollywood does to get the story across. He he he. If you haven't met Johnny and Hellen, you will truly get to know them in their love story. He's funny as hell and she's quiet, fashionable and cute!

When Hellen Met Johnny from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Stacie and Ronnie!

2010-04-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Alan here. It was a gorgeous day in San Jose, CA and the Church of Christ and the Ranch Golf Club was the perfect setting for Stacie and Ronnie's big day. We first got started at Hotel Valencia on Santana Row where Stacie and her bridesmaids got ready. It was a neat hotel with a blend of traditional furnishings surrounded by a touch of modern flair. It was a fairly small room but we managed to fit four makeup artists and hairdressers, the bridal party, the mothers of the bride and groom, two photographers, and three videographers. Whew! The ceremony at the church went very smoothly and the reception was a blast. Ronnie and a couple of the groomsmen did a surprise choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller and it brought the house down. We topped off the evening with a video presentation of their love story video and a surprise instant gratification short that you can view here:

A Ranch Golf Club Same Day Edit from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations guys! I'll make sure to post a link to your surprise Thriller dance soon!

The Bridal Party Music Video

2010-03-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got an email from our groom, Johnny. He wanted me to create a music video starring his bridal party. He said it would be a great way for them to bond and to get to know each other better before the big day. Some of the bridal party from Hellen and Johnny's side were from different parts of CA so they either had to drive or fly in just to shoot this video. I had one shot, one afternoon to get it all done. All I can say is, this bridal party can get crazy in front of the camera! We had so much fun and for one brief moment, I said to myself, I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this! I was still recovering from being terribly sick when I shot this and I wonder if I could've shot it better if I was completely healthy? Special thanks goes out to Amber for helping me film this piece. I couldn't have completed it without ya! Here's the video that everyone's been waiting for and I can't wait to film your wedding this coming May!

Johnny and Hellen's Bridal Party Music Video from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Ronnie + Stacie's Love Story

2010-03-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Alan here. I met Stacie and Ronnie last year when they booked us for their upcoming wedding on April 3rd. They fell in love with Tina and Mike's Love Story Video and Same Day Edit and wanted to do something similar. A few days after we signed them, Ronnie emails me with a script for their love story. I read it and it was amazing. I would have to say, the funnest part of the shoot was getting to apply makeup on them when they had the getting older scene. All I used was baby powder and brown eyeliner. Even though it was only up for few seconds on the final cut, the scene took 3-4 hours to prep and shoot. It was an awesome 3 days of filming with Amber's help and I can't wait to shoot their same day edit as well! Props also goes out to Arlene and John Lee for lending us their living room and Denny's for filming inside their diner for a few hours.

Stacie and Ronnie from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Nyra & JR's E-Session

2010-03-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

I know I'm usually super excited when I have an E-Session scheduled, but I may be a little biased towards this specific one for two reasons: the subjects and the locations.

I met Nyra back in 2000 during Summer Advising at UC Davis, who was, at the time, my roommate for a whole 3 days. Back then, she'd shown me a scrapbook she'd brought with her, pointing out her (fairly new, in retrospect) boyfriend's picture... little did I know that one day she'd be marrying that boyfriend, and I'd be the one to photograph her wedding!

So, with their wedding reception to take place at the Disneyland Hotel, what better place to shoot their E-Session than The Happiest Place On Earth?! Alan and I spent the better part of the day tromping around Disneyland and California Adventure to capture Nyra and JR in their element, being the fun, playful duo they are. And despite my constant worry beforehand, we ran into absolutely no problems shooting the session in the park! In the end, we had an awesome set of pictures, some good laughs, and an ugly-ass sunburn.

Okay, the last one was me and Alan. I hope they didn't get burned!

It was wonderful getting to see the both of you... and I honestly can't wait for your wedding (and mini FAHC reunion, for some of us!!). Enjoy!!

This was so much fun to take! ...until I wanted to throw up.

Asian woman driver!! "Actually, that's how JR really looks when I drive..."

Big ups to Alan for the concept for this shot... even though you kinda bit off of me... and I ended up making it look the way it does... but, you know... good job...

And a BIG thank you to my cousin, Karen... without you, our hearts would be a little heavier, and our wallets a lot lighter. But not necessarily in that order. ;D

Jackie & Jamie's E-Session

2010-03-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hooray for trips to Southern California! Not only do we get to play with a completely different type of client down here, but the amazing locations are impetus for Alan and me to try new stuff - stuff that you wouldn't associate with engagements and weddings and whatnot... but stuff we think looks cool. :)

In the spirit of getting kicked out of places, we started Jackie & Jamie's shoot in front of the Pacific Design Center (until a manong security guard politely told us to leave... you know he woulda let us stay if it were up to him, though!). After getting boo-hoo'ed from some naughty lingerie place on Melrose (ya know, if you didn't want people taking pictures in front of your store, maybe you shouldn't have made it so darn appealing! ha!), we took our shoot into the Arts District, where we got to play with lighting and posing. Big ups to Jackie for playing dead so well. hehe.

We wrapped up the fun at LACMA, at an awesome art installation outside, by the time it was fully dark. Good times - I absolutely can't wait for Jackie & Jamie's wedding in September!! Until then, enjoy, you two!!

SO glad these two don't mind a little fun in front of the camera... ;)

I don't know how you find places like this, but I want one in Sac!

So epic...

Hellen & Johnny's E-Session, part 2

2010-03-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hello from Las Vegas!!

Alan and I have been having a wonderful time, checking out new products for our awesome couples, making sure that what we're giving them is only the best... because they're worth it!! Despite having a horrible relapse in my cold and then some, I've been clinging on to good spirits when they come, and it's made the trip easier. hehe.

Yesterday Johnny and Hellen joined us in tromping around the Vegas area, shooting their E-Session and part of their Love Story (to be continued in Sacramento!). Took us half a second to break their fake smiles (guess it took only one look at the back of the camera to see that it wasn't what they liked! haha!), and once we got over getting shut down multiple times at the Venitian, we had a blast!

From narrowly avoiding sinking into a massive mud hole to getting spanked by a Mardi Gras bead lady on Fremont Street (Vegas is effing WEIRD at night if you're sober...! haha!), we had a wonderful time with these two!

Can't wait for the wedding in May, guys!! :)

Right before the final "Do you have a permit?" comment from a security guard before we left our hotel. Lying on the ground in Vegas is not my idea of helping to get rid of my cold... at least the shot was cool. ;)

First time at the sign for any of us... and of course there was a big-ass line to take this quick shot.

Beautiful area out in the middle of nowhere... not even sure I could get here again if I needed to. That long puddle in front of Johnny and Hellen? Almost 3' deep! Hella scary!

GORGEOUS sky.

A Wedding Movie Trailer

2010-02-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

A year ago, a bride asked me to design a movie poster for her Hollywood themed wedding. I said to myself, "You know that's not a bad idea to offer to clients!" After creating that first movie poster design, it seems like everybody wanted one for their wedding as well. About a month ago, a bride had asked me to create a movie trailer/save the date for her upcoming wedding in June. Yes, Artistic Imagery now offers movie trailers for your upcoming wedding! Here's the first look:

Prety and Shakti's Movie Trailer from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Prety and Shak's Wedding Movie Poster Design

2010-02-16T23:57:00.000-08:00

After weeks and weeks of ugly weather here in Sacramento, the rain finally went away the day I shot Prety and Shak's movie trailer and short photo shoot for their movie poster. I started designing the poster as soon as my schedule let me and I can't wait to show everyone the movie trailer/save the date for their upcoming wedding. That should be on the blog soon enough as well! In the meantime, enjoy this little eye candy from moi!

Prety & Shak's E-Session

2010-02-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo! Getting back to shooting... FINALLY!

This past Thursday Alan and I trucked out to Sonoma with Prety and Shak to shoot their E-Session and footage for their wedding trailer at the awesome Cornerstone Gardens. Big ups to Shak for being such a good sport after having JUST arrived from Florida... I woulda been draggin'!! Prety was one tough cookie - I was boo-hooing about how cold it was (big surprise), but the girl was on it in clothing more appropriate for the summer.

I wish we had more time with them, but a "convenient" storm was impinging on our shoot site. >:( At least I get these two for another shoot before their 3-day extravaganza!! :D Enjoy the shots!

I think this one's my favorite. :)

This UCD design was pretty friggin' cool... especially after we determined that they couldn't break the ledge they were standing on...

I wish I could have bought the doors they were selling there... I just have NO idea where I'd put it.

Be on the lookout before wedding season starts for more stuff from Cornerstone Gardens. Brides, this place is PERFECT for a wedding... ;)

Hellen & Johnny's E-Session, Part 1!

2010-02-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hellen and Johnny have quite the wedding collection ahead of them - in addition to getting The Works on their wedding day, they also have their Love Story and E-Session to shoot... in LAS VEGAS! But before all of that happens, they wanted a picture for their invitations... so we spent a quick moment at the capitol to get some shots in! This was a nice tease of things to come - and honestly, I can't wait to shoot them some more. :)

Enjoy!

Michele & Martin's E-Session

2010-01-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I spent the day with Michele & Martin (go Aggies!) in the city, shooting around Yerba Buena Gardens and a few blocks around it. Poor Michele was definitely not dressed for the cold weather (bay coldness + occasional drizzle = not short dress appropriate!), but was such a trooper to go tromping around out in the cold with a very appropriately-dressed Martin. hehe. They were constantly concerned about "doing okay"... hope these shots reiterate my words of encouragement. :)

{sidenote - weird how Michele randomly knew some of my tight friends from UCD, plus another couple of mine, in addition to the one that originally recommended us... such is the power of living in a small world... and having Facebook to point it out!}

Totally had a bunch of fun, and I can't wait for their wedding in September! Enjoy, you two!

Remy & Geoff's E-Session

2010-01-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

We always like to double-up on our trips to Southern CA, and this past time down was no exception. We met Remy almost a year ago when she was a bridesmaid at Stephanie & Chris' wedding, and I guess we made a good impression on her, because half a year later, I received a FB message announcing her engagement and wanting us to shoot her wedding (aw, shucks...!).

Fast forward to last weekend... the two of them were awesome enough to kick off the session by picking Greg and me up from Little Tokyo (because I chose cute over functional in my shoe choice that morning. I suck.). We finally got to meet Geoff ("I work for this video game company. You may have heard of a game I work on. It's called Call of Duty..." Uh, WHAT? wow!!), and after shuttling it over to Los Angeles' Union Station, we got to workin'.

These two did everything right... and I just wanna say I LOVE working with brides like Remy, who are completely enthusiastic about the entire shoot... well, except for kissing in a massive crowd of travelers. hehe.

Thanks for a wonderful session, you two. Can't wait to rock it in Malibu!

(as a preface to the images below, something about the images as a set made me wanna show them as page layouts, rather than each image on its own. the image interplay was such that I may just send this to print...)

The End. :)

Congratulations, Kristine & Nathan!

2010-01-19T15:09:00.001-08:00

Watch out world - welcome to Artistic Imagery 2010, photo-style! Kristine and Nathan's wedding rang in the start of our 2010 wedding season this year with all the fun and love we've come to be spoiled with by our couples!! Having dragged a small army (Greg, Adriel, Angel, Carlo and Annie) out to their Southern California wedding this past weekend, Alan and I rocked out Kristine and Nathan's wedding amongst the masses of guests in attendance.

Aside from a very dramatic, 1.5 hour mass ("May your love grow like at butt (bud)..."), their wedding flew right by... With the crazy DJ/MC, the amazing chocolate fountain, and the insane line for the photo station, you can't help but know that their wedding was an awesome success!

I can't wait to hear about your honeymoon (when you finally go!). Enjoy, guys!!

Something so simple about this shot... my favorite.

How gorgeous do our brides look?

What awkward pool in the background? ;)

'scuse me, Nathan!

The sky honestly didn't want to make up its mind that day, so we did a few blown out...

...and one to show off how amazing the sunset was. This had to be JUST for them, because the next day was definitely NOT this pretty...!

Wanna know why my other lead, Greg, rocks? Because he sees the world in how best to light our amazing couples... like this.

...and this.

...and this.

Apparently, Nathan's family is hardcore. This thing straight up had a Lazy Susan built in!

Talk about rowdy...!

and here's their instant gratification short from Alan and his awesome crew...

Kristine and Nate's Instant Gratification Short from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

2010 Artistic Imagery Promo Video

2010-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Alan here, It's that time of the year again where we do a little bit of promotion to start off the new year. We've been very fortunate to start 2010 with a record number of signings. Far more that we had ever anticipated. (Yay!) There are still a few spots available for the 2010 wedding season and 2011 is very much open.

Once again, Amber and I will be attending California's largest bridal fair at Cal Expo this coming Sunday, January 10. We usually show our promo video at the bridal showcase and during a client meeting but what's the point of showing it then since most of our brides and grooms have seen every inch of our blog and website by the time they call us! He he he. We don't want to torture them even more by making them view more work! So here it is, Artistic Imagery's 2010 Promo Video:

Artistic Imagery Stills and Cinema 2010 Promo Video from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations Denise and Rich!

2010-01-02T03:11:00.001-08:00

Amber and I spent our first day of 2010 in fine Artistic Imagery fashion, we filmed a wedding! We had a blast filming our first wedding with a bonus instant gratification short that was shown during dinner. We also got to hang out with Brian Khang Photography and his wonderful crew who shot the stills for the bride and groom. Overall, it was a wonderful way to kick off the year and fortunately, this isn't the last of our 2010 Southern CA weddings. We've got quite a few lined up and being in a venue that we've never shot since we mainly shoot in Northern CA has been a great and refreshing experience. Here's Rich and Denise's same day edit, enjoy!

Denise and Rich's Instant Gratification Short from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Congratulations Emilie and David!

2009-12-24T19:11:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, Emilie and Dave had their outdoor ceremony and indoor reception on a gorgeous sunny day at the American River Resort. This was my first time at that location and it was an awesome site surrounded by nature. This was also my first venture into Super 8 filming. I must tell you that I'm addicted to the vintage chic look and I can't wait to shoot my next one! I even purchased a better super 8 camera with more manual control and a better lens.

Emilie and Dave were so great to work with. All I needed to do was just sit back and observe. Not much direction needed, they were naturals in front of the camera! All the younger kids were wondering what I was holding in my hands and why my camera is making all that noise! The older crowd on the other hand, told me some pretty cool stories on how they used to film their kids back in the day and it was refreshing to see that old cameras are still being used today.

David & Emilie Beecroft's Wedding Summary from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

The Abucayan's Family Session

2009-12-21T00:27:00.000-08:00

Lately, we've gotten a massive influx of family portrait inquiries. Normally, we'd recommend a colleague for this kind of stuff, but I figured if I can find families that are more than happy to abandon any semblance of traditional family portraiture (save for the purposeful cheese shots), I'd be cool with it.

Thank goodness there are people out there that can't stand that traditional stuff as much as me.

This afternoon, we had this perfect window of sunshine just when our shoot with the Abucayans began. Having known the family for a while now, Alan and I just let the shots fly and the poses flow... I don't know if they could have made it any easier for us. I'm sure it helped that they were just as happy to dork it up as we'd ask - these guys never uttered a "no" or "I can't".

Plus, they COMPLETELY understood the concept of coordination without matching. ;)

Thanks for the wonderful time, guys - I promise, when I can tear myself away from my computer, I'll come visit with Bubs. :D

We had lots of ooglers for this... Tita Bernadette even generously offered to hand out our business cards...! (I politely declined.)

This crew can cheesy jump with the best of 'em! (insert 90's sitcom theme music here)

A Chinese/Vietnamese Wedding

2009-12-12T01:33:00.000-08:00

This is it. It's been a long time coming, one of my favorite weddings of 2009. Thu and Reagan sure know how to party! Even though it was a long day for everyone with a tea ceremony, 100 degree weather, a catholic ceremony, and a kick ass reception at a local Chinese restaurant, The newlyweds were such awesome troopers through it all.... just to get the shot! There were so much good footage that I could've easily make their summary 5 minutes long (my summaries are usually 3-4 minutes). But this one's even better, it's five minutes and 1 second! Thank you Thu and Reagan for letting us into your lives on this wonderful day. Here's their wedding summary, Enjoy!

Thu and Reagan's Wedding Summary from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Our Family Portrait!!

2009-12-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming... an artistic shoot of my family? Who'd have thought...!

Back in November, we'd attempted to do a family picture for our holiday cards, and to be honest, it was really hard to get a decent shot in, with Michael wanting to play with the other kids. Thankfully, we've got some amazing photographer friends (Sarah, Kira and Greg) that were willing to do a re-shoot for us, and yesterday we finally got to do it... and do it RIGHT. Got my hair done by the fabulous Amber at Lush Salon & Spa, and my makeup by the talented Vanessa at the MAC store in Arden Fair Mall (she got the thumbs up from one of my bf and amazing MUA, Christine, who I'd originally wanted to do my makeup).

For those that are interested in the clothing (I dropped enough money on them for their own shout out! haha!), I've listed stores at the bottom.

Keep your eyes peeled on your mailbox - we'll be sending out our cards in the next week or so! Happy Holidays!

on Amber:
shoes - Nordstrom
dress & jacket - Anthropologie
jewelry - Urban Outfitters, Express, Target
hairpiece - homemade, fools!

on Alan:
shirt - Target
vest & tie - Express
pants - Macy's
shoes - Aldo
hat - Urban Outfitters

on Michael:
blazer, hat - The Children's Place
pants - Pumpkin Patch
hoodie - Old Navy
shoes - Target

Sheila and Ari's Wedding Film Summary

2009-12-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the year's almost over and what a great way to end it with Sheila and Ari's wedding at the gorgeous Saint Francis Church in downtown Sacramento and the Marriott Hotel on Sunrise Blvd. Sheila and Ari definitely had an awesome wedding complete with a live band, dove release, a church choir and traditional Filipino Folk Dances to top off the evening. Less talking and more watching! Here's Sheila and Ari's wedding summary:

Sheila and Ari's Wedding Summary from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Spreading the holiday cheer!

2009-12-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, everybody!

Alan and I wanted to spread the holiday cheer this season by offering the following winter collections:

Feel free to upgrade these babies as much as you'd like! We're offering these two special collections to new clients until 12pm PST on December 19th. To schedule a time to meet, email us at info@artisticimagerypro.com.

Happy Holidays!!

What's been going on with you, Amber?

2009-12-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Our 2009 Wedding Season basically ended mid-November with Sheila & Ari's wedding... and as much as I'd like to think that we can just take off for a few months vacation, Alan and I are still glued to our computers, working on albums, print orders, and other business-related stuff until the new season rolls around. Once in a blue moon during that period, we like to pull out our cameras to shoot what goes on after the computers get shut off. Enjoy!

We were able to give Tin & Melvin their album a few months back. I never got to post pictures of the metallic canvas cover they ordered. Too bad you can't really see the metallic sheen to it... it looks pretty. :)

Last month, Sarah, Greg and I brought our families together to have a (much needed) family portrait day. It's always a blast to kick it with these folks outside of weddings! Unfortunately, Michael got a little too excited to see everyone, so we couldn't manage to keep him still for a picture. We're trying again this week, so keep your fingers crossed!! :)

The best shot of the two of us together since our wedding. Big ups to Sarah for snagging this shot!

During Thanksgiving, we had Alan's nieces and my uncle's family over at my parents' house. It was a nice, intimate evening... without Michael's pants.
Here's the girls, plus Bubs (love the attitude!). (L to R: Kimi, Kei, me, Lauren, and Bubbington)

My nieces wanted a sister shot with one of those "hunched over because I'm too sexy for my eating disorder" poses. Michael thought he could do better. I think the right picture of him is especially sexy.

I finally had the chance the other day to meet Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and..., face to face (Facebook only goes so far, ya know?). Alan had met her earlier this year at a wedding while she was getting the wedding cake all situated, but, go figure, I was shooting the bride. Anyway, Alan and I LOVE her work, so we'd requested a few of her business cards to pimp out her services. She was doll enough to bring me a stack at Arden Fair while I was shopping with Michael... not only that, but she brought me a friggin' bag of these bad-ass peanut butter cookie thingamajigs!! So delicious.

If you end up giving her a call, let her know I sent ya! :)

Anywho, that's generally it. Until nextime... :)

Jen and Terry's Wedding Summary

2009-12-07T01:35:00.000-08:00

Alan here, I'm not really much of a country music fan, but Jen and Terry's first dance, a country song, fit the bill for their wedding summary! These two lovebirds got married in the beautiful Silverado Resort in Napa. An easy going couple with a beautiful and laid back wedding, a perfect blend for an artistic imagery film. Enjoy!

Jen and Terry's Napa Wedding from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Vierra Family Portrait

2009-12-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Amber and I braved the cold weather with the Vierra Family of West Sacramento. If any of the background scenes look familiar, they were taken at Dave's Pumpkin Patch and during the month of December, it transforms into a Christmas Tree Farm! If you haven't gotten your Christmas Tree already, this is the place to get a great quality tree!

I seriously wanted to spend more time with them but the cold am winter weather called for spending more time indoors rather than outside. I could barely feel the trigger on my camera! Luckily, Erin was able to lend me her gloves for the last part of the shoot. I'm so glad the pics didn't come out blurry from my sh sh shakiness. Thanks Erin! I hope everyone out there is staying warm this winter. Here are the faves from the shoot....

Congratulations, Sheila & Ari!

2009-12-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo! Our last wedding of the year, now on the blog!

Alan and I met Sheila and Ari a few years ago, when we shot Anne & Ariel's wedding (Sheila was the MOH). Heck, they were my very first family portrait, ever so patient with me (and NO, we're not going to be looking at any of those shots...!). So when they contacted us earlier this year to shoot their wedding, we were thrilled that they FINALLY were getting around to it!

Sheila & Ari shared their nuptials with family and friends at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Midtown, Sacramento. Father Anthony was awesome - not only was he a massive help before the ceremony (including letting me try out some new lighting for the processional/recessional), but he also cracked us up, whether or not he meant to (he did this by 1.) using "That's Hot" in the middle of his homily and 2.) by referencing, more than once, how wonderful it will be when Sheila and Ari welcome children into their lives together (they've got 3 kids). hehehe.).

The ceremony was followed up by a reception at the Rancho Cordova Marriott. Not only did they have a live band, but they also had (wait for it)... traditional folk dancers! For those that aren't familiar, it's almost a given that a Filipino wedding reception will feature one or more folk dances, to appease the family. The reception was all fun, and I can't wait to get these two out for some pictures together!!

Sheila & Ari, congrats, and enjoy!

Their eldest, Mika.

Oh, did I mention they had a dove release? Haven't done one of these in a while! I think I get one a year...

LOVED how they said "eff it!" and just shoved all of the relatives into one big groupshot - that cut down on a LOT of time. :)

I got (literally) half a second to work with Sheila on some formals in the lobby... she rocked this shot!

Ari danced with Sheila's mom for the mother/son dance. I haven't teared up during one of these in a while, but I wanted to drop everything and give them a hug after it was over...! I'm such a baby. :(

Sinkil. I never danced this one... I'm not what one would consider the epitome of grace... hahahaha... *sigh*

...I did, however, dance this! Hooray for Pandango Sa Ilaw!

After the money dance, with daughter Julianna.

A beautiful sibling shot.

Remember how I said Father Anthony let me play with the lighting? If you've ever tried to shoot natural light at this church (or have talked to someone that has), it's not the easiest of beasts to tame, especially during the processional/recessional. I'd tried this out at another wedding, and am thrilled that this worked out fairly well for the shot. Looks like I'll be implementing this a little more frequently, next year... :)

Christina's Family Session

2009-12-02T13:39:00.001-08:00

Forever ago (again, I'm at a complete loss with the timeframe!), I made my way down to Pleasanton to shoot Christina's family portraits. I'd met Christina through a wedding mishap (don't bother scouring the blog for the wedding - you won't find it!) back in June, and now I have an awesome hair stylist for any of my brides getting married in the Bay!

I find it funny that I am adamant about being a "Wedding Only" photographer, and yet, here I am, cranking out maternity sessions and family sessions, and fielding tons of inquiries for more...! Whatever - Christina's family was fun, and they were stellar models. :)

Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Christina's work at the link up there! :D

Dione & Joey's E-Session

2009-12-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

Oye. I've been SLACKING on my blog posts. Thank goodness Alan picked up the slack and showcased a bunch of his wedding reels in the meantime!

A few weeks ago (okay... honestly, it's been long enough that I don't even remember...), Alan and I got together with Dione & Joey for their E-Session in San Francisco. We revel in getting the opportunity to shoot in the city - not only is it a lovely departure from Sacramento, but it's also a photographer's paradise... so we made sure to get a little of that in the session with these two. :)

We generally tromped around Mission St, in a nice little U around Bloomingdales. It was nice to find out that Dione used to attend St. Patrick Catholic Church when she was little, so that made shooting around the area that much more comfortable for these two (or at least we all forced that comfort bubble on Joey... hehe...).

Can't wait for your wedding in May, you guys! Enjoy!

You know what was weird about this spot? We took this shot, left the area, came back about 30 minutes later, and the white primer was gone! SoMa doesn't play around with unwanted graffiti!

Big ups to my BF Thea for helping us find our way to this awesomely empty, almost-too-hip-to-use alley/street/court - it's like they left the chairs out just for us!

Julie and Joe's Director's Cut

2009-11-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

Alan here, it wasn't too long ago when I got an email from Julie about asking me to film her Hollywood Style inspired wedding. As I was sitting there as she was describing to me the details and the location of her wedding, I immediately thought to myself, "I hope she books me, I hope she books me." I mean, who couldn't resist the challenge of creating a movie poster with an instant gratification short that blends with their pre-filmed love story? On top of that, the love story will be projected at the Crest Theatre! This was truly one of the best Artistic Imagery weddings of the year and I hope everyone will enjoy the director's cut version of "The Perfect Catch".

The Perfect Catch, starring Julie and Joe from alan silva on Vimeo.

Amanda & John's (first) E-Session

2009-11-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Alan and I were in SoCal... Primarily for these two guys. What started out as a gifted E-Session from one of their close friends somehow turned into this awesome decision to bring us down to Cancun with them for their extremely intimate nuptials (like, 2 guests kind of intimate...). All hail the power of Facebook! Hehe...

Anyway, we finally met with Amanda & John after numerous FB conversations, having chosen Venice Beach as a nice, wholesome area to discuss business (HA!). Paperwork done, we roamed the alleyways and beach, finding treasure after treasure of hot spots for their E-Session shots. What follows is part one of their E-Session experience... Keep your eyes peeled for part two, coming at you in March from where else than Sin City...!

This last one is a shot of the sunset, while we ate dinner along the walk. How beautiful is this end to a lovely day?

okay, so in hindsight, I totally feel like there should be a Ferrari in the foreground... It SOOOOO gives off that 80's vibe... Haha...

Jennifer and Kelly Kent's Napa Wedding Film

2009-11-18T23:48:00.000-08:00

It's very rare that I never meet the couple before their big day. I always try to at least personally meet with them 2 weeks prior their wedding day to go over their schedule. Going into this wedding, I didn't know what to expect, there were a lot of rules to follow at the reception site and Kelly, the groom wasn't too keen about having a camera following him around. As I arrived at the place where the bride and her family were getting ready, I immediately clicked with all of them. (whew!) Jennifer and Kelly were very easy going and a lot of fun to film and the video truly shows how much they care for each other. Special thanks goes out to Ken Viale, their wedding photographer for making my job easier and to their wedding coordinator, Traci of Napa Valley Celebrations for keeping us on the loop throughout the day. Congratulations Jen and Kelly!

Jennifer and Kelly Kent's Wedding at Auberge du Soleil from alan silva on Vimeo.

A Downtown Affair, Gwen and Randolph Style!

2009-11-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

We had the utmost pleasure of shooting one of the loudest and most awesome bridal party of the year. Gwen and Randolph were married at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Downtown Sac and had their reception at the Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento. Randolph sure did rock his white tux and Gwen had no problems with her top model moves during the photo session. I had a great time editing this wedding, I sure did miss an awesome party!

Gwen and Randolph's Wedding Summary from alan silva on Vimeo.

Stephanie and Chris' Director's Cut

2009-11-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've been shooting weddings since 2001 and since then, I've listened to what brides enjoy the most out of their wedding videos, how often they watch them, etc. etc. It turns out, most of the brides and grooms use my chapter menus and just watch the exciting parts of their day. They also watch their five minute summary over and over again. So this year, we've introduced the director's cut in our a la carte items. In a nutshell, it's a shortened version of the entire wedding day but a lot longer than the 5 minute summary. Only the best highlights are shown and edited in a faster and more entertaining manner. This wedding was shot in April of 2009 and Artistic Imagery's first director's cut (running time: 15 minutes). Enjoy!

Stephanie and Chris' Director's Cut from alan silva on Vimeo.

Carla & Trevor's Couple Session

2009-11-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Greg, Kira and I got together again to spend more time with Carla & Trevor in their wedding attire. Shot at Cosmopolitan & Social, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to spend as much time with the two of them as we needed - the wedding day didn't afford that at all...!

Enjoy!

Congratulations Tom and Bethany!

2009-11-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, Alan here! It's been a while since I've posted a video here on the blog. I've been crazy busy this past month with insanely huge projects and a lot of traveling. To make up for it, there will be a string of director's cut edits, wedding and event summaries on the blog in the next few weeks. This first one is Tom and Bethany's wedding in the gorgeous Monte Verde Inn in Forest Hill, CA. This one was beautifully filmed by Travis and Adriel. They have been working with artistic imagery for several years now and I can't be anymore prouder. I sure did miss an awesome wedding! Pay close attention to the officiant's little shimmy during the first kiss as husband and wife. I think he wanted them to get a room. Congrats you two!

Tom and Bethany's Wedding Summary from alan silva on Vimeo.

Mary & Chris' Anti-Maternity Session

2009-11-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

What What WHAT?!

I DETEST maternity photoshoots. I've got a whole lotta respect for those that create beautiful images of pregnant women, but I can't stand taking the generic, heart-over-the-belly-button pictures (ugh... I think I just threw up a little.).

Maybe it's because I felt like a fat cow during my pregnancy... but I digress.

When Mary brought up the idea of a maternity shoot, I reiterated that it's not my thing, that I loved shooting their wedding, but I'm sure she could find someone that could do it much better than I, blah blah blah... and then she said that Chris didn't want to do the traditional stuff. That's when I got interested.

What follows is a sampling of possibly the only way I'll ever do a maternity session, again... with humor, mirth, and a slightly twisted way of looking at pregnancy.

Enjoy my very first Anti-Maternity Session.

See? This is how you know Chris will be a good dad - he's getting all of the reading in, beforehand.

Mary said she's been having this thing for burgers, lately...

Okay, okay... gotta admit, this is cute. But maybe it's because they're using my iPhone.

This hugging shot came out perfect, thanks to Tina's amazing contortionist skills with the light.

Last shot of the day. Love it.

Mary and Chris are going to be such amazing parents to their little boy. I'm thrilled that they've chosen to bring a new life into the world, and even moreso that they are including me in the experience (and let me tell you, it's SO much nicer being an indirect participant in this! I love my son, but shoot...). Early congratulations to the both of you!

Rachelle & Nick's E-Session

2009-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I spent a few hours in San Francisco, shooting Rachelle & Nick's E-Session. Because they used to live in the city, they knew exactly where we were headed for the day - a bit of the Presidio, a bit of the Financial District, and a bit of the Ferry Building (which I had NO idea housed some neat shops! Thanks for the tip, guys!!).

Totally chill (and yet, extremely efficient with the shooting time...!), these two were naturals in front of the camera, making my job that much easier (and more fun!). I can't wait for their wedding up at the gorgeous Monte Verde Inn... enjoy, you two!

...ask me how many takes this jumping shot took. hehehe.

I totally went out and bought a black version of this skirt after this shoot... I LOVED it!

Don't worry - it was already defaced like this when we got here. We just took advantage of the situation.

Haven't done one of these in a while... I LOVE how it came out!

How convenient was it that these banners were here? Big thanks to Nick's job for having the foresight to set these up for us. ;)

Congratulations, Jen & Terry!

2009-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday marked the last in our 12 wedding run these past 8 weeks, and it was a beautiful one to cap it off. Jen and Terry held their nuptials at the Silverado Resort, on the outer limits of Napa (I had no idea this area was here!). With an intimate outdoor ceremony just as the sun was going down, and a lovely, simple reception to boot (way to rock the family-style head table! Loved it!), their evening went off without a hitch!

I hope that you two had a wonderful time on your honeymoon! Enjoy!

Big ups to Greg for rocking Terry's & the mens' pictures, and for some delicious lighting!

Congratulations, Gwen and Randolph!

2009-10-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Jeez, I don't know what's up with me, but I've been SLACKING on these blog posts! ...okay, I'm not slacking, per se, but I'm super busy, so everything's getting slightly delayed.

Two Saturdays ago ( I KNOW! I'm horrible!!), Sarah, Kira and I spent an enjoyable day shooting Gwen and Randolph's wedding at the Cathedral in downtown. Sarah and I had shot there the day before, but as with all weddings, this one definitely had its own vibe - and we like that. :) It was a wonderful ceremony, and we were stoked to spend a few hours afterwards shooting the couple and their bridal party around the capitol and Old Sac before they completely rocked the reception at The Firehouse.

...btw, I'm not vegetarian, but I had the vegetarian dish and I've never had polenta that tasted so friggin' delicious!!!

This whole group was a hoot, and reinforces why filipino weddings tend to be so much fun to shoot. Thanks for the great time, you two! Enjoy!!

Don't know how they did it, but these two managed to coordinate their wedding so that they'd be outside just in time for this!

Quick - ugly prom pose!

Randolph took a mid-first dance moment to break it down.

wait... there's a MOB & groom dance...?

I've been shooting weddings for a while, but I haven't seen a MOH this far gone during her speech since my own wedding...!

Congratulations, Samantha & Joe!

2009-10-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, Sarah and I started out 2 wedding weekend with Samantha and Joe, who enjoyed celebrating with family and friends at the Cathedral, followed by an intimate reception at Le Rivage (my first time shooting there!). I wish I had more time with the two of them at the hotel - there were so many neat spots...

Maybe I was trippin', but there was wonderful lighting throughout the entire day... not sure if the couple did a jig or two for the photog and light gods the night before, but it was hard to find a spot that they didn't look amazing in!

It was a beautiful wedding, to match a wonderful couple! Enjoy, you two!

I loved the conveniently-located cruiser next to the fountain...

If I had the chance, I'd shoot an entire wedding cropping out a portion of people's face in EVERY shot. It diverts the focus from people's facial expressions to their body language - a beautiful interaction taken for granted.

As requested by Samantha... you should have seen her bridesmaid flailing while she did the behind-the-scenes on this shot!

This is how everybody else saw this moment, too... right?

Congratulations, Kari and Joe!

2009-10-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Greg and I enjoyed shooting a short, intimate wedding at Kari's parent's home in Carmichael. The space was perfect for their event, with touches of french country scattered around their garden nuptials.

Gotta admit, though - the crowning feature was the pirate ship play area, nestled behind the ceremony site amongst tall trees. :D

The wedding was beautifully simple, and went on without a problem (except for maybe Joe not being able to see down the aisle at his oncoming bride, as he was blinded by the sunlight!). Congrats, you two! Enjoy!

Congratulations, Thu & Reagan!

2009-10-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Kira, Travis, Alan and I shot one long, hot, crazy Chinese-Vietnamese wedding... and had the best time doing it! That was the same day when it was insanely hot outside, when it would be nuts to be outdoors... and Thu & Reagan (and their bridal party!!!) were troopers enough to shoot around downtown Sac, midday, in full wedding attire.

We travelled from Thu's mom's house for their tea ceremony to Morris Chapel at UOP, then up to Sacramento for their reception - it made for a lot of shooting! The reception was a wonderful end to the day, and we had a ton of fun at our most rowdy photo station to date!

Reagan & Thu, enjoy your honeymoon!!

Congratulations Wendy and Rick!

2009-09-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Alan here, Adriel and I had the pleasure of filming Wendy and Rick's wedding a few weeks ago in the city of San Francisco. Wendy and Rick met in college and fell in love instantly. This is actually my first edit where I wanted to incorporate the vows and made sure the song I picked flowed with what they said to each other. It was also a wedding with familiar faces, I saw a past bride and groom, Ken and Vicki and the entire side of Vicki's family! It was great seeing them again. No more talking, and more watching... here's the video, enjoy!

Rick and Wendy's Wedding Film Summary from alan silva on Vimeo.

Cyrill & Ed's E-Session

2009-09-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Alan and I made our way out to San Francisco to spend time with Cyrill, Ed, and a couple of their friends for their E-Session. Time flew as we made our way through Golden Gate Park for shots in front of the De Young, Irving Street for some yummy pizza, and SFSU for a little bit of time in the dance studio... I was thrilled that these two were so into the physical labor to get the shot, I couldn't help but get them to catch a bit of air. :)

Sausage In The Crack... Jeepney Transformer... gosh, can't wait for the wedding. :D

Not sure what it is with me and the photojournalistic stuff lately, but I LOVE this shot of the two of them, waiting for the pizza.

Hehe.

dang... check that technique! ;)

Wish I could do this. Seriously.

...even the flash help knows how to work it.

Normally, I can't stand when clients wear the same outfit, but I can definitely make an exception for this! (fyi, Fusion's their dance crew.)

Cute naman!

Congratulations, Carla & Trevor!

2009-09-24T00:07:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Alan and I tackled Wedding 2 of 3 with the aid of Greg and Kira... and somehow, I didn't think that 4 photographers was enough...!

Carla & Trevor's wedding was held at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, a beautiful church that Carla had attended when she was younger (I'm biased - it's also where Michael got baptised!). The reception was just a block down at Social, the nightclub that Trevor runs - a perfect venue for their guest list of 380!! Colorfully lit and appropriately decorated, the site provided the right backdrop for the guests to party the night away.

Because things ran a little late, there was zero sunlight by the time the ceremony ended... thank goodness Carla & Trevor planned to have a Couple Session in the near future to finish everything off - I've got a ton of ideas for these two! I hope you guys are enjoying your honeymoon! :)

The girls got ready at Carla & Trevor's loft... conveniently spacious. :)

While the girls meandered around...

...and posed for a couple of shots...

...the guys got together...

...and did their own thing.

Cake #2 for this weekend from Sugar and Spice and... Carissa even told me that Carla had no idea what her cake was going to look like...! How's that for gutsy?!

Geez... they don't even have to TRY to work the camera.

Alan's fisheye of the first dance...

...and the departing shot. Took Greg and me forever to get our ish together, but when it did, we rocked it.

Destined, a Love Story

2009-09-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love my job. What's even better is if the people you are filming are naturals at what they do. Tom and Bethany are the type of couple that truly show how much they care for each other. I had a blast filming this with Amber and Travis. We can't wait to film and edit your wedding! Here's they're short and sweet love story film, hope y'all like it!

Destined, Tom & Bethany's Love Story Film from alan silva on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Jamie & Chris!

2009-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

To kick off our 3-wedding weekend (you're thinking right - we don't do 3 weddings in a row all that often, and we were sorely reminded why once all was said and done!), we headed back up to the Newcastle Wedding Gardens to help Jamie & Chris celebrate their big day. Making sure everything got executed beautifully was Amber Novey of Platinum Planning (pst - she's a past Artistic Imagery bride!). We had a blast, and were thrilled that things went relatively hitch-free. :)

Jamie & Chris, I hope you two enjoyed your quickie honeymoon... here's to a longer one in the near future! :D

(have I ever mentioned how much I love to eat pomegranates? these look DE-LISH!)

Carissa from Sugar and Spice and... rocked out the first of two cakes we shot of hers this weekend...!

Loved that Chris chose to dance with his daughter after Jamie had her Father/Daughter dance.

Tina & Mike's Couple Session

2009-09-22T18:10:00.001-07:00

On Tina & Mike's wedding day, we rand into something that doesn't happen often, but when it does, it sucks - we were running so far behind, we ran out of time to shoot the bride and groom! Okay, I exaggerate... but 5 minutes is NOT enough time, and we couldn't talk the staff into giving us more time before the reception started. >:(

Since the couple weren't leaving town immediately (they had a second reception this past Sunday), we got back together the Tuesday following their wedding to shoot their couple pictures in San Francisco. Tina & I were on the same page to steer clear of the obvious SF landmarks (thank god the Golden Gate Bridge was covered in fog!), so we got a few shots in from the Presidio and Golden Gate Park (even got the requisite boot from a shot spot... at least he gave us a 30 second head start...).

Cannot express how much fun I have with this couple, every time I see them. Can't wait to hear how Bora Bora is... :)

Cheryl and Derrick, ENGAGED!

2009-09-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Alan here! Amber and I headed out to old town sac and the State Capitol to shoot Cheryl and Derrick's engagement photo session the other day. We haven't shot in this location in forever! The couple was a lot of fun and a duck almost ate Cheryl's toe while we were down in the docks. It made them lighten up a little bit and it was smooth sailing from that point on. There were too many awesome shots to pick from and it was so hard to keep it under ten faves.... so here's 12! I could've pushed it to 20 pics but I don't want to spoil you guys too much!

Congratulations, Tina & Mike!

2009-09-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Sounds crazy, but I'm still exhausted after Saturday's wedding. Wanna know why?

...because I enjoyed every beautiful, silly, fun moment of it. That's why.

Alan, Adriel, Kimi, Sarah and I all made the trek down to San Jose for what ended up being a 12-hour day of wedding fun with Tina & Mike. Mary & Chris from Very Merry Events (and a past couple of ours!) managed to coordinate this gorgeous event, and I doubt that it would have come anywhere near as put-together, had they not been at the helm! From the bridal details (LOVE her gown!) to the beautiful site, to the sharp reception (check out the sweetheart table!!), this wedding raised the bar for our couples.

...but you know, even without all of the nuptial eye candy, I still would have had the best time at this wedding - both Tina and Mike are an incredible couple, with personalities so enjoyable you can't help but love 'em!

I'm thrilled to have been a part of your wedding, you two... here's to tomorrow's shoot to continue the wedding day (!), Sunday's 2nd reception, and everything beyond it. Enjoy!!

The hotel wouldn't let us hang Tina's dress on any of the chandeliers... so I made due with my child labor and put her to use. hehe.

Normally I'm not big on photojournalism - it's just not my forte... however, for whatever reason, I fell in love with this shot before I even took it. Haven't really figured that one out, yet.

Beautiful ceremony site details.

Because we had a shortage of time (which I have NO idea what happened to it...!), we had to squeeze out what we could for couple's shots. No worries, though - we're spending a few hours in the city to polish it off. yay!

I LOVE the cake toppers! Courtesy of the magical world of Etsy. :)

I told you the sweetheart table was amazing...

The couple's reactions while watching Alan's Instant Gratification Short. Let's face it - we like to make our couples cry.

Mike and Tina's Love Story Film and Instant Gratification Short

2009-09-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

By far, this has been the most ambitious Love Story edit that I've shot. Filmed at several locations and shot in three separate days, Mike and Tina were willing to do anything to get the perfect shot! This has also been the quickest same day editing job that I've undertaken since everything was running behind that day but I still want myself to be on time. 1 hour to edit, 30 minutes to render. Whew! Props to Adriel, Kimi, Amber, Sarah, Mary and Chris for doing anything and everything for me that day to get this same day edit shown on time.

Mike and Tina's Love Story and Same Day Edit from alan silva on Vimeo.

Jen & Terry's E-Session

2009-09-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last week, I took a little trip out to Napa to shoot Jen & Terry's E-Session... on Jen's birthday! I had to double-check with Terry a couple of times that she was okay with that... thank goodness she was all game. :) We met (and started) at their wedding venue and then moved on to this random winery along Silverado Trail (is it bad that I didn't even catch the winery's name...?!), then finished up at a barn along the road. All in all, a fun shoot, and I'm excited to be shooting their wedding next month!

oh, did I forget to mention Terry's other woman? Jen's sweet enough to share his love with her. :)

Congratulations, Andria & Ryan!

2009-09-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Alan, Kira and I drove out to Avio Vineyards for the first time, to shoot Andria & Ryan's wedding. Before the day even started, Andria's dad came up and thanked us ahead of time - you know it's going to be a good wedding, right there!

I'm not gonna lie - these two looked SHARP. Andria was my first ever bride to rock a ponytail... and Ryan's suit?! I wish all of my grooms dressed like he did. They looked impeccable.

They, like our last two weddings, chose to see one another before the ceremony... such a massive stress out of the way!! It gave me oodles of time to shoot the two of them... oh, an the fact that they had the fastest ceremony we've ever shot (maybe 5 minutes, tops!), these two weren't playing when it came to allocating enough photography time!

Andria & Ryan, I hope you're enjoying the islands! Enjoy!

This venue had so many different options for photo ops! Can't wait to shoot there, again!

...and this is EXACTLY how chill they were during the entire shoot...

Loved how Andria opted to veto the wedding band tradition, and just go for one gorgeous ring.

I'm in LOVE with these shots. You know they're hot.

Beth Sogaard Catering was phenomenal! Presentation, options, taste... they had it all.

Ah, yes - the photo station. I can't begin to gush about how much we love doing these things! Gotta say, though - we definitely get to see another side of the guests when they get in front of the camera...

...and yes, that's a terrified MOG riding piggyback on her son.

{to all of my blog stalkers - what do you think of the blog going back to the single/double image approach (as seen above), over the recent collage look? as much as I enjoyed telling the story in one big jumble of pictures, I was getting bummed that they weren't being seen as individual images, that favorite images were getting lost in the mix, and that I couldn't share the stories behind specific shots. send me your feedback via FB, if you care to share. thanks!!}

Congratulations, Reina & Andy!

2009-09-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Greg and I trekked up to South Lake Tahoe to share in the gorgeous weather and views that graced Reina & Andy's wedding up at Heavenly. I don't know what kind of weather dance they did, but the skies were breathtaking, and a wonderful compliment to their mountain top nuptials. Aside from a hitch in locating a good spot for lakeside shots (apparently there was this ogre of a wedding planner preventing us from getting to the spot that we *should have* had access to...! Thank god we didn't have to deal with her the entire day! HA!), the rest of the day ran smoothly, timing for the first dance at sunset and all. :)

Reina & Andy, enjoy your sporadic honeymoon to come! Enjoy!!

Congratulations, Marina & Chris!

2009-09-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

Took almost a week to post, but then again, last weekend was a doosey! :)

Last Friday, I headed out to Napa with Alan, Greg and Kira to photograph what was the culmination of struggle, perseverance, and love in one of its purest forms. Big talk, I know - but to have listened to the couple recount their road to this endpoint is to understand what strong conviction can aid in creating. As it is not my story to tell - and I hope that one day they will feel the urge to share it with everyone - I will leave you hanging with that.

I'm such a tease. ;)

Anyway, these two got married a week before their reception due to Ramadan, so this past Friday was purely for celebration (woo-hoo!). They rocked the portraits (as did the sky that day!), and the reception was the most lively I've been to in a long time. All in all, an amazing event... and I didn't event cover half of it in the pictures below...!

Congrats, you guys! Wish I could be checking out the Mayan Temples like you guys... jealous...

Animation Test: Stop Motion Wedding Rings

2009-08-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here's something a little different for a wedding film opening sequence that I've been working on in my head. I was finally able to film it the other day. It's still in it's infancy, when I get to shoot it again, it will be sooo much better. Here's the concept so far:

stop motion animation rings test from alan silva on Vimeo.

Today's silver lining

2009-08-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

If y'all hadn't been privy to my tweets from earlier today, my car got broken into and my purse was stolen. Totally lame... totally my fault... but totally unnecessary. I'm not denying that I was completely retarded to leave my purse in the car (shoved under the front passenger seat) while I worked out at the gym. It just sucked that I had a full day of work planned, only to have it transformed into time spent in my bank (to shut my cards down - the jerk had already gone to 5 different gas stations to take money!!) and the DMV (faster than I expected, but I'll never go in there without an appointment again). What's worse, Alan got sucked into it, too, so we both had an extremely unproductive Monday.

Anyway, I was scrambling to get done what I could before the post office closed - thank goodness for West Sacramento's 6pm closing time!!! - and UPSanta brought not 1, not 2... but 6 Guest Sign-In Books to our doorstep! No doubt, this was a wonderful end to a less-than-stellar Monday. Half of the books will probably get picked up in-person within this week since we're seeing what feels like half of our clients these next few days, but I really wish I could just hand-deliver all of them (Sorry, Kristine & Nate - SoCal is a bit too far for a hand-delivery this week!).

I snagged a couple of shots of them before heading out the door... enjoy!!

A Downtown Sacramento Wedding Film

2009-08-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Alan here! Amber and I have been to countless weddings and we have a way of knowing how much in love the bride and groom really are. Stephanie and Conrad ranks really high up there and it truly shows in this short wedding film. From their intimate wedding at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament to their awesome Hyatt Regency reception led by Music on the Move, this couple's marriage will truly last a lifetime! Special thanks to Adriel for assisting me on this one. Congratulations Stephanie and Conrad on your timeless and gorgeous wedding!

A Downtown Sacramento Wedding Film from alan silva on Vimeo.

Reina & Andrew's E-Session

2009-08-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had the chance to spend a couple of hours with Reina & Andrew in downtown before their upcoming wedding (can you say, two weeks from now?!). Since Andrew swore off Oldtown as a shooting location, we took off for a couple of areas in midtown, with Dolce and Reina's mom in tow.

Here's to last-second E-Sessions... can't wait for your wedding in Tahoe in a few weeks! Enjoy!

Photo Session in Socal

2009-08-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Alan here, I recently had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with an up and coming Christian singing group called the Fedora Girls. Ahlieya, Cassidy, and Kezia were such a bunch of fun to work with! I was bummed to have the photo shoot end early. The pictures are going to be used to update their promotional items and website. Watch them perform at the Christian Music Awards on August 22nd in San Diego, CA! Here are the faves from the shoot:

"What've you been up to, Amber?"

2009-08-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

...well, let me tell you!

Actually, I just needed some catchy title for a post about my home life... that crashed and burned, miserably. hehe.

Aside from the weddings/e-sessions/whatnot that Alan and I have been insanely busy with, we do have stuff that happens on the side! A couple of weeks ago, Greg, Ryan & JC and I got together to have a mini workshop shoot amongst ourselves, to play with posing and outdoor off-camera light. My little sister, Lauren, was kind enough to help us out - I've shot so much with her, she knew exactly what I needed of her... which helped immensely, when I couldn't put into words what I needed to say! She literally became my translator to the guys - this is why you pose a girl this way and not that way, etc.

When we got a chance to go outdoors, we had an absolute ball... no joke, I LOVE this location. I'm just burnt out with it already, after having gone there 3 times in a row (Lauren's shoot was the 2nd). The sky at dusk was just fabulous, and we couldn't have asked for more with it. I chose to go with a more obvious look for the flash, and I can't complain with the results. :)

Another thing lately has been the floral arrangements we've been getting from our clients...! Within the span of 4 days, we had 3 different pieces swarming our living room, one from Tom & Bethany (for what, I have NO idea... PLUS they added wine to the mix!), one from Reina & Andrew (for an "I'm sorry we have to reschedule our E-Session for another time" - which we still have to do!! - see below), and one from Alan (for our date... story below). We LOVE them, but are completely surprised at receiving them. So thank you again!

Some of you may have noticed that we weren't all that accessible for most of last week - that's because Alan and I were both going crazy with work, and needed to take some time off to let things settle (if you hadn't thought of it, Alan and I don't really take days off together all that often. It sucks.). So on Monday, Alan decided to give me a surprise date... surprise not in knowing about the day at all, which I did, but surprise in not having a clue as to what we'd be doing. Only problem? The day before, I received a call from Spa Lalé confirming our massage appointment, right in front of Alan...! It was sweet, though, and made me extremely anxious for the day.

So here's how the day generally ran:

•• Alan and I started the day with lunch at Crepeville (18th and L), one of my favorite spots to eat! I had the Salsa Crepe... de-lish!
•• We headed over to Le Rivage to indulge in an 80-minute couples tension massage at Spa Lalé. Alan said I fell asleep and snored. Awesome.
•• We went back home, got primped, and headed to SF.
•• We had dinner reservations at Ducca, inside the Westin. AMAZING Italian fare. I had the roasted chicken, and we split this really, really yummy caprese salad. No dessert, though, to my ultimate dismay - we had to be somewhere in 20 minutes!
•• On the way there, Alan spoils the surprise (LAME!!!). We were going...
•• SALSA DANCING!! Well, more like taking group lessons. Good job, Alan - it was a 4-week beginner's class. Bad job, Alan - we were at the last class of the 4-week period. I didn't have a problem picking it up, but after rotating through 5 women (and pissing of 2 of them!), Alan headed over to the bar. I had no idea until the very end, when I finally spotted him over with the group of all of the guys that felt completely moded. I felt so bad!! ...but I had a ton of fun. :)
•• We were conveniently right next to Genki, a Japanese general store that has INCREDIBLE hand-held sweet/savory crepes (I blogged about the last time I'd been there, last year). I bought one, and Alan unfortunately wasn't hungry enough to enjoy it with me... until after I had finished it!

Anyway, at the restaurant, a bouquet of flowers were waiting for us at our table - Alan had made arrangements to have it delivered to Ducca's before we'd gotten there. It was beautiful... and, really, so was the entire day. It was a much-needed date, and I'm thrilled that Alan wants to do more of them!

So many people ask about Michael (or Bubs, as we lovingly refer to him) when they come over, but because he goes to the babysitter Monday-Friday, he's never around much to meet everyone. To make up for that, I utilized the few opportunities I have both him and my camera around to shoot a couple shots of him...

Mind you, he didn't do this first one by himself. His cousin helped him out a bit... but those dots and lines everywhere were all him!

This other set was shot this morning, right before I brought him to the babysitter's. I was fine with him playing with the legos in the family room... until he dumped them everywhere! They're still waiting right where he dumped them, for him to clean up when he gets home... hehe. That said, I can't help but realize just how fast he's grown!

Madeeha and Toheed's Wedding Summary

2009-08-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Presenting an honest to goodness, all natural, no artificial flavoring with a dash of curry - video summary of Madeeha and Toheed in the beautiful Radisson Hotel here in Sacramento, CA.

Madeeha and Toheed's Bollywood Reception from alan silva on Vimeo.

Marina & Chris' E-Session

2009-08-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Oye, sometimes life gets the better of you!

Alan and I got to spend the afternoon last Wednesday in Vallejo with Marina & Chris, shooting their e-session mere weeks before their wedding...! We got to shoot in and around Mare Island, an old military spot that's reviving with homes amongst the old buildings. Needless to say, we were in run-down heaven! The place was as cool as it was creepy:

"Hey, let's shoot near this old hospital... you know, people say they see faces in the windows!" ...uh, nothankyou. Just because you're both nurses does NOT mean that I enjoy scaring the crap out of myself in broad daylight, so that we can make an obscure connection between your occupation and the location we're shooting at...!!! hehehe. Alan shot the majority of those.

At any rate, we had a lot of fun, and we can't wait for their Napa wedding at the end of the month. Enjoy!!

Hollywood Style Movie Posters is the in thing....

2009-08-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Alan here, I keep getting positive comments and..... orders from current, and past brides with our latest offering, Hollywood Style movie posters ($300- museum quality mat and frame ready for display) from your engagement or wedding photos! Here's the latest and greatest one that I just designed. Thanks Amber for the awesome photos that I got to pick from! Click here to see more delicious movie poster samples.

My Good Day Sacramento 5 Seconds of Fame

2009-08-01T11:34:00.001-07:00

Alan here, I had the pleasure of doing a portrait painting of one of the news reporters and his dad who came to visit him all the way from Chicago. The TV producers called me if I could come in and paint a portrait of them as a souvenir from the Good Day Staff. Even with my super busy schedule, I had to say yes for some free TV time! Our son Michael got really excited to see my face on TV - that made it all worth it for me! Here's the final product which I only had 3 hours to complete... this normally takes me at least 5 hours or more... boy was I stressed.

Good Day Sacramento, Event Painting from alan silva on Vimeo.

Ciara and Joey's Wedding Summary

2009-07-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Crunk cups, his & hers custom Chucks and a choreographed fight scene are just some of the things that made this wedding wonderfully unique. Oh, and I forgot to mention a coin toss in the middle of the ceremony!

Ciara and Joey's Wedding Summary from alan silva on Vimeo.

Congratulations Ciara & Joey and thanks for choosing us to shoot your insanely cool wedding! I know you've been waiting a while for this, I'm just glad I'm catching up on my summaries, up next - a Bollywood Reception.... Stay tuned!

Thu and Reagan's Tahoe E-Session

2009-07-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

We had a blast with this couple! Tahoe has a lot of little gems and we made the most of it. Bug bites and everything! Here are the faves from the shoot:

Tom and Bethany's Movie Poster

2009-07-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished up a Love Story video for one of our October couples, Tom and Bethany! They also ordered a movie poster to go along with their awesome shoot which I can't wait to share to everyone. Their video truly shows how they're madly in love with each other. Tom and Bethany, thanks for being YOU! Props goes out to Amber for the amazing photos that I got to work with for this poster and to Travis for helping out on the first portion of the video shoot.

Stills from Bethany & Tom's Love Story Short shoot

2009-07-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

What was supposed to be a quickie Love Story shoot ended up becoming a wonderful evening spent with a great couple. Alan, Travis and I spent the evening with Bethany & Tom, running through fields and around arcades (and even laughing at Alan while he became quite queasy on the carousel - now he finally understands what I go through with Michael!!). While the shoot was primarily video, I was able to sneak in a few shots of my own.

And if the location looks familiar, it's because I can't get enough of that spot! It's my little secret. :)

Enjoy a small sampling of the time we spent with this sweet couple!

Luis and Corin's Wedding Video Summary

2009-07-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Alan here. Finally, my workload has eased up a bit and I finally got to sit down and edit the much awaited wedding summary of Mr. and Mrs. Herrera! I've known Luis since my early years in the Sacramento area. He's one of my very first airbrush clients here in Sac town. He called asking me to airbrush his three parrots on his drums....and the rest is history. Since then, I've created countless artworks for his several business and for 2-3 years, I've been waiting for him to ask Corin the big question so I can shoot and film their wedding already. Well, the wedding finally came and went last May. You may remember them from our previous blog on their wedding photos. Special thanks to Sharon and Travis for assisting me on this one. Now without further adieu, the wedding summary of Corin and Luis!

Luis and Corin's Wedding from alan silva on Vimeo.

Lauren & Dustin's E-Session

2009-07-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Alan and I had the best time with Lauren & Dustin in the city, shooting their engagement session. It was fun to watch them interact in their apartment (reminded me of my relationship with Alan at some points! haha!), which ultimately ended up blossoming into some great camera behavior. I mean, really - who can work their Vespa like they did?

I love it when our brides know how to work it in front of the camera - Lauren knew exactly what to do, every step of the way... she couldn't have made our job easier! And, for being so E-Session resistant at our initial meeting, Dustin rocked it (I have NO idea why you were hesitant...!).

I absolutely can't wait for your San Diego wedding next year, you two!! Enjoy! :)

Becca & Philip's Couples Session

2009-07-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

DANG.

How can you get a bad shot of these two?! It's so hard to be hot. I should know.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyways, I can't say enough about Becca & Philip. I've been looking forward to this shoot since before their wedding last year, and the wait definitely did not disappoint. They are such a fun couple, the fact that they're so photogenic is just icing on the cake. Old Sac was a perfect backdrop for these two - we had a crowd watching us wherever we went, but the stares were just fuel for them.

Big ups to Greg, my partner in crime on this shoot... nice flash, bro.

Thank you, Becca & Philip, for being the best friggin' couple, ever. You guys need to have another wedding, so I can go this time. :)

Enjoy!

Congratulations, Sari & Jeff!

2009-07-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Ryan & JC of the City Clickers, Alan and I had an absolutely wonderful time shooting Sari & Jeff's wedding up at Newcastle Wedding Gardens. Aside from the timeline panic at the beginning (Sari is the queen of playing it cool!) and the freakish weather (dry heat, rain, humid & cloudy... Jeff, I'm all over Farmer's Almanac, now!!), this intimate affair was just right... and oodles of fun to shoot!

We just love this couple - unassuming, eager, genuine... they embody all of the traits of our most favorite clients. Their outer beauty can't even hold a candle to what's inside, ...hopefully these pictures are doing them justice.

Enjoy this teaser, you two... but enjoy Cabo just a little bit more. ;)

Brittany & Kirk's E-Session

2009-07-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, Alan and I spent the latter half of the afternoon with Brittany & Kirk in Old Sacramento. Because Kirk is doing his thing out in the midwest, it's enough of a rarity that he makes his way out here, and it showed in the couple's playful banter. When they weren't rocking the straight face, they were letting all smiles shine through (awwww...!). It was fun to watch. :)

(If Brittany looks slightly familiar, it's because she was the Maid of Honor at Becca & Philip's wedding, back in August of last year... hooray for familiar faces! We LOVE it when we get to work with our couples over and over...)

Old Sacramento always has something new for us, every time we make our way down there - the awesome damask wall paper was courtesy of a new bar (although apparently, we weren't the first photographers to use it... SOR-RY!).

Anywho, Brittany & Kirk, I hope you enjoy the images, and Alan and I are filled to the brim with anticipation for your Colorado wedding, next year!! :)

4th of July Fun!

2009-07-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last night, Amber, Michael and I spent the latter part of the evening having dinner and watching fireworks at Amber's parents house. Lucky us, the neighbors rolled in with two boxes of extra special fireworks. The kind you have to get south of the border. He he he. Michael was amazed! He kept wanting to see more of it every time. Everyone had a blast. Good thing we still have all our fingers and toes! Here's some video footage from last night, enjoy!

Michael Alan's 4th of July Experience from alan silva on Vimeo.

Natalie & Aric's E-Session

2009-06-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Olivia, Ryan & JC from The City Clickers and I met up with Natalie & Aric at UC Davis (woot woot!) to shoot a very difficult e-session... Don't get me wrong - Natalie and Aric (and Luna!) were great in front of the camera. The ridiculous weather, on the other hand, made for some feet dragging... ≥100˚ weather was not as exciting as I'm sure you all think it was. Hehe.

Excluding the awkward moment when a campus cop was staring at Natalie while she changed behind a tree, we had an awesome time, and I can't wait for your wedding next year!! Enjoy!

Congratulations, Stephanie & Conrad!

2009-06-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Alan, Greg, Adriel and I spent the afternoon and evening with Stephanie, Conrad and their guests downtown for the couple's intimate wedding. The cathedral was a beautiful backdrop for their nuptials, and the Hyatt's gorgeous Capitol View room's view topped off what was a fun day of love and laughter. From the great speeches to the awesome dancing, we enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding the whole group. I can't wait to see Greg's pictures and Alan's video!! :)

Stephanie and Conrad, we wish you all the best! Enjoy!

A Random Moment

2009-06-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

As Alan, Adriel, Greg and I were walking back to our car after Stephanie & Conrad's wedding today (blog soon to come!), we ran into a trio of girls that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to shoot. After the shot, Greg and I learned that they were part of a local group dubbed the Viscious Bettys (comprised of young women that specialize in pin-up modeling).

I definitely need to get a hold of these girls sometime soon... I love shooting weddings, but they would definitely provide a welcome change of pace for me. :)

Lovely Skies and Jenny & Brian's Album

2009-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, guys! I haven't posted in a while (due to some CRAZY weekend ish that went down!!!)... but I saw the gorgeous sky today, and felt compelled to blog it! :D

Ain't it beautiful?? This is a photographer's dream sky for every wedding... wish they could all be this fab...

I came home from the Roseville Galleria today to find a box at my front door, and all I could think was, "WOO-HOO! Jenny & Brian's album is here!!!" This thing looked AWESOME. The armour cover and Bomber Jacket leather just worked it...

That's all... new posts to come in a little bit... :)

Tina & Mike's E-Session

2009-06-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a LONG day (especially after our quickie trip to SoCal over the weekend), but I was due for an E-Session this fun for a while. Alan, Greg and I spent the afternoon in San Jose shooting Tina and Mike, an awesome couple that we have the pleasure of shooting for their wedding, courtesy of Mary Phan (rockin' wedding planner, folks - congrats on the impending baby bump, girl!).

Tina was awesome enough to decide to wear an modern hanbok (traditional Korean dress) - it's a rarity to have ethic fashion choices in modern wedding photography for E-Sessions, but she managed to bust it out with superb results... well, except for when I had to adjust it so that she didn't look pregnant. hehe.

What's great about this shoot is that it isn't technically over - because they're doing a Love Story Short (which y'all are gonna drool over!!!), we're gonna continue shooting another day! Fun times! :)

Thank you, guys - you have no idea how excited I am to shoot your wedding(s)!!

While we waited for Mike to do his thang, we got a couple of great solos of Tina - which Mike later made up for by busting out his Sexy for the camera.

I found out two things during the shoot about Mike: a) he used to love skating but no longer does it because b) he jacked up his ankle playing softball (Mike, Tina told us the story - that's friggin' GROSS!!). However, that didn't stop him from being a trooper and throwing out an ollie for one shot.

Behind The Scenes. Greg quickly realized that the pose he had for Mike may have been a little on the fem side...

Anne & Forest's E-Session

2009-06-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, Alan and I had the opportunity to spend the evening with Anne and Forest in downtown Folsom for a nature-infused E-Session. Because we had never shot in the Folsom area, we spent a good deal of the time looking for ways to exploit the older buildings, the green surroundings, and the gorgeous skyline... all within a very short timespan!

Thanks for coming out from the bay area, guys - we'll see you at Kirkwood in August!

You would not believe how close I was to having a heart-attack... Alan had decided to climb up onto this tall thing... with MY camera! Thank goodness he didn't fall... I don't know what I would have done if my camera had broken...! ;)

Encaustic Art Pieces

2009-06-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

When Alan and I went to this year's WPPI convention in Las Vegas, the stuff we saw on the trade show floor ranged from general equipment (cameras, printers, etc) to why bother (yeah, there's always gonna be one or two of those booths!), to OHMYGODI'VEGOTTAGETTHESE products, which include our fabulous albums. One of these things we saw there and absolutely fell in love with was Wax Works' encaustic art. It was so unique and so artsy and so us that we knew it'd be perfect for our clients' exquisite tastes.

These pieces are a beautiful way to display your wedding pictures in your home.

The texture of the wax and colors applied are unique to each piece, and the torn and stained edges finish it off to create something a little dark and moody (and slightly shabby chic).

Animated Wedding Shoes

2009-06-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help myself. I haven't done any stop motion in a while and Ciara's awesome custom shoes deserves some unique and cool footage. I still have to edit her summary together but I thought I'd give everyone a sneak peak at what's to come. I had fun at this wedding and I can't wait to show what I have in store!

Ciara's Wedding Shoes from alan silva on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Ciara & Joey!

2009-06-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Alan, Greg, Sharon, Olivia and I made our way out to Morgan Creek to celebrate Ciara and Joey's wedding.

Starting off with Ciara's mom, Cora, busting out some delish chicken adobo and rice, we cranked through the day's heat with gusto... and let me tell you, I have no idea how Ciara did it. It was HOT. Maybe they were running on all the good vibes - everybody was having a great time, despite the heat. From the custom shoes to the Bride and Groom crunk cups and the popular photobooth, it was nothing but good times.

Enjoy the shots, you two!!

Julie and Joe's Instant Gratification Short!

2009-06-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here it is! Julie and Joe's short film that was shown at the Crest Theatre this past weekend. I'm only showing the the second part of the film since I blogged the first part a few months ago. To see the entire film, you can view it here. Special thanks to the Artistic Imagery film crew (Amber, Travis, Sharon, Fay) and Gary (Jerry!!) from the Crest Theatre for making the same day edit possible! Yes Julie, you only hired one cinematographer for your wedding day but since you also booked us for a same day edit, I brought some extra guns for the show cuz that's just how we roll!

Julie and Joe's Same Day Edit from alan silva on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Julie & Joe! (Part One: The Photo Station)

2009-05-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an incredible day for us - not only did we get to work with the insanely talented Jen and Chris of Jen Stewart Photography, but we were given the opportunity to be a part of the magically-orchestrated, vintage Hollywood-themed wedding for Julie and Joe.

Alan and I had separate jobs - Alan busied himself with the video (give him one hot minute to get the Instant Gratification Short - The Perfect Catch - up on here!), while I cranked out some Photo Station goodness during the reception at The Crest Theatre! Not only was the entire theme ideal for the Photo Station, but everyone got into it and let loose, creating some awesome shots.

Big ups to Sharon and Fay for helping make the booth run that much more smoothly while I chained myself to the computer!

I'm not gonna lie - I was beyond jealous that Jen and Chris were in charge of photographs for the day... but really, it was such a pleasure working alongside colleagues that are right there with you, creatively, that I let the little green monster slide. Besides, I got to try my hand at video for the first time in years, and our 5D mkll's rocked so hard that I kinda forgot about photos.

Sorta. :)

Enjoy a sampling of the tons of Photo Station shots, you guys - after all that planning, you deserve it! Congrats!!

That last shot is a portion of the Dream Team: Jen Stewart Photography, and Music On The Move, and Artistic Imagery (...that's us, if you hadn't noticed. hehe.)

Here's a sample of how the prints looked when guests picked them up:

...and we couldn't leave out Jen and Chris goofing off with 2 of their kids: