Jessica and Wes get married in Sedona

I crossed paths with Jessica many years ago when she was the wedding planner for the Westward Look Resort. Some time later she contacted me to let me know that she wanted me to be her wedding photographer and wanted to know what dates I had open. This is one of the biggest compliments for a photographer; when a bride works her wedding date around the photographer's schedule.

Since then we were in touch periodically talking about details of her wedding. She told me about the 12 ft veil she got just because of me! It was always great to hear from Jessica; each time we both got more and more excited about her wedding.

And finally the day came. We photographed her rehearsal dinner at a beautiful vineyard (close to Sedona) called Alcantara Winery. That evening, Jessica and Wes grabbed the microphone and started thanking people who were instrumental in their wedding celebration. I was completely shocked and honored when Jessica started talking about me and how she first saw my work and the impact one of my wedding photos had on her. Right after she said this, she started crying a little and my heart melted faster than an ice cube inside a furnace. It was one of the most touching moments I had ever experienced as a wedding photographer. Jessica proceeded to tell everybody how I was the #1 priority and I was just trying to hold myself together (I did not succeed for very long).

I had the chance to meet Wes for the first time and learn why Jessica loves him so much. Wes is a great man; he is a straight shootin' Texan with a heart bigger than his state. I am very happy to see Jessica with a man like Wes. They both make a fantastic couple and I am sure that will be together forever.
Jessica picked Sedona, AZ for her wedding location. Great place with a majestic landscape. I am very happy that we set time aside to travel to Crescent Moon Park for a first encounter experience and portrait session.

Thanks to Kelly Rashka for creating some amazing imagery!

Vendor list:
Rehearsal Dinner
Venue: Alcantara Winery
Guest Transportation: White Tie Transportation
Catering & Planning Services: Something Elaborate Created by Liz
Rentals: Tri-Rentals
Floral: Bliss Floral
Ceremony and Reception
Venue: Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa
Floral: Bliss Floral
DJ: Executive DJs
Rentals: Tri-Rentals
Cake: Sedona Sweet Arts
Officiant: Greg Young
Planning Services: Something Elaborate Created by Liz
Hair & Makeup: Chic Salon
Dress & Veil: Maya Palace (Dress by Maggie Sottero)

Here it is, the MOAV (Mother Of All Veils):

Jessica's hairdresser was very touched that Jessica asked him to put her veil on.

This amazing Lensbaby shot by Kelly:

Jessica wore these super chic flats.

The first encounter:

Another terrific Lensbaby image by Kelly:

My secret to flying veils revealed in these two photos:

The kiss. Taken by Kelly:

Cute marriage license folder:

Mary and Al's wedding

Photographing Mary and Al's wedding was an absolute pleasure for me. They are both very romantic and could not stay away from each other. It was a a very intimate affair and everybody made me feel very welcome.

The wedding took place at The Westward Look Hotel, one of my favorite venues here in Tucson.

Mary's Nicole Miller dress was stunning and she wore it well.

Special thanks to Westward Look's Melinda for helping make this event unforgettable.

Kyle Yu was my second shooter at this wedding. Thank you Kyle for your beautiful images!

Here is a little slideshow I put together of my favorite images of the day.

Mary wore these beautiful sandals.

Image by Kyle Yu:

This moment was very, very, very special.

I always ask my clients to really embrace the moment and take advantage of the very brief time alone right after their ceremony.

Al showing us his penguin dance from when he was a kid.

HIP 6th Anniversary Celebration at Intercontinental Montelucia Resort

It was a great honor to participate in HIP's (Hospitality Industry Professionals, Ltd.) 6th Anniversary Celebration as their sponsor photographer. Thank you Rhonda Rush for organizing a very badass event and for asking me to be the official photographer.

Hospitality Industry Professionals (HIP) is a non-profit organization designed to promote professionals doing business in the hospitality, restaurant and event planning industry by providing networking, educational and philanthropic opportunities.

I had the opportunity to seet many friends that I have made in the business; and I was happy to make new acquaintances too. Some of the best wedding planners in Scottsdale were there.

Brad Perry did the job of master of ceremonies.

The flamenco performance, by the Chris Burton Jacome Ensemble, was unbelievable.

The other fantastic sponsors for this event were:
Venue: Intercontinental Montelucia
Beverage: Republic National Distr. Co.
Entertainment: Avalon Meetings & Entertainment
Event Planner: Rhonda Rush's Impact Events
Floral/Decor: Table Tops Etc.
Gift Bags: Perfect Gift Bag
Invitations: Paper Joy Inc.
Linens: Special Events Table Linens
Rentals: Tri-Rentals

These are a few images from the event. Full gallery Link.

The event was held at the beautiful Intercontinental Montelucia

Flower arrangements by Table Tops Etc.

Chris Burton Jacome

Norm Susser & Melissa Lewis

Dawn Peterson, Lee Refermat, Caress Rodgers from Hotel Valley Ho

Gift bags provided by Regan Grossman's Perfect Gift Bag. I loved these!!

Rhonda Rush, Charlee Geisler, Kevin Moul and Lisa Sholongo

The Ensemble!!

Kristofer Hill, percussionist

These are the beautiful awards.

Brad Perry was the MC

Lena Jacome, just amazing.

And the super talented Martin Gaxiola

Three of the most badass wedding planners in the state. Victoria Canada, Rhonda Rush and Charlee Geisler

Kelley Bolender, Kristin Blakely, Susan Bowlby, Alli Manz, Karen Doan, Rhonda Rush, MLC, and Julie Dominici






Brad Perry

Sarah Arias, Deb Martin-Fink, Susan Bowlby, Kevin Moul

Sarah Arias, Deb Martin-Fink, Susan Bowlby and Kevin Moul

Musings about my first workshop in Pasadena this month

One of the things that I love as much as wedding photography is talking about wedding photography. I love helping other photographers; sharing the little that I know in the hopes that they won't make the same mistakes I made and/or that they will take advantage of the opportunities that I sometimes missed.

For the last few years I have had the great honor of participating as a mentor at an annual week-long workshop in Dallas called The Foundation Workshop. I originally attended as a student and the workshop changed my photographic life. This is a must go for any wedding photographer that is in urgent need of a good kick in the ass, like I did a few years ago; and that I still do from time to time.

And, by the way, I will be speaking at their first ever conference in November in Dallas, Texas.

Another great way I've learned is by belonging to online forums. One of them is very special because it is 100% in Spanish; its founder, Rudy Arpia, is a very successful wedding photographer from SoCal who is immensely generous with his time in order to help other photographers. When I got invited to his forum, we were just a few dozen. Now, its numbers are in the thousands. This great forum is called Foro de Fotografos.

I frequently participate in El Foro and eventually I had the pleasure of meeting Rudy. And one day he came up with the idea of us getting together to teach a workshop. We both wanted to provide something of the same caliber that we have been provided when attending other workshops; and we decided to do it 100% in Spanish.

So, after a few months of collaboration, we were prepared. The workshop was held on June 1st and 2nd. I taught on day 1 and the day was dedicated to photography. I emphasized the reasons why we do this and how to keep motivated and hungry for better images. We also focused on the ingredients of solid photography (lighting, composition, being close, moments, etc.) I also explained in detail how I use the lightstick indoors and outdoors. Rudy came up with the idea to hook a live feed from my camera to the projector so everybody could see, in real time, what I was doing with the flash. Which was incredibly helpful.

Later on day 1 I had the opportunity to do an "engagement session" shoot around the area. A couple who Rudy had photographed a couple of years ago, graciously volunteered to be our "engaged" couple. During the shoot I demonstrated to all the students how I work with my clients. I explained how important it is to feel an intense desire to make the best images and to express those feelings in a way that the clients can feel it as well, so that they become a part of the process. And, we of course also talked about flash, composition, light, etc. :-)

It was a great day, with the nicest, most receptive students ever. The day went long (>12 hours), but we were so energized by the experience that our hearts wanted to keep going; too bad our bodies needed sleep.

The second day was directed by Rudy Arpia. His main focus was search engine optimization and business practices. It was a fantastic talk; I learned so much that I felt that I should have paid Rudy to be there the second day. Rudy gave it his all; he explained all his business techniques that have made him a highly successful photographer, in a relatively very short time, in one of the most competitive markets of the nation. Rudy showed us all how to take full advantage of the web tools that are already available online (free) to us all.

I want to thank all of our students for making the investment and attending our workshop. Rene, Karen, Gloria, Carmen, Sergio, Jose Luis, Cayupe, Miguel, Jorge and special kudos to Antonio for coming all the way from Torrevieja, Alicante, Spain. We gave our all to help you find your way to becoming better wedding photographers. I feel very confident that all of you have what it takes and will blow us away with amazing imagery and continued success. The best to you all!!

Here are a few images of Arturo and Lorena that I took during the session:

This image shows how Rudy and I are doing a real time live feed to the projector demonstration of off camera flash. Courtesy of Rene Miranda

This image captured by Rene Miranda when I am working with Lorena.

And this is me photographing Lorena and Arturo. Courtesy of Rudy Arpia

Group picture taken with my camera set on timer:

Food, three flower girls, one ring bearer, two dogs, one cake, one groom and a hybrid car

I remember when Victoria Canada called me and said: "Sergio, the PB&G magazine is doing something special for their 10th anniversary edition. There will be multiple photo shoots with multiple photographers. You would be assigned two photo shoots; one day would be food and the second day would be three flower girls, one ring bearer, two dogs, one cake, one groom and a hybrid car"; I said "Food, three flower girls, one ring bearer, two dogs, one cake, one groom and a hybrid car? Sign me up!!"!

I was very honored to have been asked to participate in photographing some of the images for the Phoenix Bride & Groom Magazine's 10th Anniversary Special Edition. Special thanks to Fran Samuel the publisher for giving me the opportunity.

Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Weddings and Events was the creative director for all the photo shoots. This was a very complex project involving dozens of vendors, many photographers, multiple locations and everything scheduled to happen within just a few weeks. Victoria and her team did an amazing job. All the other photographers did a great job too. Thank you Victoria for being so cool throughout all this.

Kudos to Taryn and Jeff from Serendipity Videography for producing a really kick ass video of the second shoot. Jeff was very successful at capturing the child photographer in me. A lot of people know that I say "badass" a lot when working with brides and grooms; I have to change that when working with little kids. My favorite part of the video is when Jeff captures me saying, "Prrrrreeeettttttyyy!!!!!"

Super special thanks also to Kelly Rashka for being a trooper, under a very bright and hot sun, helping me with the lighting at the Reata Pass shoot.

These are some of my images that were published in the Phoenix Bride & Groom 10th Anniversary Issue; plus a few more.

First shoot at Santa Barbara Catering Company:
The linens used for these food shoots were provided by BBj Linen and the flowers by Brady's Floral Gallery

Second photo shoot at Heidi's Events & Catering. At this point it was already getting really hard to contain myself to my diet :-)

And this deliciousness by Tammie Coe Cakes:

For the second day of shooting we went to Reata Pass Steakhouse.
The first part included three beautiful flower girls, one badass ring bearer and two awesome dogs. Make-up by the super talented Sarah Sanmarco and the flowers by Brady's Floral Gallery

The cool dogs with special wedding collars that can be purchased at Bright Event Gallery


The cake was provided by Sedona Cake Couture, flowers by The Flower Studio and linens by Tri-Rentals Event Specialists






The groom shot! I love this image. This was printed full page in the magazine.
Attire provided by Mr. Formal, boutonnière Brady's Floral Gallery, make-up by Sarah Sanmarco

In this magazine I also had a new ad published

And the magazine also published the super stylish wedding of Mindy and Jonathan at the Valley Ho Hotel