Erin and Mike: The Colagos!

Have you ever been with someone or a group of people and instantly just "clicked" with them? Since the very first day that Erin (my Erin) and I met up with Erin (the bride to be) and her mom, we knew that this day was going to so incredibly special! Think of the absolute worst "bridezilla" imaginable...got it? Now think of what the opposite of that woman would be; that's how Erin and her family have been since day one!

Mike Colago and Erin Jackson were married December 20, 2008 in Chatsworth, California in front of God, their families, and dear friends. We had such a blast, shooting all day and late into the night!  From stunning and goofy bridesmaids, to Zoolander-esque GQ groomsmen, we were blessed to have been a part of such a wonderful day. We were treated like nothing short of family :)

Congratulations Erin and Mike! Here's just a preview of what's to come for you both.

Each guest had their very own ornament waiting for them when they arrived at the reception :)

Slideshow coming soon! :)

Merry Christmas from Gavin and Erin!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

"Bena's" Wedding Slideshow

A couple weeks ago Erin and I headed up to Mammoth Lakes, CA to shoot Gena and Ben's (Bena's) wedding. Without repeating too much of what we've already shared with you about Bena, and sounding like a broken record, we wanted to show you a short slideshow of their day and just how much fun we had!

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well here are 75 pictures! So grab your calculators, do the math, and enjoy the show! :)

To view the show click here and drink it all in!

Flying Home

Our week in paradise has sadly come to an end :( After 6 fun-filled
days, Erin and I feel so blessed to have learned so much from so many
people. The friendships alone are priceless! The talent that was at
this workshop was awe-inspiring and we both felt so fortunate to be
shooting along side them. You guys rock! :)

AND, we want to give a major shout out to you and everyone else who
has been stalking our blog this past week and leaving such encouraging
comments! Your blog-love and support just lights an even bigger fire
under us and it's what's kept us up into the wee hours uploading and
editing so you could come with us on our journey :)

Tonight we are flying home on the red-eye to LAX, so our images from
our final night in Maui will be up tomorrow evening for your viewing
pleasure!

Before we headed out of town though, Erin and I had the privilege of
shooting a destination wedding with David Hessemer, an awesome
photographer that has such a giving heart. We were blessed to meet and
work with both him and his wife before leaving town.

Well, we just heard our boarding call. It's back to the OC for us!

Aloha! See you back on the mainland!

Mike Colon Experience: Day 3 With Jared and Rosanna

Although Jared and Rosanna won't be walking down the aisle just quite yet (April is coming up soon though!), they undoubtedly worked out all the kinks during today's photoshoot! Our shoot included a field with an ocean view, followed by a wooden beach boardwalk (also with an ocean view :P). As the sun was disappearing behind the horizon, we practiced with off-camera lighting and Mike Mijangos was incredibly nice teaching us lighting, exposing for the backgroun. He was such a stud holding the strobes for us the whole time. We had a blast shooting Jared and Rosanna for the second time this week. I loved how Jared made Rosanna constantly laugh with his singing, funny dance moves and whispering things in her ear. They made our jobs so easy.  :) 

Also, Gavin and I had the privilege of spending one on one time together with Mike Colon last night; something he provides to each of his workshop attendees. We got so much out of it and can't wait to be home just so we can start working on his suggestions! :)

Thanks Mike for your incredible patience and giving spirit with both of us! 

We were able to capture these images from the shoot... enjoy! :)

Gavin took this next picture coming up... He shot it in between another photographers arm. It turned out great! :)

Gavin nailed the lighting on this picture! Way to go babe. :)

Mike Colon Experience: Day Two

Hi Everyone!

Wow. It seems like everyday that we are here everyone just gets to be closer friends, our images get better, the laughing gets louder and louder. Nothing beats a room full of photography nerds, a plate full of poo poo's (appetizer in hawaiian...no clue about the spelling), and an awe-inspiring background. God is so amazing. He must have had one heck of a good time making Hawaii, that's all I gotta say! :)

Today's workshop portion covered what Mike is most renown for; his marketing and how he has risen to book the high end celebrity brides! He went over the 5 keys to marketing success this morning and it really spoke to me as to how to approach both my business and my brides. Without authoring a novel, I wanted to share with you what I learned to be the #1 key to "making it" as a photographer. It's all about who you are. You are YOU! You can't fake being you. You might be able to fool someone for a while, but ultimately your true colors will come out eventually and expose (photography pun...sweet) you for who you really are. Mike's advice to us spans across more than photography, but life in general.

"What do you have to offer? Be an optimist. Be a giver. Be humble."

Today we had a bridal shoot with Katie and Chris, a local couple who both had a quiet, tender, and sincere spark each time their eyes met!

Check em out!

I had to get a shot of the peanut gallery! Just a few of the awesome photographers we are hanging with this week.

We are up early tomorrow for some snorkeling and whale watching! See you tomorrow, goodnight!

Mike Colon Experience: Day 1

***DISCLAIMER***

[I know, this blog post is a day late! Our internet went out at the house last night so we were disconnected from the world and thus will be getting things too you a day late now :( 

But...our hope is that you will be able to read (and see) a little of what the workshop is like! Ready??? Wait for it.........GO.]

So here we are in gorgeous Lahaina! Everything is just amazing. The sunsets and food alone are enough to make me never want to leave!

Every day we have a professional chef come in from 6-8pm and cook us a constant stream of 5-star cuisine. From freshly caught sushi, to mahi mahi in a pomegranate reduction sauce, we are loving it! (You know how much Erin loves food as it is...so just imagine how giggly she gets here at meal time)

Our first day schedule:

6:30am-10am: Breakfast

7am-10am: Massages

10:00: Introductions

10:30: Discussion: Equipment and Settings

12:30: Lunch Break

1:30: Discussion about Technique and Style

3:30: Engagement Shoot

6:00: Private Portfolio Reviews

6:30: Dinner

Every day follows this type of format; discussion in the morning and afternoon followed by a practical exercise and photo shoot.

So far we are getting pages upon pages of awesome notes as to how we can refine who we are and how we shoot.

Today our shoot consisted of two awesome couples and took place in down town Lahaina on the water and in town. Special thanks to Rosanna *Mike's assistant* and her new fiance Jared! This was their actual engagement shoot, so they'll have a proof book the size of Rhode Island to sift through :)

Also, our second couple Andrew and Joelle were just awesome and had so much fun in front of the cameras; they were naturals!

Here are a handful of our favorites. Aloha!

We all anonymously submitted one photo of each couple for review. This photo was selected by Mike as the best shot of the day of Rosanna and Jared! Nice shot Erin!! You are rockin it! :)

See you all tomorrow for more images and new locations!

Mike Colon Experience: Maui

Here we are on day 1 of the workshop. Today was just hanging out at 
the mansion and meeting everyone as they arrived. The house has a 
lanai that wraps all around with couches and Bali beds, so we all ate 
outside and just chilled as the sun went down. This is the view from 
the lanai (porch?)! iPhone photo can't do it justice! No worries 
though because we are breaking out "big boy" cameras tomorrow as we 
are diving head-first into lecture! Stay tuned everyday this week as 
we will be giving you a tour of the mansion, more shots of the island, 
as well as all of our new friends here at the house! Aloha!

-Gavin & Erin

Aidan went behind the camera and took a picture of himself. ;)

Blown Mind (Courtesy of Dane Sanders)

So tonight started as a Fast Track Photographer get together for a photo shoot in Old Towne Orange, but wound up being a 2.5 hour dinner where Dane Sanders dropped some huge stuff on us about where he is headed in the months to come! He showed up literally beaming from ear to ear and simply could not contain his excitement.

"We need to sit down and talk!" he said, as if he were going to burst if he waited one more second. 

If you know Dane Sanders you know he is the founder/author of Fast Track Photographer, an amazing wedding photographer, a GREAT guy with such a big heart, and enough passion and enthusiasm to put a high school cheerleading squad to shame!

As we sat eating our amazing Cuban food, we listened as he told us about what's on the horizon for the wedding photography world! Not only that, but as he shared these ideas for the first time to a group of his peers, he asked us for our feedback and what we thought about his new upcoming adventures. It blew me away that he, Dane Sanders, was genuinely asking what I thought about his business and the direction it was taking. Having such an awesome approach and humble heart is one of the huge keys to his success so far...no doubt in my mind!

One of the things that really stuck with me tonight was when he was describing what separated the "rock star" photographers from your average joe. It wasn't talent, (because there are tons of talented photographers out there), it wasn't genetics, it wasn't some inane photographical genius mind....it was two things:

"They were presented an opportunity, and they worked their butt off!!"

Without spoiling what Dane shared with us tonight (sorry, no sneak peaks, we were sworn to secrecy!), what I can tell you is that WPPI is going to be INSANE this year thanks to Fast Track Photographer. Also, Dane has the creative literary juices flowing once again and is looking at authoring a couple more books! Tom Cruise has got nothing on Dane....look out Oprah...here he comes!! :)

I had the best time with these great photographers tonight! See you guys soon!

Vu Bui, David from SDOhana, John Loyola, Lisa from ElleGPhoto, and Jack Ratana!

LA Auto Show

Every year since I've been able to drive, my family as a whole has traveled up to LA to attend the auto show. This year was no exception! Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, brothers, sisters, significant other....everyone came today. From hanging in the VIP Mercedez Benz Lounge, to relaxing in an Aston Martin; the day did not disappoint! 

I am a card-carrying car FANATIC so you can only imagine my anticipation for this every year! I had the privilege of attending press day last week in LA and got to see each and every car up close and personal. Sitting in every single car you can think of! However, I didn't have my camera...so today I brought my D700 and my trusty 24-70mm and had some fun! Erin scored some major brownie points today for trekking around with me and my family. She no doubt felt like she had a two year old; I was all over the place! Here one second sitting in a car and then *BAM* I was up and gone. Haha, she's beyond awesome :)

Here are few from the show today. 

P.S. *make sure you have a towel to wipe the drool from you keyboard*

-My favorite car of the show, the Audi R8-

-My dream car...the 09' Lamborghini Gallardo. You'll see me crusin' on PCH in this bad boy soon, just you wait! (Erin said I could get one...I'm trying to get that in writing)-

-My Dad wants an Aston more than anything. The guy let us behind the display glass when he saw me taking pictures. He must have been a photographer at heart because he let us climb all over the car so he could play with our camera. It was in Manual Mode...and he changed all the settings, adjusted the exposure...everything! haha. As you can see, he did a pretty awesome job! He wanted to talk cameras the whole time-

**Erin and I both hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Next stop...Christmas! Let the insanity begin**