Thursday, September 17, 2009

Mt. Woodson Castle, San Diego: Shooting with Becker!

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of shooting with the one and only [b]ecker! Founder of the [b] School, Poker Guru, and king of all that is Diet Coke! Seriously, I love this guy...and that was before I even shot with him! The fabulous wedding venue at the Mt. Woodson Castle in San Diego, California, was a hidden treasure I'd NEVER heard about having lived in Southern California all these years. It was a little trek to get there, but a drive well worth it if you are looking for a gorgeous vintage location. Laurie Davies from 5 Star Weddings met us at the door and kept the entire day running smoothly from start to finish despite it being unbearably hot! Jackie Wonders, an awesome SD photographer and HILARIOUS gal joined us as well...it was just a party all day, so much fun!

Codie and John Michael were quite the couple! Their love for one another and their excitement to start their lives together was so infectious.

Throughout the entire day, I learned first hand what [b]ecker says is the key to his success. "Our goal today is not to get amazing pictures, our goal is to make sure everyone loves us!" And to say that everyone loved [b]ecker would be an understatement. I lost track of how many times I heard people comment on how great he was during the day despite the blazing hot conditions. And it wasn't the quantity of pictures or amount of time he spent glued to the couple that made the day such a success, it was the QUALITY of the time he did spend with them that left them raving about him to their families and friends. Don't get me wrong, we got some smokin' awesome images of these guys...I don't think they could take a bad picture even if they tried!

A huge "Thank you" to [b] for inviting me to join him, I had a great time! Also, if you're a photographer and haven't checked out the [b] School, you should click on it and go see what it's all about. I haven't seen a tighter knit community that is more committed to helping one another grow and better themselves at what they love to do!

Here are a few images of the awesome wedding!

**Technical note: A majority of these photos were taken with the buttery Nikon 200mm f2.0 lens! Shooting wide open! Look at those backgrounds blurred out like crazy...you can't help but have your eyes jump right to the couple!**

GJW1

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** Becker likes to brag on Twitter how his brides are always the hottest brides...jealous anyone? haha**

GJW4

GJW5

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gjw1

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5 comments:

Jenny said...

I didn't know SD has a castle either ! the portraits you shot looks so timeless ! I bet the couple loves it ! I also like the 2nd to the last shot of the cocktail hour space. So pretty !

jen berry said...

man. will my pictures looked like this if i get the 200 f2. probably not. awesome job. i love them. classic

David Quesada said...

Beautiful work!, and awesome exp working with [b], i'd love to hear his words of wisdom on wedding day.

Kate Noelle said...

It looks like you had such a fun time! :) I'm glad you got to shoot with him... and that castle was awesome! :) Way to go Gavin! :)

Barbara said...

2, 3, and 4! Loving them! Just imagine what they were feeling at that moment! You and Erin will be there soon!!!!