Behind on Blogging

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I've been so busy with shooting that I'm totally behind on blogging. Coming soon: The weddings of Vivi & Erik (coordinated by Lisa Simpson), Sumita & Neil (coordinated by Nikki Khan) and Simran & Shahrooz (coordinated by Sonia Sharma), and the engagement sessions of Rebecca & Roy, Jayati & Harjot, Kavita & Vikas and Farah & Imran. Not to mention several portrait shoots. Blogging always takes me a while, because I like everything to look pretty, so I sometimes have to put off blogging in favor of shoots or meeting client deadlines. Just wanted to say thanks for your patience. I have this weekend off, so I will definitely be blogging soon. First up: Vivi & Erik!

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Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Sonia Sharma Events - New Web Site

Friday, May 02, 2008

Talented coordinator Sonia Sharma recently launched a new web site, so I wanted to post a shout-out and encourage everyone to check it out. I took these decor images at one of her recent events. I also did the photo on her site's bio page.





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Greetings from Cartegena, Colombia

Monday, April 21, 2008

I flew to Cartegena, Colombia, to shoot the lovely wedding of Andrea and Andres, who both live in New York. We didn't have a chance to meet before we all arrived in Colombia, but they were both so nice, and their friends and families made me feel so welcome. Almost everyone I've met asks, "How do you like Cartegena? What do you think of our city?" The people here are so warm and friendly, and they definitely know how to party, as evidenced by a reception that ended at close to 6 a.m.

The wedding was in one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen, and their stylish reception took place in a gorgeous old multi-level theatre. Perfection from beginning to end, despite a level of humidity that really made my hair look comical. I'll be back in the studio on Wednesday, when I'll start working on the blog entries for the many recent shoots that I haven't yet had time to blog. Just wanted to say hi to everyone from beautiful Cartegena, and wish you all a great week.

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Home At Last

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Hi, everyone! I'd hoped to blog a bit while traveling through India, but shooting, an aggressive travel schedule and illness kept me from doing so. April, Christine and I had a great time at Tara & Raj's spectacular wedding in Udaipur, which I promise to blog soon. We also loved meeting (and working with) Mili and Sid from Memories in Motion, the wonderful Sushmita (who does amazing hair and makeup, but whose site I will have to provide later), the super-cool DJ Amlan, and Joyti from Jyoti Soni event coordination.

All three of us really enjoyed traveling to many cities in India after the wedding. Alas -- April ended up in the hospital in Kolkata, due to a horrible case of food poisoning. It's no fun to go to a hospital in the middle of the night when the nurses only speak Bengali, and you only speak English. Thankfully, the talented coordinator Smita Mohindra at Ethnic Essence had put me in touch with her mother Versha -- lead designer at Ritu Kumar -- in Kolkata, and she was so helpful to us while April was in the hospital. She translated for us and even found hotel accommodations for Christine and I after our own hotel became unavailable for the extra days we needed to stay in Kolkata. A heartfelt thanks from all of us to both Smita and Versha.

After April got out, we flew from Kolkata to Delhi to Varanasi, and by the time we got there, I had come down with the exact same thing that April had. I refused to go to the hospital, but did have a doctor come to my hotel room to give me a shot and several different kinds of pills. I ended up missing out on Varanasi and Agra completely (thankfully, I'd already seen the Taj Mahal on another trip), and meeting back up with Christine and April in Delhi. Our trip also included stays in Amritsar and Mumbai. All in all, a great adventure.

I'm still fighting off this food-borne illness a bit (it went away but then kind of came back), but I think I'm finally somewhat on the mend. My mom, however, is on the mend for a different reason. Leave it to your mom to *not* tell you that she's fallen and shattered her ankle -- and had surgery! -- while you were traveling . . . just because she didn't want to ruin your holiday. Imagine my shock when I called her from LAX yesterday and she told me what had happened. My adorable mom walks approximately 900 miles a year with my dad, always in Malibu State Creek Park (near where they filmed M*A*S*H). The rains apparently created some slippery crevices and down she went. I feel so badly for her.

That's the news from here. Thanks to everyone for their patience while I was gone. I'm getting through all my emails as quickly as I can, but feel free to ping me if you haven't heard back from me by tomorrow. :)

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February in India

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Andrena Photography will be closed from February 5th through February 26th, as I will be shooting Tara & Raj's wedding in Udaipur, India, and then taking some holiday time (with my good friends Christine Marie
and April Robles) to travel through Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Mathura, Agra, Old Delhi and Amritsar. We'll be on planes, trains, in cars and on foot, so email accessibility may be a bit spotty at times. But I will try to check in every few days. I will be available for meetings through February 3rd, and again after the 28th. If you have any questions about my availability while I'm gone, just send me an email and it will provide contact information for a colleague who can check my calendar. Thanks so much, and hope you're all having a great January.

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Happy New Year!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Happy New Year from the team at Andrena Photography and the soon-to-launch Andrena Studio! Holiday orders, album deadlines, visiting with family and a bad case of the flu have conspired to keep me away from blogging for the past few weeks, but now that all of that is behind us, I start the year off with a thank you to Achala and Arul (see below) for their patience with my delay in blogging their wedding. It was gorgeous, and I hope you enjoy the images.

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An Exquisite Event Bridal Show

Monday, September 03, 2007

Andrena Photography will be exhibiting at the "An Exquisite Event: Your Wedding From Beginning to End" bridal show at the Hotel Roosevelt on Sunday, September 9th. The brainchild of well-known wedding and event coordinator Nikki Khan, this event will boast some of the best vendors in the wedding industry, as well as a fashion show. Tickets are $20 online at the An Exquisite Event web site or $25 at the door. Hours will be 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. World-renowned event planner Preston Bailey will present and host a Q&A after the bridal show ends. Advance tickets for this unique public appearance are $75 per; tickets will not be sold at the door. For more information, or to buy tickets, be sure to visit the An Exquisite Event web site.


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Be Careful

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Most photographers and videographers have long been aware that thieves case popular hotels, waiting for any moment to steal their gear. Coordinator Carrie Goff's Blog provides details about and photos of a theft my colleague April from Robles Video suffered this past weekend, as well as a theft photographer Frank Salas suffered two months ago. Vernon Williams also suffered a gear theft this weekend, and Scott A. Nelson suffered a gear theft last weekend. Another photographer just wrote to me to note that he'd had his gear stolen three different times, and still another photographer wrote to say she'd had her gear stolen twice.

UPDATE: The link below will show you a CBS news report showing the thieves hitting the Four Seasons and Hilton Hotel in Las Colinas. These are the same individuals who stole April's camera, and are pictured on Carrie Goff's blog (link at the start of this post). Several other photographers have noted that these are the guys who stole their gear. Whether you are a photographer or a bride or groom or relative, please be on the lookout for these individuals, and anyone else suspicious. With the holidays coming soon, thefts are likely to rise.

CBS Video of Thieves in Action

NEW UPDATE: The link below will take you to photos that photographer Doug Brannigan took on September 1st of these same two thieves at the Manhattan Beach Marriott.

Photos of Thieves Taken on September 1

I have had numerous colleagues lose entire bags of photographic or video gear at the best hotels in So Cal. Name a hotel, and I can name a person who's had their gear stolen there -- even in the middle of a ceremony in front of all the guests.

One of the reasons I'm posting about this is because these thieves also target guests. They walk in, dressed as guests or vendors, then steal purses, money-envelope boxes and/or presents (in addition to vendor gear). One of my clients had all of their presents stolen, and several reports surfaced this weekend about money-box thefts. Hotel security is not easily able to monitor every person walking on a property, so it's important that clients and vendors all be as vigilant as possible. The prime targets are the major hotels -- those that have weddings every weekend. Just a warning for everyone -- vendors and clients alike -- to be careful.

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He's Available . . .

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

For auditions and personal training. Earlier today, I did some headshots for a talented actor named Justin, who just starred in his first film. Until he hits the Oscar circuit, Justin makes his mark as a results-oriented personal trainer. Need to get into shape for your wedding or special event? Write him at schollard212@hotmail.com.




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Beautiful Weddings UK

Monday, May 07, 2007

I was flattered when the UK's Beautiful Weddings Magazine contacted me to ask whether I'd be interested in contributing. In recent months, Beautiful Weddings has published eight-page spreads from several of my weddings: Alice & Scott (Mountain Gate Country Club), Anna & Christof (Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon), and Nita & Chirag (Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines). Fun fact: Some of the exteriors in the movie The Shining were shot at Timberline Lodge.



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The DWF Conference

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Some of you might know that I'm one of the moderators for the Digital Wedding Forum, an online community of wedding and portrait photographers that boasts 5,000+ members. This year, I was chosen to speak at the annual DWF Conference in Las Vegas. I co-presented with David Mielcarek from New York, and our session, which focused on the use of lighting, was well attended and reviewed. The conference is always a great opportunity to see friends from around the country and the world. Be sure to check out my talented colleagues' web sites by clicking on their names below.

Watching as my session filled up

Just before my presentation

Me; Laura Novak from Wilmington, Delaware; and Susan Stripling from all over Florida

Anna Kuperberg from San Francisco; Jesh De Rox from Alberta, Canada; Me; and Brianna Graham from Grand Rapids, Michigan

Milos Horvat from Slovenia, Me and Thomas Geist from Munich, Germany

Dave and Quin from Calgary, Canada, and Me

Angelica Glass from Queens, New York; Me; and Leigh Miller
from San Diego

David Mielcarek from New York, Me, David Pearce from England and Christine Marie from Santa Monica

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South Asian Bridal Expo

I recently participated in the South Asian Bridal Expo, produced by Unique Elegance and Ravissant. The event was heavily attended and the fashion show, sponsored by Atirma, was managed by my bride Maneka, whose wedding appears in the "Featured Weddings" section of my web site. Here are a few photos of my booth:



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Jules & Me

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

The lovely Jules Bianchi is an amazingly talented photographer and good friend. I'm super lucky that she and her dog Olive are also my neighbors. Here's a photo of us on St. Patrick's Day, which may be the only Saturday we've ever had off at the same time.

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