DeFalco Photography Blog

Jennifer and Josh – Two Parks are Better Than One!

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 05:23:54 +0000

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with Jennifer and Josh for their engagement session. We got started in Balboa Park, and pretty soon we were off to the beach to shoot around Belmont Park, proving that two parks are indeed, better than one. I’m always thanking my lucky stars that so many of my clients are so easy-going and fun to spend time with, and these two were no exception. Jen and Josh made the session really fun from start to finish, and I’m all the more excited about shooting their wedding later this year. Sometimes, as a photographer, it’s better to just sort of stay out of the couples way and let them be themselves, which is a real treat. I think you’ll see from these images that they made my job easy. (or at least, seem easy!)

Yes! Christian Louboutin heels for the engagement session definitely bodes well for the wedding!

A Louboutin heel does have height advantages, however.

One of our goals at Belmont Park was to get on the coaster, but apparently in order to bring a camera on the coaster now, you have to sneak it on. I’m tempted to go back with a camera stashed in a bag…We still had fun, starting with Josh swishing a basket to win his bride a dolphin.

We took a few minutes to take in the beautiful sunset on the beach behind the park.

Back to the park for one more ride!

Adrienne & Jon

admin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:47:18 +0000

Adrienne and Jon are currently enjoying living in New York City these days, but they will be back this May for their wedding at the Scripps Pavilion in La Jolla. I met up with them both at Balboa Park recently since they were in town for the holidays. I’m happy to be sharing a handful of images from their engagement session on a perfect San Diego afternoon. I love to shoot in Balboa Park since there’s always beautiful light if you know where to look for it, and I’m definitely looking forward to photographing them both on the beach in La Jolla in full wedding regalia. I always feel lucky to have such cool clients! I think their engagements are really sweet and beautiful, because that’s just how they are with each other.

Painfully Stylish

admin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:32:35 +0000

After many years of photographing weddings, I have definitely photographed my share of ladies shoes. One of the first things I do when I arrive in the Bride’s room is look for her shoes and for an interesting way to photograph them, since they are an important detail of the day. I quickly learned to appreciate a beautifully designed, well-crafted pair of Jimmy Choo’s, Chanel’s, or “Crissy Lou’s”…..that’s Christian Louboutin’s to the uninitiated. I will always prefer to photograph people rather than objects, but I do still sort of cross my fingers and hope for an interesting pair of heels when I arrive for a wedding, if only because heels allow shoes to be hung on chairs, picture frames, Ivy, and so on to make an interesting image. One thing I noticed that all of these tall heels have in common is that they seldom stayed on the Bride’s feet for very long after the ceremony – they just look better than they feel. Apparently.

When I first came across the work of artist May Y. Cheung Hoffman, her shoe sculptures literally stopped me in my tracks. For a second I had to ask myself if a woman could actually wear her pieces, but it was clear that her shoe sculptures are designed to make a statement about fashion, not a fashion statement. May was influenced by her great-grandmother, who’s feet were bound in China as part of the ancient tradition. This inspiration, along with her own experience in maintaining appearances for professional reasons, led May to create pieces that illustrate the kind of pain women often endure in the name of style. The name of her collection is Painfully Stylish, and her pieces have been shown at the Municipal Gallery in Esondido and FeeLit, in the city of San Diego. Here is a sampling of the work I completed last week for May, documenting her pieces before they are sold. In my opinion, even photographs of her work are compelling.

“Hard Wear”

“Domestic Torture”

“Tacky”

“Silver Piranha”

“Snow Angel”

“Zip Tied”

“Red Riding Hood”

“Purple Pain”

“Prisoner of Style”

I shot a few images of this piece on grey, and more in the style I prefer to shoot for myself with more selective focus.

Adventures with Vintage Sugarcube, or How I Met the Sugar Mistress.

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:38:00 +0000

If I haven’t updated my blog quite as often as I should have lately , it’s probably because I’ve been having too much fun with another blog. It’s true. I’ve been seeing another blog and it’s been really sweet. Sweet with frosting, sweet with cake, sweet with all kinds of things I’d never tried before. Anyone who knows me well, knows that the real reason I love to shoot weddings is because the cake is always really great (and often more than one flavor!), so it should be no surprise that I have been spending recent months waiting by my phone like Pavlov’s dog for the call from Jenny at Vintage Sugarcube. After that first call, and subsequent eating-of-what-I-shot for Jenny, I was hooked.

Jenny launched the Vintage Sugarcube food blog to showcase her unique talent of deconstructing desserts, but it’s never been about just the dessert itself. Sometimes I think the desserts are just an excuse for Jenny to get into trouble…or ‘Shenanigan’s’ as she calls it. Jenny has more than ideas about desserts, she has a vision. I don’t think any other food blog exists where the scene is so well set; where they dish up a story with every plate. I’m going to share some of my favorite examples here for you in this post and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Jenny remains largely a Sugar Mistress of few words, chosing to adhere to the KISS principal in writing and in dessert preparation when possible. She has a knack for leaving you wanting more…

As of this writing, the current post features a cherry cheescake with pistachio in the crust, along with Cherry herself. I’ve always wondered how close to a landing aircraft I have to be for the jet turbulence to blow over my light stands. Now I know. It was super loud, but mostly, it was a lot of fun.

Speaking of large metal objects…I recently learned a couple of things. One is that Airstream trailers come from Ohio, and the other is that ‘Buckeye’s are a chocolatey / peanut-buttery dessert that I can eat about four and half of at a single sitting.

Sometimes Jenny has company, as she did for her special dessert with nuts, a.k.a. Menage a’ Trois Bars.

Even when Jenny isn’t in front of the lens, it doesn’t mean she’s not in the picture. This cake tasted amazing, especially for having an identity crisis.

Sometimes I get to travel to exotic locales to practice my trade….

The ‘Dirty Delicious‘ cupcakes, compliments of the Queen.

Or even the gym, for a Spinach + Orange bread. Really, you should try it!

It was worth sneaking these into the libray to eat them. Ice cream sandwiches made with Cornflakes and Bourbon.

In case you’d like to sail away with a Cantaloupe Martini.

One of my favorites, and my first time photographing a dessert for Vintage Sugarcube, the Petit Four. I never knew what ‘Drexting’ was until this!

Of course, a picture is only worth so much. You owe it to yourself to go over the Vintage Sugarcube and get the whole story, and even some recipes. There’s bound to be at least one dessert that will spin your beanie, and then you could even leave a comment on the blog!

Start Spreadin’ the News: Darwin @ Dizzy’s is Nov. 21st!

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:47:45 +0000

I’ve been wanting to shoot Darwin for a while. You can quote me on that, but out of context, it probably sounds bad. What I mean to say is that if Frank Sinatra is ‘Chairman of the Board’ then I suppose Darwin is at least the Chairman of Cortez Hill, and he’s one of the cast of characters that makes living in Cortez Hill so awesome. Since we are both addicted to the sort of caffeine they grind at Cafe Sole Luna, (7th and Ash, everybody!) we’ve talked about collaborating on a shoot more than a few times over morning coffee.

The right time to do a shoot finally came along, since Darwin booked a return gig, singing at Dizzy’s jazz club, down on 2nd and ‘J’ street. Darwin wanted some new art to use for a promotional poster for the gig, so we put together a plan to shoot at the Santa Fe train station for fun, and then do something else among the city lights of downtown for the poster art. Friend and fellow photographer Felice Kinnear was kind enough to come along to assist and shoot, and it was great – we had a blast!

Starting at Santa Fe

After the sun went down, we headed over to one of my favorite spots on 4th Avenue with two lights and a microphone. I have long been inspired by the amazing jazz photography of the great Herman Leonard , especially his work in the 1950’s, so this was a perfect opportunity to tip my hat to Mr. Leonard, and do my best to practice the sincerest form of flattery….immitation! A shoot like this is something I’d been wanting to do for a long time and I think it was worth waiting for.

Felice grabbed one of my favorite shots of the night. I wish I could take credit for the lovely wide-angle shot below, because I love it!

So when it came time to creat the poster for the gig, we worked up a few ideas for it. These are two that I didn’t think were ‘the one’ for Darwin, but that I just wanted to see as a poster just for fun.

This is probably my personal favorite.

From 4th Avenue, we move across to the steps of the convention center for a few closing shots.

For Darwin, the mood of this image most closely matched the feel of the evening he will be presenting, and so this is the ‘official’ poster.

Oh, and P.S…….want to see a little ‘behind the scenes?’ Apparently Darwin has a fan club, and they ambushed us in the middle of the shoot. He was very gracious about it all and we even got to have our own little ‘We Are the World’ moment and snap a group photo.

The Rest of the Story : Brooke & Dominic.

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:50:34 +0000

The first part of our story began at the W Hotel with Brooke & the girls getting ready, in the blog post below. From the W, we all made our way up to the Immaculata church at USD. Immaculata is one of my all-time favorite ceremony locations, and it’s neighbor, Founder’s Chapel, is very high on the list too. There is no other catholic church in San Diego quite like it, so I was really looking forward to Brooke & Dominic’s half-mass.

Watching Brooke and Dominic get married was incredibly sweet, and seeing them so happy and relaxed after the ceremony was wonderful. They had to wait for the processional to see each other for the first time that day, but I got to spend time with both sides of the bridal party before the ceremony. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story below. Many, many thanks to friend and fellow photographer Kristina Chartier for shooting with me all day!

One of the things that makes Immaculata so beautiful is the way light filters in through the stained glass windows. The low levels of light make it a challenge to photograph inside, but the results are always worth it.

One of my favorite moments captured by Kristina that day, of Brooke and her Father on their way to the foot of the aisle.

The Kiss!

From one of my favorite ceremony sites to one of my all-time favorite venues, the Ultimate Skybox at Diamond View Tower for the reception! Brooke and Dominc went straight into their first dance, 15 stories high above San Diego.

The look says it all.

Of course, I always love to shoot at night, especially downtown! The view at Diamond View is more than just baseball. It just doesn’t get better than this for what I always call the ‘Goodnight Shot,’ which is usally a perfect closer for the album. Many thanks go to Amanda McPhail for putting together such a wonderful event and making it run so perfectly.

The Girls, and Getting Ready at the W Hotel.

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:09:09 +0000

I’ve written a little bit on this blog before about how much I enjoy the ‘getting ready’ part of the wedding day. It really is an honor to be part of so many moments that are generally reserved for the closest friends and family; when a woman transforms from her usual self, into a Bride, just for one day. As much as I love photographing portraits, it’s always a fun challenge to find interesting ways to photograph details, like the flowers, or my favorite, the shoes. It’s the part of the day where everyone is in a great mood, and there are always little a bit of nerves just sort of tingling in the air. For me, the ‘getting ready’ part of the day is it’s own little story within a story. It’s about families growing, close friends marking a new chapter in their story together, and countless hours of planning coming to fruition right in front of the camera.

When it came time to go to the W Hotel to see Brooke and her girls getting ready, I already knew the day had amazing potential for beautiful images. She and Dominic chose to have their ceremony at USD Immaculata, and their reception at the Ultimate Skybox at Diamondview Towers, which are two of my favorite wedding venues in San Diego. The W Hotel was familiar to me, but Brooke added a bonus by managing to move into the “WOW” suite on the top floor, which is spectacular. The day got off to a great start and we made the best of being at W before the girls boarded their trolly bus headed for USD. I’ll be ready to share the whole wedding day pretty soon, but for now, I just wanted to share a little bit of what is often, my favorite part of the wedding day. Plus, I’ve never had a bride volunteer to jump on the bed right after getting her dress on, so enjoy!

Brooke chose Katie, from “a dab will do you” in La Jolla, to be her MUA…..make up artist, that is.

The dress is almost ready to go. That must mean it’s time to….

…JUMP ON THE BED!

Down by the pool room, with a retro-twist

It’s hard to go wrong with six beautiful women in one photograph.

Sailing into the Sunset with Dawn and Michael

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:20:57 +0000

A little over a week ago, I had the pleasure of sailing with Dawn, Michael, their family and friends, aboard the Harbor Excursion yacht ‘Quiet Heart.’ I’ve photographed quite a few weddings on the bay , but none quite this intimate. It wasn’t long before I knew the names of just about everyone on board. Most everybody, including Dawn and Michael, came out from Arizona to have a destination wedding here in San Diego, so you can imagine what a treat it was for everyone to enjoy an evening on the bay with a beautiful ceremony and well-catered reception dinner.

I first met up with Dawn at the downtown hotel where she was getting ready, along with her parents.

I popped into the cafe near the boarding dock a little ahead of schedule, only to find Dawn’s father, Tom, going over his notes for his toast.

The upper deck of the Quiet Heart

It started out with a bunch of birds, and then things pretty much just got crazier from there!

A first dance on the bow…

…and fireworks off the stern.

Amanda and David by the Bay in Coronado

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:41:50 +0000

I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Amanda and David in Coronado in June. Amanda got ready with her girls and her family at Loews Coronado, which I’d been to a few times before, but what was new for me was shooting on the grounds of the Coronado Community Center. It’s a really amazing spot right on Glorietta Bay, and the ceremony was set up to face the water, so it made for a fantastic location.

You might remember seeing some engagement images of Amanda and David on my blog from Balboa Park earlier. Amanda and David both looked amazing together then, and they looked even more amazing together dressed for their wedding. I’m going to share more than a handful of images here.

Amanda’s Mom watched as her girls buttoned her into her dress.

As if on cue, the sun finally started to break through the clouds of June as the ceremony reached the big kiss.

I have to admit, I love it when there’s a candy bar for favors. I meant to get some Sour Patch Kids, but I got too busy shooting!

La Dolce Vita al Cafe’ Sole Luna

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:39:35 +0000

As a kid, I knew how lucky I was to enjoy home cooked lasagna and spaghetti when we used to visit my dear grandmother Mary DeFalco. I used to look forward to holidays when I knew Grandma had bolognese sauce on the stove, usually starting at least one or two days in advance. I really miss my Grandmother and her cooking, but ever since I moved to the El Cortez last year, whenever I crave amazing Italian cuisine, all I have to do now is walk downstairs to the Sole Luna Cafe’. Sole Luna has become like an extension of my home, with the amazing food and all the regular patrons from the neighborhood I’ve come to know, so I was thrilled when they asked me to photograph some of their fare for an upcoming web site update.

I’ll share a few examples here, of some of my favorite dishes that I enjoy probably way more often that I should…but I can’t help it! In case you’re not familiar with the location, it’s an easy one to find. Just look for the building on Ash St. that’s been an iconic symbol on the San Diego skyline since 1927.

I’ll start with one of the all time favorites: Lasagna Bolognese! It’s one of their staples and popular reason for return visits!

Sometimes when I’m in the mood for vegetarian, which is often, I love their Veggie Lasanga too. One of my other favorites is the Ravioli Genovesi. It’s a four cheese ravioli, but with an amazingly rich basil pesto sauce that is out of this world.

Maybe it’s because Alessandro and Gigio brought a lot of their recipes with them from Italy, but even something as simple as penne pasta with a bolognese sauce is uniquely Sole Luna.

The Mare Salad has a combination of smoked salmon, shrimp, hearts of palm, cucumber and a lemon olive oil dressing. Yum!

Another ‘comfort food’ for me, the Ravioli Boscaioli – mushroom ravioli with their signature creamy bolognese and mushroom sauce.

Let’s not forget desserts! ( and an espresso martini!) I have a daily coffee habit thanks to living above Sole Luna Cafe…their espresso grind is authentically Italian and makes me feel like I’m back in Europe everytime I have a cappucino.