Wedding Trends with Renee Strauss

On January 22 2015, I was the official photographer for Bella Nella, who offers beauty, makeup, massage and hair services for brides. They were showcased among an elite list of others at a unique wedding showcase, covered by "Wedding Trends" with Renee Strauss and aired on KTLA 5 News.

The wedding showcase featured the best of the best in the bridal industry, with a collection of luxury bridal brands, exquisitely designed bridal vignettes and an esteemed panel of wedding experts dedicated to helping couples make their wedding visions a reality. As a photographer, you have to be prepared for a long busy working day when covering events such as these, starting and ending at unusual hours. My working day began at 5am, which is normally the time I go to sleep! It was a long full day, and I worked until 12am the following morning.

This is part of doing what I do, and of course, as always, it was worth it. I'm happy to be working in partnership with the wonderful Bella Nella.

Audrey & Lenny Boutique

During my sessions I'm in charge of the camera and lighting, but depending on the project and on the client's requirements, I can offer a large host of extra services that might be needed and work in partnership with various vendors such as boutqiues, make-up artists, and hair stylists.

Roki Torres is one of the talented stylists I work with, and I partner with the boutique she works at: Audrey & Lenny. Linet Perez runs the store and has a large collection of speciality pieces for every occasion. Based out of the Arts District of Downton LA, they are a warm and cosy boutique clothing store with a hint of glamour full of vintage gems! They have amazing outfits which I've worked with and are also available to my customers. if you're in need of styling or are interested in renting some items of clothing, shoes, jewellery or accessories for the day of the shoot, you are welcome to contact us.

The girls at the shop are so hospitable and lovely to work with. They genuinely enjoy helping you choose outfits and create a unique and fun experience for all who shop there. If you would like some professional help on the day of the shoot with the looks and outfits you already have, then Roki can be on hand that day to help you look and feel your best. She'll take what you have and making something fabulous out of it with the right colours and cuts specific to you and your individual look. 

"Alice in Wonderland"

I've been brainstorming for new photography concepts recently and this is the first of many to follow.

I teamed up with a makeup artist from London to design a shoot based on the fairytale concept of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. We collaborated with Audrey and Lenny Boutique in downtown, LA. They provided a stunning collection of vintage clothes and accessories for the shoot, allowing us to invoke the strange yet beautiful aesthetic for which Wonderland is so well known.

Our amazing stylist Roki Torres assembled some original and appropriately theatrical themed looks prior to the shoot and was there on hand to pull it all together. Model Chenelle Aaron Badgett was the star of the show. I am very excited to have worked with this team of creative and talented individuals who helped make the project a success.

Stay tuned for the final images, we're extremely pleased with them and worked on several different looks, all depicting different aspects of characters and themes of the Alice in Wonderland surreal style. I look forward to sharing them with you.

Natalie Mann | Modern Soprano, Classically Refined

I had a photo shoot with the wonderful Natalie Mann, soprano, operatic songstress of concert and stage. She arrived looking like a glamorous 1940s starlet! Bringing us her lovely warm, genuine and positive personality.

The look we went for – including hair styling, makeup and outfit was based on a subtle hint of modern glamour coupled with old Hollywood theatrical glam, which is very much in line with Natalie's persona and musical style. It had been a long awaited shoot due to circumstances beyond our control.

I'm thankful for Natalie's eagerness to collaborate on this shot. She performed a private medley of some of her songs, which created a lovely mood on the set. Later I learned that after the shoot she travelled to a competition. I'll be following her career and hope to be working with Natalie again. You can check out her site www.nataliemann.com.