Litrato Photojournalism » Wedding Photojournalism at its finest

Bride and Groom- Chricelle and Brian

We were so blessed with a gorgeous wedding day on Saturday for Chricelle’s wedding. I prayed for a whole day of sun and my prayers are answered…Thanks be to God! Chricelle and Brian both work at Boeing in Seattle where they met for the first time. This couple is a match made from heaven…they love to travel and they know how to live life. Wishing this beautiful couple a happy marriage and lots of cute kids…LOL

We started the shoot that day at Chricelle’s home in Olympia, WA. I took advantage of the gorgeous Asian decors around their home and incorporated that with her wedding pictures. Her mother insisted to make sure she gets ready at her house…one of the many Filipino wedding traditions. The venue for the wedding ceremony is in Seattle, which is about an hour and a half drive from Olympia. Thank God, the traffic was not as bad as we thought, so we got there just on time for the formal pictures.

Ceremony- Blessed Sacrament Church, Seattle, WA

This church is one of the best churches I’ve ever shot at. Talking about a combination of an antique-like church with modern architecture. Love the natural light inside this church. How I wish we have one of this back in the East Coast.

And the best part is, Father Jordan, who officiated the matrimony, was super nice to us…that’s always a plus when the priest is pretty cool with us  photographers. He even asked everyone to turn around and look above the choir loft for a staged picture. Thanks Father Jordan! Also, Jesson Mata, the music director/wedding coordinator was an awesome guide to us during the ceremony. He even helped me organized the formals after the mass.Ok, Jesson, next time I am back in Seattle for wedding you will be our coordinator.

Reception- Shilshole Bay Beach Club, Seattle, WA

Great venue with a nice view of the sunset.

Love the Asian furnitures and decors at Chricelle’s home. Most of these stuff were imported from the Philippines…gorgeous set-up, and might as well incorporate them into her wedding pictures.

Gorgeous bride in the making….

Mother and daughter before they left for the ceremony. Both of their dresses were made out of Pineapple fabric. They were custom-made and imported from the Philippines. Talk about an eco-friendly wedding dress. =)

Chricelle as she walks down the isle with her long veil behind her….a very dramatic entrance!

I’ve seen a lot of pictures of the bride and groom infront of this church, and every time I see one, there’s always a uniqueness in each of them.

After the ceremony, I took Brian and Chricelle for a drive to Kerry Park, a park overlooking the cityscape of Seattle. For a gorgeous day like that, the park was crowded with tourists. But we tried to capture what we can as the bride and groom try to survive the heat of the sun.

And last but not least, they did a great choice for their reception venue – Shilshole Bay Beach Club, where the sunset view is amazing!

MORE IMAGES TO COME! Please visit www.pictage.com in a few weeks to see more images from Chricelle and Brian’s wedding…

…who will be tying the knot at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Seattle, WA on Saturday and will party at Shilshole Bay Beach Club after the ceremony. So excited for their BIG DAY, it’s going to be a lot of fun!

Check out their engagement photos….

We flew to Seattle the first week of April to shoot the engagement photos of Chricelle and Brian, whose wedding we are also shooting this June in Seattle , WA. Got to tell you, this couple are great troopers! Despite the challenges of the shoot – 30 MPH gust PLUS pouring rain, they managed to hang with me for the whole duration of the shoot. Their efforts paid off…love those shots especially those shot in the rain….even when I got soaking wet. Hehehehe….

We had about ten minutes of “sun break” when we got to the famous Pike Place Public Market in downtown Seattle. So we hurried up to shoot something that says Seattle in the background. Then the next minute…RAIN!

What you don’t see in this shot below is the 30 MPH wind that was blowing on Chricelle’s hair. Thank God for this sculpture entitled “Changing Form” by Doris Chasein, in the middle of Kerry Park. I used it to block the wind and frame the beautiful scenery overlooking the city of Seattle and the famous Space Needle.

Kudos to Chricelle and Brian for surviving the whole duration of the shoot. We shot most of these in between pouring rain. I salute all Seattle photographers, who have to shoot most of the time in this situation.

And let me end with one of my favorite photos from the shoot….though I was soaking wet after this, I know it was worth standing under the pouring rain to capture this sweet moment between this amazing couple! Congrats Chricelle and Brian, can’t wait for your BIG DAY in June. I am missing Seattle already.

Make sure come back to this blog on Sunday to see their wedding photos from our LIVE PHOTO BLOGGING!

Katerina and Mike made my Greece experience more memorable. The whole photo shoot became a tour of Plaka, the most attractive district of Acropolis. Thanks to Athens photographer Stefanos, who was very helpful showing me around this amazing place!

Here’s a little something about this historic place-

“Pláka is the picturesque old historical neighbourhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. During the early modern age (XVth century) and until the early 20th century Plaka was inhabited by an Arvanite community. Apparently the name stems from Arvanitika “Pliak Athena”, meaning “Old Athens”. Plaka is the Athens that became capital of Greece in 1834. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, being the only neighborhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunnelling. Motor vehicles are not allowed in Plaka, and most streets are too narrow, thus not being able to accommodate them anyway.

The contrast of the different colors of Plaka made this whole location a perfect spot for any photo shoot for couples. The Greeks are so lucky to have this amazing backdrop in their neighborhood….

The District of Plaka in the modern times is surrounded by businesses that are artistically decorated.

Shot this at one of the ancient sites of Plaka – part of the ancient Roman Agora (Market of Caesar and Augustus).

Walking around the area, we stumbled upon this old art gallery, which has been closed for many years now.

These walls are dated back to 6th Century BC.

Love these walls depicting the Athens Marathon in the ancient times.

As soon as you start walking around Plaka’s stone-paved, narrow streets, you will have the feeling that you are travelling back in time.

Trying to practice Katerina’s posing…

Just got 2 frames of this before we were kicked out by the park security…saying it’s forbidden to kiss under the ancient ruins….WHAT??!!!

I was lucky enough to have found something to do while in Athens, Greece. Heheheh. I did a Bridal photo shoot in the The Ancient City of Athens: Acropolis.

Shot this with only one strobe using the Canon 580 EX II with my Pocket Wizards remote lighting. We shot on top of the Areopagus Hill, with the Ancient Acropolis in the background. The hills of Areopagus is where Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of “the Unknown God.”

Here’s me in action on the hills of Areopagus!

The biggest challenge in this shoot was that it’s completely pitch dark, so I was using my iPhone to illuminate the face of my subject so I can focus.

Here’s a photo of The Hills of Areopagus during the day. I shot the bridal photos on this page from the cliff on the right side.

And if you look closely on the surface of the rocks, they are pretty slippery. So one wrong move, you fall hundreds of feet down! Being extra careful is a BIG skill you need during this shoot.

Due to popular demand, I have added another gallery into our website showing our works from some of the Destination Weddings we shot in the past year. We had a blast shooting in Aruba and Dominican Republic last year and we are looking forward to our trip to Greece, Hawaii, Mexico, Philippines and possibly Italy for 2010.

Check it out by clicking on the image below and navigate through the site and click on the Destination Weddings link.

Here are some images from my shoot for Jonathan and Kissa’s engagement session at Anvaya Cove Resort in Morong, Bataan, Philippines. Although we almost got rained out that day, we still were able to create some stunning images of this gorgeous couple. The place is just picture perfect…even with the absence of the sunset because of the weather condition that day. Looking forward to their destination wedding in Angeles City, Philippines on 10/10/2010.

Hope you enjoy these!

…who will tie the knot today along the beach of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. Stay tuned for more images from their wedding.

Just finished the civil wedding ceremony for Steve and Valerie in downtown Aruba. What a fun family they both have! Tomorrow will be the beach wedding ceremony and the big reception. I can’t wait. Everywhere you turn is an amazing view. And the best part about it is, the sun sets right infront of the wedding venue. Yay!

Here are some images of Steve and Valerie from our engagement shoot in New York City. Enjoy!