Sarah and Joe were married this past Sunday at Hartley Botanica in Somis, CA. Sarah and I have known each other for several years now, and I was honored when she and Joe asked me to photograph their wedding.
For those who don’t know, Somis is located just north of Camarillo, near Ventura. It’s a relatively rural area surrounded by hills on all sides. Hartley Botanica is part nursery, part wedding venue and is absolutely gorgeous. Sarah and Joe are both really mellow and the location was a perfect fit for their personalities.
Joe and his best man. According to Lindsey, they struggled with Joe's tie for quite a while. Photo: Lindsey Byrnes
As Borat would say, "HIGH FIVE!" Photo: Lindsey Byrnes
Love this photo! It's one of those in-between moments from which so many things can be inferred. Photo: Lindsey Byrnes
Really nice portrait of Joe. Photo: Lindsey Byrnes
Shoes in the limo on the way to Hartley. Loved the juxtaposition of the criss-cross lighting on the floor with the legs and feet mixed in.
Sarah and her maid of honor, Alicia, working on hair.
Dress and shoes. The small bridal suite at Hartley was campy yet quaint. It had a really cool vintage feel to it. Sarah's gown was stunning.
I loved the light in the bathroom for two reasons: First, it came from one direction; and second, it was only one type of light (tungsten). Mixing tungsten and flourescent light can create some funky colors, but I really loved the warm, bright light from the single set of tungsten lamps. It really softened things and gave it such a more organic feel.
This small pendant was given to Sarah's grandmother by her grandfather on their wedding day. Sarah pinned it to the inside of the back of her gown.
Sarah made her earrings and this bracelet by hand.
This is Sarah's mom. As you can see, she was pretty happy.
Some details and key figures from the ceremony. At top left is Joe's sister, who helped videotape the ceremony. Top left, bottom left photos: Lindsey Byrnes
I love these two photos of Joe as he first sees Sarah and her dad walking down the aisle. In the second photo, he's obviously trying to contain his emotions.
Sarah and her dad walking down the aisle. This photo was taken moments after the shots of Joe, so you can get an idea why Joe was so emotional.
Love this look from Joe during the ceremony.
Not a bad place for a wedding. The ceremony was officiated by my old friend, Christian, who did a fantastic job.
My favorite shot from the ceremony. Sarah gave a quick look to her maid of honor and to her parents, who were seated close by. Sarah's bracelet broke during the ceremony, so her reaction may be part embarrassment, part elation.
The kiss. I was lucky enough to capture someone's flash going off, which created a nice fill light on Sarah's face.
The grounds at Hartley feature walkways that are sheltered by arches of vines and lights. There were large shafts of light coming in, so it was just a question of finding the right light and letting Sarah and Joe do their thing.
Same spot as the photo before, but with a few different poses.
These were taken in a different spot on the grounds where the light coming in was considerably stronger. To create more impact, I intentionally placed them right in the light and underexposed the surrounding parts of the frame.
Joe and Sarah in black and white.
Joe and Sarah.
Joe and Sarah.
Joe and Sarah, in between kisses.
I love these shots from a different part of the garden. The light was fantastic; Joe and Sarah really made my job pretty easy.
Reception details. Sarah's nickname is "Sweets", so the reception featured a table with various candies. Top row, bottom middle photos: Lindsey Byrnes
Sarah and Joe's first dance.
Cheers!
There were some really emotional toasts given during the reception, but I thought this light moment made a really great image.
Joe's sister and her husband getting the killer cake shot.
As the light waned, the spotlight on the cake and the overhead bulbs really really looked awesome.
A great moment between Sarah and her dad.
Party time. Joe did a great job managing his drink while dancing.
Quick kiss on the dance floor.
Sarah's friends tore it up on the dance floor.
Cake cutting. I love setting up a strobe lights the entire scene evenly. Not only can I get great shots from the front, but I can go behind the bride and groom and get some cool shots that show the entire crowd.
Sarah and Joe dancing with Joe's neice. For a two-year-old, she held court on the dance floor for nearly the entire night.
The conga line is always a serious moment, especially when it ends up at the bar.
Late-evening at Hartley Botanica.
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