Grand Island Mansion wedding photos from 2003
LOL this one goes way back. I’m really reaching back in the archives now. I have worked at the Grand Island Mansion 8 times in my 20 year career. I’m surprised how I got booked for a wedding that far out off the beaten path. And trust me, it is a drive along a long dirt road that parallels the delta. It is a nice trip during the day, a little scary at night when the fog blankets the entire area. Anyway, I was working quite a bit there for a while. One time, I was there back to back weddings Saturday, then again the next Saturday.
This wedding took place back in the very early days of digital photography. The black and white you see here is actually TRUE black and white film. What I was doing back then was shooting with digital [in color naturally] and then augmenting the digital coverage with true black and white film. Moreover, this film was 645 medium format.
You can also get an idea of what my magazine style album designs looked like back then in 2003. Not bad, but I have come along way in the areas of wedding album design and creation of the layouts. I know often think of left and right as a single canvas with which to tell your wedding story.
The below images were shot in color with digital, then the color removed from various areas of the picture to give you what you see here. I only mention it because I said I was using true black and white film and for all except the below is black and white film.
I just remembered that they are still using one of my images on their website that I shot at this wedding. I was still known as Axiom Photography back then. I’m going to have to email them asking them to change it. Click here to see the pic that they are still using under CLASSIC WEDDINGS
Read MoreWedding Ralston Hall Belmont Sophia & Paul
If you haven’t been to the Ralston Hall in Belmont, CA for a wedding or any other type of special event, you are missing out on some amazing land and property. The MANSION that is the Ralston Hall is so elegantly appointed, it harkens back to the early 1900′s in it’s style and decor.
I feel very fortunate to have been able to work at the Ralson Hall doing wedding photography and wedding videography. I have photographed many weddings there and have shot many wedding videos at the Ralston Hall.
The property is laid out as follows: You drive up a long driveway and see a huge lawn and massive fountain in the front. The wedding ceremony typically takes place out in the front lawn, however in some cases like in the winter, the Ralston Hall has the ceremonies inside the main Grand Ballroom.
The orientation of the ceremony will be dictated by how many guests are to be seated. For instance, a smaller wedding will go straight from the Mansion down the stairs and have your wedding ceremony in front of the huge Water Fountain. For larger weddings such as Sophia & Paul [see picture above] you go down the stairs, make a left walk down, turn right and then back up the aisle so that you are in front of the water fountain but long ways on the lawn.
This wedding at the Ralston Hall was absolutely beautiful. We got many great wedding pictures on this day.
However, my main goal is the show the layout of your wedding reception at the Ralston Hall. So the following pictures are typical DETAIL SHOTS that a second or associate wedding photographer might be shooting whilst the primary wedding photographer does all the family and formal wedding portraits.
Here are some great shots of the main banquet room inside the Ralston Hall. I believe they call it the Grand Ballrooom.
They put the cake in the room that’s just outside of the Grand Ballroom.
Dancing commences in the Grand Ballroom. There is enough room for a band or large DJ set up. The ambient lighting looks very natural and makes for some great backgrounds.
This last shot below is one of my Marquee Shots. I love this shot. This wedding picture taken at the Ralston Hall in Belmont, CA kind of sums up our wedding photography style. Super fine, photo journalistic expee-alidocious LOL
Kari and Shawn Wente Vineyards
Kari and Shawn are the most wonderful couple who got married at the Wente Vineyards in Livermore, CA. I had the pleasure of recieving their inquiry. At that time, I was still advertising on TheKnot.com so the found me through that wedding web site. I made the numbers work for them which resulted in us commencing to do business with one another. Here are some of the fantastic wedding photos I took at Kari and Shawn’s wedding.
Please note that I like as much natural light as possible. I take a more ‘ORGANIC’ approach with my wedding photography.
