www.rosenthalphotography.com

Becca put her wedding together beautifully, and on a very tight budget.  The Monday Club may be the best Wedding Venue Value in San Luis Obispo.  On a typical day it has great architectural bones, very green grass and a wonderful blue East facing sky.  Becca incorporated these prominent colors of the property and made them her own. Her apple green shoes were a lovely surprise to a stunning dress and angelic veil combination. Single green apples lined the aisle and her royal blue linen tablecloths were graced by a simple basket of green apples.   Their dog wore an apple green bow tie and she used a royal blue fan to cool her.

It seems real taste and style can come through on a budget with some careful choices.  I loved seeing how well it all fit together and recording the day for my very special, and very much in love bride and groom.

Nate’s family knew he was going to propose to Kelly and they contacted me to see if I was interested in recording it.  “Oh heck yes”, I thought. “Could there be anything more fun?!?”

So when the family told Nate they had gifted him a photographer to record his proposal, our email and telephone conversations began. Nate’s sister-in-law Angela, the point man for his family, is an event coordinator and totally organized.  So, on our first conversation, when Nate said, “ I guess I should get you a photo so you’ll be able to recognize us”.  I said “no need”.  Angela had already sent me an image. His response was something like, “boy they are good!”

Nate is going to make a marvelous husband as he not only cleverly scheduled the proposal logistics within Kelly’s vacation itinerary but also managed to get her hair and nails done without setting off an alarm.   Then of course there is the ring he selected which is a bling-a-licious winner!

Moonstone beach just north of Cambria CA was the designated spot and I had not only a photo of them but also a description of their rental car and the color of his shirt to guide me.  I was half an hour early, and brought my cell phone.  They were a half an hour late, but Nate managed a text message to me via his brother and my assistant Brianna back in the office. When they arrived, I was so busy trying to look inconspicuous with my big lens that when he suddenly got down on one knee, I almost missed it!!

For all of the engagement shoots I have been privileged to shoot over the years, I had never recorded an actual proposal.  It is different and even more wonderful than I could have imagined.  Kelly could not stop kissing Nate.  And Nate was over the moon.

Anna and Chris are planning an elegant understated wedding at Denner Winery near Paso Robles next year and were in the San Luis Obispo area to finalize some of the details.  They wanted engagement photos and they knew exactly where they wanted them done.  Chris had been on a trip earlier in the year to Moonstone Beach near Cambria when he had spent some time on the boardwalk, which runs along the cliffs.  As he watched the surf pound against the rocks, he made the decision to ask Anna to marry him.  They both thought there was no other place in the world to take some engagement images.  The image of the two of them standing on the boardwalk is the exact spot where Chris became convinced that Anna needed to be his wife. It is wonderful to be around people who are in touch with their emotions and who openly and passionately embrace their joy and their good fortune!

After I sent Anna the images, she called to thank me and mentioned a particular image that she loved.  It was of both of them hugging, and Chris has a huge smile on his face and is looking into the sky.  When she asked him why he was looking up that way, he said that he was thanking his father up in heaven for sending her his way.  Anna and I both teared up on the phone and I was reminded again how fortunate I am to do exactly what I do.

My friend Cory Karpin of the Woods Humane Society called me a while ago and asked if I would like to take some photos for their new web site. I think that if you can, you must in life.  I have a great sister Lynn who said those very words to me a while back.  They stuck, and have become a kind of a cool mantra for me.  Cory had a host of volunteers ready to play with the dogs and cats when I arrived.  He said that there were over 400 volunteers helping the animals on a regular basis!  I also happened upon a class which child volunteers to work with and handle the dogs.  The kids and the animals were great together.  Why is it that we so underestimate what children can do?  I shouldn’t have been amazed by the discipline and loving attention each one of the children conveyed to their animal charge, but I was.   Good things about around us all.  And, it is great when I get to spend a part of my day with good people doing good things.

If you have been to my studio you have probably seen Louella and Mae, our two free-roaming chickens. They like hanging out with humans  so they sometimes sit just outside my office door.  There is an everyday drama between the chickens and our local family of blue jays which usually plays out during our work time at the computer.

Both Luella and Mae lay eggs daily.  And, after they are finished, they emerge from their coop and do a distinctive chicken vocalization My guess at a translation would be something like “Oh Boy!! Look at what I did!!”, “I laid an egg!!”, “I laid an egg”.  The drama unfolds because both the blue jays and I speak “chicken” and we race each other to the prized egg.   Because my lovely and talented assistant Brianna is also a kind person , when I am caught on a telephone conversation, she will try to outrun the blue jays as well.  It is considered a  first rate day here at the studio when we manage to retrieve two eggs  unscathed.  By the way did you know that the color of a chicken egg can be ascertained by the color of the chicken’s feet?  Here at Colleen Rosenthal Photography the blue eggs are laid by Louella and Mae’s eggs are cream colored.

A graduation is a big thing.  I went to New York City to help celebrate my son Marc’s graduation.  The salutatorian said “success can be defined in many ways, but each and every person in a cap and gown today saw success looking back at them today in the mirror.”  It was so true.

I cried several times during the two ceremonies.  Marc had worked so hard.  He has difficulty spelling in English and had to pass 4 levels of French to graduate.  I remembered the telephone conversations in which he told me he was devoting 80% of his study time to French.  He wanted this degree and fought hard to achieve it.

His chief supporter, his beautiful young wife Jennifer sat beside me, as did his brother Aaron.   All he asked of me was a few photos of him with the squirrels he had tamed and trained while on the Columbia Campus.  Not every parent is blessed to have a moment like this to share with his or her children.   My heart was full from the moment I saw Marc and Jen and the net effect of the whole trip was that I was a bit overwhelmed by the love I feel for my family.

Robin Kaplan Design is a breathtaking clothing design company headed by a visionary artist, Robin Kaplan.  She used to live part time in a 300 year old farmhouse in Central Italy, but now creates her magic in  Los Osos.   With the help of  the lovely Pattea , owner of  historic Old Edna in San Luis County, we photographed her latest collection against a backdrop of gardens, goats, an old Victorian farm house and an awning which says “Well La De Da!”

The astounding Miss Brianna (my assistant) and I got to do a collaboration on the layouts  for publication in a catalog. We loved making them and the time flew. Although I like them all I don’t know how you can beat the goat . I actually got to wear one of these outfits at a college reunion last month,  Well La De Da!!

Chelsea and Drew had the time of their lives at their Holland Ranch wedding located just outside the City of San Luis Obispo.  Because Mark Padgett Event Design is THE resource  to shoulder all of your cares and concerns, the bride and groom could play and be their own fun loving selves throughout the day. Except for their wedding vows and some tears of joy, nothing was taken too seriously, and laughter was simply everywhere.  Chelsea, a young woman with great style (note the multicolored feather headpiece) consoled her mom when her mom teared-up watching Chelsea slip into her wedding dress.  She clowned with her bridesmaids, and howled when one of them crawled in-between Drew’s legs.  I foresee a life of fun waiting a couple that can let it all go and enjoy their wedding day! Other couples take note, it is about enjoying life! As some kind of a reward from the universe perhaps,  the San Luis Obispo Sky even provided them with a meteor shower at the end of the evening!

When I look back on Corine an Hezi’s wedding day through my images I can’t help but think “ah young love”….  They are so exuberant, so genuine, and just right at the edge of insanely happy. I thought I would share some of their photos.  Corine is a local San Luis Obispo girl and Hezi hails from Israel.  They were married in a small local Temple which was packed to the rafters with well wishers and the reception was at the beautiful San Luis Obispo Country Club.  The light on their grssy hills and their north-light sky was an amazing backdrop to the joy that flowed the entire day.

Here’s a slideshow we put together to remember their day: http://vimeo.com/23593489

The beautiful Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey was the backdrop when I walked in on Shawna getting ready.  She was unusually calm, quietly radiant, and serene.   “Hum”… I wondered until I met her groom Caleb, and saw them together.   Then it came to me “what woman wouldn’t be feeling this way”? Recording them together on their wedding day was a privilege.    It is not that they were overly demonstrative; it was more that you could feel the strength and joy of this couple from yards away.  Their friends and family felt it as well and the whole day was one of intense celebration. …  lots of meaningful hugs, smiles and tears.