Glowing Testimonials: Kate and Nate: Our Dreamy Big Sur Wedding
Kate and Nate glow by a single spotlight as they dance the night away during their wedding reception at the luxurious Ventana Inn perched on California's Big Sur coastline.
“I first found Katherine and Doug through the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association website.) I was looking for someone with an artistic vision who didn’t take silly posed fake photos. Our wedding was more nontraditional and unscripted than most and we wanted someone who could capture our story as it unfolded. We weren’t posing for a magazine shoot, but wanted to be in the moment and feel like ourselves. Being slightly nervous as the center of attention, we were also looking for someone that we felt comfortable with. I contacted probably 15 other photographers during the same time, but I knew we had found our photographic match when I saw Katherine and Doug’s website. I instantly loved their style and was surprised to find out they had made a similar move from New England to California. Not only had we lived in the same neighborhood across the country, but they had photographed a wedding at a Connecticut venue where I had recently been a bridesmaid. After speaking to Doug on the phone, the coincidences only further convinced me that we HAD to have Katherine and Doug as our photographers. It couldn’t get much better when their suggestion to meet for the first time was at a French bakery.
Throughout all of our communications over phone and email, I felt a pleasant blur between friendship and a detailed, professional commitment to service. Katherine has the rare ability to richly express her vision in words. I loved her warm communication style and think she really went out of her way to make sure we were both on the same page before our wedding drew near. Doug has the perfect mix of experienced professional confidence, offset by a quiet humor that puts anyone at ease.
During our wedding day Katherine and Doug were everywhere, yet completely seamless with the environment. I’m afraid we kept trying to distract them to chat, as they also felt like our guests. I was unprepared for what a physical workout they had, running all of the place. We were joking they were like our photo ninjas, dressed all in black, crouching, running, and silently ducking throughout the night. I was also unprepared for the competing “paparazzi” they silently battled during the evening. I’m not sure I would have been as good-natured as they were with the other photo-snapping guests distracting from their job!
One of my favorite moments was all 55 guests lighting sparklers and gathering for a group photo. I got as far as buying the sparklers, but couldn’t really imagine how or what we were going to do with them. Katherine and the hotel’s staff immediately took over to organize the moment. Looking tiny standing on a chair, Katherine commanded the group’s actions to make the photo work. She really connected the crowd in a fun way.
So many of my guests commented on “how great the photographers were” – which was a testament to their easy-going personality and hard physical work throughout the night, since these comments all came before anyone saw the actual photos! From joking with our family and guests, to scoping out the venue beforehand and meeting the hotel staff, Katherine and Doug spread a little wave of joy and sweetness wherever they went.
I can honestly say that we both had complete blind faith in Katherine and Doug’s skill and had no doubt they were going to provide us with amazing photos. We didn’t have a single worry during our wedding day, confident that they were expertly carrying out our shared creative vision. I could hardly stand the anticipation after the wedding to see the result. When we received the photos, we couldn’t be happier. I wish Katherine and Doug could follow us around forever, documenting all the mundane moments of our life and making them appear special and emotive. My absolute favorite photos of our wedding are the black and white evening shots of us dancing. They captured the feeling of a slow motion dream-like romance movie.
Katherine and Doug embody the term artist and I admire their aesthetic vision and ability to create their own creative path in life. They are the type of genuine, original people that I am glad to support, and I wish them all the success in the world!”
- Kate and Nate
Uniquely Helios: Film By the Roll: Black and White.
Post by Doug
Eun and Mingoo bid farewell to their wedding guests in front of Willowdale Estates in Topsfield, MA.
One of most gratifying new benefits that we’ve been offering since last year is our film by the roll – it rocks! Basically, Katherine and I love the feel, sound, and and smells of good ol’ black and white film and manual cameras (not so much the taste though… and oh, Katherine is more of a fan of color but we’re going to focus on B&W for this post), so we put that passion into shooting individual rolls of film for art loving couples.
Asako's torso glows during her reception at the Winchester Town Hall.
Film is how we both started, Katherine in high school shooting her sister’s yearbook portrait, and me in sixth grade on a field trip to “Ferry Beach,” a New Hampshire thing, photographing a sunrise while sitting on a log on the beach with my friends. It’s also what I use to shoot 100% of my own fine art work and where the foundation of all my photographic training came from – be it from a fine art university darkroom, on assignment for a daily newspapers, or behind the lens at a wedding. The cameras to shoot it just feel more tactile – harkening some mystic photo energy from the masters of the past and providing a no-excuse high knowledge to make the image count. One huge highlight technically, is film’s exposure latitude, meaning that you can still get highlights and shadows to be friends in a scene together. Much of the time with digital it’s either one or the other. Another cool benefit? Much less contrast! This gives the photographer more room to play with exactly what they want to do with the tones in the future.
What happens when we shoot by the roll? First, we have a couple who digs the look and feel of film, that values creativity and it’s path of floating enigma. They coin us to generally shoot two or three rolls during their wedding, in addition to our digital capture. So far, I’ve been the one shooting most of the time, in black and white. When Katherine is behind the wheel, she’s zapping away with some sweet color portrait film… YEAH KODAK PORTRA 400NC! We shoot the specified number of rolls, with developing and sweet standard sized contact sheets thrown in by our master printer Paul Sneed in the darkroom. The cool part about having the images on a contact sheet style layout is the photographer’s thoughts throughout a scene can be observed through the succession of light, people, and angles saved in the images.
An expertly hand-printed standard size silver gelatin contact print (actual size of 35mm negatives) from the darkroom.
Additionally, we love coupling some of our Uniquely Helios products with these rolls, offering our unique 16×20 Industrial Helios Sheets (future post… think GIANT matted and backed contact sheet) or museum quality silver gelatin prints toned in selenium or GOLD by our master printer in the darkroom. So far, our couples have been ectsatic and love the results. More than this, we love the results. Could this trend of shooting more film be gaining momentum in the future??? You “betcha.”
What I like most about it is that there is no motor drive… no auto exposure… no auto anything. I shoot with 70’s era tank-ish Nikons with modest lenses, a light meter, and good ol’ know how from experience to get the shots. Good saved moments come about by way of knowledge and preparing for the lucky strike. To see and prepare for exciting moments relies on noticing the rise and fall of a scene. Much like watching a play, there are tell tale signs of people, light, and energy coming together that will build into a peak moment when everything seems to strike slow motion, come togetheeerr, and fllllloooooooaaaaattttttt *SNAP* then whip back into real time again. Sort of like the football flick “Any Given Sunday” when real-time and slow motion moments are danced together in a scene down the football field. Which reminds me, the more posts I write on this here blog, the more movie quotes and references you will be likely to see. And sports – I grew up playing sports every season, for about ten years in a row.
A scene during the preparation phase of Mingoo & Eun's wedding at Willowdale Estates.
There’s a slower pace when shooting all manual in film. I have to stress though, that this slow part is for the actual “shooting” only (the pressing of the little magic button) when that split-second slow motion time drums in. Besides that, the heat is on!
Flipping to film is when everything is tested, and I take it as a challange to produce some great stuff by fighting the obstacles. You feel like every image has to count… which they really do because every frame is money and time and also brings you one step closer to finishing the roll, which means spooling the little crank with a road runner hand, and switching out the rolls, while sweating to do it fast enough to not miss a possible shot. Why do this to yourself Doug? I say, without the panic, where would the reward be? I think it adds to it… the whole situation has your mind racing to figure out what’s an important shot (either for us or them) and to calculate the shrinking number of those so that you end the roll at exactly the time that there is a lull in front of the camera.
Black and white seems to be the natural choice for me because it breaks down the image strength to the core – emotion and design. If it doesn’t ring with these, then the image flops and feels like a broken noise-maker at Tommy’s seventh birthday party. You feel it, or rather, you don’t, pretty immediate. Also, we can concentrate mainly on expression and light, always paying close attention to the forms of the scene within the overall design. With color (and yes, I do love shooting color at certain times) I’d be thinking about the color of light constantly and how that will translate to the image, and also striving to use color as a design element. So far, sticking to black & white capture for my side of film by the roll has proved rewarding in every way, so it makes sense to continue the tradition for now. This is unless you want a roll or ten taken by me specifically in color in the Maldives – are you getting married in the Maldives? Please say yes.
Lindsay surprises Luke with a choreographed dance with her bridesmaids on the grounds of Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo, CA. Emotion and design!
Please explore our black & white film by the roll image gallery below and clicking on images to make them bigger and sharper.
In closing, I think I’ll quote a great mind of the twentieth century by saying “It’s too damn hot for penguins to just be walkin’ around.”
*** Care to comment? Know which flick the quote is from? We’d love to hear about an experience you had with us shooting film by the roll! Also, what stories do you have after shooting with your own old school fully manual cameras and good ol’ fashioned film?
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- Mingoo nervously waits and watches for his grandmother to arrive before going downstairs to begin the wedding ceremony at the Willowdale Estates in Topsfield, MA.
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- A server delivers water from the triangle to the square at a wedding reception at The Newagen Seaside Inn in Boothbay Harbor, ME.
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- Asako poses with guests during her reception at the Winchester Town Hall in Winchester, MA.
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- Vera Wang’d during her third and final dress fitting for her wedding gown.
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- Meena’s mom emotionally watches her walk down the aisle by her father.
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- Meena and Ari’s rose petals near their cake.
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- Robin in the teacher’s lounge at Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- Kate’s dress dances with the light, found in the high elevations during a wedding on California’s famed Big Sur coast at The Ventana Inn.
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- Meena and Ari exit the mini forest after speaking with the guests at their impressive wedding.
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- Son’s of the groom talk during an intimate wedding reception at the Winchester Town Hall in Winchester, MA.
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- A kiss shared between the newlyweds at Springstep. Before the kiss the room was completely dark! Just kidding.
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- Lindsay and Luke show their whole relationship in one glance. So cool.
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- A scene during the preparation phase of Mingoo & Eun’s wedding at Willowdale Estates.
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- Natural light greets this delicious cake ornamented in purple orchids.
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- Much sun.
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- A delicious buffet beckons the appearance of Kevin and Asako at the Winchester Town Hall in Winchester, MA.
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- Amazing rose, perfect background, perfect light – the perfect storm!
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- Kate squeezes Nate’s hand and gives a last glance as they follow the minister out to the Lower Terrace at The Ventana Inn & Spa on Big Sur to officially become husband and wife.
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- Kate and Nate relax in front of lens.
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- The couple hangs out after their wedding. Luckily for the photographer – the light was amazing!
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- Mark and Ploy sit against each other naturally, in a moment on their terrace found in Boston, MA.
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- The flower girl waits for Jen to be done getting ready before undertaking her rose carrying mission to the ceremony spot at Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse in Cohasset, MA.
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- Mark and Ploy
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- Asako and her new second mom involved in a sincere conversation.
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- Kate’s animated laugh shows itself while she jokes with Nate and a guest in the background during their reception at The Ventana Inn & Spa in Big Sur.
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- A view of the wedding reception inside the modern design found in Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- A bride and her brother show their emotions through their feet while posing for a picture for another guest during the reception at Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- Guests stand in the sunlit vortex of the main reception area of Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- Lindsay dances carefree during her rainy day wedding reception at Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo, CA.
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- Katherine photographs Doug photographing Jen and Ryan as they walk near a church in Cohasset, MA.
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- Kate always glows when she is around her caring partner Nate. During her wedding she dawned a permagrin,
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- A guest breaks it down during a wedding reception at Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- A guest takes a picture of himself while surrounded by his friends at a wedding reception at the Ventana Inn & Spa on Big Sur.
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- Robin and Kevin take a breather after their ceremony before they cut up the dance floor at Springstep in Medford, MA.
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- Eun and Mingoo bid farewell to their wedding guests in front of Willowdale Estates in Topsfield, MA.
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- Lindsay surprises Luke with a choreographed dance with her bridesmaids on the grounds of Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo, CA. Emotion and design!
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- Meena and Ari during their Japanese Tea Ceremony during their wedding at Halcyon estate in Easton, MD.
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- Asako’s torso glows during her reception at the Winchester Town Hall.
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- An expertly hand-printed standard size silver gelatin contact print (actual size of 35mm negatives) from the darkroom.
Glowing Testimonials: Lindsay and Wade: Our Mendocino Cliché-buster!
Lindsay's beaming smile after getting hitched to Wade in Mendocino, California. (Copyright 2009 Douglas Despres)
Who gives a shit about clichés? Lindsay and I wanted to create our wedding as unique; a bipolar opposite of the traditional weddings doused in rigid poses, uniform walks and an otherwise froth to get to the reception. We know this isn’t reinventing electricity, but we shot for it nonetheless. After getting knee-deep in our version of creativity regarding the wedding characteristics, we realized this isn’t as easy of a process as we’d hoped. We thought a casual wedding running away from tradition would be easier than scratching your ass; not necessarily the case. After realizing the uphill mission ahead of us, we felt like a one-legged man at an ass kicking contest. Seeing as this is a review for Doug & Katherine, I can’t say in honesty that this unexpected difficulty ended with the selection of photographer.
Truthfully, I thought it was going to be a breeze finding a good fit, being the self-proclaimed decent amateur photographer I am: find a friend who still insists on bringing their Nikon F to every function, pay him/her in PBRs, and call it a day. Then we realized we didn’t want that, thankfully. We wanted something special, yet artistic; and couldn’t have been happier when we stumbled upon Doug’s website. So, the search for a photographer wasn’t easy, until we found Doug & Katherine.
After checking out the website, we were really into Doug & Katherine’s style; we felt it matched what we were looking for to a T (I never got that comparison, but you get the point). In an effort to relay what we were looking for in photography, we decided to meet at a bar in the late morning of a Saturday, get drunk, talk about boobs, the mating patterns of bumble-bees, and pocket lint. Doug & Katherine were rad, such great company and extremely friendly. We were sold, and were more than happy to check that necessity off the list in comfort.
The communication up to the day of the wedding was transparent; there was never a time of question. Doug & Katherine’s entire process is professional, and user-friendly.
The day of the wedding was incredible for us, although we are speaking out of a bias. In regards to Doug & Katherine’s part, we couldn’t have been happier. As a team, they worked wonderfully; Katherine hung out with the sleazball dudes while they poured bourbon on their bacon and strummed banjos. She was so easy to have around, never getting in the way, yet always in the moment snapping shots. Doug was more than refreshing to have around while the girls got ready. The mother of the bride walked in and noticed how calm the environment was and Doug played a huge part in that. Never once was I uncomfortable or awkward…and we were in a tiny little studio sized cabin! From the process of getting ready to risking life and limb on a dance floor full of post-keg stand drunkies, Doug & Katherine were fantastic. In fact, we wished they could’ve stayed longer, off the clock and ready to rock (sorry, couldn’t help it).
We recently got our pictures back from the day, and they are incredible! The quality of the shots is beautiful, and the artistic edge is apparent. These two are pros, and I strongly recommend their services to anyone. I thank Doug & Katherine for making our day such a gem, they really contributed in a massive way. I look forward to hanging out with them soon, off the clock and ready to wash some socks.
Thanks again guys!
Wade & Lindsay
Douglas Despres: The Official Bio!
Post by Katherine
“Doug’s photographs are perhaps best known for their stark black and white, snapshot aesthetic, and his fine-tuned sentiment for light.”
Meet Douglas Despres, international award winning American photographer based in Cambria, CA.
Hoo Yah! Douglas Despres first emerged nine years ago as the staff photographer for The University of South Florida’s award-winning daily paper, The Oracle. What sets Doug apart is his quirky, humorous approach to photography, and to life. He holds a Bachelor of Studio Arts Degree from USF, is an international award winning member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), an award winning fine art photographer, and serves as a special correspondent to The Cambrian newspaper.
Exhibitions of Doug’s photographs include Amnesty International’s ‘Wake Up World!’, the ‘National Summit on Cuba’ featuring Mikhail Gorbachev, and ‘One Community, One Book’ featuring Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz.
The bright take off into wedding photojournalism began eight years ago. Doug’s photographs are perhaps best known for their stark black and white, snapshot aesthetic, and his fine-tuned sentiment for light. He presses forward into the field with a certain joie de vivre, and seeks out peoples who make the ground of reality a wavering mirage.
Admin: Light Posting This Week
Post by Katherine
A quick note to say that posting will be light this week due to my computer kicking the bucket!! Ahhh.. the blue screen of doom encroaches upon us. Hope to be back very very soon!
Uniquely Helios: Noir Narratives.
Post by Katherine
Our first Noir Narrative attempt used the convenient darkness of an airport terminal.
Doug’s Portsmouth Nights series, Akira Kurosawa’s effects, and the Film Noir genre inspired our solution to make portraits of lovers that rock. We call them: Noir Narratives. These low-key, ambivalent black and white images explode with cinematic expression, silouettes, melting darkness, and contrasting spotlights. We hope the images leave you with more questions than answers, and once lost in the beautiful fog of love itself, that you’ll discover the most mysterious, fabulous corners of each other’s heart.
The 2 song scenes in Kurosawa's Ikiru
The element of magic was the driving force behind our desire to revamp the industry standard engagement photo session. When we first started dating, Doug and I discovered early on a shared love for Akira Kurosawa movies. They captivated us. Kurosawa used weather elements like rain, fog, intense heat, freezing wind, and snow as a signature technique to create a more intense feeling of the mood. Also, he chose to use multiple telephoto lenses because he liked the flattened effect, and he believed that the actors performed better when they were recorded from farther away, and when they didn’t know which camera was on them at any given time.
Portsmouth Alley At Night In The Fog With Snow.
Doug and I love using weather elements to influence texture and mood as well. In Doug’s personal work, particularly his Portsmouth Nights series, he explores a city covered in fog, sleet, rain and snow, to create dissonance, texture, and lingering emotion in a series of night-time practices.
The garage where we parked our cars ended up making perfect conditions for our shoot. We love thinking on the fly, if a situation presents itself, we always try to take advantage.
Though we can neither control the weather, nor do we generally have the means to make it rain in black calligraphy ink on command, the one element of magic that we can always count on, is the blanket element of darkness, it happens every evening, and that is why we shoot our sessions at night.
Interestingly, we do not use telephoto lenses on these shoots. Perhaps we have a luxury because it’s only one frame, and one moment, that we’re after. When it comes down to it though, Doug values the different layers, and the depth, and third dimension that standard and wide angle lenses lend. He also tends to hang back, and let the scene unfold, but he likes the option of being close with his subjects at times, and he is quite disarming, isn’t he! You are not actors after all, but real people, in love. Allowing another person into that circle requires trust, and a real realtionship, and it always shows.
Doug of Helios Images always shoots the Noir Narratives with Katherine serving as artistic director, in black and white film, and fully manual, hard knocked film cameras, with no automation whatsoever.
Please enjoy our gallery below full of the inspirational photographs, each created by Douglas Despres, that fueled the creation of the Noir Narrative.
The Gallery:
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- Shop girl taking a break on a warm Summer night.
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- Simplicity in a park scene on a still night in the Wintertime.
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- The garage where we parked our cars ended up making perfect conditions for our shoot. We love thinking on the fly, if a situation presents itself, we always try to take advantage.
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- Modern Doors.
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- Magician’s table.
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- Late night school bus turned cafe.
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- Shop display.
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- Headlights tearing through the pea soup fog.
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- Four buzzers to apartments.
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- A dance between light and dark.
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- Looking in a closed restaurant window in Portsmouth
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- Steve at the airport
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- Eun and Mingoo
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- Portsmouth Alley At Night In The Fog With Snow.
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- Our first Noir Narrative attempt used the convenient darkness of an airport terminal.
Glowing Testimonials: Jen and Ryan: Our Seaside Wedding Blitz!
Jen and Ryan Walk Past Girls Playing On The Beach. (Copyright 2009 Douglas Despres)
“We just starting going thru these and are so happy that you and Katherine captured our day so well. It was such a happy day and it all went too fast! Really great pics of the kids, and I see that not only did my young nephew Brock manage to get himself into many pics, but also have some time to hit on Katherine — he’s always so busy! We love the pics of the kids, and also of the getting ready and shots of just Ryan and me. Another observation is that we were very happy that we felt so comfortable with the two of you. You two managed to quietly capture a lot of moments we weren’t even aware of, giving the pics a more genuine feel. Cannot wait to share these with the family!”
- Jen and Ryan
Real Weddings by Helios Images: Sarah and Julian: Our Darling DIY Wedding!
- Post by Katherine
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Sarah and Julian embrace in a tornado of emotion while the guests look on. (Copyright 2008 Douglas Despres)
Let me introduce you to our DIY DARLINGS Sarah and Julian. Remember this emotional image from their glowing testimonial a few days ago? Well, courtesy of Sarah, we’ve got the whole story behind their darling DIY Connecticut wedding. For this wedding, Katherine was triple booked as a bridesmaid, bridal make-up artist, and Catholic wedding mass soprano for a friend’s wedding on that weekend, so the lovely Julie Brown stepped in as Doug’s second shooter extraordinaire! Look out for the explosion of DIY links shooting out cosmic diy ideas like fireworks for you to explore at the end!
Bride: Sarah, Freelance Illustrator and Graphic Artist.
Groom: Julian, Operations Manager for a private investigation company.
Wedding Date and Location: Friday, October 10, 2008 at The Riverview in Simsbury, Connecticut, USA.
Photography and Medium: Doug of Helios Images / Douglas Despres Photography, Digital.
Sarah's beautiful handmade dress and silk flower bouquet that she handcrafted. (Copyright 2008 Douglas Despres)
What made your wedding creative: We tried to make our wedding classy and unique, without letting on how we managed a smaller budget. Plus, I’m a glutton for punishment and have a hard time walking away from DIY projects. I designed the invitation suite reflect the earthy sophistication feeling we wanted to convey for our wedding. I worked with my mother to make my wedding gown, combining two different dress patterns to create a look similar to a $12,000 Oscar de la Renta dress. I made the bouquets and boutineres months ahead of time with silk flowers from a wholesale flower shop. The bridesmaids received necklace and earring sets I made to be individual to each girl, made with multicolored freshwater pearls and assorted crystals. Our cake was made by my caterer cousin using my late grandmother’s wedding cake recipe and cake pans, decorated with leftover silk flowers from the bridesmaids’ bouquets. The centerpieces were made by my mother and grandmother from vases (bought on sale from a craft store), and mixed branches (from the floral wholesaler). They were tall enough to visually fill the space of the high-ceiling space, but airy enough to not be obtrusive. We were so happy with how it all turned out.
It's Official Now! (Copyright 2008 Douglas Despres)
Your biggest challenge: Deciding on things to let go of. As much as I wanted to make Out of Towner’s gifts and handmade favors, I just couldn’t make it work. Instead we gave gift bags to the few children that were attending from out of state and made a donation in the honor of our guests to several of our favorite charities.
Your favorite moment: When our eyes met for the first time. Watching Julian choke back tears made me lose it myself. It was amazing to have all the people so important to our lives there, but at that moment it was just the two of us.
Advice to share: Don’t get tangled up in making the event perfect, or in making everyone happy. There were a couple times when things couldn’t work out the way I saw it in my mind, but I kept reminding myself that we were really throwing a big party for the people we love. We wanted everyone to feel appreciated, so keeping that in mind made it easier to let the little things go.
Sarah's Home Made Wedding Cake, Using Her Late Grandmother's Recipe, and The Leftover Silk Flowers From Her Bridesmaid's Bouquets. (Copyright 2008 Douglas Despres)
Any favorite vendors / helpful DIY tips? We loved our reception location, The Riverview in Simsbury, Connecticut. The location was easy to get to for our guests, and was within close proximity to nice hotels and activities. We loved having our ceremony on the covered patio that overlooked the Farmington River. The food was spectacular and we didn’t ever have to ask for food or drinks. Of course, we can’t say enough good things about our amazing photographer!
Places we spent countless hours for our creative needs:
The Gallery!
Love Life: Patbingsoo: Our Favorite Dessert!
Post by Katherine
Doug digs in to Patbingsoo. YUM! (Copyright 2009 Katherine Deakin)
Doug, the MOST die-hard chocoholic I have EVER met, and I (more of a cheese & salt kind of person) have one very important thing in common: our favorite dessert! Though it is neither cheese-y nor chocolate-y, it surpasses all in taste and satisfaction. PatbingSoo is a really popular summertime dessert that I first discovered in Korea when I was about sixteen. Back when Doug and I lived in our first postage stamp sized studio, sans internet, we would hit the too-trendy PC Cafe in Allston, MA to check our email. I saw it on the menu, got excited, but we had NO IDEA it would be the MOTHER of ALL patbingsoos. Topped with french vanilla ice cream, we spent many times hacking our spoons into the sweet azuki beans (paht), bits of watermelon, kiwi fruit, strawberries, rice cake (dduk), bananas, and chewy jelly, over a bed of shaved ice. As it melts, it becomes like a tornado of sweet snow and tropical dreams in your taste buds….
Glowing Testimonials: Avery and Austin: Our Mountaintop Muir Beach Wedding!
The UC Octet Serenades Avery and Austin on Muir Beach after their mountaintop (Mt. Tamalpis) wedding. (Copyright 2008 Douglas Despres)
“Doug and Katherine are the coolest, most down-to-earth professional photographers one could ever hope to commission. We were searching for an artist - someone who could conjure a fairytale from the ordinary, capture that fleeting moment, thrive in any setting: rain, fog, dark or shine, but most importantly, someone who snapped for the love of the lens. Fate was on our side as we happened upon Doug and Katherine’s doorstep right about the time they had just moved to California. We hoped we had found “the one” as their relaxed, easy-going style matched ours perfectly, they seemed to be in sync with each other, and their photos were dynamic, engaging, evocative, and beautifully composed. When they were just as excited about our hiking wedding as we were, we knew we had found our kindred adventurous spirits. Throughout the whole process, Doug and Katherine have been professional, attentive and responsive, always listening to our needs and constantly thinking about how they could take it to the next level. They are genuine and so easy to work with, and when all is said and done, they delivered, with stellar results. Our photos are fun, vibrant, whimsical and candid, and told a story in a way words cannot express. We could not have asked for a more perfect duo to photograph our special day.”
-Avery & Austin
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