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My Past Weddings...

Hey there! So you found the most interesting page on my site. This is my recent Oahu wedding, Hawaii wedding, and...well..lets be honest, it's a blog. The story behind this blog, well, it started out purely about Hawaii weddings, then it evolved into everything and all of the above. Basically, ITS MY BLOG!! So I write about anything on here. I updated this blog "alomost" on a daily basis. You can learn more about me, my quirks, my style, and of course, you'll get wedding tips here.

Call me if you want to make me richer..I mean, book my services!

1-877-WED-IN-HAWAII

or email me at info@dreamweddingshawaii.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Tara and Kenneth's Sunset Wedding!

April 5, 2005
Ko'Olina Cove Sunset

Tara and Kenneth are both self-confessed computer wizards. Kenneth makes it a living to program software, and Tara, we'll she designs websites for Travelocity for a living. It only made sense that these two souls were to meet via a group of friends who were really into computer gaming. You know, to find a girl who is into playing video games is like finding a girl who would watch football with you...close to impossible. Lets just say, Kenneth, you are a very lucky man.

Okay, so onto their wedding. Like our previous couple, Kenneth and Tara chose to tie the knot at the Secret Cove at Ko'Olina. The day was perfect, but storm clouds loomed over the sunrise. Not to worry, it created a pretty cool affect that I could take advantage of.

This is a pretty common natural effect that happens
if storm clouds loom over the sunset.

Tara and Kenneth's immediate family joined them for their intimate ceremony. This couple booked our Ceremony package which included a mix of Minister, photography, and video. They did not choose to edit their video since Kenneth could edit it himself. He saved $350.00 by doing so! If you're on a tight budget, the 1st thing you can try to do is to learn how to edit your wedding video.

Leanne and Roman Talanchuk Wedding

Leanne and Roman
Ko'Olina Cove
April 8, 2005

Chasing Great Weather...
I've been married a lot of Candaian couples lately. If I were to just count the month of April, I have married at least one Candaian couple a week! They are really cool people, and there slight accents when they "about" is really neat.

Leanne and Roman decided to tie the knot on the beach at the Secret Cove at Ko'Olina. We had originally chose Lanikai as their wedding location, but due to bad weather earlier in the week, and the weather forcast, we decided to move their wedding to Ko'Olina. The decision to move locations worked out well. We had clear blue skies. And the morning light made the blue skies appear extra blue in the photos.

Can you imagine it was storming at Lanikai during this time?

Friday, April 22, 2005

BACK HOME!

We'll, I'm back home from Vegas. I just stepped off the airplane and I'm pretty whiped out. The show was turned out to be very very helpful. A lot of new and great products were released that will revolutionize the video industry. Now that I'm back, feel free to call my offices anytime folks. I'll be happy to help out.

I really missed the perfect weather in Hawaii and..of course...WATER PRESSURE. The hotels seem to be lacking that lately.

Steve

Monday, April 18, 2005

QUICK UPDATE!!!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated my blog for a bit. Tara....Leanne...I didn't forget about you folks. You're wedding will be up here really soon! I've been busy with taxes and getting ready for my VEGAS trip to NAB (a really big video expo). I will be in Vegas from the 19th to the 22nd. I will be still available through email if you need to get a hold of me info@dreamweddingshawaii.com ...or my cell phone. You folks have my number.

If you call our 1-800- number....you will get my offices...but just ask them for my cell if you really need to get ahold of me.

Thanks :)

Steve

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Matt and Mercedes Butiutta

March 22, 2005
Waimea Falls Park..and Waimea Beach Park!

Well, you're probably wondering why there are two locations here. Hmmm....well, Mercedes decided to get married at Waimea Beach and to take some photos at the beach park. You know, till this wedding, I don't think I ever have walked a mile before the wedding, under any circumstances. And lets just say that I really need to get into shape. The hike to Waimea Falls, although it was paved, and older people were doing it...this 28 year old was short on breath.

I never really took any pictures inside Waimea Falls Park before, but it was a lot of fun. The only challenge was trying to get a clean shot without the tourist. Where I failed, I used the computer to touch everything up!

There were actually people in this shot!

The technique used to remove people, pimples, dust, hair (you get the picture), is called cloning. Basically, you take one portion of the picture, whether it'd be a similar rock formation or color, and cover what you're trying to remove. In this case, I used another portion of the rocks to clone out the people, water, to cover up the people. Almost any program out there can do this. Adobe photoshop tends to be the most popular, but I prefer Corel Photo-Paint as in my eyes, it's a little more powerful. Eventually, you'll get so good at this, you won't be able to tell what's real, and what's not real!

As far as their wedding. It went really well. There only witnesses were Matt's children, whom Merecedes treated as though they were her own. There love story is a pretty neat one. Matt is the owner a futon store (www.futonlifestyle.com) and Mercedes actually had walked in there awhile back with her ex. It wasn't until years later when Matt saw Mercedes working on her Chevy Camaro that he fell for her.

Waimea Beach. They wanted the surfers
and people in the background. They loved this beach.

For Mercedes, Waimea Beach held a very special place in her heart. It was her old hangout spot when she was stationed here in Oahu awhile back. Of course, there were no complaints from her family. They all loved the beach and returned the day after to soak in more sun. Hey if you own a futon, make sure to give Matt a call. He sells very inexpensive futon covers!

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Angela and Jim - Lanikohunua, Ko'Olina

March 26, 2pm
Lanikohunua Beach!

I really liked working with Angela and Jim. They were a very cool couple, laid back, and....VERY organized. I had met with Angela and to my surprise, she had a three inch binder filled with wedding information. Very nice. An organized bride always makes my jobs a lot easier.

The coordination of their wedding was a bit complicated. To start, they had invited around 30 guest with them to the Secret Cove at Ko'Olina, it was Easter weekend, so the beaches wouldn't be as empty, and that the entrance to the Secret Cove at Ko'Olina, was being blocked by another wedding at the Ihilani.

I visited the garden keeper at Lanihokunua and asked her for the very best solution. She recommended moving the wedding to the 3rd cove, which was by paradise cove. It was a larger cove, so if there would be people there, the beach would be as crowded. Great point. Secondly, it had a larger public access entrance and would be easier for elderly people to access. I pitched the idea to Angela and Jim and they were game.

I had a previous wedding that day in the morning "The Marine Couple listed below," so right after that, I sped over to Lanikohunua, got there at around 12pm to make sure to reserve the wedding spot that I wanted for Jim and Angela. I also got my mom out of retirement to help me coordinate the guest when they arrived. Thanks mom! While my mom doesn't coordinate weddings anymore, she does help here and there.

Angela and Jim didn't want to see each other before the wedding, so that also made things just a little more complicated. So I used her friends to form a blockade for her as she made her way to the beach...and at the last moment, they flanked to the right...and she down the isle and got married.

Jim and Angela both wrote their own vows. Which again, was quite moving. I would always encourage couples to write just "a little" of their own vows, and incorporate them with the standard vows at every wedding. It just makes that day a lot more special.

This cove is sweet. The rocks also protected Angela and Jim from large waves,
which were predicted that day, but never showed up.

As for the pictures, I used a different style of photography that day for a few pictures. Since it was overcast, and bright, we would probably lose the blue skies. So I drastically overexposed the pictures, knowing that my lab could adjust the brightness down. When you do this with Kodak film, or Kodak Porta 400 film, certain photos end up looking little bit like a painting rather than real life.

Overexposed by a few stops.
Don't try this at home unless you have a great printer!

The effect can only be done if the circumstances are rather perfect. The couple has to be in the right mood, the pose has to be the right one, the weather...everything to tell the right story. The mood for these shots are "cartoony" or fun.... so again... if the glove fits, you must SNAP THE PICTURE. The primary reason we use effects is to enhance the storytelling of each picture. Not to just do an effect for the hell of it.

Now I know Angela won't like this picture of herself, because she told me herself. But I love it. This is raw emotion people. Her excitement of walking down the isle, minutes away from getting married. It's a mixture of laughter, tears, and excitement in her face. I also like it for the fact that there are her friends in the background looking at her as she makes her way down the isle.

A little luck had to with this shot. As a photographer, you always have to anticipate what may happen. Putting yourself in a position for the inevitable. For the last 8 years of my life I have been waiting for a shot like this. Finally! A great raw emotion shot filled with everything. Again...I got lucky. But sometimes, like the saying goes, it's sometimes better to be lucky, than good.

James and Patricia - Kaneohe Marine Airbase

March 26, 2005
Kaneohe Marine Airbase -- SOMEHWERE PASS THE FLIGHT LINE!

I got a call from James the week of the 26th to help him with his plans to elope. He told me that both him and his fiance wanted to get married quickly because his fiance, Patricia, was planning to leave in a few weeks for some type of military job. He had a few places in mind, Lanikai, Waimanolo Beach Prk, even Kailua Beach Park... but instead, he settled on having it on base.

I actually love performing weddings on base for one primariy reason. I get to be close to fighter jets. I have to admit here, ever since that movie TOP GUN, the smell of jet fuel really gets to me.

The beach that James and Patricia chose was a one that was pass the flight line and hidden on the side of the road. It was pretty neat because we had to drive pass the runways to get there. I have never driven on a runway before! The experience...was well, like driving on regular road. But still...what an experience. I'm just glad a f-18 didn't land on me.

So we get there to their wedding spot and there are fisherman there. It's not as empty as they want it to be. But I tell them to not worry, I won't get them in any shots. To add to the dampener, the weather is not clearing up and storm clouds are settling in. Again, I tell James not to worry, we'll get nice shots. Gray coulds and ocean during the morning creates a rather unique effect. It turns, well, everything gray. And usually, the couple stays in color. So all in all, the resulting affect is a black and white picture, with the couple usually being in color. They stay in color by use of the flash.

Everything is desaturated in color exept them!

The wedding went very very well. Both Patricia and James wrote their own vows which were simple, yet very moving.

On a side note: James will be getting out of the military in a few months and heading to art school. He is a very a talented charcol artist and will be trying to make a go at it. Something tells me that he will be very successful. I wish them both a very prosperous future.