The Most Important Thing to Remember At Your Wedding

A quote from my favorite book, Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand, "Lights, colors, flowers, music are the things that make life beautiful, do people expect those things to make them romantic, not the other way around?"  Time and again I've seen from afar the bride and the groom, their moods, gaiety, relationship, intelligence and beautiful spirit are what make the best weddings. 

Trip to Sumbawa, Indonesia

Step back 100 years in time, when horse drawn carriages ruled the streets and open markets vendors fight for the right to sell you a simple days food.  We have been on a different island called Sumbawa where the sunsets rule the sky, and the ocean and the land hold no pollution.   

It is really eye opening to see such a place.  The main source of income is rice, everywhere you see people stomping with dirty feet on rice drying on mats on the street, finishing in filling up large bags that you would see in any supermarket back home.  I think of rice a little differently now.  Salt farming . . .hmm, I never knew exactly where our salt came from.  Indonesia contains some of the best salt farms in the world.  I did not believe this until I had a margarita here with salt on the glass.  It was wonderful, and I don't even like salt!  Down every side street hangs a rainbow of drying clothes and naked kids running about, their white smiling teeth sticking out from their brown skinned bodies.  One thing is more prevalent that any other, there are a lot of people just "hanging out".  Apparently, there are not many jobs in these parts because nobody was in a rush to go anywhere fast.  The only time that we had the honor of being engulfed in the true society besides the surf camp was a visit to the ATM machine.  Did we stick out like sore thumbs!  Eric is twice as tall as the tallest Indonesian, and blond. Our Muslim driver friend said it was ok that I did not wear the Muslim head scarf, my highlighted hair drew quite a stir as well.  The camera attached to my neck is worth a life's savings to the people that surrounded me, but they were not interested in it at all, they just wanted to practice their English with the strange looking people.  I could not let the opportunity pass to take a photo of the approaching school kids dressed in uniform or the old lady begging Eric for money.  Eric only had American money and tried to give her a dollar.  It was quite a scene, finally a nice lady in the line tried to explain in broken English that the lady would not even know what to do with it, these are remote parts!  I am not able to upload photographs for this post at this time, check the next post for photographs from this story

Uga Uga Festival, Bali, Indonesia

Celebrity Make-Up Artist moves to the Outer Banks

Outer Banks Makeup artist

Our suggested person for beach wedding make-up, Deborah Hess of Deborah's Make-up Inc. has worked with celebrities for over 15 years including clients in Vogue, Newsweek, and Life Magazines.  She has been the key make-up artist for Good Morning America in Washington, D.C. for 10 years.  We welcome Deborah to the Outer Banks, thank you for your tips to make brides look great on their wedding day!

Tips for beach makeup:

To view Outer Banks makeup tips exclusively from Deborah, she has listed them in the 2008 Wedding Guide to the Outer Banks which says:

Deborah Hess of Deborah's make-up, Inc., specializes in make-up that makes the skin look flawless and natural. "I try to capture the essence of the person," say Hess.  She recommends brides choose a classic look for their make-up and that they meet with their make-up artist for a trail run at least once before their wedding day.  In addition, Hess suggests that brides use oil-free products and less moisturizer to combat shine and humidity.

With wedding day packages starting at $300 to look your best in your wedding photographs, I would grab this opportunity in a heartbeat!

Assignment:WEDDING DRESS MAGAZINE SHOOT-ULU'S,INDONESIA

You don't have to be a Spanish beauty to make large earrings work with your beach wedding dress!  

Portraits, Hindu Festivals, and Rice Fields

There is a saying that I learned in Hawaii, Aloha Kai, "love the water, love the land"

Taking the opportunity to respect these aspects of life and the world encompasses a soul to a fuller life, a fuller understanding of surroundings.  This said, the wave swell never came, or at least, isn't here yet.  What a great opportunity to visit the rice fields of Seminyak, Bali and go to a Hindu offering.  The rice fields feel like 110 degrees F. with 99% humidity.  All of the people that live in these areas show wrinkles of age aching for rest.  There is none.  Our driver said that if some of these people don't harvest rice or sell to chance visiting westerners, they don't eat.

At the Hindu temple, the children giggle and giggle at the thought of getting their photographs taken.  After every one, they want to see their faces on the back of my large digital camera screen.  The ladies here all introduce themselves to me, just as the book I just read - Eat, Pray Love - there are only 5 names in all of Bali.  The first that comes out, male or female is named Wayane, the second . . .etc.  Needless to say, it's easy to remember names around here.  Some develop nicknames, one lady was named "peanut" because she is always feeding peanuts to the monkeys, a guy we met was named "hero" but I couldn't quite figure out why through the language barrier.  I have decided, though that I love this name and I ever have a son his name will be Hero.

Surfing Indonesia

Surfing every single day in Indonesia sure does get you into tip top shape!  Walking on live reef during low tide out to the break wasn't as bad as we anticipated, no booties necessary.  We met up with the hot couple Matt S. and Kelly, Justin, Barry Jr. and Ashley Heath from the Outer Banks for an Ulu's evening session.  Waves, barely overhead but glassy.  We are waiting for the 8 foot big swell to come like last week to the Nusa Dua break.  Swell.com is predicting a great week.  Barry Jr. leaves tonight to head back to work at Whalebone, thanks for the surfing tips, Barry!

Everyday Views of Indonesia

Twiddy Realty's Johana- true beauty

I have been wanting to add a section on the site called Beach Wedding Glam Squad for a while, but there is just not anybody that has sported this more than Johana from Twiddy Realty on the Outer Banks.   She went all out with an updo and tiara.  It goes to show that just because you are having a beach wedding doesn't mean that you don't go all out to look your best!

Outer Banks Training Specialist

A new trainer has arrived in the Outer Banks.  I have used her several times for training schedules for my triathlons, for a hurt knee and physical therapy or simply to get a good friend to get inspired and get off his couch to get his blood pumping.  $100-$400 has been worth it's weight in gold every time - and she comes to you!

I got to thinking, what a great idea for an Outer Banks wedding!  She does a simple stretching class for relaxation the morning or week of the wedding or a full - LOSE 10 POUNDS TO FIT INTO YOUR DRESS nutritional analysis.  What better way to prepare for your wedding, portrait session, or simply . . . . to get off the couch and get your blood pumping!  She will brighten your day, your month, your year, and your life - Thanks Patti!

turningpointfitness.net

The Bride Wore Very Little

Wedding Dress

The International Herald Tribune

Ruth La Feria-New York

I bought this newspaper when on the road and found it fasinating so I thought I'de pass it on to all of my brides.

The gown was almost wanton-fluid but curvy with a neckline that plummeted dangerously.  "It makes me feel sexy and beautiful" said Natasha DaSilva, who slipped it on for a fitting last week.

Cut away at the rear to reveal a tatoo at the small of her back, the dress suggested a languorous night in the honeymoon suite.

Except that DaSilva, who will married in Long Island in September, plans to wear it at the altar.

"Why not?" she asked.  "I want to look back in 20 years and feel like I looked hot on my wedding day."

"Brides today absolutely want to look sexy and glamourous," said Mara Urshel, an owner and the president of Kleinfeld, the venerable Manhattan bridal salon.

"Young women increasingly look to the red carpet for style ideas," said Millie Martini Bratten, the editor in chief of Brides magazine. "When they marry they they want to be the celebrity of their own event."

Today the prevailing fantasy is no longer, " 'I want to be a princess in my ball gown,' "Dias said.  "A lot of women have done that already for their prom."

Dias, who is based in Los Angeles, accommodates clients' desires for dresses that echo runway trends with halter tops and off-the-shoulder gowns that are more emphatically provocative than the strapless looks that have become commonplace.

Similar considerations prompted the designer Monique Lhuillier, a favorite in Hollywood, to fashion a dress with an Empire bodice, wide lace straps and a wispy chiffon skirt - features more often found in a nightgown.

This article was written by the reference above, for the full version, visit the International Herald Tribune

I met these two on the beach in Indonesia

Do it the simple way, just the two of you!

Drive to Ubud, Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia

We've just arrived in Bali, Indonesia, the most populous island in the world, on our winter break tour. 

Just 8 degrees south of the equator, Bali has a tropical climate - the temperature has been, well HOT ever since we got here.  The direct sun feels incredibly hot, and this is "winter time".  

We have decided to stay on the Bukit Peninsula, the southwestern tip of Bali.  There are people, motorbikes, broken down bikes, everywhere you look.  You cannot wake up in the night at any given moment without hearing the humm of the motorbikes, roosters cackling, dogs barking and the smell of fresh burning insense from the daily prayers and offerings.

For a portrait photographer, this is heaven.  Everywhere  you look there are people sitting on street corners almost posing for your photos without knowing it, if they do catch your eye every one of them lets out the biggest, brightest smile you have ever seen.  This might be the friendliest place on the planet.

We are on a mission to visit the temples this week.  Next stop - Ubud

Visits to Colorado

Dakota and Cassidy, Vail Colorado.

Museum Visit

As an artist, I am always fulfilling the insatiable desire for life and learning.
Of the many photographers that I study, Annie Leibovitz brings about a redefinition of modern celebrities in their normal day to day environment. As an inspiration to the opening of our day in the life of traveling portrait series, my city photographer friend Gayle Tiller of The Art of Photography and I visited the opening of her exhibit at the Corcoran in DC last week.

Sometimes life is the best portrait. Here are the few shots from our "life in the city" that evening.

Celebrity Photographer

Outer Banks Fishing

Our good friends Capt Brian and Sarah Gardner always know when the fishing is hot. We put together this promo video for them, and of course, caught a couple of fish on the side.

Winding Down on the Outer Banks

Fall time on the Outer Banks. November 1st 2007 swell.