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Last May, Mr. Masters and I went to NYC to attend a wedding (as well as other festivities) for Rob and Kathy. We were in town for just over a week and felt very spoiled that we were able to spend so much time with the two of them. Rob is an amazing designer, and Kathy works in P.R., and they both enjoy participating in ANYTHING art related. Needless to say, there was no lack of creativity at their wedding. I’ll explain more as you scroll through this post.
Rob & Kathy took DIY to a whole new level. In addition to the homemade place cards, they made these paintings to correspond with their color scheme. The location iCi (a restaurant in Brooklyn), is a blank palette with PLENTY of soft light.
Custom glass “etching” with their monogram:
Waiting for his bride…
“I promise, I’ll take good care of her”…
Kathy made the piece in her hair. I loved the button! (It’s slightly hidden, see it?)
In addition to exchanging vows, a few of the guests did some readings:
Mr. Masters was another participant in the reading portion of the ceremony. Sadly, I have no images of Dave in action since I was sitting right next to him. I shot the ceremony from my seat and there was no way I was going to stand up and ruin the moment to get my shot.
Kathy pledging her vows to Rob, this is where I completely lost it…
“Hand over the bling and nobody gets hurt”
Happy tears are the best kind to capture…
Robs brother, Danny led all the guests to cocktail hour
We were seated at the “Sketching” table. Later in the evening, the paper pad would be used to write notes and draw pictures for our pals
Rob and Kathy made each of these ceramic vases BY HAND. Each one was unique and had their monogram on it.
Danny giving his speech, my favorite part had a line about how the one who wins an argument in a marriage is the first person to admit they’re wrong.
During dinner, Adam, (another high school pal and a New Yorker these days) played and sang “I can’t fight this feeling” by Journey. Everyone joined him and happily sang along.
I still remember the food like it was yesterday. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, EAT AT iCi!
After dinner, the room was cleared and the couple entertained us with their choreographed dance to Elvis.
And then we all had a dance-off. This sassy lady you see gettin’ down on it is Rob and Danny’s Grandma.
 
Yeah, this shot is blown out. I actually like it just the way it is!
During the reception somewhere in between shakin’ my tookus and eating cake, Rob & Kathy showed us a video they made. I guarantee that you will never see a homemade movie as awesome as this one, WATCH IT HERE!
The following day, we met up again and cruised around DUMBO. We stopped by the gallery where Rob met Kathy, Spring. They also sell his Grandfather Clock. As an added bonus, we got to peep a piece that they had made together and their New York Times announcement. After that, we cruised around and played with the timer on my camera.
 
I can’t wait to return to NYC in just a few short weeks. Everything about the city just inspires me, including my East-side friends, and especially Rob & Kathy.
About a year ago, I started offering my “portrait” booth as an alternative to the classic photo booth setups that I had seen at many events. At the time, I offered unlimited shooting and 4×6 color or black and white prints on demand, custom backgrounds up to 20 feet wide, custom logo’s and banners on the prints, and free clear bags, glassine envelopes, or custom enclosures.
But wait! Now there’s more!
A couple weeks ago when Anne helped coordinate Oscar & Tanya’s booth, we did so in less than 3 days. Tanya & Oscars friends scoured Party City and picked up a gigantic box of various props, and Tanya chose a plain white background because she knew there would be no lack of color based on her wedding decor and attire.
The night before the booth was ready to rock and roll. It occurred to me that Anne had all of the design files for Tanya’s invitation suite. I gave my buddy a call and begged her to make me some custom labels for the clear bags that were going to be used to hold the prints. Without hesitation, she hung up the phone and got to work.
Anne arrived to set up with a package full of these labels in her hot little hands:
I knew the second I spoke to Tanya for the first time that her booth was going to be fun because her friends were putting a lot of effort into the props. Since that was the focus (in addition to having a good time), I knew that surprising her with these labels would be a great way to give her guests the information without adding any distracting elements to the photos.
As an added bonus, Anne also made me these labels to use on the back of prints, on bags, and to hand out to little kids. Not quite as cool as getting a sticker from a Sheriff, or the Dentist…but not bad for a handout from a random Photographer at a wedding, right? =)
I’ve found that sometimes guests haven’t had a proper family portrait taken in years, and when they arrive to an event and see my setup sometimes they want to make the most of it and get a few shots for their homes and offices. In this case, it’s nice that I can offer them a print without a custom banner so that it will fit nicely in a frame without distractions. Plus, they have the option of getting an enlargement. Since I use a portrait studio lighting setup, it’s easy to grab a few family portraits after guests are done having fun for a few frames.
That’s where the custom label option comes in handy. So many folks are taking the time to work with Designers like Anne, that by the time they contract my services they typically have access to the creative elements they’ve developed to make their own event unique.
I do receive a lot of questions about my booth via email. Because there are few limitations to what I can do with my setup, I’ve found the best way to give interested parties access to specific information is to send out an information packet via email or snail mail after we’ve discussed all of the tiny little details during a consultation in person or over the phone (if you’re out of town).
I can tell you that the most common questions I receive are about cost, prints and about how many photos to expect in a 3 hour block. On average, the portrait booth costs about half as much as a portable classic style booth, depending on the level of customization. The 4×6 photos take about 30-60 seconds to print, and we keep them displayed in any way our client sees fit until their guests are ready to pick them up. Typically, we can do anywhere between 200-300 images in a 3 hour block (our most common package) which varies depending on how long guests spend putting on props and taking breaks to participate in other activities during the event. The booth is really only limited by your imagination, and thanks to my creative pals like Anne, it’s pretty easy to create just about anything you need to put your own twist on it.
Interested in booking the booth for your event? Email me at pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com
Oh, and big ups to Anne. I’m on a mission to learn a hundred different ways to say “Thank you” because of your continuous hard work, support, and friendship.
On Sunday, September 12th, 300 Elite Yelpers arrived at the Los Angeles meeting & Event Center to celebrate the Yelp “Sweet September” Event. MKay over at Kitchen 12000 asked me to shoot the event, and of course I immediately jumped in the pool, especially since my last experience working with the K12000 crew was so legit.
The All Star Crew for the afternoon was a guarantee that me and the Yelpers would have a good time:
Yelp
Kitchen 12000
Essential Chocolate Desserts
L.A. Meeting & Event Center
Floral Fields
DJ – Armando Jovel
Lillian Vicky, Makeup Artist – lillianvicky@yahoo.com
Anne K., who Michael Kay also asked to cover the event, shot the K12000 crew in the kitchen while I circled the building capturing a little bit of everything. The two of us wanted to make sure we had full coverage, and the chick can photograph food, while I have triple A.D.D. and enjoy cruising around a venue. Be sure to check out her images from the event, but do so on a full stomach. No need to torture yourself.
I arrived and started documenting the makeup process. The ladies were all given costumes designed by Nonee of Kitchen 12000 with the help of Torn Up Tees. Lillian Vicky and crew rocked the makeup application, making sure each girl was given a unique set of hot pink feather eye makeup, and a coordinating overall look to match.
The bartenders were given slightly different makeup….
The Kitchen 12000 favors were genius. In the bag: edible non-toxic mushroom, granulated sugar, oregano, and in the syringe, pomegranate juice.
The ladies ready to serve the hungry yelpers…
Treats were put out over hot pink satin, and accompanied with crazy colorful lit centerpieces. Not something you see everyday, then again, you don’t typically spend a Sunday afternoon feeling like a Wonka contest winner.
I watched Melissa of Essential Chocolate Desserts refill these platters numerous times. The rice krispy treats seemed to go quickly. Makes sense, the popsicle stick made them easy to eat and really, who doesn’t love such a classic treat?
The chocolates were provided by KC Chocolatier, and were also very popular.
I’ve seen submerged floral centerpieces before, but the twisted metal wires that looped around the base of each Calla were a nice touch. The height of the lit centerpieces complimented the varying heights of the dessert bar platters. The minimal use of hot pink roses seemed smart, as to not overpower the linens.
A bar featuring world cuisine inspired hummus, pita, and various flavor accompaniments was just perfect for balancing the sweet and savory…
Arlene Vee of Kitchen 12000 poured ice cold milk to accompany all of the chocolate treats…
And for those yelpers who didn’t have to report to work first thing Monday morning, the hosted bar was a popular option, complete with candy inspired adult beverages.
Yelp provided their Elites with these old school style metal lunch boxes. Inside, an authentic old school thermos. Somehow, I don’t see these yelpers putting chicken noodle soup in their containers. They were also given a goodie bag filled with treats.
Thank you to Michael Kay for including me in this event. I’ve always wanted to attend a Yelp Elite event, I still can’t believe how much fun I had because I was able to shoot it too! Thanks to everyone else who brought this event together, including Dawson over at Yelp, Melissa at Essential Chocolate Desserts, and Debbie at Floral Fields. The sites, sounds, and tastes you guys provided made this such a fun event to capture!
To see more: Check out the reviews of this event on Yelp, or read more on the Yelp blog.
…that forces wedding guests to wear their inner freaks on their sleeves.
Okay, maybe the hosted bar had something to do with it. Maybe that box of props that showed up right after I started snapping away just inspired people. Or maybe, Tanya & Oscar have friends like mine.
Sure, I could have censored some of the more wild and crazy shots, but that wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?
Thank you to Anne K. for connecting the dots between Tanya and I. See, Tanya had Anne design her invitation suite, and at the last minute during a meeting between the two of them, Tanya mentioned how much she would have loved to have a portrait booth. Of course the first thing Anne did was give me a call and coordinate the last minute addition of a portrait booth to Tanya & Oscar’s wedding at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens.
Tanya and Oscar chose a modern day Fiesta theme for their wedding. Check out their invitations by Anne. Just hours before their wedding, Anne designed some labels for the bags that we included with each 4×6 print that each guest took with them. I was hoping to provide a photo of the label upon showing you this slideshow, but I’ve been so incredibly busy I haven’t had a chance to take a photo yet!
I’d also like to thank Carina of Tealight Weddings. From the moment I was added to Tanya & Oscars lineup, Carina made sure I was in the loop. It’s event coordinators like her who make my evening easy. I always knew where to find someone for a cleanup on aisle 6 (aka, spilled liquor in front of the booth), or when to quiet down so that the guests could focus their attention on some of the evenings other activities. Thanks Carina!
And like I haven’t written about her enough lately, a neverending thank you to Anne. She was in charge of the prints for the evening and that is no easy task. I can always count on her to show up ready to command the print station without any hangups or delays. To be able to call someone up 12 hours before an event and ask them to design custom labels without any hesitation or second thoughts is really an incredible bonus to working with someone as talented as her. Hello, my name is Pamela and I’m the President of the Anne K. fan club. 
To view Oscar and Tanya’s portrait booth slideshow, click here or anywhere in the image below. *Warning* The photos in this slideshow are hardly G-rated. In fact, if you’re at work or there are little ones in the room, you may want to wait until later to check out these photos.
If you happen to be a guest from Oscar and Tanya’s wedding and you’re interested in ordering reprints from the portrait booth, please email me at pamela@pamelamastersphotography for ordering information.
I knew Juan & Perla’s wedding was going to be fun as I passed the Paul Frank beach cruiser while walking into the ballroom at the country club. I was even more certain when I saw that Perla had taken the time to bring some of her own fun props for their guests to use in the portrait booth.
Perla and Juan now hold the record for the most enthusiastic wedding guests….ever! I had so much fun with everyone! By the looks of it, everyone else had a great time too.
Click here or anywhere on the image below to launch Perla and Juan’s wedding portrait booth slideshow!
Last week, I received a phone call from Anne asking if I was available to shoot a private dinner party that her friend Joella was throwing. Anne would be in charge of the design of the florals, decor, and coordination while Kitchen12000 would be in charge of cooking up a 4 course meal and cocktail menu with about 36 hours notice. I love the adventure of a last minute opportunity, so of course I immediately joined the team responsible for making it all come together!
Anne designed the gorgeous table and floating lit floral arrangements for the pool. When I asked her what was in the centerpieces, she responded, “There were lisanthus, football mums and button mums. I liked making the centerpieces visually interesting by varying the textures. Structured flowers with soft flowers. I wanted something classic and modern. That’s why I used the candlesticks that had classic shapes but were in clear and mercury glass.”
I loved the touches of green in the white centerpieces. The white flowers and candlelight at different heights bounced some light onto guests faces just as I would catch them laughing. Needless to say, all of the design elements of this dinner party were pleasing to the eye.
Shortly after meeting Joella (who is a fabulous multi-tasker, if I do say so myself), I was greeted in the kitchen by the folks at Kitchen12000. Don’t let their casual “these people could be in my family” charm fool you…they are organized and quick even while carrying on casual conversation (and that is true with everyone on their team). Their menu was beautiful, and what I tasted was fantastic. They were also super friendly and all smiles whenever we would cruise through to snap photos of their mouth watering plates. The servers left no glass empty and no plate unkempt.
Double Prawns with Kim Chi and Red Cabbage shred, topped with a Citrus Soy reduction
MKay, Steve, and the rest of the posse gettin’ down on it...
Marinated Cucumber Carpet with 3 Potato Hash, topped with a Radicchio and Frise Sesame Salad
Chilled Glass Noodles with Blueberry Citrus Broth and Candied Ginger
4 Style Japanese BBQ Sampler with Steamed Rice and Black Rice Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Marbled Beef, Chicken Breast, Shrimp, Ahi Tuna
To check out more photos courtesy of Anne on the Kitchen12000 site, click here.
The guests were serenaded by EVERYTHING throughout the history of music provided by these two gentlemen playing their guitars who didn’t stop all evening. They even rocked the theme song from Super Mario Bros!
Thank you Joella, I hope you shook a tail feather @ the club for me! Thanks again to everyone at Kitchen12000 for the snacks and smiles! Anne, you are amazing.
On a Saturday evening, Rudy and Christina celebrated their one year anniversary surrounded by their friends and family. The happy couple had decided to provide a portrait/photo booth for their guests. I loved that her soiree was an intimate affair, because I got to interact with them just a tad bit more. As usual, the more times folks stepped into my office, the more they wanted to play up their portraits. Love it!
Click here or anywhere on the image below to check out their slideshow. Happy Anniversary, Rudy & Christina!
Erika and Thomas tied the knot at the beautiful Clarke Estate this past Saturday. They decided to book my photo booth service with the “prints on demand” option so that each of their guests received a color 4×6 photo to take home. I love doing the photo booth at weddings because I feel like it gives the guests another fun activity to do, plus I get to know everyone just a little bit! It’s also fun to see who the repeat subjects are. It cracks me up how many times some guests visit the booth, and I love seeing them loosen up with the camera and get silly! The shots below are from the end of the night. I was so relieved that the happy couple got to spend some extra time in their booth.
To view the slideshow, click here!
Saturday was fabulous, the weather, the Mariachi Band, the decor, and the colorful Bridesmaids dresses were fantastic! I wish the two of you health and happiness in your marriage! Thanks again for choosing me for your photo booth service!
Jenn over at Hostess With The Mostess has blogged several of my photos from the Hip Hostess LA Event. They can be seen here. Also, check out Hostess With The Mostess for fabulous entertaining ideas!
Hip Hostess was held at The SLS Beverly Hills in the ballroom. The hotel is gorgeous and their staff is top notch! I hope I can shoot another event there someday soon! The tablescapes, Chambord cocktails, passed hors d’ vores’, photo booth, and tutorials were AMAZING.
I had so much fun at Hip Hostess, I can’t wait to attend another one!
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