A 25th Wedding Anniversary is a perfect occasion to reflect and appreciate all of the hard work that it takes in a relationship to live a life of harmony, joy, and mutual respect, while allowing for each other to grow as individuals. Professing your love for one another through beautifully written dedications celebrates the bond that keeps you together. I believe it is important for married couples to save a date to renew their wedding vows and surprise each other with a gift, simply to show your love for one another in a very profound way!
William and Gloria’s 25th Wedding Anniversary Portrait Celebration took place at The LA Arboretum! Celebrating any milestones at this garden is itself nice, but made even nicer when you get chauffeured from spot to beautiful spot in a comfortable golf-cart, all the while enjoying the spacious nature views that embodies its 128 acres.
This celebratory portrait session included myself, a first, and a second assistant. My wonderful son who is an experienced audio engineer took over the elements of sound recording. He also played a big part of making sure the off-camera lighting and soft boxes were ready to go from location to location. I was also so happy to have along Maggie, who was an awesome host, ready to provide cool water and light snacks for my clients – assuring that everyone involved felt at home, even while away from home! She was great assisting behind the scenes, holding reflectors and flagging light, and I could not go without giving her kudos too!
It was exciting having captured this sharply dressed couple who rocked it in front of my camera! I am very happy that our day unfolded exactly how we had planned it, while still having several pleasant surprises! For example, the cool summer breeze aided some of our images by adding a subtle sense of motion and a component of fun! Also, we were able to catch male peacocks grazing around and showing off their beautiful feathers.
The Arboretum has an excellent variety of possible portrait opportunities. Days before our shoot, I was able to scout a perfect backlit, yet shady niche. So, closer to sunset we headed to the secluded grove where we began the couple’s intimate vow exchange. For this, I switched from still photography to capturing in video mode. It was very moving to be witness to their sweet love that was expressed through their beautifully written vows and their thoughtful gift exchange. In addition, we were all equally delighted to listen as their daughter dedicated a few of her sentiments to her parents on behalf of her younger brother and herself! If all that wasn’t heart-warming enough, the cutest of my favorite photography moments was seeing both William and Gloria playfully interact with each other during some of our kissing shots, looking at each other with flirtatious smiles.
My goal is to always make for a fun and enjoyable photography day! The diligent planning and minutiae of this romantic event was rewarding to execute! I was able to guide my clients through a swift and worry-free photography experience. I was beyond thrilled to learn that this romantic couple was planning to later host a small gathering of friends and family to proudly share their lovely album and beautiful video of their 25th wedding anniversary. The documentation of this milestone in William and Gloria’s life’s together was absolutely awesome to do!
