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It's been a long time since I've played Donkey Kong. Last time was on Colecovision. (Yep, that long.)
I remember having to thwart a giant ape to rescue the girl -- more often than not, losing the girl and falling prey to the ape. The game has come a long way since then -- and somewhere along the line, our groom, Jeff, bested the angry orangutang and won his girl, Marj. Both employed in the gaming industry, therein lied the natural signature for their wedding -- a Super Wedding, no doubt brothers Mario and Luigi would risk life and limb to attend. I mean, check out the cake? Who wouldn't dodge hurling barrels and rabid fireballs for a slice of that?
Jeff and Marj wed at the beautiful Old Saint Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco's historic Chinatown. After some portrait time along Aquatic Park, we retired to their one-of-a-kind reception at the iconic W Hotel. Amazing colors abound, saturated with personalized tributes to the gaming world they so know and love. Kudos to the uber-talented Lord Mesa and Kelice Penny -- Lord, for all of the fantastic decor, designs, and illustrations; and Kelice, for the hand-crafted red mushroom wristlets. Seriously, go check out their work! Thanks as well to Megan Weisberg of MW Weddings for coordinating the day, and making sure I made it through all the levels of game play.
And cheers to San Francisco for welcoming me with open arms. A meaningful experience in so many ways, I'll always hold this one close to the heart. Thank you Jeff and Marj for allowing me to be a part of your celebration. And hey, the three tequila shots at the close of the night weren't so shabby either.
I recently went to the local Target for a pretty basic gardening tool: a watering can. A sales associate shepherded me to some far off dunce corner of the store. There lie three sad cans, picked over and tattooed with clearance stickers. Surrounding them was the avalanche of floor-to-ceiling inflatable yard Santas, Christmas trees, and yule logs. Nearly December already? I really hadn't realized how out of touch with the season I was. Though not quite Marty McFly bumbling about the '50s, I did feel transported and displaced, fast forwarded and catapulted through a year -- a great year -- but one that had nonetheless gone by in a blur.
Work can have a funny way of accelerating the clock like that. As such, I'm going to try to be a bit more mindful of the work + life balance, at least as the curtain comes to a close on 2010. Before the big ball drops in Times Square, I'll be blogging two more weddings from the fall -- one from the W. Hotel in San Francisco and another from Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes - and then, I'm going to give myself the gift of time this holiday season by taking a pause from shooting in December and January. I'll be stealing myself a little R&R, along with editing a bunch more events from year's end to share as the calendar gives way to 2011.
So, keep on checking in!
"Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya... photographer?!"
Little L. is officially the quickest draw in the West, and my booby prize for being a slow second was a cold shot of water just shy of my lens and across my left side brains. Now, I'm pretty sure somewhere in the Canon instruction manual, it says something about not getting your camera, you know -- wet! -- but who wants to be a buzz kill during a crossfire like this. Though, I'm going to start wearing a bathing suit to my sessions, because I seem to have a real knack as of late returning home waterlogged. At least the young miss in the back scored the last laugh!
I had the pleasure of photographing L + G's brotherly birthday bash last year, and when their mom flattered me with a call-back this season, I was jazzed at the opportunity to shoot the sequel at Kidspace Museum, Pasadena. Cake, games, and gifts in the private celebration room, followed up with some high-energy cat & mouse amongst the outdoor mazes, jungle gyms and water falls. 90+ degrees outside, but since when has that ever slowed a kid down?
Sorry Kung Fu Panda, no soup for you this year. 2010 is all about Spidey & Thomas The Train. And L & G are no doubt two of the luckiest locomotives around to have family and friends throwing them shindigs like this!
