I love the opportunity to shoot at night. Really anything that takes me away from the typical, boring pictures its what I’m about. Michelle and Sergio wanted an urban feel to the shoot so of course we headed to downtown Miami. Michelle and Sergio were super easy going and making them look good was so easy. It allowed me to get creative with the lighting which is why I love night shoots!
I never show pictures on the back of the camera because it can change the dynamic of the shoot very quickly, this time however I wanted Michelle and Sergio to see this shot for fun so I wanted to start with it.
Sergio wanted to do a shot where he would jump like a leprechaun who found gold. I had to make it rocking though by having Michelle diva it up in the front. Hilarious!
v
Michelle, I’m sorry that you missed the Lebron James speech during our shoot but I’m sure the pictures will make up for it 
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Posted in Weddings
On July 3, 2010 the following took place:
Germany beat Argentina in Soccer 4-0.
The forecast for rain in Miami was 100%.
The photographer’s car (me) was crashed into.
The forecast for love? 100%
Sorry, super cheesy, but kind of funny. Gigi and Antony are one awesome, laid back couple. I visited both their rooms while getting ready and they were both smiling, relaxed, just having a good time with their friends. Don’t get me wrong, they were both really excited to be getting married, but there were no signs of nervousness at all. The most telling part of this situation is that it was pouring rain outside and it didn’t stop all day. Many brides would be having a heart attack at that moment but I have to commend Gigi and Antony for not being phased one bit.
For those of you worried about my car, it was no biggie, only the side got smashed in a bit but the drivers were ok. Too bad the insurance won’t call it a total loss because I wanted to buy a new car 
We didn’t miss one second from the wedding though. I take the responsibility of capturing someone’s memories very seriously and I left my assistant to take care of the car and police situation while I stayed with Gigi and Antony the whole time.
Here are some from the getting ready.
The ceremony took place at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in South Beach Miami.
These are some portraits at Douglas Entrance where the reception took place.
The party got kicked off by DJ Ubi right away and kept going the whole night.
This was seriously one of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen at a wedding. I am still cracking up. The boy, Gigi’s younger brother, is the one who caught the garter so of course it was his duty to place that garter on the lady who caught the bouquet. The boy really did not want to do this, but the pressure of the adult men in the wedding was too much. Talk about peer pressure. Poor kid. It was hilarious though.
Gigi and Antony you guys rock.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 Posted in Weddings
What an exciting adventure in South Carolina to see the love between Tyler and Ashley realized at their wedding. These two are so in love its ridiculous. They were both dying to see each other. The anticipation for the event was high at the girls room where Ashley and the 10 bridesmaids (Ashley has many friends) were getting ready.
Tyler and his dad getting ready.
Just look at this stud…I want to marry him!
Ashley and Tyler opted to do a first look and I am so glad they did. I am almost teary eyed just watching this again. Tyler waited in a private area of the country club where they would not be bothered. I can almost feel his palms sweating looking at these images. If you are considering a first look for your wedding just let this series convince you of the emotional impact that this private moment has.
We took advantage of the first look to do portraits before the guests arrived.
The event took place at the Thornblade Country Club in Greer, South Carolina. The father of the bride taking a last look as he hands Ashley to her new husband.
Ashley and Tyler, much love to you both and enjoy the images.
So Karen and Rich are awesome because 1. They are cool, 2. They took me to a new location which I have never shot at before. Rich is an outdoorsman, fisherman, camper extraordinaire so it was only natural to photograph their engagement session at the Everglades. Eventhough it was 99 degrees outside with 99% humidity and a mosquito squadron all around us, it was AWESOME! We sweated, hiked, got wed, got muddy, got chased by a crocodile and I loved every second of it. Karen doesn’t care too much about the outdoorsy stuff but she was game to participate.
How cool is their Wrangler? Jeep should pay us for this shoot.
Check out the sweet rubber boots!
Here they are doing what they do best, fishing and wedding planning.
Karen and Rich, thank you for letting me shoot at a new place and introducing me to the wonderful side of the Everglades! Looking forward to the wedding.
We were so happy to shoot these photos of our very, very good friends as they near the end of their first pregnancy! They are expecting a (big) baby boy, Micah, at the end of July - about a month before Alex and I have our second baby, Grace.
Jeff and Jen are the kindest, most wonderful people you could ever meet - and we are lucky to have them as friends. So in return for such wonderful friendship - two pregnant women, one 15-month old, and two men dragged themselves out into the heat to shoot these pictures! Jen was a real trooper - much tougher than me - as she spent about 30 minutes outside in the horrible heat getting bitten by sand fleas. I will admit that after about 5 minutes I retreated to the car with Caleb and let everyone else take part in the shoot. I’m a horrible assistant now - no wonder Alex replaced me after we started having kids.
Jeff and Jen have this AWESOME 1963 Rambler that belonged to Jen’s Gramps. The car and Gramps are both awesome. I’m sure the family will be thrilled to see it used for such an honorable purpose! I love the calmness and color of these shots.
I love this shot…
Thank you friends for letting us shoot these pictures with you - Alex and I have nothing but love for you - and cannot wait to meet Micah! Happy Early Father’s Day - Jeff!!
Monday, June 14, 2010 Posted in Weddings
For Natalie and Manny photography is a real priority, specially for their wedding. Manny graduated from film school as I did as well, so his taste for art and photography is to be respected. I had an awesome time working with them during their “film noir” engagement session back in December, so I knew we would be able to deliver great photography they could be proud of.
They both got ready at Coconut Grove’s Sonesta Hotel which is where I met them.
The ceremony took place at Miami’s St. Hugh’s Catholic Church in Coconut Grove. St. Hugh’s gorgeous stained glass windows and architecture photographs beautifully.
Natalie and Manny wanted contemporary portraits in the Coconut Grove area. Meilan Limos were glad to drive us to a cool spot on the way for a quick drink and some pictures before getting to the reception.
The decorations at the Sonesta Hotel in Coconut Grove, Miami.
Manny and Natalie being the true Cubans that they are, of course had a cigar roller, Alejandro Marquina, rolling fresh cigars for the guests. It was a beautiful night for a cigar so the bride and groom quickly joined the group.
Natalie and Manny, enjoy your long trip in Europe and I have your album design ready when you get back.
I’ve had the pleasure now of photographing several of Gigi and Antony’s friend’s weddings and its always a plus to get to work through those networks since they already know my style and work. She has been following the blog for a long time now and I appreciate them so much for that.
Antony, like many grooms out there, HATES taking pictures so I did my best to make the session feel relaxed and easy going so that we could all feel like we were hanging out as opposed to taking *dreaded* pictures. I think we succeeded in having a good time while getting images they can be proud of. Gigi wanted a variety to her pictures to include urban and beach shots.
Antony and Gigi I look forward to your big day in just a few weeks!
So when Abercrombie & Fitch contacted me to shoot this ad…no, no, no. This is not an Abercrombie ad, this is just a ridiculously hot looking couple from South Carolina and they happen to be some of the coolest people around too. But Abercrombie if you are looking at this I am available to do some shooting if Bruce Weber isn’t available at his usual $50,000 a day rate.
Ashley and Tyler have been friends for years. Not only that but their respective families have been friends for years. They have shared yearly vacations together as families and never realized that their future husband/wife was there all along! I don’t know how they didn’t notice since they are both so awesome. I flew with Shaleen to Greenville South Carolina to do bridal portraits for Ashley and do some engagement pictures as well. It felt so relaxing to work with these two that it really was a blast. Getting to shoot some outside of Miami was also a nice change of scenery and a break from the usual Miami spots. A big thank you to Ashley’s brother Austin for driving me all around Greenville looking for farms, tractors, dilapidated buildings, waterfalls, etc and a big thank you to Ashley’s parents for letting us crash in the basement of their gorgeous house.
Okay, enough talkie, talkie. This is how engagements are done in the country.
Ashley and Tyler I can’t wait for your wedding in a few weeks. Its going to be so much fun!
Thursday, May 20, 2010 Posted in Weddings
Ceremony: St. John Newman Church in Miami, Florida
Reception: Doral Country Club in Miami, Florida
Coordinating by: Melissa Caceres
Video by: My Treasure Films
Flowers by: Gil Sosa
Breakdancing: Nobodies Crew
I’ve been looking forward to Roxana and Maurice’s wedding for a while. Mostly because they are awesome. They let me take pictures of them inside a fountain (see this link) while it was cold outside and that just rocks as far as I’m concerned.
I started out at Roxana’s house where the whole family was getting ready together. Brothers, sisters, parents, going in rooms, out of rooms, carrying things, putting things down, spraying things, ironing things. It was all very festive. No one was nervous, but things were moving. The ladies who took care of Roxana’s hair did an awesome job. Gina of course always does an awesome job with the make-up. Here are some of those moments:
There is one word to describe these shoes…FIERCE!
Her mom’s wedding tiara passed down to another generation. Beautiful.
The ceremony took place at the gorgeous St. John Newman Church in Miami, Florida just a few minutes down from Roxana’s house.
I wanted to follow a “red” theme with the images inspired by Roxana’s shoes and flowers. St. John Newman’s red pillars were perfect for this motif.
The reception took place at the Doral Country Club in Miami, Florida. Maurice is a fan of break dancing so Roxana surprised him with a pair of brand new Adidas shoes.
Maurice was not sure what the shoes were for until… The breakdancers from Nobodies Crew showed up to get the party started. I learned that this move Maurice is performing here is transferring energy from one person to the next. Everyone was impressed with Maurice’s moves!
Roxana and Maurice, you guys rock and I look forward to showing you the rest. Have fun in the honeymoon!
Big props to Vicky and Patrick for doing an out of the ordinary engagement session. Love you for that!
It is so much easier for us to get natural reactions and real moments in photography when the engagement session feels more conversational and relaxed as opposed to posing. I really feel that engagement sessions need to be true to the couple and not an artificial thing that gets created like when people dress up in all white linen pants and guayaberas. Vicky and Patrick told me that they enjoy going to bars and hanging out in South Miami, so I said, “perfect that’s what we are doing then. Lets shoot at a bar and all around that area.” I know that by doing the session at a place that is comfortable for them and real to them, the moments that are captured will not be artificial. A big, special thanks to your friends in South Miami for letting us photograph in their establishments and places of business. I look forward to seeing you both again. Please enjoy the pictures!
by Alex Fagundo
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