In this piece I have included Major Mitchell Cockatoos from Australia, Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees and Tulips. This is one of the paintings that is part of a series that I’m working on dealing with vanishing ecosystems and the animals that live in it. I’m using less common animals, which tend be less “loved” to highlight that all of God’s creation serves a purpose. The series up to the moment includes this piece “Majors in the Rain”, “Don’t Get Triggered By The Goggle Eyes”, “Red on Yellow Kill a Fellow”, “Bleached”, “Una Morena y Sus Amigas”, “Flounder and Friends”, “Bycatch”, “Gulf Stream Life”, “Sunset at the Pond”, “Hierba de Alacran” and “Una Cascabel y Sus Peyotes”.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure and honor to document using my camera a very beautiful and moving occasion. It was the wedding of Tarik and Mercy a very loving and giving couple. They held their beautiful event at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and the Biltmore Hotel both historic landmarks in the city of Coral Gables in the South Florida area. This blog post is to present the beautiful wedding photography at the Biltmore Hotel of this event.
We started the day off with getting ready pictures at the Biltmore followed by a very emotional first look in which the groom’s father, brother and uncles took part. With the sound of applause and cheers the bride made her way down a set of grandiose staircases to the waiting arms of her future husband. The look on his face as his family members cheered the beautiful Mercy on was something of beauty, which only became more enchanting when he turned towards her and saw his bride at her very best for the very first time. Tears were on both the grooms and brides eyes but with hours of preparation in the brides part she had to compose her self or else we would had a bit of a disaster in the makeup department.
The first look led to formal outside portraits of the couple taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon light that we had around us. This led to more portraits inside the beautiful Biltmore Hotel lobby with the bride’s and groom’s immediate family. Shortly afterwards we headed towards the Church which happens to be across the street from the hotel. The bride was driven, on her short ride in an incredible Rolls Royce Wraith by her father. A very classy and beautiful touch, if I might say. Between the awesome auto, the beautiful bride, the handsome groom in his Great Gatsby tuxedo, and the historic picturesque venues this turn into an incredible photography opportunity. Every where you turned is was like a James Bond movie!!
I will spare you the rest of the details since wedding photography is what I do best not write. I’m showing the main highlights of the this wedding day since we stared at 3:00 p.m. and ended up staying until 1:00a.m. The family is a mix of Cuban, and Jordanian members, thus the music played was both latin salsa, merengue, reggaeton and arabic in nature. There was spanish been spoken along with english and of course arabic. The theme of the reception was that of a middle eastern style which was orchestrated by Sari Sosa of Sari Sosa Events.
In here are the images followed by links to the venues and vendors, I hope you enjoy.
Photography: Jorge R Gonzalez and Jonathan E Gonzalez
Why you need to hire a professional for your wedding, a few words of advice for Brides.
First House
I remember when my wife and I were in the process of buying our first home how we were advised to bring an attorney, a professional, to the closing. To bring to a very important day the experience of a person who had dedicated their lives to provide sound counsel in the very tricky environment of contract signing. So we did hire an attorney, a professional and he not only read the contract before the closing but also was present at the singing and he was looking out for us. It was very reassuring to have someone on our side while we signed papers that would put us in debt for a great part of our lives.
This is not the result of DIY decorations
Don’t DIY! Don’t bring Uncle Bob!
It would seem like an obvious thing to hire a professional for your wedding, to cover one of the most important events in one’s life, but many don’t take this route. A wedding which hopefully will be a once in a lifetime event.
But many feel that they are able to get away either doing it themselves [diy] or going with a non professional such as Uncle Bob who is good with his Canon Sure Shot 70 And of course there will be plenty of guests with their smart phones clicking away!
Going with someone that has no interest in maintaining a level of professionalism with his work, someone that is flying by the seat of their pants and not bringing in quality, integrity and proven results to the job at hand seems very, very foolish for such an important day.
Here are a few of the reasons that I feel need to be address when hiring a person that will be working in making the day of your wedding a very memorable, joyous and beautiful occasion. Even though I’m a photographer the reasons I will describe can be applied to many other areas of the special occasion which should be done by a wedding professional, such as event coordinator, music, decorations, flowers, catering and venue. So in the weeks to come I will be dealing with experience, contracts, equipment, insurance, artistic expression, and focus on the job.
This week I will start with reason number one on why you need to hire a professional for your wedding:
: the process of doing and seeing things and of having things happen to you
: skill or knowledge that you get by doing something
: the length of time that you have spent doing something (such as a particular job)
According to the above definition experience is obtained by doing something not once but many times. Experience is obtained by going through different situations and learning from them to improve in one’s skill. When you hire a professional for your wedding that has experience, less factors can affect the outcome of your event. Their skill based on their experience brings stability to what can be a chaotic situation.
Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables
I recently was shooting a wedding in a large venue with many logistical hurdles to address which without proper direction could have become disastrous. But the bride was very smart because she hired a professional coordinator for her wedding. Not only did things went like planned but everyone working the event was made very at ease because the coordinator was in control of the sequence of events. She brought stability with her experience not only for the years doing the job but because she had also worked with that venue before. Trying to work with a non professional or even worse doing it yourself in such a large venue would have been disastrous!
Here are a few examples of what a professional with experience will bring to your wedding:
A professional DJ will be able to work with the crowd he has in front of him to keep them entertained and involved in the festivities.
Flower vendor will inform you of the best flowers for the time of year of your wedding, how to keep them fresh and what will be the best use in an arrangement.
As mentioned above a professional wedding coordinator can bring a guiding hand to your event, moving things along and making adjustments according to unforeseen roadblocks.
An experienced professional photographer will adjust the camera settings in accordance with light level and light quality in the event. Having experience in the venue that you will be using for your wedding will help in getting the best angles and the most beautiful light for the most stunning images.
A professional caterer will bring their experience in helping you select the best ingredients for your guests meals. Their experience will make your event the talk of the town for days to come.
All of the professions mentioned above can handle small or large venues, small or large parties and can make your event shine!
Brides this day is about you and making you look great. That is why you need to hire a professional for your wedding with sufficient experience to make your event the most memorable possible.
When Ali asked me to be the photographer of her wedding at beginning of this year I never dreamed that it would turn out to be such an amazing event. From the venue, the flowers, the dress and all the details every thing was top notch. Here is a small preview from Fridays long but rewarding day, hope you enjoy.
From a recent family mini session in a beautiful pinecrest area park. This little boy was all smiles because behind the photographer there was a professional child wrangler 😉 Actually it was his aunt making all the funny faces and the gestures that got him to smile. We had a wonderful time going around the park and capturing his beautiful smile. The boots are an extra bonus picture for the family…
Right now we are coming into the perfect weather here in South Florida for family photography in the late afternoons. The temperature will began to drop as we come closer to the end of summer. The sun will be setting sonner giving us a beautiful light to capture these images that will become family treasures in the years to come after the kids are all grown up and have left the nest. Give me a call and schedule a mini photography session. Hope you enjoy the pics.
Starting in May, 2014 I changed the pricing and available options for my Quinces Photography Collections. I will be offering all inclusive collections that will allow a one stop get all that you need to obtain a beautiful Quinceanera Photo Shoot!
You will receive the following with any of the Photo Packages that I offer:
1. In person photography consultation to discuss the details of the shoot. The consultation can be done at your home for your convenience.
A. We will discuss possible locations for your beautiful portraits. Locations suchs world famous Vizcaya Gardens in Miami, The Cruz building in Coconut Grove, Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Little River Studios, Pinecrest Gardens, Homestead Bayfront Park, Wynwood and Matheson Hammock are just a few of the choices available in the all inclusive photography pricing.
B. Also on the list of our consultation will be your style of dress, your interests and what you feel sets you apart that you will want to show in your Quinces Portraits. Any props that you will like to include we can accommodate from a simple guitar to an elephant if that is what you like. [maybe an elephant might be a bit difficult to get but I will try to get it for you 😉 ].
C. We will also talk about what kind of albums, enlargements and other things like phone cases that you will like to help you show off your beautiful images. Yes I’m including an Iphone case with the image of your choosing in most of my Quinces photography packages.
D. Our consultation will finish with setting a date and time to best capture your special moment. Certain places work best at an earlier time than others and we will talk about such things.
2. Also included in all the Quinces Photography Collections are the beautiful Quinces Formal Dress: I have dress shops throughout the South Florida area which will provide the dress or dresses depending on what collection you choose, for your formal portraits. You just go choose your dress, get it fitted and I take care of the rest.
3. Makeup will be also included in all of the Quinces Photography Packages. I have an excellent Make up artist that will actually go to your home and get you all dolled up before your portrait shoot!! Hair and makeup all included, just sit back and enjoy her work while you relax in the comfort of your own home.
4. As I mentioned earlier you will have numerous places to choose from for you portraits, all included just bring plenty of energy and a big smile. Get lots of rest before your shoot you will needed since I love to shoot especially if you love to shine for the camera.
5. After your portraits are done I will provide you with a private internet gallery for you to look at your beautiful images and also share them with family and friends. You will also use the gallery to make your selections that I will use to prepare your gorgeous custom artistic album.
6. A few days after your final approval of your album images we will once again meet so I can present to you the finish album, enlargement and any other of the many things that can be used to display your images. [don’t forget the phone case]
So in summary this is what the All Inclusive Quinces Photography Collection Pricing include:
1. Consultation
2. Dresses
3. Entrance payed to Locations, locations, locations.
4. Hair and Makeup by a wonderful MUA.
5. Albums and much more.
6. Personal touch and a listening ear to your Portrait desires.
All of the above Starting at a very affordable $ 1,250.00
If you are interested contact me today and we will talk about getting together and do a bit brainstorming to make your Quinces Portraits Out of the Ordinary.
Images from a Quinces Photoshoot: Not your same old quinces photos!
Just a few images from the Quinces Photoshoot from the past couple of days, showing a very talented, beautiful and versatile young lady with big dreams and a bigger imagination. I was very happy to be able to help her achieve the vision she had for her Quinces photography. The images above were taken at various locations in the South Florida area, including Villa Vizcaya, Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Wynwood and Matheson Hammock. All of these locations plus many more, including the Cruz Building and Little River Studios, are available to all quinceaneras for their Quinces photo sessions when you chose Jorge R Gonzalez as your photographer for your Quinces photos. Every Quinces photo package provided by me gives you the above mentioned locations plus dresses, makeup and various options for displaying your beautiful images including Italian leather Acrylic covered albums. Contact me for detailed pricing for your Quinces photography!
