Half Moon Bay Wedding photographer – Page 5 – Shanti Duprez Fine Portrait Photography

Holy cow!: Pemo Osel Ling

Posted on September 1, 2012 | by Shanti

I don't even know where to start! This wedding was so fun and unique on so many levels. Lori and Matt got married in Watsonville at the Pemo Osel Ling Tibetan Retreat, its this beautiful venue located in the thick of the redwoods. I have now been at this venue several times, and it just doesn't get old!

What I love about Lori is that although her life has lead her to the mainlands, her heart is still attached to Hawaii… and for those of you who know me, know I share a similar story. Lori was born and raised on Oahu and it wasn't until she moved over here to attend Stanford University did her life take her on a journey that would lead her to the love of her life, Matt.

Lori and Matt brought a little bit of Hawaii to their wedding through all their beautiful flowers: plumeria bouquets, orchid boutineers, and tuba rose lei's. She had me there:) Nothing like the smell of a tuba rose to bring back all your childhood memories of the islands. After their beautiful ceremony the bride and groom entered into their reception with grand force, from one side of the party comes running out tuba players, drummers, saxophones, etc. and on the other side the bride and groom merge themselves into the festivities of the STANFORD MARCHING BAND… or at least those that were in the band during their college years. They played three songs where Lori and Matt shared in the instrument playing to band leader… My mouth was dropped wide open and my finger was stuck on the trigger…. it was AMAZING!

It was a wonderful reception that included heartfelt toasts, a live band, and two very personalized performances by Matt and Lori. The first was a jam session with Matt and his old band mates and the second was a hula dance performed by Lori and then later joined in by Matt. Beautiful! All in all, I have to say this one goes down in the books as another favorite of mine! Loved it!

Portraits by Shanti / Shanti Duprez / Pema Osel Ling Tibetan Retreat / Aptos CA / Watsonville / Heather's Patisserie / Sinister Dexter / Full Circle Video Productions / David's Bridal / Zappo's / Santa Cruz Experience

Half Moon Bay Wedding Photography / Mavericks Lodge Event Center / Oceano Hotel and Spa / Becky and Evan

Posted on August 2, 2012 | by Shanti

All I can say is wow! Such a beautiful bride, a handsome groom, curteous warm and loving family and friends, and a beautiful venue… It was truly perfect! Becky and Evan got married on the lawn of the Mavericks Lodge Event Center followed by a magical wedding reception in the tent of the Oceano Hotel and Spa. I can't decide what was my favorite part about this wedding: It could have been the dress, or maybe the fact that every one was where they needed to be when they needed to be, but I think the best part of the day for me was Becky's laughter and Evan's genuine love for his beautiful bride! Congratulations you two!

Portraits by Shanti / Shanti Duprez / Mavericks Lodge Event Center / Princeton by the Sea / Oceano Hotel and Spa / Alena Jean Flowers / Inticing Creations / DJ Matteo / Cello Street Quartet / Aqua Salon / Sweet Penelope

As seen in WedLoft

Half Moon Bay Wedding Venue: Mavericks Lodge Event Center

Half Moon Bay Reception Venue: Oceano Hotel and Spa

Blessed! Maternity Session in Half Moon Bay

Posted on July 20, 2012 | by Shanti

Nights like this truly make believe that I am meant to do what I do. I mean who gets such a breathtaking night on the coast in July, combined with two beautiful people, and all the love and emotion all wrapped up into an amazing moment. But really, what puts it into perspective for me is that they chose me again to capture this special moment for them. A second in their lives of special moments, as I also had the extreme honor of capturing their wedding day last May.

Although Lauren was extremely sick on her wedding day, the love between these two was so apparent that I could only feel blessed to be the one to capture it. And again, I was honored to have that feeling all over again. Nothing brings more happiness to my heart than to know that there is going to be another soul brought into this world surrounded by love and positive energy.

Portraits by Shanti / Shanti Duprez / Pregnancy / Half Moon Bay / Mavericks / Surfer's Beach / Jetty / El Granada / Princeton by the Sea

Fog is my friend!: Engagement Session in Half Moon Bay

Posted on May 30, 2012 | by Shanti

Sometimes you just can't pick your weather! For those of you that know my style, you know that I am a bit of a weather snob. I do like a perfect day:) However, sometimes even I have to go with the flow, as this couple whom are getting married in August, flew in for the weekend from New York… Rain or Shine it was going to happen. Luckily no rain, but we did get our very thick fog.

Now just because I like a perfect day doesn't mean that I don't equally love the fog when captured right. Fog allows the mood to set into a very subductive serene feeling. It can leave you feeling at peace. The colors, though not popping with the sunset glow, have a very pleasing monochromatic look that compliments the mood that has been established.

Now, pair that up, with a couple that really enjoy being together and well… we got success. In hind sight, I love that we had fog on this night. Thanks Lori and Matt for enduring the cold.

Portraits by Shanti / Shanti Duprez / Engagement Photography / Destination Wedding / Half Moon Bay / Pescadero / Cowell State Beach / San Gregorio Beach / Drift Wood Beach

She is AMAZING! If you want to guarantee that at least one thing will go smoothly on your wedding, hire Shanti. She is fun, prompt, knows angles and spots, and makes the day enjoyable. She finds the little nuances that she knows a bride wants to remember on her wedding day. And unlike many horror stories I hear about some photographers taking months to get you your results, Shanti is fast. I would give her 10 stars if I could!!! Now we just have to make it up there for anniversary pictures and baby pictures (we now live in SoCal). I almost do not want to trust life’s big moments to anyone else.

Staci

We had just the best experience with Shanti that we could have hoped for. Shanti’s photos are unbelievably beautiful and well-composed. She had an excellent balance between portraits of us and candid shots of our guests. Throughout the planning process, she was incredibly attentive to our silly questions and very quick to get us our engagement photos and wedding photos. She’s a pleasure to work with. While Shanti’s talents and professionalism are stellar, what really makes her stand out is her amazing personality. She was almost as excited as we were, which made us feel completely at ease when she was on the other side of the lens. We didn’t really think about how much this matters, and I’m glad that we ended up on the right side of surprised! I can’t recommend Shanti’s work enough. We were so pleased to have her as part of our special day.

Matt