Noah Hawthorne Photography | San Francisco Wedding Photographer » Destination Weddings

Tiara + Derek Hawaii Fusion Film

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:51:50 +0000

Fusion remains one of the most difficult products to produce in the wedding media world, especially when attempting to capture a photojounalistic and real interpretation of the people, event, and place. However, I’m really excited about the potential for this new medium, blending the manipulation of time and imagery techniques to present a really engaging look at the flow of a wedding day. Below is the latest project from Tiara and Derek’s wedding outside of Honolulu, Hawaii, jointly produced with Peter H. Chang who does all of the wonderful filming.

Tiara + Derek | Bayer Estate | Hawaii Destination Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:30:25 +0000

Tiara and Derek’s destination wedding in Oahu, Hawai’i was a spectacular event. We started at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel in Waikiki, before heading to the Bayer Estate for the wedding. The Bayer Estate is a quiet colonial-era estate on the beach east of Honolulu. The evening finished with a spectacular meal at Roy’s Restaurant. We were blessed with scattered showers that parted at all the right times during the ceremony and portrait sessions. It was such a relaxing and beautiful day! Tiara and Derek are off to Kauai for their honeymoon before coming back to join me in the (currently) very chilly San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you so much to Tiara and Derek for inviting me to come along, and for the wonderful assistance of Nancy Tsai and Peter H. Chang with the photography and video fusion coverage.

We’ll have a wonderful fusion video from the day coming soon as well.

Nancy’s photo below:

Getting ready at the Bayer Estate

The Bayer Estate’s ocean front view for the wedding ceremony:

Photo below by Nancy Tsai:

This event marked the debut of my new Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II lens. I almost always shoot with all prime lenses for improved optical quality, but this lens is directly comparable and was a huge improvement over my other zooms. Highly recommend!

A rainbow even appeared after a quick rain shower.

Many thanks to Ashlee Chung for her fantastic help coordinating the event. Ashlee really helped things move along with a smile and is one of the best coordinators I’ve worked with to date. She’s also local to Hawai’i which is always really helpful for these events.

Details:

Hotel - Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Waikiki

Wedding Ceremony – The Bayer Estate

Officiant – Rev. George W. Scott

Reception: Roy’s Restaurant, Kalanianaole Highway

Mexico Destination Wedding in Cuernavaca

Noah Hawthorne — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:35:26 +0000

Jorge and Lilia’s wedding in Cuernavaca, Mexico was a beautiful event, a huge party, and a ton of fun. Cuernavaca is a small town about 2 hours south of Mexico City, known to have some of “the best weather in the world.” Indeed, I arrived to find the warm-but-not-hot Mediterranean weather waiting for me in the middle of winter, and made my way to the Hotel Camino Real Sumiya- a tennis resort with boutique Japanese architecture and expansive gardens. I joined my wonderful past clients Ian Balam and Lili Rojo who are turning into amazingly talented photographers from La Paz, Mexico to shoot the event together. The ceremony took place at a small and exotic church overlooking the city before heading back to the resort where carpenters had spent days building the dancing and banquet facilities. Stage lighting, a wonderful band, and 700+ rambunctious guests made for a wedding evening unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Lili’s photo:

Ian’s photo:

Lili and Ian. I can’t wait to see where they will go with their new studio.

Past clients Juliane and Emilio were also there for the event.

Lili’s photo:

Lili’s photo.

Cuernavaca Destination Wedding | Sneak Peak

Noah Hawthorne — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:15:11 +0000

I’m back from Cuernavaca, an enchanting town south of Mexico City. I met with my wonderful Mexican associate photographer (and past client) Ian Balam and his wife Lili for the wedding of Jorge and Lilia. They were married at the Camino Real Sumiya Hotel, a luxurious Japanese garden resort with a huge, stunning, 700 person event. Here’s a teaser- more images coming soon!

Mexico City Destination Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:59:59 +0000

Juliane and Emilio’s destination wedding in Mexico City was a stylish, full-blown Mexican wedding. We started early in the morning as they got ready at the homes of their parents, then went on to the full Catholic ceremony attended by 300+ guests, and then on to the infamous Mexican wedding reception. Two bands, a dinner, a DJ, desert, second dinner, and on into the early morning again. It was a wonderful, joyous affair full of culture, elegance, and a lot of happiness. The reception took place at the Hacienda de San Isidro in Atizapan, Mexico City.

Getting ready at home, there was so much history all around. Juliana got ready in her own room where she grew up, facing her mirror in this photo with a list of adjectives spelling out the kind of woman that she wanted to become as she grew up in this same place.

Dad and brother help put everything together.

From Juliane’s house. Small details that mean the world, including the cutting boards that each of the siblings made in school and brought home to be proudly displayed by Mom and Dad.

There were so many guests with cameras at this wedding- I’m sure that every angle was covered.

Generations: Juliane’s mom gets her own well deserved congratulations while Grandma checks in with the bride.

Media coverage from all angles. Belive it or not, this little iPhone video user is actually learning from Dad on his left with the real thing.

Juliane and her brothers.

Mexico City Destination Engagement Shoot | Desert of the Lions

Noah Hawthorne — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:32:42 +0000

Mexico is one of my favorite places to travel and a simply perfect location for a destination wedding. It has an abundance of beautiful Spanish colonial architecture, friendly people, amazing food, beautiful beaches…ok, you get the idea. I’ve spent lots of time in Mexico, even living in La Paz in the state of Baja California Sur. However before this destination wedding I hadn’t spent a lot of time in Mexico City, Mexico’s sprawling capital city. Interestingly enough, Mexico city is also one of the largest cities in the world, with over 20 million people. Juliane and Emilio wanted to get away from the bustle of the big city, choosing the Desierto de los Leones (Desert of the Lions) monastery for their engagement shoot. This beautiful secluded retreat dates back to the early 1600s, and stands outside the city in a beautiful pine forest, light years away from the city below.

The lighting was absolutely beautiful, and we had the afternoon to wander through the building and the gardens outside. See some of my favorite photos from the engagement shoot below:

The Desierto de Los Leones Monastary – founded by Carmelite monks in 1606.

As with any engagement shoot, this was a great opportunity to get to know this fantastic couple. We worked in English and Spanish, had a ton of fun, and I already can’t wait to get back to Mexico for another visit. While this was a local wedding for Emilio and Juliane, it was a destination wedding for me – and I really can’t say enough about how welcoming and open everyone was. Thank you, thank you, thank you! When I get clients who are this fun, loving, and outgoing (and I get to work in such beautiful places) my job really doesn’t get much easier.

Mexico City Destination Wedding: Sneak Peak

Noah Hawthorne — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:41:54 +0000

I’m almost done with the images from my last wedding in Mexico City, where I joined my friend and fellow photographer Ian Balam to shoot the wedding of Emilio and Juliane this past December. We did a portrait shoot at the old monastary Desierto de los Leones, and then had a spectacular full day wedding the following day, with festivities centered at the Hacienda de San Isidro, in Atizapan (part of Mexico City). Here’s a quick, lighthearted moment I captured from the reception. More to come shortly.

Ben & Courtney | San Luis Obispo Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:20:20 +0000

Ben and Courtney’s wedding on Courtney’s family ranch in San Luis Obispo was a fabulous affair, with more personality and heart than I could have imagined possible. The wedding took place under a grape arbor in the middle of the family garden, with all the flowers in full bloom and the summer harvest about to come in.

Almost everything at the wedding was handmade. The wedding flowers were grown in the garden, and the wedding desserts were made by the Courtney, based on beloved family recipes such as “Fern’s berry cobbler” and “Grandma Betty’s snickerdoodle cookies”. Quaint decorations dotting the barn reception, where twinkling lights and the San Luis Obispo Jazz Band added the final bit of flair to the evening. This was a classic California ranch wedding that I wouldn’t have done any other way.

And of course we can’t forget about the dogs. Perhaps my favorite bridal portraits ever?

Sometimes couples provide their own inspiration. My simple “let’s take a quick break. No need to smile!” turned into this wonderful frame. American Gothic meets Bay Area young professionals on the family ranch. Hmmmm.

A few details

Food by Cattaneo Bros. Catering, with live music by the San Luis Obispo Jazz Band.

Jen & Josh | The Holly Farm Wedding | Carmel, CA

Noah Hawthorne — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:03:29 +0000

Jen and Josh were recently married on the Holly Farm in Carmel. It was a beautiful event full of beautiful and fun-loving people, a gorgeous location. And yes- the photos turned out ok too. See a few of my favorites below. Thanks so much to Nancy Tsai and Sierra Hawthorne for helping me with the photography for this wedding.

The bride’s brother put his skills from band camp to good use, with a very “Love Actually” sendoff after the ceremony. A rather unique compliment to the “All you need is love” being played by the string quartet in the background.

I rarely post details on my blog, but I always take them. It’s great for wedding albums and a way to record the feel of the wedding day. Here’s a try at a collage from various little bits I found around the Holly Farm throughout the day.

A toast from Mom.

And believe it or not, this is my past roommate. Party on Dr. Larry.

Mark & Andrea | South Lake Tahoe Destination Wedding | Lakeland Villiage Resort

Noah Hawthorne — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:19:46 +0000

Mark and Andrea had their beautiful destination wedding at the Lakeland Villiage Resort in South Lake Tahoe, with the reception following at the Riva Grill, just a few hundred yards down the beach. Both Mark and Andrea have been coming to the Tahoe area to ski for years, so it was only natural that they come back to this beautiful place in the summer for their wedding. The ceremony was held on the beach, complimented by a few Canadian geese in the background, and a bit of a High Sierra thunderstorm to make the ceremony even more interesting. We had some absolutely beautiful light and clouds that came with the rain, and had SO much fun running out to take photos. I love the mountains, and this was a wedding were I really got to engage with that genre.

A few favorites are below. You can tell how much fun Mark and Andrea had!

The slideshow is below, or just click HERE.