Grant Oakes

Yesterday I did a session for the nurse who trained Linda and I for dialysis and this is her grand child.  She was so adorable that I just had to post my favorite image.

I’m in Fallbrook, California, shooting the wedding of Andrenae and Justin at the beautiful Grand Tradition Estate venue.  Her father is a long time friend of mine and this is wedding number 2 for me from their family.  Jasmine Taylor flew down from Seattle to help.  It was wonderful getting to see so many friends I’ve known most of my life, and at a wedding to boot!  Life is grand.  View the highlights of their wedding by clicking here.

This morning, as I was sipping my coffee I spotted what appeared to be a small black dog snooping around in my neighbors yard.  The way he was walking and prancing I thought it might be a fox.  He leaped over the fence into our yard and came up close to our patio window and sure enough, it was a fox!  I quickly got my camera and fired off a few images before he took off.  I did a little Google detective work and it seems that a black fox with a small white puff of white on the tail is a rare sight indeed.  Enjoy.  I hope he comes around again soon.

I had the opportunity to get out and go to the Marie James Dress Boutique party this evening and saw a lot of old friends and met a few new ones.  The party was organized by Kristy Chenell and Katie Hess, otherwise known as Weddings By Couture Consulting.  Megan from the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch was in town and so was Angel Montez from the Ritz Denver.  Local photographers Travis Broxton, Jenna Walker, Joe Keum and Kim Nordurft were there.  Erin Browning from the Oxford Hotel/McCormicks Catering, Angie Johnson of Sapphire Celebrations, Jill Alyn of the Word Shop and Julie Gambrell of Classic Creations were also there.  The food was fabulous! I have to find out who catered this thing and twist his arm to get the receipe for that Vietnamese sandwich.

I just got back from attending a wedding conference in Riviera Maya put on by Love Mexico and I got to participate in a shoot out with models. The sessions started at the beautiful ecological park Xel Ha, pronounced shell ha. After a couple hours we went to Xcaret and ended the day back at the hotel Barcelo Maya Palace. Gown designer Gerardo Torres provided the dresses and makeup artist Maury Cervera made these beautiful ladies look even better!

This is my first wedding video and I hope to built upon it.  Check out Whitney and Mark’s highlights trailer.

Whitney and Mark’s wedding trailer from Grant Oakes on Vimeo.

Last night Heather and her partner, Ashley, threw a party to celebrate their 6th year in the wedding and event planning business under the name Table 6 Productions.  They chose Crooked Willow Farms for their extravaganza and there was a whole host of industry professionals.  Pro Entertainment was represented by Stuart Noble, Rob Schenk of Show Tek Events was there also.  Carissa Passerella, a phenomenal makeup artist and her husband Matt, Epicurean Catering provided the food, Angie Johnson of Sapphire Celebrations, Julie Gambrell of Destination Divas were also there.  Photographers Joseph Keum, Jensen Sutta, Travis Broxton, Kent Meireis, CR and Tiffany Brinton, Cal Chenney, Paige Eden, John and Elizabeth Hudetz, Katie Van Buren, Dave Russell, David Gaston and Jenna Walker are always looking for an opportunity to get together.  Kate Kelly and Sid Stoper of the Magnolia Hotel and Amanda Reeve and Geena Uriban from the new Four Seasons Hotel came.  I know I overlooked a few people but in retrospect, I think I should have made a list of who DIDN’T make it.  A look below will give you an idea of what you missed.

Having Fun in Cancun

I was conducting a wedding photography workshop in Isla Mujeres Mexico, a small island near Cancun with Whitney and Mark.  The day after the wedding we were doing some fashion style compositions and my buddy, David Beckstead decided to have a little fun and mess with me so I video taped it.  Click on the link above to enjoy!

Yesterday we photographed Whitney and Mark’s wedding.  Today we went to some incredible locations on Isla Mujeres and did an after shoot with this lovely couple.  A special thanks to Ron Herrman for helping us scout out some beautiful locations a few days earlier.  We started at their beach house, Vista de la Luz and then went to the eastern most part of Mexico, the southern tip of the island at Punta Sur and photographed them against some amazing backdrops.  Then back to their beach house for some more. Enjoy the slide show by clicking here.

This afternoon I had the privilege of photographing Whitney and Mark’s wedding on the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres near Cancun.  This was a workshop that focused on getting very creative images called Art and Inspiration.  David Beckstead came along to help and have fun.  I think he was really there for my Margaritas.  The others that attended the workshop were Steve Robertson, Susan Ruddy, Karen Martin and Justin Hankins.  The wedding took place at Vista de la Luz, a gorgeous beach house that is simply off the charts!  There were about 50 guest total and was nearly perfect.  Shortly after the wedding there was a very light sprinkle of rain.  Tomorrow we go out and have some fun around the island and will even do some work underwater.  Stay tuned, this is going to be grand!  Want to see what we did today?  Just click here.