Grant Oakes

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.

I was interviewed by David Warner of http://www.lensflare35.com/episode-0048-interview-with-grant-oakes-wedding-photographer-and-owner-of-tafota-com where several of my images were profiled.  This is a great site for photographers at any stage of their career.

Today I went online to my account with Pictage and saw they had released their new portal.  Instead of simply having a static image on the home page they now have a slide show and one of my images came up.  Below is a screen shot.  How fun is that?

Yesterday I was heading into a lunch appointment and I got a call from Paula Haddock who co-hosts the consumer advocate program with Tom Martino.  They needed a photographer to go on the show and give helpful tips to brides looking for a wedding photographer.  The problem was the show is aired live and was at 9:00 am the next day!  I said okay and then went into scramble mode, getting images printed and framed, hair cut, etc.  The interview went well and for those of you that didn’t get to see it this morning you can view it on their website at http://www.martino.tv/videobeta/4f2a2046-d090-45ee-a59b-c90b5f190cc0/News/Grant-Oakes-Photography

Amy Grant had a concert at the Paramount Theater this evening and I was asked by Lutheran Family Services to photograph a few guests after the show in the VIP Lounge.  I have to admit that I have only heard of Amy yet have not followed her music career.  She has a very beautiful, subtle voice and has a wonderful, inviting stage presence.  During the photo session she showed genuine interest in the people that came to be photographed with her, taking her time with each one despite having to catch a late flight to her next concert.

Just moments ago I received an email from the editor of Destination I Do magazine informing me that my featured wedding is in the next issue and will be on the news stands soon.  I photographed Shannon and Brody’s wedding last year at Nygard Cay, the personal residence of Peter Nygard, fashion designer extraordinare from Canada.  Below is a screen shot of the article.

This is the first wedding that Steve Crecelius and I have had the opportunity to work together under our new strategic alliance, LuxArt Images.  Crystal and Russ had a wedding fit for a King and Queen.  The ceremony took place at Montview Presbyterian Church with the reception at Mile High Station.  The decor was beautifully done by Design Works and the dinner was fabulously prepared (as usual) by Epicurean Catering.  Dance Trax provided the DJ service and the energy level they maintained was great!  Linda Whittaker of  Sir Chocolate had a really neat colored chocolate buckets that the kids could paint with on chocolate hearts.  This wedding was one phenomenal experience.  It’s too bad we weren’t able to hitch a ride with the couple to Bora Bora and document the honeymoon.  To see the highlights slide show of this incredible wedding click here.