I’m beyond excited to announce the launch of my new company — ColorPop — and our first offering: ColorPop Actions Volume I. This set includes more than 40 Photoshop actions for awesome color, detail, brightness and toning. It’s a year in the making, so if you’re looking for a great new action set that’s incredibly versatile and provides options for tons of different combinations, I hope you’ll check it out. People are always asking how I do my color . . . and this is how.

The ColorPop web site includes four pages of befores and afters (providing visuals of everything except the prep actions, which help prep your images for color work), as well as a detailed How-To section. The actions are fully layered and masked (enabling easy adjustments), and the toning actions combine beautifully to create new looks. This is the action set I wish I’d had years ago, and early feedback has been great. (A huge thanks to all my fabulous beta testers.)

Looking to crank up your color? Click here to visit the ColorPop web site. Hope you all enjoy.

The red shoes in the upper right hand corner of this image collection were created by by Shawna at Sonia’s request. Sonia chose artwork that paid tribute to the author and illustrator Edward Gorey, who was a favorite of Sonia’s when she was in high school. The resulting bottom-of-shoe illustrations were just lovely. But the succulent shoes?

I pronounce them Best Shoes of the Year.

By the way, if you’ve ever wondered where the “Yamamoto” came from, behold the photo of Shawna dancing with her super-handsome husband. And the tiny photo in the lower left? That’s makeup artist extraordinaire Jeannie Jeffries from Couture Beauty, me, Sonia and Shawna. I love working with this incredible team of talent. I hope you’ve enjoyed this five-parter on Sonia’s wedding. She’s an incredible event designer and coordinator, and a good friend, too, so being a part of her wedding was a true joy.

Next up: The gorgeous wedding Flor and Jerome in Quito, Ecuador. I’ll try to start my two-part post on this wedding tomorrow night, but I’m shooting a reception tomorrow (for the delightful Fizzah Raza, who is also a wonderful photographer), so if I get home too late, I’ll start their post on Sunday. And now, the shoes:

Sonia’s Wedding Dress: Pronovias Barcelona

Despite best laid plans for an outdoor ceremony, Sonia’s wedding unexpectedly took place on the rainiest day of the year. A full seven inches of rain fell on the day of the wedding, meaning that the majority of the morning was spent erecting a plastic tent (which itself spent part of the morning collapsing under the incredible weight of the water falling from the skies). The tent team worked incredibly hard to get everything set up so the guests would be dry, and the ever-creative Sonia glammed up the plastic tenting with chandeliers. Plans for a next-door pre-ceremony cocktail party had to be rethought, as it was also to have taken place outdoors. Sonia and Philipp’s guests were instead welcomed into small area adjacent to the ceremony location, where they contented themselves with a very cozy shoulder-to-shoulder cocktail hour. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with getting cozy with cocktails, and everyone had a wonderful time despite the wet skies.

The always-divine Shawna Yamamoto created a look for the decor that perfectly reflected Sonia’s vision of vintage details with pops of color. Long wooden tables were topped with books, wooden letters, metal numbers, flowers enclosed by glass, floral arrangements, candles, bookends and other beautiful details. The cake table included vintage luggage and antique-style photo tags, along with desserts enclosed in glass (not to mention fabric birds atop the cake). Scenes from B&W old movies were projected on the Smog Shoppe’s movie screen throughout the reception, adding a stylish vibe to the entire affair. Eddie Zaratsian from Tic Tock Couture Florals provided a second bouquet for the lovely Miss Sonia . . . because who doesn’t love having two bouquets? The fantastically wonderful Jeannie Jeffries from Couture Beauty expertly handled Sonia’s hair and makeup, and graciously and generously came back to work her magic once again for our day-after session. Daniel Boswell at Imagique did a same-day edit that brought the house down. And the most rocktastic DJ I know — Ajay Manaktala from Special Occasions — spun just the right blend of tunes to keeps guests from Germany, India and America dancing until the wee small hours.

And did I mention the shoes? The shoes . . . the shoes! Shawna Yamamoto created shoes that I pronounce “Best Shoes of the Year,” and they will be the subject of the last post in this series on Sonia’s wedding. I don’t usually give awards for “best of” anything, but when you see these shoes, you will understand why they deserve that honor.

My first post from this wedding will be one of two image collections focused solely on decor. Be sure to check back on Wednesday for Part 2 of this five-part post from Sonia’s wedding . . . because you just know you’re dying to see what Sonia wore.

Venue: The Smog Shoppe
Floral Artistry: Shawna Yamamoto at Shawna Yamamoto Event Design
Hair & Makeup: Jeannie Jeffries at Couture Beauty
Cinematography: Daniel Boswell at Imagique
DJ Artistry: Ajay Manaktala at Special Occasions
Cake Artistry: Designs by Ruben

I’m actually heading off to Istanbul, Turkey, tomorrow (early Monday morning) to shoot Anaiza and Can’s wedding. Though I’ve been to 28 countries, I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Turkey, so I can’t wait to report back when I get home on the 31st (well, after I wake up from my jet-lag coma). I have so many more weddings and jobs to share with you all, and September will hopefully afford me the opportunity to get this blog whipped back into shape. Apologies for the quiet. It always seems to happen in the summertime, and I thank you for bearing with me.

And now, just a few things you might enjoy. So many more to come, but for now, but I hope you enjoy these.

The Wedding of Jeff Caplan & Heather Taylor

Venue: The Wynn, Las Vegas, Nevada

If you’re a wedding photographer (and I realize that not all of you are), you’re probably aware of the Digital Wedding Forum: The world’s largest online forum for wedding and portrait photographers. Founded by Jeff Caplan, the DWF is a godsend to those of us who toil alone (or semi-alone) on images, late into the evening. When your brain is full of weddings, you sometimes find that your friends don’t find you as interesting as you once were. Unless it’s your friends on DWF, who also have brains full of weddings. I’ve been a moderator for the DWF for many years now, and still visit the forum many times a week to help people, participate in discussions and to learn. I was delighted (and surprised) when Jeff called me just a few days before his wedding to say that their original plans had changed, and asking if I could hightail it to Las Vegas.

After my head exploded, I called the wonderful Christine Marie, who agreed to second shoot for me (on just three days’ notice), and to the 600 miles of driving that this job entailed. I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of the joy that Heather and Jeff take in one another. Reading their pre-wedding iPhone conversation was enough to bring a tear to a cynical eye. Tired though they were, Jeff and Heather rallied for a day-after session at the Wynn, the Encore and the Neon Boneyard. The uber-talented Alt-F (aka John Michael Cooper) and his fabulously talented wife Dalisa joined us to create some signature shots (which may or may not be on their blog right now), and Dalisa graciously arranged the shoot time for us with her peeps at the Boneyard. Watching those guys work just blows your mind. Jeff and Heather and Dalisa and John, I love all of you guys.

A Private Party, Beverly Hills

Design & Decor: Sonia Sharma at Sonia Sharma Events
Floral Artistry: Eddie Zaratsian at Tic Tock Couture Florals
Venue: The El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

And oh yes, the cake lights up.

Kristen & Vikrant

Venue: Samode Palace, Samode, India

These MIT grads met . . . at MIT. How easy was that story? Funnily enough, if memory serves, they actually had dorm rooms right next door to one another. Vikrant’s family lives in Delhi, so they chose the breathtaking Samode Palace (in Samode, about one hour from Jaipur) for their multi-day wedding. Highlights included an afternoon menhdi followed by a nighttime camel caravan to a desert oasis filled with tents and lit by fire pits and red uplighting. The wedding took place the next day, and featured one of the best baraats I’ve ever seen. Interestingly, the ceremony itself took place after the dinner (starting, I think, at around 11 p.m.).

We spent the next day doing a day-after session in the nearby village, and these two were game for anything. The villagers all ran out to watch, and one of the guys said that no one had ever brought a bride and groom out into the village before. If you got a copy of the American Photo Top 10 Wedding Photographers issue, that’s Kristen and Vikrant standing among the goats. I think you can still scroll down to see that photo. Kristen also surprised me when I asked if she’d be willing to lie down in the flowers on the ground . . . just as she was walking to watch the baraat. She said, “Sure!” and got right down on the ground. That’s my kind of bride. There’s so much more to write about this wedding, but I’ve got to go pack, so I’ll have to keep this on the short side. Kristen and Vikrant, thank you so much for including me in such a wonderful event.

Corey & Katie

Venue: The Hotel Figueroa

It is such a pleasure to shoot a good friend’s wedding. Corey (Corey Nickols Photography) is actually a fabulous photographer himself, so when he met “the girl,” I knew about it right away. Katie is a talented stuntwoman and she loves Corey so much. It was so fun to see a good friend fall in love, and take that leap of faith. I even knew about the proposal before it happened (at the Griffith Park Observatory), and oddly enough, I was the person who turned Corey on to the fabulous Hotel Figueroa. He took one look at their site, and said, “This is it.” And I said, “Corey, OK, but please don’t have your wedding on a holiday.” And he called back a few days later and said, “Hey! We’re having it on New Year’s Eve, and we want you to shoot it!” So much for a photographer’s life without holidays. I truly wish these guys a life full of blessings and joy.

With second shooting by the always wonderful Yoshi Morimoto (who gave up New Year’s Eve with his family to co-shoot this wedding with me). Did I mention that Yoshi’s adorable daughter is now two years old?

Sonia & Rahul

What can you say about Sonia and Rahul? These guys are just the nicest people in the world. Sonia has the teeniest, tiniest voice on the phone, but when you meet her in person, she sounds totally normal. Sonia sent me one of the nicest thank you letters I have probably ever received. I’d love to post it here, but I forgot to ask her if I could, and it’s now the middle of the night, so maybe I’ll ask her when I get back. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d tell you the cute story of how they got together. Maybe I’ll save that for when I get back, and do a big update. I loved this wedding, and the decor was off the hook. Enjoy.

Venue: The St. Regis, Monarch Beach
Coordination: Pinaki Kaleka and Raakhi Masani, Pink Rock Events
Floral Artistry: Arsine and the team at Shirvan Design
Hair & Makeup: Jeannie Jeffries and the team at Couture Beauty
DJ Rockitude: DJ Rishi P
Video: Robles Video
Lighting: Amber Event Production

American Photo Magazine’s Top 10 Wedding Photographers for 2011

Camille & Chadwick Bensler / Jonetsu Photography, Vancouver
Dina Douglass / Andrena Photography, Los Angeles, California
Greg Gibson / Greg Gibson Photography, Washington, D.C.
Jesse & Whitney Chamberlin / Our Labor of Love, Atlanta, Georgia
Jonas Peterson / Jonas Peterson, Brisbane, Australia
Marcus Bell / Studio Impressions, Brisbane, Australia
Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser / The Image is Found, San Diego, California
Parker Pfister / Parker Pfister, Asheville, North Carolina
Rocco Ancora / Rocco Ancora, Melbourne, Australia
Yervant / Yervant, Melbourne, Australia

Here’s the cover (on newsstands May 10th, but on Zinio now), the letter from the editor (explaining the selection process) along with a list of the advisory panel members, and my feature in the magazine. Congratulations to my clients Kristen and Tara, whose images were chosen for this piece. The editors asked me to provide 30 images for them to choose from, and they ended up choosing two images taken in India (in Udaipur and Samode, respectively), four years apart.

Congratulations to all my colleagues who are included on this list, and a huge thank you to all my wonderful clients, whose fabulous weddings and “photography first” mindsets have helped me create so many beautiful images. Also, a heartfelt thank you to Yoshi Morimoto, owner of YM Images, who seconds for me most of the time and is one of the best people I know.