ISES Gala Photo Contest

Here is the picture I submitted for competition at the ISES Gala which will be held on June 6, 2011

My event was the wedding of Joshua and Lena Toti in San Palo, California on October 22 of 2010.  This was definitely not comparable to your typical North Jersey wedding.  Josh is Samoan and Lena is from Hawaii.  This traditional Samoan wedding was marked by colorful Samoan garments and traditional dances from the islands.   For example, one dance that is called in Samoan “Taualuga” - is the traditional dance for the bride.   After the bride begins on the center of the dance floor, the groom enters and dances with his bride.  At one point the bride, as sign of submission, steps on her husband as he mimics swimming on the floor. At this point, his best friends enter the floor and dance with him around his bride.  The groom and his friends are dressed in traditional male Samoan waist wraps as would be worn by Samoan warriors and are dancing to powerful traditional Samoan music.  The mood for the event was festive throughout.  The entire event was colorful, joyful and memorable. 

I had numerous conversations with Josh & Lena before their wedding. Therefore, I knew what they were looking for in regards to their wedding pictures.  I was able to ascertain their likes and their dislikes.  I focused on making them happy and relaxed throughout the day, while at the same time maintaining enough control of he flow so that special moments did not go by unrecorded.  When I found out that we had only one hour between the ceremony and the reception, I spent the day before the wedding scouting out ideal locations where the formal pictures could be taken.  In order to better accomplish my objectives, I then came up with a strategy and time line that allowed beautiful formal pictures to be taken without a rushed atmosphere and an aura of stress.  Several of Josh and Lena’s favorite pictures were from that formal session.

I was able to capture the passion and romance of the day without being intrusive upon the couple.  Samoans by nature are very, very laid back.  Their pace is definitely not that of a bride and groom from the tri-state area.  This required me to make serious adjustments in order to adapt to their pace.  Working within those parameters, I was still able to live up to my contract and get the key shots I needed.  I was able to provide Josh and Lena with a collection of memories they loved which will last a lifetime.