red lantern photography blog - palm springs wedding photographers

Anne & Jeremy - Oak Meadows Temecula

Donna Kwok — Tue Aug 19 16:41:00 -0700 2008

Anne and Jeremy were married at Oak Meadows Lake of Dreams in Temecula. The day was coordinated by the fabulous team at Celebrations by Diana. The wedding colors were chocolate brown accented with warm golds, oranges, corals and reds.
Anne and Jeremy got ready for their big day at South Coast Winery Resort and Spa, just a couple miles from Oak Meadows, in the Temecula wine country. Temecula offers quite a few winery locations to choose from. This was not our first wedding in Temecula. A couple years ago, we shot a wedding at Falkner Winery, which is located on a hill with a beautiful view of the Temecula countryside. The following year, we photographed a wedding at Villa de Amore, a private home that is available for special events. Villa de Amore is not a winery, but it is surrounded by vineyards from neighboring properties. Click on the thumbnails below to view additional images from Anne and Jeremy's wedding. Our best wishes to the newly-married couple!

Pam + Allen: Coffee-Table Album Design

Donna Kwok — Thu Aug 14 16:53:00 -0700 2008

Pam and Allen were married at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Some of you may recall that their beautiful wedding was featured on our blog last year.

Their wedding has been documented in a coffee-table style album with custom-designed cover and matching dust jacket. The feel of their wedding was modern, vibrant and chic. I tried to reflect that ambience in my design of their album. For Red Lantern couples, each image that goes into the album receives additional enhancement in Photoshop. No two albums are the same; I let the photos "speak" to me when I design a couple's album. I also take into account the theme of the wedding and the personalities of the couple so that every album is truly unique to them.

This album is protected by a black slip case. The slip case is imprinted in silver with the words, "love ~ laughter ~ forever," words that aptly describe Pam's and Allen's approach to life together. Below are a few more details from their album. Pro photographers, if you are interested in providing modern album designs like this to your couples, please visit AlbumDiva.com.

Zach's Baptism: Rancho Mirage

Donna Kwok — Fri Aug 08 12:19:00 -0700 2008

Melinda and Aaron live here in the Coachella Valley, and we first met them last year for a maternity session at their home. You can see a few images from that session if you visit our July 2007 blog page. We think Melinda looked so adorable with her cowboy hat! She was about eight months pregnant with Zach when those photos were taken. This year, we were honored to shoot Zach's baptism. Zach is too precious for words. He has a ready smile and an easy-going personality. He was a real trooper the day of the baptism -- not fussy at all.
The baptism was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rancho Mirage. Eight other children were baptized along with Zach that day. The priest was warm and genial, and his words created a welcoming atmosphere to all who attended.
After the baptism, Melinda, Aaron, Zach and their families enjoyed breakfast at the BluEmber Restaurant at Rancho Las Palmas Resort. A tasty buffet offered cooked-to-order dishes, a variety of fruits and cereals, pastries and other delectable breakfast foods. They held their celebration in the private Wine Room at BluEmber, where they were surrounded by an array of wines on one wall and framed black-and-white photos of desert-native succulents on the other walls. Our best wishes to Melinda, Aaron and Zach! We are privileged to have documented his baptism!

More Photos from Zach's Baptism

Donna Kwok — Fri Aug 08 12:06:00 -0700 2008

More Photos from Zach's Baptism

Feist's "1, 2, 3, 4" a la Sesame Street

Donna Kwok — Fri Jul 25 18:32:00 -0700 2008

I happened to come across this video on YouTube and I thought it was too cute not to share. We are fans of Feist and are using one of her songs ("Mushaboom") on our website. She has rewritten the lyrics to teach children how to count to four, and it's quite charming how she interacts with Sesame Street characters. Feist looks like she is having the time of her life in the video with the Muppets who back her up and dance along! If the song in this video sounds familiar, but you can't place where you've heard its original form, the song was featured in an iPod Nano commercial. Enjoy!

Breakfast at The Parker Palm Springs

Donna Kwok — Fri Jul 18 16:34:00 -0700 2008

After a recent early-morning (7:30 AM!) portrait session in Palm Springs, Nader and I were quite famished. Since we were in the area and were in the mood for a treat, we decided to stop at Norma's, the chic little eatery at The Parker Palm Springs. The Parker is a popular location for local and destination couples interested in having their wedding or commitment ceremony take place amidst an eclectic yet elegant backdrop.
Norma's starts off their guests' meals with a complimentary shot glass of their daily smoothie. Our smoothie had strawberries, raspberries, bananas and apple juice blended together. Yum! Nader liked it so much, he ordered a full glass. It was a refreshing beverage for this summer morning.
These adorable salt and pepper shakers designed by Jonathan Adler perch upon each table. The first time I saw these, I thought they would make a charming and stylish gift for a bridal shower or housewarming.
I ordered the scrambled egg and bacon breakfast quesadilla. I will admit that I absolutely love bacon! Plus, it was served with guacamole, and that's another sure-fire favorite of mine. The portion was quite substantial. A slim, curved tortilla strip topped my dish with the grace of a swan's neck.
Nader ordered the potato pancakes, which are based on the recipe of culinary icon James Beard. I also love anything potato-related! Luckily, for me, Nader is always willing to share his dishes with me. :) The potato pancakes were topped with a crunchy tangle of potato strings and served with a tart cranberry apple sauce and a sweet carrot payasam. I've never heard of payasam; from what I found on the internet, it has many variations, but it's a type of South Asian rice pudding. The sweet carrot payasam was heaped into a cored red delicious apple. We were quite full after our meal, and being at The Parker for breakfast was a welcome respite from our usual routine. It felt like a mini-getaway for us just being amongst the diverse visitors who are enjoying their own vacations in Palm Springs at The Parker.

Album Diva: Digital, Flush-Mount Album Designs for the Busy Photographer

Donna Kwok — Thu Jul 03 14:12:00 -0700 2008

Just in time for Independence Day! Professional photographers: declare your independence by outsourcing your album design work. Album Diva is now available to help free yourself from the album designs that have been weighing you down. Or maybe you've been wanting to offer flush-mount or coffee-table style albums to your couples, but you weren't sure if you had the time to design them. Album Diva is happy to help you reduce your workload so you can concentrate on growing your business, marketing your brand and spending more time with your family and friends. Album Diva is owned by Donna Kwok and is a separate entity from Red Lantern Photography. Logo design by Dio Selina Custom Designs.

Arrangements Floral Tablescape at A Splendid Affaire

Donna Kwok — Tue Jun 24 17:34:00 -0700 2008

This past spring, we participated in an event sponsored by the City of Palm Desert and Palm Springs Life Magazine, called A Spendid Affaire (see earlier blog entry). The focus of the event was to showcase table top designs by some of the area's top designers in a three-day competition.
The images you see here are stunning designs created by Arrangements Floral and Party Designs in Palm Desert. The centerpieces are manzanita branches; I love these branches for the organic and sculptural feel they create in the tablescape. A myriad of roses, various orchids, moss and tear-drop crystals form a profusion of color and sparkle in a palette of fuchsia, coral and apple green with accents of tangerine. Arrangements Floral is owned and run by the Salomon family. Ramon, his daughter Luna and the Arrangements Floral team can bring your most vivid dreams to life for your special event. Be sure to check out more of their work at their website.

More Images of Arrangements Floral Tablescape

Donna Kwok — Tue Jun 24 11:39:00 -0700 2008

More Images of Arrangements Floral Tablescape

What is Color Correction: A Brief Explanation

Donna Kwok — Mon Jun 02 18:38:00 -0700 2008

Generally speaking, images don't come out of the camera exactly the way we envisioned them when they were captured. For example, an image may appear a little flat, under- or overexposed, contain a blue color cast, etc. Simply put, color correction means making an image look more pleasing to the eye. A more technical definition of the term would state that color correction involves adjusting the color temperature of an image to correct for the overall quality of light.

At Red Lantern Photography, a color-corrected image means that it has been adjusted for color, exposure, saturation and contrast. The best way to show the difference between a color-corrected image and one that is not, is by example. We have included a few "before and after" samples within this blog post in hopes of giving you a better sense of why the work we put into our color-corrected images is worthwhile. Images you see on our website and blog are color corrected, as are the images used in our client albums and prints. Be sure to click on each image to view a larger version.

Mary & Nathan: Cree Estate

Donna Kwok — Wed May 28 02:15:00 -0700 2008

Mary and Nathan were married at the Cree Estate in Cathedral City this past weekend on a beautiful spring day in the desert. The Cree Estate is a historic private estate with former clients such as Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Christina Applegate. It boasts one of the largest pools in the Coachella Valley and has ample event space to entertain up to 200 guests comfortably. The estate provides a natural flow of progression from the ceremony location on the Wishing Well lawn to the poolside cocktail hour and then to the large lawn where the reception takes place.
Mary and Nathan enlisted the services of April Seuss from The Events Department to coordinate their wedding weekend at the Cree Estate. Mary wanted a simple, clean look to her reception decor, and she chose floating candles in glass vases to achieve that elegant minimalism for her centerpieces. The reception site was lined with large white lanterns on bamboo poles, and these glowing globes really set the mood for a special time. Guests' escort cards were attached to sparklers, which were lit for the couple's spectacular grand entrance. A tasty buffet catered by Jordan's Creative Catering offered tri-tip, pork ribs, barbequed chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, salad and baked beans, making a very satisfying dinner for all. DJ THC Electra, aka Mike Bocek, provided a variety of great music for the crowd. It was a beautiful event, and we thank Mary and Nathan for inviting Red Lantern to document their wedding.
DETAILS (all links open in a new window)
Venue: Cree Estate
Coordinator: April Seuss, The Events Department
Catering: Jeff Kaufman, Jordan's Creative Catering Concepts
Music: Mike Bocek, DJ THC Electra
Flowers: Mary Cass, Jensen's Florist
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Lighting: The Events Department
Below are additional images from Mary and Nathan's wedding taken by Red Lantern Principal Photographer Nader Coobtee and Second Photographer Kayla Savu. Be sure to click on each image to view the larger version.

Mary & Nathan: Cree Estate Wedding

Donna Kwok — Wed May 28 02:00:00 -0700 2008

Mary & Nathan: Cree Estate Wedding

Casey & Phil: Rancho La Quinta Country Club

Donna Kwok — Mon May 19 14:47:00 -0700 2008

Casey and Phil were married at Rancho La Quinta this past weekend under sunny blue skies. Casey and Phil flew down from San Francisco for their destination wedding last week. They made their wedding a multi-day event, starting on Thursday with a beautiful rehearsal dinner at Canyons Fine Dining at BigHorn Golf Club. Canyons has a spectacular view of the Coachella Valley; a large lawn area for plenty of guests to enjoy; and friendly, attentive service, led by Canyons' Director of Operations Tom Emison. On Friday evening, they hosted a casual poolside get-together for all their guests at the Hacienda Suite at La Quinta Resort. Celebrations of Joy's Cathy O'Connell and Dorry Wynham designed the color scheme and style for Casey and Phil's wedding. Working from their design theme, Joey Lizotte at Artisan created the centerpieces, bouquets, personal flowers and chocolate suede-covered ceremony "arch." The colors were snappy, modern and vibrant in shades of chartreuse, white and fuchsia. Kermit mums, orchids, white roses, hydrangea and curly willow were just a few of the flowers that embellished Casey and Phil's day. Guests were served refreshing lemonade, iced tea, Arnold Palmers (half iced tea, half lemonade) and water as they arrived for the ceremony, which was held on the front lawn of the clubhouse. The reception was held on the patio, overlooking the golf course and the spectacular mountains. A delicious dinner buffet included roast beef and pork; chilled shrimp and crab legs; cajun shrimp with remoulade sauce; a mashed potato bar with eight sauces and toppings; and caesar salad or iceberg wedge lettuce salad. Under the stars, the eight-piece James Gang Encore band from West Coast Music kept the crowd on their feet all night. The band also played during the ceremony and cocktail hour as a quartet. The evening ended in the wee hours of the morning back at La Quinta Resort. It was a magical day, and we are honored to have been a part of Casey and Phil's wedding.

DETAILS (all links open in a new window)
Venue: Rancho La Quinta Country Club
Wedding & Event Designers: Cathy O'Connell & Dorry Wynham, Celebrations of Joy
Flowers: Joey Lizotte, Artisan Event Floral and Decor
Cake: Samantha Ward, Exquisite Desserts
Hair & Makeup: John and Neeraja at Loran Loran, Rancho Mirage
Videography: Jon and Caroline Ruffridge, Epoch Productions
Band: James Gang Encore, West Coast Music
Invitations & Printed Collateral: Ashley Ruback, Point3Invitations
Rehearsal Dinner: Canyons Fine Dining at BigHorn Golf Club

Below are additional images from Casey and Phil's wedding taken by Red Lantern Principal Photographer Nader Coobtee.

Casey & Phil: Rancho La Quinta Wedding

Donna Kwok — Mon May 19 10:48:00 -0700 2008

Casey & Phil: Rancho La Quinta Wedding

Decadent Sprinkles Cupcakes

Donna Kwok — Fri May 02 21:02:00 -0700 2008

Decadent Sprinkles Cupcakes http://redlanternphoto.bigfolioblog.com/weblog/post/40495