2013 has been a very good year for R&R Photography.  We booked the most weddings and formal events since 2008, got to do a few destination weddings plus out of state clients who came to the Monterey Bay for weddings and engagements and customer referrals accounted for more than half of the weddings we booked.  In addition, our secret sauce of under promising and over delivering had paid great dividends from our past and existing clientele.  On behalf of R&R Photography, we would like to thank all our brides and grooms, parents and grandparents and all those included when deciding on a professional photographer.  In reflecting the success and challenges within this past year, I continue to smile at the moments in which I had the opportunity to take some amazing photographs.  The reaction and response has been overwhelming and secures my notion that following a dream is the best pursuit of happiness.  I am truly humbled by all the tears of happiness and joy that I came to see behind my lenses and cameras.

I truly love taking photographs for people and for myself.  I usually tell brides and grooms that many times I want the best wedding photographs more than them.  That definitely sets the tone on how important wedding photography is to me.  I have enjoyed waking up on the morning of a wedding and be excited.  As quirky as that sounds, dedicating my life's work to creating a series of wedding photographs has created more inner peace and solitude that benefits my mental health but moreover giving brides and grooms and their family and friends photographs that they can enjoy for a lifetime.  As I continue to evolve my skill set and style, I often review my portfolio and relive these emotions time and time again.

2014 will be a year of continued success and even bigger accomplishments on the horizon.  Some of my biggest aspirations will include having my wedding photographs be published in a magazine and to win a few wedding photography competitions all with my truest artistic form of wedding photojournalistic photography.  While this will take much perseverance and fortitude, I'm confident my skills and attributes will be in arms reach towards becoming a more revered professional wedding and portraiture photographer.  In addition, I plan on teaming up with other wedding vendors and to also make new friends with other established wedding photographers.  While I haven't had too much luck with other photographers wanting to talk shop, I'm sure there are other like-minded creatives who value learning from one another and sharing their experiences and life lessons.  R&R Photography will continue to serve the Monterey Bay area and stay the most exclusive event and portraiture photographers in 2014.

For booking inquiries, don't hesitate in emailing me at [email protected] or call me at 831-540-5087 for a faster response.  To view pricing and packages on our website, click here.

 Photographing birthday parties are always special to R&R Photography as it is another opportunity to take show our talents in telling a story.  We met Adela through a past bride who loved our wedding photography.  She loved it so much; she referred us to her niece earlier this year.  We always aim to please when it come to customer referrals as we know how important it is to do a great job when someone else passes our services along.  Adela is a great kid!  I got to know her from our times planning her quince.  She chose to be a vegan and we discussed the advantages of living a healthy lifestyle but also the urge to eat homemade Mexican cooking.  Adela also has a bright future ahead of her as she plans to study hard and move on to college outside of Salinas, California.  In all, this kid has a lot going for her and I’m so honored to take photographs of her 15^th birthday party.

A quinceanera is a special chapter for young women.  It’s the ritual of growing from a little girl to a woman.  A specific event within the quinceanera involves a father changing the birthday girl’s shoes from flats to high heels.  The symbolism of the changing of shoes is also the acceptance of her parents that comes with the responsibility of becoming a woman.  Adela fits this role to a T as I saw leadership qualities when she was practicing her dance routines with her entourage. 

Adela’s birthday started with getting ready at her house, i.e. makeup, putting on her birthday dress and spending time with family and friends.  We were then quickly headed to Cristo Rey Church in Salinas.  The mass included special prayers for the birthday girl and also shared with family and friends.  Immediately after the mass, Adela and her friends met with R&R Photography at a local park in Salinas.  We always enjoy shooting on location and sharing the beautiful landscapes of our home town.  After some formal photos with the entourage, we had some fun playing Red Rover but we also dated ourselves as these kids had to learn how to play the game. Lol.  It was a great moment to take memorable photographs of Adela and her friends.

Adela’s reception was filled with good food, family and friends and a photo booth from R&R Photography.  She danced for everyone and also had some thankful words for all those who came.  We thank Adela and her family for the opportunity to photograph such a wonderful event.  If you are looking for a professional event photographer, please don’t hesitate in contacting me at [email protected] or at 831-540-5087.  If you like to see more of our quince/cotillion portfolio you can check it out here as well. 

When introducing R&R Photography, many people may ask what R&R stands for.  “That’s easy, it’s for Randy and Ron or Ron and Randy, depending who you asking.”  Funny enough, that humor is what brought this high school friendship to close to 20 years now.  Ron and I have been close since high school with both living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1990s and then reuniting back home in Salinas.  While Ron my solid second shooter of the team, he definitely has enough experience to shoot on his own.  In addition, Ron enjoys taking photos that may be off beat as he tends to work with longer focal lengths and plays a more subtle role as a wedding photographer.  Feel free to reply to R&R Photography’s Twitter and Yelp accounts as he maintains those social networking channels.

Since 2010, R&R Photography has been looking for videographers that would work well with our style of photography and personalities.  While we never have any issues with other wedding videographers, like photography, each artist comes to a wedding with how they want to interpret the day’s events.  This past year, we were lucky enough to work with Steven Garza of Higher City Films.  Ron and I met Steven from a previous job we worked at and while Steven was reluctant to film weddings, he know that Ron and I were having fun with wedding photography and becoming more successful at it.  It wasn’t until 2012 that Steven took the leap into video wedding photography for a fellow friend and co-worker that needed his services from a fall out with his videographer.   R&R Photography   R&R Photography

Steven’s work has evolved since that first wedding and he continues to present an artistic approach towards wedding photography that may not always be apparent.  I’ve enjoyed working with him and watching how creative he can be with a video DSLR.  Since then, Steven has grown into his own team with High City Films enlisting his wife, Alyssa, at times but more with his cousin, Tommy who is the kid of the bunch.  Tommy has been fun to work with as he is considering studying photography in college.  I look forward to seeing what he has learned from hanging out with us and what he learns in a formal setting.

In all, I can’t ask for a better team to work with.  It’s always enjoyable to have friends working side by side.  I become more comfortable and confident knowing there is a strong supporting cast of creative that continually pushes boundaries within photography and themselves.  This inspires me to be even more different and to shoot weddings within my own freedom.  As a result comes beautiful photo journalistic wedding photographs that our clients can enjoy for a lifetime. R&R Photography