The Adamson House in Malibu will fulfill all of your beach wedding dreams and offer privacy for you and your guests as well. The house was actually a private residence at one time but is now property of the California Parks & Recreation and is operated as a historical site. You can see from the first two pictures how unique, classy and well-preserved the property is . . .

By the way, these shots were taken using a photography technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging. Click on the following link to view an article I wrote about HDR photography for weddings.

The wedding is going to be in the shade of this MASSIVE sycamore tree on the right (which doesn’t look that massive using my 10.5 lens) . . .

The following images are from the wedding of Kiyoko and Chris Robbins. I felt very honored to photograph their BIG day as they have become special friends. Due to limited space I can only post a few pictures, but if you would like to see about 100 pictures from their day in a slideshow format click here. The room for the girls to get ready in is perfect for photography – lots of natural light coming in the windows, dark wood and mirrors (and it’s also right next to the swimming pool!). . .

Kiyoko is wearing a stunning designer gown by Pronovias . . .

Here’s our groom, Chris! Flowers on this day were created by Fleur-de-lis Floral Couture in Pasadena . . .

Here’s the guys in a pre-game prayer huddle. . .

Very proud Dad walking Kiyoko to the ceremony site . . .

Once again, the following ceremony picture (under the MASSIVE sycamore tree) was produced using a technique called HDR



I have to give props to my supercool Infrared Wedding Photography. Click on the link to view another one of my articles. There are not too many wedding photographers pulling this off . . .

As mentioned earlier, the Adamson House in Malibu is directly on the beach. It is literally walking steps to the sand . . .


I have to give a shout out to the VERY entertaining DJs of the evening – DJ EFFEX and DJ DAVE of Cool Sounds. They are based in Long Beach and regularly work throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties. I see new DJs almost every weekend and thes guys are definitely some of the best. Dave did a really fantastic job keeping the guests entertained through various games and Effex was GREAT at mixing the beats.

This wedding at the Adamson House in Malibu was photographed in September and the sun was shining until the early evening. I was able to shoot natural light for almost the entire reception using my favorite f1.4 lenses from Nikon! The pictures came out AWESOME. Best wishes to Kiyoko and Chris! Talk to you soon.

The only truly “natural” chapel in southern California is the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes. It is built on the principles of Organic Architecture and actually inspires peace as you walk around the premises. The chapel is built with nothing but wood, rock and glass and rises in the midst of redwood trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Getting pictures on the outside of Wayfarers Chapel is aslready a little tricky because it is entirely engulfed by redwood trees, but since this wedding was at night I couldn’t take outside shots anyway. There is NO light outside of the chapel except stars in the sky! The ceiling of the Wayfarers Chapel is a combination of glass panels and wood so the hope for a night time wedding is a starry night . . .


You can see how beautiful the Wayfarers Chapel In Rancho Palos Verdes is! No comparison. No flash required in this photojournalistic style . . .

Chris and Diane had NO problem spending time together in Laguna Beach for their engagement pictures. Their work schedules are so crazy they hardly see each other and so they were feeling extra romantic. . .





Believe it or not, when we first got to the beach it was raining! We waited about 15 minutes and then the skies opened up for a wonderful photo shoot . . .





Chris and Diane are getting married in 2009 overlooking the Pacific Ocean at beautiful Occasions in Laguna Beach.

Amber and Nathanael are one of the most ‘chill’ couples I have worked with. Amber wanted to take the engagement pictures somewhere ‘different’ (that is code for someplace that Hoffmann hasn’t worked yet) and she ended up choosing the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach! Exciting choice! They were nervous about photos, but it didn’t matter because they are so great with each other! . . .






The Montage Resort turned out to be a SUPER choice for the engagement pictures because of the great amount of backdrops and the choice of three beaches.



The tide was incredibly low and revealed all kinds of little sea creatures and really neat rock formations . . .


Look at these kiddos! . . .



What’s up Laguna Beach sunset!!! Yeah!!


Yeah, great job Amber and Nathanael! It wasn’t so tough. I am very excited to photograph your wedding next year at Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine! See you soon!

We are ALREADY back with little bubba Cameron! He is a very quiet and happy little fellow who has most recently learned to sit upright and also roll over sideways. . .


See how close Hoffmann can get with his 2.0 lens, hahaha . . .



Way to go Cameron!! You are a champion!!

Turnip Rose – Grand Newport Plaza
1901 Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 645-4050

Located at the Grand Newport Plaza in Costa Mesa the Turnip Rose has Spanish architecture, huge fountains, lots of palm trees, beautifuly manicured tropical gardens, wrought iron gates – in short, it is beautiful wedding venue . . . .

I was so excited to work for Laura and Jeff. I met Laura a couple years ago at a wedding in Cabo San Lucas and she was VERY excited to call and let me know about her own BIG day . . .

At the time of the wedding there was some construction going on next door to the Turnip Rose. It became a back drop for one of the guy sessions . . .

The wedding party out in front . . .

This is Laura’s Dad giving her away at the beginning of the ceremony . . .

I was fortunate to have two back-up photographers for the day (Gavin and Maolo). In the following two photos, you can see the ceremony site from opposite views . . . Pretty awesome! . . .



There is LOTS of great light inside the building for doing more bride/groom photos . .

Laura and Jeff practicing their first dance . . . I shot this from the third floor . . .

One of the groomsmen singing his rendition of a Frank Sinatra song . . .

For a classy feel with an outdoor courtyard ceremony in the Orange County area I highly recommend taking a look at Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa.

Jeanie and Andrew flew in from Arizona to visit their parents and accomplish ONE more check box in the wedding planner – the engagement pictures! The weather was a slight bit chilly, but we are talking Southern California chilly – 60 degrees? Winter here in Laguna Beach is so difficult, I wish I lived in Wisconsin. Anyhow, the clouds made for great even lighting and the sun even poked out at the end to give us a fantastic sunset. . .




If you are as impressed at Jeanie’s make-up as I was, the secret is Berit Digerud!


If you have a few minutes you can check out Jeanie’s enjoyable work at Tucson 12 TV. Very funny stuff!


I brought my wife to work as 2nd shooter – she performed SO well pulling in these next two amazing shots with th 15mm lens! So beautiful!! . . .


Jeanie and Andrew will be having their destination wedding next year at Occasions Laguna Village in Laguna Beach! I can’t wait!

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
21500 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California, USA 92648
714 698 1234

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church
2200 San Joaquin Hills Road
Newport Beach, CA. 92660
949-644-1341

Il Fornaio
18051 Von Karman Avenue
Irvine, CA 92612
949.261.1444

Carly and Chriss had us traversing the depths of Orange County for their awesome daytime wedding! Three venues, three cities, LOTS of fun! We started with the entire wedding party getting ready at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach (at 6:30 in the AM!! wha?). Carly wore a beautiful fitted dress designed by Monique Lhuillier . . .

AND just below that . . . a sweet pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes . . .

Chris is looking deluxe in the Red Chair Lounge at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach . . .

The wedding party came together for photos right after everyone got ready. . .

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach has GREAT looking architecture, is very clean and is a great photography location. Anytime of day you can find some nice looking shady areas to work in, and the sanctuary is FILLED with fantastic light . . .


This is right outside the sanctuary at 12:00pm, high sun . . .

The reception took place at Il Fornaio Restaurant of Irvine. I had a few extra minutes with the guys . . .

First dance . . .

Just after the cake (tiramasu) cutting . . .

This was a really fun day that finished up by 4pm. After party back at the Hyatt . . . see you there!
If you would like to watch a slideshow with over 100 pictures from their day you can click here.