I remember they very first time I ever thought to myself that I would love to photograph weddings. My fiancé Kristie said “Type in John Riedy dot com..I think he’s the best.” So I did. The rest is history. I used to think of wedding photography in the more traditional sense and it was the work of John Riedy that made the light go off in my head and see it as something truly vibrant and creative. As I began shooting weddings on my own, John’s website was high on my list of places to look for inspiration. At the time, John was working primarily out of Los Angeles and I didn’t imagine that we’d ever cross paths, but it was always in the back of my mind.

Fast forward to this summer. John and his family had moved back to San Diego and it turned out that John was looking for someone local to assist / second shoot with him. Holy Cow! I contacted John right away and he invited me over to talk about it. First of all, I was just really happy to meet John, period. Secondly, I was even happier when he offered me the opportunity to work with him. I just couldn’t believe my luck! There’s a long list of people who would jump at the chance, and I felt like I got to move to the very front of the line.

Sometimes photography can be a hyper-competetive, dog-eat-dog kind of business, but John has been just the opposite. He’s always been extremely generous with his knowledge and time, which has definitely changed how I shoot for the better. Much better. Aside from getting to know John and his family, another huge bonus has been the opportunity to travel to some awesome venues, be it a high-end resort in Palm Springs, or the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. My own busy calendar hasn’t always allowed me to work with John as much as I’d like, but I’m always really psyched when John calls me up to talk scheduling:)

I’ll share a few images that I shot while working with John recently. You may recognize the venue as the La Costa Resort.

I met Bella and her parents at a spot near Balboa Park in San Diego recently for a quick portrait session. We spent a little while just walking around the trees on the south side of the park, shooting along the way. Bella was such a fun kid to photograph! She has loads of character and charisma, so of course I wanted to share a few images of her on the blog. Her parents say they ‘might’ allow her to marry in 30 years or so, which means I’ll get to shoot her wedding someday….if I’m lucky.

Thanks to fellow wedding photographer Carrie McCluskey, I had the pleasure of photographing a rehearsal dinner party for San Diego Charger Center #61, Nick Hardwick, at the Sheraton Tower West, Harbor Island. The suite on the top floor is out of this world and the view is just awesome as you can see. Nick and his then-fiance’ Jayme were really down to Earth and I wish them all the best.

Check out the view!:

For a slightly larger view, you can click here.