Melissa and Chris along with the MotB Arlene put together the most wonderful wedding. Azul Beach has a small and beautiful beach, with bright green waters. Amazing taste and full of very emotional moments. The father of the bride, a tough Broncos fan, just couldn’t hold back the tears a couple of times. At reception time I had some competition as usual and the lighting help me snap some nice shots. We had some Day After fun with photos on the beach and just a bit of TTD. This time I had the pleasure of working along Ricardo Arellano and his amazing skills, thanks man!

Seems like it’s award season 3 of my photos were awarded in the recent ISPWP contest! I’m very happy:

I’m so very happy! 4 of my photos received awards in the recent 1st Season Contest of Fotografos de America, earning me first place in the contest. Thanks to all involved, including my lovely clients and  the judges ]]> http://samuellunablog.com/accolades/accolades-fotografos-de-america-1st-season-contest/feed/ 0 http://samuellunablog.com/weddings/christine-john-valentin-imperial-riviera-maya/ http://samuellunablog.com/weddings/christine-john-valentin-imperial-riviera-maya/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:45:37 +0000 Sam http://samuellunablog.com/?p=692 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Christine and John… what a wonderful wedding this was! They got married at the incredible Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya, huge resort just some miles from Playa Del Carmen. She had the amazing coordination powers of Ariadna Cardoso, and her make up was done by no other than Fer Fuentes from The Make Up Pros. Ceremony at the gazebo, reception indoors, love all around… We had a relaxed second photo shoot some days later, in a small fishermen village of the area. Enjoy ]]> http://samuellunablog.com/weddings/christine-john-valentin-imperial-riviera-maya/feed/ 2 http://samuellunablog.com/weddings/brigitte-matt-valentin-imperial-riviera-maya/ http://samuellunablog.com/weddings/brigitte-matt-valentin-imperial-riviera-maya/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 02:48:50 +0000 Sam http://samuellunablog.com/?p=468 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Bridge and Matt got married at Valentin Riviera Maya, huge and beautiful resort just minutes north from Playa del Carmen, amazing place and terrific wedding coordination staff. Just look at Brigitte eyes… Matt is a firefighter, together they make an all-around adventurer and fun couple! This wedding had everything, amazing getting ready moments, a heartfelt gazebo ceremony, crazy reception dinner and day after session. For this wedding I had the honor and pleassure to work along my friend César Rioja, he delivered amazing shots. Here are the photos:

Ceiba del Mar is an intimate, beautiful quaint resort located in Puerto Morelos, just some minutes south from the Cancun airport, I have had the pleasure of working there several times before, and they have always been very kind and helpful. Lisa and Jason’s families are so diverse and funny, they even have a bit of a latin touch, which I love. They put together a beautiful ceremony and reception, but we didn’t had much time for portraits, so we decided to do a day after session, drove to downtown Puerto Morelos and hit the pier. I specially loved Lisa’s natural hair style for those pictures. Here they are:

I’ve been asked several times how I got into wedding photography, by friends and clients alike. I started just as many wedding photographers start, with a small inner voice while looking at a beautiful photograph, a voice that says: “I wish I was able to do that kind of thing…”, and then: “I bet I can do that…”. That small spark slowly grew into an unstoppable passion for photography. I purchased a small point-and-shoot camera, then a small amateur-like digital SLR, then my first pro camera. I suddenly found myself surrounded by photo gear and magazines and books. I shot several subjects, and tried several fields of photography, travel, street, product, sports. Then I was asked by a friend to photograph their wedding. Then other friend asked. And on one of those firsts weddings I took this image, one of those shots (of rare occurrence for me at that time) when everything is right, the light, the moment, the framing, the feeling. Several weeks later, while looking at it, that inner voice I told you about lines above said: “This is my thing”. The voice was right.

Dreams Tulum is a beautiful resort, and their wedding staff is one of the most professional and hard working in the area, in case you’re looking for a venue to get married in (hint, hint). Nicole and Jonathan chose DT and they were blessed with amazing blue skies, and a warm evening. These two are one of the sweetest couples I have ever had the pleassure to work with, can you tell by the photos that she’s a natural model? The day begun with the getting ready time, and since her bridemaids were her sisters, this time was very intimate and heartfelt.

The one-stop blog for all stylish-wedding related is SMP, which is why i’m so happy to be featured there! Lisa’s fabulous taste combined with the amazing skills of Denise Courtney in the wedding planning department made this wedding so beautiful. Visit here: Lisa and Jason’s Wedding.