Victor Sizemore's Blog

Fred and I drove from Dublin which is on the central eastside of Ireland to the southwest side to a town called Dingle. We made several stops on our way. We had breakfast in Killdare, Agape Cafe had a great bowl of cauliflower and cheese soup. It came with a great side of fresh whole grain potato bread and Irish butter! Then we made a quick stop in Tralee, where the wedding is going to be held and checked into the hotel before heading over Connor Pass. The drive there was absolutely stunning. It happen to be the first sunshine and blue skies we’ve seen on the trip as well. The pass was windy and narrow one lane stretches with words printed on the road, “GO MALL”. In Irish that means, “GO SLOW and sort it amongst yourselves!” I was used to the roads growing up in the Appalachian part of Kentucky. However, driving on the left side of the road, steering column on the right side of the car and gear shifting with the left hand, that was an entirely different matter… Check out a few of the shots, enjoy!

We spent a total of about a day and a half in Dublin but with really strange hours recovering from the jet lag and timeliness of our travel. The first day we just meandered around Trinity College, Graffen Street and Temple Bar. We had fish and chips a couple pints of Guinness and called it a night after some live music. The next day we got series! We got an early start with packing up and checking out of the college dorms. Fred had a portrait shoot and I decided to do a little Temple Bar, bar project which you see below. After the shoots we found a phenomenal lunch spot which to date has been our cheapest and best meal! Gurel was the bomb! I had a chorizo (the European Chorizo is a thick sliced sausage like pepperoni), roasted red pepper, apricot, and parmesan cheese in the form a square pizza slice which was all baked on top of homemade focaccia bread. Then we did a bit of shopping and headed over to St. James Gate where the Guinness Brewery resides. We did the tour and learned a lot of great and interesting things about the beer and the founder Arthur Guinness. At the end we had a lesson and got pour our own pint! For dinner we sought out the oldest pub in Ireland called Brazen Head, founded in 1198. The service wasn’t that great but it had an amazing ambiance.

It was a long travel day yesterday with changing planes at JFK and delays to Dublin. Not to mention I over slept at home and barley made the first flight. I woke up at 6:15AM for my 8:35AM flight, I live at least an hour from LAX. I wasn’t like I just jump out of bed and took off either. Rach and I brushed our teeth (wait did I?), transfered two car seats to my car, fixed milks, grabbed movies, and carried four sleeping kids to the car. Then we could go! Anyway, when Fred and I arrived in Dublin it took him forever to get his luggage. He just had to bring a steamer, a flat iron, and everything else… I just carried my bags on like a good little traveler! We got the car from Hertz and it was a standard shift with the steering column on the right side, which means we are driving on the left side of the street. At least the first 20 minutes of driving I was constantly drifting to the left… We finally made it to the city center and to Trinity College where I lined up to stay in a double occupancy dorm room. We apparently that means two people in one double bed over here. So Fred and I had to take a jet lag nag in one bed. We did sleep on opposite ends…

Currently it’s 10:20PM in Dublin and we are making a quick stop at the Internet cafe and then on to have a pint in Temple Bar! Talk to you tomorrow… vcs

Last week I flew to New York City to meet and photograph two clients that recently booked weddings. I did a Skype consultation with Livea and Carl while they were in England wrapping up the details for their wedding that takes place in Dorset in September. Then they referred me to Paula and Eamonn who are getting married in Ireland a week before. Crazy! They are both fun couples and it was great spending some time with them in NYC. I’m looking forward to their unique weddings. Here are some of my favorites…

We had an awesome wedding with Rahela and Shazad! They got married at Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, I actually walked away with all my gear too! Whoo… The wedding was so colorful and had some much cultural personality. Rahela’s dress and details were amazing! She got a major workout with the dress between the weight and me making her walk all over the place. Terri from Bellisimo Events keep me fed and in line all day! Enjoy…

Sue and David got married at Hotel Bel Air which is tucked away in the quiet neighborhood of Bel Air which is located just above UCLA. There were several celebrity sighting throughout the day and Penélope Cruz even said hello to me. Besides I was shooting in an area that was considered off-limits, I got in trouble and I guess that’s why…

Sue was absolutely stunning! I loved every detail; her gown, the vintage accessories and the Fendi shoes. We also had some great vendors including: Kelley Gin from Picture Perfect Events, Paper Tape Films, Empty Vase, Cabaretro and more… Here are a bunch of my favorites from the day, enjoy!

Candi and Chris had their wedding at The Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach. We had a beautiful day with a lot of great things to shoot. The bridal party was a lot of fun too. Most of Chris’ groomsmen were in the Army and he and couple of them are Rangers. I felt pretty safe around those dudes! One of the best-men sang the first dance song and did an awesome job. 

Jamie and Scott at their ceremony in Dana Point at St. Edwards and the reception at Talega Golf Club in San Clemente. It was definitely one of the most unique and fun bridal parties that I’ve experienced. All the guys are Kiwis from New Zealand and they were crazy! They even performed the Haka during the reception. It was awesome, it gave me chills. I was ready to run through a wall, it pumped me up just like before a game. DJ Peter Merry kept the laughs and dancing rolling all night. Check out some of the photos below…

Here’s a hidden little gem at Telaga!

The HAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!