San Diego Wedding Photographer | Evan Bishop Photography | Southern California & Destination Wedding Photojournalist » Evan Bishop Photography is a Southern California wedding photographer based in San Diego. Specializing in wedding photojournalism and destination events.

Laura and Zsombor are planning their wedding on the beach in Oceanside, California, so when we were talking about where they would like to do their engagement sessions they wanted to avoid the beach.  I thought, as I think Laura did that given Zsombor is an architect they would want to include some San Diego skyline, or perhaps some of the architecture at Balboa Park.  But no, Zsombor told Laura he wanted to shoot outside, someplace like Julian.  Maybe that’s because Laura’s an archeologist and he wanted her to be comfortable since she spends her days digging in the dirt avoiding snakes, scorpions and un-exploded ordinance from an old army bombing range.

Although there’s not the amazing apple pie that Julian is noted for at Mission Trails Park in San Diego, there’s plenty of beautiful tall grass, old split rail fences and open trails to wander with rolling hills in the background.  So we packed a picnic and hit the trails.  Check out a few of the images from their engagement shoot below.  You can also view more on my facebook page.

Oh! And word to the wise … when it says “Gates close at 7:00pm” what they mean is, “Gates close at 7:00pm, and you and your car will be locked in!” I don’t know how I didn’t understand that.  We did manage to get let out at about 7:40pm.

I absolutely love shooting Day after Sessions and Trash the Dress photoshoots.  Why? Well … lots of reasons.  For me it’s a great opportunity to get a bit more creative with portraits than I often have the time for on a wedding day without the worry of the dress getting dirty, or hair getting messed up before the ceremony or even the reception.  Day after sessions, are a great opportunity to not only pick the location that we’ll do the shoot, but to pick the time of day without any concerns about where the bride and groom need to be next.

No matter how much time we have together on a wedding day, I know there are other thoughts going through my couple’s head than just being together.  On Trash the Dress sessions we get to be completely creative without any concern about what’s going to happen to the dress next.

Want to get in the ocean? SURE!

So what exactly is a Trash the Dress and how is it different from a Day after Session? Well, first, let me say that I’ve never done a Trash the Dress session with the sole intent to destroy a wedding gown.  If the dress gets in the ocean, or mud fine, but to me, Trash the Dress is really more about not being concerned about how the dress looks after the photoshoot than actually intending to wreck it.  Day after sessions tend to be a little less dramatic with what a couple or bride is willing to do.  Laying down in the grass … sure.  Laying down in the sand … possibly.  It really may be more a matter of semantics though as I think lots of couples would love to have the opportunity to shoot more portraits than time allows on a wedding day, but don’t like the idea of actually trashing the dress.

But these are all my thoughts so I decided I would ask a few couples that I’ve worked with in the past on Trash the Dress and Day After sessions what made them decide to do one of these shoots, and what their thoughts were after the fact.  You can view galleries of their images to see more examples from their photoshoots, as well as see a video that was shot during one of my trash the dress sessions below.  Feel free to leave comments or any questions that we didn’t answer too!

If you’re considering a Trash the Dress session or Day, Anniversary or any other excuse to get back into your wedding gown and have a blast drop me an email, or contact me through the ‘Connect’ link above!

Did you do more of a Trash the Dress, or Day After session?

Melissa: We did more of a day after session, with the thought being unique places where you wouldn’t normally see a wedding dress. We didn’t care about getting it dirty, but it was more about getting interesting shots of the two of us than trashing the dress. We just wanted a relaxed photo shoot with a casual background in our wedding attire.

Josel:  My intention for the gown was to get it a little dirty. I wanted to get it cleaned afterwards so that I could have my dress as a keepsake. Halfway through the photo shoot, I realized that having a great picture that captured me in the dress was worth far more than keeping it clean. I suddenly had the urge to dirty it up a bit by laying in bed of sea algae. So although I started out with the intention of a simple Day After session, we ended up doing what most people would call a Trash the Dress.

Jenni:  My intention was to get some fun shots without any care in the world about what my dress would look like afterwards.  If it’s clean, fine but if it got completely ruined I would have been fine with that as well.

Was this truly a day after or was done as a celebration? Anniversary, etc.

Jenni: I decided to trash my dress five years and two kids after my wedding day when I realized I still  fit in it and it was just taking up space in my closet.  I was married in Germany and was disappointed in my wedding photographs so there was the extra incentive to get really fun creative images with the dress.

Rachel: My husband and I did our Trash the Dress session for our first year anniversary.

Melissa: It was literally the day after our wedding.  I grew up in San Diego, but live now in Arizona, so shooting the day after our wedding gave us the opportunity to both have more time in Balboa Park as well as get to Coronado Island to do some portraits on the beach and by the ocean.

What was the main reason you wanted to do a Trash the Dress or Day After session?

Melissa: For one thing, we only had one hour between the ceremony and rehearsal with the sunset. So we knew we would be rushed. And we wanted more than the traditional formal portraits. We wanted architecture, the beach, and interesting shots for us to remember. Plus we knew we would be more relaxed and could have fun.

Rachel: After stumbling across the ‘trash the dress’ idea while wedding planning, I was intrigued and determined to do it, however, I was nervous about ruining my perfect dress. my wedding day came and went and I had my dress cleaned and stored away. as my 1 year anniversary approached, I remembered that I had wanted to trash my dress. I started researching pictures and found that there were different extremes of trashing the dress. I could either decide to not ruin it at all by just posing in a weird funky place or kill it by jumping in the ocean. I soon realized that I didnt want my dress to gather dust in the closet and decided it should go out with a bang! I freaked out initially when I had sand thrown all over me, but then I relished the excitement of making great lasting photos with it.

Josel: Our wedding was destination wedding in San Diego and we only had a few days there after our wedding day. It was important for us to capture all the beautiful scenery and ambiance San Diego had to offer. We decided to take a few hours out of our “mini-honeymoon” to do the photo shoot. We wanted to take advantage of the beach which we did not have enough time to visit on the actual wedding day. It would have also been hard to coordinate the entire bridal party before the reception. Our makeup and hair would have been ruined and I did not want everyone to feel uncomfortable during the reception so doing a day after session made total sense to us to allow us to enjoy our wedding day and still get the more creative shots that we hoped to get while in San Diego.

How did the TTD/DAS differ from your wedding portraits?

Josel: Before my wedding I debated on whether to wear my hair up or down for my wedding day. The day after session gave me the opportunity to wear my hair both ways!  During the day after session, I was able to connect even more so with my new husband. We did not have any alone time during our wedding day and it was nice to be in our own little world together the next day.  I think the day after session photographs looked more relaxed and laid back. First of all, I was barefoot. Secondly, my husband was wearing khaki pants, a white shirt and flip flops. It gave our pictures a very San Diego feel, which we loved!

Jenni: In every way! From the location to the weather; my husband wasn’t in the Trash the Dress session, oh! and I went swimming in my dress which obviously was not something I did  on my wedding day!

What was your favorite part of the Trash the Dress session?

Melissa: Evan had us crawl in this massive tree trunk and lay down in the leaves. It was really beautiful in a non perfect way. Everyone raves about the contrast between the wooded setting and the dress. It’s so unexpected, we loved how we knew everything we were doing was going to generate a buzz. And each picture could hang on our wall rather than a stuffy posed picture. Evan had a great vision for how to bring our ideas to life.

Josel: I enjoyed getting dolled up and wearing my dress again. I also enjoyed feeling like a supermodel the whole time!

Jenni: I loved doing something I don’t get to do everyday and something that was just for my benefit.  It was a lot of fun! Also, since I’m a photographer myself it was great to work with another photographer who’s work I respect.

Did you try to have your dress cleaned after your TTD/DAS?  Did it get cleaned?

Jenni: I let my dress sit for over a week before trying to wash it.  At that time the dirt stains had settled in.  Most of the dirt and stains came out but not all of them.  If I had cleaned it right away, it probably would have come completely clean, but I really didn’t care as I didn’t plan or expect to wear it again.

Melissa: My dress was already ripped in 3 places from the reception and with the combo of laying in the trees and walking in the tide the dress was toast. but I got some great wear out of it and now it will  be a dress up dress for my kids.

Rachel: I took a shower with it when I got home, dried it, then shook out the sand. I did not try to have it cleaned again. It looks a little sandy now, but its fine for wearing for my husband on our anniversaries.

Josel: After walking on the beach and laying in a bed of slimy green sea algae, my dress had noticeable stains on it. My mother insisted on getting it cleaned so she hand washed it first, then got it dry-cleaned. All the stains came out and now it looks brand new!

Would you do it again? Is there anything you would do differently?

Josel: I would absolutely do it again! It was extremely fun and I felt like a real model. Because Pete and Evan were so enthusiastic about photographing us and took the time to get that perfect shot, it made us feel comfortable. To me, it didn’t matter if my hair was messing up, or if my dress was getting dirty. I was able to feel more at ease and sexy during the photoshoot since I was not worried about ruining my makeup, hair and dress.

In addition to getting incredible images, being on the beach at sunset with my new husband was very romantic and created even more memorable moments. We were able to enjoy each other’s company in a beautiful setting and backdrop.

Melissa: Absolutely! We loved the location in Balboa Park and the beach. If we did it again, we would have gone further into the ocean, into the waves. My dress was ruined in the tides, so we should have just gone for it.

Rachel: I would do it again in a heartbeat. I tell all my friends getting married that they should do it. Its a wonderful liberating event. The only thing I would do differently is have my hair and make up done professionally. I just did it myself and I wasnt that impressed with myself

Jenni: I would do it again in a heartbeat!  It was exactly what I hope it would be and the photographs are so unique!

If you didn’t see Josel and Brad’s wedding photos, check them out now. Their wedding was the epitome of elegance and sophistication, so when Pete and I had the opportunity to shoot Josel and Brad at Sunset Cliffs as a day after session, rolling around in the grass, climbing trees, getting down in the surf, and on the rocks we couldn’t pass it up.  I absolutely love photographing day after and trash the dress sessions.  It allows both me and the couple to create images that are completely different from their wedding day and still be a compliment to the wedding photos.  They’re always so much fun and more laid back because there’s no ceremony or reception to get to and there’s no concern about the dress getting dirty before everyone sees it. Plus if you get in the water, you don’t have to worry about wearing a soaking wet wedding dress the rest of the night!!

Pete and I arrived at Sunset Cliffs about an hour before sunset, and poked around to talk about the locations we wanted to take Josel and Brad.  We started out in the grasses high above the Pacific, and through the trails of Sunset Cliffs Park.  The light was fabulous, and before long we were heading down the steep stairs to the rocks and the ocean.  Josel was a total sport and willing to get in the ocean, and while we didn’t get her all the way in, she definitely got the dress wet, and ended up laying down in a bed of algae that made for some amazing and dramatic images.  We finished up the night just after sunset and again climbed the stairs back to our cars.  Since Josel and Brad were in town for only a few days, this was a great opportunity for them to get some portraits by/in the ocean that we weren’t able to do on their wedding day.

I’m excited … OK, really excited! Alix has been a bridesmaid in many of her friend’s weddings, and I have been lucky enough to be the photographer at three of them, so when Heather emailed me in the fall to say that Alix got engaged I had all digits crossed that she and Nathan would ask me to come back to Maryland to photograph their wedding, or that they would be flying into San Diego to exchange their vows! (Hey a guy can dream can’t he!?)  It took a couple weeks, but I got the email from Alix with the subject line “He popped the question!”.

Every wedding I have photographed that Alix has been a part of has been a blast, and by this point, I feel like I’m going to a family reunion when I see all the familiar faces.  There was no way I was letting Alix get married without photographing her wedding, and luckily she felt the same way! Although Nate had escorted Alix to these weddings, I had never officially met him, so when I flew into Baltimore in April, we set up an engagement shoot which gave us both the opportunity to get to meet each other, as well as have a great time shooting in downtown Baltimore.  I had an amazing time spending the afternoon with these two, and I absolutely can’t wait to photograph their wedding in September.  The only thing that makes me sad is I believe Alix is the last of this group of amazing girls to get married.  I believe I’m going to have to convince everyone to do annual girl’s weekends in San Diego so they can all get together, and I can shoot their portraits once a year!

Alix, I am so happy for you and Nate, I’m so excited to see you both in September! Congratulations!!!!

I once again had the fabulous opportunity to be a photography leader at the latest San Diego Photographers Shoot-Out.  Six photography leaders from San Diego and Orange County got together, for a full day of sharing what we know with sixty photographers from all around Southern California.  It was a blast, and exhausting, but also inspiring to be around so many other creative minds.

This time we all got together at the San Diego Heritage Museum in Encinitas with the theme of ‘Rockabilly Pin-up’.  I got lucky with my set and was stationed at the old Texaco gas station that used to be a movie set backdrop (I never found out what movie it was in, so if anyone knows I’m really curious).  We also had cars brought in by the awesome people at Hire Old Cars and this just totally finished the look for the gas station.

Because this was the third opportunity I have had at being a group leader, I decided I would try to share some of my experience, and knowledge of lighting and light modification.  It couldn’t have been a better day for this topic since after nearly a week of pouring down rain the sky was crystaline blue without a cloud to be seen all day.  Bring out the scrims and cutters! I also had the luck of my station being right next to a power source, and brought my studio strobes … just in case.

As I said, I had lots of luck this day … the weather was perfect for the shoot and talking about light modification and controlling light, I had an awesome set and … Lindsey and JK.  I had met Lindsey at the first shoot-out in San Diego, and love the way she models. She’s great with direction and is able to provide direction and ideas of her own.  JK I met at the second shootout, and I didn’t get as much time to work with him then, but there was an immediate chemistry between he and Lindsey.  I couldn’t have asked for a better couple of models for the day!

Here’s a few of the images I made throughout the day my goal was to use the lighting, and light modifiers to create scenes that accentuated the natural light, but controlled the harsh shadows that midday sun causes.  I’ll provide some descriptions of the light setups I used for each image.

The first setup of the day. Look at that sky!!!! Two panel reflectors on stands were used to camera left to block out the direct sun from the models faces. 800WS strobe with 40° honeycomb set high and camera left as fill to to replicate direct light. The combination allows balance between the foreground and background exposure.

This series of three images share the same lighting setup. One panel diffuser used in addition to natural shade provided by the trailer that was onsite to control the direct sunlight from camera left. One gold reflector to camera right used to bounce and warm natural light back into the scene, and one large studio softbox camera left for fill light.

One of my favorite setups from the day this is inside the old Chevy Bel Air. One light setup. With 60 photographers wandering around, I had to constantly be watching the background in the images. In most of my images, my lighting design was to add detail to the background while retaining balanced exposures on the models. In this image, I intended to blow out the background to get rid of any distractions. In order to blowout the background, and create interesting wrap around lighting, I dropped one Nikon SB strobe connected by a Pocket Wizard in the trunk aimed at the ceiling to bounce off the roof of the car, and allow the light to wrap around the models. One strip of daylight was coming in through the right side window, so again, a panel reflector was used as a cutter to create even light throughout the car interior.

One reflector panel camera right to block unwanted direct sun. Gold reflector panel low right to reflect natural light back up into models faces. The use of the reflector allows the foreground and background exposure to come together and allow some of the blue sky instead of a blown out white sky.

Open shade under the awning of the Texaco station. One panel reflector used again as a cutter at camera left, and softbox strobe used to create slight sense of directional light as opposed to the flat light created by open shade. (are you starting to get the chemistry between these two? they met in the parking lot 10 minutes before we started shooting!)

The sun is starting to come down and give us nice rim lighting, but controlling unwanted flare from such a low angle is the job of my trusty reflector again! Cutter high above model to block out lens flare. Softbox camera right to give direction and shape to backlit model.

As the sun continues to lower, and get softer, balancing foreground and background exposures gets easier. I still want to control the light though. Here, a diffusion panel is used behind camera to soften the direct light and maintain attractive catchlight in models eyes. Gold reflector slightly behind and to the left of the models to bounce warm light back onto their faces.

At this point, we've lost the awesome rim light that we were getting from the sun behind the models. No worry, one strobe behind the models to camera right creates the same effect. Strobe zoomed to 105mm in order to create very direct light and less flare in camera. Could also use a reflector panel here as a cutter between the light and camera to reduce flare further. (note small amount of flare in right portion of frame)

At this point the sun has totally dropped behind the hills in the background. Lighting gets considerably easier when dealing with non-directional light. I get to create my own shadows instead of trying to eliminate the ones I don't want! One softbox used to camera left to create directional light, and eliminate background distractions.

OK, I'll admit it, I don't usually bring this much equipment to an engagement or wedding shoot, and sometimes, natural light is the best light. It makes you be creative with what you've got and here's one of my favorite images from the day, without the use of any lights, gobos, cutters, flags, scrims. strobes, honeycombs, softboxes, etc. Natural warm sunlit flare just before the sun dropped behind the hills for the day.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming out.  Even if you didn’t get to shoot as much at my location as at others, I hope I was able to give some insight into creative lighting for portraits, as well as how to think about light critically.  Below is a list of the equipment I brought for the shoot in case anyone’s curious, or looking to pick up some new toys!

White Lightning 800WS strobe

Photoflex Q39 Medium Softbox

Photoflex HalfDome strip softbox with Nylon Fabric Grid

Honeycomb Grid Set

Panel Reflector with Stand

Nikon SB-28 … Ok I’m 100% Canon except for these guys.  I picked them up on ebay for under $100.00 they work great with pocket wizards compared to the difficulties I was having with my $500.00 Canon 580EX IIs with Pocket Wizard.  For the price they do a great job as a small secondary off camera light.  I still keep my 580s on camera … where they’re great, so don’t kick me out of the Canon club ok!?

That’s it! I hope everyone had a great time and can’t wait to see you again at the next shootout or maybe WPPI!

Oh! I forgot my sandbag you can pick one of these up virtually anywhere!