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Wedding at the Ritz, Paris

2008-05-08T05:38:00.003-05:00

I am just starting to look at the photos from the wedding I photographed yesterday at the Ritz, Paris. There are a lot of quite beautiful images that I am going to have to open one by one and optimize for printing.
For photographer's I shoot in RAW format which is the negative equivalent of a digital file. ( NO JPG Please ! )

Herald tribune article on weddings in Paris

2008-05-07T14:54:00.008-05:00

I have spent the day photographing Lisa and Sean's wedding in Paris. Finally summer has arrived and we went around the city taking photos. Paris is definitely the best background for wedding images, I am now convinced !!
Now 10pm, I had to go through some of the images to send "my one best of" to Anne Mulvihill, my wedding planner for an article on Paris weddings for the international Herald Tribune! So watch out everyone.
Time to Chill out now. I will have a sneak into the photos tomorrow. IT has been a long and very enjoyable day.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Olivier Lalin Weddings in London

2008-05-06T02:15:00.016-05:00

IT is quite simple, London ROCKS!

We have decided to export our little "Luxury wedding photography business" to London and England. After traveling the world for some 20 Years, we are again getting one step away from home! I was in Hyde Park with friends on a beautiful day last week. It hasn't changed a bit from the time I was a student, doing a degree in visual arts. I graduated in 87, assisted commercial photographers for a couple of years and off I went to Australia. I couldn't take the London drizzle anymore.
And today, thanks to global warming, the drizzle has gone, spring has arrived and London is a strikingly interesting city that so much reminds me of New York. You will find a similar energy and comospolitan edge to it which Paris is lacking.

You can now reach us directly on our London new phone number at : + 44 ( 0 ) 20.3239.5316

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Classic English style wedding

2008-05-03T05:34:00.025-05:00

I just returned from London.
Two hours and 15mn on the Euro Star, from "gare du Nord" to "St Pancras international". Just a dream comes true really!
And because i am in "a jolly British mood", a few photos from a classic, English style wedding .
And some wonderful memories ...

You can view a larger selection of the wedding photos at
"Wedding Photographer Paris France"

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Labour day in Paris

2008-05-01T04:11:00.014-05:00

Loving it !!
Perfect way to start a Labour day in Paris.
Just saw this classic ABBA video going through an illustration blog called "A print a day". Beautiful work there, I so much adore the Warm toned B&W prints such as the leaves.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin weddings

Misstic mon Amour

2008-04-29T18:16:00.018-05:00

I grew up with the Art Stencils of Miss Tic on the walls of Paris. She would go around the city at night and leave her painterly marks on the walls of Paris. Years later, she eventually became famous. Yesterday I saw a mock up of her work on the main entrance on L'Alcazar, rue Mazarine. It is a "trendy" hang out, owned by the illustrious Sir Terence Conran's.
By the way, the Food was fine, our waiter just typically unbearable!!

Meanwhile another link of Miss Tic work in progress which I love.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin weddings

A Korean wedding in Paris

2008-04-29T17:36:00.029-05:00

A few photos of the wedding of Song Ju Yun and Andrew in Paris.
A quite intimate affair with everyone flying from Seoul. The ceremony took place at a protestant parish, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 50 Avenue Hoche , Paris 75008 - The architecture of the church reminded me of Le Corbusier's work at Firmini.
The photos are quite beautiful!
Don't get me wrong, I am not boasting that is to say "to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride" about my work. It is always a challenge to photograph a wedding. My clients have high expectations and it is a very nice feeling to see the result!

You can view a wider selection on the link above. I have been playing with different tones. Please let me know what you think and post a comment.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Olivier Lalin Weddings new site

2008-04-26T15:05:00.016-05:00

We have just changed a few things on "Olivier Lalin Weddings" site - waiting for your feed back.
I am quite exited, it looks great - Chic, Glamour, Classic & Fun. And this is exactly what we do best.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Life style portraits of baby Pierre

2008-04-26T06:01:00.007-05:00

I was getting ready for a wedding in Paris and I couldn't help having a bit of Fun with Pierre who has become the most photographed kid in Paris- He makes me cry from joy!
this little baby of mine who is growing all too fast.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Son and Father in Paris

2008-04-24T04:15:00.010-05:00

It takes a friend of 22 years to have a portrait with my son! My friend Catherine is in Paris, visiting - Amazing photographer, she snapped a few pictures of Pierre and I yesterday!

Weddings and Paris in Spring

2008-04-24T01:50:00.010-05:00

Weddings and Paris in Spring -
This is one of my favorite moment of the Year.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

wedding cakes that rock my Heart

2008-04-22T14:14:00.013-05:00

Wedding photography is my passion and wedding cakes my Hobby, I have a sweet tooth!Thanks to polkadot bride for photos.
Cake by tibbygirl, Cake by WhippedBakeshop, Cake by SweetToothFairy, Cake by Chocmocakes, Cake by layersoflove, Cake by alfinator549

And for anyone who has a passion for very colorful wedding cakes, Pink cake Box might be the place to look for ideas.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Wedding photographer Doug Mc Goldrick

2008-04-22T08:49:00.019-05:00

I have decided to show wedding photographer's work that I do find inspiring, every couple of weeks. There is a lot of quite beautiful wedding photography out there.It is not necessarily what a bride will look at when doing some research for a wedding photographer though. Main stream wedding photography that you would commonly fall upon on the web is not always the most compelling to a professional photographer's eye. We're constantly visually bombarded by the same stereotyped images and Style of wedding photography that unfortunately is now commonly imitated by a lot of Photographers today.
I shall keep away from that to show you wedding photography with a Style, an edge, self-identity and real beauty which is a rare thing.

I would like to introduce Doug Mc Goldrick who is a Documentary style wedding photographer based from Chicago. Great eye and sensibility and a lot of Joy as well as humanity in his wedding images.I love the way he processes some of his color work. The images have a 60's super8 video look at times. Reminds me of the films shot by my grandfather that I loved so much! It is very inspiring and It was real nice to look at Doug Mc Goldrick's work just now. Please go and spend a few minutes going through Doug's site.
Some really stylish work!

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Castle on Hudson, Tarrytown

2008-04-22T04:50:00.020-05:00

A few photos from Julie and Damien's Irish wedding celebration that I photographed in New York a few weeks ago ! The ceremony was on 14th street. We went on the the Meat packing district for photos and off to the Castle on Hudson, Tarrytown for the reception - Great Fun - already three weeks ago, Good Lord, time flies - Pierre is almost 5 months old ... Now back in Paris, waiting for late Spring. Still a bit chilly out here. Boy, I do miss New York.

And Let the Party Begin!!

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Wedding classic black and white photography

2008-04-21T01:44:00.014-05:00

Here are a few photos that I would call classic black and white wedding photographs. Those photos convey the mood, feelings for a beautiful moment, frozen in time. They are timeless and have this dreamy and romantic feel to them. I find them very precious. As I look at them, I close my eyes and "like an old Humphrey Bogart movie" those days come back to life again.
Being a wedding photographer is such a bliss, It feels you with Joy and happiness.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at Olivier Lalin Weddings

Wedding photography today

2008-04-19T03:54:00.044-05:00

To start, a quote from UK Photographer Jeff Ascough ,i just read on the Canon photographer's network website.Good ressource for photographer's with interesting article, even if you happen to be a Nikon shooter.
"... The documentary approach to photographing weddings has become extremely popular in recent years, attracting many freelance photojournalists to the field. And Jeff worries that quality is suffering. “It’s in danger of becoming a commodity rather than an art form,” he laments. “We’ve now got a lot of people shooting weddings who think you can just turn up with a digital camera and take pictures of people having a good time. If you want to take it to a level where it becomes a valuable form of art then it requires a higher level of skill and understanding of light, composition and technique. Doing weddings you have to be so many photographers rolled into one. A photojournalist might have a week to get 20 pictures to tell a story. We’ve got four to five hours to get 150 pictures that all have to be good. It’s a tough profession...”

Those were just a few thoughts from Jeff about the way he approaches wedding photography to which I can relate, his photography and style; quite classic and simply beautiful. It seems that there is only a few wedding photographers today that thrill at bringing this genre of photography as an Art Form. I am a bit concerned at the lack of individuality. And there lies the challenge and thrill of being a photographer and shoot weddings. As the story of life goes, always seek at excelling and making sure the best is going to come out of your photography with no compromise. Wedding photography is a beautiful genre of photography, it allows photographers to express themselves fully, their only aim is producing life long compelling images.

To young wedding photographers today, I would simply say: Create your own identity, do not look at what others do so much, take pictures, free your mind, risk and experiment away from main mass wedding propaganda and trends.

I keep on seeing photographers website today that all look the same, nicely packaged, formated, produced by the same web designers in California. Everyone is coming out with the same Albums and photography all look alike it seems - It is all a bit strange really - I have seen Wedding photography grow tremendously these past 10 years. A few wedding photographers from L.A have somehow become "GURU'S" of the wedding industry. They have become the driving force of an industry that generates millions of dollars each year. A few have come up with a great marketing package that a young photographer "Must have" to compete in an ever growing industry. ( That's what they are being told anyway ) Ten years later, we see an industry that has become formated, quite clinical and dry.

Other great professionals have worked really hard at bringing wedding photography to a real Art form.
Like jeff Ascough,I do believe that everyone should look up to masters of documentary style photography such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastian Salgado, James Nachtwey as well as Irvin Penn, richard Avedon and may be not so much focus on few trendy photographers that seem to dictate the market on US national trade show!

Lastly, I just want to thank my clients who trust me in photographing their wedding! Who has great understanding of photography and appreciation for the subtleties of lights falling on a wedding dress or the 1000 words that convey a beautiful photo.

Quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson"To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It's a way of life."

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Rob Haggart, director of photography

2008-04-17T22:07:00.014-05:00

Rob Haggart, the former Director of Photography for Men's Journal and Outside Magazine, put together this selection of young talented photographer's work. We are moving away from wedding photography for this little post but I like a lot of those images and i thought it would be nice to share them.And for anyone interested in getting stories published,Rob Haggart speaks his heart about the business.

And here is a link to olivier Lalin editorials for anyone curious.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Wedding photography workshop in Paris

2008-04-17T11:52:00.019-05:00

I have been asked a few times whether I would consider teaching a Wedding photographic workshop in Paris - I guess the time has simply come !
We are putting together a three days workshop for photographers who start a career in the wedding business. The workshop is about portrait photography and weddings and more specifically about the techniques used to create beautiful moments with a couple who is not used to have their portrait taken, on location- We will use the streets of Paris as a backdrop.
Olivier will re-create a real life photo shoot with a wedding couple- and introduce you to his wedding vision that he has been developing for the past 20 years.
We have decided to stay small and do workshop with a maximum of 4 participants over a three days period. We will go over the whole workflow process, from getting set up to processing the raw files using bridge and photoshop. We will go through the use of natural light, Flash, techniques with reflectors as well as use of mix lighting. We will consider location set ups as well as the ways to establish this special relationship with the bride.
The workshop is opened to photographers using digital imageries and wanting to sharpen their wedding skills and techniques.
Contact us for more details -

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

wedding portraits in Paris

2008-04-15T15:39:00.023-05:00

Wedding portraits in Paris today. We had such a great time, was real fun for all of us!
I don't have to say much, those few photos will tell the story. From Place de la Concorde to the tuilerie garden and on to the river seine we went. Clouds high up in altitude, it was a beautiful Parisian afternoon right after the storm.

wedding photographer - Portraits in Paris

You can access larger photos here! wedding photographer - Portraits in Paris

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

French wedding bouquet

2008-04-15T05:08:00.014-05:00

A classic wedding bouquet!
I am spending the Afternoon with a couple; Client from Hong Kong. We are going around some Parisian landmark doing a little "day and a life" photo story of Carrie and Hubby's in Paris. We have just received the wedding Bouquet that Yan from Paris celebrations took great care of putting together for us. It looks stunning, has the right proportions ( quite important for photography ) and I am so much looking forward to this Afternoon portrait session in Paris. We had to cancel yesterday due to bad weather but those big clouds are clearing out not.

more Ideas on wedding bouquet

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

rehearsal dinner in new york

2008-04-14T16:54:00.003-05:00

Rehearsal dinner in New York and 5 tips given away by my dear Friend Sofia Crokos in the latest New York magazine
wedding issue ( who I do not see as much as I would love to! )
Sofia where are You ?

1- The Harrison: “I love their private wine-cellar dining room because of its intimate and classic feel. They have this long rustic table that up to twenty guests can sit surrounded by the extensive wine collection. Their cuisine is always a big hit as well.”

2- Gilt Restaurant at the New York Palace Hotel: “When you enter into Gilt, through the courtyard of the Palace, the first thing you experience is the amazing bar. I love the combo of Gilded Age meets chic modern. If you want to experience a wonderful location, exceptional service, and a gastronomic meal, this is a best bet.”

3- The Private Penthouse at Barneys New York: “One of New York’s best-kept secrets. The room where you can host your dinner has these great French doors that lead to
a small veranda, making you feel like you’re over-looking an arrondissement in Paris.”
Which one I might just say !

4- Hotel Giraffe: Dinner can be held inside the Penthouse Piano Suite, which comes equipped with a baby grand. They also have a beautiful outdoor-garden space where everyone can congregate for a quick cocktail hour.”

My Heart would definitely go for the Harrison. It does have an incredible wine list and it brings back wonderful memories of two years spent in Tribeca. I do love the Gilt at the Palace because of its classic New York feel though.

And last here is another of my favorite. "21 Club"
Once a glamorous speakeasy, today '21' is one of the most celebrated restaurants in New York City. Classic, Chic and full of History!

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

wedding dress by Pronovia, barcelona

2008-04-13T14:16:00.005-05:00

Wedding dress by Pronovia, in barcelona. This is simply where my heart goes at the moment. I cannot wait to photograph one of those dress: simply stunning!

They have just opened a store in New York at 14 east, 52nd street between 5th and Madisson
A wedding photographer is getting exited - Blessing !

New York magazine wedding issue

2008-04-13T09:27:00.014-05:00

The New York magazine wedding issue is out - I do love this magazine, It is the best resource for New York city weddings - Like a little bible, you will find everything you need to know and more in this wedding special summer issue that happily comes out in newsstand every season.
Of course we are there."Olivier Lalin weddings in New York magazine "
We do specialize in high end weddings in between New York and Paris, France. "Tom Starkweather" is joining force with our New York Bureau as a young, up and coming, very talented photographer. I love Tom's work, he has a great eye and I am so glad he is now collaborating to "Olivier Lalin weddings".
I am myself spending more time in Paris developing our New York "savoir faire" and a new European bureau. I will post our weddings in the south of France later on this summer. Meanwhile I am off reading an article by "Ron Ben-Israel" on trendy cake flavors as well as "Olivier Cheng " who wrote about dressing up old favorites.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

Unique wedding invitation

2008-04-13T08:54:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to recommend my friend "Ondine Bue " for your very unique and Custom made wedding invitations. Ondine is based from New York and she is a very talented Graphic artist.

As a more mainstream alternative, you may want to look at work from "flutter studios" or "wedding paper divas". They do interesting design and you can order via their website.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com

wedding photos in Manhattan's meatpacking district

2008-04-13T06:17:00.013-05:00

Manhattan's wedding photos in the meat packing district is a Must do on your wedding day list if you happen to get married in the city ! The meatpacking district has become the NYC prime location for fancies bars, restaurant, Hip Clubs as well as one of my favorite location for Manhattan wedding photo ops actually! Great architecture, New York cobblestones and beautiful light!

Make sure you have a breakfast at Pastis before the brunch madness- before 10am latest! It is one of my favorite French bistro located in Manhattan's meatpacking district opened by Keith McNally.The menu combines hearty Provençal dishes with moderately-priced bistro fare.

photographe © Olivier Lalin © photographer
view site at weddinglight.com