Kari Kochar Photography

Fall Family and Children’s Portrait Sessions

admin — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:13:06 +0000

Fall is here and with the holidays right around the corner, now is a great time to schedule your family portrait session! My weekends are filling up quickly, so give me a call today to schedule your portrait session: 626-798-2100.

Here are some recent family/kids sessions for inspiration:

Payton and Reagan, Snoqualmie Ridge, WA

Thornton Family, Altadena, CA

Segal Family, Santa Monica, CA

Tabitha and Samantha, Maple Valley, WA

McClain Family, Pasadena, CA

Taylor Family, Pasadena, CA

Jackson and Payton, Seattle, WA

Hutaff Family, Pasadena, CA

Cowgill Family, Pasadena, CA

Clark Family, Altadena, CA

Barger Family, Altadena, CA

Tucker Family, Altadena, CA

Eli, Pasadena, CA

Sekine Family, Altadena, CA

Docal Family, Glenwood, MD

Charlie, La Cañada Flintridge, CA

Ava and Zalen, Pasadena, CA

Xochitl and Ian’s Wedding, Vibiana, Downtown Los Angeles

admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:05:39 +0000

I’ll admit, I’m somewhat behind on my blog (actually, a lot behind), so when I found out that Xochitl and Ian’s laid-back, stylish, and fun wedding at the Vibiana was published today in California Wedding Day, I thought it would be the perfect day to resume blogging. I loved working with Xochitl and Ian for many reasons, the main one being that they are madly in love with each other. They started the day’s preparations in the heart of Los Angeles at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel (formerly the Kyoto Grand Hotel) and moved across the street to the Vibiana for their ceremony and reception. Shirley of Fresh Events Company (wedding coordinator), Amber Event Production (lighting), and Holly Flora (florist) all did a fantastic job of creating a gorgeous and modern vibe for the day.

Here were some of the other vendors that contributed to Xochitl and Ian’s amazing wedding:

Catering: The Food Matters

Bar: Pacific Coast Bar

Wedding Cake: Sweet Lady Jane

DJ- Kiddkitt

Photo Booth: DG Event

Rentals: Signature Party Rentals

Mariachi Band: Las Divas (or The Mariachi Divas)

Kristen and Sam’s Wedding, Westminster Presbyterian and Pandora on Green, Pasadena

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:32:37 +0000

Kristen was such a breathtakingly gorgeous bride, and along with her groom Sam, they were such a sweet couple to work with. Their wedding took place at some of my favorite locations in Pasadena, starting out with the bride and her bridal party at the stunning Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa. After the bride’s preparations, we headed up the hill for the wedding ceremony at Westminster Presbyterian, a majestic Gothic stone cathedral in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Following the ceremony we headed to a nearby private outdoor estate for some photos of Kristen and Sam. The final stop of the wedding day was back down the hill to a new reception venue, Pandora on Green (a sister venue to Café Santorini’s Rococo Room). What an incredible day!!

Here were some of the other vendors that contributed to Kristen and Sam’s wedding day:

Wedding Gown Shop: Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Salon in Beverly Hills

Florist: Flower Allie

Bakery: Fantasy Frostings

MC/DJ and Lighting: Honored Occasions

Bride’s Hair and Makeup: At Makeup Pro

Transportation: Crown Limosine

Caitlin and Alex’s Wedding, Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:38:53 +0000

Most people who know me know that I’m passionate about travel, so I love when I have clients like Caitlin and Alex who share my passion. Caitlin worked in Cambodia for the Peace Corps and Alex is from England (who came to this country to become a helicopter pilot). I thought the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (CSULB) was the perfect venue for guests coming from both near and far to celebrate their union- it’s such a lush, tropical and romantic location for a wedding! It also happened to be the perfect location to represent the bride’s Japanese heritage (along with many other details, like the origami paper details, chopstick favors, and Taiko drummers during the reception). Thank you Caitlin and Alex for letting me be part of your day!

Here are some of the other wonderful vendors that contributed to their wedding:

Wedding Coordinator: Wendy Rhodes Events

Wedding Gown: Mary Me Bridal

Hair: Sunset Boulevard Salon

Florist: Devynn’s Garden

Caterer: Jay’s Catering

DJ: Fly by Night DJ’s

Emilie and Tyler’s Wedding, Huron Substation, Downtown Los Angeles

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:04:55 +0000

A lot has already been said about Emilie and Tyler’s fantastic wedding at the Huron Substation in downtown Los Angeles. This wedding was recently featured on Style Me Pretty, but I wanted to post my own blog entry since there were so many quirky and original details that this couple chose for their wedding (coordinated by wedding planner extraordinaire, Amanda Ma, of Pasadena-based Fresh Events Company). I really loved capturing the vibrant colors, as well as the artsy and engaging personalities at Emilie and Tyler’s wedding!

Here were some of the other vendors who contributed to their day:

Ceremony and Reception: Huron Substation

Catering and Wedding Cake: Auntie Em’s Kitchen and Catering

Hair and Makeup: Mieko with Kelly Zhang Makeup

Videographer: Cloud 9 Cinematography

DJ: Red Shoe LA

Rentals: Town & Country Event Rentals

Photobooth: DG Event

Katie and Peter’s Wedding, Lakeside Golf Club, Burbank

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:16:12 +0000

There were influences both near and far for Katie and Peter’s wedding at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank. The bride’s parents were also married by the same minister and have been longtime members at the Lakeside Golf Club and the groom and many of his family and friends flew in from Australia. Wedding planners Laura and Garry of A Diamond Affair did an amazing job merging the two for a day that was both spontaneous and spunky, while West Coast Music kept guests dancing late into the evening. I love working with couples that are so affectionate, to say nothing of the beautiful bride and gorgeous light on their wedding day!

Here were some of the other vendors that contributed to Katie and Peter’s wedding day:

Bridal Gown- R-Mine Bridal

Florist- Le Petit Gardenia

Ceremony and Reception Furniture Rental- Designer Event Rentals

Kari Kochar Photography Featured on Style Me Pretty

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:50:44 +0000

Kari Kochar Photography featured on Style Me Pretty

A little while ago I photographed Emilie and Tyler’s fun and stylish wedding at the Huron Substation in Los Angeles and today I found out that this wedding is featured on one of my favorite wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty. Yahoo!! Emilie and Tyler were such a great couple to work with and I loved all the amazing details that Fresh Events Company planned!

Here’s a link to this wedding:

Kari Kochar Photography wedding featured on Style Me Pretty!

Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Award 2012 Winner!

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:52:26 +0000

I was so excited to find out about this today:

{Pasadena,CA} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Kari Kochar Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Photography! The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Kari Kochar Photography was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.
Kari Kochar Photography is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Kari Kochar Photography for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”
We are happy to announce that Kari Kochar Photography is one of the very best Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

Thank you to all my clients who took time out of their busy lives to write reviews of my services! I really appreciate it!

Six Children’s Portrait Sessions

admin — Thu, 26 May 2011 20:27:09 +0000

My niece once said to me, “You’re like a little kid in a big kid’s body.” Connecting with children on their level allows me to capture their personalities in a way that is honest and real. Here are six recent sessions that I wanted to add to my blog.

Cassandra and AJ (and their dad, All-Star MLB player Adrian Beltre):

Nathan and Ezra:

Lily:

Gavin:

Cooper:

Eli:

2 recent auctioned portrait sessions

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:58:34 +0000

This past year I have been very fortunate to be able to donate photo sessions to a couple of charities that are near and dear to my heart. The first session that I’m posting is a session that was donated to the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA‘s annual Golf Tournament, “Doglegs, Birdies and Eagles.” Most people who know me know that I have two very well-loved dogs and one of those dogs was a rescue dog from the Pasadena Humane Society. I’m eternally grateful to them and was honored to be able to donate a session for their auction (in which they raised over $20,000 at that auction – woohoo!!). And I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the adorable little girl Abby that I worked with- isn’t she a doll??

The next session I’m posting here was also an auctioned session- this one was for Villa Esperanza‘s 23rd Annual Tournament of Hope. The auction winner was Michelle Cox, Villa Esperanza’s Director of Development. I’ve worked with her family before, so it was a pleasure to photograph her lovely family once again!