I just returned from planning yet another truly wonderful event in Costa Rica. The groom, a very talented wedding photographer named Akil Bennet, went to the best for his own photos, none other than the oh so talented Jose Villa.
Having planned hundreds of events we have seen so many talented photographers at work. I am always in awe of this art and love to watch it in action. I was however in all honesty floored by the creative genius that is Jose Villa. Not only is he one of the nicest individuals I have ever been around (No Diva attitude with this artist, unlike many others we have encountered) He is always thinking, looking and pondering his next move as well obsessing about the light, which luckily cooperated with him beautifully.
We spent 4 hours looking at possible spots, lighting, and settings for both the wedding as well as the creative shoot the day we met. The wedding day was surreal- what he captured and what Costa Rica gave him will be another masterpiece wedding he has shot. Do not worry we will post the images once Jose is done processing all. For now I wanted to share a glimpse into the fun we had on the creative shoot the day after the wedding with Akil and his lovely bride Alex.
We started with a "boudoir" session (Jose's first!) on the beach in a day bed. It was HOT and we put on some fun tunes for the couple to cuddle, dance and jump to. We then made our way through small towns, with Jose wanting to stop at beaten up cabins, soccer fields, dirt roads, we even borrowed a dog, asked men to step down form bar stools so we could have couple take their places and basically took advantage of every fun, creative and even bizarre setting Costa Rica had to offer.
Here is a look at a few of the spots we used and a behind the scenes look into a genius at work. These are taken by me on my I phone, so they will be a sad comparison once Jose's photos of the "real deal" make it our way.
Here are some shots of Jose's attentive and happy to be there assistants. Your's truly in the first photo and then Anahi Contreras of Tropical Occasions and the also equally as wonderful and talented Joel Serrato of Joel Serrato Films who traveled with Jose on this trip to assist and have a blast with all of us.
Akil and Alex, I cannot wait to see your photos they will be nothing short of amazing.
Jose and Joel. you guys are so much fun, we had a wonderful time with you. Jose it is pretty obvious now why you are so famous in our industry. You are light years ahead of anything I have ever seen and beyond that just a really cool guy. I cannot wait to work and hang out with you and Joel again and again
Aimee
