lolophoto.com - Lawrence Tolentino - Wedding Photography - Your Favorite Southern California Photographer

Robert and Deandra’s Wedding – Benedict Castle, Riverside, CA

lolophoto — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:09:56 +0000

Last month, I had the opportunity to finally attend a wedding where I wasn’t the hired photographer. My girlfriend and I were invited to join our friend’s brother’s wedding at the Benedict Castle in Riverside, CA. I never knew Riverside had a castle! And I’ve lived in this area for about 16 years now! The castle isn’t quite like what you’d see at Disneyland, or in the mountains of Europe, but considering that this is Riverside, a castle is an awesome place to get married!

So going to this beautiful new location for my first time, I just had to bring my camera along. Of course I asked the official photographer if she didn’t mind that I shoot as a second photographer for the day, and she was totally cool with me hanging out taking pictures. This was really exciting for me because I just love, love, love shooting as the second photographer at events. I’m able to relax a little more and it’s a lot less stressful for me since I don’t have to run around as much, but the main reason is because my favorite style of photography is the “candid, photojournalistic” style. I prefer to run around unnoticed, snapping photos of people that are completely unaware of my presence.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed taking part in the celebration of Robert and Deandra’s marriage. And as a wedding gift from a guy they had never met until that day, I hope they enjoy these pictures! And I hope you enjoy these pictures, too!

(Oh, and if any of you photographers out there are looking for a second photographer… I am very much interested in working with you! )

Steve & Valerie’s Engagement Session – Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA

lolophoto — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:44:51 +0000

I’ve been acquaintances with Steve and Valerie for a few years. And they’ve been a couple since I can first remember. Hanging around these two, you can easily see that they’re meant for each other. They get along so well. And after shooting their engagement photos, I was able to see this even more. These two are definitely a cute couple and I’m looking forward to shooting their wedding photos next year!

Our chosen location for the engagement session was the Griffith Observatory in LA. If you haven’t been to the Griffith Observatory before, you should definitely check it out! It’s a great place to go with family, friends, or your significant other! The surrounding area is beautiful. There are great views of downtown LA, the Hollywood sign, and at night, there’s also a nice view of the stars. There’s so much to learn about inside the museum and the best part is that admission and parking is all free!

We really enjoyed shooting here because we were able to hang out and enjoy the museum at the same time. Check out some of the shots we got during our half-day adventure at the Griffith Observatory!

Jose & Sandra’s Wedding – St Louis of France Church, La Puente, CA & Mission Inn, Riverside, CA

lolophoto — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:33:22 +0000

Jose and I met each other when we were students at Cal Poly Pomona. We shared a class and did a group project together. This was probably the last time I had seen or talked to him before his wedding day. So when he contacted me to be his wedding photographer, I was surprised! After all these years, he still remembered about my photography services! Thanks, Jose!

My favorite part of the day was shooting after the wedding ceremony. The wedding reception was held at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. We had a chance to explore the mission for a few minutes and snap some beautiful shots before the reception started. The Mission Inn is an absolutely gorgeous location for weddings, receptions, or any event for that matter. It’s even a great place just to visit when you’re in the area. I’ve been to the Mission Inn several times in the past just to check it out, and there were areas of the mission I saw that day that I had never seen before. The architecture there is amazing! You’ll get a small sneak peak of some of the beauty there in my pictures below.

So here it is! Jose and Sandra’s wedding day!

AJ Rafael Presents Music Speaks – A Benefit Concert for Autism Speaks @ Heritage Forum, Anaheim, CA

lolophoto — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:13:21 +0000

Last Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to help shoot photos at Music Speaks. Music Speaks, presented by AJ Rafael, is a benefit concert put together to support the Autism Speaks organization. The show had an amazing turn out with people from all over gathering in one room to support a good cause and for fans to enjoy the performances from some of their favorite musical artists and dance groups.

(if you’re looking for meet and greet photos, click here)

The first day of Music Speaks, held on Friday, August 28, 2009, was hosted by:
Angie Girl
and Timothy De La Ghetto

and included incredible performances from the following:
Derek Portea
Jennifer Chung (with Johnny)
JR Aquino
New Like Us
MoVal Concert Chorale (MVCC)
Gabe Bondoc
Quest Crew
and AJ Rafael Band

Here’s a sneak peak of the photos from Music Speaks! (click a picture or visit lolophoto.smugmug.com to view all the photos)

Angie Girl

Timothy De La Ghetto

Derek Portea

Jennifer Chung

Johnny

JR Aquino

MoVal Concert Chorale (MVCC)

Victor Kim (of Quest Crew)

New Like Us

Gabe Bondoc

AJ Rafael

AJ Rafael Band

Quest Crew

lolophoto with Gabe Bondoc, JR Aquino, Derek Portea

To find your photos from the Music Speaks Meet and Greet, please go here:
http://lolophoto.smugmug.com/Music/Music-Speaks-Meet-and-Greet/9468991_eS9kq

To view all of the Music Speaks photos from the show, please go here:
http://lolophoto.smugmug.com/Music/Music-Speaks/9467937_dMoec

Don’t forget to add me on Twitter! (@lolophoto) ;D

Deejay & Christine’s Wedding – St Denis Catholic Church, Diamond Bar, CA & Waters Restaurant, Irvine, CA

lolophoto — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:42:07 +0000

Sergio and Elise’s Wedding – The Americana, Glendale, CA

lolophoto — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:55:03 +0000

I’ve been doing wedding photography for over 5 years now and this is the first time I shot photos in a shopping mall! Well, it’s actually a big shopping mall/apartment complex/condominium community/plaza place. I don’t even know what to call it! But this particular place is called The Americana. It’s a pretty cool place out in Glendale, CA.

I enjoyed shooting out there… it was cool because we had the assistance of some of the Americana employees, so they helped us “borrow” the tram for a photo op around the community. And I even got special access up to the balconies of apartment units that weren’t occupied! We got some pretty neat shots that day! Check out the photos and see for yourself!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption=" "][/caption]

Geoff’s Graduation Portraits – Orange, CA

lolophoto — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:19:52 +0000

Congratulations to Geoff for picking up his bachelor’s degree in Computer Information systems from Cal State Fullerton! He actually finished taking classes last semester, but he’ll be walking this semester. Geoff and I go way back to high school. He used to call me asking for help with networking his computers. Looks like he won’t need to be calling me much anymore, huh?! Don’t forget to keep in touch, Geoff! Good job, man! I’m proud of you!

We actually did this shoot at around 2am. This was the last shot of the night. So don't blame him if he looks a little tired...

Mama Leah’s Sweet Sixty Birthday Party – El Dorado Park, Long Beach, CA

lolophoto — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:47:52 +0000

Family gatherings are a common tradition in my family. We get together at least once or twice a month to throw a party for any reason imaginable. But this past weekend was a special birthday party for my great aunt. Mama Leah celebrated her sweet sixty with her closest family and friends at El Dorado Park in Long Beach.

The food was catered by The Park’s Finest ,which is owned and operated by Mama Leah’s son, John, and some of his good friends (if you’re looking to have some awesome bbq at your next party, be sure to hit him up! contact me for his info!).

And with all this delicious food and fun times with all the people, I just had to bring out my camera to capture everything!

BBQ catered by @theparksfinest

@doowes decided to peel his mango like a banana. So we called it a Bango! And apparently @yuglook is a keeper!

Now THIS is what I call a GRILL! It can cook up to 50 sq ft of meat all at once!

Pouring on some of that family recipe, secret sauce!

Just about everyone at the party! (except for yours truly

Happy Sweet Sixty, Mama Leah!

Tau Theta Pi Gamma Chapter Beta Class Installs – Anaheim Hills Golf Course Country Club, Anaheim Hills, CA

lolophoto — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:05:45 +0000

The lovely ladies of Tau Theta Pi have brought in a new addition of beautiful ladies! Congratulations to the girls of Beta class! I’ve been shooting photos for Tau Theta Pi Gamma Chapter since their founding class. I love these ladies! And I look forward to every event I get to shoot with them.

Awesome view in the background! (don't mind the powerlines )

Looking good, ladies!

I yell, "Funny picture!" and they all do something cute or sexy. Lol. I guess that is pretty funny, huh?

Yea... let me see you try to get 33 girls to get organized for a group photo! It's harder than you think!

CSUF PASA PCN – La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, CA

lolophoto — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:14:41 +0000

Every year, the Filipino club at Cal State Fullerton, better known as the Pilipino American Student Association (PASA), puts on a show that is also known as Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN). It is intended for audiences of all ages to watch as entertainment and to educate them about the Filipino heritage and the roles of Filipino Americans in society. This years show was titled, “Love How You Do” and featured numerous PASA members as actors and dancers.

I try my best to make it out to their show every year because every year I am impressed, inspired and touched by the stories shared through PCN. The photos I take at this event only capture a small amount of the emotions experienced from watching. If you haven’t had a chance to see any PCNs before, ask around and find out if any local Filipino clubs are performing. They’re definitely shows you don’t want to miss out on!

I missed a picture of them doing the backflip! I was so shocked that I forgot to take the picture. It was amazing!