Leon and Stella Alesi Photography

new painting: pomegranate blooms

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:02:00 +0000

To read about this piece go to alesiart.com blog.

Golden Nectar farm in Windsor, California

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:55:00 +0000

On my recent trip to Northern California I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Golden Nectar Farm in Windsor, California. This place was a dream come true for me. They had so many varieties of fruit trees, berries and vegetables it was dizzying. If you want to see a few more of my favorite shots visit my art site blog, alesi art.

Thanks to Randy for making this happen, and Tammy for driving me out there, and of course Golden Nectar Farm for being so gracious and showing me around.

Tammy's 50th birthday celebration at the Lynmar Winery

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:12:00 +0000

About 3 weeks ago my sister called and asked me if I wanted to come out to California to celebrate her partner Tammy's, 50th birthday. Being that it was a 105 degrees in Austin with no relief in sight, and that I love those two, it was a no brainer. The surprise birthday event was held at the Lynmar winery in the beautiful Northern California town of Sebastopol. The food, the wine, the music and the company were all perfect and made for a wonderful evening. Plus for an added bonus, the evening turned chilly and I got to wear a sweater and scarf, heaven.

Happy Birthday Tammy!

Amy and Andy's Austin Seventy One wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Amy and Andy were married at the Riverbend Chapel and then celebrated at Austin 71, both such beautiful locations.
The details of this wedding were flawless and I am very pleased to have been part of such a fabulous vendor list. Here it is:

florist: Verbena floral design, (LOVED that orange color)
cake and cupcakes: Simon Lee, (soooo good)
caterer: Word of Mouth, (no one better, both presentation and taste)
videographer: Crescent Video, (always a pleasure to work with, which is very important for us)
band: Fried Ice Cream, (WOW!)
transportation: Austin Trolley

Congratulations Amy and Andy!

Alyson and Karsten's Austin Club wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:57:00 +0000

It was a hot day in June when Alyson and Karsten were married at the Austin Club in downtown Austin, Texas, but to tell you the truth we hardly noticed the heat. We met the bride and groom, wedding party and family in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel, where they all were staying, 2 hours before the ceremony. It served as a cool and attractive backdrop for the more formal of the wedding day photos. Then on to the Austin Club for ceremony and reception. It was a great night filled with wonderful music and crazy dancing. Two highlights for me were one, the Bruce Springsteen song their friend sang during the ceremony, and two, the Jayhawks song for the first dance.
Oh, and wasn't Alyson's dress just awesome?! I love the pleating at the bottom.

Here's the list of vendors that help make this event so special:
coordinator: barbara's brides
florist: verbena floral design
band: professor D
cake: sweet tempered

Diana and Harrison's Star Hill Ranch wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:58:00 +0000

It was just about a month ago that Diana and Harrison were married at the Star Hill Ranch. As to be expected it was a hot day, but they planned well and the heat did not keep anyone from having a good time. For example, as the guests arrived they were greeted by a Jim Jim's Water Ice cart, fruity flavored natural ices to keep everyone cool. The ceremony took place in one of the Star Hill Ranch's many Texas styled buildings, while the cocktail hour was held outdoors on the green grass, as the sun was setting and the day cooling.

Erin Knipp of Rosehip Flora served as both florist and bridesmaid. I love how she included minature pomegranates in the brides bouquet, (I was told the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility). The many blue and white ceramic vases were from the bride's own collection and were used for the ceremony and table arrangements. I also must mention the beautiful hair pin the bride gave as a bridesmaid gifts. It looked great on everyone.

Congratulations Diana and Harrison!

Allison and Ryan's Green Pastures wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Allison and Ryan's wedding ceremony was held at Saint Catherines of Siena Catholic Church, and the reception at the historical Green Pastures. I think from the photos below you can tell that a good time was had by all. Say Cheese photo booth created some outrageous moments, as did the Original Recipe Band. Oh and I can't forget the beautiful flowers done by Craig Fuller of Photosynthesis.

Thanks for including us Allison and Ryan, you and your friends and family were an absolute pleasure to photograph.

Congratulations!

Introducing the Magnificent Karlo!

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Stella and I finally got to meet the little boy with the big name. Our friends Jen and Jeff recently had their first child Karlo Von Balkan Bloom. This is my favorite baby name ever. I love my artist friends! I expect big things from this little guy whose mom is a painter and dad is a musician. Hopefully he won't pull an Alex P. Keaton and go the other way on you two. Congratulations!

Erica and George's Old Glory Ranch Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:06:00 +0000

At some point during the evening George, the groom, approached me and asked me if I was enjoying the wedding. I said, "what is there not to like?" and I meant it.
Earlier that day there were thunderstorms, but by the time we arrived at Old Glory Ranch in Wimberley, the skies were already clearing. By the time the bride and her father made their way to the chapel in a horse and carriage the skies were sparkling blue.
Old Glory Ranch did a great job with the flowers, cupcakes and all the details, down to the donkeys greeting the guests at the cocktail hour.
To top it all off Erica and George were great swing dancers, such a delight to watch.

Congratulations Erica and George!

Ethan and Melissa...

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:22:00 +0000

and soon to be baby Frances!

Heather and Tim's Balcones Spring Retreat wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:43:00 +0000

It was a very rainy day in May when Heather and Tim were married at the Retreat at Balcones Springs but that didn't stop it from being a beautiful event. We didn't let the rain stop us from taking photos by the river and the guests certainly didn't let it stop them from having fun.

Wishing you many more happy days Heather and Tim!

Clare's portrait session

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:15:00 +0000

People often ask me, "Is it necessary for me to do a separate portrait sitting before the wedding?" My reply is often, "Well, no not necessary, but you will get a different type of photo of yourself."
These photos of Clare are the perfect example. These calm, quiet, thoughtful images I've included below are the type rarely found within the photo journalistic approach to the wedding day. Here we are trying to work within the history of classic photographic portraiture with a modern fashion sensibility.
Clare will be married in about a month, and I will be sure to share some of her big smiles then.

Kelsey and Robert

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:37:00 +0000

OK, so I'll admit it, I have fallen behind on my blog. So this is a first, a 2 in 1 entry, some photos from both Kelsey and Robert's engagement session and their wedding day. The engagements were shot in early May, all on UT campus. Such a great place to wander, so many beautiful spots.
The wedding took place just a couple of weeks later. The ceremony was held at Central Christian, and the reception at the Caswell House. Highlights of the wedding day were the vintage ElDorado and Glover Gill on the piano.

Congratulations Kelsey and Robert!

Jessica and Dan's UT's alumni center wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:56:00 +0000

You may remember Jessica and Dan from their previous engagement shoot post which is one of our favorites. Their wedding was held at the UT Alumni Center. The ceremony took place beneath the enormous cypress trees that line Shoal Creek. It was a really beautiful day with dinner and dancing taking us into the night. The music was some of the best I have heard at a wedding. I hear the night continued downtown with an after hours party in Jessica and Dan's honor.

Megan and Greg in The Knot Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:28:00 +0000

We are happy to announce that one of our weddings was recently published in the most current issue of The Knot Weddings magazine. You can also view the story online here.

woo hoo!

Kristin and Evan's Barr Mansion wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Kristin and Evan were married a few weeks ago at the Barr Mansion. If you follow our blog at all you will notice that we have had the opportunity to photograph at the Barr many times in the past. It is one of my favorite Austin locations. Yet no matter how many times we shoot there we always find another beautiful spot or angle. Maybe it's the couple that bring out these new visions of a familiar site.

Here's to wishing Kristin and Evan all the best in their new life together, congratulations!

still life

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:52:00 +0000

In the midst of wedding season I decided to take a little break to work on a few ideas for some paintings that have been floating around in my head. The idea of a still life with fruit is nothing new, exactly the opposite to be sure. A bit cliche perhaps, but with good reason.

Kristin's Mayfield Park portrait session

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Wow, we had fun with this portrait session. City of Austin run Mayfield Park is beautiful in the spring time, tons of flowers and peacocks, many peacocks, doing their thing. Kristin was the perfect subject, full of laughter and even some leaps. We just photographed the wedding this past weekend, so more of Kristen to come...

Adrienne and Randy's Houston Wedding at Ouisie's Table

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Adrienne and Randy were married almost 2 weeks ago Saturday at Houston's own, Ouisie's Table. We started the wedding day photos at the bride's parents wonderfully contemporary, art filled home. As you can see below, Adrienne was flawless, simply beautiful.
It was a rainy weekend for the most part, but nature cooperated and allowed for their ceremony to be held outdoors in Ouisie's magical garden under a fabulous chuppah created by Rob Smith of Events in Bloom. Many of the guests remained in the garden for the cocktail hour, which featured some of the best Mojitos I've ever tasted, (and yes, taste is all I did, :-).
Special thanks to Yvette Flowers, who did a great job coordinating, and the wedding party, family and of course the Bride and Groom for making our job so enjoyable.

Congratulations Adrienne and Randy!

Green Pastures photo shoot with Adrienne

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:24:00 +0000

Last week I met Adrienne over at Austin's lovely Green Pastures Restaurant to photograph her before her wedding which will take place in June. She was waiting for me in the entranceway when I arrived, completely ready! A rare occurrence in our line of work. She looked stunning, if not a little nervous, with her ringlets of hair and a vibrant red flower. It didn't take long for her to get comfortable, allowing us to create some beautiful portraits.

Jessica and Dan in downtown Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Jessica and Dan will be married this weekend, so the energy for this shoot was high. They live in downtown in one of Austin's many new buildings. Jessica says, " I fall in love with my city every morning as I drink my coffee and watch the sunrise over Austin." We wanted to capture some of what they love best about the city, so we wandered around back alleys, visited bars and music venues, and even ran out into the middle of the Congress street bridge. We are looking forward to the wedding and their flower dog!...photos coming soon.

just for kicks

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Allison at Green Pastures

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:00:00 +0000

I think by viewing the photos below you will be able to tell that we had a good time photographing Allison. She was beautiful and graceful, with a brilliant laugh. We explored Green Pastures fully, shooting in almost every room, (including the tiny bar on the half floor) and outside as well. Craig Fuller of Photosynthesis did a great job on her bouquet and I loved the peacock feathered hair piece you can see in the last photo.

Amy at Austin Seventy One

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Amy will be married later this spring at the Riverbend Chapel with a reception at Austin 71, so yesterday was perfect timing for a portrait sitting. Her dress, make up, hair, jewelry and shoes all came together perfectly, not to mention the beautiful bouquet by Verbena Floral Design.

brian and stella sitting in a tree...

noreply@blogger.com (Stella Alesi) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:40:00 +0000

I am currently visiting Brian in Los Angeles where he has been spending some time these past few months. He has been taking some time to work on some personal photography projects, landscapes and portraits mostly. You can check out some of what he is doing on his website and blog, 500 Pound Leon.

We found ourselves in the Santa Monica Mountains yesterday, sitting in a tree enjoying the view.