September 20, 2008: Sarah & Clinton

Eric Turner and I went to Monterey to shoot Sarah and Clinton's wedding, where we enjoyed a beautiful wedding in a beautiful setting.
The bridal party was super fun...
the girls' green dresses and the guys' green ties were awesome, and went way better with Sara's choice of orange than anyone had expected.
There were just too many fun things to shoot, and we got some great pictures.

Click here to view Sarah and Clinton's slideshow.

Shot for Eric Turner Photography
Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
Editorial use only.

September 13, 2008: Jacey & Jimmy

A friend of mine from Sonora, Jacey, got married and her and her husband and families threw their wedding together in about a week.... 

and it was one of the all around best weddings I've been to! 

Everyone was duly impressed. 

It was super fun, and I knew a bunch of people there, the wedding party was great, Jacey's beautiful, Jimmy's awesome, and I got to give them a gift by shooting their wedding....

Click here to view Jacey and Jimmy's slideshow!

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten (and I think a couple that Nicki shot, haha)
Copyright: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
Editorial use only

September 12, 2008: Locatelli Party

I'm also working for Tanja Lippert these days.... 

she contracted me out to shoot a rich party. 

It was really rich. 

The place was amazing. 

The party was for a Father who had done a lot of great work for Santa Clara University. 

It was easy -- all I had to do was show up and shoot some details and get paid. 

I can do more of that.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten

Copyright: Tanja Lippert Photographers 2008

For editorial use only.

September 6, 2008: Stephanie & Daniel

Stephanie and Daniel's wedding was so much fun and turned out so great. I shot it with Eric Turner, and we were both skeptical of it being in Visalia at the end of summer. But being within the grounds of a beautiful house on a walnut farm shaded by huge trees, it was way cooler and beautiful than we could have imagined. The couple was great, the bride gorgeous, and the bridal party fun as hell.... for their first dance, they busted out this amazing choreographed dance to a super gangster rap song.... it was the most incredible first dance ever. It will never be topped. We were pretty bummed because they didn't tell us that they were busting out, and so we weren't ready to capture that kind of action! I was lucky enough to catch the cartwheel just by swinging my camera up at the last millisecond and hitting the shutter instinctively, without looking. But I think we grabbed some good stuff... I mean, it is the Turner/Ho magnif duo......

Stephanie and Daniel's slideshow.

Shot for Eric Turner Photography
Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
Editorial use only.

August 30, 2008: Beth & Will

Beth and Will had a gorgeous wedding.. The church in down town San Jose was amazing, I had never been in there.. The reception was at the Sainte Claire Hotel, right down the street.. It was really crowded, but fun -- I had to shoot them through the mirror when they were cutting the cake! I got a lot more great pictures than I thought at first.. I'm happy...... I even got one of my favorite pictures in a long time, following...

Click here for Beth and Will's slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jill Johnson 2008
Editorial use only.

August 23, 2008: Shannon & Russel

Fun wedding!! 

Great bride and groom, they were super fun. 

I felt really bad for Russel because it was so hot during their ceremony that he was getting really light headed! 

I felt bad taking pictures of him sweating bullets and being comforted by his mother, but he'll look back on it and laugh, that's the kind of great guy he is. 

Shannon's family owns a towing company so they had a tow truck photo op, and Barbie and Ken mini Shannon and Russel in a metal tow truck model. 

She also river dances, and there was couple surprise dances that her and some guests busted out. 

It was quite impressive! 

My favorite part was the photo booth they hired.... I want one in my house!

Click here for Shannon and Russel's slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jill Johnson 2008
Editorial use only.

August 9, 2008: Taralynn and Kevan

Taralynn and Kevan's wedding was very, very nice. 

Taralynn looks like a glamour model from the 60's or something... she's super hot.

Very fun to shoot, obviously! 

They even had some Chinese dancers at their reception. 

Impressive, I know......

Click here to view Taralynn and Kevans's slideshow!

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten

Copyright: Jill Johnson 2008
Editorial use only.

July 12, 2008: Rachel & Kevin

Tidwell's married! 

A long-time friend of my sister finally married his fiancee of several years, Rachel, and I shot with Eric Turner again.

It was back home, in Sonora, at Sierra Bible. 

The day went beautifully! 

We had plenty of time before the ceremony to do a first meeting, ALL of the portraits and some fun ones of the couple. 

We knew most of the people there and everyone was happy and easy going.

The pastor was hella funny.... he gave Kevin a bean pot and Rachel a teacup and explained how they were those things. 

And then best man Nathan, aka Milnik, gave Kevin a funny cup that he custom made into a ball and chain mug. 

Some special wedding gifts, huh?

Click here to view Rachel and Kevin's slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
Editorial use only.

July 5, 2008: Cheryl & Brandon

Two months after the fact..... 

TADAAAA!!! 

Here is Cheryl and Brandon. 

They were super easy going and fun; 

Brandon, baseball fiend, threw a baseball instead of a garter. 

We had a good time with them......

Click here to view Cheryl and Brandon's slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jill Johnson 2008
Editorial use only.

Facebook Page...

I've had this for a short while now, but forgot to mention it... 

so here it is! 

I don't know if it'll work, but it should if you're a member. 

Link will be under the others!

Visit me!

June 25, 2008: Magee Kids

Roles changed when Jill assisted me on a portrait session with the Magee kids at the Felton covered bridge. 

We were top speed the whole time, just trying to keep up with the kids. 

They put us to the test with their high energy, so it made for a wild afternoon. 

It was really hard, and I couldn't have done it without Jill there to help.

Click here to view the Magee Kids' slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright: Jill Johnson 2008
Editorial use only.

May 24, 2008: Annie & John

Annie and John's wedding was a local Los Gatos wedding. 

At the church we weren't allowed to move or move up from the back at all, much less use flash. 

So I had to shoot from the balcony the whole time in ridiculously low light. 

But the pics came out pretty good. 

Reception was at Cinnabar, which is a nice golf resort. 

Annie is one of those girls who are funny and easy going, which made shooting them together entertaining.

John is a Judo master--seriously. 

By now he's probably already tried out for the Olympics in which he'd been training for. 

He's like a National Champion or something crazy like that. 

Don't wanna mess up a wedding like that (much less any wedding)!

Click here to view Annie and John's slideshow.

Photos by Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright Jill Johnson 2008
For editorial use only.

May 17, 2008: Nancy & David

Nancy and David's wedding was at Nancy's parents house close to Corralitos in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

 It was a wonderfully pleasant setting close to a winery on beautiful property.

 Nancy's family is German to the max, so it was awesome to be around so many foreigners..... 

I love languages, and wished I could converse with them! 

Alas, I take the pictures. 

But I'd say they came out pretty kinda sorta ok.......

Click here to view Nancy and David's slideshow.

Photos by Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright Jill Johnson 2008
For editorial use only.

Catchup: April 6, 2008: Shelby & Joe

Shelby and Joe had their wedding in San Jose at the extravagant Saint Claire Hotel.

It was a good time to be had by all.

Joe is from Wales, and had some fun family come for the wedding, including his fun energetic dance-floor-owning Maj....

I was even one of several people to be molested by a drunk friend of the couple while on the dance floor.

Click here to view Shelby and Joe's slideshow.

Photos: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
Copyright Jill Johnson Photography 2008
For editorial use only.

March 29, 2008: Dawn & Kevin

Yesterday we shot a fun couple all over the east bay.

We started in the Berkeley Hills at the Brazil House, then went to a church of Christian Sciences, which I don't even know what that is, but the church is REALLY cool, then went to Treasure Island.

It was a long day filled with stressful driving (I always drive, and driving in the city SUCKS always!).

Kevin is a marine officer, so it was funny to see how he was restricted in his uniform and from the rules he had to follow. 

They were a great couple, and the reception on Treasure Island was a beautiful setting.... 

proven with following picture......

Click here to view Dawn and Kevin's slideshow.

Photos by Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright Jill Johnson Photography 2008
For editorial use only.

March 22, 2008: Jamie & Jeremy

Jamie and Jeremy were married in Tahoe (too bad we didn't shoot that), and were having a reception dinner with friends and family.

So it was short, but fun and easy to shoot.

The couple was pretty atypical; they wore black, had sweet tattoos, and a collection of piercings. 

They were super fun, and you could tell they were really happy together. 

They toasted with absinthe, which apparently has a little "mix with water and serve over sugar" ritual.

It was interesting......

Photos by Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright Jill Johnson Photography 2008
For editorial use only.

(back to weddings...) Feb. 17, 2008: Tony & Jackie

Six days after I got back, along with getting sicker than I have been in years, I got right back into the flow of things.

One of Jill's best friends was getting married, and she wasn't about to shoot it all, since she wanted to have fun. 

So it was up to me to make it happen.

I think I made it happen.

Tony and Jackie are a bundle of fun, and their celebration exuded tons of it. 

Married in Sunnyvale at the Historical Del Monte Building, it was a one location, smooth-going shoot.

Click here to view Jackie and Tony's slideshow.

My boss, and her kids, are awesome..


Photos by Jeremy Hohengarten
Copyright Jill Johnson Photography 2008
For editorial use only.

February 07-10, 2008: Siem Reap

Siem Reap was just as interesting, just as breath-taking, and not as tragic or depressing. Siem Reap is where the temples of Angkor were built. Angkor Wat, the biggest of the hundreds, is simply out of control huge. It's arguably the largest religious (which I've read is a debatable term for Angkor) buildings in the world. The worst part? The number of freaking tourists. We're all there to see the same things, but there's just so many. It seems like the Taj, I haven't been yet.

We left Phnom Penh in the afternoon and took my last long bus ride to Siem Reap, and woke up late the next day to explore several temples. There's so many, it would take weeks to see them all. The next morning, we woke up before the sun, and watched the sunrise. The last day we didn't go to the temples, as many of them, as unique and interesting as each are, start to look too much the same. The picture opportunities were overwhelming, and I wished I had all my gear (or at least a wide angle).

I flew out as late as possible to Bangkok, and spent a long, boring night at the airport. The morning of the 11th, I flew out at 0645hr, and arrived at 0930 in SFO.... on the 11th. I had the rest of the afternoon to acclimate to culture shock. Something that's really depressing when leaving such beautiful, poor and underdeveloped, yet so much more real and rich, countries.

The slideshow is a long one!

Sadly, thus concludes my month-long trip to Southeast Asia. I love it, and I'm going back to explore even more. Come with me.......

Photos & Copyright Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
For editorial use only.

February 06-07, 2008: Phnom Penh

We left from Nha Trang and flew to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. I was really excited to see this country because it has such an intense, violent and interesting history. We got in late, found a place, and woke up the next day ready to see the sites before I had to leave (which was on the 10th). We took a tuk tuk out to the "killing fields" of Cheung Ek, some kilo's out of town. Around the time of the Vietnam War, Cambodia found itself ruled by a violent Khmer Rouge, led by the maniac Pol Pot, which 'ethnically cleansed' the population of almost a third of the country's people. The killing fields was a secret location out of town, hidden from the citizens, where systematic killing of men, women and children took place. Now it's a quiet, heavy, and somewhat stuffy memorial site where you walk the grounds where thousands of Cambodians were killed; being amongst the emptied mass graves, the dry earth littered here and there with clothing and human bones -- to say the least, was intense. The huge temple-looking building in the center is filled with human skulls found at the site. It was a solemn time of reflection and thinking.

After Cheung Ek, we went back to our guest house and from there I was able to walk along the crowded, small and huge city streets to an old school that was converted into a prison for those who were interrogated before being taken to the killing fields. Toul Sleng looks like a prison. Barbed and razor wire is spread all over, across the balconies of each floor of the building; this kept prisoners from escaping the torture and horrors of Toul Sleng by throwing themselves from the balconies. Walking into the many rooms, converted into torture chambers and mass detention rooms, looking at the pictures found of all the prisoners held, the pictures of the torture victims found when the prisoners were liberated, all of this was very intense. I felt like it was the Holocaust that we never were told about. From Toul Sleng there were only, if I remember correctly, seven survivors out of the thousands that were held, at the time of liberation. Much like the Holocaust survivors, the Cambodians sadly didn't see Pol Pot come to justice for his crimes, before he died in '98. I encourage everyone reading this to take some time to look into the vast information on the internet about Cambodia's past.

Children's clothing in a mass grave..

A good start is John Pilger's Cambodia: Year-Zero..

Click here to view the Phnom Penh slideshow.



Photos & Copyright: Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
For editorial use only.

February 04-06, 2008: Doc Lek

We needed peace and quiet. Doc Lek supplied this. A small oasis north of the cool/ugly Pismo or Long Beach look-a-like of Vietnam, Nha Trang, Paradise Resort is right on Doc Lek beach, in between Vietnamese villages, where the locals would fly along the beach on their motos (one wrecked really hard right in front of me, we thought he was dead at first!). It was beautiful, quiet and fun. The water was warm, the winds were our music, and the people we were with and ate with 3 times a day were all great. The 80 something year old French owner's a little intense. Go there.

Some beautiful temple site where our bus stopped on the way to Doc Lek..

One of the views from outside our room..

Another view....

Villagers paddling to/from their anchored fishing boats.. We raced some dudes in our kayak, and they almost beat us!

Photos & Copyright Jeremy Hohengarten 2008
For editorial use only.