The world is so small. I met Jennifer + Ben during our initial consult and found out that Ben knew of me through my childhood friend who was his co-worker. We hit it off very quickly and saw eye to eye in just about anything related to the photography that they wanted for their wedding. So here comes the images from their engagement session in Santa Monica, where they hang out the most. They are fun and are simply very cool people. I am jealous of their hair :)

Here are some of my favorites:

Here’s a quick single frame from an engagement session that I shot last week! More coming soon! :)

There is only a handful of workshops that we would support wholeheartedly throughout our careers and FOUNDATION WORKSHOP is definitely one of them. It is an amazing photojournalism workshop for wedding photographers, concentrating on story-telling and of course, photography.

If you are serious about capturing amazing REAL moments at your weddings, THIS is the one workshop for you. What we ask from you is simple: come hungry, be open, and give us your absolute best – we expect nothing less.

I can say this much about it: it is going to be difficult and intense. I see sleep deprivation in your futures, and you will be pushed like you’ve never been pushed before. But know this, we are here to help you succeed.

How do I know this? I was a student with Ray Soemarsono on Foundation Workshop 6, and I have been mentoring for several teams (6 sessions under the following great team leaders: David Murray, Tyler Wirken, JVS, and finally Huy Nguyen for FW12A). Their teachings are absolutely vital for preparing me for this new role as a team leader. Ultimately, they shaped me to become a better teacher with a deeper insight on photojournalism.

We believe that the path of being a better photographer is to always learn new things: part of the learning is by letting go of your beliefs, overcoming your fears and doubts, being in touch with your senses, and applying those learning to your craft to produce amazing work that you are passionate about.

Here is a little bit about myself:
I am a self-taught photographer who started photography as an artistic escape from my occupation as an engineer. I finally found my passion as a wedding photographer when I realized the joy of capturing real moments and human emotion.

In late 2005, Ray Soemarsono and I co-founded the boutique photography studio branded as Apertura, which initially was a reflection of both our shooting styles, fine art and edgy, old style and new, soft, subtle moments and strong, in-your-face action. Our goal was to create photography that is different and unpredictable, and foremost, keeps on changing as time goes by. The only philosophy that has not changed was that we believe in the value of natural, unscripted moments in weddings through the proper application of photojournalism.

Through the years Ray and I pushed each other and it finally came to fruition when they were named Top 10 Wedding Photographers in 2009 by American Photo Magazine, followed by many other accolades such as Junebug Weddings’ The Best of the Best, ISPWP Best Wedding Photography, etc.

Nowadays, aside from continuously shooting weddings for people who are in love, I shoot other things life-related. I started doing Day In The Life projects as well as covering such events that help the community such as Help Portrait Indonesia in 2011. I also have been teaching numerous classes in photography, starting from the beginners’ and intermediate stages of photography (including IPhoneography) for a large company in Southern California, to Apertura’s 2ON1 Custom Workshop, to teaching wedding photography classes in Brazil.

I absolutely love teaching. I have found that my analytical personality allows me to understand my students’ weaknesses and dissect their struggles, and I have the ability to coach people in a very simplistic way to get the message across as efficient as possible. I teach because I believe in the power of photography, photojournalism, and the value of real moments. I believe in Foundation Workshop. I also believe that every single one of us have the talent to take us to a higher level.

Erwin’s Shots:

Erwin’s IPhone Shots – Follow me on Instagram:

I am so extremely proud of the team that I have assembled which has a perfect balance of our strengths and personalities. These amazing photographers live and breathe photography and have the passion for photography like no other. I have complete faith and trust that we are going to be simply, AMAZING!

Ray Soemarsono (Mentor):
Ray is one of the most consistently good photographer I know. He is an amazing person with an enormous talent and I am proud to call him my friend. I am so lucky to have him in my team.
As a former industrial engineer, the technical understanding of photography comes rather effortlessly to him. He was an avid hobbyist, self-taught by reading lots of books and scouring the web for tips and tricks. His first love was landscape photography where he honed his patience to find the perfect light and composition. In 2005, He got the chance to shoot a wedding as a second shooter and fell in love with the pressure, the challenge and the rewards.
When he heard about the Foundation Workshop in 2008, he signed up with trepidation, not knowing what he was in for. The workshop taught him how to overcome his personal fears to become a better photographer, and more importantly, it gave him an extended family of photographers who had been through the same struggles and experiences. He owed a lot of his growth as a photographer to the Foundation family and he has been invited back as a mentor the past four years; twice on David Murray’s team and twice on JVS team.

Ray’s Shots:

Ray’s IPhone Shots – follow him on Instagram

Elizabeth Lloyd Fladung (Team Assistant):
Elizabeth is another strong shooter and I actually started following her street photography on her instagram before started talking to her. We met in FW11 just earlier this year and talked a lot whenever we could. When the time came for me to find an assistant, I knew she is the person for the job.
Elizabeth is a New York City and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico based photographer who has been shooting weddings for many years in both Mexico and the U.S. She honed her style in New York City, where she spent ten years as a professional photographer shooting fine art, editorial and documentary photography. On her down time she donates her photographic services to non-profits whether it be for spay/neuter clinics in Mexico, a housing organization for people with HIV and AIDS in New York City, or with an orphanage in Kenya. She’s currently working on a book focusing on the residents of motels throughout the US that have become a form of low-income housing. Her proudest achievements happen daily on her Instagram feed.

Elizabeth’s Shots:

Elizabeth’s IPhone Shots – Follow her on her Instagram

We all look forward to this experience together, and none of us could wait for 2014 to do this!

Registration will be open on March 24, 2013. Mark your calendar, make sure you register early since spots will fill up very quickly. Add yourself to the Foundation Facebook Group for additional information.

Team Erwin on FW12B is waiting for you!

Sam + Vivi came from Indonesia to revisit their college town of Carlsbad and had their engagement photos taken there and around San DIego. I love their energy together despite the unusually cold weather. Let’s just say that the three of us really had a great time that day. :)