I knew I was in for a treat when Courtney reached out months ago and asked me to shoot her wedding. Courtney is one of those dream brides that is not only pleasant and thoughtful, but professional and creative.

She built her day around she and Aaron and everything worked flawlessly!

Of course, with her natural beauty and charm, a lot could have gone wrong and things still would have felt right.

Stunning (and on-time) hair and make-up started the day right. We were off to the races.

Gorgeous dress.

Final touches.

Friends to help.

It was perfect.

Aaron’s mom was in awe.

Courtney’s mom was moved to tears.

A pensive moment before seeing Aaron for the first time.

Pensive turned to excitement… it was on!

The Stowe House was a great location for a Santa Barbara wedding. It was the perfect setting. Aaron was beside himself.

At first, he was a little formal.

Then he realized who he was with.

A moment later…

He couldn’t help himself.

Stunning.

The whole wedding party was gorgeous… and had an international flair.

The details were just right.

Mason jars were the perfect touch for a Westmont alum.

Petals from the sky accented the decor.

Aaron went from deer in the headlights to kid in a candy store. His guys had his back.

The ring-bearers were angelic.

The kiss.

The exit.

The bridesmaids were a blast.

The Becker special.

The day was flawless.

Special thanks to Fasttracker Rustin Michael for helping me out. Debbie from Chic Events made the whole event a treat for everyone.

And, of course, thanks to the new Mr. and Mrs. You guys are rad! I hope Belize is incredible.

- Dane

This edition of Make Your Day YOU! features floral designer Kristin Brancaleone from The Treasured Petal.

Kristin is not only a brilliant floral designer that enhance remarkable events but it’s her personality that wins clients over. Check out what she has to say about Making Your Day YOU!

- Dane and Lindye

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Amy of Albumesque did another incredible job with Gia and Victor’s epic East meets West Wedding extravaganza with Lisa Vorce designing the event.

This may be one of my favorite album designs to date. The Santa Barbara wedding at the Hahn Estate included an Mendhi as well as Indian Wedding & Bazaar along with the destination western wedding the following day. What an amazing week. I was so grateful to be the wedding photographer for this remarkable event at the Hahn Estate in Santa Barbara, California.

It’s been a really busy month with three more weddings in Santa Barbara, San Diego & Colorado Springs, a workshop in Austin (Seattle is next!) and Skip’s Summer School.

We also just moved into our new Studio in Newport Beach. The grand opening is coming soon… want to come?

Thanks for your patience with me as we catch our breath and share more in the coming days.

-Dane

PS… Stay tuned for our next few episodes of Make Your Day You!

Watch the infamous hair stylist, Walter Claudio, transform Gia‘s hair in 3 minutes in this sick time lapse video!

- Dane

Join in for Fast Track Coaching by CLICKING HERE!
Special guests this week are AskDane co-creators The Bui Brothers!
  
For everyone who is signed up, you’ll get your password before noon. Email me if you don’t get it!

Here are the rest of the details: 
EVENT: Fast Track Coaching
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, April 7th at 4:00pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW… 

PASSWORD: To attend, you must purchase Fast Track Coaching or Fast Track Forums. 

You can start putting your questions in right now… I can’t wait to connect with you guys!
- Dane

AskDane is a production of The Bui Brothers

Recently, I’ve been stoked to notice a lot of people taking the initiative to reach out for help like this. But, until now I haven’t really had a good way to really carve out intentional time! I’m excited to announce that I think we have that worked out now.

I’ve decided to start offering 20 minute consults on a limited bases. All topics are fair game!

You can get answers on everything including…

• signature vs. freelance branding
• shooting techniques
• lighting
• pricing
• marketing
• decision making
• business strategy
• workflow
• equipment & vendor selection
• & much more!

You will also be asked to take your pDNA before the consultation so I can get a chance to review your results and give you the most out of your time together. If you haven’t taken the pDNA yet, no problem. A FREE test is included. That’s not all either – see the bonus below!

All the details on how it works can be found here!

*Bonus: Everyone who books a Consult will also receive a FREE Fast Track Photographer Audiobook as well as a FREE pDNA for yourself or to share! I’ll even throw in a FREE eBook so you can follow along as I read to you!

After purchase of the consult, I’ll be emailing you a code to redeem everything listed!

Again, because of my other commitments I will only be offering a handful of slots so if you’re at all interested, I’d really encourage you to confirm your spot today!

I hope this helps!
-Dane

I always laugh at how goofy I can look and every time I do I appreciate better what it’s like for all our clients. Why not invite a friend to shoot you shooting to see what it feels like? Or better yet, why not be a model for a day and take it all in. You’ll be surprised what you learn about how to set your clients up to win.

Anyway, here’s what I was up to when David Hessemer caught me live, connecting with Erin and Austin…

Asking my clients to go hide in the woods…

Risking life and limb to get the picture…

Cleaning the sand out of my shoes…

Keep it light.
-Dane

I just shot one of my all time favorite weddings!

Lindye and Winn (and their families and wedding party and …) were just spectacular. It was one of those days that just shows up once in a while. If you didn’t get a chance to be at the wedding in person, check out their reception slideshow below!

I also got to enjoy shooting today with my friend Robert Evans which absolutely raised the value. Can you imagine having Robert as your second shooter? It was insane. What an amazing experience to shoot along side him … total class act. We also got some fun footage for his upcoming DVD specifically for 2nd Shooters. I dare you to check out his stuff over at Photographer Mentor. He’s hitting it out of the park over there. And, stay tuned for his DVD.

Thanks again Lindye and Winn! What a fantastic time. This was their getaway shot. So fun!

Shake it like a polaroid picture.
-Dane

PS … It’s a big shooting month. Next week is Jen and Aaron’s wedding in Santa Barbara. I can’t wait!