Page 3 - weddings

Well, hello stranger. 

I’m a planner… one of the behind the scenes nobodies with a love for all the nuts and bolts that hold a wedding together.  We are smitten with tradition. We adore all things modern. We love fresh ideas. And we thrive under new challenges. At the same time, I understand that not all clients have a clear vision of how to allocate their budget with all the Pinterest possibilities out there.  My tip - keep it simple.  It’s easier to tell your story that way.

My favorite photoshoot actually happened a couple of months ago, maybe even a year at this point. I was shooting as a second photographer for a wedding that took place in Downtown Atlanta. There are multiple reasons why this shoot is my favorite. The first was the fact that the groom’s name is the same as mine, Dimitri. We basically kicked it off from there. Moreso, the groomsmen and myself went to Georgia State University. That lead me to finding out one of my fraternity brothers from my chapter, the Pi Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., was also one of the groomsmen. Discovering the many connections definitely made the shoot easier because it made both parties comfortable with each other. The biggest similarity between us all was the dying love we have for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were playing during the time the groomsmen were getting dressed, so that was the main conversation that afternoon.

I’ve had a camera in my hands since I could remember. Of course way back then it was a hot pink Barbie film camera. I wanted to be just like my dad, from computers to photography. He used to own his very own studio. Like father like daughter, except my studio primarily consists of whatever nature has to offer.

          Dreams are a thing hard to come by where I grew up. In the lower middle class of Midwestern American society they tend to get beaten out of you. You’re taught the only way to make it is to forget your passions and work nine to five. That was never my thing.

As a wedding photographer I get the chance to capture the most important moments in a couple's journey to becoming husband and wife. Although, the journey is typically, filled with love, happiness, and tears of joy, I do get a chance to also capture the fun, the silliness, and the crazy; which, in my opinion, is one of the most important ingredients to a successful wedding day.

Capture the very essence of a moment and immortalize it for years to come

I have been photographing for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Palm Springs, CA I would encourage my best friends into modeling for me in abandoned houses, railroad tracks, scenic backgrounds like windmills, you know the basic stuff. The desert was my life and it was all I knew. It wasn't until I left to Los Angeles that I really became exposed to a much denser population of people. I became obsessed with capturing random, natural moments instead of posing my subjects. I have always felt that there is a rawness to human emotion when people are unaware they are being observed and I fell in love with that concept so most of my work is based on natural candid moments as well as the occasional posed presentation.

Your time is valuable, so I will not disrespect you by wasting it. My name is Zyaire Porter but I am better known by my handle, Porterhouse LA. I am a Los Angeles based photographer who specializes in moments. I have been a professional photographer for close to 10 years and I love it! Allow me to share a recent shoot I did at two amazing SoCal locations.

The Essence of Panache Event Planning specializes in the planning of Full Scale Elegant Events; -from even the most intimate settings to very large events such as Weddings, Birthday Parties, Themed Events, Anniversary Parties, Children's Events, Business Events and More! We are a mobile company that provides service on-site at any venue or home (or our contracted Venues); which gives our clients a variety of choices when it comes to the planning of their event. We are a complete Elegant "One Stop Shop" that can offer all services that would complete any event with one stop; and moderate pricing.

With my sheet of 35mm film, I stand under a safelight of red. I put my negative in the enlarger, focus, lay my paper in easel, set a timer, click, and light illuminates. Taking my matte paper to the processing solutions, an aroma of developer, stop bath, fixer and wash are the essential sequence of steps. Looking down at my time and hard work, a single image looks back.

As early as I can remember, my father always had a camera with him when we as family left the house. His birthday and Christmas gifts were entirely or complimented with rolls of film. It wasn’t long before I had the same fascination with capturing moments in time through photography.