Justine Ungaro

Washington Harbor – Amanda + James

justine — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:57:07 +0000

Whenever I fly back to DC to shoot a wedding I manage to squeeze in all sorts of portrait sessions. Sometimes it’s the new baby of one of my past wedding couples, or a growing family I’ve been shooting for years. Very often it’s an engagement session for one of my upcoming weddings since I am still shooting weddings from coast to coast. I might live in Los Angeles but I love to go all over the place for weddings. I feel like it keeps me fresh to be working in new and different venues all the time, with different kinds of light/ weather, people…you know.

On my most recent trip back to DC for Mere & Pat’s wedding I met up with Amanda & James, a fabulous couple who came to me through the lovely Sara Muchnick of Engaging Affairs. They are planning the most fabulous wedding at the Mellon Auditorium and I am so excited to see how it all materializes.

So I just bummed around Washington Harbor with these two and we had so much fun. We even dragged their two rambunctious german shepherds out of the apartment for a few pictures as well. Enjoy!

The Barns at Wolf Trap – Meredith + Pat

justine — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:49:15 +0000

It’s hard to believe that I had never actually met either Meredith or Pat before their wedding day…because I definitely felt like I knew them, and knew them well. I suppose that’s why it all felt so easy, swooping into the wedding day of a family I’m already involved with and invested in.

My lovely bride Meredith is the practically identical sister of my great friend/ 2nd shooting wedding prodigy Jenni Green. And what a delight it was to spend this day with their family, full of lots of laughs and lots of tears…just like any good wedding should be…and immaculately designed by Jenni herself who these days is doing amazing things as an art director over at Living Social. Sprinkled throughout with creative details in green and turquoise, this wedding was a blast to shoot and I was very lucky to have my good friend Nicole Wolf along to 2nd shoot.

This bouquet of flowers was a subtle but poignant tribute to the girls’ grandmother who sadly passed away the week before the wedding.

Meredith & Pat exited to an LED balloon release…soooo cool!

Headshot – Alison Dinerstein

justine — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:49:06 +0000

I’m not sure that I know anyone who is more busy at the moment than my client/ friend Alison Dinerstein…who is not only preparing for her son’s bar mitzvah (which I’m of course shooting) in a few weeks but is also launching a brand new business venture called Artisan Kitchen this year. I have known Alison since 2007(ish) I suppose when she booked me to photograph her daughter Zoe’s bat mitzvah in 2008. One of my favorite things about this job is the fact that I get to work with the same families for multiple occasions over the course of many years. That’s why I’m never sure whether or not I should refer to someone as a client or as a friend, because really they are both. So when Alison needed a headshot for this new business it was just one more chance for me to drag her into the studio & in front of my lens.

This one was the winner & I knew it would be. This is just so Alison to me…and this is one of the reasons why I love shooting a headshot for someone I have worked with previously. Because I already know who they are, and it’s my job to convey that to the world through one image.

The Perfect Wedding Shoes

justine — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Okay wedding photographers of the female variety, this post is for you. How many times have you discussed with other photographer friends, “what do you wear to shoot in?” This conversation is so prevalent amongst our ranks for good reason. We want to look professional and polished and appropriately dressed for a wedding, but we also need to be comfortable and able to move around with ease without being restricted by our clothing. I like to shoot in a dress or skirt, that is just my personal preference. But along with that choice comes the inevitable problem, what shoes do I wear?

Well I do believe that I have stumbled across the perfect pair of wedding shoes. They are called the Jupiter by Softwalk.

Black leather Mary Janes with rubber soles and eggcrate footbeds. They literally (that’s for you SB) feel like walking on clouds. I’ve never put on a more comfy pair of shoes in my life and I love that I can wear them with a skirt or with pants.

I found them on Zappos and after seeing 216 reviews, all with 4 or 5 star ratings I thought…how is it possible that everyone loves these shoes? I couldn’t believe it. So I bought them. And now I’m a believer.

May 13th is Mother’s Day

justine — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:10:50 +0000

With Mother’s Day looming in the not-so-distant future (May 13th to be exact), now is the time to think about how to make all of the moms in your life feel special. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we are offering a limited number of gift certificates for a portrait session at 50% off. There’s never been a better time to give the lovely lady in your life the gift of pictures of her beautiful family. Each certificate is good for a lifestyle or studio session with Justine and one 8″x10″ matted fine-art print. If you really want mom to feel spoiled, you may also choose to include framed or matted prints in your gift. We are releasing just 10 gift certificates at this time. When they are gone, they are gone so please order early to be sure mom receives her gift on time.

We are also going to give away one gift certificate for free. Just visit our Facebook page, LIKE us & share our Mother’s Day announcement via your FB page & you’ll be entered into a random drawing to win. If you purchase a gift certificate & win, we will give you a refund or apply a credit for additional products.

Click here to start shopping.

The Fine Print: The session fee includes a pre-portrait consultation, portrait session, in-person ordering session and one 8″x10″ matted fine-art print. Additional products are available for purchase. Not valid for headshots, commercial or mini sessions. Lifestyle sessions must be within a 15 mile radius of Studio City. Promotional value expires on 11/15/12. Paid value can be applied indefinitely.

Malibu Engagement Session – Jana + Jordan

justine — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:52:07 +0000

Jana & Jordan are friends of two of my recent wedding clients and apparently they are all big fans of Palm Springs…because that’s exactly where all of their weddings have taken place/ will take place. Luckily I am also a huge fan of Palm Springs and anything and everything mid-century modern. So I am really looking forward to this wedding which is to be hosted at The Viceroy which is just unbelievably cool…just like Jana & Jordan. I recently shot their engagement session in Malibu…and here are a few highlights.

Studio City Engagement Session – Hilary + Harvey

justine — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:09:08 +0000

Hilary & Harvey were some of my first wedding clients to come and see me at the new studio. I’m still putting some finishing touches on the place but very soon I will be sharing it with the world. But these two were down in Socal from their home in Oregon for some wedding planning so we decided to shoot their engagement session in and around Studio City…the place I call home. Stacy Sarkisian came over and did just a gorgeous job with Hilary’s makeup. Stacy, whom my phone affectionately calls “Stacy Eyebrows” is also a client and the genius who keeps me looking like a normal human with two eyebrows that are distinctly separate and well-shaped.

Anyway, Hilary & Harvey are just the sweetest and cutest couple. Hilary has this gorgeous smile that even she can’t escape and Harvey, oh my can the man dress! This couple has such great style and I can’t wait to see how their wedding unfolds.

Union Station Engagement Session – Kim + David

justine — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:26:51 +0000

Well not only has wedding season begun but so has engagement session season so lots of fun new stuff to share here on the blog. Today I bring you Kim & David, a truly lovely couple planning a September wedding on Nantucket. So excited to shoot another wedding in New England and especially with the always incredible Jen Stiebel of SoCo Events! They brought their cute little dachshund along and we played around downtown in and around Union Station. Enjoy!

In Memoriam – Henry The Dog

justine — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:57:05 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I saw a desperate plea for a veterinary specialist from Michelle & Ben, some of my wedding clients from last year. I was so sad to hear that their darling lab Henry, a very important member of the family had been diagnosed with cancer of the leg. Having experienced a great loss myself this year (that’s another blog post entirely), I demanded that Michelle & Ben bring Henry into the studio immediately for some portraits. I couldn’t do anything about Henry’s health but I could do something about his memory and I knew that I had to. Henry was in good spirits on the day of our session and got to eat lots and lots of treats. His sister Stella, a boston terrier got to share in that action. Just 2 days later Henry lost his battle with cancer. But he will live on in memories and in pictures.

Studio Session: Lindsay & Jen

justine — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:04:57 +0000

Lindsay Rush is the most delightfully talented young song writer who has been a FB friend for so long that I wasn’t sure if we had actually met before or not. But since she was in need of some non-specific pictures for professional and personal use, we just decided to play in the studio for a couple of hours to see what we got. And since one of Lindsay’s BFFs/ makeup artist Jen Shelton was so lovely as well, we did pictures of them together…because after all, who doesn’t want a gorgeous portrait of themselves with their best friend? At some point I would just die to have a Young Hollywood cover Vanity Fair style portrait of myself with my 5 best girlfriends from high school. That would be divine.