Brian Stethem Photography

A Beautiful Beach Wedding at the Crowne Plaza in Ventura

Brian — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:00:07 +0000

Brooke and Mike got married on the beach in Ventura, then had their reception at the Crowne Plaza in Ventura. Handsome groom, beautiful bride, awesome photos!

Samantha & Michael At The Moorpark Country Club

Brian — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:24:32 +0000

Samantha and Michael had a very cool wedding in Moorpark, CA at the Moorpark Country Club. The venue is fairly new as golf course wedding sites go, and it is very beautiful, with lots of different locales for nice photos. I think the energy and fun of this wedding comes through in the images!

Exotic Beach Wedding in Carpenteria

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:40:21 +0000

Carly and Thomas made their vows on the beach on a chilly summer day in Carpenteria. Except for the weather, it felt like we were in Fiji!

A Beautiful Fillmore Wedding!

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:12:18 +0000

Laura and Chad got married in Filmore and had their reception at the Camarillo Library. Here are some images from the wedding ceremony:

Wedding at Hartley’s Botanica in Somis, CA

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:36:17 +0000

We photographed a beautiful wedding at Hartley’s Botanica in Somis, Ventura County, CA. Erika and Chris were a joy to photograph – the whole day was perfect. Here are a few samples from the wedding:

Kathy & Tim’s Engagement Photos

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:09:40 +0000

I got together with Kathy and Tim for some engagement photos in Thousand Oaks recently. The setting was beautiful and lighting was perfect! Here are some images from the session. I am looking forward to their wedding in Simi later this year.

Kristen and Jared’s Westlake Wedding

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:46:46 +0000

Their weddings was an awesome event. All of the guests had a great time at Bocaccio’s Restaurant on the Westlake Lake. It is a great place to hold a wedding for less than 150 guests. The restaurant was decorated very nicely. The rented red lights that they put all around the room to create a very warm feelings. We adjusted the settings on our cameras to capture this excellent lighting. The food was delicious and looked gorgeous. Entertainment was provided by Chris from Elegant Event Entertainment. He was very respectful of the guests and once the dancing started, he kept everyone out on the dance floor. I am very happy with the photos we got – here are some:

Jordi & Seth’s Engagement Photos

Brian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:45:09 +0000

Just finished a super fun engagement session with my favorite couple Jordi and Seth – we had a blast, and got some beautiful images. I think the photos really show how fun, friendly and special these guys are.

We did these photos in Kingsmen Park on the campus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. I photograph in this park often because it is a very pretty location with nice lighting and many spots for different kinds of shots.

I can’t wait to photograph Jordi and Seth’s wedding – I know it will be a special event!

Venice Beach Field Trip

Brian — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:44:13 +0000

I just took my CLU photography class on a field trip to Venice Beach, CA. We had a great time, and took lots of photos. It is a crazy place, and the weather was perfect. And no - no one got a tattoo while we were there!

I can’t wait to see all of my student’s photos.

Portraits of a Real American Hero

Brian — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:27:52 +0000

I just had the honor of taking portraits of a real American hero. William Rolland has donated five million dollars to build a new football stadium on the north campus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. Anyone who has gone to see a football game at CLU is well aware that we have been in dire need of a football stadium for many years. Our current field is woefully inadequate for a university of our caliber – in fact, most high schools have football fields superior to ours.

His donation of just more than $5 million is the largest single gift in the history of the university – to call it generous is a gross understatement. As an instructor at CLU, I often ask my students what attracted them to our school, and our facilities and infrastructure is a big factor. This new stadium will make us much more competitive with other private universities.

The money will be used in the construction of a first-class $8 million stadium. The more than 3,000-seat facility will include locker rooms, coaching offices, meeting rooms, a press box, VIP lounge and clock tower. The stadium will also house an art gallery where Rolland’s extensive collection of bronze statuary and other works will be exhibited.

Construction will begin this summer with the installation of artificial turf and should conclude in time for the opening of the 2011 football season.

Rolland, who played football in the Army, rose from humble beginnings to achieve great success. He spent four decades as a real estate developer in Ventura County and was a founding resident of Westlake Village.

He also served as a Los Angeles City firefighter for 17 years. Rolland, 76, received the department’s Medal of Valor for his efforts during a mudslide rescue in the Hollywood Hills. In 1988, he established the William Rolland Firefighters Foundation. As president, he has helped direct its philanthropic efforts to aid the families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty and facing life-threatening medical challenges and to provide reward money for arson crimes. He also founded the William Rolland Firefighter Educational Institute in Hollywood.

In addition, Mr. Rolland and his wife Kay are the most down to earth and friendly people I have ever met. They were gracious enough to have me over to their estate, where we discussed art, architecture and philanthropy.

I hope to one day get a ride in their Ferrari!

Mr. Rolland on the site of the new CLU football stadium