I'm really excited to share that Junebug honored me again this year with their "Best of 2009" feature.  Enjoy lots of inspiring photography from some of the world's best {here}.

Thanks Junebug - I'm truly honored!

Last spring I worked on one of the most amazing projects with a team of totally inspiring wedding professionals.  These are definitely some of my favorite shots from 2009 and since this is the time of year when many clients are looking for inspiration for their own events, I thought it would be a great to post some of the images.

Rebecca Stone of {Duet Weddings}, Camille Panzarello of Modern Day Design, and I spent two days at Crossroads Estate in Los Olivos, putting together the tables and working with Rebecca's wonderful clients as our models - Georgia & Nate (you may have seen their own amazing wedding which Rebecca designed and Jose Villa photographed).  I couldn't have been more delighted when Rebecca suggested we use them as our "real life couple".  We had such a great group of people working with us.  Elizabeth Dye designed Georgia's ethereal tea length gown and my dear friend and designer extraordinaire Lisa "Ceci" Hoffman designed the invitation suite for us.  

I'm going to head out for a stroll with Thatcher (it's snowing here!) but will add more details about the photo shoot in a bit.

Vendor credit Info ~ Venue:  Crossroads Estatein Los Olivos – Jill Remy, Events Manager / Planner: Rebecca Stone {duet} Weddings / Invitations: Lisa Hoffman, Ceci New York / Florist: Camille Panzarello, Modern Day Design / Hair/Makeup: Cathryn Van Breene, The Studio Agency / Tea Length Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Dye / Short White Dress:  Anna Sui Vintage Gown:  Unlabeled, found at flea market / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Linens: La Tavola Photography / Wedding Sign: Laura Hooper

2009 was such a blessed year for me.  I met some of the most incredible clients, nurtured relationships with vendors in the industry who I now work with on a regular basis, and had the opportunity to shoot weddings in fabulous destinations like Italy, Costa Rica, France, Vermont, New York, Charleston and California.

2009 meant a new beginning for me professionally as I moved my studio presence into the California market.  Having spent so many years in Tuscany, soaking up that stunning vineyard light, the west coast aesthetic really felt like the right fit to me and I decided to just dive in, meet people, and get working.  It was an area of the world that I was completely in love with and where I wanted to spend more time.  I have to thank all of the wonderful planners and professionals who have welcomed me there and given me such confidence to continue working with new clients in both Southern and Northern California.  It's been a wonderful journey and I have been so lucky to have things fall into place there.

When your company grows, you often have to step back and think about what plans you have for the future, what goals you want to reach and what will continue to make you love what you do professionally.  There's sometimes a feeling that you need to be bigger, have more weddings or events, sell more products.  When I think a lot about it, I know that those things are not really what's most important to me.  I want my clients to really have a chance to get to know me.  I want them to feel confident that I was the best choice for them and when they email or call me, I'll be the one that's really going to understand their photography needs.  I like selecting about 25 weddings a year to photograph and knowing that I'm a good fit for each of my clients.  I want to continue to work with book artists and album professionals that can execute my vision and give my couples a completely unique book to share with their loved ones.  I want to continue to be inspired by the industry and hope that my own work gives something back.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday with your families and friends.  I'll see you in 2010!

xo Corbin

I hope you all are having a festive season.  In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to share this Christmas wedding I photographed last December.  The wedding took place at the gorgeous William Aiken House in historic downtown Charleston and was planned by Ashley Wenz at WED.  Hannah, also at WED, designed the gorgeous flowers.  If you haven't checked out these girls before, their event styling is fabulous and they really are the sweetest planners to work with.  You'll notice too that Midgie, the bride's toy poodle made an appearance in the portraits.  We all know my weakness for dogs!  Hope you enjoy the photos...

Just a few silly photos of Truman...in Waldorf's hand-me-downs.  I'm not sure he's particularly amused with this session.

 

I photographed a quick "day after" session with Erin & Chuck last month (remember their lovely barn wedding?) and wanted to share a few photos...

 

Just a quick post before I head out for Thanksgiving festivities!  I met up with Catha & Jared in Tribeca awhile back to shoot this engagement session and wanted to share a few images - an urban cityscape as the backdrop for a change!  C & J are such a great couple and I'm completely psyched to be joining them next June in the Berkshires.  

Have a happy holiday everyone!  I'll catch up with you again soon.

Corbin

My email was "acting up" for about 5 hours today - it's fixed finally, whew!  If you sent me a message this afternoon or inquired through the website, please email me again if you don't mind!

I look forward to hearing from you~

Corbin

The wedding bloggers have been really nice to me over the past couple of years.  They are always so supportive of my work and I really think that they post some of the most inspirational things.  I really enjoy reading so many of them on a daily basis.  Lately, a good number of my clients actually find me just from seeing one of my weddings featured on a wedding blog.

Two of our favorite gals out there,  Abby @ Style Me Pretty and Emily @ Once Wed posted a couple of my recent weddings on their sites this week.  Check them out to see more of Wendy's Newport Wedding and Erin's California wedding....plus tons of other great bridal goodies.

From Abby:  "I am literally DYING over this wedding. It’s so different from most of the weddings that come across my desk…the style is pristine, totally and completely clean, fresh and innovative. The color palette alone, of whites, oranges and grays, will be enough to send most of you clear over the edge but then when you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that it’s the details that really shine.

And the photographer behind the day, the completely loved Corbin Gurkin (seriously loved), took a minimalist approach that allowed each and every element to completely shine. I am head over heels for this one."

Thanks so much ladies!

Okay, this is going to be a BIG post so grab yourself a cup of tea and stay for awhile.  I've had a lot of wonderful design savvy clients lately and Erin is certainly no exception.  She has a background in interior design and has recently started a new line of invitations on etsy.  Check out her blog erineverafter.blogspot.com for lots of inspiration.

Lovely vendors involved in this wedding:  Venue / Dana Powers House; Planner / Emilia Jane Keene www.auburnandivory.etsy.com; Florals / Amy Osaba; Band / Steppin' Feet; Driftwood Archway / Adornments Flowers; Makeup / Maria Nguyen; Hair/ Megan Wayt (maid of honor); Catering / McGees

 

Editorial shoots are a really nice part of my job.  I get to see new places and meet some incredibly talented people from all areas of the industry.  I just came home from Costa Rica last week and am still in awe of what a gorgeous country it is... wedding, honeymoon, family vacation...you guys must go.  It's raining today at home and I'm cozy by the computer, but I think I'd rather be back with some guacamole and a pina colada waiting for me at the pool!

These images were photographed on a Professional Scouting trip organized by Lisa Light of destinationbride.com.  The photo shoot took place at Villa Vista Preciosa – a property managed by CostaRicanRentals.com.  The table settings were inspired by the invitation designs of Lisa “Ceci” Johnson of Ceci New York. 

We had an amazing team of event designers on this trip and I'm excited to share their work with you.  Here's a quick look...

 Designed by Ivy Robinson / ivyrobinson.com

 Designed by Ivy Robinson / ivyrobinson.com

 Designed by Lisa Light / destinationbride.com

 Designed by Lisa Light / destinationbride.com

  Designed by Lisa Light / destinationbride.com

 

Wendy is my "d.i.y" guru.  With a short four or so months to pull her wedding plans together, she put together such a gorgeous (and beautifully unusual) palette for her decor... she designed everything from matchboxes to coat tags. Studio on Fire made her lovely invitations which I'll post soon!

Below is a bit of a preview from the wedding.  Lucky me, I'll be going to Hawaii with Wendy & Mike in January to photograph their second reception for Wendy's family out west.

 

 

Oh, how do I begin to introduce Robin & Michael's wedding?  Well, let me just say that this event came pretty close to just about exactly what I would want for my own wedding in terms of styling. Robin's attention to detail was so inspiring and I loved how she used vintage elements throughout the table settings.  The fresh flowers were collected from a nearby local farm and the arrangements put together by friends of the bride.  The whole setup felt really personal and I loved that.

Doesn't Robin's ring bearer look like he's straight out of a Vermeer painting?  I hope you enjoy the photos.  Vendor Details as follows:  Wedding Venue / Costanoa , Bouquet / Alena Whiting , Gown / Claire Pettibone , Cakes / Jasmine Rae Bakery , Invitations / Designed by the Bride!

 

 

I'm originally from North Carolina so I know a good southern bbq when I see one. This set of photos is from Robin and Michael's welcome party at Costanoa in Northern California.  Thatcher and I drove down highway 1 on Friday and explored the area - so gorgeous of course but I always love that part of the coast. The bride, Robin, picked up the sunflowers at a local farm and decorated the tables with vintage tins.  Wedding photos soon! ... and to hear more about this wedding, head on over to oncewed.com tomorrow.

I'm in California right now for Erin & Charles's wedding at Dana Powers House.  Erin has put together some of the most incredible details so I'm pretty psyched to see all of her designs tomorrow.  In the mean time, here's a preview of Erin's gorgeous invitations (which she also designed herself) if you have a minute, check out her great blog http://erineverafter.blogspot.com