This past Saturday Sterling and I shared the rare occasion of shooting a Saturday night wedding together. Runya and Jason enjoyed a beautiful day at Beverly Hills Hotel. Ariel Yve of The Soirée Group planned the event and managed its remarkable execution. Florals by Fiore Designs and music / entertainment by West Coast Music (they rock!)
Thank you for a fantastic 25 years.
I’ve lived through many changes in photography over the years. Evolution keeps me excited and always keeps me stretching creatively. I started in the 80’s as a traditional portrait artist and commercial photographer. In the 90’s I moved into photojournalism when my biggest client’s favorite shot was capturing a special moment walking with his daughter down a pathway. In 2000, digital came in to play making almost anything possible including photographic manipulation, digital layout design, and instant gratification. Now in 2008, I actually start my own blog.
A brief look at history:
In 1981, I started Kaish Dahl Photography with my mentor and friend Howard Kaish. We built it to be one of the biggest and most successful wedding photography studios in the country.
Howard saw me through speaking on the national professional photography scene at WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International), PPA (Professional Photography Association) and teaching at The Golden Gate School of Photography. Unfortunately Howard died in 1999, but I think he would be proud to see how the studio (now dahlPHOTOGRAPHERS) has carried on to remain as one of the most prestigious, cutting edge studios in the country.
In 1983, Howard, myself, and the incredibly talented Cheryl Fish started It’s the Main Event Inc. We were all into art and design, but our business contacts were in the party business. We brought design to the party business in a way many people had never seen before. We built custom props, made 20 foot balloon sculptures over dance floors, and incorporated photography and custom graphics into signage at a time when most people were just putting flowers on the table. We won several national awards and recognition in the special events industry for unique designs as well as being published in Special Events Magazine. My brother, King Dahl joined in 1986 adding new life and creative ideas. Ultimately, it was too hard to have a flourishing photography studio and design business. Cheryl Fish went on to join Steve Wynn to form a special events décor department in Las Vegas and then to open her own company, Highrise Events. King Dahl went on to open one of the hottest event companies in Los Angeles, King Dahl Event Design and then to run MGM Mirage Events, boasting an impressive 60,000 square foot design center.
In 1989 I met the love of my life, Bren, and we were married in 1990. We have two sons, Austin and Darren, and in 2006 we adopted a Chinese baby girl, Emily. Our adoption story of Emily was written up in Westlake Magazine. We live in Westlake Village and enjoy tennis, playing music, walking, and the beautiful lifestyle Westlake has to offer. Austin wants to be a home care nurse and Darren has started working on jobs and seems to have the eye and desire to join dahlPHOTOGRAPHERS.
