Ponte Winery Wedding Photography (Temecula Wineries)

Photographing weddings at a winery can yield some stunning photography. Depending on the winery in Temecula, you can capture images that may remind you of the Italian countryside. While no two wineries are alike in Temecula's wine country, one thing is for certain, the vineyards do have both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to wedding photography.

The first winery in this new blog series of wedding photography in the Temecula wine country takes me to Ponte Winery. (See map below for directions.) While you may or may not get enough information from the venues website, one thing is for certain, you probably won't get a photographers perspective on the location.

From both a photographers and brides perspective, one advantage of Ponte vineyards is that the vineyards are easily accessible. You don't have to hike down or up a hill, or even take a cart. This helps not only in keeping the brides wedding dress clean,. but in saving time when taking pictures. The vineyards are located directly behind the wedding site (see photos). 

Another advantage is the direction of the sun during summer and spring weddings. As a photographer, you will be faced away from the sun, facing a picturesque back drop of vineyards and hills in the distance. Also, depending on the weather, you may be able to capture blue skies rather than the typical Southern California grey, hazy sky. However, one disadvantage I have encountered is when the bride and wedding party walk down the aisle, as a photographer, you are facing the sun, so you will have to use a fill flash to lighten your subjects. While this is not critical, I prefer natural light as often as possible to keep the continuity of what is actually being seen live.

During an evening reception, you may be able to catch a glimpse of a sun set if you time your shoot right. In addition to evening photography, you may find yourself either photographing in the barrel room or outside by the reception tent. 

If you find that the bride has selected the barrel room as her reception choice, I would recommend multiple remote flashes  as back lighting or fill lighting as it can get dark inside the room. Another option is to drag your shutter to capture the the mood of the evening. If you are working with the tent, you can bounce your flash off of the white tent top. 

All in all, I have found that Ponte Winery has many great photography advantages for both photographers and brides. With easy access to the location and vineyards for photography, it's one of my preferred venues to work at when it comes to winery wedding photography.