Engagement Session in San Francisco

Sara and I had an absolute blast last Thursday with Chris and Phyllis in San Francisco. These two are getting married October 3rd at St. Dominics. Chris and Phyllis wanted a San Francisco theme for their engagement photos- so we pretty much toured the city on Thursday! We started off at Yerba Buena Gardens. There is SO much fun stuff to shoot there! We started at the carousel, a great way to get Chris and Phyllis loosened up for an afternoon photo session :) It didn't take much though- they are naturals with the camera and incredibly fun people.

We had originally tossed around the idea of hitting Alamo Square Park, but decided against it. Luckily there was an awesome sculpture at Yerba Buena depicting the Painted Ladies, so it all worked out!

We also walked around the perimeter of Yerba Buena for some city scenes. One of the best spots was behind St. Patrick's at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. The fabulous architecture of the new building provided some cool scenes.

Next, it was off to the Palace of Fine Arts. Chris and Phyllis wanted to incorporate some of the columns there for sentimental reasons- they got engaged in Rome! :)


Our last stop was Baker Beach/Fort Point for sunset. The bunkers at Fort Point always make the top of my list for favorite places to shoot.

Luckily we avoided a handful of nude beachgoers (at the bridge end of Baker Beach it's legal) and captured some gorgeous images at the end of the day. I am really looking forward to working with Chris and Phyllis on October 3rd! They are so much fun and absolutely in love with each other!!

Portrait Session at Markham Arboretum, Concord, CA

This was a great weekend for portrait sessions! Sunday morning I met up with Christine and her family at the Markham Arboretum and Nature Park in Concord. This is an absolutely gorgeous location for portraits. It's typically a bit more quiet than other local parks on the weekends, and there's an added benefit of an abundance of trees. I always recommend portrait sessions in the late afternoon to take advantage of the best sunlight- however if you have enough tree cover you can sometimes get away with shooting closer to the middle of the day without too much trouble. (This is great if you are working around nap schedules that can't be changed easily!)
There is a gorgeous old tree stump at Markham which is awesome for photos. The covered arbor at the center of the park is great too- especially earlier in the spring when the wisteria is blooming. Christine's family was so much fun! I photographed the kids two years ago at Turtle Creek Park. The last photo here is from that session-- they have grown so much!!

Engagement Session at Mt. Diablo State Park

Portrait Session in Walnut Creek

Wedding at Marines' Memorial Club, San Francisco

A couple of weeks ago Sara and I had the privilege to photograph Liz and Jeff's wedding in San Francisco.



This is an amazing couple!! I had a blast with them last summer at Chrissy Field for their engagement session
We started at noon at Marines' Memorial to capture everyone getting ready, and then it was off on a cable car around San Francisco.


Pier 3 was our first stop- where we had an incredibly clear (and incredibly sunny) view of the city behind us. We were surprised at how incredibly warm it was in the city for the beginning of April!! A slight bump in the road occurred when our cable car driver informed us that the car was overheating- so we had to wait a few minutes for a back up to arrive. More opportunity for photos! :)

After we reloaded into the second car, it was off to stop #2, the Letterman Gardens at the Lucas Digital Arts Center. This place is absolutely incredible. As it turns out, Liz's family's company built the site, so it was extra special that we were able to utilize the gardens for family photos. Back on the cable car, we headed back to Marines' Memorial to prepare for the ceremony. The Crystal Ballroom was stunning- and after the cocktail hour it was transformed into the most elegant reception. I was a huge fan of the cake topper and the wedding favors (chocolate cable cars) - It reminded me of my own wedding 2 and a half years ago! (Our favors were little cable car Christmas ornaments)

Wedding at Tra Vigne, St. Helena, CA

Anne and Keith's wedding was just one of the many we photographed last fall that I have yet to blog about! I was blown away by this gorgeous location in St. Helena. The charming restaurant was the setting for both the ceremony and reception. The courtyard of Tra Vigne was speckled with sunlight for the ceremony. I still haven't gotten over the stunning yellow calla lilies against this background. The centerpieces, simple milk jars with just a few stems each, were striking with the red brick and lush greenery of the courtyard.

Wedding at Sunol Golf and Country Club

Last month Mary and I drove down to Sunol to photograph Shella and Dave's wedding at Sunol Valley. You would never have believed how beautiful the day was- for January! Shella and Dave started the day at the Larkspur Landing Hotel in Pleasanton.

The ceremony was incredibly sweet- incorporating both Phillipino and Jewish traditions. The incredible sunlight coming through the floor to ceiling windows in the ceremony room made the cord and veil ceremony that much more beautiful.


One of the best parts of the whole day was getting to see Karen and Mark again. We photographed Karen, Shella's sister, for her wedding last May in Palo Alto. I feel incredibly honored that Shella's wedding was the second in a referral line :) We had photographed Karen as a bridesmaid in Linda and Neil's wedding in '07!

A good sign that your DJ is getting people to have a good time: when the servers join in! Hector was also the DJ at Karen's wedding- we love working with him!