***North Carolina*** Children and Family Portrait Sessions April 6-15

Hello to all of my Raleigh clients and friends! I'm now scheduling children and family sessions for an upcoming ten day trip to North Carolina. I will once again honor my 2005 Raleigh session fee of $125. You can also choose to take advantage of the "buddy" system for mini-sessions. Invite a friend! Simply schedule you and your friend's location sessions at the same site, on the same day, one hour apart, and you can split the session fee ($62.50 per family) We will also be scheduling sessions at Wrightsville Beach- dates TBA.

Don't know where to go? Here are just a few suggestions of my favorite places to photograph children and family sessions- I will likely be visiting several of these spots:

Oakview County Park, Raleigh -just off of Poole Rd. and the beltline, behind the Wake County office complex
JC Raulston Arboretum at NCSU, Raleigh -on Beryl Rd. just off of Hillsborough Street near Meredith College
Bond Park, Cary on High House Road between Cary Parkway and Northwest Maynard Road.
Historic Yates Mill, Raleigh 4620 Lake Wheeler Rd, 5 miles south of downtown Raleigh
UNC Chapel Hill Arboretum and campus
Wrightsville Beach

In home or backyard sessions are always encouraged as well. Be creative! Let us know if there is a place with special meaning to you.

As always, I recommend solid, neutral colored clothing in complementary tones for your family members.

Please give me a call at 919-272-4049. I look forward to seeing you all!

Wedding at St. Gregory's in San Mateo and the James Flood Mansion, San Francisco

At the end of last year I photographed Kristen and Shannon's fabulous wedding in San Mateo and San Francisco. They had an absolutely GORGEOUS day! I started at the bride's mother's home just a short drive from St. Gregory's Catholic Church in San Mateo. Meanwhile, my second shooter Sara was with the men at the groom's home. All of Kristen's five bridesmaids were there to get ready with her. I had to hold back my own sniffles when Kristen saw her Grandfather- It is quite clear just how much she loves this man!



The ceremony was absolutely beautiful- I remembered how gorgeous the building was from Daniela and Robert's wedding in 2007! The sunlight that comes through the stained glass in the late afternoon almost seems to put a spotlight on the bride and groom- absolutely breathtaking.

After the ceremony we drove into the city for the reception at the fabulous James Flood Mansion.

What a stunning venue this is! The view of the city is absolutely incredible. Kristen Shannon's coordinator JoAnn did a fabulous job making sure everything came together.

Engagement Session in Santa Cruz

I had SOOO much fun back in December in Santa Cruz with Monica and Ben. We met down at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk area.. and made our way down to the pier just before sunset. This was my first trip to Santa Cruz for a session since I've lived in CA- and it definitely won't be my last! The colors was absolutely fantastic!

Monica and Ben are getting married in June- I can't wait to photograph their big day! They absolutely adore each other,and it's not hard to get that to show in their photographs.

Monica and Ben chose the perfect clothing also. I definitely recommend solid, neutral colored clothing for all of my sessions. For a beach session this time of year jeans and black pull-overs were perfect!

Wedding at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, CA

Back in October I had the honor to photograph Lauren and Steve's wedding at Wente Vineyards in Livermore. What a beautiful day it was! They are such an incredibly sweet couple. Their engagement session at Mt.Diablo State Park back in the spring helped me to get to know them a little better.


Lauren was an absolute knock-out. The day started at her parent's home in Pleasanton where the women were getting dressed. My second shooter Mary was keeping an eye on the men at the groom's home just a few miles away. I was SO excited to photograph Lauren with her sweet dog Parker-- He even had a bow tie for the occasion. Luckily, we were able to capture a few images of him before he darted away and jumped in the pool. You can imagine the chaos as everyone (myself included) was trying to keep him from shaking water all over Lauren's dress!







I was thrilled that Lauren took my advice and booked DJ Hector Duron- still my favorite DJ in the Bay Area! Lauren and Steve's guests had a wonderful time under the gorgeous tent on Wente's lawn.

Welcome to the world Christian

I've been back in California from my whirlwind tour of the East coast for almost a week now. I need to catch-up on my blog! One of the many sessions I have to talk about was little Christian Alexander's. What a cutie he is! We had a wonderful session at his house in Pleasant Hill this past weekend. Newborns remain one of my very favorite subjects! It never ceases to amaze me how much they change between birth and three months.

I was sooo impressed by how strong Christian is! A few weeks old and he's practically holding his head up!

Sometimes it is easier for Mom and Dad if we have the session at their home. Naps and feedings are a bit less stressful that way. It can be tough to get out of the house in those first few weeks! I'm happy to travel within an hour of the Walnut Creek area for location sessions.

I've been photographing Christian's 2 year old brother since he was born. It seems like just last week that I photographed his newborn session!

See you in three months Christian- I can't wait!

Wedding at St. Dominic's San Francisco, Pavilion By the Bay, Treasure Island

Last month I had the honor of photographing the beautiful wedding of Phyllis and Chris. It was absolutely incredible. I met this adorable couple last year at a Bridal Fair.. and I quickly realized that their wedding was going to be extra special. I was able to get to know them a little better when I photographed their engagement session back in the summer.

The day started with everyone getting ready at the Four Seasons in San Francisco. It just so happened that Love Fest was going on that same morning. The parade was in full force on Market Street when I arrived. It was my first time witnessing the mass chaos! It was quite interesting getting to the hotel- luckily I was able to get a cab to drop me just a block or so away. I saw quite a few more nearly naked people than I cared to on the way over. :) The funny thing was that Phyllis and Chris had actually changed their date from October 8th to avoid Fleet Week! They didn't let this surprise get to them though-- and everyone was having a blast in the two suites where the guys and gals were getting ready.

The ceremony was at the incredible St. Dominic's. The cathedral was full of Chris and Phyllis's over 300 guests. This couple is clearly very loved.. the Bridal Party included 10 groomsmen, 8 bridesmaids and 20 sponsors!


After a cable car ride to Treasure Island the reception began at the new Pavilion by the Bay. What a fabulous location for a wedding! Theirs was one of the first few weddings at this new facility.



You couldn't ask for more spectacular views.. and Phyllis and Chris were blessed with clear weather- at sunset the view of both bridges and the city was just stunning.

I love love LOVED the centerpieces Chris and Phyllis put together- with goldfish!! One surprise for the guests was Phyllis and two of her bridesmaids performing a choreographed dance to "Single Ladies" just before the bouquet toss.. too cool.

Congratulations Phyllis and Chris. You two were awesome to work with and I wish you the best !!

A Sweet City Hall Wedding in San Francisco

On Monday, September 21st I photographed Allison and Aaron incredibly sweet wedding ceremony at City Hall in San Francisco. Allison looked absolutely adorable in her short white eyelet dress and strappy silver heels. They were lucky enough to have 14 of their family members with them for the ceremony, officiated by Mayor Newsome. Allison and Aaron have been together for over ten years. They met the same week that Allison moved to the city, and have apparently been inseperable since. You could just tell how in love they are with each other.




Congrats Aaron and Allison!!