This bride- and groom-to-be will we married later this month in Volcano, CA. I can’t believe I’m shooting a wedding inside a volcano. I’m beyond excited. Look for a wedding post early in the new year.
We took some engagement photos at Villa Montalvo. I hope to photograph a Montalvo Arts Center wedding someday. The historic estate, at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is positively picturesque.
Kristine and Charles e-mailed me to schedule a free engagement session and asked if I would mind shooting at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Even though I’m a die-hard Oakland Athletics fan, I said yes, and we shot there and at San Francisco City Hall. I guess I’ll have to wait to do an Oakland Athletics engagement shoot. I’m looking forward to photographing their Mountain View wedding next summer.
I was flattered when Megan and Alex e-mailed me after seeing Andy & Erin’s wedding photos and asked if we could do an engagement session in Yosemite. They’re getting married in the same place, the Evergreen Lodge near Hetch Hetchy, and it was an honor to be asked to return and take some more photos of another adorable couple. I met with Megan and Alex at the lodge for a drink the night before our session, we discussed what they like in wedding photos and went over my portfolio, and I camped in the National Forest and woke up super-early to take advantage of the morning light. Oh, and yes, that’s a real rainbow behind them in the photos on the Hetch Hetchy reservoir dam. Thanks for looking!
Lisa-Mei and Nick wanted to do some photos without the dogs – to complement the photos we took at Schoolhouse Beach. We decided to meet at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park one afternoon. We ended up wandering around Stow Lake, through the rose garden, and by the trees at the Holocaust Memorial. It was a beautiful time to take photos. Please let me know what you think.
Marlo and Scott are getting married this summer at a private home on the peninsula. They asked me to come take some engagement photos at a few places that are important to them – a picnic clearing, the Stanford University machine shop, and their neighborhood. I think some of these are pretty unique and fun, and they showcase their personalities well – I’d love to hear how you feel about these Stanford University engagement photos. I never thought I’d do a machine shop engagement session, it was kind of amazing to see it.
Lisa-Mei and Nick found me on Photoshelter and asked if I’d shoot their Sonoma County beach wedding this September. We decided to take some engagement photos along the same lovely coastline, at Schoolhouse Beach and then in the town of Bodega. They brought their well-behaved dogs and we had a wonderful time – I love engagement sessions that are real and down to earth and tell the story of something that the couple might normally be doing. The west side of Sonoma County is such an idyllic wedding setting – there are all sorts of beautiful nooks and crannies – like Barley and Hops, in Occidental, for example. Thanks for looking, and keep an eye out for another post from this lovely couple – we’re planning another session in the city, without the dogs.
Jamie and Katie saw Sam and Mark’s Santa Cruz engagement photos and asked me to come down and shoot at West Cliff, on the west end of town. They were lovely to work with, and were even willing to drive up to Swanton Berry Farm, near Davenport, around 10 miles north of Santa Cruz, to take some more engagement photos.
Sarah and Brook are engaged – their wedding’s in October this year, at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, AZ.
Melissa is an old friend of mine from high school, she actually assisted me on a Santa Rosa engagement shoot a few months ago - so she has seen how I work!
Melissa met Burleigh through work - both of them are Peet's coffee managers!
We met up at Point Reyes Station, a small town at the tip of Tomales Bay, but decided to shoot on a beach somewhere up the peninsula.
Heart's Desire beach is midway up the Tomales Bay side of Point Reyes, and was virtually empty by the time we pulled up, just before sunset.
The weather was unbelieveable - we had sweaters and jackets, but didn't need them.
Melissa and Burleigh were flexible about an engagement shoot location – they just wanted something in Sonoma County, where I grew up. We headed out to Point Reyes one evening last week and took some photos.
Mise en place.
We started in the kitchen of Natalie lovely downtown Petaluma home.
I couldn't get over the kitchen and the nook - such a wonderful place to shoot!
We paused for the peppers to cook.
Toasts, cheese, and a front porch smile.
Natalie and Jordan are getting married in December in Petaluma. They planned out a foodie engagement shoot – a simple picnic at the park across the street from Natalie’s home downtown, followed by a walk through Petaluma. I’ve been blessed to have two engagement shoots in a row in my hometown, and I’m looking forward to many more.