Nora & Garratt's Engagement. San Francisco

Do the names Diana and Alex ring a bell? You may recall that Diana baked her own multi layered wedding cake. Well, their friends from high school are getting married this summer and gave me a call. I am ever thankful for the wonderful clients that have trusted their weddings to me and suggest that their friends give me a call too!

Recently, while Nora and Garratt were on a spring break/wedding planning trip back to the Bay Area, we met up at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This happened to also be one of the wettest weeks on record for Northern California which made our indoor plans quite appropriate. Forget about the rain because we had a serene afternoon exploring the museum and pondering some of its more interesting exhibits. There's a reason it's called modern art after all. A break in the storm allowed us to take a short walk to the Zeum Carousel. It's a beautifully restored early 1900's amusement park ride that found a new home in San Francisco when Yerba Buena Gardens was constructed. Arrived just in time for the last two rides of the day. Nice :)

Nora and Garratt described themselves as fun and quirky. Their robot and zombie inspired save-the-date card certainly proves that. Can't wait to see what they come up with on the wedding day because the words steampunk, swords, and robots were mentioned alongside the Arts and Crafts style of the turn of the century venue.

Manchester Twins. Sunnyvale

Happy New Year everyone!

Torie and Todd were married in 2007 and last March Torie gave birth to Molly and Andrew. Two months later, I walked across the street to photograph a couple hours of family time. (Yes, we really do live across the street from each other). The twins are very cute and could certainly make someone seriously consider having more kids.

Happy, lively, warm, and full are keys to easy baby pictures. By design, I arrived as they were napping. Babies look so peaceful when they sleep. Molly and Andrew were very cooperative as they woke up with minimal fuss; one played as the other drank. After diaper changes with Mr. Squirrel, they bundled up and we strolled to our little local park. It was nice outdoor family time.

These images were a long time coming. Early in my career and up until about May I wasn't certain if I wanted to pursue babies and families, often referring clients to friends of mine. Babies are fun but challenging to photograph and it wasn't until the Spring of 2010 that I really started to consider it. You could call this a watershed moment because now I think I've hit upon how I want to approach this type of portrait work. Thank you to all of my previous clients for spurring me on because your requests have helped me define what it is I want to do! Look out for announcements in early 2011.

Jamie & James' Wedding. Livermore

Ceremony and reception at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery in Livermore.

Theirs was my final event of the year and it turned out to be an incredible day! A great couple matched with a very rare warm autumn day, a late afternoon schedule at the picturesque Casa Real, and plenty of time to photograph among the property's fall-color grape vines.

The Amber Room was packed during the ceremony! About 300 friends and family gathered to celebrate their marriage, many traveled from as far as Korea. During the reception Jamie and James went around to each table greeting their guests individually - a nice departure from the "table shot". More people should incorporate this! Their friend and best man Paul sang as they danced their well rehearsed first dance. Shortly afterwards, the dance floor was open!

This evening featured a Korean ceremony known as a Pae Baek. Jamie and James donned traditional clothing as they paid respects to the groom's family. On display are a variety of meats, sweets, soju, and the all important chestnuts and dates. The relatives being honored pass along advice and conclude by tossing chestnuts and dates for the couple to catch - a symbol of blessings and, of course, plenty of children.

Hair and Makeup: Joanne Kim
Floral Design: Roses and Posies
Cake: Copenhagen Crown Bakery