Tag Archives: engagement session

rea & erick | napa engagement session at paraduxx

I love the adventure and inspiration of shooting at a new location, and Rea and Erick could not have chosen a more beautiful and personal location than the Napa winery called Paraduxx where they’re both wine club members. This was my first chance to meet these two and the second that I saw them arrive with their great smiles, their adorable dog named Sammy, and in outfits that I wanted to steal for myself and my husband, I knew that it was going to be a great shoot. We were so lucky to have to the whole place to ourselves for most of the afternoon, surrounded only by a sense of serenity and all of those gorgeous view. Rea and Erick are so easy to be be around, and so sweet too (when we had finished the shoot they handed me a gift bag filled with a bottle of Paraduxx wine. That was so thoughtful and unnecessarily generous of them…I felt like I was the one who should be giving them a thank you gift!) Of course now I’m even more excited for their Clos La Chance winery wedding later in the fall. I only wish they could bring Sammy that day too!

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shannon & jeff | los altos engagement session

Shannon just might hold the record for most the photogenic eyes I’ve ever photographed. Add to that her great taste in outfits and locations and some engagement session magic was created. I loved every one of the locations that Shannon & Jeff chose for their spring engagement session. They both grew up in Los Altos so we started at their hometown library where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Then we headed across the street to their favorite lunch spot that they always have visit every time they come home to get their deli sandwich fix. Then after another quick outfit change we headed for the hills to capture these two so comfortably in love in such a romantic and classically Californian looking location. The light was absolutely perfect and everything just seemed to flow so smoothly throughout the whole afternoon. I know their wedding at the Oceano Hotel in Half Moon Bay later this year is going to be just as amazing!

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jenny & rishi | stanford engagement session

Happy New Year! 2012 is proving to be a great year so far and I’m so excited to document a whole lot of love this year. One wedding that I’m really looking forward to is Jenny & Rishi’s, as I recently shot their engagement session and felt so inspired by our beautiful afternoon together. These two are both so kind and engaging and together they make one dynamic couple. Jenny is about to become a doctor and Rishi recently launched an awesome startup called Sosh that all of you in the Bay Area should check out to discover of the most interesting and entertaining things to do in the city.  Jenny and Rishi met while studying at Stanford University, so we had to begin their session on the campus. After we had explored some of the architecture and wandered around the areas where they had spent lots of time together, we headed for the hills nearby for a champagne and pastry-filled picnic. The sunset up there was insane, and these two looked amazing together in the late afternoon light. I’m seriously counting down the days until I get to document their big day and more golden light at The Carneros Inn in Napa early this summer.

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becca & tim | rodin sculpture garden | engagement session

It’s always so inspiring for me to photograph in a new place, and I have to thank Becca and Tim for choosing the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford for their engagement session, as it proved to be an amazing location this time of year. Becca and Tim flew in from Boston the week of their wedding, and I’m so glad that we were able to squeeze in a quick engagement session before their big day. These two quickly became comfortable in front of the camera and we had such a great afternoon exploring around the gardens. One of the highlights was discovering an installation by one of my very favorite artists, Andy Goldsworthy tucked beneath some oak trees. Images from their beautiful, game-filled wedding will be coming soon.

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emily & zac | santa cruz engagement session

I know that this is a ridiculously long post for an engagement session, but these two looked so good in every single frame, so I had to share them all. Emily and Zac flew from Boston for this session so I knew that there wouldn’t be any re-scheduling if the weather didn’t co-operate, but thankfully  it turned out to be one of those amazing fall days in California full of lovely light. The second I saw these two, with all of their chemistry together and their awesome outfits, I knew that it was going to be an amazing afternoon. Indiana at The Makeup Dolls did a beautiful job with Emily’s hair and makeup and I loved that they brought a vintage Corvette too add some Mad Men inspired sexy to the shoot. We had so much fun at each of the locations, but I think my favorite was our last stop when we got to witness the most beautiful sunset on a beach that we had all to ourselves. I’m beyond excited to document their wedding day at Hans Fahden Winery in Calistoga next year, and I’m preparing myself now for the painful process of choosing favorites when a couple is as photogenic as these two are.

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christy & jeff | san francisco engagement session

This was one of those days that made me feel so lucky to live near a city as vibrant, diverse and picturesque as San Francisco. I loved every single location that Christy and Jeff choose for their engagement session, as each one showed a unique and beautiful part of the city. We started in the Mission district where Jeff knew about an awesome alley full of graffiti, then headed out to the Sunset area where we discovered a field of wildflowers and Cypress trees overlooking the ocean, (these have to be my favorite photos of the day) then to Alamo Square Park for the famous painted ladies, and we ended up at Baker Beach for sunset. Even though I loved the color images from the beach, there is something about a black and white image that makes you look more at the emotion within the image than just at the view, and I loved both seeing and documenting the honest and playful love between these two. We had so much fun driving all over San Francisco together and now I can’t wait to photograph their Stanford/Menlo Circus Club wedding in a few weeks!

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jessica & tim | seattle engagement session | discovery park

I have to thank Jessica and Tim for having me come up to Seattle to shoot their engagement session, and basically forcing me to take an amazing and much needed mini-vacation in one of my favorites places in the US. I always seem to avoid the rain that everyone complains about, leaving me wondering why we don’t all move to Seattle to enjoy the waterfront living, the woods, and the beautiful light there that remind me of my old home in Sydney. Jessica and Tim recently moved up that way for Tim to finish his studies, and so together we explored the unchartered and inspiring new territory around the aptly named Discovery Park. It was hard to lay my camera to rest that evening, and as we headed home I even made them pull the car over on the side of the road to pick it up again and catch the very last drop of sunlight before it set into the low clouds on the horizon. Jessica and Tim, I can’t wait to see you guys again when you’re back in California for your wedding at Cornerstone Gardens in less than two weeks!

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katrina & robbie | engagement | santa cruz photographer

Katrina and Robbie are both talented visual artists working in the film industry, so I was excited (and slightly intimidated) to get creative with their engagement portraits. I really wanted them to love their images, and I think by just documenting them doing some of the activities they enjoy together, we were able to really capture who they are as a couple. Robbie is from the UK and he loves to have a beer or two at the pub, so we started at the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery. There’s nothing like a pint to ease the awkwardness of having a camera follow your every move and to help amplify the fun. We then headed over to Wilder Ranch to wander around the old farmstead and do some crossword puzzles in the orchard. We followed the sun to where it set over the coastline and watched the full moon rise into the dusk light. It was one of those atmospheric evenings, one that made me feel so incredibly lucky to get to meet cool people, go to cool places and simply document love for a living.

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andi & nick | e-session | santa cruz photographer

These are two of my new favorite people and this is the beach that they live a block away from. Andi is a first grade teacher and she’s so full of joy and great big genuine smiles but she said that she also wanted to show her soft side too…so Andi this post is for you, to show you how you completely rocked all of the beautiful sides of yourself beside your incredibly kind and loving man. The light was perfect that afternoon and the connection between these two felt so natural and real. I’m sure that’s why I loved every second this shoot, and why I can’t wait to photograph their wedding at The Dream Inn later this year.

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