anne & ganesh | e-session | carmel photographer

My neglected little blog is still missing many a post, but seeing as wedding season is rapidly approaching, I thought that I’d start to catch up with a beautiful Carmel engagement session.  I had never actually met Anne and Ganesh before this shoot, but the minute we met and starting talking, I knew that I was going to be one lucky girl to document the story of these two kind and interesting people. Anne told me about how she re-designed the dress she was wearing from an old dress that her mom used to wear, and that she had an Indian sari to change into to honor Ganesh’s Indian heritage. Anne continued to impress me as she managed to remain radiant and smiling in both of those outfits despite the intensely cold weather in Carmel that day. Ganesh talked about how he was born in Jamaica, raised with Indian traditions, and later received his higher education in the States. It was when he was living on the east coast that he met Anne and together they have now made California their home. I love that they will be celebrating both of their heritages on their wedding day by including both a traditional Indian ceremony followed by a western ceremony at the beautiful and unique Cornerstone Gardens later this spring.

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nancy & david | golden gate park engagement session

This was one of those days where everything just seemed to flow. Golden Gate Park is notoriously crowded on most weekends and I arrived fully prepared to dodge and crop people out of my shot all afternoon, but it turned out to be a beautiful and relaxed day where it felt like we had the de Young sculpture garden and the gorgeous Japanese Tea Gardens all to ourselves. Nancy chose the Tea Gardens as the main location for their engagement session because it’s a place that holds special meaning in her life, as her childhood was filled with fond memories of visiting with her parents, who are now no longer with her. I could see how this location actually brought out the carefree kid in these two, as they explored all over the gardens, climbed the bridge, ate sesame cookies and drank tea together. The afternoon felt so full of playful wonder and genuine love, and I left that evening even more excited to photograph their wedding at the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco later in the year.

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audra & matt | engagement | allied arts photography

Audra and Matt are straight up awesome; kind, smart, and tons of fun…so together they are quite the dynamic duo and an absolute pleasure to photograph. Audra said that she loved all things French, so we headed for the European inspired gardens at Allied Arts Guild for their engagement session. Matt brought some french pastries and champagne to share with his love, and Audra brought some rockin’ outfits, and together they brought the romance. We got really lucky and had the gardens to ourselves, making it easy to capture the intimate and real connection between these two, who came all the way from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for this shoot. After our afternoon together I’m more than positive that their summer wedding at the Cypress Manor Estate in Monte Sereno is going to be filled with pure beauty and fun.

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tiffany & joey | san francisco engagement session

I may be more than 10 blog posts behind, but it’s a brand new year, so I thought I’d start playing catch up with a lovely little engagement session. This was such a fun shoot, one that really reflected this couple’s love for San Francisco. We had Joey’s sister and his mom chauffeur us all over the city so that we could fit in as many iconic San Francisco locations as possible in one 2 hour session. We visit pier 7, Grace Cathedral, and even made it to Baker Beach for sunset despite the crazy traffic. During the car rides in between I got to know Tiffany and Joey and their family, and I got to see how kind and affectionate they are with each other. Then we would arrive at our destination, jump out of the car and immediately start shooting while Joey’s sister pulled off crazy parallel parks or just circled the neighborhood until we were done….and that’s how we dominated the city together in record time!

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sheena & adam | vinehill winery engagement session

I think that the destiny we reach in love and in life is more often than not manifested by the strength of our thoughts and will….and this engagement session is my proof. Earlier this autumn I was visiting one of our Happy Valley neighbors, Santa Cruz’ oldest vineyard, Vinehill Winery. As I was being blown away by the property’s stunning views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the California Coast, I turned to my friend and said that I really wanted to do an engagement shoot there… and soon. The very next day I received an email from Adam saying that we couldn’t shoot at the Napa Vineyard that we were planning on visiting (where he proposed to Sheena) and asked if I knew of any beautiful Santa Cruz vineyards. I gave them a list of a bunch of local vineyards and out of all of them they chose Vinehill. We were lucky enough to have the entire place to ourselves, and despite the forecast of rain, we stayed dry for the entire session. Sheena and Adam are so much fun together and that fun was completely contagious, as we shared some wine and wandered around the vineyards full of fall colors. I love a little serendipity in any photo session, and on this day it came in many forms, including a mustard cardigan that complimented the colors of the vines perfectly, (best shown in the last shot of this post.) In fact, just about everything about this day seemed complimentary; fashion and location, weather and wine, views and privacy, and most of all Sheena and Adam. I could tell that these two completely belong together and I am so excited to see what they will manifest for their Holman Ranch wedding next year!

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patty & amin | engagement session | menlo park photography

I knew that I was going to enjoy photographing this couple after I met them at their house one evening. They both immediately made me feel welcome, Patty with her down to earth nature and an organized brain full of great ideas and Amin with his gentle spirit and kind eyes. They decided to start their engagement session in their own backyard, but since it was completely dark when we first met I had no idea that they had such an inspiring garden outside, complete with a zen pond, numerous fountains, exotic fruit trees and a custom built daybed. I love that Patty and Amin discovered a tiny little bird’s nest in one of their trees while we were shooting, it seemed like the perfect symbol for the beginning of their life together. After the garden we went to their historic local train station (it’s one of the oldest in California) and then moved on to a beautiful nature preserve nearby where we hiked up the hill just as the golden hour arrived. These two have such a obvious connection, so there was little need for direction, I just simply documented what I saw before me. I love the images at the end of this post, as they convey how comfortable and in love these two truly are. I can’t wait to share the images from their amazing yacht wedding soon!

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a stanford engagement session | menlo circus club wedding

I had to post this engagement session right after Devon & Ryan’s wedding because thanks to Devon, and the fact that she works right next to Laura at facebook, I was given the opportunity to run all over the Stanford campus with this truly sweet couple. Jon is currently an MBA student at Stanford, so the two of them spend a lot of time on the campus. With all of the amazing architecture, the beautiful grounds, and the lack of students due to summer vacation, the campus seemed like an ideal location, and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. I loved wondering through the corridors, exploring the sculptures and just following the light. Then the magical golden hour arrived and the entire campus started to glow, and Laura and Jon were definitely glowing too. Being on that campus that evening made the world feel so saturated with opportunity and inspiration, and I can’t wait to carry that inspiration to Laura and Jon’s wedding at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton next summer.

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carmel beach | engagement session

Carmel is one of those rare places that can retain its beauty and charm despite the absence of sunshine on a summer’s day. Jenny and Jef are Carmel locals who contribute in a huge way to the charm and beauty of the town. They gave me a very personal tour of some of their favorite places, and made me love Carmel in a new way. We started with their secret picnic spot with views out over the Pacific, then  followed the wildflower covered paths and made our way down to the beach where I fell in love with all of the amazing rock formations. After the beach and a quick outfit change, we went to the majestic Carmel Mission and progressed to Jenny & Jef’s new house where they picked up their bicycles (which hold great significance, because their first pseudo-date was a bike ride together) and we cruised down a few cypress covered blocks to the ocean to see Jef’s favorite surf spot and the place where they love to bike to on a Sunday morning.

Jenny and Jef are getting married at Holman Ranch later this summer, and I am beyond excited for it. They’ve both found a lot of their wedding inspiration in the rustic, laid-back elegance of the venue, together with the vintage yet modern feel of  all things ‘anthropologie’ so we wanted their engagement photos to reflect that same inspiration too.

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boardwalk to the beach | santa cruz engagement session

This has to be one of my all time favorite engagement sessions. I knew I’d love spending time with these two from the moment I met Marilyn and Jason and detected Marilyn’s Aussie accent, but when they described their style as modern, eclectic and quirky, I was in heaven…and I remained there for the entire engagement session when I got to witness the beautiful connection between these two. What really made this photo shoot so special was all of the thought and effort that they both poured into it, from the ‘save the date’ sign they crafted, to mom’s homemade cookies, to their stylin’ outfits, to their willingness to fit three locations into one session, to the fact that they even bought me a ferris wheel ride! Despite the crazy, corn-dog eating crowds, we managed to have the perfect and swift Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk adventure, (which would have been even swifter if I could have resisted the temptation that every brightly colored back drop posed to me and my camera.) We headed straight for the ferris wheel and requested a yellow chair (since yellow is one of the main colors of their wedding) and got on. Once the wheel started turning I suddenly remembered how terrifying a ride as innocent looking as the ferris wheel really is. As we headed to the top of the ride they laughed and kissed and looked beautifully in love while I screamed…loud, giddy, laughy sounding screams…as I tried to hold onto my camera for dear life and not ruin the potentially great shots of these two on top of the world. I survived, and I think we remained on top of the world for the rest of the day, having way too much fun while we had a champagne picnic, wandered through fields and ended up at the beach at sunset. Marilyn and Jason, you guys truly know how to bring the awesome and I’m beyond excited for your Clos La Chance wedding later this summer.

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