I had a great time meeting up with Janet and Ryan up in Napa Valley last week for their engagement session. It had just finished up about 2 straight weeks of rain so everything was VERY muddy so we were a bit limited with where we could go but when you shoot in Napa you make it work! Helps that there are thousands of great locations so not being able to go into the vineyards isn’t as limiting as you might think.
I know, no posts in awhile; I’ve been busy! Seems everyone got engaged over New Years so I’ve been super busy meeting with some really fun brides, welcome to all my new couples!
We had a great time in Mexico over Christmas and now I’ve been working overtime on albums and adding a few weddings to my wedding photography site. 3 weddings are now featured and I’ll finish up by adding another one or two in the next couple weeks. 2009 had some really amazing weddings so it’s been tough to choose which make it!
I’ll update my blog as soon as I can with some pics from Mexico. Here’s a couple of my favorite pics that just went up plus a page from a sample wedding album (above).
Had such a great time getting to know Tamara and Joe a few weeks ago for their engagement session! Being a wedding photographer my favorite part of the job is making clients happy, but that is closely followed by just getting the opportunity to meet so many great people! Tamara and Joe were a ton of fun and their interactions with each other was so great to see. The wedding is just a few weeks away at the stunning One Fort Mason in San Francisco and we are expecting some beautiful weather!
The best part of the shoot was when we were talking about places to get a good view of the city at night and we talk through a couple locations before Joe says “Oh yeah, my office has a nice roof-top if you want to check it out.” We head up there and it’s stunning! Check out the shots at the end, there was even a giant sculpture of a heart!
What a year it’s been so far! Awesome weddings with beautiful people, what more could I ask for! Nettie and Leon were married at the beautiful Saint Patricks Cathedral with their reception at The Intercontinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco. Nettie and Leon have been together for a long time and really wanted the day to reflect their personalities. If you remember from their engagement session, they are huge fans of the theatre so there was lot’s of little details from shows they have seen and even some super dramatic music from Phantom of the Opera!
The day started at the Mark Hopkins (you know, the hotel with “The Top of the Mark” up on Nob Hill). Everyone was having a great time and I knew it would be a great day when I saw that Taylor Pham and her team were doing hair and makeup. Great makeup not only makes everyone look their best but also makes my job easier!
Everything went totally smoothly and though the fog completely stopped us from getting a good shot of the Golden Gate bridge, we still managed to get some great shots downtown and at the Palace of Fine Arts. Wedding Photographers abound at The Palace of Fine Arts but that didn’t worry me as I always know that the couple’s love and my vision are what makes for memorable shots; the shot below with the red tree against the wall is one of my personal favorites! Not to mention that hot series of Nettie and Leon making out!
Nettie and Leon were awesome hosts and totally devoted to getting great images, thanks and congratulations!
I also want to put out a huge thanks to my friend John Griffin for helping out, thanks John!
My friends Kandi and Ronnie asked me to shoot their wedding in San Francisco at St. Dominics Cathedral and Bimbo’s 365 Club. Kandi is my sister in law’s best friend (Courtney is second from the left in the above image) and the entire Garcia family has been friends with my wife’s family for a couple of decades. Funny enough, Stephanie and I lived just a few doors down from the Garcia’s when we used to live in Petaluma! Because of this, pretty much Stephanie’s entire side of the family was at the wedding so I knew it was going to be a pretty wild night!
We started the day at a hotel next door to Bimbos 365 Club and that was something! Hair and makeup went pretty late so we were in a huge rush to get everything ready in time. The really funny thing was that Courtney told Stephanie and Caitlin (my other SIL) they could get ready in her room, but that turned out to be the room Kandi and the rest of the bridal party were getting ready in so it was a bit of a surprise for them! It all worked out so we then headed over to St. Dominics for the first look with Ronnie. St. Dominics is probably my favorite cathedral in San Francisco as it is just a stunning building and the staff there is always nice to work with.
We got a few minutes to run down to the Embarcadero and get some shots of Kandi and Ronnie but we all knew the real action was at Bimbos so we got back there pretty quick! The night was a blast and everyone had a great time! Kandi really wanted a nightclub-party feel to the reception and I really don’t think it could have gone any better. I’ve included plenty of fun party pictures and will have to put up the even funnier ones on Facebook (don’t worry other clients, I only do this with friend’s weddings! lol).
Big thanks to Riley of A+R Photo in Phoenix for helping with the wedding! Check out his great shot from the garter toss, nice!
Sarah and Ben’s wedding took place at Hastings House and was a gorgeous and intimate wedding in Half Moon Bay. Hastings House is a beautiful garden setting and the weather was perfect. Most of the weddings I photograph are 200 or more guests so it’s always fun to get to shoot a smaller wedding where I really get to know everyone and really feel a part of the day. Maybe it’s the intimacy or maybe it’s just because Stephanie and my wedding was very small but I had a great time! After the garden wedding ceremony at Hastings House we did a photo session then drove over to the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto. The hotel is a great spot for an intimate reception and the staff was wonderful. Sarah and Ben’s signature drink was flowing and the food was great! Sarah’s family came in from all over the US while Ben’s family came in from his native Australia so I had a great time getting to know everyone and thank everyone for being so gracious with me! And thanks for the VB, that was great! You have to love a bride in a birdcage veil! 
Downtown Palo Alto 
I loved the details! 
The ceiling lamps combined with my off camera lighting make some cool colors! 
This is one of my favorite Photojournalistic photo’s from the wedding. It shows Sarah and Ben dancing then each of the other couples is their parents, very cool! 