Jenny & Kevin | LACMA | Los Angeles Engagement Photographer
They met through Craigslist!
When Kevin was looking for housing for a summer internship in San Francisco, he came across Jenny's apartment, which was being sublet for a summer. He didn't end up living there; he didn't even really get to know Jenny that well right away, but the connection was made.
A couple years later, Kevin was living in San Francisco, and Jenny back in her home town Los Angeles, when Kev started traveling to LA for work. He called up Jenny, and they got to know each other over greasy Chinese food. Kevin ended up traveling to LA a lot, and he ended up seeing Jenny a lot. And well, the rest is history!
We met at the absolutely delightful Los Angeles County Museum of Art, better known as LACMA, for an evening engagement shoot. It was such a wonderful place to explore; I could've stayed all day and still found new interesting nooks and crannies to photograph.
Love this awesome neverending escalator. Love the reflections on the glass-- three Kevins and three Jennys!
And at the top of the escalator? This amazing view over LA. Love.
The iconic lampposts in front of LACMA. It's such a wonderful installation, with such pretty, soft lighting too.
Like a forest of lights. I just love how blue that sky stayed, long after the sun had gone.
Jenny & Kev, I am so happy to be a part of this with you. It's really an honor to photograph a friend's wedding, and you've both been so wonderful to work with through this whole process. Can't wait to see everything come together in October!
Kristen & Matt | Stanford Engagement Photographer
Their love is sugary sweet, a simple syrup poured out to melt your heart. Kristen is gentle, supportive, loving, reserved. And Matt is open and earnestly romantic, passionate about everything he loves. They have an unbounded excitement for each other, constantly finding reassurance in each other's arms.
We all went to Duke University together, where we were all part of a selective house called Brownstone. Matt is a talented photographer in his own right, and we'd connect over talk of galleries and darkroom and the photo group. He simply adores Kristen, and she him.
On a Sunday evening, we met for their engagement session at Stanford since Matt is now a Ph.D. student in engineering there. Kristen had just moved from the East Coast to California just a few days before. I love the California sunshine, but I can't wait for their Connecticut wedding in August!
He's a natural.
Stunning!
Finally, a shout-out to Ed and Bart who tagged along as assistants. Thanks for your help!
Gina & David’s Engagement | Cincinnati Engagement Photographer
Summer in Cincinnati really feels like summer. The air is damp with humidity, the temperature already 85 by May. Knowing all this, we set out nice and early at 7am to avoid the heat and take advantage of the delicious early-morning lighting. The one thing I had forgotten about was the mosquitoes. They had a little buffet, leaving 5 or 6 grossly swollen bites on my legs. But it was so completely worth it.
I've known Gina since my middle and high school days growing up in Cincinnati. She lived next door to my piano teacher, and her younger siblings Kristin and Steven were my rambunctious little campers at summer camp. We've all come a long way since then. Part of me is still shocked that Gina is getting married already, but I'm so honored to be a part of it all. David is a really sweet guy, and the two of them together are just such warm, humble people with a knack for making those around them feel just wonderful.
One final side note before I leave you to the pictures-- I'm beginning my business transformation with a whole new infrastructure and rebranding. So as the first visible sign of this transition, I'm trying on new watermarking that I may or may not keep. Leave me a comment if you have any thoughts! More changes are yet to come.
This next photo could use some explanation. Their fellow Kentucky Wildcats might get a kick out of it, as this is the "John Wall dance" which is inexplicably popular. I can't explain. Just google it if you'd like to know more. These two are adorable doing it though. =)
Melissa & Nori | Berkeley Engagement Photographer
Their courtship began in the middle of winter in upstate New York with a story complete with cute coffee shop, Nori trekking (on foot) across town and Melissa with a terrible cold, red nose, and high fever. Of course, from that cold, blustery beginning blossomed their immeasurably warm, loving relationship. And now they're getting married! Both Melissa and Nori's families are in California, and so they came here to shoot their engagement session and will be back to have their wedding in the fall.
Together, we explored Berkeley and all its wonderful little nooks and crannies-- a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Margaret & Eric’s Engagement | Berkeley Engagement Photographer
Their relationship is quiet but insistent, punctuated by laughter. It's built on a deep caring for one another. Simple tasks and quiet discoveries. Long conversations and simply watching television together. It's not flashy. It's not a show put on for others. It's love. Pure, simple, beautiful. No bells and whistles needed.
I've known Margaret since we were in junior high at summer camp. She might not know this, but I've always admired her from afar. She's a brilliant person with the strongest of convictions, and passion for working toward a better world. And even though I've only known Eric briefly, I can just feel the beauty in their lasting connection. Margaret and Eric have a very sweet story of courtship and an engagement involving ring pops, but I will save the full story for their wedding.
For now, their engagement session: we headed to the Berkeley Marina on a very sunny day, right after daylight savings kicked in.
This squirrel was really funny running around with its leafy greens. I just had to let it into the blog post somehow.
Gorgeous.
Loved Margaret's dress and the colors in this. No enhancements needed- basically straight out of camera.
I'm already looking forward to their September wedding! And excitedly keeping up with the planning details along the way.
Richa & Eduardo’s Engagement | San Francisco Engagement Photographer
They hadn't been dating long, but things were going well when he called from his business trip in Paris. It was a Wednesday, just like any other Wednesday; they both loved traveling, and they were often jetsetting around the world for their jobs. So he called her and said, Hey. There are some cheap tickets... want to join me here in France? And just like that, she was in the capital, the very heart of Romance the very next day, enjoying the cafés and the gorgeous views at every turn and being swept off her feet by this breathtaking experience. And it was only the beginning.
Five years and over 25 countries later, their love of traveling has only grown, and it's only outshined by their love for each other. Appropriately enough, they are having a destination wedding in the Caribbean and a traditional Indian wedding in New York, and they just bought a home here in California. Between two weddings and homeownership, the fact that they have found each other is what always brings them back to center. They look at each other, they make each other laugh, and they know through all of the globetrotting and the amazing adventures yet to come, they'll always have a home in each other's hearts.
Sadly (very sadly), I will not be following them to their various weddings, but I am so happy to have met this wonderful couple for this engagement session in and around the Ferry Building on the Embarcardero in San Francisco. Richa and Eduardo, I wish you both all the very best in the new and exciting experiences ahead of you! I'm eagerly awaiting your recountings of all the travels to come.
Kristina & Peter’s Engagement | Sebastopol Engagement Photographer
There's a huge obsession with everything "vintage" in the wedding world right now. Brides and blogs all over the place are carefully crafting their perfect illusions of this old, chic style. So imagine my amusement when I got to explore a whole place that was effortlessly vintage-- not because we styled it that way, but because things had actually just been sitting there for as long as 50 or 60 years.
At first, I wasn't sure what to expect when I pulled up at "The Farm" in Forestville, California. Kristina and Peter were just in town for the weekend, having flown up from Orange County. So when I went to meet them there, I thought maybe they got permission from their ceremony venue to do their engagement shoot there too. Chasey the dog greeted me at my car and walked me up to the front door, where Kristina welcomed me inside-- crackling fireplace, beautiful wood furniture, and all. And then on top of everything, she explained that the place is actually owned by Peter's grandparents. They all live down in Southern California now, but the fruit trees and grape vines allow the property to pay for itself, year after year. I nearly melted from sheer delight.
Dream setting, dream couple. Kristina and Peter are the warmest people-- kind hearted, laid back, and completely willing to trust me, even when I asked if they could possibly climb into the strange wooden cart next to the big green tractor. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time, and I can't wait for their October wedding back on "The Farm." Enjoy the photos below!
Farewell. Until next time!
Best of 2009: Weddings & Couples
You wouldn't know it now, but I wasn't really one of those little girls who spent her time dreaming of her wedding day. My first wedding experience was in high school, when I was hired to play violin in a string quartet. All I can remember from that episode is the impossibly long rendition of Pachelbel's Canon we played. It's not that I didn't like weddings, but I didn't quite understand what they were all about.
Of course, years later, I am now a wedding photographer subscribed to no less than 25 wedding-related blogs. I love the gorgeous dresses, the flowers, the fancy cake, the beautiful place settings, and the millions of other thoughtful details that can go into a wedding. While I adore all of these things and I will always love photographing the pretty elements of a wedding, it's not any of those things that drive me to this work. To understand what a wedding is all about, you can strip away all the pomp and circumstance, and you'll still be left with the core. It's a love story-- two people who have found each other in this world and are vowing to love each other for eternity. I could photograph that forever and it still wouldn't grow old.
So here it is-- favorite moments from some fabulous love stories of 2009. Weddings, engagements, and even some just-because couple shoots. Thank you to all the fantastic couples for sharing your love with me.
Sierra & Steve's post-wedding shoot at the Emeryville Marina, California
Erica & Robert's engagement at the Kunde Family Estate in Kenwood, California
Erica & Robert's wedding in Santa Rosa & Kenwood, California
Sara & Phat's wedding in Geyserville, California
Pingping & David's wedding at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, California
Mona & Jiongyi's just-because session at Union Square, San Francisco, California
Cami & Eric's just-because session at Lake Merritt, Oakland, California
Maria & Ryan's just-because session on the UC Berkeley campus, California
Erica & Robert’s Engagement
This was an absolutely gorgeous engagement session with Erica, Robert, and Erica's daughter up at the Kunde Estate Winery. Because Erica works at the winery, we had free reign to the 1,850-acre property after hours. We were surrounded by breathtaking views and a beautiful sunset. I've never liked lens flares more.
Plus, I loved hearing Erica and Robert's story-- 13-year-old boyfriend and girlfriend who go their separate ways, always remembering each other, eventually find each other again and fall completely in love. I can't wait for their wedding in August!
Erica and her daughter-- precious.