Jul
06
One summer a few years ago, fate took hold of Suzanne and Andy’s lives and brought them together in a way neither would have expected. As Suzanne said, "Who meets in a bar?" Well actually, she and Andy did. And it was perfect.
Suzanne had been visiting her family at the time, but was living in Southern California. A friend took her to this neighborhood bar for a drink. A friend of Andy’s happened to bring him to the same bar. It’s the kind of bar that really is meant for the locals and probably sees a lot of the same faces. Not the kind of place you would expect to meet your future spouse, or even someone new. Neither Suzanne nor Andy went to the bar to fall in love, but love is what they found.
Fast forward to this summer. Suzanne and Andy are busily preparing for their wedding at Stone Tree Golf Club. We took a few hours to enjoy the city they have spent so much time in and create engagement photos for them. San Francisco gave us all its blustering cold dripping wet fog (yes it was gruesome) and Suzanne and Andy gave us smiles and warmth. It was a perfect night.
We started off in North Beach (for those touristy types, that’s the Italian district in SF) and wandered along the streets. Both Suzanne and Andy had lived in the neighborhood at various points in their lives so had strong ties to the area.
Meandered over to Washington Square Park for a little greenery.
Loving this shot. So San Francisco- you’ve got the MUNI lines criss-crossing over the street and the TransAmerica building in the background.
Enjoying the architecture.
A little Monet-esque as they are walking. Take a moment and enjoy the yellow sweater Suzanne is wearing. Love bright colors on a gray day.
Of course, we had to head over to the scene of the crime. So we hopped in their car and drove to Russian Hill where that neighborhood bar, The Buccaneer, is located. Could this be how it all started?
They hadn’t been back since their first anniversary, which made it even more fun to relive their story. As it turns out, the same bartender was serving up drinks the night they met and the night of our shoot. I think all the memories brought out even a bit more romance.
We had so much fun and now we can’t wait for their wedding in just a few short weeks. This was just a smattering of all the amazing photos we were able to get of this awesome couple. I would definitely recommend checking out their slideshow for more from Suzanne and Andy’s SF e-session.
Aug
03
And now it is time for the second engagement session from our awesome Sunday of SF shooting.
Jilanne and Doug came up from San Jose and met us at the Crissy Field Center Cafe for a quintessentially San Francisco shoot. We immediately headed into the Presidio to start around the historic buildings. The Presidio is one of our favorite places in the Bay Area. The building structures are varied and have great character, plus there are many green spaces.
Taking a walk in the woods by the Golden Gate Club.…
Then over to Fort Point, another of our favorite places to shoot in San Francisco. Not only is it historical, it also has kick-ass views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The brick always provides an excellent background, and although it is typically chilly out there, it never fails to provide beautiful light.
Oh, and Fort Point was the site where Kim Novak jumped into the San Francisco Bay in the movie Vertigo. I note this only because while Jilanne and Doug aren’t particular Hitchcock fans, they are getting married at the Mission San Juan Bautista, where James Stewart watched Kim Novak jump from a tower (there isn’t really one there) to her supposed death in the same film. I just think the tie-in is kind of fun.
But I digress… Fort Point is really great photographically. Add to that backdrop our gorgeous couple and you get ….
Did I mention they tango? So talented. Look at their form.
Jilanne and Doug, thank you for this truly amazing shoot. Dave and I had tons of fun with you guys. You are so totally perfect together. We love your sense of style and your playfulness. Not to mention your willingness to weather the chills of Fort Point. We can’t wait for your fall wedding at the Mission San Juan Bautista and Leal Vineyard. It is going to be gorgeous.
Want to see more? Check out their slideshow.
Jul
29
I know it has been a great day when I have finished shooting two amazing engagement sessions with two absolutely fabulous couples and each one is completely different. First up is our wonderful duo Angie and Mike. Angie and Mike found us through their colleagues and friends, Hilary and Scott (who happen to be celebrating their anniversary today- Happy Anniversary!). But this was our first chance to meet Angie and Mike in person, having communicated via phone and email prior, and we were so excited.
Both Angie and Mike came to San Francisco from other parts of the country and now they can’t imagine living anywhere else. San Francisco can do that to you. They live between Dolores Park and the Castro and absolutely love the Mission, so of course, we stayed close to home during this truly San Francisco shoot. They brought us to some of their favorite haunts. We even took a few in and around their house, their first home together.
Our first stop, the top of the hill at Dolores Park. It never ceases to amaze me the varied views one can get of this city with so many hills.
As we wandered through the park, we came across a grove of palm trees. The light was soft and inviting so we stayed for a bit.
You can start to get a sense of how absolutely sweet Angie and Mike are together. I love their smiles in the next two.
Mike found Java Supreme first, but introduced Angie to the cafe soon after. It had been a while since they had been back. They know the owner by name and were excited to share the news of their engagement with him. We sat down and chatted for a few minutes while they each had a drink. I popped outside to capture this image.
What would a shoot in the mission be without the murals? Angie and Mike brought us to the Mission Pool for this bright and colorful one.
A little street life …
on the way to this mural of San Francisco through time…
Special note, the shoes=very, very cool!
We went back to their place to try to capture a few with their kittens, one of whom cooperated for a couple of seconds, and then saw these great books. Insta-photo props!
What a great morning we had! Huge thank you’s to Angie and Mike for taking us on a great tour of your ‘hood and for showing Dave the Man Cave of his dreams. I am still hearing about how awesome the Transformer Collection is- who knew?! Can’t wait to see you guys again in a couple of months. Your bonfire & burritos on Ocean Beach "rehearsal dinner" and your wedding at the Fort Mason Officer’s Club are going to be amazingly fun.
Want to see more? Check out their slideshow.
Feb
04
Krista and Andy married this summer and you will not believe the fabulous touches she gave to her wedding. Everything from her wedding dress to the cake had her signature on it. The result was simply amazing.
Krista picked a beautiful dress by Paloma Blanca, but added her own look to it- a Japanese inspired sash.
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Jan
22
Deana and Nick had a fabulous wine country wedding at the beginning of fall. She did an amazing job with the feel of the day. Deana incorporated all sorts of special touches to highlight the time of year and the location, the gardens and wine cave at Hans Fahden Vineyards.
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Jan
12
For my last entry in the generations series, I wanted to focus on the mini-fam of Linda and Mike. When Linda and Mike found us for their 2006 wedding, we were so excited. You should see the way he looks at her- melts your heart. We were really looking forward to their fall wedding. They celebrated with their ceremony at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in San Francisco, their wedding portraits at the Legion of Honor and their wedding reception at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, coordinated by Jubilee Lau of Jubilee Lau Events.
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Jan
07
While having a multi-generation mini-family like Karen and Willy‘s is so much fun, we also love our smaller mini-families. We have tons of these. Today I wanted to send a shout out to a bunch of the two generation mini-fams.
First mini-fam:
Sepi and Homan traveled from New York to get married at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. They had an amazing Persian wedding ceremony followed by great food and endless dancing. We definitely wanted to capture their city sensibilities during the portrait session.
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Sep
12
We had an awesome engagement session with Elsa and Tim while we were in San Francisco. Elsa wanted something urban. So we met them in North Beach, one of my favorite parts of town, and toured all the best sites and even ventured a bit into the financial district.
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Aug
16
We are thrilled to announce that we received First Place in the Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Each year the J Weekly offers this contest to showcase those companies that provide excellent quality and service. We are honored to be in the esteemed company of arts organizations like The San Francisco Symphony, The George Krevsky Gallery, and Berkeley Rep. And of course, some of our favorite Bay Area venues are listed as well including The Fairmont, The Oakland Museum of California, and Hakone Gardens.
A huge thank you to all our friends, family and clients who voted for us. We are so grateful for your support. We feel unbelievably lucky!
