I am having so much fun looking at completed work from last fall and blogging about them.  All of these sessions were posted on my facebook business page within one week of the session, but the blogging just fell to the bottom of the priority list.  I am currently in my slow season with sessions and am waiting for the wedding season to start in a few months.  But, I miss being behind the camera and reviewing these images makes me feel closer to my camera than I have lately.

This family was so beautiful, and I had a wonderful time walking around their property talking with their little girls.  Photographing sisters is special to me and it always reminds me of my own special relationship with my own sister.  

Love the dresses too!

We spent time walking around their home, all the while I photographed the family being a family.  

Natural.  Real.  Authentic.  Lovely.

Their backyard was amazing with big trees, tire swing, vineyard, and a garden...it had everything!  I can tell that many memories are made exploring their outdoor environment.

What an honor to be invited into the home of the {D} family and assist with their holiday photos for 2011.  I look forward to seeing them again in 2012 :)

In an attempt to catch up with the dozens of sessions that I have yet to blog, I will be posting in non-chronological order based on what my mood is.  Tonight, I am in the mood for a little high school senior showcasing.  

Miss B was a lovely young lady and I had a nice evening walking around Julliard Park with her and her mom.  She is full of innocent dreams for the future, just as a senior in high school should be.  

And her eyelashes are phenomenal :)

Favorite...

 Another favorite...

Ahhh....this makes me miss the fall colors...

I don't have the opportunity to photography many senior sessions, but when I do have the opportunity I always walk away wishing that I had more high schoolers in front of my camera.  They are so fun, and carefree, plus it always brings me back to my high school days :)

The Brazil Building at Tilden Regional Park provided a wonderful backdrop for A + M's wedding reception last August.  Rustic beauty, sweeping views, and bright flowers made the evening one to remember.  

I loved their engagement photo, taken at Machu Picchu in Peru, what a wonderful memory to share with their wedding guests.

We had about 10 minutes to quickly walk the grounds for some portraits of the new Mr. and Mrs.  I understand how hard it is to leave your wedding reception, but you can never get the time back to take additional photos.  It is so important to book time during your day for multiple picture taking opportunities.

The toasts were quite memorable, especially the best man's.  He said that now that Matt was married he should collect all the keys to his apartment that he gave away over the years.  And slowly, women from all over the reception walked up to the groom and dropped off a key.  It was hilarious.  And then as the number of women was slowing down, a token male stood up and returned a key too.  :)

These two were fabulous dancers...oh my goodness they looked so perfect together on the dance floor and they completely danced like no one was watching.  Loved it!

Everyone was dancing, including the adorable ring bearer.  Too fun!

Surrounded by a mystical redwood tree grove, A + M declared to love one another.  Forever.  Just like the trees that circled their family and friends.   

With personal readings, a family friend ordained to marry the couple and an abundance of legendary moments, the ceremony was the perfect reflection of A + M's relationship.  

This picture is proof that you can meet your soul mate while at a bar in San Francisco and that love at first sight is alive and well.

Although this wedding was 6 weeks ago...the memories of day are still as vivid as if it was yesterday.  Here are a few of my favorite - more to come soon :)

I feel horribly that it has been so long since I last blogged...if only the amount of times that I have thought about it and tried counted for something.  Sometimes I wish that I could just download my thoughts and make it all happen without me actually taking action.  Sometimes I wish that the days were about 10 hours longer and that I didn't require something as silly as sleep.  Regardless, I have so many blog posts to posts that this lil' website of mine will be hoppin' through the end of the year.  

The good part about my lack of blogging?  I get to relive sweet memories made earlier in the year like the fun reception of J + K.  Again, love the outdoors, love the sentiment, love the love.  

The speeches and toasts were awesome, I learned so much about the newleyweds.  I laughed, I cried.  I *might* have been a little caught up in the moments that I forgot about my 15 pound camera in my hand that I should have been using.  :)

My lovely second shooter was able to utilize the balcony of the barn to get some great aerial shots of the reception.  It is so nice to be able to quasi-clone myself on wedding days with her assistance...I couldn't do it without her!

Oh heavens...sweetness overload! 

I really enjoy seeing how brides personalize their on style into their wedding day style and when Miss K made her grand entrance without her veil but with her bow...I smiled.  Really big.  Love it!

A have a shot similar to this from my wedding day at our family property framed in a big canvas in our bedroom.  I love looking at it and seeing how different the land already looks after 5 years.  I imagine that these images will have the same impact in the future...

J + K - It was lovely meeting the two of you.  I should have know that we would be fast friends when we decided to meet at the Redwood Cafe...little did I know that we have so much in common.  Thank you for being so fun throughout the planning process and for trusting my ability to capture your wedding.  I look forward to seeing you on the road during our evening dog walks :)  xoxo

Thankfully our schedule and timeline for the day afforded me plenty of opportunities to photography the charming details of J + K's wedding day before, as I say, 'the guests move in.'  The quiet moments before guests arrive are the best moments to capture the small aspects of the wedding day.  There is so much planning that goes into details - from signage, to favors, the flowers, to table settings.  And I love capturing it all.

When you mix a small initate wedding surrounded at the grooms family property with quaint personal touches  and add in an adorable couple you get a wedding day as lovely as J + K.  It was a fun, relaxed and, in a word, perfect day.  It depicted their relationship of support, of laughter and of hope.  Hope for everlasting happiness, a happiness that I have no doubt these two will achieve.

Their ceremony site was very reiminscent of my own wedding ceremony.  Located at the family property with the focus on the two of them surrounded by nature.  We even had the same chairs and umbrellas :) Although this wedding day was about 30 degrees cooler than my own (I was married five years ago in the record breaking heat span in July when it reached 110 on our wedding day!)  

A family friend officiated the ceremony, just like my own ceremony too :)

I will never forget the moment when the old Ford's horn honked as the bride was being driven down to the ceremony site.  The excitement was palpable in everyone, I can only image what the groom was feeling!

Moments like this is when I give my second shooter a big ol' hug - since it is impossible for me to be in two places at the same time!

 Seriously, how adorable is this flower girl smiling to her mom in the front row?  She has such a proud look on her pretty lil' face and she did a great job!

Awww...looking at his bride for the first time :)

What a beautiful wedding ceremony for J +K - more detail and reception photos later this week, there is lots of love to share!  xoxo

Love.  Young love.  I have high expectations for it when it is in front of my camera.  And this adorable couple didn't disappoint me at all :)  

Despite the questionable weather at the beginning of our session, we were able to wait the clouds out for the 'magical evening light' to appear.  At one point Z said to me...oh, now I see what the story is with the 'magical evening light.'  :) It is really spectacular and I get sad when I don't get to utilize it during a session due to too many clouds.  

Seriously, how cute are these two?

There is nothing like part of your engagement photo session taking place outside the bathrooms at the regional park...ahhh, I bet you didn't realize they were standing in front of the bathroom :)  Truly, any background can be used for a photo backdrop, I promise!

When talking about their images, Z + K said that they wanted an enchanted feel with warm overtones.  I think that we succeed...their session feels very magical to me.

Such cuteness between the two of them, they definitely fit one another perfectly.

After our fun evening together I am even more excited for their wedding next July - it'll be here before we know it!  

I believe that the family that plays together stays together and the {E} family has fun together like its their job.  And their photos depict the bond of love and fun that the party of five has on a daily basis.

We had a great time walking around the picturesque Riverfront Park, talking about the new school year, the summer travels and the beloved family dog.  I shrieked with delight when I saw their dog jump out of their car with a wagging tail, as my blog readers know, I love my own dog to pieces and she has been involved with most of my personal photo sessions.  I love love love to include all of the family members in photo sessions - it is so special on so many levels.

I was super nervous for this session (although, I am always nervous before a session) because this fierce and fabulous mama of three is a phenomenal local photographer.  So having another artist in front of my camera made my knees shake a little more. :)  Our goal was to capture complete family photos, authentic and real images.  Plus lots of images with her kiddos.  As photographers we often forget to include ourselves with our family photos and I was honored to assist in completing this goal.

In addition to family photos, we definitely needed to sneak in a few of how the family all got started.  It has been eleven years since their wedding day (and their last set of pictures together) and they still look like newleyweds :)

The {E} family - I enjoyed meeting your entire family...your love is evident beyond words and an inspiration for others.  Thank you for taking the time to schedule this session and make it all happen, I truly hope that you treasure these images for years to come.  And thank you for trusting little ol' me to capture them all.