For those of you thinking about holiday cards, it’s not too late to order yours. Images from weddings & engagements make great cards and are a wonderful way to personalize your holiday greetings this year.

“Uncle Jimmy” celebrated his 90th birthday recently with a party organized by his niece Jean Marks. The party was at MacArthur Park in Palo Alto last weekend and was so much fun! Jean had a couple of Laurel & Hardy entertainers there as well as close friends and family, many who’d flown in for the special occasion. Uncle Jimmy looked FANTASTIC by the way!

They actually did 90 candles on that cake, and lit them all!

Geoff & I had a great time with Susan & Gary recently for their Day After Session (ok, a few days after, actually). We went to some of their favorite spots in Half Moon Bay, where they met last year at the Pumpkin Festival. This couple is so passionate & romantic with each other, it’s amazing to witness two people so in love and so right for each other. After the sun went down we went to the Ritz Carlton & enjoyed a drink together & a chance to get to know them even more. As they are both retired, they will be traveling quite a bit & just enjoying one another’s company. I’ll post some of our favorites from their wedding soon, in the meantime, here are some highlights from our portrait session:

I asked Gary if they were both fashionable prior to meeting, or if one of them had influenced the other-he informed me that they were both very fashion aware, just more proof of what a perfect match they are for each other.

We started off the session at this amazing store in Half Moon Bay called “Half to Have It” where you literally cannot walk into the store without finding some item you absolutely “have to have.”

I recently had the pleasure of doing a senior session for Lindsey. We went out just before sunset to the San Antonio Open Preserve in Los Altos. This place was so gorgeous and peaceful, especially at this time of day.  We had a lot of fun, Lindsey is very comfortable in front of the camera, which makes it easy! Here are some of the session highlights:

Tram and Randall had their engagement session with Kelvin last week at Baker Beach. At the start of the session, the weather was pretty dicey, but towards the end, the gray clouds made way for a gorgeous blue sky and brilliant lighting. You can easily see from the images that these two have a great sense of humor and ease with each other. They both wore jackets to start with, which is smart because usually Baker Beach is freezing cold, especially in the summer! Eventually, they got warmed up (I’m thinking it was all the kissing, what do you think?) or maybe it was the sun coming out…

Cristy & Charles had a destination wedding in Half Moon Bay, and their celebration lasted all weekend, starting with the rehearsal dinner party at Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. They rented out the entire place for the evening, and guests were treated to all the lobster they could eat! After dinner a Cuban band entertained guests into the wee hours! The next day we were at the Ritz Carlton, photographing their absolutely stunning wedding. Those images will be available soon, in the meantime, enjoy these images from their rehearsal dinner:

The inside, taken with a fisheye:

We met up with Candice and Jayson last week for their engagement session at Ghiradelli Square. Geoff & I love doing engagement sessions at that location, as there are so many great little nooks and crannies to use as backdrops, and there are so many areas to explore within walking distance. Candice wore a sweet little grey shimmery dress and the cutest shoes that mirrored the circle detail in her dress. Normally with engagement sessions, it takes the couple a whole to warm up and get comfortable in front of the camera, and we totally expect that, saving our “good locations” for 1/2 way into the session. Not this couple! They warmed up right away, and made the session a lot of fun. We were definitely creatively inspired, to say the least.They have “the hotness” & they brought it with them! Here’s a few favorites:

See how the pattern in the dress is repeated in the shoes-love that!

Ling and Nick contacted us to help them celebrate and commemorate their 10 year anniversary. When they got married 10 years ago, it was a quick and simple ceremony, without a photographer or much else more than the ceremony itself. When Ling first called us, I was really excited about the concept. I know a lot of people get married without a big celebration, due to limited budgets or other circumstances beyond their control. For many of those couples, they hold onto the idea that perhaps they can have a proper celebration at 5 years or 10 years. This is exactly what Ling & Nick decided to do. And why not celebrate 10 years, that is quite an accomplishment to be proud of! Ling made arrangements to have hair & makeup done, and ordered a special dress for herself as well. We started out with a celebratory glass of champagne, then moved on to a few family portraits with their baby girl, followed by an extended portrait session of just the two of them. The entire session took place in their gorgeous backyard, just a few blocks away from us. Congratulations Ling & Nick!

Christy and Charles had a destination wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, one of my all time favorite locations. The couple really wanted to relax and enjoy their wedding day with friends and family, yet wanted some beautiful bridal portraits of Cristy. Of course we were delighted, Geoff & I LOVE bridal portrait sessions. We started out in their suite, and then later moved outdoors when the lighting was perfect. Isn’t Cristy just “saucy” in the image to the right?

The dress is Oscar De La Renta, and Cristy looked amazing in it:

Bridal portrait sessions are really wonderful because you get away from the craziness of the wedding day and can really relax and take your time to create some wonderful, gorgeous images. Then on the wedding day, you know that’s covered so you can relax and enjoy yourself!

The sunset was amazing, we went outdoors during the “magic hour” the hour just before sunset, which our preferred time for shooting outdoors. We literally watched the sun slip right into the ocean, it was just breathtaking:

The one below on the right is my absolute favorite. It just doesn’t get any better than this:

If you are interested in doing a bridal portrait session, just give me a call & we’ll set it up. I promise you won’t regret it!