Una Bella Sera 2009 is almost here!

Okay, I'm ridiculously excited about this...

Una Bella Sera is a very unique showcase of vendors from around the Bay area, designed to be more of a party than an overwhelming "eesh, too much stimulation!" experience at some bridal fairs.

It'll be April 5th (that's coming up soon!), at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Merchants Exchange Building in San Francisco. Some of my very favorite vendors, from styling to cakes to yes, other photographers, will be there to say hi and answer questions. We'll be milling about just like you so that you don't feel funny about going up to a booth.

The highlight of the whole day is the amazing decor and table designs by Nicole Ha (floral design) and Amazae Special Events' Crystal LeQuang (event designer and planner). They're the masterminds behind the show and dang, if they aren't two very talented people.

Here's a link to the site - you must register and soon! - www.unabellasera.com. And the invite, too...see you there!

It may feel weird, but trust me...

One of the reasons why I always always always give my couples an engagement session before the wedding is because it's really more of a "get comfy" session. No really! I want to get to know my couples, and for them to get to know me. I'm a total goofball! Perfect example - today with Silvia and Danny, I actually squished my face in to show what happens when you pose cheek to cheek without pulling away a bit.
(Speaking of Silvia & Danny...this is him trying to kiss her and she's not letting him! Fun!)

Portrait sessions are hard! They're scary and intimidating and you want your images to look good but you don't want to "model up" and where the heck do you look, right? So by getting my couples comfy with me, with each other and most importantly, with my big a@@ camera, within 20 minutes it starts to get fun. But those first 20 minutes can be a little unsettling.

Some of the comments I might get back are, "this kinda feels weird" or "really, lean over that much?" or "what the heck do you mean like a turtle?"

I thought that maybe I'd share with the three people who read this blog (grin) what goes into a few of the shots. First, the story, then the photo.
Melanie and Mike and I were wandering around Santana Row when I gasped. "Oh my gosh, this is awesome! Can you two lean down all the way to me?" Yeah, they felt really stupid, but I was able to lie on the ground (almost) and get the sillouette of the M on the building behind them.
I love this shot. It's sexy and anonymous and yet so sweet and touching! I had to keep moving the grape vines so I could get just the right amount to circle their lips. Poor Kat & Scott just had to keep kissing and kissing, I'm sure that was annoying. hehehe

Back to Melanie & Mike - I was so impressed when we were all able to pull this off without laughing. I told them I wanted to see a little passion, and showed Melanie exactly where to put her back against the wall, and Mike I told to get as close as he could with his face - then just...just..just touch a tiny bit. Steamy!

So what to remember during the portrait session? If you like the work they do, then trust your photographer. Yeah, he or she may have you doing some of the weirdest things, but it'll look yummy. :D

In honor of Caitlin & Steven's Big Day...

These were done in the cold rain here at the PruneYard and yep, we had an awesome time!
Proof that you don't need trees and pretty-pretty in the background (or even daylight) to get some fun and emotive engagement session images! Just great light and a carefree attitude. Maybe some latte?
I can't wait to see you two this weekend!

Christina's got some eyes!

Ahh, March! Engagement session time! I love it - I get to shoot gorgeous couples in love and get to know them a bit before the wedding. Yes!

I'm only just starting post production for Christina & Brian but I had to stop everything and post this. Whoo, that girl's got the fire eyes!

So I dug in a bit more and then, dang, so does Brian!

Ohhhh, baby!

Meet Eva.



I had just gotten to know Alex & Nicole Barsuk over tea and talk about a bonding session. Seriously! We were there for maybe two hours just talking about his hopes in the photo biz (he's a relatively new pro, talented and very humble) and her hopes for the new baby they were about to have. Would her name be Eva? Gianna? They weren't sure and knew that they should wait to meet her before they named her.

Eva arrived just days afterwards, and I asked if I could be one of the first (besides Daddy of course) to get my camera on her. They were SO polite to say yes - new babies are just exhausting! But I remember how eternally grateful I was when my friend and pro Angela asked if she could take a family photo of us when Donovan was just a few weeks old, knowing that we working photogs just never seem to focus on our OWN families! I knew Alex was having a great time getting lots of shots of his two lovely ladies, but none of the three of them.

So I headed over right after the Sunday Pronovias show and couldn't wait to meet her. But she wasn't too thrilled that some chick was interrupting her dinner. Poor thing wailed and cried! Then I find out that poor Nicole just had her wisdom teeth out a few days before. Ouch! But they didn't want to reschedule and I'm so glad we didn't. And I'm thrilled we got a few sweet shots in our very brief session.

Fave things I saw during the Pronovias show

Hey there! I had a blast these last two weekends, watching and shooting the fashion shows for both Enzoani and Pronovias that Trudy's hosted. Gorgeous dresses and lots of inspiration!

One of my favorite things was watching all the different types of veils and hair accessories. Here's one I loved:It's so sweet! It's more of a cage veil so it give a hint of your face rather than a full one. And like on this model, the long earring really go well.

And check out this lace on this cathedral length veil - apparently every Pronovias dress is designed with a matching cathedral length veil. Nice.



My favorite dress is so fun - a deep plunging V and tiny cinched waist with pockets. WHY didn't my dress have pockets?! Then I wouldn't have forgotten my vows in my purse and looked like a speechless dork?!


Then, I stayed behind to meet some of the brides and take photos as they tried on the Pronovias dresses. Here's a shot I think is so cool - her name's Marie and she's getting married in Hawaii:I'm still waiting to get permission to use more of the shots - did NOT want to spoil any surprises if you know what I mean!

More soon...