I fell in love with Couture Books the first time I laid my eyes on them and they just get better and better as you get to know them.  :-)  Couture Books are designed to be similar to museum art books.  They are printed on gorgeous paper that begs you to flip through--they are so engaging & different. Couture also created the first line of green albums--eco books made with post-consumer recycled products.  And they donate a portion of all purchases to the cause of your choice.  I adore them.

Click to view one of my recent samples:

I donated a one hour photo shoot to my hubby's school last year and finally met the winning bidder yesterday-- the lovely Kaleo Waxman.  Take a look at her cuties!



(One with Mom! :-)

There are so many bonuses to living in the Bay Area: ocean, mountains, diversity, environmentalism, progress...and it's a foodie's dream! Two incredible cupcake bakeries: Sprinkles & Kara's justed opened up in Palo Alto and I'm in heavvven!! It's like a dream come true-- I'm not kidding you. I gladly waited in line at Sprinkles for one full hour to taste the intensity...and then dashed to Kara's for the ultimate, side-by-side taste test. The household conclusion: Kara's: 1, Sprinkles: 1. I'm thinking the Lemon Cupcake will break the tie, which according to Sprinkle's handy Cupcake Chart, is available Mon/Thu/Sun. (Yumm...that's tomorrow...)

While in Colorado this summer, I attended Zack Aria's marathon workshop OneLight. We headed out to some beautiful fields in the late afternoon to play with flash on incredible models like Shannon Kaple (who just told me she is expecting a baby!!).  Shannon was a dream and even crawled inside a rotten tree stump in her dress and heels for some shots.  I love her--she's my kind of girl.
Engaged couples: If you are interested in some shots like this for your engagement session, I am all over it.
Fellow photographers: OneLight is worth every minute so sign up. 
Shannon: You are a fox!



 

Annie and Kevin shared so much of themselves on their wedding day. I loved witnessing their raw emotion for each other, the contentment they feel when they are in each other's arms and the excitement they have about joining families. Thanks so much for everything, Annie & Kevin! ...And as a side note, this completes my summer trifecta of photographing three weddings of three dear friends. I will miss seeing you guys and loved every minute with you crazy kids! Best wishes to you all. :-) (Deer Ridge is a great venue!)

click to play!

Picture your most idyllic Sonoma wedding. We'll all envision different things but from this point forward, Marissa & Brian's gorgeous wedding will be all I see. There were grapes on the vine, signature cocktails, Scharffen Berger and Miette cakes on vintage cake stands, market umbrellas, a perfect soundtrack, a vivid blue sky, buzzing conversations, children unabashedly dancing and sweetness galore between the newlyweds and their families. It epitomized joie de vivre.

            

From time to time I post entries entitled "little presents".  These posts are all about the little gems in life that surprise and move us.  For me and my blog, it's the images from shoots that catch me off guard when I am doing post-processing...little gems that I didn't uncover in the initial viewing of my files when I put together the couple's slideshow.  I love this one of Maya and her Dad as they are preparing their grand entrance into the Chapel of Our Lady in the Presidio.

 

The adorable Katie and Erik live in southern California so our paths hadn't crossed until last Friday when we had a blast in Capitola during their engagement session. I love these sessions--they are laid back, tender and always unfold to me the essence of a couple--what a gift! After our session we swung by Katie & Erik's wedding venue, Sesnon House, to do a little exploring... which meant we peeked through the windows. :-) Thanks for the great time, guys!

Maya and Dan live in Ohio and I so wish they lived nearby--they are fabulous and I will miss them!  The darling love they have is evident not only in the way they look at each other but in the way they laugh together, the quiet moments they share, the ease with which they approach life and in the way they love everyone around them.  They made sure I felt like a guest at their wedding and as a result, it was a beautiful, meaningful day for me as well.