ENGAGEMENTS: MELINDA & CHRIS

I've been so excited to post these up for over a week now, and now that I'm back from Jacqueline & Mark's gorgeous Berkeley wedding at the Claremont I have some time to catch up on the blogging. But seriously, these are some of my favorite engagements I've done so far. The blue sky, the golden hour, the sunset, the trees...everything was really working in our favor (except for the scorching heat). But I'm glad we braved the heat for a while because I'm quite proud of these. Although I won't be shooting their wedding, I'm so glad I got the chance to work with Melinda and Chris; they are quite the fantastic couple. Enjoy, my friends.



I reallllly like this ring shot.

HI MELINDA

Over the weekend I had a killer e-session with the stunning Melinda and Chris. Here's just a preview of the slideshow to come later this week, but I am exciiiited about this one. Also, Melinda is the owner of Dede's Decor here in Fresno and makes some pretty incredible wedding cakes. So for those of you brides who need some cake goodness, check her out at the above-linked website. Until next time my friends, enjoy the teaser...

No, Melinda is not really Charlize Theron (but you could've fooled me in this pic).

ENGAGEMENTS: CARA + JERRY

Well it's been one day since I've said that I love my job, but my session with Cara and Jerry warrants me saying it again, so: I love what I do. This is an especially cool e-session for me because I got to work with my Dad, who, with my Mom have supported me since I started shooting rocks and trees. But my Dad is kind of a big deal at the Fresno Air National Guard base, and Jerry is an air traffic controller at the airport. So when I first met with Cara and Jerry to chat about wedding photography, I brought up the idea of heading to the base if it was OK with my Dad, and sure enough it worked out and I must say we got some really awesome shots. And I think it's safe to say this is my first and last engagement session with a missile in the picture.

Afterwards we picked up their two dogs and walked around in the nice, pleasant Fresno 108 degree heat, where we all became dehydrated. So we finished the day off by stopping in the library to cool down, then proceeded to enjoy a couple cold beers (not at the library). But seriously, Cara and Jerry are two of the nicest, most genuine people I've had the chance to work with, and I'm excited to have the honor of shooting their wedding next May. Enjoy the pics you guys. I hope you like them as much as I do...

ENGAGEMENTS: JACQUELINE & MARK

A couple weeks ago I made a fun weekend trip up to Napa to hang out with/drink/meet for the first time Jacqueline and Mark, who are already some of my favorite people. Let's face it: taking pictures can be awkward. You have a guy with a couple huge cameras in your face telling you to act naturally and then make out. So to alleviate some of that awkwardness, the three of us met for the first time for a nice wine-filled lunch to act as a primer for the photo shoot, and we continued that mentality throughout the rest of the day by going to three more wineries after that. It's always fun to hit it off with a couple right off the bat 'cause it just makes the day go by that much smoother, and Jacqueline and Mark are a perfect example of that. So if it looks like they were having a good time in the pictures, they were! But maybe that had something to do with the wine.

Anyway, many thanks to Jacqueline and Mark for trusting me to be their wedding photographer. You guys are a great couple and a real blast to hang out with. Enjoy the pics...











I love the way these images came out from this set. This was the actual winery where Mark proposed, so you could definitely feel the love in the air.

ENGAGEMENTS: COURTNEY & AARON

This session with Courtney and Aaron was a two-part adventure at the Getty and the Santa Monica Pier, where they got attacked by a wave, took pictures by the Santa Monica bubble man, and watched Aaron eat his first corn dog in his life. I really don't see how that's possible, but he's a cool guy so I'll let it slide. Courtney's family has been family friends for years and she and Aaron went to school with my sister, but unfortunately I was already booked for their wedding date so we opted for these instead. (The talented Dani Mac will be shooting their wedding.) With the sweet colors of the Getty and the golden hour goodness of Santa Monica, I'm super excited for these shots. Enjoy!

























The attack.


The bubbles.

ENGAGEMENTS: ELI & JAMIE

Muchos gracias to Eli and Jamie, who've been super patient with me geting back on track with the whole move, but here are the much anticipated images from our awesome session around St. John's Cathedral in Fresno. Although Eli and Jamie won't be getting married there, all of us liked the idea of mixing the coolness of old Catholic churches with the coolness of Downtown Fresno and its urban loveliness. I'm really excited with how these turned out, so sit back and enjoy the goodness of Eli and Jamie set to a little Coldplay.