I did work a little while on vacation in Monterey a few weeks back.  I did an engagement shoot, and met up with a friend and her husband, who are expecting their first baby in just a few months!  They live just 20 minutes outside of Monterey, so they joined us for dinner!  Before dinner though, we headed off to Old Town Monterey.  Monterey Old Town Historic District, which is a National Historic Landmark, includes buildings from the 18th-19th centuries that illustrate the Spanish colonial era of the town, including the Old Customhouse (the only customhouse north of Mexico from 1828-1845), the Thomas Larkin House, 1835, one of the first two story adobes in California, and Casa Alvarado, the home of Juan Bautista Alvarado, the governor of California from 1836 to 1842.  All I can say is PERFECT for portraits!  It was slightly overcast and the lighting was perfect.  Here are some images from the afternoon!

I created these gorgeous tri fold birth announcements for a client through my design business, Baby Card Expressions.  I had to share them here!  I love this design… my daughter’s room is decorated with birds, so she was my inspiration.

I will be releasing 2010 Holiday cards shortly!  If you are a photographer, I will be releasing a handful of exclusive designs for resale within your photography business.  They will be released through one of my other websites, Lovely Ink.  Contact me if you’re interested!

I had the opportunity this past weekend to shoot a wedding here in Sacramento with Colleen Sherman, for Emily Main Photography.  They are both SO talented, and are both two of my new favorite photographers.  The wedding was at a gorgeous church in Sacramento on L Street in midtown.  We had some time after the wedding with the bride and groom, which was a great opportunity for some interesting shots.  The reception was at the Library Galleria in Sacramento, which is a gorgeous venue.  Tessa, the bride, owns a cake shop in Sacramento called The Frosted Cake Shop.  I think I’ll be using her for my next family celebration coming up.  Super cute cakes!  I was able to spend some extra time with the groom, Brett, which I normally have not had the opportunity to do while second shooting.  Here are some great images from the day!

Ok, I have NO patience, whatsoever.  I had a session today with the sweetest family.  The same afternoon, my family and I drove to Tahoe for a family visit, and I did some editing on the way because I had to see the photos, NOW!    I did their maternity portraits at the Rosegarden at the Capital a few months ago, and I’ve been so excited to hear the news that their daughter had arrived.  She is SOOOO beautiful, and she was so easy to work with today!  She was the cutest, sweetest little button!  I’m excited to share this sneak peek with the family – congratulations to you, and I know you will get some rest soon!

Ceremony at St. Dominics Catholic Church – the architecture was amazing, and the church was just gorgeous.

And… after the full Mass, everyone headed to the City Club for a great party!

I looooved all of the details – all including peacock feathers.  Vivien put so much work and detail into the reception.

After a delicious dinner, the bride and groom invited all of the guests downstairs to an area that was transformed into an elegant nightclub dance floor.  This group knew how to party and have a good time!

Another great wedding photographed as a second shooter for Scott Fischbein.  He really has been so great to work with and I am learning so much from him.  He’s full of energy, fun to work with, and he works with the most beautiful clients!  I had a great time photographing Molly and Danny’s Sacramento wedding.  We did some bridal shots at the park at the Capital before the ceremony.  They were married at the beautiful Sacred Heart Catholic Church (gorgeous church), and had their reception at the Dante Club in Sacramento.

Loving the detail shots….

Just getting caught up tonight on my blog posts!  I was a second shooter for Costanza Photography for this amazing day.  It was very clear on the Bay, mostly because of the wind.  The wedding was on Treasure Island, which is in the middle of the Bay Bridge span, just outside of San Francisco.  The venue overlooked the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco!  It was spectacular!  The father of the bride was retired from the fire department, so there were a few special fire department related events after the wedding.  Especially memorable, was the fire boat sent over.  Keep in mind that this was a VERY windy day… and the boat images below will show it.  The entire bridal party (and the photographers) got a bit soaked with ocean water.   We also were able to get the couple away for some really fun shots at an abandoned gas station, and abandoned bowling alley just around the corner from the reception.  Totally fun!

I’m very behind on my blog posts… because I have been so busy with the start of wedding season.  I have been so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some very talented and experienced wedding photographers so far this year.  I was not sure that wedding photography was going to be the thing for me… that is, until I photographed my first solo wedding in Lake Tahoe in May.  I decided that I loved it!  There is just something magical about weddings, and capturing that day for the couple starting their journey forward together.

This is the third wedding that I shot – and the couple were the sweetest ever!  I loved working with the bride Samantha – we got to spend quite a bit of time on bridal portraits before the ceremony.  I just felt so welcomed by the couple and their family.  The location was at the River Mill, in Stockton, which is a gorgeous venue.  It was a pleasure to work with Scott Fischbein as a second shooter during this fabulous day.  I’m learning so much from him already, and I’m looking forward to the third wedding I’ll be shooting with him in San Francisco in July!  Here are some images from the day!

I love Old Town on a Sunday evening.  The crowds have died down, and the sidewalks are empty.  Perfect for a photo shoot!  It was a VERY hot day on Sunday, but we had a great time during this family session.  The little ones did a great job even with the afternoon heat.  Enjoy your sneak peek A&R. 

Wow!  This past Sunday evening, I had the privledge of photographing the first moments of life for a sweet little girl named Hannah!  I was hired by the parents to photograph their birth experience, and they were not due until this week.   They knew that I was out of town this weekend in Tahoe.  I missed her actual birth by just a half hour, but I was still able to catch those first few hours. Amazing. I was so honored to be a part of these first moments…  Please click HERE to view a full slideshow that I created for the parents (shared with permission).  And below are a few images from the night.