Kelly McCord Photography Blog

V-B-S is F-U-N

Every year for the last at least 20+ years of my life, (with a break of a few years when I was away at college), basically since sixth grade, I've been volunteering at our church's Vacation Bible School. Specifically for the last 4-5 (or six?) years, I've volunteered as the VBS Photography Director, and have had the privilege of shooting the 250+ kids for the entire week; every day, all day. It's exhilerating, exhausting and SO fantastic that I get a chance to volunteer for (and serve) the kids every year. I love it so much, and it's an ongoing debate whether we (the adult volunteers), or the kids (at the camp) have more fun , and I'd say it's a wash -- we all have a great time. It really is something very near and dear to my heart, and we eargerly anticipate the week-long fun every year. In fact, it doesn't feel like summer until we've experienced VBS.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel comes every year, to document and write about all the F-U-N that we have, and this year was no exception. What's kind of fun (for me, anyway) is that the picture they in the paper this year was of me!  So, if you've been wondering where I've been, this photo is a good illustration of what I get to do all week.  And while VBS is D-U-N, =) wedding season has ramped up, so while I've been very bad at updating my blog, I'll try and do better, despite being in the midst of my busiest time of year. I still haven't told you about so many of the fun weddings and cool portrait sessions I've shot; so stay tuned for lots more photographic phun! =)

Blog Header...

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm working on the blog header. I'm not sure WHY it looks all stretched out and pixelated, but that's not how it's supposed to look, and once it's fixed, you'll know how it's supposed to look. In the meantime, I'm sorry for how ugly it looks right now! (Also, if you're viewing this in Safari, and NOT Firefox, it probably looks fine, which is part of the mystery.)

Natalie and Brian's San Francisco Wedding

Natalie and Brian found me though one of the wonderful Briggs sisters, Julie Dunn! Julie started out as one of my brides, years ago, and also happens to be an amazing and talented wedding coordinator up in San Francisco.  Julie (and the other Dunn sisters) have referred me to a number of brides (often times, some of my very favorite brides, in fact.  So Ryan, Julie's husband is related to Natalie, who I originally met when I was shooting Ryan and Julie's wedding.  When Julie let me know that Natalie was interested in  me, I was excited, because like I said, the Briggs sisters always refer GREAT brides to me, and I knew Natalie (and Brian) would be no exception, and that was in fact, the case. 

 

The breathtaking bride. I love the excitement and happiness in her eyes, it's one of my favorite portraits of her...

Natalie and Brian, both from San Francisco, were excited to celebrate their city, and their wedding felt like a very old-school San Francisco wedding (in the best possible way).  They were married at a venerated private social club, which I actually am unable to name, but  it is a San Francisco institution, and I was thrilled to get to work in a place with so much history, not to mention the fact that it's incredibly beautiful inside!  

We started the day in a park at  the top of Nob Hill, where all the guys met me for their photos.  We had a lot of fun with them, walking all over, taking photos on the steps of Grace Cathedral, going into the Hotel Huntington, and taking pictures of the guys at this really cool old bar, walking around Huntington park, and down to the Fairmont, and ending up in front of another San Francisco private social club, the Pacific-Union club, which has an amazing edifice.

Here's our San Francisco-looking homage to the Beatles Abbey Road cover.

There were so many remarkable landmarks on top of Nob Hill to take pictures around, and the guys were really fun, so we had a blast, even doing some sillier photos, even doing a San-Francisco version of the Abbey Road photo, with all of San Francisco in the background (which I loved!).

From shooting with the guys, we walked a few blocks down to Natalie's parents gorgeous apartment, where all the girls were gathered and in various stages of readiness.While the girls were getting their hair and makeup done, I was able to roam around the apartment taking pictures of the getting-ready madness, which I love so much, along with all the detail shots (flowers, makeup scattered everywhere, the dress hanging up, etc., etc.), which are always so fun for me to shoot.  All the girls looked so lovely, and the apartment was so gorgeous that no matter where I shot, it looked great! 

The veil, blowing in the breeze coming through the window.

The dress (as it was already set-up -- thanks Julie!),  when I walked into Natalie's parents' gorgeous apartment...

The dress, two ways...

I'm grateful to Natalie's mom and dad for making us feel so welcome and basically giving us the run of the entire place, so we could get so many varied shots!  Once Natalie had finished getting ready, and the girls were good to go, we did some quick bridesmaid and family shots, and then we were able to get some beautiful bridal portraits of Natlie,  (with the light streaming in from the fantastic bay windows - with views of the entire city all around), it was a photographers dream. Not only does their apartment was so elegant, it could have easily been on the cover of a high-end decorating magainze, but Natalie looked radiant; I really didn't have to work hard at all, because the combination of the two were perfect!  I loved the bridal portraits we got of Natalie, and then it was time to rush to the church!

Notre Dames des Victoires is sugh an amazing church, which also has a long history in San Francisco, which dates back to 1849!  The ceremony was lovely and afterwards we all went back up to the top of Nob Hill, and met in Huntington Park, and shot all the bridal party and faimly portraits. Once we finished those, we did almost the same loop around Nob Hill that we did with the guys, but it was just Natalie and Brian.  I really love the portraits that we were able to take, especially the ones where the city is featured so prominently in the background.  It was an absolutely perfect day, and there wasn't even a bit of fog in the sky, so we had a clear view all the way to the water, and just enough wind to move the veil around a little.

When we finished the portraits, we zipped over to the club, and we were able to take some fun shots of Natalie and Brian in the library (which is my DREAM library; it even has the library ladder, because the books are basically floor to ceiling, and  a catwalk(!) no less, to reach all the books - it was a heavenly room, to me).  After we took a few shots in the library, we left Natalie and Brian alone to have some time together, and then the reception went into full swing.  The dinner was great, the toasts were funny and sweet, and the dancing was the best!  As is true of the best weddings, the dance floor was PACKED the entire time, they had a great band, and everyone was ready to rhumba.  Natalie and Brian both have classic, elegant taste and it was reflected in every detail. I felt honored to be asked to be their wedding photographer, and was thrilled with how the photos came out.  Thank you, Natalie and Brian, for asking me to shoot your special day!

If you'd like to see the slideshow of some of my favorite shots, you can do so by clicking here to be taken to the slideshow, or if you want to view some of my favorites, I've posted a bunch below, after the jump. Just click on the 'continue reading' link, directly below...

Leslie & Scott's Enchanting Nestldown (not Nestledown!) Wedding

First of all - I'm so sorry I've been gone so long!! I've been in crazy-wedding-editing land for the last few months, and I know this blog has seen neither hide nor hair of me, and I while it may look that way, I haven't abandoned the blog! I've just been extrememly busy. I've had the pleasure of  sh0ooting so  many amazing, fun, distinctive and gorgeous weddings in 2008, and I wanted to (properly) share them with you! And I would have done so along the way, however, due to all the time and energy I put into each one of my weddings I haven't been able to find the time to actually blog about them (and I like to talk about the day, not just throw up a bunch of photos, which is why blogging about them takes me a little extra time)!  But now the madness is finally easing up a bit, and so I thought I'd start back up again with one of my wonderful couples; Leslie and Scott, who had their wedding at one of my favorite wedding locations in the entire Bay Area; Nestldown!  First of all,  I must apologize to Leslie, as she's been wanting to see some of my favorites on the blog for awhile, and she has been incredibly patient in waiting on me to have time to write about her beautiful wedding! So thank you, Leslie, for your patience! Now, on to Scott and Leslie's Nestldown wedding!

(A quick aside: I learned last year that it's NOT Nestledown, but Nestldown, with no e! Yet every time I write it, I have to keep going back and deleting the e, since it seems like it should be there. Plus, for those of you who didn't know there was no e in Nestldown, I didn't want you to think I was continally mis-typing it). =)  Glad we could clear that up! Now on to Scott and Leslie's wedding!

I liked Scott and Leslie the moment I met them, when they came for a wedding consultation at my house. They were referred by a good friend of mine, Melina, and I was so glad she referred them to me.  Not only did I like Leslie and Scott right off the bat, but I was thrilled when I heard they were going to be married at Nestldown! Double bonus for me! And their wedding did not disappoint!  Not only was every detail carefully thought out, but they made such gorgeous choices! From the largest to the smallest details'. Everything was classy, yet stylish and modern.  The cake was completely different than any other cake I've ever seen, and all their other details were perfect for photographing them (and looked even better in person!),  the table-number cards, the place settings, the flowers (which were lovely) and bouttonieres and table arrangements, and all the other choices they made, it was just a lovely wedding, and very well done.  Leslie has great taste, and made my job super-easy! I'll talk about more in detail below.

(Another quick aside: As always, if you want to see the photos larger, click on them, and they'll pop up even bigger, and if you don't want to read all about their wedding, in detail, and just want to go directly to the slideshow, you can click here, to go to the slideshow, or if you just want to look at all my favorite pictures, and skip the words (I know I can be wordy!), then click here, and you'll be taken to below the jump to see a bunch of my favorite shots from their big day. ) 

Leslie, getting ready and putting her earrings on.

So as I said, I felt really lucky to be asked to shoot a couple weddings at Nestldown this year, and I say 'lucky' because I really do love it, for so many reasons and while I already discussed some of the distinctive features on Nestldown, in a previous post about another wedding I shot there, I thought I'd give you a quick refresher, in words and pictures, since it's been awhile. =)   To begin with, the property is not only so beautiful, but it's completely unique, as I talked about previously (the aforementioned post when I shot Jen and Jame's wedding there).  

The lovely bride.

I think is interesting that despite having all these amazing and distincltive features all around the property, from the road  you could easily pass Nestldown right by,  if you didn't know what you were looking for.  Nestldown's location is practically hidden up in the Santa Cruz mountains, and if you aren't looking for it, it's easy to miss, and the entrance is fairly non-descript.  Of course, since it's in the Santa Cruz mountains, it goes without saying that  of course it's in a gorgeous spot (as pretty much anywhere in the Santa Cruz mountains is); huge old-growth trees surround the property. There's a profusion of green trees abounding, in particular surrounding and creating the redwoood glen that serves as the ceremony location. The redwood glen is reached by a fairly steep set of stairs (and like the entrance to Nestldown itself, if you weren't looking for it, you might miss it). As you walk down the steep stairs you discover this incredible spot within a spot.  The ceremony glen (which feels almost like an outdoor cathedral), is a hollow, surrounded by all the old-growth trees, with a green bower at  the altar, which stands in front of a pretty little pond, and makes for such an enchanting ceremony spot, as you can see from the shot below:

Scott and Leslie kept the decor around the ceremony fairly minimal, with small green flower balls, tied to the backs of the chairs along the aisle, which kept all the focus on the beauty of the location itself.

Married!  I love the expression on Leslie's face -- such elation.

Surrounding the ceremony location there are nooks and crannies just waiting for photos to be taken.  The shot of Scott and Leslie below was taken just above where I stood to take the ceremony shot, (two photos above).  If you look (two shots above), you can see the little (willow?) bench. That's where they went to sit, immediately after the recessional, when I looked up (from shooting the guests leaving), and caught this sweet photo  (I was somewhat hidden amongst the foliage, and I don't think they were even aware of me -- or anyone else, for that matter, as they were in a little world of their own.

While it's fairly obvious that I love Nestldown's ceremony site, the rest of the property is just as beautiful, and as I said, Scott and Leslie took great advantage of it, using almost the entire property to perfection.  And while the redwood glen is certainly amazing and show-stopping,  it's only one of the many unique places dotting the property. To mention just a few: there is a mini-train and tracks snaking all throughout the grounds (which is such a great way to make a grand entrance into the reception, as Scott and Leslie did, as well as to entertain and give rides to the guests and their kids).  There is also a really nice (and I think relatively new) large barn, which sits alongside another sparkling pond, (topped with lilypads, and full of koi, and which I find myself unable to resist shooting continally -- there's food for the koi, and the guests were feeding them and of course, I was right there with them, snapping away!), and next to the barn and the pond is a large grassy area, where Scott and Leslie had the dining tables, for dinner.  

The barn area, where appetizers and drinks were served, with the barn in the background.

As I mentioned, I loved all of Leslie's choices.  They had multiple table centerpiece arrangements, (other styles below, after the jump). I particularly liked this one, with the three separate flower arrangements. 

From the lawn, as it started getting dark, everyone made their way into the barn, where all the dancing, cake cutting and revelry was held, (and I'll talk about all that fun and craziness more below). Oh! And I almost forgot, there is also an incredible tree fort, (which I used to do some of the groomsmen's photos, below), and a small, Alice In Wonderland house, just big enough for little girls, surrounded with shrubs shaped like animals, and next to the train tracks. When I tell you it's a dream, it really is! I don't think there's anywhere like it in the Bay Area.  

 

The groomsmen, up in the tree fort, for their portraits.

I love all the details, from the smallest of the flower choices...

I loved getting to be there, to shoot their big day, and one of the things that made it so fun for me, (besides Nestldown, whcih I love, an besides the gorgeous colors and flowers, was Scott, Leslie and their bridal party).  I  had a lot of fun shooting them all, and the guys were very sill and playful,, which is always fun for me; to have people who are totally at ease in front of the camera, and are in fact suggesting ideas for photos -- really, could a photographer ask for anything else? 

As I said, everyone was great, and the groomsmen were all very fun, (and silly, as above). Some of their 'portraits' were really funny too, they were suggesting shots right and left (some are below, after the jump). This was an impromptu shot, as he saw me walking around the reception, looking for different candid moments, and I whipped my camera up just in time to catch him! Too funny.

While the bridal party was great, the guests were really awesome too, they jumped right into dancing, and the dance floor was literally packed the entire night -- in fact, we got some incredible (and somewhat crazy; which I  have to admit, I love) photos from the dancefloor.  So I pulled some of my favorites to show on the blog (and there are more below, after the jump), but if you'd also like to see a slideshow from the big day, then you can do so by clicking here, to be taken directly to the slideshow.  

The dancing was SO crazy and fun!  The DJ did an incredible job, and kept everyone on the floor from the moment the dancing began, 'til Leslie and Scott left.  He also had some seriously awesome lighting, which allowed me to get some really fun shots, like the one below, which I absolutely LOVE!  

Really, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but this was really such a fun, gorgeous, entertaining wedding!  The bride and groom, and their guests, friends and family were all fun and ready for a party, and of course, Nestldown looked beautiful -- Leslie did a great job, and the staff were quick, friendly and efficient and kept everything moving right on track the entire evening.  I was honored to be asked to shoot Leslie and Scott's wedding, and I had a great time, which I hope is conveyed by this blog post, (and hopefully I *don't* sound like a broken record!).  Thanks so much, Leslie and Scott!! 

If you want to see some more of my (many) favorite photos from the day, you can either go see the slideshow (link above), or, feel free to browse through some more of my favorites, after the jump, just click on, ''continue reading.." directly below.

Kristen & Brian's Seascape Resort Wedding

I have been so crazy-busy lately, that I haven't posted in AGES, and for that I'm super-sorry. I have so m any gorgeous weddings to get caught up with on here, so please bear with me if I start cranking out posts in the next few weeks; I'm feeling super-remiss in not telling you all about these beautiful weddings I've been shooting this season. However, the reason I haven't been able to blog is BECAUSE of all those awesome weddings, so I suppose that's a bit of a catch-22... =)

Okay, enough of my apology, and on to Brian and Kristin's beautiful Seascape wedding!  The wedding was gorgeous, and the day was crazy, weather-wise:  while the day started out beautiful, (in fact, it was really hot and muggy at the beginning of the day -- you can even see a shot of Kristen with her dress practically up and around the fan while getting ready it was so hot), but then it quickly (during formal portrait time, of course!),  morphed into a down-pour, and finally, during the ceremony, back into blue skies again.So it was a strange day weather-wise, but it was a wonderful day, wedding-wise.

Kristen and Brian are both really fun, outgoing, silly (Kristen is especially silly, which is a positive personality trait in my book), and they seem like such a good match for one another. They're one of those couples who you can just tell really love one another to peices, and while I get to shoot those couples in love on a weekly basis, the way they felt about one another was evident whenever I was with them, which is a wonderful thing to be around (especially for a sentimental sap like me!).

So after the gorgeous (if somewhat puddly, in the beginning) ceremony on the bluff of Seascape Resort, (which for those of you who are local, know is a beautiful place to get married in town; arguably one of the prettiest spots in town to have a ceremony), after some family portraits on the bluff, swung inside to get  the party started. And what a party it was!!! It seems this year I've been inordinately blessed with really super-fun receptions, and this one was no exception.  Their family and friends were more than game to hit the dance floor and it seemed that from the moment they opened the dancing, to the very end, the dance floor was PACKED with people, which not only makes it more fun, as a photographer, because there is always SO much action on the dance floor, but fun for everybody there - to  have so many people singing and dancing along with the music -- it was just really fun to get to capture.

In particular, Kristen's uncle (I think that was how they were related...?)  was just going for it, and dancing like there was no tomorrow, and it was SO hilariously funny, because he was this somewhat staid (at first glance) looking guy, yet when he got on that dance floor he was yelling and dancing and shaking to "I Like Big Butts," louder and more enthusiastically than almost everyone there.  I am almost embarrassed by how many shots there are of Kristen and her uncle dancing.  I even had a hard time, at one point, holding the camera steady, because I was laughing so hard, I had to practically slap myself to stop from shaking from laughter.  In general, I'm not a big fan of 'The Circle,' (you know what I'm talking about: where everybody makes a big circle on the dance floor, and people take turns -- or not  -- dancing in the middle  while everyone was watching). However, I was grateful for the circle, because it made it so much easier to take shot after shot of everybody busting moves on the dance floor (particularly Kristen and her uncle).    

First dance...

And finally, after the reception and all the crazy moves on the dance floor,we whisked Kristen and Brian out of Seascape and took the golf cart down to Seascape's private beach to shoot their wedding portraits. And despite having shivered through the rain in the morning, and sweat through the muggy afternoon, eaten dinner and danced the day away, I couldn't believe how beautiful they both still looked, after waiting for the end of their big day to shoot their portraits. And as the weather had earlier, when we were trying to do family and bridal party portraits, it interfered again, this time on the other end of the spectrum.

The above shot is a good example of the crazily intense bright light -- look at how crisp and dark their shadows are on the sand, and how strongly backlit they both are; they're practically glowing. 

The light on the beach was so insanely bright that it either completely blinded them, or they were in total dark if their backs were to it, even using all my photo tricks, so we decided that while the beach is beautiful, it wasn't worth searing their retinas any longer, so we went back up to the resort and took the remainder of their photos on the grass. And I'm so glad we did, because I absolutely LOVE the photos we took at Seascape, and while the beach is always lovely, these were some of a series of some of my favorite wedding portraits in awhile, so I'm grateful they were up for scrapping the beach, and the grass ended up working out better all around (and they were able to avoid permanent eye damage! A win-win, for sure!). =) 

So I know I'm going on and on (how unusual, I know!), but I just want to convey how much fun I had at their wedding.  I always enjoy myself shooting weddings, but their wedding in particular had such a high level of revelry that I've seldom seen matched in reception-goers, and that, combined with Kristen and Brian' obvious 'right-ness' together made for a really wonderful, joyous celebration. I was (and am) delighted that they chose me to shoot their wedding day, and hopefully some of my favorite photos (below, after the jump, click on 'continue reading...') and the slideshow are able to convey, in a small way, a sense of their beautiful, joy-filled day.

 

Monica and Brandon's Aptos Beach and Train Tracks Engagement Shoot

I was thrilled when Monica decided to have me shoot her wedding, because I actually know her family fairly well, and she'd nannied for us for about as month last summer, when Megs was on vacation, but I knew her sisters Allegra and Emilia (and her mom Yolanda),  better than I knew her, , because we all go to church together (and Monica and Brandon go to Coastlands as well, but we have been going to different services, so only ran into each other once or twice.  So not knowing them as well as I'd like,  I was really looking forward to getting to know Monica and Brandon better, and I wasn't disappointed. We ended up having a super-long conversation after the shoot, which I'll tell you about more below.  (And as always, if you want to see these photos larger, just click on them, and they'll pop open larger!).

Despite the light being rough on the beach, it was ultimately a good thing, because look at how gorgeous it made this photo!!   

 

So we met at their house in Aptos, and went just a little ways down the road and got onto the train tracks in Aptos.  I've never shot an engagement session in a location like that, so it was really fun for me to shoot in a whole new place, especially wtih Monica and Brandon, who were so fun to get to know.  So we played around on the train tracks (and it was a little scary, because it was up super high, and I'm a little afraid of heights, but it was such a neat location, that I pushed through that fear, and I think we got some great shots on that bridge.  After the bridge, we decided to take the path underneath the bridge, and walk down to the beach.  The only bummer about the shoot was that when we got to the beach, the sun was in this very hard spot for shooting, and because it's the beach, there's not really anywhere to go where the sun isn't, so we took some wider shots, (where they weren't required to smile into the camera, because it was SO bright that really everywehre we went, no matter if their backs were to the sun or not, that they had to squint. It was one of the harder light situations I've had in awhile).  But we waited and they were so game to try other options, and move around, and we finally got to a point where they were able to 'smile for the camera' and it wasn't causing them physical pain, and once we got over that hurdle, we got some beautiful pictures (if I do say so myself). =)

And they're so cute too!!

After the photo shoot, I drove them back home, and we got into such an involving conversation that we sat outside, in my car, talking for more than a half hour. And as much as I love shooting, and composing shots in my head, and playing with couples whlie shooting, I absolutely love when I get to really know people; who they are, where they've come from, and all of those fun things. And as we talked, it became more and more evident that the three of us came from very similar situations in our background, and I felt like we really understood one another.  Another thing that was also super-fun, was while talking to Brandon, we discovered that we knew TONS of the same people,  (which isn't as uncommon as you might think, as Santa Cruz is really a very small town, Aptos/Mid-County in particular, and we always joke that in Santa Cruz County, it's not six degrees of separation, but 2-3, because it really does feel like everyone who's grown up here knows at least someone you know, if not more), and because Brandon and I had grown up in Aptos,  (I think we even graduated high school the same year), that we both knew and had grown up with so many of the same people, which is always fun, so when I shoot their wedding, I'll not only know tons of people from church, but I'll get to see a bunch of people that I grew up with, which is always fun (especially for sentimental types like me).

So, this has turned into quite the massive post, but I really do feel so blessed to not only get the honor of being asked to be so intimately involved on one of the most important days of their lives, but that I get to know too really cool, sweet people better, and made  new friends.  I've said it quite a bit on this blog, but that really is one of my favorite things about my job (of many favorite things), that I get the privilege of really knowing people, (and to be fair, I get to know some couples better than others), but when I make genuine friends, I think, what could be better than that? And that's really how I feel -- I get a job to be in the midst of people's most joyful of days, and the bonus is that I often keep those same people as friends, and get to be their photographer (and friend), as they go through the different steps in their lives; first (and more) pregnancies, shooting new baby, and family portraits, and the delight of watching them grow into families and parents.  It's a pretty amazing thing, and I'm incredibly blessed that people invite me into their lives like that.  And as I said, in my conversations with Monica and Brandon, in particular, it was so interesting to hear their stories, and to realize just how similar our childhoods/upbringings had been, and how much we had in common...I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better, because just within the little time we had together, I grew to like them both so much, and to feel even more blessed, that they'd asked me to shoot their wedding! So Monica and Brandon, if you read this -- we'll try and schedule dinner soon, so we can get together, AND I really hope you're happy with how your engagement session turned out, I'm really happy with the photos, and I'm looking forward to shooting your gorgeous wedding in just a few months!

Also, if you'd like to see more of these fun photos, there are a lot more of my favorites after the break, just click on the 'continue reading Monica and Brandon...' link below the photo below...

Joyce and Michael's Capitola Village Engagement Shoot

Before I talk about Joyce and Michael, I wanted to quickly say thanks to everyone who wrote kind things and emailing to see how we've been doing (both on the blog and through email), along with checking up on us during the fire(s).  The reason I haven't blogged lately isn't because we're not okay (quite the opposite, we're all doing great, thanks!), but because I'm in the thick of the wedding sesaon, which means that I'm working. A lot. Which is great, but it completely takes up all my blogging time. =)  So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who checked on us!!  ANNNND, I'm going to do my best, despite being in the midst of the season, to blog more often, as I've done SO many fun engagement  and wedding shoots lately, that I really want to share them with you, so stayed tuned, I'll be posting a lot more shoots in the coming weeks...

I was so excited I caught this shot, I was standing on the pier with them, and didn't even notice the wave, 'til right at this moment, I was setting up the shot, when this rogue wave hit, and I was SO excited that I caught it right at this moment, when it broke (and then, immediately after, when they were pretty soaked!)

Now back to Joyce and Michael's engagement shoot down at Capitola Village and Capitola Beach!!

I met Joyce through Ross, and they actually went to high school together, and re-connected through either myspace or facebook. Joyce had recently gotten engaged, and Ross recommended me.  So not only did I get another fun couple to walk with them through their engagement  and through to their wedding (and beyond), but Ross was able to get in touch with an old high school friend (and to top it all off -- Joyce brought me two albums chock full of old high school photos, that had some really fun shots of Rossy in high school, which were a total delight to look through; for both me AND the girls; they had a great time giggling and pointing at daddy in high school).

So we shot their engagement photos down in Capitola Village, because that's where their first official date was.  So for them it's a really pretty locatoin to walk around, but it also holds a lot of significance for them. And I doing shoots where we walk around getting to know a couple, and get a bunch of different 'looks' while we're doing portraits, but I especially  love, love, LOVE shooting places that are meaningful and significant to people (I'm sentimental like that). =)  Being in a meaningful place makes the photo shoot all the sweeter.  So we had a great time walking around Capitola Village; talking about their lives; when they were first dating, all the wedding details, their jobs, and of course, we also happened to take a few pictures in between. =) After we walked around the village for awhile, they changed clothes, and we went down onto the beach, once the sun was finally low enough to capture the gorgeous sunset light.  So I had a  great time getting to know Joyce and Michael better as people, along with giving them some fun photo tips.  Michael seems to be a bit of a photo buff, so he was asking lots of how-to type of questions, which is fun for me as I love teaching people, so I was showing them how I did certain things,  while at the same time teaching them fun and flattering poses.

I'm really happy with how they photos turned out. I love the vibrancy of the colors, along with how happy Joyce and Michael were to try out new, fun things. All that combined made this a really fun shoot for me, and not only that, but we ended up with some really great portraits of them, while they got some portrait practice in for the big day!

Thanks Joyce and Michael, for your enthusiasm and fun -- I know we're going to get some great photos on your wedding day!!  And I hope you liked how they turned out as much as I do!  If you want to see more fun photos from their engagement shoot, click on the 'continue reading more...' link below, for more of my favorites!

Santa Cruz Mountain Fires, or "Summit Fire"

I took a shot of the plumes of smoke from my mom and dad's house just an hour ago.  Check out the smoke!

The fire is raging a path between where we are right now (mom and dad's house), and our house (in the Corralitos/Watsonville/152 area).  You can smell the smoke, and the wind is NUTS right now.  It is a serious fire, and they just reported on the news that it's expected to quadruple in size (and it's gone from 100 acres to 2,000 in just a few hours).  The winds are blowing like the Santa Ana's, about 40mph, which is unheard of here, and at this time of year.

Here's a map of where we are, at mom and dad's right now, in comparison to the fire, so you can get an idea of where I took the photo. The red circle is where they're reporting the fire:

And they JUST reported on the news that they're evacuating all of Corralitos, which is CRAZY as it's super-populated (and close to our house).

Heather & Jordan's Seascape Wedding

I was delighted to be asked to shoot Heather and Jordan's wedding at Seascape. Heather and her mom rolled up at the Seascape Resort wedding fair (more than a year ago), and hired me on the spot.  We spoke at length that day, and they said after checking everyone else out, there was nobody that they'd rather have shoot their wedding, which was a huge compliment to me. Plus, we just clicked, as people and I think that's hugely important when you're hiring a wedding photographer. In fact, in all my wedding meetings, I tell people, even if you don't hire me, make sure whoever you do hire is someone you really get along with, because you're going to be spending your entire wedding day with them.  And it was that way with Heather and I, it seemed we really 'got' each other from the first.   (Also, just to note, any photo on this blog can be clicked on to be made bigger, if you see desire).

When we first met for their engagement shoot, I knew we would have a great experience together.  Jordan is sweet and a little quiet (but with a pretty wicked sense of humor), and Heather is this amazingly beautiful girl who asked (before her wedding day!) if we could do a trash-the-dress session after the wedding. So I knew right away she was my kind of a girl!  (If you want to check out their engagement session, you can do so by clicking here. 

Of course, Heather is an absolutely gorgeous (and kind) woman, as you can see from the shot I took below, while she was getting ready.

Heather and Jordan's was the last wedding I shot of last season, and it was a glorious day; it was a bright day and everyone was so excited to be there. When I arrived Heather was surrounded with all her friends and was in turns excited, happy and emotional (and back again).  I absolutely love shooting the getting ready process, because it's a ritual unto itself, and also because of the huge swirl of emotion usually going on; the bride and her dad seeing each other for the first time, the mom watching her baby getting ready for her wedding day. It's like getting to take part in the best of life, over and over.  It's a joyful thing to be in the midst of that, and I was reminded of that anew when I was with Heather and her girlfriends and family.  They were all so happy to be there celebrating their beloved friends and children.  One of my favorite shots is after Heather's dad walks in, and they've seen each other, and then her dad made some comment (I don't even remember what it was now), but I remember it being a very typical father-daughter interchange (which of course, still happen no  matter how old you are), and the shot I caught, of Heather reacting to her dad cracks me up every time I look at it. (See below).  It's a look of 'oh brother dad!' which she no doubt perfected in her teenaged years, but likely hasn't used for quite awhile. And just catching that moment and that emotion is my favorite thing (plus, the photo is just funny!). Check it out (I recommend you click on this one, so you can really see the priceless expression on her face):

Obviously she's a beautiful, grown woman, but her dad can still push those buttons, and I just love the expressions on both. He's like, "What?" and she's like, "Dad! Augh!"  Too funny.  Catching those moments, as I've said a gazillion times on here, is my absolute favorite thing about photography, and wedding photography in particular.  Speaking of moments, besides the ceremony being of course beautiful and gorgeous (how can it not be on Seascape Resort's bluff overlooking the ocean), the reception was a total hoot.  Also, if you want to skip the rest of my rambling, and either go straight to the wedding day slideshow (click here to go to see the slideshow of Heather and Jordan's Seascape Resort wedding).  And actually, I strongly encourage you to check out this slideshow, because it's one of my most favorite in a long time. Or, you can skip the rest of this post entirely, and scroll to the end, and click on, 'Continue reading...' to see the rest of my favorite shots from the big day. If you're interested in hearing the details, then read on...

Heather and Jordan's friends went for it at the reception too; they were dancing and laughing and having a great old time and it really comes through in their pictures. In fact, there are a couple dancing montages that totally crack me up (below, after the jump).  Also, the reception room, at Seascape, was done so beautifully. Heather and her mom (of who I also think is incredibly gorgeous) did an amazing job  with the room (you can tell they have great taste by the choices they made). Of course, t hey did hire my amazing Aunt Susi, of Susi's Flowers (if you want to see her site, you can do so by clicking here),   to work with them on flowers and decor, and well they did, because it's one of the best looking rooms I"ve ever shot at Seascape; the flowers were incredible, and they had a wedding where EVERY detail was thought and cared about, and it showed. One of my favorites was the 'place cards' which were apples, with the 'leaves' as names (shots of those after the jump). It looked amazing and was such a fun touch. So the decor was amazing, and their friends were SUCH fun to shoot (busting some serious moves on the dance floor). So there were so  many awesome things to shoot, but I think some of my favorite parts of Heather and Jordan's wedding was the time we got to spend together doing their portraits on the beach.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole day; I love the clouds, the blue, the whole thing.

The day had been really nice during the ceremony (and everyone was stoked, because it had been reported that it would be seriously raining that day), so they dodged a bullet with that one. But then, when we went down to the beach (close to the middle of the reception), it had started drizzling, so Seascape kindly provided us with a few massive umbrellas (two for us photographers, and one for Heather and Jordan). And while I was bummed at first, thinking I wasn't going to be able to get that many shots because of the weather, it turned out to be incredibly, because while it was drizzling when we first got down there, we got some really amazing shots of them with this striped red and white umbrella, and because the beach was so foggy, it gave it this completely surreal feeling (especially because nobody else was out where we were). And then, as soon as the drizzle had started, it stopped, and we were able to get tons of shots sans umbrellas. And I absolutely love their portraits; not only were we able to take our time, and get the shots right, but the shots we got were some of my most favorite bridal portraits of the season.  (And, I can't WAIT to shoot a trash-the-dress with Heather, because she really is so game for anything photo-related).  So thank you Heather and Jordan, for asking me to record this momentous of your days. It was a delight, and I felt privileged to be there with you, truly.    There are more of my favorite shots after the jump, just click on continue reading...

Oriana & Jason's West Cliff, Santa Cruz Wedding Photos

This is one of my very favorite shots from their wedding day. And it's not a portrait. This is during the ceremony, and I absolutely love their expressions, and I love the way the light is sort of glowing around them. It's rare to get ceremony shots that look like portraits, so I just love this one.

I met the awesome Welch family when they came up to my booth at the first wedding fair I ever did, at the Coconut Grove, a couple years back.  I remember right away I loved all of their energy and big personalities.  I could tell at that moment, that we would be a great fit, and turns out, I was right!!  They're such a great family, and I feel so blessed to have been asked to shoot not one, but two of their daughters weddings in the past few years.

How gorgeous is this spot? Right on the water, on West Cliff.

Oriana's is the second wedding I've been lucky enough to shoot for the Welch fam.  I shot Heather and Chris's gorgeous Villa Montalvo wedding in 2006, (click here to go check out their wedding album), and then last season, I had the pleasure of shooting Oriana and Jason's equally glorious wedding; the ceremony and the reception were at their mom and dad's newly (amazingly and beautifully) renovated home in Santa Cruz, on West Cliff Drive (and if you're a local, you know how gorgeous the homes/location is on West Cliff Drive, and they live RIGHT in on it, with this incredible ocean view).  So not only did Diane get this amazing remodel, but Oriana was able to have her wedding in the home she grew up in (which I loved, and which is what Ross and I did, we got married at my mom and dad's house, or 'The Compound' as Ross calls it).  I love the intimacy of home weddings, and this was one spectacular home AND view, so really, you couldn't have found a more beautiful spot in Santa Cruz (and that's a bold statement, because really -- we live in an absolutely incredible area -- and the prices of buying a home here reflect that(!!!)).  If you'd like to skip the rest of my long, LONG post, and go right to the slideshow, feel free to do so by clicking here, to be taken to the slideshow, or to skip the post entirely, and go see some of my favorite shots after the jump, you can click here, which will open up the entire post, so you can see the rest of my faves, after the jump, without having to read all those pesky words in between you and the wedding pictures!

So all of that to say; Oriana and Jason's wedding was just so beautiful, and Oriana looked simply breathtaking when she walked out to see her almost-to-be husband for the first time.  It was one  of those weddings where I felt really connected to the family (this having been my second time around doing a wedding with them), and Oriana and I had been emailing like friends throughout the planning, and in fact, have gotten even closer SINCE the wedding, which I really love. I write about it a lot on here, but I love that my career puts me in contact with people, and I often become friends with my couples after their weddings. It really is my goal to be not only their 'Wedding Photographer,' but also to work alongside them, as they grow into families.  Nothing makes me more excited than when I get a call from one of my former brides saying, "I'm pregnant! Will you do maternity shots with us?" or "We just had our baby, we want to do a family photo shoot!"  It's just such a privilege to be along with them for the journey. I know I'm teetering on the cheesy right now, but it's really true, and it's really how I feel, and in Oriana I feel like I've made a new friend. In fact, she said something to the effect of, "If we lived closer together, I know we'd be good friends," and I feel the exact same about her, and I can't wait 'til they decide to move back 'home,' to Santa Cruz again, and take her up on that! =)

I'm always trying to think of fun/different ways to shoot the details, and I absolutely LOVE, LOVE lily of the valley, so when I saw her bouquet, it was a no brainer how I was going to do the ring shot.  (A quick shout out, my Aunt Susi, who is an incredible florist, did the flowers for both Oriana and Jason's, AND Heather and Chris's (Oriana's sister) weddings. And I promise you that it isn't nepotism at all, she really is an incredibly artistic and creative florist, so definitely go check her out, if you're looking for one, (click here for the link to her site, Susi's Flowers, or go check her out, she has the cutest store in Rancho Del Mar, in Aptos). We've worked together on a TON of weddings, and she always does the most amazing work..

Phew, another one of my soliloquies, sorry about that! Oh! I also have to mention that not only do I love Oriana, but I think her whole family is just great, in fact, I talked about it before, but I especially love their mom, Diane. She's the neatest woman, and I liked her from the get-go, I could tell she was my kind of woman, very funny and sassy, but with lots of love for her family.  So not only did I love my bride and groom in this situation, but I loved their whole family already, so I really wanted to do a good job for them. (Of course, I ALWAYS want to do a good job, but there are some instances where I feel the push to work just a little harder, and go the extra mile, and this was one of those situations. Of course, I'm always very passionate about weddings, and if you've been reading this blog for ANY length of time know, I feel so blessed to be able to do the thing I love most, as a career, and I always put my heart and soul into every wedding, so I don't want it to come across as, 'I only work EXTRA hard for the people I really like, because that's not the case, but as I'm sure it is for you, as well, when there are people you really like, there's a feeling that you want to do push yourself a little more to do your absolute tippy-top best for them, and that's how I felt. Not that I don't do my best for every wedding, because I DO.

I love this series too (and there are more after the jump), of Jason and Oriana dancing together. What I love about these is how Jason is completely dancing just to make Oriana laugh, (and I love that, personally, because that's exactly what my husband, Ross, always does for me, whenever we dance, he says his whole goal is to crack me up, and he always does. Speaking of my husband, and this is a complete and total aside, but he wrote me the most amazing poem for Valentines day, and I just posted it on my personal/family blog, so if you want to see just how awesome he is, you can go check it out, by clicking here.(  Anyhow, these are some super-fun shots of Jason and Oriana, and if you can't see them (they're pretty small here), then click on the photo above, and it will pop up big, so you can see their expressions.

(In fact, as an aside, at every wedding, I'm ALWAYS challenging myself to try and see things different and new, and challenge myself.  I'm the kind of person that really does well under a challenge, and so if I give myself challenges, like, "try and do this in a new way, or try and see this in a different way, today,' then I find that I do better, because I'm not just resting on my laurels, and doing the same things, over and over, I really do try and do things differently at every wedding. (That's another thing I love; that every wedding, and couple, is so different and unique, and so I really try and mold the way I shoot around who THEY are, both separately, and together, so that when they get their pictures back, they really think, 'This is just so US!" That's one of the biggest compliments I can get, that I really captured people; who they are inside, their energy and 'soul'.  I know this is verging on new agey mumbo jumbo, but that's really how I feel, and I delight in really 'getting' someone on film, in a way maybe they've never even seen. If I can do that, and really capture someone, who they really ARE, then I get more excited than you can imagine.  (Those of you who've shot with me have probably seen it; when I know I've gotten a really great shot, or capture someone as I see them, I get super excited, sometimes even downright giddy. And I know that that's funny, but for me, it is something I get excited about, and I hope in turn, that when my clients see the photos, that they'll get just as excited as I was when I got the shot.

One of my favorite portraits from the day. I love the complete and total joy that's radiating from Oriana' s face.

Wow, this has turned into another ramble, and I've hardly spoken about Oriana and Jason. Although I feel like I said it all up in there first few paragraphs -- I just love them. I think they're beautiful people on the inside  and out, and I've just SO enjoyed getting to know Oriana over the past year (or more!), and I look forward to when she moves 'home' so that we can hang out in person, and not just chat virtually. =)  I love the way their photos turned out, and I was more than happy when Oriana called me, and before I even knew who it was, was screaming, "Oh my GOSH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!"  Those are the kind of calls that make my day week!  So Oriana and Jason, thank you for the honor of choosing me to shoot your wedding, I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of your big day (despite some of those ups and downs we talked about Oriana). ;)  And I'm glad that seeing the photos for you was being able to see that it really was a beautiful, gorgeous day, and helped you forget the less desirable aspects of some of the things that went down. Because it WAS a gorgeous day, and you and Jason were so fun to watch; to see how truly in love you both are, and to be able to capture that on film was, for me, such a delight.  I hope that your love will continue to grow asymptotically!  (That was part of their vows, and it still cracks me up, even now, when I was writing it). =)  Or I could say, as my daughter Bella does, when we're telling each other how much we love one another,  that you 'love each other googoloplex times googoloplex!' (She's seven, how awesome is she??). =) Sorry for that quick bit of mom-type bragging, however, I DO hope your love and life will be happy and full of love together, googolplex, times googolplex, or asymptotically.  Again, to view a bunch more of my favorites, click on, "Continue reading..." at the bottom of this post.

Jason and Oriana's first dance. Again, I love the expressions on their face. They're both so obviously stoked to be married, with such delight on their faces.