Mini Vacation with Adm's Nieces

We got to play superfunauntanduncle last week when Adm's nieces, Abby and Hava, came down from Oregon to stay with us for a few days.  We kept them super busy with day trips all over northern California - including the Russian River to go swimming and a visit to their grandparents' house in Greeley Hill (which has chickens galore) and to Yosemite National Park, among other things, and we had a ton of fun with them.  I just love these two - they are so full of fun, youth and sweetness.  Every time I get to see them, it makes me miss them even more when they leave.  Luckily, we have lots of photos to remember their visit.

By the way, I might have a new favorite vacation lens: 35 mm 1.4.  The 50 mm has always been my go-to when I'm just doing personal stuff and don't want to carry around a bag of gear, but all of these photos were shot with my new 35, and I LOVED using it!

Margee + Kate in Oakland, CA

There is a feeling that you get when you're around Margee and Kate, and when we arrived to Joaquin Miller Park where their wedding took place, that feeling was in the air - not to sound too cheesy, but it was like this bubbling brook of happiness.  Everyone was running about getting the park ready for their ceremony, laughing and smiling as the ribbons for the chuppah blew in the wind.  Kate's smiles and Margee's giggles are so infectious it is overwhelming, which is attested to by all the care that their loved ones put into making their day perfect. We have loved working with Margee and Kate ever since we first met them during our consultation.  These two are so super duper in love that when I'm around them, I feel like I'm intruding on this really special and intimate moment.  But the truth is, that's just how their relationship is - they wholly appreciate each minute that they get to spend with one another.  Because Adm and I work and live together, we spend a lot of time together, and more often than not, we end up taking for granted all of this time we get to be with one another.  A lot of the time is filled with day to day boring routines as well as stress from working, and so even though we're physically together, it's not really time that we're acknowledging how much we appreciate each other.  Photographing Margee and Kate, and watching their ceremony, and the sweetness and closeness between them and their parents and siblings was such a joy because it really reminded us how precious it is to be with someone you love.  Margee and Kate, thank you for this gift, we are so happy for you and your families.

Photo on the left by Adm

Eva + Palani in San Francisco, CA

Who doesn't want to be first?  Nobody!  Especially in this household.  Adm and I are super competitive people, and  we both love to be first and love to win.  Not that this is really a competition when it comes to the sequence of weddings, but Eva and Palani are our FIRST wedding of 2011.  Three cheers for them!  Three cheers also for their families who flew halfway around the world to help celebrate their marriage: Palani's family came from India and Eva's mother came from Hong Kong.

For their wedding yesterday, Adm and I found ourselves back at San Francisco City Hall.  Despite a few hiccups (the wrong copy of the marriage license forced Palani and Eva to reapply for a new marriage license which pushed back their ceremony appointment), these two seemingly remained unscathed.  Actually, Palani kept laughing and grinning throughout the whole process, as if to say, "Eva, this is how the rest of your life with me will be so get used to it!"  Congratulations, you two!  We wish you a life full of laughs and adventures!

Next two photos below by Adm:

Joyce + Jake Engaged

Joyce and Jake's engagement session was our last photo shoot for 2010, and I gotta say, it was pretty incredible. We wandered all throughout Half Moon Bay - we started with a stroll through downtown where we stopped in for drinks at a local restaurant, and despite initial curious looks from the wait staff, once they saw how sweet Joyce and Jake were with one another they let us transform their outdoor patio into an impromptu photo studio.  Next, just down the road, we scaled a fence to climb into a gorgeous pumpkin patch and corn field that provided the perfect backdrop as the sun streamed in between the mountains.  For our third stop, just a quick car ride away, we arrived at the beach just in time for a beautiful golden sunset in the exact spot where Jake had proposed to Joyce.  If all of that wasn't enough, we capped the night at the Ritz with a bottle of sparkling rose in front of a crackling fire.  It's shoots like these where I'm like, seriously, this is our job?

Joyce and Jake couldn't not have been more fun and easier to work with.  These two are doing a long-distance relationship at the moment - Joyce is in California and Jake is in Australia, so they really seemed to cherish every moment they spent together.  Furthermore, Joyce brought along her little sister, Alice, who was photo assistant and stylist extraordinaire.  We had a blast with these three - thanks for making the end of our 2010 so memorable!

Adm made this photo:

Aubra + Justin Engagement

After making engagement photos with Aubra and Justin for more than 3 hours, we can't wait for their October wedding!  Aubra and Justin are both so easygoing and fun to be around (not to mention that Aubra is also a Tar Heel alum).  This was my favorite kind of engagement shoot - leisurely exploring different parts of Oakland, looking for cool street scenes and art.  We ended up in our old neighborhood near the Parkway Theater where we found some great light, shadows and colorful murals.  They also brought along their adorable pup Lucy who joined in for the shoot.  I happen to be an avid Oakland lover, and so I love these shoots that get to show off my city and feel so quintessentially "Oaklandish."

Who doesn't love a good stick fight?

Photo below by Adm: