When we set out from our home in Oakland for Melissa and Donovan's engagement shoot in the Marin Headlands, the sun was shining and we had a detailed plan. We plan out our shoots so we can control the final outcome of our images, doing our best to give our couples exactly what they want. When we reached our first stop, the wind whipped across Cavallo Point and showed us what little control we had. The fog quickly hid the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline, two features Melissa and Donovan had wanted in the background of their portraits. The plan was done, but somehow it didn't seem to matter.
Melissa tossed her hair into a braid, laughed and moved on. Their love and the summer fog were better than any plan we could have ever come up with sitting at home. Adm and I played with the light and the fog, both knowing this was an opportunity too precious to pass up: a couple willing to let go and be themselves, perfect light, the perfect place and a perfect moment.
Photo below by Adm:
Photo below by Adm:
You know the look that couples get in their eyes when they are sharing a special moment together? Well, we got to share a lot of special moments with Sonja and AJ during their engagement session. They have that way of looking at each other where you can that these two are brimming with love and passion for one another. Plus, they both have a great sense of humor, and check out Sonja's hair! Yup, it's all real (I asked). Lucky girl.
The moment we arrived to Caroline and Kiren's home in Bernal Heights in San Francisco, Caroline greeted us at the door wearing a full-length fuscia evening gown. Have I mentioned that I love it when my clients take extra special care in their wardrobe for their engagement shoots? Well if not, I am now. I think it's fantastic when everyone gets dressed up! Then again, I did used to play dress up all the time when I was a little kid. Anyway, we had such a great time taking photos with Caroline and Kiren around their house, their neighborhood parks (which include an amazing view of San Francisco atop Bernal Hill), and a local bar called the 
Longtime followers of the blog may recognize Amy as one of Judith's bridesmaids in 
Over the weekend, we met up with Jenni and Steve to do their engagement session. As it turns out, we all are very close neighbors and so we started just a few short blocks from home at 
As a true Southern California girl, rain kinda bums me out. Truth be told, I was a little nervous when I realized that all of Kate and Margee's elopement and engagement session was going to be photographed indoors because it was raining outside. Lucky for me, we started with them at San Francisco City Hall where Margee and Kate signed their domestic partnership papers, and the cloud cover that initially bummed me out actually turned City Hall's giant upstairs windows into huge soft boxes. And, here's a little photo lighting tip: if you want a quick and easy way to make your subjects look beautiful, use giant soft boxes to create soft, natural looking light. They had a lovely ceremony with just the two of them before heading to the county clerk office to make things official, and we just loved photographing them in such beautiful light in such an amazingly gorgeous space. Because San Francisco City Hall is so beautiful, photographing there can be frustrating because it can get pretty crowded with all of the couples getting married and taking photos. I've never liked fighting for space, but Margee and Kate were just so involved with one another that it made it seem as if all the other people just disappeared. Their smiles, laughter and love were so incredibly infectious that we all just created our own little world.
