The Guppy Photo Booth!

My cousin Stephanie (left) got married last weekend in Fullerton, Calif., and although I wasn't able to take too many photos of the event since I was in the wedding, Adm and I did manage to set up a photo booth, which proved to be a blast!  My aunt made a special red crushed velvet back drop for the occasion, and it matched all of the sparkly props and dresses perfectly.  In the above photo, I'm in the center, flanked by my two cousins, Stephanie and Tammany, with whom I've always been close.  Stephanie and Bill, I love you guys and am so happy for you!

We put together a video using every single frame taken in the photo booth. Even though it's over seven minutes long, it's worth the download wait as it's VERY entertaining!

Above is our grandma (left) with her longtime friend Pat.

Remember Monique and George? They came out for some photo booth fun too!

Hillary + Matt in Oakland, CA

Earlier in July, Adm and I had the pleasure of photographing Hillary and Matt's wedding at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension in Oakland.  We photographed their engagement session last March so we went into the wedding feeling very comfortable and at ease with them.  They had a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony (our first!) combined with LOTS of dancing and drinking!  It was such a fun crowd to photograph that the night seemed to fly by.  Hillary and Matt, you guys were a blast and we're so happy we were able to be part of your big day!

We decided to do Hillary and Matt's portraits before the ceremony so this is Matt seeing Hillary all dressed up for the first time.

Adm took such a cool shot of them during the limo ride:

Adm's photo:

Adm made a sweet pan of the inside of the church during their ceremony.  Click HERE to see a larger version of the pan.

Adm's photo:

This is our dear friend Beth who introduced us to Matt and Hillary.  Beth and Hillary work together for Gallo Winery, and they just concocted some fabulous wine!

An arm wrestling showdown took place during the cocktail hour.  It was intense!

Adm snagged this photo of the happy couple beneath a gorgeous rainbow.  It couldn't have been more perfect.

Adm's photo:

Adm's photo:

Priscilla + Tim in Lafayette, CA

Priscilla and Tim were married in June in Lafayette.  Their ceremony was held at a beautiful private home followed by a reception at the Lafayette Veterans Hall.  Each time that I've met with them, they've both been so happy and enthusiastic about their wedding that I knew they were going to be beaming on their actual day.  They had such bright smiles and glowed all day long, which made my job quite easy.  Priscilla and Tim, I wish you both a marriage full of happiness and bright smiles!

Photo Booth Awesomeness!

This past Saturday, we set up a photo booth for Leslie and Tim's wedding at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco (more of the wedding to come later).  The reception was held at the Crown Room, which Leslie and Tim picked for its incredible views of the city.  We absolutely HAD to use the gorgeous downtown view as the backdrop for the photo booth even though we ran into some challenges trying to light such a large window during the day when the light was constantly changing.  Luckily, I had Adm and lighting expert Steve Kosko on hand to figure things out!  The guests got creative and funky, particular photographer friend Kevin Seifert (see below left) who came out from North Carolina for the affair!

Here's me with my trusty crew (Adm and Steve):

The Negede Family

Susie (far right in the triptych below) is my hair lady, and we had talked about doing a family portrait of her, her son, mother, sister and brother for awhile.  So when her brother (who lives in London) came out for a visit last month, it was the perfect opportunity to gather the whole family together for the some photos.  We headed to Lake Temescal, which was quiet and empty on a Monday afternoon, and I had a wonderful time photographing her and her beautiful family.  They were all so easy to work with and her son was quite the entertainer!

We were visited by a family of ducks!

judith + tom engagement pt. 2

For the second part of Judith and Tom's engagement session, we headed to Philz Coffee in the Mission in San Francisco for some cozy cafe shots.  I thought it was so sweet that Judith and Tom planned to wear the same outfits they wore on their first date in New York.  Lucky for me, their clothes matched the couches!  On a side note, Philz made one of the most delicious coffee drinks I've ever had: an iced coffee mint mojito!  Delicious!