sometimes as i'm crossing over the bay bridge for a shoot, i get certain feelings.  sometimes i get frustrated at the traffic on the bridge, other times i'm rockin' out to sesame street or muse, and then there are those times that i'm hoping for a good shoot.  i remember driving across and feeling a certain nothingness before this shoot.  it was like the calm before a storm.  i didn't know charmaine and saul (pronounced like sow) and had never met them before.  this was a lifestyle session and not an engagement shoot.  so the car ride over had a different vibe.  little did i know that it was going to be one of the best shoots ever!  

why?  because, charmaine and saul were amazingly fun to work with.  we talked and talked and talked and did some shooting in between all the talking.  we explored nooks and crannies.  hit up some cool back lighting and found our way into a construction site!  a photographer couldn't have asked for a more relaxing and inspiring session.  

the story behind this shot is that saul was charmaine's GSI as an undergrad at USF.  she got a 49 out of 50 in the class and came back to him to demand that he give her that last point for an A+.  he refused and now they're together.  

my background in cinema prompted me to carry out this sequence.  

Anya and Grant!  If I could I would spend all my weekends with you guys exploring the world and learning from your massive combined intelligence!  Words can't even begin to express how I feel about our time together.  It was so short, yet so perfect. I couldn't have asked for a more fun-loving couple or a more perfect engagement shoot.  If only I was able to shoot your wedding as well, it would have been something else.  

Thank you so much for going to great lengths to hire me for your engagement session.  I expect both of you to be Nobel laureates and world changing scientists someday!  

 

when Ingrid told me that this blog post was ready I pumped my fist in the air and scooched back in my chair, which prepared me for the eye candy ahead. i always try to push myself even further every wedding, but I knew that Jonathan and Joanne's wedding was going to be something special. i felt it in my bones.  also, Jonathan studied art back in school so I wanted to get a little bit more creative for his artistic tastes. commentary below.

parking structure next to church = fun times ahead!

ingrid conjured up this cool shoe shot because the girls got ready in a library.  i heart c.s. lewis.

normally, bright lights and mixed lighting scare us photographers. but, this time it made for some gnarly groomsmen pics!

i never knew you could make a bridesmaid line look so cool.

looks like the hammer of God is coming straight down on them!

yes, we kicked off two little girls to get on these bad boys.

blink, and you'll miss the details.

mid day sun never looked so good.

we took these pics in the same spot where jonathan proposed.

sometimes i like to give my couples some private time together. and this is what it feels like.

my favorite portrait of them together.

jonathan serenaded joanne. he's good, real good.

this game was pretty hilarious. kinda like reverse pin the tail on the donkey. see where it is?

it was a fun night.