Africa

Well, the time is almost at hand. After working all week to finish up with my last few weddings- I'm now on the final home stretch. I'll be leaving for South Africa this Sunday, stopping off in London to see some friends of mine along the way.

I'll be staying in the Cape Town area for a bit more than 3 months while working with the Desmond Tutu TB research center. They have some really interesting projects, and this should be a great opportunity for me to combine my love for Africa with experiences in public health and photography.

And, after the "work" is over in Cape Town I'll be meeting up with my assistant Grant to go into Botswana for two weeks, where we'll take pictures around the Okavango Delta and up into the Kalahari Desert. Should be lots of fun- and something really different from wedding photography. This is really something that I feel will help keep me passionate about what I do, and help to give me a new perspective on both life and photography. Be sure to check back to this blog often, as I'll keep up with the entries- and while there will likely be fewer wedding photos for a while, I'm sure I'll come up with some fun adventures.

Alex and Natalia - Ralston Hall Wedding

I just finished working on the images from Alex and Natalia's wedding. Natalia is a wedding coordinator, and this beautiful wedding at Ralston Hall came together perfectly. Alex and Natalia paired together two fun and outgoing Latin families, and I had a great time working on my Spanish throughout the day. I must admit I was a bit rusty...but with a few more wedding like this (or a trip back to Mexico) I could be back to regular fluency in no time. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day. Congratulations to a great new couple!

Here's the complete slideshow that I put together. SLIDESHOW

Rebecca and Christian

This past Sunday I had the privilege of working with Rebecca and Christian. They were married at the Compass Rose Gardens in Bodega Bay, and we also had the chance to run out to a nearby beach for some great photos.

While all of the couples I work with are extraordinary, Rebecca and Christian were an absolute treat. Rebecca is a professional photographer, so I was honored to have been entrusted with her wedding images. It was really fun to work with them, as Rebecca knew just how she wanted to pose, helped to find us some great locations for photos, and fell is super naturally with Christian. They have a wonderful relationship together, and I enjoyed looking through all of the wedding images and seeing the assortment of glances the two shared with each other- varying from adoration, to love, to carefree happiness. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

You can also see a full slideshow HERE.

Cynthia and Christian

When I first meet with clients I can sometimes guess what it will be like to work with them. Some are naturally engaging, funny, and energetic while others are quiet and low-key. When I first met Cynthia and Christian I knew that they would get along well together and be easy to photograph...but while shooting their engagement session the other day I was in for a tremendous (and pleasant) surprise. Some couples are just super easy to work with. I don't think I really had to coach, pose or do much of anything with the two. They were just having such a genuine and fun time together, all I needed to do was sit back and take a few images that can begin to express the great relationship that the two have together. Here are a few of my favorites.

Nilda and Jason - SF Ritz Carlton Wedding

Nilda and Jason were married at the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, with the rest of the day's activities taking place at the San Francisco Ritz Carlton. Videography was done by Thomas Hughes Videography. I first met Nilda and Jason early last fall, and it was really nice to see how well everything came together for the ceremony. Here are a few of the details from the day.




A calm and collected Jason watching his best man Jeehun getting ready.



Nilda looked fantastic, and we had a lot of fun with the bridal shoot. The balcony outside of the presidential suite had a beautiful view over the city, and after getting some relaxed portraits there we went downstairs and found some really unique green doors and columns on a hidden balcondy of the Ritz. I love the way the SF wind can add a playful flow to the veil and dress, adding movement and drama to the images.






Nilda and her father share a moment before heading down to the ceremony.



Swedenborgian Church is a fantastic place for an intimate and classy ceremony. The warm light coming through to the all wood interior was really special.



The ring bearers have fun with fish after the ceremony while Nilda and Jason enjoy some time together.





The reception was a quiet but fun dinner, concluding a great wedding day.




A full slideshow from the day is available HERE.

Robin Kaplan Designs Fashion Shoot

This past weekend I had a blast shooting some of the fall clothing line for Robin Kaplan, a clothing designer based out of New York. We took a few models and worked around the San Luis Obispo county area, and got some great looks for her fall catalogue. She uses some really unique materials that flowed really well in the wind, and fit in nicely with an open country setting. So check out some of the stuff that we came up with, and a ton of thanks to my two amazing models Nancy and Mallory!

Maui - I'm Back!

I just returned from Maui yesterday, where I had gone with my girlfriend for a fabulous 8 day trip. I'm slowly getting back into the much faster pace of Bay Area lifestyle, and am looking ahead to a busy spring schedule. The trip overall was fabulous. This time, in addition to your standard guidebook, I made a point of asking several people who had lived on the island before for their recommendations. It really made quite a difference, as I found my favorite restaurant ever called Okazuya nestled in the back of a shopping center in Honokowai. We started the trip off with a drive to Hana, stopping off at the many waterfalls along the way for a swim.



This is a picture that Nancy grabbed while I went in. Only a select few were brave enough to hop in the surprisingly cold water...but it was a truly invigorating experience.



I also had an amazing experience scuba diving off the back wall at Molokini. This time of year the humpback whales are in the Hawaii region to raise their newborn calves. On the boat trip over I must have seen 15 of the huge creatures, often quite close. The truly breathtaking experience happened when I got in the water. There, I could hear the whales calling to each other from all directions, with each whale having a their own unique tones. It was just incredible when I joined the other divemaster on the trip and we ventured out to sea, until we were surrounded by open blue water 500+ feet deep, and waited for any whales to pass by. None did, but being surrounded by all that evenly deep blue surrounded by whale calls had to be one of the top highlights of the trip.

We also made it out to the Haleakala Volcano National Park and had a spectacular hike. While thousands make it to the crater every day, apparently very few do any hiking. Nancy and I were able to drop into the crater and have it practically to ourselves for a fantastic 12 mile hike around the martian landscapes of the crater.




And, or course there were great beaches as well for snorkeling, tanning (or at least as much of a tan as I can hope to get with my Swedish ancestry), and beautiful sunsets every evening.




So, another fantastic trip is in the books, and it's back to work! Luckily I love my job...plus I'll be heading off to South Africa in just under two months now, and have the tickets in hand for a great 4 month trip to South Africa and Botswana.