Kyle + Jenaye {Engagement, sonoma county engagement, winery engagement photos, Ledson Winery Photos}

I've known Jenaye for many many years now. Back in the blue and yellow days! (Best Buy) It was such an honor when Jenaye and her Mom asked me to be the photographer for her and Kyle's wedding this May. Kyle and Jenaye wanted to take pictures at a few wineries in Sonoma (including the beautiful Ledson). As expected though there were lots of dead branches and not a lot of vineyards or flowers! But they were such troopers. We drove from place to place and I hunted for fun little spots through out Hwy 12. We must have gotten out of the car at least 6 or 7 times! But I think it was worth it in the end. We ended up finding some really great little spots and the end result was gorgeous!! For those of you who do not know Jenaye these will just look like great photos of a beautiful girl. For those of us who do know her...get ready to be shocked, Miss throw your hand up in front of the camera every time someone wants to take any kind of picture was extremely cooperative and very photogenic! I probably have over a dozen photos of the palm of Jenaye's hand on my old laptop! I'm going to have to search for that bad boy and see if I can post a little Jenaye's palm collage! JK Jenaye!! It would be pretty funny though! Anyways...I am very excited to watch Jenaye begin her journey and start a family with Kyle! I'm sure this is only the beginning of the posts to my blog....we'll start with the engagement and move on to wedding photos, pregnancy photos, and many many newborn shoots...I'm sure of it! ok well I'm sure of the newborn shoots but I'm not very sure about the pregnancy photoshoot, that would take a lot of convincing on my part!

Man this wedding was a BLAST! I haven't taken this many photos at a 70 person wedding EVER!! From start to finish this wedding was low stress, high fun! I honestly can't wait to get these processed so I can share them with you!! I think it will take me longer to pick out my favorites to post than it will to process them all! I don't know how I'm going to narrow down my favorites! I do have 2 images that stood out as my all time favorites and just had to share! The first one is just a simple image of the Bride and Groom being affectionate that I just love!

The second is one that melts my heart! Ron's Grandma can barely walk on her own. But while sitting at the reception while her son was giving a toast to her Grandson she asked a relative sitting next to her to help her up out of her chair. He does so, expecting that she needed to go outside but instead she then asks him to help her sit in her Husbands lap. I mean really?? How much cuter does it get?? All she wanted was to cuddle up with the love of her life to share that moment as they watched their Son give a speach to their Grandson at his wedding. I feel like after 3 years of marraige I can't remember the last time I sat in my Husband's lap....but that moment makes me want to do it everyday!

Introducing the newest additions to my product line....{photo collages, couture blocks, photo wraps, photo wall art}

The Couture Gallery Blocks, Name Collage Canvas Wraps, and the Circle Shaped Print.
The Couture Gallery Block- This beautiful wall art comes in different sizes with different designs to choose from. These are two of the designs I have chosen to have on display at my office but there are several others to choose from. I have a catalog here in the office you can look through. Some of the designs creatively incorporate your wedding invitation along with you favorite few images. There are also several adorable layouts designed with children in mind that would be perfect for a room or along the stairs.



The Name Collage- The name collage can be custom designed to your hearts desire! You can choose a phrase, or a title like Mr. & Mrs. or Mommy or you can choose a last name like I chose for this display. They can be printed on a regular glossy, lustre, or metallic print. Or it can be printed on canvas and stretched onto a 2" frame.


Circle Prints- These prints are unique! I have a custom framer who can make custom circle frames in virtually any color or design to match your room's decor. The circle print really creates a unique display on the wall. It looks nice paired with standard prints or as a collage of different sized circles. I have several catalogs in my office to show the different framing options along with many wall display layout ideas.

*this picture only shows the print alone with out the frame.

Nicole + TJ { sonoma county engagement photos, petaluma engagement photos, downtown petaluma, mustard fields}

I met Nicole at the Sonoma Bridal Show back in September and it was love at first site! I've been waiting for their engagement session since the day I met her!!!
To me engagement sessions are more about getting to know a couple and how they photograph- the good and the bad. That way when the day of the wedding arrives I can get right to it and not waist any of the little time we have. The wedding images always turn out so much better because I know exactly how to get the best image of the couple and they know how I work and what to expect from me. But that isn't the only reason for an engagement session. My objective is to get less of the poesy picture and more shots of the couple just being who they are together! I hope to capture the look she gives him when he says something she doesn't like, or when he says something sweet and romantic! Though I know you can't always capture something like chemistry in something tangible like a photograph, but regardless, that is my goal in every engagement session! On the wedding day we will get enough gorgeous posed portraits of the bride and groom, the engagement session, to me, is more about who they are and the chemistry they have. That's why I think every couples shots come out differently even if the pose I ask them to start with is similar, if not the same. The image still comes out slightly different because there is a uniqueness in each couple that can't be duplicated! To say this couple had chemistry would be an understatement!

The Twins Turn 2 ! {twin toddler photos, twins photography, mustard fields, sonoma county children photography}

The sentence you never want to say in your life.... "my twins are turning 2 years old!"

I can't possibly have more sympathy for Kirsten and Ray! I mean wow! My 2 year old is more than I can handle at times....ok who am I kidding he is more than I can handle at all times! but they don't just have 1 they have 2!!!! and a boy and a girl must just add one more dynamic to the situation!
Kirsten and I have known each other since before we had kids and Husbands! and let me tell you this woman is still as gorgeous as the day I laid my jealous eyes on her! So it is no suprise that she has a beautiful set of 2 year old twins! I was fortunate enough to photograph their family portraits year before last before the twins were even a year old! So when Kirsten e mailed me asking if I would do another photo shoot with them I was thrilled! I think we both planned for this amazing "Spring Time" shoot in the mustard fields but of course Sonoma County had other plans for us! We were fortunate enough to catch the pocket between rain storms, which meant wet grass, puddles and mud, mud, and more mud. And if you are the proud owner of a toddler of any stage you know that wet anything, mud, and toddlers...well they don't mix so well! But Kirsten and I were DETERMINED to get this done! So we put on our rain boots and pranced through the muddy mustard fields and then headed downtown with some loli pops where they dressed the kids in super cute spring outfits and wrapped them in blankets in between shots! I mean this family was really a set of troupers!
Let me just tell you, though I fully anticipated the "2 year old chase" I was exhausted when I got home! You can't expect a 2 year old to just sit and look pretty for the camera so I did what I do best. I played with the kids and tried to photograph them having fun and hanging with their family. As you look through the pictures you'll see many of them with a serious look on their faces... that was almost always the moment just before they were about to jet off in another direction in search of their next adventure! So this photo shoot will be more shots of their backs as they climb things or shots of them as they are about to get into something they shouldn't. As the years go by I'm sure I'll capture plenty of them posing with their pearly whites, looking perfect! But for now it's running shoes and actions shots for us!
...oh and did I meantion that I couldn't narrow it down??? So there are lots of shots for you to enjoy!













...you'd think that the easiest way to stop a 2 year old in their tracks and get some great shots would be to give them a giant loli pop the size of their heads. But, noooooo! Anytime we got near them they immediately thought we were coming to take it away! They didn't want to sit with their loli pops or do anything accept find a space unoccupied by anyone else and be left alone with their precious piece of heaven! Just look at Brianne's face, candy coma!!!

The best cake baker in all of Sonoma County and beyond!{wedding cake baker sonoma county, wedding cakes, sonoma county cake}

I was updating my website with new images and ran across this one of Carolyn Besse. It made me smile! It made me think about how inspired by her I am. She stayed at home and raised her 2 amazing boys and has build this amazing business with more integrity and strength than anyone I have ever known or known of! and the best part is that though I am bias, totally bias, the proof is in the cake! You don't have to take my word for it you can taste it for yourself! She just has the gift, the amazing ability to make the most moist, amazingly wonderful cake! So if there is anyone out there looking for a cake or cupcake baker...look no further! She does wedding cakes, birthday cakes, event cakes, and cupcakes for any occasion!

www.yoursweetexpectations.com
carolyn@yoursweetexpectations.com

Chad + Katie {sonoma county engagement photography, petaluma photography, mustard field photos, alley photos}

Katie and I ended up rescheduling the origional date we set for her and Chad's engagement photos. I am so so glad we did so! The weather was amazing this morning! Slightly overcast....a photographers dream! Because of that we were able to go all over Petaluma with out having to track down shade!
Our first order of business was a cup of coffee! For a couple reasons, one being that both of us have 2 small children each and the shoot was at 9 am which meant we had to get our selves and our kids ready and to their care takers and meet up by 9 am! Second reason was because Chad and Katie's first "date" or the first time they hung out after they had met was at Starbucks. So I thought it was fitting to take a picture of them enjoying their cups of coffee at good ol' Starbucks in downtown Petaluma. (too bad Starbucks isn't paying me everytime I type the word Starbucks....) We later went to the gorgeous wild mustard fields and to my delight this wonderful couple was not afraid to treck through the mud to get these amazing shots!!!
These shots were taken this morning and I had a birthday party to go to today so I haven't had much time to edit or tweak them but I loved them so much that I had to share a handful of them!