Lauren + Shay {Petaluma Golf and Country Club Wedding, Sonoma County Wedding Photographer}

I rarely second shoot for other photographers but when Jihan Cerda of Jihan Cerda Photography and I met I think we instinctively knew we would really enjoy working together. I had been drooling over her blog and website for months working up the courage to call her just to chat photography (man I'm pathetic, like I am photographer dating or something) finally I had a great excuse! Ben wanted to take new family photos! who better to take them than the photographer I've been drooling over for months, waiting for an excuse to connect with her! I have to say she was just as nice as her reputation! and we LOVE our family photos.

Anyways (enough about my photographer stalkerish ways) we both got to talking one night about branding, albums, photography, and among many other things...2nd shooting for each other. Sp she came along with me for Stephanie and Sean's wedding and we had a blast! So to pay her back for hanging out with me for an entire day I did the same for her at Shay and Lauren's wedding at the Petaluma Golf and Country Club. What an amazing experience it was to get to see how another photographer operates!

Because I almost always have a 2nd photographer working my weddings with me, I don't often get to photograph the guys before the wedding. It had been some time since I had shot a wedding solo and had to hop over to both getting ready locations. So I was a little "guy" rusty! Guys are typically camera shy (to put it nicely) they usually get dressed at the very last second and they are not "excited" about their picture being taken and are most definitely not excited about going to another spot 10 feet away to take ANOTHER photo that seems just the same as the last.

Shay and his groomsmen were awesome! They were such great sports! I treated my time with them as I usually do with the girls so we went to several spots all over the venue putting them in various poses.... including the dog of course!!!! and they never once complained! They went with it and we laughed the entire time!

Jihan is an amazing photographer to work with and she inspires me everyday. I am so fortunate to have her as a friend and person to collaborate with. She has made my work stronger and given me more confidence.

I only have time to post some of the shots I took when the guys were getting ready but later tonight I hopefully will post the ones I took through out the day and it is easily said that had it been Jihan taking the shot at the time it would have been just as good if not better! But I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to take the shot!


gotta love men, aspirin, beer, and a sponge all you really need! and sometimes I see things and I am reminded about how much technology has changed in even a few short years. I wanted to capture the playlist they guys were listening too but also the fact that it was through their media center on the computer which was hooked up to the LCD. 30 years from now when their kids are getting married it might be a funny comparison to see what they are listening to their music from!

I love when couples text each other before the big day!









Shay and his about to be mother in law and his Mama! I love my son so much so I'm a sucker for Groom's and their Mamas!

This one's for Lauren........... she said this was her favorite pose that Shay does! My Husband has a similar one but that doesn't come out until the 2nd bottle of wine!

Becky + Chris' Sneak Peek

The Castelli Wedding is another wedding that I have been anxious for all summer long! They are such a gorgeous couple and they are so fun to be around! Plus my brother and his girlfriend were in the wedding party so it was a lot of fun getting to work with family. This Sneak Peek is a little longer than my usual but I couldn't decide!
The ceremony was on the beach in Bodega down bellow the Blue Water Bistro and the reception was at the Bodega Yacht Club. Such a gorgeous wedding!

The amazing hair and make up was done by the lovely Kristy Harris and the always phenomenal cake was done by Your Sweet Expectations.... red velvet yum yum yum and more yum!!!











I love doing jumping pictures with bridal parties mainly because it loosens everyone up. It's very rare to catch one where everyone looks good or everyone in in the air. But after everyone is laughing and having a great time so it's always fun to do. Well this one you can see that my brother is not only a very tall man but spent all of his youth playing basketball! I don't even think I need to point out which one he is...look for all the heads and you will see his waist!





When they went shopping for Chris' ring Becky told them they didn't have much money in their budget for the ring he wanted with the diamonds across the band so he had to settle for the $65 plain band. He was disappointed but like any amazing partner he agreed and was just happy he got the wife of his dreams, the ring could come later. Well Becky decided to be a clever little devil and bought the ring he really wanted. So during the ring exchange Chris did a double take! It was so funny he was going through the motions of the whole ring exchange when it caught his eye, he looked up at her and she was smiling like a little school girl and he looked down again and then he was ear to ear smiles! What a great moment!


and lastly, I love when a couple lets me steal them away at sunset for 2 minutes more of pictures! The Yacht Club is literally on the water so we just walked out onto the deck, snapped a few shots and then headed out to the dock and snapped one more!


Becky and Chris thank you so much for being such a fun couple to work with! I can't wait to show you the rest of the images this week!!! xoxo

Caitlyn's 1 year photos {children's photographer, 1 year photos, sonoma county children's photographer}

This little girl is too cute for words! She is only 3 months younger than my "tanker" and yet she is literally half her weight!!! I was carrying her from each spot at this location we did the shoot at and she was light as a feather!!!!! and about as cute as they come! She was asleep when she arrived and when she finaly woke up she didn't even take a minute to adjust she was awake and ready to go!!!

I'm really sad that this abandoned house has been purchased, I'm just waiting for the sad sad day that I see moving trucks or well I'm sure I'll see renovation or construction trucks there first but either way I will be very sad! It's my favorite spot right now!!! I'm crossing my fingers that it stays vacant until after our October Mini Sessions!!!

Boys will be boys {sonoma county photographer, children's photographer, country photography}

When I first moved up here I wanted to get my name out there so I ran a few mini sessions last fall and Tara was one of the first to book! ........and of course, it rained! But they were such troopers they hung in there with out a second thought when I had a set up all ready in my garage!
Beau and Jake are cousins but they act more like brothers, they are so cute! I am so thankful that Tara has brought them to me for 3 different sessions now and I hope this trend continues because I always look forward to their sessions! Neither session has more than 6 months in between but yet each time I see them, they've changed so much! This time they came decked out in their wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, and plaid shirts!
They are your typical boys, never sitting still, always running around, when one is sitting ready to smile for the camera the other is off doing his thing, then the other will finally be ready and then the other one has gotten restless.... but we always manage to figure out a way to get them to just be them and capture their true "boy" spirit in every shoot! Tara is not a big fan of having her picture taken (I don't blame her I am the EXACT same way!!!) but I had to include a few of her! I just love her to death and I loved these shots of her so she will have to deal with it! Tara you're a beautiful Mom and Auntie and I'm going to show you off a little bit ;)


I LOVE this one!!! It reminds me of my little one who gets frustrated with her older brother so she will just yell right at him with all her might! When I saw this one of Jake yelling I laughed out loud!! Yes, I LOL'ed

watch out ladies here come Beau and Jake...

Tamayo Sneak Peek {Asti Winery Wedding Photos, Sonoma County Wedding Photographer, Vineyard Wedding}

In the past I've felt that the whole pass down the dress thing was antiquated and I always thought I'd want a dress of my own and supported those who felt the same way. I just assumed that the tradition of passing down the dress was long gone. Well, fortunately for Shannon and her Mother and Grandmother I was shown why this tradition exists and just how special it really is. Shannon's Grandmother wore this dress in 1956, the only difference was the dress then had lace sleeves. In 1981 Shannon's Mother wore the exact same dress. Shannon as a little girl always had dreams of wearing this same dress as she married her High School sweetheart.
When I entered the hotel room where Shannon and all the ladies were getting ready I saw the dress hanging in front of the balcony sliding glass door. It was so beautiful. I lifted the dress off of the hanger so her Mother could put a nicer hanger on it for the photos. Just the feeling of the tool the laid across the bust of the dress was amazing. You could feel it's age yet feel it's strength. I really don't know how else to describe the feeling of the dress, the physical feeling as you touched this dress was like no other dress I've ever felt. And as if the dress couldn't get any more beautiful, Shannon stepped into it. As the ladies all worked to button her up and fluff out the skirt she turned to me and I was speechless, she was a vision of beauty!
Here are just a few pictures from yesterday, there will be many more to come later!




Three generations of women who wore this beautiful dress...









A big thank you to Ananda Shorey from Bliss Photography for second shooting the day with me and a big big thank you to Ayrjia my beautiful and always amazing assistant!

Mika + Justin Sneak Peek! {Petaluma Engagement Photographer, vineyard engagement photos, downtown engagement photos}

I really wanted to post up tons of images from Mika and Justin's session but once again I have run out of hours in the day and I've yelled to my Husband that I'd be there in 5 minutes 8 times now! So I am just posting theses 3 for now and I will post up many more next week! I love this couple! I had so so so much fun with them last night and I can't wait for their wedding in April! I know it will be a blast!!!