Oh my, what do I even say about these two???? I was in the middle of a whirlwind of craziness when we did their session and it was a much needed breath of sweet fresh air to spend the afternoon being nothing but creative. Jeff and Alex are not just clients, they are near and dear to both Tim and I (Jeff is in our bridal party!) so photographing them to mark their engagement was  no work and all play.

Alex and Jeff both hail from Madison, WI but didn’t start dating until they both nestled into the west coast- Jeff in Los Angeles and Alex finishing up medical school in San Francisco. They spent all of their dating years long distance, both wracking up the Southwest frequent flier drink coupons, – Jeff and I once passed each other in the Burbank airport, him coming from and me going to the bay are- and are finally enjoying being in the same city after Alex left the bay area (and me and Tim) behind to join Jeff down in Southern California. I can’t wait for their wedding in October (just two weeks before ours!) and to celebrate our marriage with them in November.

A few months ago I was reading some comments people had left on a blog post that featured some of my work and one comment someone made was, “These are nice but shouldn’t the subjects be smiling more- they are supposed to be in love!” Of course, criticism effects me so for the next couple of shoots I did everything I could to make my clients extra “smiley” and then it hit me- sometimes that is just not only not the look I want but it’s not how my clients respond to me. I tend to be a quiet shooter- I talk to my subjects quietly and prefer to evoke those types of expressions out of them- so to you, critic – not all love is boisterous, laughing, smiley love- sometimes love is intense,  quiet, and emotional …… I spent a little extra time working on these images and the styling for this shoot so we could achieve a certain vibe… Wish I could say this was all me but Jeff and Alex seriously know how to work the camera- although I am sure Alex would argue otherwise.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

Working on some wedding details today- thought I’d share a little something we’re incorporating.

When I was working at the magazine I made an 8 mile – 45 minute - drive to and from the office each day. I used to see a lot of things on that drive- I made it a point, actually, to be acutely aware of what was going on around me. I decided that if I was going to have to make this drive, I was at least going to people watch.  One afternoon, while stopped at the light at Wilshire and Highland I glanced over to my left and caught a glimpse of a man in a black suit with a briefcase walking with a bit of a pep in his step that I wasn’t used to seeing in anyone at 5:15 pm on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday- hell, barely even on Fridays. He floated by a rose bush in full bloom- took about 2 steps past it and stopped dead in his tracks. He retreated, placed his briefcase on the ground, leaned over to the left and gently tugged a rose towards his nose and inhaled so deeply I could almost see his chest filling up with air.  He smiled, picked his briefcase up, shook his head and continued on his way. The light turned green and I started to drive away, chuckling to myself. That man, that business man- with a suit and briefcase, had literally just stopped to smell the roses. I suddenly became not only acutely aware of the people shuffling around me, but of myself. Have I ever done that? Ever? Sadly, the answer was no. At that moment I made a pact with myself- not only would I stop and smell a rose if I passed one, but I would stop and take in other things- let myself revel in beauty and wallow in misery alike. I kept this promise to myself on Monday-

I pulled over on my way back from Bolinas to capture the image below. It really doesn’t even do the real thing justice. I just leaned against my warm car and looked at it for a good 10 minutes. The sun was quickly disappearing and I knew that the drive back up to the 101 was not an easy one to make in the daylight, let alone the night, but there wasn’t another person around for miles and someone had to enjoy the site. Thoughts raced through my brain like a wildfire but the one memory that came to the forefront of my mind is the day I saw a business man, with a briefcase, literally stop and smell the roses on his way home from work on Wilshire Blvd.

So, on my way home from work, I did too.

It’s amazing what a good solid week of work from home followed by a weekend off will do for me. I haven’t had a case of the Mondays in a long time but having a weekend to actually enjoy myself (not that I don’t enjoy myself at weddings, but you know) made me crave a real vacation. Honeymoon anyone?

I’m happy to have the busiest stretch of my year behind me and am so happy to be recharged for Megan and Kevin’s wedding this weekend. Been looking forward to this one for some time! I think I’ve seen Megan at least once a month on my porch for wedding planning therapy sessions since they booked and after Saturday I’m going to have to beg her to meet me for margaritas so she can help me through the next 4 months. Wedding planning is a lot of fun- but can also be a lot of stress. I go through waves of emotion about it-

“Let’s just ELOPE! Gasp! What are we going to do for menus? It has to be adorable! Oh screw menus- why do people need to know what they’re eating anyways? Oh it’s going to be so beautiful…. oh! I need to do research on *insert dumb detail that makes no difference in the quality of life Tim and I are going to have but will look so good in photos!*” Can anyone relate to the caring immensely and then not caring at all dichotomy of planning your wedding? I’m starting to feel like I am going to spend the entire month of October crying… or laughing! Here we go again…..

Alicia and Vlad tied the knot at one of my absolute favorite venues in Northern California- Holly Farm. I don’t just love this venue for it’s total charm though- I love it for the darling owner, Erin Moses. She is such a joy to work with, makes sure vendors are taken care of as well as the guests, and handles all sorts of wedding day shake-downs with a smile on her face! Alicia and Vlad’s wedding was full of laughter and lots and lots of vodka! It was such a joy to have been a part of their beautiful day!

Onward!

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won’t sing,
Mama’s going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama’s going to buy you a looking glass.