Recently I went up to San Luis Obispo County to meet with Katie and Bert and shoot their engagement session.  We met at Creekside Brew in downtown San Luis Obispo.  Creekside was the site of their first meeting, and I believe eventually their first of many dates together.  We started off their engagement session in the basement of Creekside and downtown SLO.  Afterwards we headed to Pirate’s Cove beach which is a beautiful secluded beach about halfway between Pismo Beach and Morro Bay.  It’s a beautiful quiet beach including an incredible natural cave and a VERY intense hiking trail.  Apparently Katie and Bert had been hiking up the trail the day before, and while I would say I was ill prepared with all my camera gear to hike up that trail with them, Katie was wearing flip flops, so … I guess we’ll call it even.  The views from the trail and the beautiful yellow flowers covering both sides were well worth the short hike (We didn’t go to the top, it was a short hike, but the top would have certainly been a challenge!)  As the sun started setting we made our way down to the beach for a few final shots.

To see a few of my favorite shots from Katie and Bert’s engagement shoot, click on the large image above, or any of the thumbnails below.  Family and friends can click here to register to view all the images from their engagement session as soon as they’re available. 

Just recently I met up with Connie and James on Coronado Island for their engagement photos.  Starting by the ferry landing, we then wandered around the east side of the island, by the beautiful shops of the ferry landing, through Centennial Park overlooking the skyline of downtown San Diego.  We then drove to the far west side of the island where the historic Hotel Del Coronado stands over the Pacific Ocean.  The beach in front of the Hotel Del is one of the most incredible in San Diego, and I always love photographing engagements and weddings here.  Connie and James are such a cute couple and I had an absolute blast photographing them, and wondering what they were whispering to each other the whole time.  Whatever it was they each had the easy ability to make the other smile and laugh, which of course made my job that much easier.  After spending some time by the ocean and as the sun was setting, we went back to the bayside of Coronado Island to grab a few images of the twilight sky and the San Diego skyline all lit up for the night.

To see a handful of my favorite images from our engagement shoot together, click on the image above or scroll down through all the images below.

Family and friends can register to view Connie + Jame’s engagement photos, and to be notified when their wedding photos are online as well by clicking here.

I met Rob and Janai in Pacific Beach for their engagement session, right by the entrance to the historic Crystal Pier.  They brought their bikes and flip flops all ready to make not just their engagement photos, but the engagement photos that they would use for their ‘Save the Date’ cards.  Hooked to the back seats of their bikes the hand made signs reading ‘getting hitched’ and attached to the soles of their flip flops ’6 22 2013′ they were not only prepared, but had a total idea of the images they wanted for their Save the Date cards.

In addition to their save the date cards, we wandered around Crystal Pier, underneath it and on the beach as well as along the boardwalk and all around Pacific Beach during their engagement shoot.  They were a super fun couple to photograph and as you can see from the images, totally comfortable in front of the camera.  Rob and Janai definitely were able to turn it on for the camera!  Thanks for including me in your wedding plans guys! I’m super excited for your wedding in June!!!

Veronica and Ramon are such a fun couple … Kristy and I fell in love with them when we met and heard all about Ramon’s proposal including going shopping with her mother to pick out a new outfit including of course shoes! They planned their beautiful San Diego wedding which started with Veronica and her girls getting ready at the Lowes Hotel on Coronado Island.  After hair and makeup was done at Lowes, we headed back towards San Diego to the North Chapel at Liberty Station where they would have their ceremony.  Veronica chose to get ready at the church, so we were able to get into the bridal suite before the ceremony and after getting dressed we kicked out everyone other than Veronica and snuck Ramon into the bridal suite so that they could see each other before the ceremony and have a few quiet moments alone together.

As you can see from the details, Veronica and Ramon brought in a touch of vintage inspired details to their wedding including the flowers, printing for both the ceremony program as well as escort cards and details on the table as well.  They had beautiful centerpieces including bottles of wine for each table and even a wooden popcorn station during cocktail hour.  In addition to all the details put out for their guests one detail which Kristy and I talked to Veronica about at our first meeting and which Kristy created a pinterest board for was the cowboy boots hiding under her dress.

Veronica and Ramon’s reception at Marina Village in Mission Bay was fun and fantastic! They had purple uplights around the perimeter of their reception hall and the natural wood panels really tied in with a lot of their details.

Selecting images for the blog post was difficult to say the least, but to see just a handful of my favorite images from their fun day, click on the large image above, or any of the smaller thumbnails below. (OH! I had a blast making a composite of the Ramon and his guys.  They each had super hero t-shirts on under their tuxes so I photographed them at the reception and composited that image with a really dramatic sky shot … enjoy!)

Family and friends can click here to register on Pictage to view all their images as soon as their available.

I recently traveled back to Baltimore for Susan and Sascha’s wedding at the beautiful and unique location of the Louisiana Restaurant in historic Fells Point.  It was a beautiful day in Baltimore as Sascha and her girls as well as Sascha and his guys got ready in the East Harbor area.  We had time before their ceremony to do portraits of the bridal party, then hopped in the shuttle for the short ride across town through Fells Point and to the beautiful Louisiana Restaurant for their ceremony and reception.  The Louisiana Restaurant is just off of Broadway taking up the former façade of two baltimore row homes.

Susan and Sascha’s friends and family sat in the main dining room at the back of the restaurant and watched as Sascha and Susan exchanged vows and rings in front of a beautiful staircase.  After the ceremony we all rode the shuttle down to the historic Fells Point Pier for family portraits as well as photos with Sascha and Susan and their bridal party.  After the families and bridal party were shuttled back to the Louisiana Restaurant for the final half of the cocktail hour, Susan and Sascha and I went on to the Red Star … the site of their first date.  We photographed not only out front of the restaurant, but also beneath the tree just down the street which was where they actually first met.

As the clouds gathered and threatened to pour down rain, we finished a few final portraits before returning back to the Louisiana Restaurant for their reception.  It was a beautiful and unique wedding.

Family and Friends can view all their images by registering at Pictage by clicking here.

To see a few of my favorite images from their wedding day click on the large image above or any of the smaller thumbnails below.

I LOVE being a wedding photographer in San Diego!!!! Barbara and Cherokee had an amazing wedding at the Catamaran Resort and Spa in San Diego’s Mission Bay.  Continuing our streak of amazing weather weekends … yes, this is what San Diego is known for … Barbara and Cherokee could not have asked for a more beautiful day to celebrate their wedding!  Barbara and her girls got ready in one of the penthouse suites in the tall tower at the Catamaran resort.  This was the first time I had been in the tower, and the suite rooms were beautiful, with amazing light pouring in from the floor to ceiling windows.  Meanwhile, Cherokee and his guys were getting ready on the ground level of the tower.  With all it’s meandering paths, and beautiful grounds the Catamaran Resort served as a great location for photographs of Barabara and her girls as well as Cherokee and his guys before the wedding.  We were able to find quiet corners away from arriving guests, and hidden from each other since they decided not to have a first look before the ceremony.

I met with Barbara a week before their wedding to talk about the timeline and go over details for their wedding.  They had decided to incorporate sweets and candies into their wedding, and themed the tables around some of their favorite sugary confections.  She explained that she and Cherokee had gone crazy on Etsy buying little details for their wedding day, and when I met with Cherokee, I saw what she was talking about … Cherokee and his guys had personalized socks, and sunglasses with hipster mustaches built in.  Their wedding was held on the lawn at the Catamaran Resort overlooking Mission Bay.

I had such a difficult time making selections of my favorite images for this blog post, so I apologize to Barbara and Cherokee for taking a bit of extra time getting this online.  Every time I thought I had my favorites selected there was another one there that I wanted to add.  Eventually, I had to make my selections and know that all the images will be on Pictage, and Barbara and Cherokee can select their own favorites.  To see just a handful of some of the beauty and fun from Barbara and Cherokee’s wedding, click on the large image above or any of the smaller thumbnails below.

Barbara and Cherokee’s family can register tosee all the images on Pictage by clicking here. 

Two of Kristy and my best friends in San Diego are Jeff and Betsy of LaVida Creations.  I had the awesome opportunity to photograph their ten year recommitment ceremony at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula, then they did an amazing job photographing Kristy and my engagement photos.  A while ago we started talking about the fact that both of our dogs are getting along in years; Boo Radley will be 14 this year, and Betsy and Jeff’s dog Mace (that’s right Star Wars fans!) Windu will be 12.  So we decided to trade portrait sessions. We talked about some of Mace’s favorite things and decided on shooting a mini day in the life session with Mace.  We started by heading to Mission Bay’s Fiesta Island dog park where Mace hung his head out of the window smelling the salty air and getting amped up for beach time.  Walking along the shore, chasing and fetching balls in the bay and just generally spending time together as a family.  Jeff and Betsy pointed out the normal walk they take with Mace, and let me tell you, it’s a long walk that would exhaust any dog, not just a 12 year old!

From there we went to South Bark Dog Wash where Mace got his favorite blueberry face scrub followed by an all over bath to wash out that San Diego salt water.  As much as Mace had a great time at the beach you can tell this is a spa dog at heart and his face shows even with water pouring over his eyes, he could have stayed there and been pampered all day.  Finally, we finished the day back at the McCue home and office where Mace lounged in Jeff’s office while Betsy and Jeff reviewed images, waited patiently for treats while they checked facebook, and just lounged in the living room while we all relaxed.

It was a great day, and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to photograph Mace!

Heather grew up in Los Altos Hills, just outside of Palo Alto, and Stanford University about a half an hour south of San Francisco and due west of San Jose, California.  Her family still lives in the home that her mother grew up in and her grandmother still lives there as well.  So when Heather … aka “Biz” moved to Maryland and met Sean she always knew her wedding would still be back in Los Altos where she had grown up.  Sean on the other hand, is a native Marylander, and I had the pleasure of photographing his sister Noelle’s wedding several years ago before I moved to San Diego.  So I was thrilled when Sean contacted me to see if I would be able to travel to what would be for both Sean and Heather, their destination wedding in Los Altos Hills.

Kristy and I traveled north to San Jose on Friday before Heather and Sean’s wedding, and spent the afternoon scouting locations for portraits.  We found that next to the garden where Heather and Sean were holding their ceremony as well as cocktail hour and their reception there was a beautiful Redwood grove with amazing light filtering through the ancient and giant trees.  The next day, Kristy and I met Heather and her girls at her family’s home while the girls got ready.  From there we went to the Sequoia grove to photograph Heather and her girls before the ceremony.  Later, Sean and his guys would meet us here, and I absolutely loved the Maryland belt buckles that Sean had given to all of his groomsmen.  Heather’s lace dress, her girls pale blue skirts, and Sean and his guys linen pants were such classic looks for their garden wedding.

The ceremony was presided over by a close friend of Heather and Sean, while both of their father’s provided words of wisdom about marriage.  The cocktail hour was hosted in the garden beneath the giant redwood trees and family photos were strung between the trees.  The main hall of Shoup Park had been transformed into a beautiful space and even included the Maryland flag proudly displayed by the stage.  Sean’s grooms cake was a bucket of steamed maryland blue crabs with Old Bay and Natty Boh! LOVE the Maryland Pride!

To view a selection of some of my favorite images from Heather and Sean’s day, click on the large image above, or any of the smaller thumbnails below.

Friends and Family members can register at Pictage to view all the images once they’re available by clicking here.

Holly and Adam went to the same High School in Maine together, but didn’t know each other until they were working together at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, California.  Among a small gathering of their closest friends and family members, Adam and Holly were married at the Marina Village in Mission Bay, San Diego.  Although they didn’t have a “theme” for their wedding per se, they incorporated purple in their color scheme, not because it’s simply the most popular color to hit the wedding world in the past year, but because Adam is a HUGE Ravens fan! (YAY Adam!!!! … we’re totally hanging at Dirty Birds this year!)

Holly and her girls got ready at Marina Village in Mission Bay, while Adam, and his family were busy setting up the Dockside room for their reception and getting the bar all ready.  Since Adam works in the restaurant industry, he had a firm grip on all the bar needs, as well as organizing the catering and even hand made the cupcakes for their wedding.

One of my favorite moments from Holly and Adam’s wedding was their first look.  After all the stress of getting the entire day together, worrying about how to get the keg hooked up for the reception, decorating the reception hall not to mention all of the little details they handled that I don’t even know about.  The emotion of the day caught up to both of them, and Adam was by far the most emotional groom I’ve ever photographed when he saw his future wife for the first time on their wedding day.  First looks can be so great, and for both Holly and Adam, you could feel the tension just evaporate, you could tell that the details no longer mattered, they were able to be in the moment and truly enjoy their wedding day.

Since the majority of their guests were traveling into town from other parts of the country, they decided to have Mexi-Cal cuisine for their reception including individually made street tacos, guacamole, salsa fresca and some local San Diego microbrews at the bar. During the reception DJ Daniel got and kept the dancefloor going, and even had Holly take the turntables while one of her guests took the mic for a song.

We shot the first half of Evi + Jonathan’s engagement photos at Balboa Park in San Diego and had planned to hit the beach on the same day for the second half of their shoot.  Unfortunately, San Diego traffic had other ideas for them and they got stuck in a standstill heading south on the 5 from Carlsbad … stuck in the traffic at Del Mar as the race season had just begun! We still went to Sunset Cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean for some great twilight shots, but decided to schedule a second session at Torrey Pines State Beach just north of La Jolla in San Diego.  For the second half of their engagement session, we met earlier in the day, and were surprised to see how many people were out enjoying the beautiful weather.  As always in San Diego, we flirted with the marine layer, that was constantly threatening to sock in the entire beach with that bright soft white light.

We took a long walk down Torrey Pines beach along the cliff faces, and to a beautiful set of stairs carved into the sandstone rocks and up to the hiking trails above the ocean.  It was really great having the opportunity to shoot Evi and Jonathan on a second day, especially since they had the opportunity to see the first set of photos, and definitely seemed much more relaxed and to have more fun throughout the second shoot.  Check out a few of my favorite images from the second day by clicking on the large image above or any of the smaller thumbnails below.

Evi + Jonathan, I am so looking forward to your wedding next year at the Twin Oaks House!