I had the pleasure of shooting alongside the talented Lili Durkin at Lindsey and Frank’s fourth of July nuptials at Santa Clara University. It was such a beautiful wedding in the warm summer sun, it was really cool to be back on campus at Santa Clara too. It was kind of a surreal experience to be working a wedding where I once was running late to class, ha! Their wedding was so sweet and filled with so much love. I could feel the love their family and friends had for Lindsey and Frank, it was so apparent, it felt like one big family reunion. On a day that is traditionally filled with family and bbqs — these families celebrated the fourth in style!
bay area engagement photographer, San Francisco | Helen&David
Helen and David have one of those stories that movies are made of. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Girl would rather be friends. Boy can’t get girl out of his mind. Girl begins to realize she has loved boy all along. Boy and girl fall in love! Helen and David’s story follows the same theme except they are just way too cute to be put in any box. Helen and David met in China. Helen was working for a nonprofit that she started out there and David was working for a media company in Beijing. Helen is from California and David is from England yet they found love half way across the world. Helen has such a beautiful and authentic quality about her, she’s full of life and has such a passion for it. David is a gentle soul and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Thank you both for letting me tell your story…you two are a perfect pair! Check out their slideshow here!
BAY AREA LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER | The Bay Area Fashionista
Meet Hasti. To many she’s known as The Bay Area Fashionista, brains behind TBAFBlog.com. We teamed up to shoot some promotional shots for her blog and stylist gig. I have had the pleasure of knowing Hasti since I was about 15 and I remember she used to always ask, “I wonder who you’ll marry one day…what you’ll be doing?” Fast forward to years later…both married and both pursuing our passions. I feel blessed and am truly thankful for the opportunities that God has given me…I had no idea I’d be where I’m at back when I was 15 but I’m beyond thankful and excited to see what more is in store. Many women these days are being empowered to pursue their passions and their hearts desires. In an economy that is proving to have its challenges, women have stepped into creative careers like never before. I am SO encouraged and proud to be a woman, ha! So to all the ladies out there…pursue your dreams! What makes you come alive? Run after it! Thank you Hasti for being such a great sport on our shoot, exploring, dodging trains and being a woman following her passion! Here’s to your journey!
SNEAK PEEK | The Bay Area Fashionista
Meet The Bay Area Fashionista from TBAFBlog.com. Here’s a sneek preview of a post that I promise will be up very soon! It was such a fun shoot…
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, PALO ALTO | VANESSA&QUINN
Vanessa and Quinn are getting married in August and I am definitely looking forward to shooting their San Francisco wedding. I have been so lucky to be a part of their wedding journey up until now…from shooting the photos and designing their invites! I get to merge both of my favorite things together. I met Vanessa back in high school so it was so nice to hear from her again years later and to meet Quinn too! They are both so sweet and have such a love for each other that is so evident. It was so much fun to spend the day with them and tell their story. Wish you two the best, can’t wait for August! You can view their engagement slideshow here!! 
View their engagement slideshow here!!
BAY AREA PHOTOGRAPHER | FIRE EYES
I had the pleasure of learning the Art Of Directing from one of the most talented photographers that I know, Tanja Lippert. I have always admired Tanja’s work and as soon as I found out she was opening up her home to teach photographers what she knows, I couldn’t resist the opportunity! Tanja is so much more than just a talented photographer, she has the most amazingly fun and outgoing personality ever. When I opened the door and walked in to her place, she greeted me with a chicken costume on…no joke! I knew I was in for an exciting day! When I was still in college, years ago, pre art-school, I remember noticing a photograph on the wall at my local starbucks. It was a photograph of a bride and groom holding hands in front of an old rundown barn. The barn doors had such beautiful texture and it was the most out-of-the-box wedding portrait I had ever seen, the juxtaposition of the elegant bridal gown and the old rundown barn was something I hadn’t seen back then, but I knew I loved it. I quickly went and asked the barista who’s work that was on the wall and I kept Tanja’s name in the back of my mind. I’ve always had a passion for photography, art, and images that speak volumes so when I saw that picture I knew that this girl, whoever she was, was someone I just had to meet. Long story short and almost 5 years later, Tanja Lippert inspired me to pursue photography, to be a woman who loves her craft and dares to take the images that live in my brain and bring them to life! It was an honor to shoot next to her during this workshop, to learn from her and to have my photography work be affirmed by her. Everyone out there has someone who has inspired them to some degree and Tanja is someone who continues to do that for me. These are the images that I captured throughout our day. The makeup and styling was done by the amazing Tia…isn’t it gorgeous?!
northern california portrait photographer, san francisco | the Chanels
Sarah and Yasmin are two amazing women that I am so blessed to call friends. We spent the day in SF and I couldn’t resist a little photoshoot at some of my favorite little spots in the city. Sometimes you find hidden gems as you drive around and I knew I just had to come back to this spot and who better with than these two beautiful ladies?! They both have played such key roles in my life…
Yasmin is a beautiful person inside and out. She has such a passion for life, a zeal for creativity and art and can hold her own no matter where she goes. So many creative ideas have been birthed out of hanging out together…from all nighters to road trips…conversations have turned into amazing art pieces. Its such a blessing to have a friend who appreciates the same art as you do because sometimes you run out of inspiration or sometimes you just feel pretty overwhelmed and Yasmin has been there at times in my life where I’ve needed someone to tell me to keep going and to quit being lame and get back into it. She’s been there for me over the years, through the ups and downs…no matter what gets thrown in our way, I know that she’s one friend who is in my life for the long haul.
Sarah has such a genuine heart. Her honesty and depth have been a huge strength in my life when I’ve needed it most. There is so much depth to Sarah, so much inside her heart that just pours out when you spend time with her. I love our deep talks and our hours of analyzing things and finding solutions for things that may seem way too big for us to tackle. Her joy is super contagious and I can’t remember a time where we haven’t laughed over the most ridiculous things! We met back in 2004 when we both lived in Texas but it wasn’t until after she married my friend Mani and moved out to Cali that we became good friends. We both got married in the same year and have been able to walk through our first years of marriage together, and I can’t wait to share more of what life will bring in the years to come!
I <3 you Chanels!
northern california photographer, palo alto | Jennie&Donnie
Jennie and Donnie got married in the bay area and held their reception at a hotel in Palo Alto, CA. I love Palo Alto, its one of Arash and I’s favorite places and one day dream of owning a home there. The hotel was located in the center of downtown, which if you’ve ever visited downtown Palo Alto you know of its unique vibe. There are hidden gems all around Palo Alto and as a photographer its always fun to go explore. Second shooting has been so much fun, there is so much room to play and capture the moments that may be a bit more candid, which I love. I had a great time shooting alongside Ashley Maxwell, as always! Jennie and Donnie are such a sweet couple. You could tell how much they truly loved each other because all nerves went out the window once Jennie saw Donnie. Their bridal party was so much fun too…the guys made me laugh quite a few times with their jokes…nothing like a good ole’ “manly bonding” (The Wedding Planner reference, anyone?!) The girls were just beautiful in their black dresses and pink accents, weren’t they?! I always thought black bridesmaid dresses would look amazing with bright flowers, love it!
northern california photographer, saratoga | A Red&Black Affair
Mahsa and Hamed are getting married next weekend and I am definitely looking forward to celebrating with all their friends and family. I have had the pleasure of knowing Mahsa since we were teenagers. I remember running around playing “ditch” boys vs girls and Mahsa was the fastest out of all of us girls. Whenever the girls needed a representative to compete against the boys, we’d have Mahsa do the job and she never failed us! The years have gone by and she is a stunning woman inside and out, one of the classiest by far. Her beauty radiates through that gorgeous smile! I am so beyond thrilled that she has found the man of her dreams. Their shower was a show-stopper! Located in the sunny Saratoga hills, at a private secluded vineyard. All the guests wore white and the bride-to-be wore a stunning vintage Christian Dior dress. It was like no other shower I had ever been to, I felt like I was in a movie…it reminded me of The Great Gatsby. There was something very special about the entire day, from the heart-shaped watermelon slices to the gorgeous surroundings…it was simply beautiful.
northern california photographer | snazzie drawers jewelry shoot
Shooting with Ashley Maxwell always brings about a very warm, vintage feel to things. I had such a great time with this shoot, its always fun to play dress up, especially when you have these unique accessories. These necklaces are from Etsy Retailer: Joy Stallard of SnazzieDrawers and each one is handmade with beautiful materials that are sure to make a statement. I’d love to wear one with a plain white tank and jeans for a night out. It would transform any outfit, for sure. Ashely did all the styling with these beautiful vintage dresses sold by Della at Betroth, and the makeup was done by Camille Monique. Be sure to check out Betroth, Ashley’s new boutique in Willow Glen, there you’ll find even more vintage jewelry, cute tops and dresses, delicious cupcakes and even some handmade cards, designed by me!! I’ll be posting the cards soon, so be on the lookout for that. There is so much in the works, from a new website/blog to my own line of designs…I can’t wait to share it!
