Bridal Tips - Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!!

I don't know how they do it but some women can squeeze their feet into tall spiky heels and still walk. If you're like me and cant go shopping for 6 hours in your stilettos; then don't try it on your wedding day!

Many brides are switching their high heels out for some comfort at the reception. I've seen more than one bride put on white converse. Others have slipped into ballet shoes or flip flops after their first dance. However, if you don't want to loose the height try switching to another pair of heels that have different pressure points.

When you are shopping for your heels look for a pair with a thicker sole. Pass by the super thin soled heels that allow you to feel every pebble in the pavement. Happy shoe shopping!!

Maternity Session at Baker Beach with Kate

I photographed Peter and Kate's wedding last year and it was a blast. They are fun, creative, and easy to work with!
It was an awesome day for photographing at Baker Beach. We had a clear view of the bridge and some dramatic cloud coverage all at the same time! Perfect conditions for shooting!
Here are a few of my favorite images.

Maternity Photo Shoot at Bakers Beach - San Francisco, CA

I shot two maternity sessions at Baker Beach in San Francisco last Friday. What an awesome day it turned out to be! This is the first session of the day; with Mark and Mendy. They are due at the beginning of March!
These are a few of my fav's. I got some new Photoshop actions that I was testing out on the images so they are a little punchier than normal, but I think I like them punchy!

Green Weddings (environmentally conscientious)

Are you having a GREEN (environmentally conscientious) wedding in 2008? Do you know someone who is? I'm looking to photograph a wedding that is going to be really environmentally friendly. Email me about the wedding details and you could save yourself a bunch of green stuff!

Biltmore Hotel Wedding - Santa Clara, CA

David and Anne were married in January 2008 at the Crosswalk Church in Sunnyvale with a reception following at The Biltmore Hotel in Santa Clara.

The young couple had friends and family from various parts of the world converge in the bay area to celebrate the occasion. Although it rained most of the day we found covered walk ways at the church the perfect place for outdoor photographs.

After the ceremony preformed by the grooms father the bridal party and guests made their way to The Biltmore for an intimate reception dinner.





Flowers by: Petals by Design
Cake by : Cake Expressions

Friends and Horses

My friend Lisa bought a horse (Shalazar) recently! I went out to watch her train him and take pictures. These are the before pictures, before she trains him into shape. I will be back in a few months with after pictures. Hopefully he will be all buff! He is so cute it makes me want to buy one too!

Bridal Tips - Questions to Ask Wedding Photographers

There are so many vendors to hire when planning a wedding and most couples don't know a whole lot about photography. Here are the questions I would ask a photographer and the answers I would hope to hear.

1. Do you shoot RAW or JPG? Hopefully RAW. If they say JPG then ask "what size JPG?" If they shoot files that are any smaller than large fine JPG's - run the other way. You need at least a fine large JPG to get a good enlargement. But there are a few "pro" photographers out there that shoot medium JPG.

2. If you haven't photographed at my wedding venues will you scout the location? The answer should be yes unless there is a lot of travel involved. If your wedding sites are a distance from the photographer's location they should agree to show up a little early on the day of the wedding to scout out good picture spots.

3. Can I purchase the full size images files for printing? Typically a pro photographer can deliver you a higher quality print than if you go down to the local lab yourself. However, if you are planning on making some reprints yourself you don't want to be surprised if your photographer's policy is to not release image files. If a photographer says they don't release the image files or at least not for a year, keep in mind you will need to pay their prices for any enlargements and reprints.

4. How many images do I get to see after the wedding? You should be able to see all the images except tests shots, blinks and if they have a photojournalistic style a few mess ups. Even if the photographer only prints a certain amount of the images for you all the rest should at least get posted to an online gallery. Because his/her favorite 500 might not be your favorite 500.

5. How much post processing do you do to your images? I run almost all my images through a PhotoShop action. This takes a lot of time! Your photographer should at least run actions (digitally enhance) 100-150 of their favorite images. The rest of the images should be adjusted for color and density.

Have questions or comments regardign the bridal tips? Feel free to send me an email!