Engaged! Michele and Greg Take it South of the Border with a Baja Engagement Session
Posted on March 27, 2013
I liked Michele and Greg from the get-go. They stepped into my studio as my clients and I felt as if they left as my friends. Always seeking adventure in their lives, they decided to trust my suggestion
that they fly to Southern Baja for their engagement session. I’ve been spending my winters about an hour north of Cabo since 1989 and I just knew they’d like it down there. They arrived on Valentine’s Day and
hit the ground running…actually, dancing since my husband’s band was playing at the local venue. Our ‘smile muscles’ definitely hurt that night more than our feet!
We had several photo sessions in between morning workouts, playtime and chowing on some great eats. Our first session was on the beach.
Later we drove north to an old mining town and explored some of the old buildings and the cobblestone streets.
I love the texture of the old walls and doors.
Greg and Michele are just too cute together! I can’t wait to shoot their wedding this Spring at Viaggio Estate and Winery.
Swimming with Whale Sharks
Posted on January 23, 2013
Since the early 90’s my husband and I have been spending our winters in Baja. We are very thankful to live in such a beautiful place with so many amazing things to do! For the second time this year we joined a boatload of friends and swam with whale sharks just outside of the Bay of La Paz. The whale sharks like to hang out in Southern Baja too and can most likely be found there December and January, but sometimes stay as long as April. The visibility wasn’t that great today, but I did get a few shots of these incredible creatures before they outswam us.
Here’s Thea checking out our first one…
Then our buddy John B had this big one swim right under him
And MacRae dived down to get a closer look…but you can see how poor the visibility was. It’s been so windy that the shallow sandy bottom was still stirred up.
Fiona had some great swims too, right beside these guys. The boat captains are pretty good about getting you in the water in the right place at the right time.
Pretty neat stuff! And I’m back to album design and some photo editing now for the rest of the week…or ok…at least until the next adventure materializes!
Family Portraits on the Beach!
Posted on January 21, 2013
I had a great time photographing the Granger family last week on the beach here in Los Barriles. It was great to watch the family dynamics and see them all together.
Fran and Bill and the boys…
Oh…and this is where a dog came up and peed on my camera bag! Check their expressions!
And after I took care of that…a group tickle
And then this little gal totally stole the show!
2013 Lord of the Wind – Bryan Lake
Posted on January 16, 2013
I think this is my favorite image from the competition.
Lord of the Wind Baja 2013
Posted on January 13, 2013
Every so often I take a break from shooting weddings and portraits to photograph some outrageous events and conferences. It’s been a lot of work and a ton of fun shooting the 2013 Lord of the Wind kiteboarding and windsurfing event here in Los Barriles, BCS Mexico. The wind, sun and sand make it tough, but the people of this community make it all worthwhile. Thanks to the Rotary and all of the volunteers who helped make the event happen this year.
Here is the link to my gallery of Lord of the Wind Images. Saturday and Sunday images will be posted here as well after processing:
http://1609218630.pictology.com/
Click on link: Lord of the Wind 2013
PASSWORD: lord13
Then click on View all images
Salud!
Viaggio Wedding – Congratulations Amie and Eric!
Posted on October 3, 2012
What a fun wedding! It always so refreshing to see a couple who just can’t hide the love and respect they have for each other. Amie and Eric just bubbled over with it. We had a great time photographing them and their friends at Viaggio Estate and Winery. 
Amie looked fabulous!
Desta from Something Sweet Bakery created the cake…
The guys lookin really sharp!
And the girls had waaaaayyyy to much….fun
I love this detail!
With flowers and table arrangements by Emily at Embellish Floral Design
Congratulations again Amie and Eric!
Viaggio Wedding – Breeanna and Mike Married!
Posted on August 14, 2012
What a DARLING couple! Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Breeanna and Mike! Their love for each other seemed to permeate the atmosphere and set the tone for the evening as everyone had a great time rockin out with Elite Entertainment at the sound board. Breeanna did a great time with the planning and the a;ll of the many details. Emily from Embellish Floral Design did a fantastic job on the flowers and interior/exterior decor! Joelyn Orchard of Specialty Cakes presented an amazing delicacy that complimented the entire scene. Viaggio Winery was the perfect backdrop for their wedding and as always, their menu was superb with super fresh salad and fruit, house-made pasta, grilled salmon, prime rib and chicken that is never overcooked. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day. Congratulations Breeanna and Mike!
Name Tags
Embellish Floral Design
The ceremony site faced West…
The happy couple!
Specialty Cakes of Lodi
The Men
The girls being silly 🙂
Boogie Down!
Congrats Breeanna and Mike!
Marine Corp Engagement – Oorah!
Posted on July 24, 2012
Marine Corps Engagement!
Lauren didn’t really have love on her mind when she left with her mom to go and visit her brother, who is a U.S. Marine (Oorah!) stationed in Pensacola, Florida. But when her brother invited Lauren to go out on the town one night and she stepped into the living room to meet her brother’s friend Justin…well, here…I’ll let her tell you:
“All I remember was thinking how strikingly handsome he was, and that he had an amazing smile. I could tell by our conversation during the night that he was slightly interested in me, but I tried to keep it as casual as possible. After all, he was my brother’s good friend, and he had previously told me that Justin was soon to be stationed in Okinawa, Japan and was not looking into dating or anything serious. However, the next day my brother called me and asks if I would like to go on a double date with him, his wife, and Justin. I was a little caught off-guard at first (my brother never approved of any of his friends dating me!), but I agreed and thought to myself ‘What do I have to lose?’ We went on an official date that night, and I don’t think there has been a day since that we have not spoke; whether it be one the phone, through video chat, or text message. I have never met a more genuine, caring, down to earth, respectful and amazing guy in my entire life!”
And now it wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t get to hear Justin’s side of the story would it?
“I will never forget the first time I saw my future wife. Her long hair, deliberately picked clothes, confident demeanor and natural beauty defiantly caught my attention from that first instant we met eyes. Now I don’t necessarily believe in “love at first sight” but I do believe in an immediate attraction and those butterflies doing roller coaster loops in your stomach when the moment warrants. This was definitely one of those moments! For the rest of the evening I was subtly focused on her, no question about it. I followed the evening up with inquiry to her brother the following day at work, assuring there was no opposition by him, to ask for an actual “date.” He complied, pushing all my thoughts and anticipation to her. From there, the rest is history. I am now engaged to marry by best friend, my better half and the ONE person I can’t wait to embark all future endeavors and journeys through life with!”
Their relationship has its fair share of long distance communications, since Justin is a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corp and is still serving his time in Okanawa.
“We have relied almost solely on video chatting and phone calls to keep in touch, as we only get to see each other every few months. Even though it has not been an easy journey for us, we always are looking forward to the next time we will see each other and it has made our relationship that much stronger.”
Lauren is finishing her last semester of nursing school and will graduate from San Jose State this December. Justin will be in California for Lauren’s graduation and then she plans to fly back to Japan with him for an extended stay. Justin and Lauren set their wedding date for June 1, 2013 when Justin finishes his assignment in Okinawa. I was able to catch him when he was on quick leave in California. Here are some of my favorite images from our session.
Justin and Lauren wanted a blend of studio portraits with some outdoor scenes
around the Delta
LOVE this shot! I LOVE that they brought a flag!
Then I had some fun with the processing…
And we topped it off with some barnyard photos.
Sarah and Nick – Engaged!
Posted on July 13, 2012
When Nick stepped out of the car I commented “Hmmm…you sure look familiar. ” I had met and really like Sarah, but this was the first time I’d met Nick….or so I thought. The conversation went like this:
Me: “Where did you grow up, Nick?
Nick: “Stockton”
Me: “Where’d you go to High School?”
Nick: “Bear Creek”
Me: “Where’d you go to Elementary School?”
Nick: “Wagner-Holt”
Me: “Who was your PE Teacher?”
Nick “Mrs. Ma……” he stops short and looked at me with a huge smile
“YOU WERE!”
So how cool is that? I used to teach for Lodi Unified School District and Nick was one of my students! Sarah had to listen to us talk school talk and how’s this person,
that person, this teacher retired, etc….but then we took off for San Francisco and had a great day. Here are some of my favorite images from the day.
Found some cool backdrops
The fog rolled in with a vengeance at Baker Beach
Then we went for dinner at Cha Cha Cha’s and found some fun murals
And Nick and Sarah became artwork themselves!
Diane and Eric Married at Holy Cross!
Posted on May 10, 2012
Diane and Eric had a beautiful wedding at Holy Cross Church in Linden. After the formal photos we had a chance to stop at a relative’s ranch and take photos in the cherry orchards, which were in full bloom. It was a perfect day and you could just feel the happiness coming from this happy couple. The reception was held at Lockeford Springs Golf and Country Club just outside of Lodi where Diane’s aunt did a FABULOUS job on the decorations and flowers. Balthazar did a great job keeping everyone on the dance floor and it sure looked like everyone had a great time. Congratulations Diane and Eric!
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