Here’s an old-ish sonogram of her…we have another one coming up in a couple of weeks so I’m sure baby girl will be much bigger (she’s definitely kicking harder, that’s for sure).

I’m due May 2, so as my due date gets closer, we’ll be focusing on shorter portrait sessions that don’t require standing for 10 hours straight. Being type 1 diabetic puts me in the “high risk” category, so minimizing stress, etc, is helpful. Besides, I’m waddling around and not as fast as I used to be! ;) Pregnant women who shoot right until they’re about to deliver– I tip my hat to you!

Feel free to follow me on Instagram to see the occasional pic of my basketball belly!

We started off at the Palace of Fine Arts…I’d never shot here before, but dang! It’s beautiful, despite the cloudy day.

LOVE THIS.

It was windy and pretty cold at Palace of Fine Arts, but a few blocks away, Crissy Field was bright, sunny, and warm. Oh, San Francisco weather, you’re such a tease!

Cat & Aaron, thank you so much for trusting us to be a part of your big day!

I arrived at Cat’s house that morning and found a calm, graceful bride, all of the bridesmaids dressed and ready, and everyone sitting around completely relaxed. It was so refreshing to walk into such a peace-filled room!

The incredible Jo Chow worked on Cat’s hair and makeup…

Chris was at Aaron’s place bonding with the guys…naturally, they talked about Google Analytics! haha :)

First look!

I am IN LOVE with those spiky Billy balls! They made the florals so fun!

I have to give a shout out to the girls during their portraits…it was FREEZING up at the winery. The girls were all bundled up and shivering, but you can’t tell the wind hit 19 mph, huh? ;)

The guys decided they wanted a hadouken pose in addition to their formal one.

Toss the groom (don’t worry, they caught him)!

This wedding party was one of the best groups we’ve worked with…everyone was just so nice and helpful. It’s totally a reflection on how Cat & Aaron are as people!

The view from Thomas Fogarty Winery. So glad we were able to get this shot before everything was blanketed in dense fog!

The place cards were honey dippers…so cute!

The folks at Fogarty did an amazing job of the set up…the pavilion area looked wonderful!

Our awesome group of vendors!
Ceremony and reception: Thomas Fogarty Winery
Coordinator: Karen Pan of New Sunrise Events
Florist: Carol Ralles of Design With Flowers
Cake: Jenny Kim of Satura Cakes
Caterer: Schumann’s Four Seasons Caterers
Videographer: Graham King of Final Frame Studios
DJ: Paul Burchfield of BIG FUN Disc Jockeys
Makeup and hair: Jo Chow Makeup and Margaret Hoang
Paper goods: Keith Emerson of Lightning Press
Dress: Bay Area Bridal
Suits: Tuxedo Fashions 

In their culture, Soraia and Ali weren’t considered engaged until this very ceremony– someone from both sides stands up and states their intentions, then the ring is presented to the fiancee-to-be (yes, in front of everyone!!). It was such an honor to witness something that usually only family and close friends get to see, and an even greater honor that Soraia and Ali chose us to capture their ceremony.

Soraia and Ali, congratulations! We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you both!

The ahhh-mazing dessert table styled by Carol at Petite Pomme Design, with goodies baked by Kitty Wong Pastry Shop, in all its Tiffany blue glory!

Here comes the ring…

I think Soraia is pleased :) Ali did a GREAT job…the ring is gorgeous!

Afterwards, Ali’s family gave Soraia jewelry to welcome her to the family. Love the look on Ali’s dad’s face here…

…and Ali’s reaction to his dad putting a ring on his new fiancee!

Hugs from her mom…

After speaking with a trusted friend and tossing around ideas on which medium format cameras were the best to start out on, we decided to get a Yashica Mat 124G. I know most film photographers choose the Contax 645, and while I was drooling over it for a bit, we just couldn’t justify the price tag for what is an experiment (for now, at least ;)). We found the Yashica Mat for a really good price on KEH Camera (btw, if you’re ever looking for used gear, definitely check them out. Our camera looked BRAND NEW when we got it!). We studied Jonathan Canlas’ Film Is Not Dead book, and after taking several deep breaths, shot our first two rolls of medium format film!

First, here’s a (digital) photo of our new baby:

Chris favors Portra 400, while I’ve always loved the look of Fuji 400H. The photos below are all Fuji 400H– we used the roll of Portra for Alex & Chris’ portrait session (film scans will be blogged soon!)– and scanned by the awesome folks at Richard Photo Lab. These were taken at Rutherford Hill Winery in Napa Valley, CA.

We had a picnic overlooking Napa Valley…couldn’t complain! :)

We also brought out the film camera [my] Chris recently bought, so keep an eye out for those photos soon ;)

I love love LOVE this dress on Alex. Especially with this yellow flower. I die.

These two photos here are the VERY essence of Alex.

I wish someone had told us about the Ten Minute Rule.

The Ten Minute Rule, coined by the fab Justin & Mary, is one of the pockets of time we like to carve out for our couples. In a nutshell, once you walk down the aisle, we lead you away from the crowd, away from that never-ending receiving line, to let you bask in the glow of literally being JUST married…and we’re there to capture your raw emotions of the moment. We’re not in your faces either; this isn’t portrait time (though most of the time, we roll right into portraits). It’s simply a little pocket of time for just the two of you. You will never get those emotions back, and they definitely can’t be staged later on!

It doesn’t have to be 10 minutes, either. It can be 5, or it can be 15. Totally up to you.

Here are a couple from Pansy & Tim’s wedding, which resulted in two of my favorite images from their day:

And a few from Liz & Kevin’s wedding:

While it’s preferable that we are in a location with nice even light, sometimes it’s just not possible. Alex & Chris‘ ceremony ended well after sunset, and their first 10 minutes as husband & wife was in a pitch-black parking lot. Still, their post-ceremony photos are some of our favorites:

I’m hoping more couples are open to the Ten Minute Rule after seeing these images!

They worked for the same company, became fast friends, and like all great love stories, one thing led to another and they started dating. These two will tie the knot in May and we couldn’t be more honored to be with them on their big day!

We started off at Stanford, Aaron’s alma mater. The day was super bright (which we were grateful for, since the weather had been pretty finicky that week), and we found this amazing bank of columns:

One of my favorites from their session:

Cat loves crafts, so I was thrilled when they brought along a garland of paper hearts– that matched her awesome red shoes.

They’re so at ease with each other <3

Afterwards, we moved across the city to the San Jose City Hall, which has some really great architecture.

I’m completely tickled at the fact that city hall looks like a giant glass R2-D2!

We told  Aaron that he needed to practice spinning Cat around in his arms…and I love the look of pure terror on Cat’s face, haha! (Don’t worry, Aaron, you did a great job!)

The fun didn’t stop there though…we braved a quoted 2-hour wait at Boiling Crab for dinner. Luckily, we lucked out at 45 minutes and snagged a table, then proceeded to eat crawfish, shrimp, crab, crab legs, and catfish. Yum!

Cat and Aaron, thank you so much for spending the day with us! Can’t wait to see you two in May!

It’s a 12×12 album with white imprinting and a 5×7 photo with a white liner.

Our updated logo! :)

The spreads are impressive. Our sample album is a 10×10, and most clients get a 10×10, but I have to say, the 12×12 definitely dominates your attention.

A full spread measures 24 inches across– perfect for those large family photos!

Our logo on the box (I’m in love with it!).

I’ve said it many times but it’s worth saying again: Leather Craftsmen is amazing. Their products and customer service are top notch! So glad we have the opportunity to work with them and give our lovely couples the best!