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]]>Things got started off at the Warwick Hotel in San Francisco. Janeth and her bridesmaids had their makeup done and shared some tender moments together. Justin and Jeremy had some boy time together. Justin told me about how he had to assure Jeremy that, it's not just mommy and daddy getting married, it's all three of them. Next stop was San Francisco City Hall, always a favorite. We made a quick stop in the woods and ended the night at San Pedro Square at Olla Cocina. It was a warm day with warm people.
Videographer: KimberLee Webber
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Leslie and Sean came all the way up from Southern California to be among the redwoods for their big day. They got married at the beautiful Deer Park Villa in Fairfax. Their families and whole wedding party were laid back and lots of fun to be around. After an intimate ceremony with some emotional vows, we snuck off for some portraits at Lake Lagunitas nearby. There is so much natural beauty around this venue, and it was so great be able to have a little time to explore the area with the couple on the wedding day. Big thanks to Sarah and her staff at SWC for keeping everything running smoothly and making the wedding look great. Enjoy!
Some tunes from my editing session:
Dentro de mí semillas tengo de ti y sin ti pueden querer morir
CARLA MORRISON
]]>Goodbyes always take us half an hour
Can't we just go home?
THE NATIONAL
Claire and Andy met performing theater a few years ago. They both have a lifelong love for the screen and stage, so decided to meet at the Alameda Theater and sneak in a few shots in their gorgeous space. From there we had some pizza and beer the Star on Park. We ended our day at the Marin Headlands to feel the wind and watch the fog roll in. It was a good day. It sounded like:
If the stars don't shine
If the moon wont rise
PENNY AND THE QUARTERS
And I think the dress looks nice on you.
Yes, I can see a lot of life in you.
SUFJAN STEVENS
Charlie and Suzanne got married at the Brazilian Room, just down the street from the Berkeley apartment they share. It's a venue that I've wanted to work at for quite a while and their wedding didn't disappoint. These two both had major crushes on one another in high school, but never dated. Those feelings never faded and years later, they finally had their second chance. For their wedding, they wanted a beautiful place outdoors where their friends and family could just be themselves, relax, and enjoy themselves. I think they succeeded.
Thanks to Jessica at Culinary Excellence. Their staff did a great job with planning and catering.
I listen to music while I make my blog posts. Here's a playlist of what I was hearing while making this one. Feel free to listen along:
In flames I sleep soundly
With angels around me
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Don't know much about the french I took
But I do know that I love you
Sam Cooke
Take me to the upside down. Second, level please.
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I wish you out of the woods
And into a picture with me.
Nickel Creek
Ceremony: Old Mill Park
Reception: Mill Valley Community Center
Planner: Kit Sshires
Makeup: Abigail Rooney
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This always remains
Even as the world spins itself apart
ALABAMA SHAKES
Liz and Craig got married on a Wednesday in the middle of Winter. Turns out Wednesdays in the middle of Winter are when you get the best weather and most beautiful weddings. Liz is the mother of one of my good friends from college. My friend, along with her brother and Craig's 3 children were all there to celebrate and come together as a family. More importantly, they kept their parents from doing any work on their big day. I had a blast capturing moments and portraits for these two. Enjoy!
Ceremony: Hastings House
Reception: Pasta Moon
]]>I can't tell you, who to sock it to
ISLEY BROTHERS
This year marked a number of transitions for me. Long story short, wedding photography was one of two full-time jobs I was pursuing, but I left teaching at an elementary school is Oakland, so that I can dedicate my energy to this work. I got engaged to my best friend. We bought a house. I had surgery for the first time.
I'm so glad to have this job and I'm proud that I get to do it in a way that stays true to my own values and true to the people I photograph. More than ever, I realize that there are always going to be trends, demands and pressures, but that all of that should be secondary to capturing honest photographs. I want my work to capture the beauty that I see in my couples and their loved ones. Taking that perspective with me everytime I go to work, I always feel like I have the best job. To more memories and moments in 2018! Enjoy!
Here are some of my favorite venues of 2017:
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Oh I do believe
In all the things you say
What comes is better than what came before
CAT POWER
Now I'm darker than the deepest sea.
Just hand me down. Give me a place to be.
NICK DRAKE
So what’s wrong if there happens to be one guy in the world who enjoys trying to understand you?
HARUKI MURAKAMI
It's because of you when I'm in bed in the morning that I can wind my spring and tell myself I have to live another good day
HARUKI MURAKAMI
Who knows how long I've loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
For you, there'll be no more crying.
For you, the sun will be shining.
And I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right.
FLEETWOOD MAC
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In flames I sleep soundly
With angels around me
I lay at your feet
You're the breath that I breathe
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Be my rest, be my fantasy
SUFJAN STEVENS
All of me pressed onto you
But in this light you look like Poseidon
SUFJAN STEVENS
You take the high road and I will come along
Bring me the ocean and I will bring you song
I will follow you.
ANGUS AND JULIA STONE
Trust me, stay and stay
Overboard
I don't want to let you down
SHARON VAN ETTEN
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I worried bout rain
And I worried bout lightning
But I watched them off
To the light of the morning
BON IVER
I've got a plan, I've got an atlas in my hands.
BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH
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]]>DAVID FOSTER WALLACE
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You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. We pardon to the extent that we love. Love is knowing that even when you are alone, you will never be lonely again.
VICTOR HUGO
]]>Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.
HARUKI MURAKAMI
I met Rosalee and Micaela three years ago shooting my first destination wedding in Cancun, Mexico. They were the videographers, and were just the easiest people to be around and relax with during the down time. They were from Dallas, so I figured I wouldn't get to work with them again.
Last Summer they reached out to me and asked if I would do a couple's shoot for them out in San Francisco. I loved the idea, but I asked them, "if you're going to spend all that money on flights, hotel, meals, etc... where would you really want to go?"
Enter: Iceland. Best road trip/portrait session ever.
Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.
HARUKI MURAKAMI
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
LEONARD COHEN
For a moment the two of them looked at each other, wordless, as if they were asleep and their dreams had converged on common ground, a place where sound was alien
ROBERTO BOLANO
Photographs open doors to the past, but they also look into the future.
SALLY MANN
With heat struck afternoons long through
Those idle dreams go back to you.
NEON INDIAN
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Take me some place where there's music and there's laughter
FIRST AID KIT
I had been introduced to these two through a mutual friend. They're an adventurous couple and have travelled all over the world together. So when it came to choosing a wedding location, Yosemite was an obvious choice. It was unbelievable working in such a beautiful setting and it was so much fun working with Robin and Robert. By the end of the night, the bride was ready to get out of her dress and into pajamas... so she did. That didn't stop her from dancing or taking one last portrait under the star-filled night sky.
There was no straightness to our line
Gravel in hand
Darling, we're moving the mountains around
THE TALLEST MAN
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How did I climb out of a life so boring into that moment?
OKKERVIL RIVER
I am safe, please
There's nothing I'd rather do
JULIA STONE
And count every beautiful thing we can see
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
What a beautiful dream that could flash on a screen
In the blink of an eye and be gone from me.
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
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I could walk out, but I won't
In my mind I am in your arms
THE NATIONAL
Let the silence be the only sound
And I'll hear everything I need to hear
DALEY
Remind our restless souls
Of the beauty of being here at all
JOSE GONZALEZ
Lis and Chris were so easy and so fun to work with. They had a beautiful Ceremony at the beautiful Cliff House, just a stone's throw from Sutro Baths in San Francisco's Sunset District. When a bunch of your friends are DJ's, you know the soundtrack of your wedding will be full of energy, love, and funk. I look forward to the soundtrack of their marriage playing on and on for years to come.
Long to loose the anchor
And dance the night away
JOSE GONZALEZ
]]>HENRY MILLER
Bringing free wifi to the masses. At their wedding, that day. By invitation only. #ChrisandGarfreewifi
It's like scoring the clay to make another piece of clay stick to it.
MIRANDA JULY
No time to write blog posts. Too busy editing photos. Quick notes: cool people, a bride with limited mobility, limitless badassery, big trees, tears, and laughs, laughs, laughs.
]]>Who can deny that our world is starved for a new understanding of love,
of what it means to live together and work at love and not give up?
Jacob Needleman
Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it
Rumi
In your narrowing dark hours
That more things move
Than blood in the heart
LOUISE BOGAN
And you'll always love me won't you?
Yes.
And the rain won't make any difference?
No.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
]]>PAULO COELHO
I flew out to Maryland to see one of my best buds from high school get married. I was on groomsman duty, so my partner Megan took the role of lead photographer on this one. She did a wonderful job capturing the spirit of the weekend filled with non-stop laughter, crazy partying, and awesome people. These photos are a mix of hers and some of the photos I managed to snap during the portrait session and reception.
Simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
PAULO COELHO
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]]>Alone with me
Alone
With me alone
MITSKI
I saw the setting sun on your neck
And felt the taste of you bubble up inside me
MITSKI
]]>ANGELA DAVIS
Over 2,000 citizens gathered yesterday at a Rally to protest the recent police killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. The peaceful protest started at Oscar Grant Plaza and the Oakland Police Department. The march consisted of religious organizations of all faiths, social justice organizers, and individual community members. The action culminated in a peaceful blockade of I-880 in order bring attention to the coninued militarization and corruption within police departments across the nation.
We urgently need to bring to our communities the limitless capacity to love, serve, and create for and with each other. We urgently need to bring the neighbor back into our hoods, not only in our inner cities but also in our suburbs, our gated communities, on Main Street and Wall Street, and on Ivy League campuses.
GRACE LEE BOGGS
]]>JACK LONDON
These photographs were taken while helping out Gabriel Harber Photography with a wedding at St. Vincent's School for Boys in San Rafael. Gabriel is an awesome person/photographer to work with and I had a blast at this wedding. The couple were goofy and sweet. The atmosphere was laid back and full of warmth. It's nice not being the main photographer once in a while, and being able to focus more on all the little things during the wedding day. These photographs really are a collection of those little moments that often go unseen on the wedding day. Enjoy!
Nobody deserves your tears, but whoever deserves them will not make you cry.
GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ
PRINCE
I used to be more involved with every aspect of everything... I'm way more relaxed now. It feels like anything can happen.
PRINCE
]]>No te apures que yo estoy aquí. Te velaré el sueño. Te arrullaré a dormir
CARLA MORRISON
I feel super lucky to have gotten to shoot with Christina and Justin on Friday. They were my first wedding clients and are expecting their second child. I got a chance to get to know their little one, Clara, and reflect on how much we've all grown personally and professionally.
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]]>RALPH WALDO EMERSON
When I'm not shooting weddings, I teach 5th grade at a school in East Oakland. This past week, we went to Science Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is a little snippet of that trip, along with a few photos from my day trip with Megan to go climbing up near Bodega Bay.
So look into the lens and I'll make sure this moment never dies.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
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HENRY DAVID THOREAU
A few clicks from a wedding helped shoot for Gabriel Harber. I love second shooting when I have a chance because I get to focus on all the other things going on during a wedding besides the bride and groom. I get to focus on the the candid, the in-between moments, and the people who come together to celebrate a couple's love and commitment.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
I met these two through another couple that I had worked with last year. They have been together for 10 years and decided to marry just a few weeks ago. Nothing fancy; just close friends, Lake Merritt, delicious food at Penrose, and real love. Just the way I like it.
Some people need a red carpet rolled out in front of them in order to walk forward into friendship. They can't see the tiny outstretched hands all around them, everywhere, like leaves on trees.
MIRANDA JULY
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ALLAN WATTS
Three takeaways from 2015:
- Show off less, pay attention more.
- Getting to know couples is just as important as getting to know your camera.
- Weddings make me happy.
Evidence of these three points below.
I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to be fed so much love I couldn't take any more. Just once.
HARUKI MURAKAMI
JAMES BALDWIN
Some photos from a wedding I shot with Gabriel Harber. He was a great coworker/teacher. These two people were fantastic; they created a space so full of love and delicious vegan food. I'll stop writing here and let the photos stand on their own.
If I am really part of your dream, you'll come back one day.
Paulo Coelho
Things to be thankful for:
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PAULO COELHO
Matt is one of my best friends from high school. We were both back home to be groomsmen at our friend's wedding. I got to meet Carolyn for the first time earlier in the day. I generally use prying personal questions to draw out the right emotions. This time, as a bonus, I got to know my friend's fiancee. As a bonus bonus, I got to ridicule my friend in front of the person he loves the most. We (maybe just I?) had a blast.
Let me in the wall, you've built around. And we can light a match and burn it down.
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BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
Guadalupe, family, banda, tradition, dance, love. Presented in no particular order and without further comment.
The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
ALAN WATTS
]]>J.R.R. TOLKIEN
I met Katrina and Gabriel 4 years ago. They were attending the same poetry program as my roommate and I was figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Today, our lives seem to be on more similar tracks: each of us balancing art with our work in education. Getting to know these people as individuals and as a couple has been a great privilege. They embody the ideal of being in love with your best friend. Also, they embody the ideal of being in love with your best friend amongst kind people, beautiful words, and—most importantly—at least six kinds of pie.
What a curious life we have found here tonight.
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
Second Shooter: Gordon Mak
Venue: Tilden Park & Tilden Park Botanic Gardens
Catering: Curry Up Now
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THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
There is something special about my job; I get a front row seat for one of the most important, emotional/crazy events a couple can have. I don't take that lightly. My friend and occasional second photographer, Julia, had already taken some great engagement photos for Colin and Caitlin. I love engagement sessions because they give the couple a chance to get comfortable with me. In lieu of this, I was able to attend Colin and Caitlin's awesome rehearsal dinner. There, I was treated to some beautiful toasts courtesy of the couple: full of smiles, tears and a sincere appreciation for the loved ones around them.
In previous years, I stressed about things like sunset photos or how much portrait time I'd get with the couple. This time around, things are different. I am capturing moments for people who value being present with the people they love. People who don't want to miss a party when it's getting into full swing. And that's awesome; I'll take 60-somethings getting down on the dance floor like teenagers at prom. Any day.
Time is how you spend your love.
ZADIE SMITH
Second Shooter: Jennifer Tam
Hair & Makeup: I Do DryStyle
DJ: Denon & Doyle
Flowers: Linda Snyder
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Why was she dancing? No reason. Just alive, I guess.
GEORGE SAUNDERS
Kevin and I met at summer camp over ten years ago. We hadn't spoken in years until a mutual friend happened to mention my photography to him. Camp is a funny place; it's like stepping into a world where everyone seems permanently caffeinated, where being sincere is how to get in with the cool kids, and a sense of unbreakable camaraderie can be built via sing-a-long.
I arrived at Kim's family home in San Jose at eight in the morning. I was surprised to see her dressed and ready when I got there, even more surprised when I saw how many people could fit into the modest living room. After two tea ceremonies, some firecracker-induced hearing loss, a Sonic Screwdriver, a guest appearance from the Palo Alto Fire Dept., team karaoke, and a little dancing, it was closing in on midnight. I had been surrounded by these people going on 15 hours and I had that inimitable feeling of being back at camp, surrounded by the smiling faces of Kim and Kevin's family and friends, full of warm fuzzies.
It is no way to live, to wait to love.
DAVE EGGERS
Second Shooter: Megan Zapanta
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It might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.
UP
Trina and I teach at the same East Oakland public school. Jamie, Trina, and their daughter, Lily, make up a trio of relaxed, kind and positively silly people. The couple hours I spent with them truly helped to define the things I want to express in family photos going forward: simple, honest moments with a quiet soul.
Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it's destination full of hope.
MAYA ANGELOU
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As couples get closer to the big day, it can be a bit overwhelming and stressful. Meetings, fittings, tastings, spreadsheets, coordinating with family and friends can make it hard to relax. This is why I love meeting with my couples about one month before the wedding date for a casual dinner meeting. Going over the final timeline is way more fun with delicious food and funky decorations.
For this meeting, I took Katrina and Gabe to one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Grocery Cafe. It's Burmese food hidden in quiet residential neighborhood. The owner's old records line decorate the pastel toned walls. We sat in folding chairs and old church pews while eating tea leaf salad. Somewhere in between bites of samusas, we managed to figure out a solid plan for the big day.
The idea is to remain in a constant state of departure, while always arriving.
RICHARD LINKLATER
I've learned the meaning of the the sun. I'm watching through my own light.
AZURE RAY
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Tonight, I'll show you how dreams are prepared... love, friendships, relationships. All those ships.
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
I've been waiting all my life to feel your heart as it's keeping time.
JOSE GONZALEZ
Second Photographer: Megan Zapanta
DJ: Lady Ryan
Catering: S+S Gastro Grub
Cake: Torino Baking
Flowers: ampersand
Venue: Piedmont Community Hall
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Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside when still alive. Never surrender.
TUPAC SHAKUR
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People tend to stick to their own size group because it's easier on the neck. Unless they are romantically involved, in which case the size difference is sexy. It means: I am willing to go the distance for you.
MIRANDA JULY
We had a promise made, four hands and then away.
THE KNIFE
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Audrey and Kyle eloped 6 months ago. I've known Audrey's family since high school. This past weekend they brought their two families together for a relaxed and intimate celebration of their marriage and newest addition to the family: Asher. When they invited me to tag along at take pictures, it was easy decision. These people make me smile and laugh and everyone who enters their home gets to feel like they are part of the family. I could not be happier for them.
Also, the Indian food and home-brewed beer from Grandpa Bergmann helped to close the deal.
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In this world, there are things you can only do alone, and things you can only do with somebody else. It's important to combine the two in just the right amount.
HARUKI MURAKAMI
HARUKI MURAKAMI
]]>FRIDA KAHLO
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Took some pictures for this awesome organization: http://filipinocc.org/
Nothing to worry about.
Brought to you by a shared love of low-brow humor.
Three, two, one: blast-off.
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The second season was way better than the first.
My high school friend Alex got married in Colorado and it was incredible.
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Photo Credit to Julia Chou on Photo #3 in this slideshow.
Website: www.juliagraphy.com
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You talk with your hands.
Alright, your best Blue Steel. Riiiiight. Now:
Sundays, Sundaes, Sundays.
Perfecto!
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Everything is awesome.
Rain or shine.
Marina Sunsets are the new Lens Flare.
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Land and sea.
"I am collecting beautiful objects. Their delicate unfinished appearance is friendly. And they are quiet."
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The best couple in the world. They also happen to be the friends that liked my flickr pictures enough to find me my first clients. I couldn't be happier for them.
“It was an act of devotion. A little like writing or loving someone — it doesn’t always feel worthwhile, but not giving up somehow creates unexpected meaning over time.”
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I would go out tonight. but I haven't got a stitch to wear.
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Larry and Joanna worked around my teaching schedule to make this Friday wedding work. Crazy grateful to have had the opportunity to share the day with such a wonderful couple!
And in the odd chance there are any Astronomy aficionados amongst you the North Star is... that one.
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Winters is coming. Bring it on.
Larry and Joanna's Excellent Engagement Session.
I think you've still got lightning in you.
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
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