When I first started taking pictures seriously (in college), my camera was attached to my hip and I obsessively took photographs of everyone I ran into all the time. A few years into my career, I started getting really bogged down by all of the post-processing, and somewhere in that period, stopped carrying my camera with me all the time. Now, I'm feeling re-invigorated and one of my goals for this year is to do a better job of documenting my personal life. Recently, we took a mini trip to Tahoe to meet up with some of our dear friends. While waiting for them, I made Adm ride his bike around in circles in the parking lot so that I could photograph him in the gorgeous backlight. This isn't the greatest picture by any means, but I love that he is totally just humoring me in his expression. Those little expressions and moments that hint at the nature of our relationship are the kinds of things I want to remember when I look back at pictures.
Hello, Internet! Here we are!
A few weeks ago, our good friend, Preston Davis of Divine Order Photography, met up with us in one of our favorite spots, the Marin Headlands, to take some pictures of us. Believe it or not, this was our first professional photo session. I'm ashamed to admit that I was not exactly looking forward to our shoot. I have no problem showcasing other people in front of the camera, but in perfectly hypocritical fashion, I actually do not like having my picture taken. So, during our shoot with Preston, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was! Adm, Kiki and I had a GREAT time running around, holding hands, hugging, kissing, calling wild turkeys, and I think I laughed more during our shoot than I have in a LONG time. I'm pretty sure what started out as nervous giggles turned into full on cackling on my part, and c'mon, who doesn't love to laugh?
I will say that after doing the shoot, I have much more empathy for my couples. Modeling is no easy task, and so that makes us want to work even harder to put our clients at ease so that we can draw out their personalities. We were in luck with Preston since we already knew him and felt pretty comfortable with him. Aside from the fact that we've got a set of great images (something my mom is very happy about), it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Quick Getaway
We've got weddings up the gazoo right now, but to stay fresh and help us deal with all of the crazy, we took a mini break to Mendocino in Northern California. It was perfect. The trees, the sunshine, the food, the dog and the boy.
Mini Vacation with Adm's Nieces
We got to play superfunauntanduncle last week when Adm's nieces, Abby and Hava, came down from Oregon to stay with us for a few days. We kept them super busy with day trips all over northern California - including the Russian River to go swimming and a visit to their grandparents' house in Greeley Hill (which has chickens galore) and to Yosemite National Park, among other things, and we had a ton of fun with them. I just love these two - they are so full of fun, youth and sweetness. Every time I get to see them, it makes me miss them even more when they leave. Luckily, we have lots of photos to remember their visit.
By the way, I might have a new favorite vacation lens: 35 mm 1.4. The 50 mm has always been my go-to when I'm just doing personal stuff and don't want to carry around a bag of gear, but all of these photos were shot with my new 35, and I LOVED using it!
Rapha Rides Oakland
Well, not literally. But, Rapha shot by Alison and Adm rides Oakland! OK, let me back up a moment. Lately, Adm has really been into riding his bike, and lucky for him, we have a whole slew of friends who are hardcore cyclists. One in particular, our friend and neighbor Rob, introduced us to Rapha a couple of years ago. Rapha is a high-end bicycle clothing company based in Europe, and they produce catalogs that have amazingly beautiful photography. Last year, we decided to do a Rapha-inspired photo shoot with Rob (in his Rapha gear) in our own Oakland hills, which in my opinion are just as beautiful as some of those European landscapes that are featured in the the real Rapha catalogs.
This was unlike any other shoot we've done, and it was just a personal shoot for us to have fun with. We went up to the hills really early on a wet Sunday last February, when the roads were empty and slick with the rain. Adm and I took turns driving the car in front of Rob, who rode behind us. We each spent time hanging out of the back of our car (luckily it's a hatchback), gripping onto the sides while taking photos. Katy, Rob's wife, acted as our stylist, and we all had a blast turning the Oakland hills into our studio. There are so many other great rides in the Bay Area that we can't wait to go out again! All of the photos in this set were taken by both Adm and me.
What Have We Been Doing?
I didn't realize until my last post that it had been more than a month since my last blogging efforts. It's true, wedding season has slowed down so there aren't many shoots to blog, but really, a whole month without blogging????? That's no bueno. So, what have we been doing this past month? We started the year off with a trip to Portland and Astoria - Portland for fun, Astoria to visit Adm's sister and nieces where there is lots of fun.
Adm took this photo of me in Deschutes Brewery. My favorite beer of theirs: "Streaking Through the Quad."
Here is Adm in the Ace Hotel:
Adm's niece Abby, with her dinner leftovers on her head:
A scene at Astoria's Coffee Girl:
Nieces Abby and Hava:
Saffy, the cat, knows how to find the good light:
We received FRESH crabs from a friendly neighbor! This is Adm with Hava:
Someone was enjoying the filling for our raspberry mascarpone tart.....
Sunday morning nature walk (photo by Adm):
The photo of Abby and Hava looking like gnomes is by Adm:
