Kerri and Kevin Engagement

I don't know about you, but I love going to the river, drinking wine, photographing in great light, and walking along the waterfront.  For most people, all these things would make for a packed weekend, but for Kerri and Kevin, it was just their engagement session.  We started in Sausalito for some waterfront pictures near Le Garage where they had their first date.  Then we got a private look at MacMurray Ranch where we were in photo heaven - the light could not have been more gorgeous, and the grounds and vineyards of the ranch were so beautiful.  We were also the only ones there, so we were able to explore to our hearts' content.  We finished their session along the river with their dogs Zito and Pogo, who couldn't stay out of the water.  Kerri and Kevin are getting hitched in just a few weeks, and we can't wait for their wedding, which I know will be gorgeous and a blast!

Little Dylan

My dear friend Jamie and her husband Steve just had a baby!  This is little Dylan Jacob at about two months, with his doggie brother Charlie at home in San Diego.  Dylan is pretty stinking cute, especially when his mama dresses him like a snuggle bear.

Crazytown and Kiki, the Jumping Queen

It's been really busy around here - loads of weddings, portrait sessions and quite a few corporate shoots, and in the middle of all the craziness, I've decided to start a new venture with my friend April.  Oh, and Adm and I are teaching Kiki to become a circus performer.  Here's a behind-the-scenes photo with a sneak peek of our new project that we'll hopefully (fingers crossed) officially announce next week!

Ridiculous Dog Owner

I have to admit, before we got Kiki (who is my first dog), I used to think it was strange that people let their dogs sleep with them in bed.  I mean, they're kind of stinky, they shed, and most dogs are pretty slobbery - it really didn't sound all that appealing.  However, within about a week of having Kiki, she completely broke us down and guess who's sleeping right in bed, taking up most of the space?  If that isn't bad enough, this past weekend proved that I have definitely crossed the line into "ridiculous dog owner."  A few days ago, some friends and I went to a Shiba Inu party in Novato, and for the occasion, I made Kiki a cape so that she could enter the best costume contest.  She ended up taking second place, losing out to a dog dressed as Ariel from the Little Mermaid, and to be honest, the cape didn't hold up all that well, especially since it was super wet and rainy.  It proved to be way too difficult to take photos of Kiki in her cape while holding onto her, so all of the cape photos are from a separate photo session at home.  Here are some photos from the Shiba party:

My good friend Brandon Smith made these two photos below of her on his Hasselblad.  Thanks for the great photos, Brandon!

Introducing: Kiki!

Above photo by Adm. For the past year, I've been pestering Adm to get a dog.  It's not that he didn't want to get a dog - after all, he grew up always having lots of dogs, he just wasn't sure that our lifestyle was right for a pup (we are gone all day long when we photograph weddings and travel quite a bit).  I, however, persisted as I've never had a dog of my own.  We were out shopping one day (a few years back in 2008) when we came across a little Shiba Inu, and I was immediately smitten!  I knew that no matter how much I pestered him, Adm wasn't just going to give in so I did my research.  I started reading Cesar Milan books, listened to "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete over and over, and figured out little ways to convince Adm that it would be easy for us to integrate a little pup into our lifestyle in a way that he/she could have a wonderful life.

Finding the right dog was more of a challenge.  Initially, we wanted a Shiba Inu puppy, BUT, we also vowed to stay away from puppy mills (i.e. pet stores), and ideally wanted to go the rescue route.  Finding a rescue Shiba Inu puppy was practically impossible.  We met with a few breeders (which is a completely legitimate way to get a dog), but it just didn't feel right for us.  After emailing back and forth with Red, who runs the NorCal Shiba Inu Rescue Shelter, for almost 10 months, we finally came across a young Shiba Inu, Makimi, who needed a good home.  Makimi was a 2.5 year old stray who was rescued off of the streets of Taiwan by TUAPA, a wonderful organization that runs a no kill dog rescue sanctuary in Taichung.  They've found that they have better luck finding forever homes for their rescues by sending them to breeder shelters in the U.S. than in their country, hence why Makimi had been shipped to the NorCal shelter in San Jose.  We actually almost didn't get her because she had been promised to another family, but luckily for us, that adoption fell through and we were next on the list!  After that, everything happened in a blur.  Literally, one day we didn't have a dog, and the next day, she took over our lives.

I'm so excited to introduce the newest and most helpful member of our creative team:  Kiki!  Since she came on board about two months ago, she has been instrumental in helping us get loads of work done.  OK, I kid I kid... she is really not that helpful, unless you consider dropping a toy in your lap every few minutes very productive.  She's our first dog, and we absolutely love her!  We completely lucked out with her - she is such a wonderful dog and has a personality that fits perfectly with ours.  Now that she's here, it's hard to imagine life without her.

Here is Kiki (on the left) in the government pound just before getting picked up by TUAPA:  (as a side note, the dog on the right, Maja, is now living the good life with Red, the man who runs the NorCal shelter.  She was so cute, he decided to keep her!)

Kiki and Thanksgiving dinner:

Photo below by Adm:

Marlene, Rhonda and Max

I had the pleasure of photographing Rhonda with her mother Marlene and their sweet dog Max at their lovely home in Oakland about a month ago.  Rhonda is the Director of Marketing at the San Francisco Design Center so naturally, her style (both for herself and her home) was sophisticated and beautiful.  I always love photographing people in their personal spaces - most people are not used to having their photograph made so it can be a bit unnerving posing for the camera, and being in a space that is comfortable and familiar helps to put people at ease.  Additionally, people's homes are so revealing about who they are which only adds to the sense of themselves that I strive to let shine through in the photos.