Beth + Daniel Engaged!

I'm going to be a bridesmaid this coming year for my dear friend Beth.  We knew we weren't going to be able to photograph her wedding so Adm and I wanted to do her engagement pictures to help capture part of the happiest time in her life.

Beth could not be more perfectly matched than she is with her fiance Daniel.   Adm likes to call Beth the "Fiesta Bandita" (or "Party Bandit") because  no matter where you go, Beth ALWAYS seems to have just the right bottle of wine, champagne, home brew, wedge of cheese or baguette at hand, literally in her purse, to perfectly fit the situation.  And now, the perpetually happy Daniel with a heart of gold is always ready to throw gas on Beth's party fire.  These two are nonstop fun and I'm pretty sure you can tell from the pictures that their engagement shoot was exactly that.  Plus, Daniel, who still DJs in his spare time, raised the roof for us all over Knights Ferry which is where he proposed to Beth.

Beth and Dan, you know we love you and we absolutely cannot wait for your wedding this May - it is going to be like no other!

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.

Ellen + Ivan

Ellen and Ivan have actually been married for a year, but they wanted to do some portraits of them in love for their family.  I met up with them in Modesto, and we headed outdoors for some railway shots where they risked getting run over by a train all for the sake of good back light.  Seriously.  I can't imagine they'll be crossing tracks with me anytime soon.  We also did some photos in their home, which was nice and cozy.  They were both so good-natured and bright and fun to photograph!