I am pretty excited to have been chosen as a contributor on I Do Venues Blog! This is a great site that showcases Wedding Venues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Definitely a MUST SEE site if you are still looking for a special Venue for your upcoming Wedding…

Although I have known and appreciated the talent of Elisabeth Michel-Meyrueix for a few years I had finally  the pleasure to photograph her unique Jewelry just recently. Elisabeth’s unique jewelry showcases antique or vintage pieces mixed with semi-precious stones and precious metals.  She studied in Paris and started to design jewelry after moving to the United States. Designing jewelry allows her to combine her background of studies in art, history and geology with the creating process. When she travels around the world, she looks for beautiful antique or vintage brooches or pendants that will become the centerpieces of her necklaces. She sometimes keeps some of these incredible finds for years before finding the right stones to compliment them. For her, a necklace is like a painting, colors and texture have to flow and blend together. And like paintings all her necklaces and bracelets are signed with her unique tag. She has been designing jewelry and participating in artists Open Studios and fairs since 2003. You can see Elisabeth wonders for yourself visiting the upcoming Peninsula French Fair

Our top image is “Etoile Diamant” late 19th/early 20th century 14k gold, pearls and diamond brooch with garnet beads. Below: a “Limones Vert” – antique handpainted Limoges china brooch with green moonstones beads, and “Limoges Blue” antique handpainted Limoges china brooch with blue kyanite beads.

I believe Elisabeth stunning work is also perfect for brides out there that want to wear something unique and sophisticated, like the above  “Papillon Chrysantheme” rare antique Chinese Kingfisher and pearls ornament with freshwater pearls. Isn’t it beautiful!? And below, “Gris Perle” vintage French rhinestone brooch with grey freshwater pearls, and “Peach Triangle” vintage French rhinestone brooch and peach freshwater pearls

This stunning final piece is”Mousse sur la Neige” dragon carved jade pendant, maw sit sit beads and antique Chinese dragon sterling silver beads. Visit Elisabeth’s blog to see more of her work and upcoming events!

It’s mainstream thinking that the Perfect Portrait is synonymous with a nice smiling face  looking straight at the camera… but I am sure our readers will agree that a more artistic or edgy portrait is definitely very intriguing and eye capturing. The funny part is that kids will most happily work their magic when asked for ‘a grumpy look’… I love those! And hopefully, parents will too! Here’s just a few examples of Kids Photography with an attitude

Just a few favorites from last week session with Jaylene… isn’t she adorable??

Among my absolute favorites 2010 Weddings is the one of Kristin and Brian at the Vine Hill House, Sebastopol, in the spectacular Californian Wine Country… I just finished working on their Wedding Album were I also included some of their best images from their Engagement Photography Session in their own San Francisco.

The colors of Kristin and Brian’s Wedding were blue and pink, so I decided to use the very bold pink color as a background in some of their Art Book pages. At first I wasn’t too sure but it has definitely grown on me !

Daniela Degrassi Photography welcomes the newest product in the house: The Silk Book. We finally found  a great and less expensive alternative to our famous Art Books. A shiny silky cover that comes in a variety of colors and paper finishes.  Most popular sizes are 8×8, 8×10,10×10.

Tthis particular sample Silk Book comes in a fantastic textured felt paper, you just have to come and see for yourselves

The Silk Book graphic design can be customized for an additional creative fee or simply use 1 picture per page to keep your cost to its minimum. Prices will be soon available on our Investment Pages on my website. The Silk Book, like our Art Books, lay flat for best showcase of your images and are hinged together to protect the paper from discoloration and usage.

Looking forward to show our new Silk Book during our next wedding and portrait consultations!

Here’s more from Nina and Brent Engagement Session in Petaluma. After the super colorful sneak peek I wanna start this long post with these romantic moments we captured at Brent’s parents home. Family is a big part of Nina and Brent’s lives so I was happy that I got to meet both of their parents. Brent grew up playing in this field with his brother… All the locations we shot at has some special meaning…

A big thank you goes to the Petaluma Fire Department for letting us borrow this vintage fire truck that brought pride and joy to Brent’s eyes. He shared a few significant moments of his dangerous profession, I am just in awe and admire his passion and will to help others.

More family life… in their free time Nina and Brent sometime visit her dad’s Tavern, Mario and John’s, where they have fun playing at the pool table and at the shuffleboard… I didn’t get a clear answer on who’s the best player between the two

Back in the natural surroundings of Brent’s childhood home, he told me about his passion for motorbikes…

So guys, thank you for a fun afternoon, I can’t wait to see you at the wedding this summer!

One of the aspects I love more about being a Wedding Photographer is having the opportunity to built great personal relationships with my clients. When I first met with Nina and her mom, we instantly clicked and we got both very excited about working together! I couldn’t wait to head to Petaluma to meet the groom as well!  I wanted to capture Nina and Brent in their own environment and show off Brent’s remarkable attachment for his profession.. which also inspired us for their Engagement Session… stay tuned for a feast of colors and love coming soon!!!!

In the digital technology era everyone can afford a good quality camera but does everyone have the technical skills to photograph a wedding?

Photographing weddings is very challenging and only and experienced professional knows how to handle the many different scenarios during a wedding, like: quick lighting changes, the hectic and rushed schedule, delays that will only allow few minutes to photograph the bride and groom, dealing with a sudden camera malfunction or working in harmony with the other wedding vendors.
Many improvised weekend amateur photographers (the so called Uncle Bob) covering your wedding don’t even know about all these situations and probably won’t carry back up equipment or even different kind of lenses to provide a variety of image framing. With a professional that will smoothly handle these challenges you can be sure they will be capturing those priceless moments producing high quality artistic images you’ll be cherishing for life.

One of the biggest regrets that brides express after their wedding is skimping on photography services. It is very educational to read all their comments on Wedding Blogs available. So, what is the right budget for Wedding Photography? First and not to be underestimated is  your personal connection with your Photographer and their style. Understanding their craft, skills and passion for what they do you will also help you appreciate the value of your investment. Business Costs, Experience, Style and Popularity are all factors that Photographers consider when pricing their wedding services. A fair budget for Wedding Photography can range between $5,000-10,000 and up. Consider that your Photographer will not only be working on the wedding day but most probably will be involved  months prior the event (engagment session, scouting of location, discussing details over the phone) and in the months afterwards (editing images, designing your wedding album). All these services will make a difference and your wedding images  will be one of the most treasured memories you’ll hang on to. That’s really priceless

Le Colonial, just minutes away from popular Union Square in San Francisco’s downtown district, evokes the ambiance of French colonial Vietnam in a lush, romantic setting. Tropical plants and plush rattan furniture, all accented by the glow of candlelight. Not only Le Colonial is a a popular showcase for authentic French influenced Vietnamese cuisine but they gladly host weddings. So, this intimate, retro ambiance was the perfect set for a project I am working on along with my good friend Esther Andrews from Newman Media: we are preparing a Fusion Movie, the newest trend that combines video and photographs…  stay tuned for our demo sample in the next few weeks. For now, enjoy these stills I captured of Deborah and Olivier, whom I thank for their continuous graciousness. Unfortunately the rain didn’t allow us to enjoy the great lighting and settings of Le Colonial inner courtyard but I plan to go back there on a sunny day, just to have brunch in that spectacular oasis of plants and mosaic tiles Ikey and Le Colonial Management were just fantastic with us, thank you so much for all your help. And last but not least, thank you to Dilys Brighty-Schmidt of Fabulous Weddings and Events for her special touch!