On a very typical San Francisco summer day, which means very cold (!), I spent some time with Kristin and Brian.  After rocking this engagement shoot, I just can’t wait for their wedding, and the great thing is that I won’t have too wait for long at all. They are getting married this Friday! Kristin wanted some glamorous pics so I was quite happy to oblige since I am having so much fun with dramatic poses lately. Kristin was also so brave to face the winter-like temperatures in her sexy outfits. Brian was just so easy going making her girl happy. Our first stop was De Young Museum, which was closed on a Monday, and that worked quite well for us as the area all for ourselves.

Yes, yes, using filters again.. but with this ‘rad’ wall it’s just way too tempting…

Next we thought the weather at the Embarcadero was going to be warmer, but the clouds followed…

Stay tuned next week for Kristin and Brian’s wedding favorites!

San Francisco is an incredible set for engagement photography. So many interesting, colorful neighborhoods. Another plus was the perfect weather last week at the Mission where we started Allison and Brian engagement photo shoot.

This is one of the many Brian’s tattoos, I found it the ideal spot to showcase Allison’s engagement ring

Crazy San Francisco weather… just a few miles north and we found ourselves in windy Presidio, but my newly discovered little forest gave us a wind free, romantic background and Allison and Brian could relax and dive in some cuddles.

We also took the time for a nice hike to a quiet rocky beach near the Cliff House..

And an almost mandatory visit to the tops of Potrero Hill for a view of the city.

Cute pose this one…Allison tells me this is how she approached Brian when they first met! It is so important to make the shoot as personal as possible, never be afraid of telling your photographer what you like, who you are…It makes me think of that recurring phrase on the movie “You’ve got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (it’s not personal, it’s business).. well, for us photographers is the exact opposite, we need to make it a personal thing to make sure we do our job the best we can.

Last week I spent a few hours with steamy Rita and Destah, getting to know them a little before their September wedding. Our first stop was at the Cliff house. Destah has memories of his grandma showing him and picture of the Cliff House before it burned down, I have to say much nicer then the one built in its place… this is what it looked like from a magnet at the Cliff House Store.

Leaving the Ocean we quickly stop at the Palace of Fine Arts… I had brought my fish-eye lense to have fun with some architectural shots but the access was forbidden due to some maintenance work, so we had to remain on the front lawn, things got quite romantic though, I was happy nonetheless!

Rita and Destah love for jazz inspired me to find a theme for their San Francisco Engagement pictures. So I took them to the Blues Evolution Mural.

And to close our evening, we found a table at Biscuits and Blues, a Jazz Cafe’ on Mason Street.

Brace yourselves for a looong post! I have enjoyed this shoot so much. Not only it was my first combined engagement/maternity session (two of my favorite subjects!) but also it took place in a brand new location which always gives me a thrill! I found this ‘forest’ driving through the Presidio on my way to Golden Gate Park where I was supposed to meet Lindsay and Lukas, so we quickly drove back since GG park was way too crowded for a relaxing shoot.

Lighting was at times challenging on this location as the sun was peaking through the beautiful trees, so I had to place the patient Lindsay and Lukas on strips of shade, although sometimes you do like the backlight that the sun can create on the hair and clothes… I also brought with me my newest LenseBaby, here are my favorite shots with it!

After the quiet scene in the Presidio we reached the more crowded Baker Beach, the sun was still a bit high and the light very contrasty, so I created a softer effect using a few vintage filters, I quite like the ‘old photo’ feeling of these portraits of Lindsay, who looked like a beautiful mermaid in her white outfit.

And finally, it was such a pleasure to spend time with Lindsay and Lukas, very sweet and easy going people. I look forward to their August wedding and can’t wait to meet their first born very soon!

Good to be back blogging from the Bay Area! I had another amazing trip to Italy but I am glad I made it through the volcano! This time around I was very excited to meet with Noemie and Ernesto again, for their Engagement Photography Portrait in glamorous Milan! I can’t wait for their late August wedding at Lake Maggiore…

Engagement sessions are not a common practice among Italian photographers, but I think it’s such a great occasion to connect with your wedding photographer, I love to spend time with the couple before the wedding, getting to know them and what they are comfortable with in front of my camera. In our profession, you need to get a bit personal to capture people’s  essence… I adored Noemie at first sight when we met at my recent Lugano Trade Show, and Ernesto is so loving towards her, it’s such a pleasure to be around so much love, they make a sweet and handsome pair! Here we are in the streets of Brera, in the heart of Milan, where we also stopped for a quick and yummy panino in a Piazzetta where no traffic could reach us. In the same streets we took a few photos with my friend’s Vespa Piaggio, who drove a few miles to meet us downtown, thank you Massimo!

Here we are in the heart of Fashion Capital… strolling on Via Della Spiga, so crowded on a Saturday afternoon we could hardly find a little spot for our photos…

Castello Sforzesco was another of our destinations…

I want to thank Noemie and Ernesto for driving a few hours to meet me in Milan since they live near Bern, Switzerland. The weather has been a bit shaky in Italy in April, but we had luck and enjoyed an especially warm and fun afternoon… see you soon guys!

Make your Wedding Guest Book a memorable one with your engagement photos! I personally design these affordable precious little books (size is 8×10 inches) which capture the special moments of your E-session with some blank pages for your Wedding Guest Signatures. Here’s just an example of the pages layout we can create.

Not all the pages need to contain blank spaces for the Guest Signatures… You can show off all the fun you had during your E-session

Rain is supposed to bring good luck to a bride, these are words from an italian proverb. Rain definitely brought good luck to Patricia and Chris Engagement session! In between breaks, the air wasn’t so chilly as the previous days, and the clouds gave us wonderful natural light to work with. I also found this little road inside the Stanford Campus that reminded me of New York Central Park, and it was perfect since my lovely client Patricia, reminds me of Sarah Jessica Parker, for her style and glamorous appearance. And to Patty surprise and mine, her fiance Chris was as comfortable as a pro in front of my camera.

Another skyline will be the background for Kathy and William’s wedding next June 2010. They are both from the East Coast but currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sweet, sweet couple!

Blogging from Milan, Italy this time. It’s been raining for three straight days but I am having a blast nonetheless in my old dear Milan. Something to look forward on my return to California is
Melanie and Ben’s wedding on October 10th. Just few days before I left for this European trip, we met for their engagement session. As they are super NFL fans (and so it happens Melanie is
a Raiders’ fan and Ben loves the 49ers) we decided that to best represent them would be to wear their favorite jearsey and play some football at a local park.

We also enjoyed some romantic moments driving up to Potrero Hill in San Francisco. A very popular spot for engagement pictures, the corner of Wisconsin and 20th.

Despite the disappointing turnout of the past election on Prop 8, Michael and Clement will tie the knot in just a few weeks and I’ll be so lucky to photograph their special day. I am really looking forward to it cause I know it’s gonna be a very emotional occasion.. they have been together for many years and it’s just so wonderful  for them to celebrate their love with friends and family. I spent an afternoon with them to make them comfortable around my camera, we strolled the streets of Castro in San Francisco and visited important landmarks, here’s Harvey Milk smiling down at them.

Before the stop in chilly San Francisco, we enjoyed a visit to Fogarty Winery, the colors of nature are just fantastic!