Let the fourth time be a charm for Charles and Ray… They have been together for 16 plus years and on Sept 13th they exchanged their vows for the fourth time…Talk about true love and commitment!

This day was particularly special to them since both their parents were present for the ceremony all traveling from out of State and all their big family was by their side in the enchanted rose garden of the Marin Bocce in San Rafael.

A personal friend ministered the ceremony and their little Jessica couldn’t stop giggling…

After the ceremony it was time for some bocce playing and the delicacies provided by Preferred Sonoma Caterers. The talk of the evening was the cake, that Charles himself prepared for the special occasion.. I couldn’t resist but tasting it… really delicious! With lots of marzipan.. one of my favorite treats!

For more giggles and cake here’s their slideshow… congratulations Charles and Ray!

Last week I had the chance to visit my old Potrero Hill neighborhood, where I lived for a little over a year. Funny enough I never had the chance to shoot there before… I have to say too bad cause there are plenty of interesting spots for urban, colorful photographs… The day of the shoot we drove by this amazing red wall and an old gas station that apparently is still functioning…

Engagement sessions always help the couple get a little more familiar with a few poses which they’ll be comfortable with on their wedding day.. then they’ll know what to do and they won’t feel awkward in front of the camera.

As artists, Amelia and Cory where looking for an edgy location that would represent their personality and their neighborhood offered just the perfect spot! But we also had time for some romance… waters so nearby..

…and what about that amazing skyline Potrero Hill offers? Just in time for the sunset… here are few of my favorite playful and romantic Cory and Amelia moments…

Help me support the LLS on Thursday September 24th! For a small donation of $20 you will be helping the blood cancer research while partying on with mexican food and music. As a sponsor, I will be donating a free portrait sitting and the complete set of images on CD. This is a $650 value that could be yours purchasing one or more raffle tickets at the Vinyl Room in Burlingame! Please help my friend Georgina reach her goal and come party with us!

As I am exploring new territories in photography, I wanted to introduce on my blog, before it will be launched on my website in just a few weeks… Boudoir Photography! This is dedicated to all the women out there…

Celebrate your womanhood! Every woman should feel beautiful and make of an intimate portrait session a lifetime experience. No matter what you body type is, during our consultation we will lengthly discuss your specific needs and customize a style we’ll use to best complement your features. We’ll choose together what’s best to wear and the ideal surroundings for a relaxed and fun session.
Every woman has a reason to capture her beauty and remember it forever… A gift to yourself, for your husband to be on your wedding night, or to celebrate a special anniversary…

We will spend an afternoon at a chosen location (my recommendation would be a chic hotel room or a beautiful house). My boudoir portraiture includes a professional hair and make up artist that will make you feel like a movie star…it’s gonna be a fun and joyous day!

I enjoyed playing around a few filters editing the images of beautiful Valeria. I thought it added a more sophisticated look to the scene. The surroundings are very important to maintain a stylish and classy feel. Since our ‘playground’ was a small apartment in Rome, I decided to focus more on Valeria’s body and diffuse the atmosphere as much as possible with the filters.

For more info on Boudoir Photography, email me or call me. And remember, portrait consultations are always free!

Shannon and Chris are an adorable young couple. I immediately fell in love with them during our wedding consultation. I was so thrilled they were sharing my interest in trying something new for their E-session and they were on board right away when I suggested a night photo session.

We started on the roof on Chris’s office in Potrero Hill that offered a breathtaking skyline and finished up at a Pier near the Farmer’s Market on The Embarcadero.

I wanna thank my colleague and light master (not only!) Gino De Grandis who patiently carried the heavy light equipment and kept us company with his humor and wit. I love working with him and we’ll be collaborating more and more in the future.

When we first met, Chris shared the wonderful, romantic story of how he proposed to Shannon. Something you’d see in a movie… read how it all happened in his homemade video. How can you resist!

Gail and Dennis moved to California about a year ago from Michigan. They are a very friendly young couple and they will be welcoming their first baby very soon…

We shot these photographs one early morning last week. This beach in Half Moon Bay it’s one of my favorite beaches in the Peninsula, by Miramontes Point Road, close to the Ritz Carlton Hotel.. I think it’s the only beach that has an easy access through a comfortable staircase.. the safest spot for moms to be or children.. and me as well, since I am so bad with balance I could easily see myself falling off a cliff…

This bench shot is one of the few posed photos of Liza and Andres, married on August 30th 2008 in the lovely setting of the Piedmont Park in Piedmont, California. They preferred a very candid approach to record their memories of their wedding so they just gave me a couple of minutes after the ceremony for few formal photos and after that I just had plain fun shooting away candids of their guests and a sequence of very emotional photographs during their first dance.

The Piedmont Hall was all dressed up for the occasion by the expert team of Fork and Spoon Productions the masters in catering, flowers and table settings… I simply can’t say enough of their talent in food preparation and presentation… I have worked with them many times and they are a guarantee for success!

I wanna deeply thank the event coordinators, Scott, Morgana and Karris of Scout Design Group for their help and fun energy. Alissa DiMaggio took care of Liza’s beautiful hair do and make up. Dave Tutton was the one man deejay show and so many great dancers joined the dancefloor, among them Andres mom and brother who came all the way from Colombia to celebrate the special day…It was hard to keep still to the latin sound and I couldn’t help but join the dance floor before leaving for the night… Dave doesn’t have a website but still gets a lot of work through word of mouth, you can contact him at davetutton@sbcglobal.net.

To view more images of Liza and Andres wedding watch this special slideshow

Charles and Ray will be renewing their vows for the 4th time on Sept. 13th 2008. I am thrilled to be the only photographer they have hired in all these years they have been together to cover their special day… They chose an Italian theme for their celebration, hence the Italian photographer at the Marin Bocce in San Rafael. Jessica, their daughter, will be carrying the rings… We spent some time together on Labor Day strolling the streets of the Mission and at the colorful playground on 24th street…