From Inspiration To Reality shoot for Style Me Pretty

I have been so excited to share these photos!! Jess Flood Events, along with an amazing team of vendors, created this gorgeous wedding photo shoot for Style Me Pretty's "Inspiration to Reality" feature. All I had to do was show up and shoot it! Well, okay, at the end of the day I could barely see straight and pretty much collapsed into a hot bath and bed - but it was the best kind of workout I could imagine. Jess and her team took care of everything, and I had a blast photographing our beautiful models Giselle and Clay together at this gorgeous ranch.





Our Inspiration was this beautiful board - subdued but beautiful colors, cool wintry light, feminine but not cloying shapes - and the birds!









Check out the feature on the SMP Blog:
Part One

Part Two

Part Three





My favorite part about our shoot is the way it captured something really essential and true about my style without me fully spelling it out or defining it beforehand... that is the best part about working with vendors that you love! I feel like Jess really "got" my work completely, set up this wonderful shoot, and then just let me play and have at it. I had a pretty clear idea about what I wanted to shoot, and we did lots of planning and talking beforehand - but it also just felt so natural once I got there to shoot the way I do, and to discover things as we went, that I didn't have to stop to think about it at all. In that sense, it felt like a real wedding, where I just dive in and go with the flow and think on my feet. Much, much more fun than a studio shoot, in my opinion!

I'll be showcasing some more of the photos here on my blog next week, so check back for more.

We had an amazing team of vendors there - here is where credit is due!

Design, Veil, Bridesmaids' Headpieces and Florals by Jess Flood Event Design
the venue is an amazing, 255 acre Private Ranch (with vineyards, river front locations and guest houses, a pond, dove cote, and a ton of other stuff we'd need at least a week to photograph!) in Healdsburg, CA (contact Jess Flood for booking details)
Cake by Fleur DeLisa
Invitations and Paper Goods from notion : creative
Menswear by Molly Rodgers
Wedding Dress, Bridesmaids' Dresses, and Shoes from Flair Bridesmaid
Fur and Jewelry are from Hot Couture Vintage
Linens by La Tavola
Rentals from Classic Party Rentals
Bridal Hair and Makeup by Cecilia at Elle Lui Salon in Santa Rosa
Groom’s Hair by Nevuah at Elle Lui Salon in Santa Rosa

Dennise, Maternity Portraits

Dennise was a beautiful pregnant woman - serene but stunning. We did a maternity boudoir shoot at her gorgeous SF home in November.











Fabulous views!!





These are some absolute favorites:















Dennise was accomodating in letting me play around with this cool textile hanging in the baby's room, and I like how they turned out:

Michelle and Nathan on the Sweetest Occasion

Michelle and Nathan's beautiful 10 year anniversary party was featured on the Sweetest Occasion blog. It was a lovely party to be a guest at, and I am so glad that Michelle and Nathan are getting recognition for the beautiful event. Half of these photos are Michelle's, she is a wonderful photographer and great friend.

Some of my shots:



And some of Michelle's:

Sarah and Rick on Ruffled Blog

Sarah and Rick's beautiful wedding has been featured in two colorful spreads on the lovely Ruffled blog!












Here is Part One

and

Part Two

I love this wedding so much! And could use some of that color and sunshine on this gray, storm-soaked day.

More babies, pregnant mamas, summertime photos and pretty weddings coming soon! Hope everyone is staying dry.

Engagement Portrait Contest Update, and some favorites

I've been getting some WONDERFUL entries for my 2010 Engagement Giveaway Contest, thank you everyone! Since it's already going to be really tough to choose, I've decided to extend the contest by another week. I guess I'm a glutton for tons of good ideas :). So, the winning entry will now be chosen next Friday 1/22, and I think I will keep the details off the blog until I can shoot and share the images (but don't worry, I'll email everyone who has entered either way).

So, email me your shoot idea in the next week to be considered! And, if you're interested in a different kind of shoot, you can still book a Mini Portrait Session for just a few more weeks!

One more piece of business - if you're hoping to get your album design finished (or started) before my maternity leave, I'll need your final selection of images and order details asap! I'm going to be pretty strict about the March 1st deadline for all completed album designs, and they're starting to stack up, so be sure to get in touch right away so we can finalize all albums or any other products.

Finally, here is a recap of some of my favorite engagement portraits from 2009:

Austin and Emily


Henry and Isby


Mo and Kent


Alyssa and Brian


Can't wait to see what the new shoot will bring!

I'm off for the long weekend to do some nesting and attempt some baby clothing sewing... Next week there will be more baby fever photos, I'll announce the contest winner, and will share something fabulous! :)

Happy weekend.