A couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of photographing Krista and Andy’s wedding. Krista wanted a beautiful spot for the first time they saw each other. She selected Hakone Gardens, a gorgeous Japanese garden in Saratoga. They started the day surrounded by their closest friends, the impeccably manicured grounds and the stunning koi.

We are so excited because we were recently nominated for the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bay List. This is a contest in which select businesses are nominated and then everyone (including you) votes for their favorite. It is such an honor to be listed among San Francisco’s best photographers. We would be thrilled if you would vote for us. You just need to register with a valid email addresa, which takes about 20 seconds. And remember each couple gets two votes!

You can vote for us here:
http://baylist.sfgate.com/allegro-photography/biz/98430

Thank you!

Cara and Nate were such a joy to photograph. They had some ideas of what they wanted but were happy to do whatever we suggested as well. We love this kind of collaboration. It always results in fabulous images and a really fun time.

We are thrilled to announce that we received First Place in the Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Each year the J Weekly offers this contest to showcase those companies that provide excellent quality and service. We are honored to be in the esteemed company of arts organizations like The San Francisco Symphony, The George Krevsky Gallery, and Berkeley Rep. And of course, some of our favorite Bay Area venues are listed as well including The Fairmont, The Oakland Museum of California, and Hakone Gardens.

A huge thank you to all our friends, family and clients who voted for us. We are so grateful for your support. We feel unbelievably lucky!

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of photographing Ariana and Jesse’s engagement shoot. They are a totally fabulous couple who are so cute together. And they have a beautiful big baby girl. Athena is a bloodhound and she definitely follows her nose.

The Chanler at Cliff Walk was the perfect location for Becky and Danny’s Newport destination wedding. It provided an elegant backdrop to their intimate wedding celebration.

It is with great pleasure that I share the second portion of Shosh and Jon’s day. We just couldn’t help ourselves; there are tons of images. Shosh and Jon included so many elements of fun and honored their Jewish culture in so many different ways. And they have such a cool urban aesthetic as seen in the fabulous architecture of their venues. What’s a photographer to do? So sit back and enjoy!

Just a quick reminder the essay contest to win a free bar or bat mitzvah photography package is fast approaching.

Check out all the details.

And be sure to enter by August 15!

Last week we enjoyed a retreat with a group of fabulous photographers, members of the Connecticut PUG; even the name of the retreat is cool- "Annual PUG Rock N’ Roll Retreat." We ventured to a lakehouse in the Berkshires for a little goal setting, photography, and R&R. We made some great new friends and enjoyed the camaraderie of this super talented crew.

My dear friends Liz and Jay got married in San Francisco on leap day. That’s right- February 29, 2008. How cool is that?! Because I couldn’t attend their wedding, we had a private celebration with a little city photo shoot. It was such a blast. We played in and around their apartment. Then we took to the streets of the Mission District. When I envisioned this shoot, I knew two things- murals would be involved and they would spend some time on their bicycles. Here’s a sampling of the fun….

We are really excited to share a few of Shosh and Jon’s wedding images. They had an amazing wedding. It was filled with love, friendship, tradition, warmth and fun. We had a blast getting to know their family and friends. I loved all of the Jewish elements; I felt right at home.

Shosh and Jon are so clearly completely and totally in love. Jon was adorable; he really couldn’t keep his eyes off Shosh. And Shosh exudes a warmth and caring for everyone. On her wedding day she had an extra aura of joy around her and she couldn’t stop smiling. They were such a pleasure to photograph.

The Leonard Family is brilliant! They had an amazing idea. Three generations came together in Western Massachusetts for a family vacation and enjoyed a week at the Blue Heron Farm. While there, they chose to take their family portrait. This works out perfectly- during a reunion vacation, everyone is together and everyone is relaxed. These guys were real troopers, too. Our session happened to be one of the warmest days in New England. Still we had a great time and got some great images. Here are a few of our faves…

What an exciting week it has been! I can’t wait to share more about what we have been up to. But I just got some great news. Two fabulous sites in the blog-o-sphere have featured us.

A huge thank you to Dynamite Weddings! I was really excited to share Kate and James’ wedding with them. And they did a fabulous job highlighting their story- the chemistry, the romance, the joy. You can check it out here.

We also found out that Soul Mating highlighted us under their Top 100 Wedding Planning Blogs. You can find us under the “Advice” section. We are thrilled that our readers are enjoying what we have to say and so excited to be a part of this list which includes some of our favorite blogs — Elizabeth Anne Designs, {Ritzy Bee}, Style Me Pretty, Weddingbee and Southern Wedding Style, and of course a couple of other great photographers, Critsey Rowe and Jessica Claire. What an honor!

Today, I get to share part three (our last installment) of Becky and Danny’s amazing wedding. You may recall parts 1 and 2 took place at the beatiful Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, RI. They had an intimate ceremony and reception there. Still they wanted to be able to celebrate with even more family and friends so on July 4th they hosted a tented BBQ in Preston, Connecticut.

Here’s Becky and Danny in front of her childhood home. Dave had fun playing with this image, hearkening back to the late 1800’s.

We have some really great news. Our friends over at Elizabeth Anne Designs have just posted a great tool for brides, The EAD Library. It has been so great following their blog and now they have an added bonus. Here’s what they had to say about it:

We are incredibly excited to announce our new project, The EAD Library. After months of development and research, we are launching a new resource for brides tomorrow, Tuesday July 22nd. The Library is filled with hundreds of useful links, from photographers to shops to stationers. Our goal is a simple, comprehensive list of vendors. The Library will help every bride, no matter her location, find the vendors and inspiration she needs for a beautiful event.

EAD recently shared William and Laura’s wedding, which we photographed this May. We are really honored to be a part of all they do.

We wanted to share a quick taste of what’s to come for Jon and Shosh. They had an absolutely amazing wedding. Their ceremony was at the Fourth Street Summit Center (run by the Fairmont) and the reception was at the new San Jose City Hall. We had so much fun with this crew and we can’t wait to share all the details.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak. This was during the end of the Horah. They stole this kiss while all their guests danced around them.

You can also check out their engagement photos on our blog here and the slideshow here.

Going through Becky and Danny’s photos has been such a treat. And we are thrilled to share a few more images from their wedding day.

Just in case you are wondering, the broom is a family joke, and we are so glad that Becky’s aunt decorated it and brought it along.

We had a great family shoot with a super fabulous family a couple weeks ago- even their cats are cool.

We have really exciting news! In September, we will be saying “Mazel Tov” to one lucky teenage boy or girl, because someone is going to receive a free photography package for their bar/bat mitzvah. We are having an essay contest to determine who the lucky one will be. The package includes a Rock Star Photo Session, 6 hours of celebration coverage, a Coffee-Table album with 50 of their images, and a Cinematic Slideshow set to their favorite tune.

If you or someone you know is interested, please check our website for all the details. You can read all the info here.

Great news! The anniversary celebration I shot for Lick-Wilmerding High School was published in The San Francisco Chronicle. While shooting, I worked along-side a LWHS parent and fellow photographer, Gene Cohn, in UCSF’s Mission Bay Conference Center. The event was MC-ed by Cynthia Marcucci and included speeches (including one on behalf of Mayor Gavin Newsom), a skit, and a cheer by Coach Eliot Smith.

This fabulous event not only celebrated their esteemed Head of School Al Adams; it also raised $1 million dollars for tuition assistance. That means more great kids get to go to this amazing school. I was thrilled to be a part of it.

You can check out my initial post here or check out all of the pix here.