You will probably recognize the location of this lifestyle shoot…hmmm…remember that awesome couple named Kelly and Ryan? Yeah, we did part of their engagement session there. The place is Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, CA. The Panella Family are the managers and wedding/event coordinators there at the vineyards and Dayna was so kind to ask me to photograph their family after she saw Kelly and Ryan’s photos.
I am simply in love with Oak Farm. It is the embodiment of the pure, rustic nature of an established vineyard. If you’re looking to get married somewhere flashy and “couture” this is probably not the place. If you’re looking to get married somewhere organic, somewhere “real”, somewhere that is relaxed and unbelievable comforting with it’s natural beauty…this is the place! It is so quiet, so serene.
Anyhow, sorry for getting carried away. The Panellas are too cool. We had a blast watching Lilly throw rocks and carry pumpkins around while baby Jacob was just as cool as can be. I’ve been really stoked with the kids I’ve had to photograph in the last month or so, they’ve just been awesome. We were able to get some great images around the estate and then we spent some time talking about family, business, church, etc. Awesome people! Enjoy.

I really wanted to do some awesome family lifestyle photos with a good photographer friend of mine, but our schedules were just pretty ridiculous looking. So, we’re going to have to wait on that. So my wife’s cool sister took a few snaps of our family out on our front lawn and we were actually able to get something for a Christmas card.
So I just wanted to wish everyone a super happy Christmas. Let us not forget the lessons of giving that this holiday is all about. Let us not forget to show love and compassion. Let us not forget to cherish every moment with our families and love them like there’s no tomorrow.
Here are the Shoemakes and Huntley’s new friend Small Paul. Enjoy.

Angela Nelson is a fabulous wedding planner in the Napa Valley. She recently posted a wedding I worked with her at on her blog. Go check it out and take notes on high-end wedding planning. LULU EVENTS.

I had a wonderful opportunity to shoot with Izlas Photography at this wedding in Aptos, CA. It was the middle of November and about 80 degrees in Aptos. Is that crazy or what? I was totally expecting foggy, dull, overcast skies.
The wedding was sweet with lots of great moments and lots of family expressing love toward this couple. The wedding was at Aptos Community Church and the reception at Seascape Country Club.
This was the third time I was able to second shoot this year and I am beginning to realize how important it is to my progression. When you’re the primary shooter, you have a great weight of importance upon you. You definitely want to be fun, happy and create amazing, artistic images but you also realize the importance of the day’s images weighs solely upon you. When second shooting, you don’t interact with the bride and groom as much and you’re pretty free to really mix it up and try some new shots. Very rewarding!
So I said all of that to say this, having a second shooter at your wedding is a great way to add another perspective of images to your day! Enjoy.

Tonight seemed like a great night to just catch up on things and maybe not post a ton of images or anything. Just a blog post to reflect on things and rap with my favorite people in the world, yes, you. So here are a few things that are going on in the life of this photographer:
#1 My website is probably at 55% completion, I’m sooooo stoked and can’t wait to share it with you guys. It is going to be so amazing. Blog followers will get the first view so be patient. The layout is so clean, very contemporary and should be a hit with my audience.
#2 I thought this was supposed to be a slow month. I have 3 shoots this week and a wedding this weekend. However, this weekend’s wedding will be my last of the year! Its kind of a bittersweet feeling, but January 31st will be here soon enough.
#3 Two more weddings booked last week for 2009, I think I lost count of how manyI have for next year. Somewhere around 15-16. Anyhow, even with my prices up, economy down, things are looking spectacular for SAFP 2009.
#4 We bought Huntley a crochet Small Paul monkey. He’s so stoked about it and takes it everywhere. Tonight, it became his pillow in his crib (who knew).
#5 I’m going to be doing a “Local Flavor” post this week about a super cool place in Stockton. It’s brand new, but the furniture and clothing is not. Got a guess?
I look forward to a sweet holiday season and I hope everyone is enjoying time spent with their families. Take care and God Bless.