It is nice to have clients that really value your work. I have a lot of clients that value me as a photographer, but there are a few that really understand the concept and vision that I’m portraying with my work. I could tell from our first meeting that Pom and Cos were “that” kind of couple, they understood my work and appreciated it. So needless to say, I was stoked to be their wedding photographer.
Pom is a lot of fun and has such an ease about her that I like to photograph. I’m glad she brought some balloons along for the shoot because I’ve been on a prop drought lately. She definitely has an eye for style and I can’t wait to see the awesome wedding gown she’ll be wearing in October. Cos is a laid back dude. He is like a lot of my friends, solid and cool. The kind of guy that is going to be there and can be trusted. I really like this guy, but there was one thing that made me like him even more. On their first date, Cos had a Ronald Reagan book sitting on his coffee table. Pom wasn’t too sure about it, but they overcame their political differences to make it work. I thought it was pretty awesome because I love Reagan and I like the fact that despite having differences, they’ve chosen to spend the rest of their lives together.
So we walked around Midtown and Downtown Sacramento snapping frames where we pleased. It was a very enjoyable engagement session and I was honored to spend time with such a cool couple. Here are some of the photographs we made. Enjoy.

These are my personal favorites from the set but I can’t pick one. I want to print one of these, help me choose.

Here is a photo of a cloud that has a bridge in the frame. Enjoy.

I hope the teaser was enough to hold everyone over because this was such a great wedding and there are just so many awesome photos to show from it. Santa Lucia Preserve is just an amazing place to have a wedding, seriously stunning. Carmel Valley is seriously one of the hidden gems of California. So many people just go to Carmel by the Sea and never make it over to the Valley, they’re truly missing out. Santa Lucia Preserve is a private community, but there are some beautiful golf courses, wineries and restaurants in Carmel Valley to visit (not to mention the Robert Talbott outlet). It was so cool to shoot with my friend Becker from Orange County, he’s a huge hero in my life and has helped me immensely in my own business. We had a blast.
Onto some details for all of the wonderful brides who may find something inspiring from this wedding. Meghan is wearing a patterned gown from Monique Lhuillier, shoes from Stuart Weitzman, family heirloom pearls and a gorgeous smile. The Wedding Coach, Sanford Marshall and his crew took care of planning this fabulous event. Sanford is one of the nicest guys and he and his wife simply do things right. I really look forward to working with them again. Loop Event Arts & Interiors took care of the beautiful florals and bouquets that you see. They did a fabulous job and I love Meghan’s color scheme. The bride and groom got ready in separate rooms at the Santa Lucia Preserve’s hacienda, which is beautiful in it’s own right.
Here are a few, well a lot, of images from the day. Feel free to leave some comments below, I like that. Thank you. Enjoy.

The adornment table, guests were able to make their own hairpieces and bouttoniers.

Melissa and Marco have pretty much known each other all of their lives, but their paths didn’t really merge until college. It was one of those moments like, “oh hey, this might work out.” You know, the whole “she’s actually pretty cute after all these years and he’s actually quite the gentleman, so why not.” These two are so perfect for each other and they are totally in love.
Marco has been super involved with the wedding planning (big points for all you guys who step it up like this!) and it was so nice to spend some time with them before their big day coming up in October. We had a great time talking about Cal vs. Stanford, covered bridges and we even covered a bit of history concerning the age old art of chivalry. As I was going through some of these photos I just couldn’t get past the fact at how photogenic these two are. Seriously, they just might be coming to a clothing ad in a magazine soon. Maybe it is Melissa’s smile (totally perfect, like unbelievably perfect, but what else would you expect from a dental hygienist?) or maybe it is Marco’s polished look. Anyhow, we had an awesome time up at Knight’s Ferry outside of Oakdale, CA shooting around. Here are a few of the frames I made.
I included a few frames in both color and black & white. I always have a hard time figuring out which one I like best. What do you guys like best? I really enjoy the feel of black & white, but displaying natural color is cool to. Leave me your thoughts below. Enjoy.

I love America and you should to. This is the greatest nation that has ever been in existence on this planet. I feel so grateful and thankful for the freedom that I have and for the fact that I was born and live in this country. If you live in this country and don’t feel/think the same, America is so awesome that we’ll let you stay, but personally I have no tolerance for you. If you are someone in Washington trying to take an inch of my liberty every time I turn around, I say go live under communism.
The great strength of our nations economy comes from the fact that men and women are free to be creative and rewarded for their hard work. The great might of our military stems from the fact that men and women love our country enough that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of others. The reason we’ve remained free is that we understand the power of freedom. When a man is burdened by so many taxes and tariffs, his creativity and industry is stifled. When a woman despises the conditions that are placed on her to live and learn in a socialist society, she won’t take the time to teach her children the arts and instill values and morals in their lives.
Whether or not you voted for our President, whether you like him or not, I think we need to send a clear message to him and to our Congress. Leave our freedom alone. We are tired of being taxed for sleeping, eating, driving, texting, calling, twittering, and picnicking. We are tired of being regulated where we can live, ski, hike, ride a bike, etc. We are tired of you telling us that we can’t talk on our phones in our cars, what our kids can’t be taught in school, etc. I don’t want to buy an auto company or a bank with my tax dollars, don’t make me. I don’t want government mandated green energy initiatives, I want to create my own and implement my own. We are tired of the infringement of our liberties and being denied our freedoms Mr. President. Mr. Clinton couldn’t do it, Mr. Bush failed, what can you do?
I love the boldness of our country, but it is being stifled. I love the fact that in a tight economy I can build a business and grow prosperously. I just want it to remain the same for my children. I guess I’m a little bit old school but I hope you’ll give some thought to my humble opinion. To cap off the day, here is one of my favorite frames that I shot while in New York City last year. It is the flag that hangs from New York Fire Department Station #9. Big thanks to all of our servicemen at home and abroad, I love you guys and girls and think the world of you. Enjoy.