SAN DIEGO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG :: SAN DIEGO POTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG: SCHNACK STUDIOS

While I was in Menlo Park for Amanda and Greg’s wedding, I took an early morning stroll for some breakfast.  I spotted these interesting patterns and symmetries on some vacant office buildings along the way.

I headed up to the LBC yesterday to spend some time with my good friends, Pete and Kristen, and photograph their newest addition!  The little man was born back in October and it was such a treat to meet him!

So much for January being the “slow season”…

Last weekend it was Natalie and Dave’s intimate wedding at the MoPA.  This weekend it was Amanda and Greg’s wedding in Menlo Park!

Amanda and Greg were referred to me by Amanda’s cousin and his wife, Jeff and Stephanie, whose Mazatlan wedding I photographed back in October 2008.  Amanda and Greg were gracious enough to fly me up to the Bay Area for the weekend to photograph their wedding.  Amanda and Greg are such a sweet couple–it was so great to work with them and I had a blast meeting their friends and family!

We began shooting at the Stanford Park Hotel, a gorgeous hotel located a stone’s throw from Stanford University.  Since their wedding date is 1/16/2010, I thought it would be fun to do a quick little portrait series on parking spot 116   The ceremony was held at a beautiful church in nearby Portola Valley, which was followed by a reception at an intimate hall in Mountain View.  Enjoy and would love to hear your comments!

On Christmas morning, my wife and I took our daughter on a hike in the hills behind our house.  My wife has been running these hills for the last several months and it’s really reignited her passion for running–in fact, it’s pretty much all she talks about anymore.  That and Anthropologie.  But I digress…

During our hike, the landscape struck me as something that would be a great site on which to photograph portraits.  This past Sunday I had the opportunity to photograph some very good friends of ours, the Marazoni family, and I chose those same hills as the location for the shoot.  I photographed the girls several years ago and in looking at those pictures now, it’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown.  They are one of the sweetest families you’ll ever meet and my family and I are very lucky to have them in our lives.

Happy New Year!  It’s hard to believe 2010 is already here, and after the doldrums that were 2009, the new year couldn’t have arrived sooner.  As my dad says, “onward and upward!”

Work-wise, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to start the year than by photographing Natalie and Dave’s wedding at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.  From the get-go, Natalie and Dave were totally into my wedding photography vision–they dedicated nearly an hour just for portraits.

The afternoon started with a wonderful first-sighting, something I encourage for every bride and groom who choose to see each other before the wedding.  There’s nothing like that first look!  We then strode down the Prado, allowing the beauty of San Diego’s Balboa Park to serve as an element in each image.

Their wedding was in intimate affair, which really fit in well with the clean, symmetrical lines of the main gallery, where the ceremony was held.  Fazal Sheikh’s ‘Beloved Daughters’ exhibition, a beautiful installation of arresting portraits from India, made for an impactful background–the soulful eyes and expressions of unknown subjects watching Natalie and Dave’s every move.  Natalie and Dave chose two simple willow towers as their ceremony arch, opting to let the visually spectacular surroundings take over.

The evening was catered by the always-great Indulge–Flor and her staff served up a delectable meal I’ll never forget.  The reception was punctuated by great dancing in the atrium and a kick-ass photobooth, complete with great props!