Outstanding in the Field // Chef Ryan McIlwraith at Jenner Headlands

This high and wild dinner was created by Outstanding in the Field, featuring Chef Ryan McIlwraith of the Absinthe Group. Way up above the coast in the Jenner Headlands, partnered with Markegard Family, Ryan drew his inspiration from Bellota, a Spanish restaurant in SoMa where he is the Executive Chef. The meal included paella, honey and cheese, spiced raisins and greens and quite literally some of the most beautiful passed appetizers I've ever seen. Pour over the photos below, and then make a reservation for dinner at Bellota. 

I'm a California documentary wedding photographer, first and foremost, but the food culture of California is a passion of mine. I love photographing thoughtful and sustainable dinners and events, and especially love when clients combine their love of food, of gathering friends and family over a meal and fold this focus into their wedding day. 

Use this dinner as inspiration for your wedding (and then call me!).

Outstanding in the Field // Chef John McCarthy at Beekman 1802

While I spent most of my time photographing weddings in California, I also work in the food space with chefs, producers and purveyors. One of my favorite events to photograph is Outstanding in the Field - a longtime roving dinner party hosted by Jim Denevan and his traveling team.  

I spent a summer afternoon with Outstanding in the Field, Chef John McCarthy, and the Beekman Boys themselves on the farm of Beekman 1802 in Sharon Springs, New York. Jim mowed a line in the rolling hills of the Beekman farm and set a table for 150. Chef prepared a beautiful dinner featuring Beekman goat cheese and other local goods.

Marcia & Sarah // An Oakland Engagement Session Over Waffles

Marcia & Sarah reached out to me in early spring of last year. They were planning a trip from Singapore to California - first to San Francisco where Marcia would show Sarah the life she once lived as a student in SF, and then down to LA where they would start to plan their intimate weekday wedding, scheduled for March 1, 2018.

Legal marriage isn't an option, yet, for Marcia & Sarah back home in Singapore, so they wanted to be married somewhere where they could be celebrated and legally recognized. Choosing a city with a vibrant restaurant scene was their second priority (because a week of eating well is this TV chef & filmmaker duo's idea of heaven), and the reason they landed in Los Angeles for their destination wedding.

But they wanted to have an engagement session in Oakland, where Marcia had spent years exploring as a student and small business owner (she sold her own kaya, which she started making for herself in the throws of homesickness - she was missing her own food). We connected with Nora, the owner of Drip Line, one of my favorite cafes in Oakland, and they chowed down on sweet and savory breakfast waffles, all infused with Nora's own Singaporean flavors.

Afterwards, we went to Mountain View Cemetery at the top of Piedmont Ave, which secretly has one of my favorite views in the East Bay.