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.

Libby & David // A San Francisco City Hall Elopement

I spent the morning with Libby, David and their family. With a baby on the way, Libby and David chose to marry quietly at San Francisco City Hall, and then headed off to lunch.

One of the most beautiful and challenging things about this work is how quickly my clients and I have to warm to each other. Making space for an almost-stranger (with a couple of cameras) on your wedding day isn't the easiest thing in the world to do - it requires opting in to the notion that what you'll have to show for it will be worth the immediate trust you place in my hands and the faith you have in my presence. 

I am especially grateful for the clients who do this even their wedding guest list is tiny. I work hard to read their energy, to make sure that everything I'm doing is in service to not only the photos we're making, but the way the experience their day. 

A fun aside - David took Libby's last name. While the opposite is almost always assumed (less and less these days, but still), when David told the clerks he'd be changing his last name to hers, the whole office all but swooned.

Erika & Breffni // An engagement session in Big Basin & Pescadero

Erika & Breffni are having a restaurant wedding in Oakland in April, so we spent a quiet Sunday afternoon creating an engagement session of epic, opposite proportions.

We started in the redwoods at Big Basin, near Santa Cruz, where Erika & Breffni both went to school and fell in love with hiking and exploring the area. After that we drove out and up the coast towards Pescadero, stopping at Gazos Creek State Beach, across from Highway 1 Brewing Company and, FASCINATINGLY ENOUGH: the coastal geographic center of California. Like, legit the mid point of the state!