Out of this world engagement: Linden California Wedding Photography

I've known Jamie since high school. She is one of the most laid back, easy going people I know and her betrothed, Jack, is just as easy going. Despite what the intro photo illustration might imply, we had a very relaxed engagement session out in Jamie's and my hometown of Linden, out among the cherry trees.

I was actually trying to set something else up for this shot but Jack started hamming it up. 

Not much in the way of natural light on the day we shot this. Just a slate gray sky. The addition of some off camera light went a long way.

This is the before if you're interested in seeing where this photo started.

If you get a chance head over to www.youtube.com/definingdave and follow my channel. In the next day or two I'll post up a video on how the UFO shot came together. Also be sure to follow this blog and let me know you were here by leaving a comment. 

Rainy Engagement: Sacramento Wedding Photography

Posted by David
Edited by Melody (I'm hopeless without her)

This shoot reminded us all about how sometimes our own schedules don't coincide with life's. We were first slated to shoot Simone and Michael way back on Super Bowl Sunday. The plan was to meet up in Sacramento on the steps of the capital building and take pictures until someone kicked us off of the premises.*

As I recall, that day was a beautiful one. Bright blue skies, beautiful clouds, and the only hitch had nothing to do with the "big" game, but with a little old lady. My grandmother been taken into the hospital the week before. She'd been released, and then went back in on Saturday. I was told the prognosis wasn't good. There has been one other time in my life when someone I cared about went into the hospital. I was too busy to go in that time, and by the time I saw my grandfather he was unable to respond. It was the last time I saw him, and I vowed I'd never let that happen again.

We added a stop at the hospital to the long list of to do's for the day, and scrambled to load our son into the car and get on the road. When we got to the hospital, my poor Grams was asleep. That's when Melody suggested we reschedule the shoot. Simone and Michael were completely understanding. We went out and had lunch, came back and scared the holy bejesus out of our son when we walked in on her getting a Darth Vader treatment. A steaming oxygen mask covered her face and a vibrating wrap meant to break up the pneumonia shook her around her midsection. Our boy was terrified. He never really warmed up that day, but we came back again and again over the coming weeks, and as my Grams got better and he got less clingy.

Simone and Michael exercised the same patience with a rescheduled shoot date as we had with Aiden. As it turned out, Mother Nature's wild streak this winter sent us rain or dark skies on the next two scheduled shoots. I suggested that we just do it in the rain and after the second rain out, and Simone said, "Let's do it."

And what do you know, that day they forecasted the heaviest part of a downpour right in the middle of the session time. Our plan was to stick to overhangs and anything even remotely dry. Once again our plans were undone, but this time in a good way: the rains stopped. It was cold as all get out, and windy, but there was no rain. (I still owe Mother Nature a couple of trees for that one).

So now, many a month down the road from that original session date, we are pleased to finally share with you this Sacramento engagement session featuring our very patient couple:

Usually I try to choose the strongest frame from a set, but I thought that all three of these caught such unique expressions that they needed to be shared together.

*For those of you not in photography, or even those just starting out, the state of California, as progressive as it is, does not appreciate photographers trying to make a living, well, at least not in public that is. We've been kicked off of the beach before, too (A big thank you to the rangers of Santa Cruz County; so glad you missed the drug dealers we saw the night before, but had plenty of time to send us on our way). 

Next Up: We'll be posting an a beautiful senior from Galt High over on our senior blog tomorrow, then check back here to see an adorable 6-month-old who we photographed in studio. 

If you're not already following this blog we encourage you to do so. It'll help you get to know us a little better, and might also help generate ideas for your own shoot. I mean, you are going to have a session with us, aren't you? ;o)

Marcy and Johnny: Modesto Wedding Photography

Posted by David

The thing that struck me about Marcy and Johnny was how Johnny gushed. Well, okay, he gushed about as much as a grown man can, but still, I count it as gushing. I think his words were something along the lines of, "That's the thing about me and Marcy: we're perfect together."

Admit it, how often do you hear guys talk like that? More importantly, how often do you hear them talk like that at a wedding consult? Heck, how often do you hear them talk at a wedding consult, period? And it wasn't like it was the answer to a question or something. Johnny went out of his way to point it out. To me, that's the beginning of something that's going to last a very long time.

To make it last forever you need another component: teamwork. I don't know if it's because they met while Johnny was playing softball, or what, but these two have "teamwork" down. You can actually see it in their interactions if you pay attention. It's not a "Yes, Ma'am" sort of relationship. They truly work together to find a suitable solution that works for both of them.

I don't mean to go all Doctor Phil on you, but relationships and the work associated with making them succeed and grow is very important to me and Melody. We've seen too many fall apart because someone checked out. It's only when you realize that you're on the same team and that the end goal is "us" that you stand a chance of making it through what life is preparing to dish out. With the united front that these two will present against life, I'm pretty sure that there's nothing that can stand in their way.

Marcy brought along some signs to do a save the date shot. While we got the customary, couple holding signs shot, I wanted to push the envelope a little more. So I broke out the gaffer's tape, found us a stand of trees. Spread us out about forty yards, et voila!

Jill+Al Engagement: Folsom Wedding Photographers

Posted by David

Sometimes it's hard to put into words what one feels when it comes to meeting people. We met Al and Jill last year when we shot Carlos and Megan's wedding out in Sanger. Jill was a part of the wedding party and that night they approached us about being a part of their wedding. That initial reaction, you know, the first impression, was "what a sweet couple." I mean, just look at the pictures, you can tell how sweet they are just by looking at them. But there's something more there, something that's a little difficult to put into words.

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what it was. That's why it has taken so long to get this blog up. I thought of talking about the number of weddings that each of them has been in. How that is proof enough of how much they are cherished by friends, but that, while likely true, wasn't quite it. That was the easy answer, and in the same way we're always trying to push ourselves to get the shots beyond the easy ones, I wanted the answer beyond that one. I thought about our meeting, about how we met, about their connection to Megan. I turned over idea after idea inside of my head, but none of them truly resonated with me.

Then I thought about how sweet Al was when he ran back to the car in the frigid Folsom weather the day of the shoot. I thought about how comfortable they were with each other. How Al didn't play the part of the gentleman, but embodied it. How hands used to doing hard work turned gentle when near Jill. That's when it dawned on me. Jill has found in Al another spirit just as gentle as her own. And that's what I'll be aiming to convey on the day of their wedding.

Housekeeping: Remember, if you're on Facebook, be sure to add us as a friend, and if add yourself to the blog so that you can get all of our latest work. And if you have a high school senior, or know one, be watching for the launch of a second blog completely dedicated to Seniors. 


Speaking of other genres of photography, we're running a Valentine's special on boudoir through the month of February. Be sure to drop us a line if you're interested in getting your special someone the gift that gives back.

Friends and Lovers: Linden, CA wedding Photographer

Posted by David 

Blogs are hard for me to write. It's not because I don't know what to write; it's because I want to write so much. Remember, after Art school I went and got my BA in English, with aspirations of being a writer. I LOVE to write. So when it comes to a post like today's, where the subject matter happens to be close friends, I want to gush. I want to tell you about playing soccer with Greg when we were kids, how adorable we all agreed that Nikki was when he started bringing her around, how Nikki's adorableness can only be eclipsed by her daughter Emi, and how supportive these two have been throughout our growth in photography. But, in the study of creative writing, aside from learning things like 'never start a sentence with a conjunction,' they teach you how to whittle your story down to a core concept beyond what most people see.

Anyone seeing these two interact would immediately say that 'love' is the core concept. You see the way they look at each other and you just know it's there. But love takes on so many forms. It's a broad term that encompasses too much. We need to whittle it down. 

When we got to their house, a beautiful old farmhouse that sits amongst orchards, one that belonged to Greg's grandparents before him, we were greeted at the door by Nikki. She opened the door so gingerly, so quietly that as soon as I saw her face I said, "Is Lucas sleeping?" 

She looked over to the living room where Greg held a nestled newborn to his chest as he rocked in his recliner. "Yeah," she said, apologized about not being ready and headed off to collect more things.

The house was so quiet that even the floorboards stifled complaints. 

I hung out by the stove in front of a whiteboard filled with stars and asked Emi to explain to me what they meant. She told me all about her last reward for doing so well, her eyes alight with wonderment. Her lips puckered with resolution as she ran through the tasks she had to do to get so many stars, all in the span of one breath. 

"What's your next reward?"

She instructed me to wait there while she went on a mission to find out. "Mommy!"

When she returned, she told me that her Aunt and cousin coming over to watch Lucas while we were out was her treat, then ran off to get daddy so that we could go. 

And there it is, the crux of it: Family. 

I respect Greg and Nikki for a lot of things, but the way they honor that one word trumps all else.

Now then, let's look at some engagement pictures.

Greg: "Can you get a picture of that tree?"
David: "Depends on the lens I use. It's a pretty big tree."

Greg is apparently in training for the wedding. 

Loved the tractor off in the distance. Super happy that we were able to work in a farm reference. Love the juxtaposition of the farm boy with the tractor and the city girl with the brick wall. One of my favorite shots.

The shots from the day are a bit out of order, but I wanted to lead up to the last shot we took out at the park. Right after the above shot I asked, "Is there anything that you wanted to do before we head over to the brick building?"

Nikki said that she would really love a shot of them laying down in the grass, shot from above, but that she didn't know how we'd do it since there wasn't anything tall nearby that I could stand on. It leads me to believe that most folks think we bring a ladder with us or that we stage those shots near some structure that you can easily get to the top of. Not so. Nine times out of Ten, I'm actually climbing up into a tree with thousands of dollars worth of equipment all in the name of art. It's one of those secrets I don't mind sharing because either you can climb a tree or you can't.

In this situation the setting worked perfectly. There was only one place that I could be and the base of the tree was so large that there was only one place that the light could be. The Y of the tree as it branched out acted as a gobo for the harshest of light and created a light fall off that mimicked what was happening at their feet. The result is dramatic and rich.

Oh, and the above behind the scenes shot is not actually the position I was in when I took the lower photo. I had to stand in a rather awkward position above them. One foot on a limb to the left the other foot about five or six feet away to the right. I'll let you connect the dots.

Linden, CA Engagement Session. Stay tuned for the wedding, it's just around the corner.