Our longtime friends Ryella & Jeff welcomed their first baby into the world on April 9. Baby Ryanna wieghed in at a healthy 7lbs, 12 ounces, and she’s been doing just great. Kristie and I were super excited to visit them in the hospital up in Orange County a few days later, as they were just hours away from taking her home. I remember the feelings I had when they put my daughter Ruby into my arms and I had to put her in a car seat for the first time - it’s a momentous feeling mixed with elation, frayed nerves, and a million questions, all at once. We kind of knew what they were going through that day, wondering what it would be like to just be home.
Of course, I seldom travel anywhere without a camera, so I took a few shots for posterity. I know all babies are supposed to be cute, but some are definitely cuter than others….oh, and the smell of her little head! Why do babies have such an amazing scent to their hair? Ryanna’s fingers and toes will never be as tiny as they are now, so I was glad to be able to capture these images for Ryella and Jeff.
Baby feet! Babies get “Lo-Jack” on their ankles nowadays.
Eryn & Dan were married aboard the Hornblower High Spirits last Saturday, April 5. Eryn & Dan booked me a year in advance so I’d been looking forward to it for quite a while. When my wife Kristie and I got married, we hosted our reception abaord the High Spirits, so it was a treat for me to be back on board for the first time since my own wedding.
Eryn was getting ready with her girls Lena and Rebecca in a tenth floor hotel room, facing the bay, while Dan and his guys Lee and Matt, donned their tuxes in a room in the next hotel over. Excitement about the wedding was buzzing in the air, but there was a strong underlying sense of calm reassurance, the kind that only people who’ve been together a long time can have. Friends and family where all familiar to one another, as Eryn and Dan have been together over 8 years now and everyone has known them as a couple for so long. The cruise went well; the ceremony was thoughtful and sweet, the food was great, and the dancing was about as funky as it gets. Here’s a handful of images from the day.
Eryn and Lena, Her Maid of Honor:
Ed Taylor was kind enough to work with me for the day, and contribute a bunch of shots, including this one of the guys:
Eryn & Dan, the First Look:
“Uhm…Has anyone seen my yacht?”
A Kiss Aboard the Yacht:
From the First Dance:
Getting Funky:
The third time turned out to be the charm for Sarah and Brad’s engagment session in La Jolla. Our first date was rained out, and the next time it looked like “Victory at Sea“ weather, so we decided to punt and see what the next Saturday would bring. It was worth the wait! Windansea looked like a postcard when we met at the stairs by Nautilus St.
I learned a few things on this shoot too. That green algae type stuff that grows on the rocks is slippery. Really, really slippery. I’m officially done wearing hiking sandals to beach sessions! The mud around the stairs is pretty slippery too, but you’d have to ask Brad about that. Despite the small comedy of errors, we actually had a terrific session.
Sarah and Brad will be getting married at the La Jolla Country Club this June and I am psyched to be their photographer.
This is the proper way to get down to the sand. I went the hard way!
By special request….
Last October I was taking pictures of fire coming over the hills at 5:00 am, and now on Valentines day I’m seeing Snow at 5:00 pm. I don’t remember every seeing snow this low on the mountains before, so I thought it would fun to share a snapshot. (Okay, Denver has mountains, these are more like hills) This is just the view from our back yard. 
