Last week was amazing. I didn't just photograph Julie and JP's wedding, I photographed BOTH of their weddings. Julie and JP had two beautiful ceremonies, one on Friday and the other on Saturday.
Their first ceremony took place in Shakespeare gardens in Golden Gate Park. It was intimate (only 18 people), sweet and perfect. I met Julie and JP for the first time in San Francisco just a few months ago. I can't believe how quickly they put two weddings together. They were so funny the first time we met, they said what many of my couples say: Sara, we just aren't a mushy sort of couple. Well, I don't think these images are mushy, but they certainly do tell their story.
The flower girl was so cute in her little shoes. Her little voice reminded me of my niece. So cute! She was so excited for her basket of flowers and her important job of laying them before the bride. The little ring bearer was so quick it was a struggle to get a shot of him. He loved the park and I am sure his parents were happy to have a safe, enclosed area for him to play in to his heart's content before the ceremony got underway.
During the procession the flower girl needed a little direction, mom was right there to help her out. I love all of the little moments that make each ceremony unique. There are always things that you don't plan for that turn out just perfect. Julie looked absolutely radiant. Her dress was simple and beautiful. Her hair had one flower, natural and beautiful.
The ceremony took place in the sun dial with all of their closest friends and family surrounding them. I love love love the hand series! Her hands are so beautiful and the light was just perfect.
After the ceremony was over and we were able to get away for a bit, JP and Julie enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife beneath the redwoods. Could they be any more perfect? I don't think so.
My husband travels. A lot. It seems like he spends half of his time with me in California and the other half of his time is spent In Washington DC or New York. We aren't strangers to all of this distance. He is from South Africa after all, so the East Coast of the United States really doesn't seem that far away.
That look, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
And while being apart is a bummer, it also has it's perks. Once in a while I get to travel with him. This time Charlie had to be on the East Coast for two weeks in a row, after the first week that he was away he asked if I could find a way to come over for the weekend. We had some air-miles saved so I jumped on the first redeye flight out of San Francisco. This is the look he gives me when we haven't seen each other in a while. I love it.
New York MOMA, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
So, I found myself in New York not more than 24 hours after chatting to Charlie about visiting him. I was so excited to finally visit New York with temperatures above freezing. Our first stop was the New York Museum of Modern Art. We spent the day wondering the museum and catching up on the last week.
Empire State Building, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
After the MOMA we decided to walk. And walk we did. Charlie and I, we are two very different sort of walkers. First of all, he is a full foot and a bit taller than me. So clearly his stride is enormous compared to mine. Second, he is a destination focused person while I am more about the journey. I am constantly wanting to stop to take photographs, and poor Charlie has to wait for me. Or else I am jogging along beside him shooting as I try to keep up. This is one of those shots that I managed to get mid stride.
Midtown, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
Central Park, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
On Monday I decided to wonder around Central Park. I had never seen it without a thick layer of snow on the ground, so this was a treat. The park was so green and full of families, tourists and New Yorkers trying to get some exercise.
He fills the air, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
As I meandered about I found this man playing the most beautiful music. I sat with him for at least 45 minutes, just listening. He was amazing, the sound that came out of that tunnel cave me goosebumps.
Central Park, photography by Sara Atkins Photography
And that was a little peak at my quick trip to New York. Thanks for looking!
Last weekend my mom and I threw a baby shower for good friends of mine from high school, Amanda and Vince. I have always adored these two so it was an honor to be able to finally do something nice for them. It was a beautiful day, and probably one of the hottest that I can remember in Prunedale. Unfortunately, I was so busy playing hostess that I didn't manage to take as many photos as I would have liked. I will be doing Amanda's maternity portraits within the next month, so keep an eye out for those. She has such a cute belly!
Darci's little rascal, Parker was there. I think our conversation went something like, Sara: Hey Parker, how are you doing munchkin? Parker: good. Sara: Do you want to give me a big smile. Parker: no. Darci and I also went to high school together. She is so much fun to have around. She is so sweet to always come to the events at my parents place despite the fact that she has her hands full with two little ones.
This was a non-gender biased baby shower. So, we did have the fellas there. We decided to have a little competition between mom-to-be and dad-to-be to see who could guess the baby food. Nothing like pureed lamb to get your appetite going.
My friend Jen was also there. She is one of my oldest friends from Prunedale. We were pretty inseparable when we were little. We were in 3rd grade together and I remember endless summer days playing in the tree house in our back yard and on the swings. Playing tag in the playground and sleep overs as often as we could get away with it. She recently moved back to the Bay area... hopefully we will be able to reconnect.
Since we had the guys, we figured we would have a beer drinking contest. The catch: they had to use a baby bottle. This was such a crack up. And they were all so serious about it. My dad ended up finishing first, but they are all winners in my eyes. Hehe.
Amanda and VInce, you two are going to be amazing parents! I cant wait to meet your munchkin!
Last week I had the opportunity to work with the amazing Julie Cheshire once again. It was short and sweet and really fun!
The wedding took place at the San Francisco City Hall, and was officiated by San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom. I have done a few weddings a the City Hall, but never in the middle of the week and never with Gavin Newsom as the officiant. It was a beautiful day and Allison and Aaron were so obviously in love that it made for a perfect event.
Before the ceremony Allison was working out the details of the nuptials while Aaron took a moment to soak it all in. Allison and Aaron were so cute. They have been together since the first week Allison moved to San Francisco over ten years ago. Clearly they are a perfect match.
Finally the ceremony commenced. Allison and Aaron, with their entourage of 14 of their closest friends and family, made their way into the Mayor's office.
Allison and Aaron, congratulations. You are a beautiful couple and I am sure you will have a wonderful life together. Julie, thank you for including me in the day!
A bit of spontaneity has left me a bit behind in my blogging. My husband has been traveling quite a bit and we decided that it would be a good idea for me to take advantage of his air miles and join him in New York for a few days. It was a great trip, I will probably blog a few images from that next week. Thank you for those of you that missed me (smile). I am back now and have a heap of blogging to get caught up on.
Crisp, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
It is apple season and time for delicious apple recipes! These are a few shots from an apple crisp recipe that I borrowed from one of my favorite recipe sites, Simply Recipes.
Apples, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Apple Crisp, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
INGREDIENTS
- 7 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss to combine.
2 Layer sliced apples in a 9 x 12-inch (or approximately the same size) baking pan.
3 Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples.
4 Bake 45 minutes or until topping looks crunchy and apples are tender.
Serves 8. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Goddddddd....... snaps are awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...... and slide is amazingggggggggggggggggg......
I never saw such snaps of people I know. I saw such king of snaps only in magazine and movies.
This is kind of wonderful :)))
I liked it sooooo much.
(11.30.09)Hey Sara, RDX is also me. I was searching for the same snaps. I showed it to all ma friends. Picture quality and concepts are really awesome. I also like photography but the way u are doing is just way too amazing. I think to reach to this level I will have to work out for at least 24 hours a day :)
Thanks.
(02.16.10)Hello Ravi, thank you so much! I really appreciate your comments!
(02.16.10)