Kathy: Do you always have an assistant with you?

Sara: Absolutely. If at all possible I always try to have a second shooter. Especially if I am Shooting an event with more than 90 people in attendance. And especially for weddings. One reason: I can be with the bride and have my second with the groom, this way we can get images of both of them getting ready. There is often not enough time for me to both. Also, if something were to happen to my gear at a critical point, it is a safety net. Finally, It is great to have someone available to help me set up and test the light when needed. Shelly is a professional helper.As you can see... she has the amazing ability to be at more than one place at a time. It is a real talent. Thank you for all of your help Shelly!   

When I photographed Kate and Russell's Lovers Point Engagement Session I was pretty sure that they were going to have a beautiful wedding. Kate is all about relationships, it was clear by the family and friends that obviously adored her and Russell.

Kate a Russell had a perfect day. They were married on the first tee at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey. Kate was radiant, Russell was beaming. It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to be a part of it. Shelly came along to help me out, as always we had a great time.

We finally arrived in Cinque Terre, despite all of our troubles in getting there. The funny thing is, despite everything that went wrong I couldn't be happier. I was with two of my favorite people in a beautiful place. Life couldn't be better.


We arrived in Corniglia in the morning by train. When we arrived we found a sign notifying us that the bus to the main part of town was not running due to technical difficulties. Of course. However, the people of Italy always seem to come through when the infrastructure fails us. A nice fella saw Jess, Charlie and myself struggling with our huge bags (I need to re-asses my packing style) and decided to give us a lift up the HUGE hill. Thank goodness because the 382 stairs would have been difficult.




We only had one Full day in Cinque Terre and we were determined to make the most of it. We arrived in our room, tossed our bags on the bed and headed out to explore. If you have ever had the chance to visit Cinque Terre, you know that one day is not enough of this beautiful place. I had to learn that the hard way. This is a shot of the trail that meanders between the villages of Cinque Terre. It is a lovely walk if you are up to it.


Just like the rest of Italy it was HOT. Hot and humid. Thankfully Cinque Terre was jellyfish free and we took full advantage of the beautiful water.

Manarola in all it's glory. One of the oldest towns of Cinque Terre, a gem.



Yes, we did get a chance to climb those stairs. All 382 of them. I just figured it was a good way to start working off my pasta belly. I welcomed the pounding of my heart in my chest. Several weeks of vacation can leave one feeling a bit sloth like.



 

After a long day of exploring we came back to the room to relax a bit and get cleaned up for dinner.
 

Little flower in Cinque Terre, Italy

Yes, I am still here. The last week has been super busy so I haven't had time to blog. Even if I did have time I do not have internet at my new place yet so I couldn't. But, the good news is that I signed up at ironworks, an amazing gym in Berkeley. They have internet access, and while I am here blogging I might even try to get in a workout. There is so much I have to write about and I am feeling pretty behind. But, while there is a bit of a hiatus, please let me know if there are any burning questions that I can help you with. I have a few that I still need to get to such as, 'why do you have Tupperware on your flash?'  or 'How do you back up your files?' You have these to look forward to. Also, to come... photos of our new place and of course a backlog of weddings and portrait sessions and more travel photography! Until then, don't give up on me... I am still here.

I was E-flippin-lated when Jess told me that she would be joining us on the Cinque Terre portion of our Italian journey. Jess is my darling friend from Cape Town. She is the frosting on my cup cake. Poor thing, she didn't realize that Charlie and I have a knack for getting stuck. Or maybe she just didn't mind being stuck with us.


This is a shot of Jess and Charlie waiting for a boat that never came. That's right. We were sold tickets on July 9th for a boat that does not even start running until July 30th! Nice. We would have to wait there for three weeks if we wanted to use our tickets. You want to know the best part? The boat was our last option to get to Cinque Terre that day. There was no bus, no train, no taxi... and no boat. When I started suggesting that we look into chartering an airplane Jess decided it would be better to find a hotel for the night and try our luck the next day.