These two smart, successful, stylish, and easy-to-talk-to people flew me out to San Francisco to shoot their engagement session on a sunny, 80 degree day. The beaches were packed Orange County style  — a rare site in the area. Stephanie and Don had it all — personal style, ease, chemistry, and an awesome variety of backdrops for the shoot (I especially fell hard for the bright and unique walls all over The Mission). After their session they treated me to some amazing vegan Mexican food at Gracias Madre (I’m still thinking about that meal). I loved hanging out with them both and I cannot wait for their April wedding in Scottsdale, AZ. Should be beautiful.

Stephanie and Don, thank you. Enjoy just a small preview:

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So much love for this wedding and especially for these people. What a great, welcoming, warm, giving, FUN group! As I drove into Dillman’s Bay Resort the fall colors were at their peak and the air was astonishingly warm. The cabins and grounds were bustling with laughter and anticipation … the tent was being readied with antique china, teacups, lace tablecloths, Scrabble namecards, kegs of WI beer, tons of decorations made with DIY love. Every turn of every viewpoint was gorgeous for this outdoor wedding on a Northwoods peninsula. I wanted to wrap everyone and everything up in a little bundle and take them home with me.

While every photographer loves shooting a gorgeous wedding like this one … it’s the people that make or break the day. And these people?? MADE MY DAY!  I’ve never seen a dance party like this dance party. A bluegrass band at a wedding is some sort of brilliant. My favorite memory of any wedding so far will be everyone gathered around Amber and BJ, singing Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel at the top of their collective lungs. Beautiful.

Congrats, Amber and BJ — I just think you two are amazing. Thank you so much for having me there!

I walked out of the cafe right as Leah and Ben rode up on a tandem bicycle. Leah wore red jeans and oxfords and I was smitten on the spot. We spent the session walking around Wicker Park — getting a taste of Leah and Ben’s daily life in Chicago. We talked of The Head and The Heart and Portugal the Man … Free People and Madewell. We crawled through tiny holes in chain link fences and convinced (potentially?) some random kids that Leah and Ben were celebrities. I always think the best sessions take place in an area rather than one spot. To walk all around and get a slice of a couple’s everyday surroundings (as opposed to a generic backdrop seen over and over) is pretty neat and makes for more compelling and authentic storytelling.

It’s five hours before the shoot but I’m racing to Chicago anyway … 73, 75, 80 mph … I refuse to be passed on the interstate. I pretty much arrive everywhere early except one time a year ago when I was an hour late to shoot in Chicago. So now I leave a two hour buffer when I go there — even when there isn’t a marathon/Obama speech/soccer game/concert all on the same day. I make it in just over 2 hours with a couple more to spare. Huh, go figure. Wicker Park is empty but for moms with strollers. Feels weird — this domesticity — in the heart of hipster Chicago. Head into a cafe and order green tea. Comes in the tiniest glass pot ever and I wonder if it’s okay to ask for more hot water after I finish it in 2 sips. I decide not to because maybe it’s not proper tea etiquette and opt instead to stare into space a while. My book is amazing but nothing holds my attention right now. I read more for style/narrative voice than for character or plot. It’s amazing I don’t like poetry considering I don’t care if anything ever happens in a novel — I just want it to read beautifully and lyrically. Maybe it’s my obsession with music; I don’t know. These are the things I think about as I look at the cafe wall for probably an hour. Sometimes it’s good to have an excuse to do nothing at all.

Tomorrow I’ll have either an engagement session or a wedding for you all. Haven’t decided yet :)

I really don’t want to write too much about Jason & Jessica because, well, I sometimes get sappy on my blog … and I have to see these guys all the time. Jason is one of Troy’s closest friends and I used to think Troy and Jessica were dating (back when I just stared longingly at Troy from afar ;)). They were both there the night I sent Troy a drink (and when I then ran away because I’m shy sometimes). Jason is a talented artist and Jessica is a talented writer. It kinda meant a lot to me that they wanted me to photograph them. I like them a bunch and think they are adorable together. Below are just a few of my favorites from our session together. We started at a favorite place, Mickey’s Tavern, and then walked down the bike path to Tenney Park. The best sessions are the ones where we all just walk around a lot and let the moments come about as they will.

PS — Jessica’s amazing red dress was her grandmother’s. Love that.