Got Groom?

Following up on the bride portraits session, our original concept was to incorporate this sign – Groom Wanted – into the shoot. While the concept quickly went by the wayside, we did get a few hilarious shots of AK searching for her groom in Golden Gate Park, and more than one available guy seemed interested…

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Thanksgiving

Of all the many blessings of this past year for which I am deeply thankful for; my Uncle David’s home-made apple pie is currently at the top of the list.

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I mean, just look at it….

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We gleefully demolished the remainders of this dessert yesterday, while hanging out on the couch, watching movies, and cuddling with the cats. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, surrounded by people you love.

What are you thankful for this year?

Trip Report – London

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We didn’t spend a lot of time in London on this trip, plus I managed to choose a hotel which was both loud (our next door neighbor came home drunk at 3 am and started drunkenly calling everyone he knew and verbally berating them) and expensive. (Not my fault, but still… made for a rough wake up call.)

We did spend a day doing the most touristy thing we could think of – checking out the Tower of London.

In what’s become a tradition, we started the day with a visit to the Tea House, near Leicester Square, so I could stock up on this russian samovar tea I’ve become hopelessly addicted to. Also located in the square is the half off ticket booth for theater and musical tickets, which you should always stop and investigate. Last time we traveled to London we saw ‘The 39 Steps’, which was brilliant, and ‘Spamalot’ because we are unashamed dorks.

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The best-named pub in all of London. Possibly.

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“Without you, today’s emotions would be the scurf of yesterday’s”

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The title quote is from the film ‘Amelie’, which I felt inspired to watch at three am, the morning after we returned from Paris. Jet lag would not let me sleep any longer.

In the course of investigating the word ‘scurf’, I’m greatly amused that it can be defined as ‘a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin’.  Tres Romantic, no?

Mo’s Awesome Blade Runner Tattoo

Mo has a wicked tribute tat to one of the best films ever made. They’re also a very talented photographer, and one of my many friends brave and tough enough to be doing the AIDS Lifecycle!

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What’s your favorite sci-fi film? I’m partial to 2001 myself.

Artist credit for the fantastic ink goes to Marc Cano.

Big thanks to the folks at i09 for sharing this entry on their blog, where a few people noticed that the quote isn’t entirely accurate to the film. Mo wrote in with the full story behind the piece, and I decided to post it here by way of explanation –

As the owner of this tattoo, let me explain. I chose not to change the quote to more accurately match the movie because the tattoo isn’t about honoring the movie, it’s about honoring my dad.

My father was a solider in the US Army. He fought in Korea and Vietnam, and as part of the Corps of Engineers he built roads and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Latin America. By the time he retired, he was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Humanitarian Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Air Medal, and two Bronze Stars.

His life was incredible. He saw so much in his lifetime that I can’t even begin to imagine. He was often telling stories, and we were always pressuring him to write them down. He began to write some memories down about 4 years before he died, but didn’t get far. They’re mainly quick sketches that outline adventures. His memoirs are beautiful, but fragmented. I wish he had been able to finish them, or that he had told me the stories in person.

His pages of fragmented memories begin with this paragraph:

“At the end of the movie Blade Runner, the replicant as he is dying, makes this last commentary. It reminds me of the admonition not to go into that dark night gently. The creature from another planet at the very end observed that all these memories will be lost in time like tears in rain. My recollections are those separate from tales told by others easily accepted as true memories. Hopefully, I have been able to make that distinction.”

My dad died on February 2nd, 2009. I had this quote tattooed on my arm 4 days after he died. He had the same tattoo, on the same arm- He got it at age 70 at a small biker shop in Colorado. His artist did it freehand. Although I’ll never be able to hear all of his stories, this tattoo allows me to have him with me always, and to remember how fantastic his life was.

Bride Portraits in Golden Gate Park

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These photos speak for themselves really… My friend AK is an incredible model and actress, who mentioned she had a wedding dress hanging around the house. I suggested a shoot, and we chose an absolutely perfect day in the park to go and have some fun. Our original idea was for her to be holding a sign – ‘Groom Wanted’, but after a while we ditched that in favor of just getting some lovely shots.

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Engagement Session – Cari and Stephane

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I’ve known Cari for a while now, and was absolutely honored that she and Stephane chose me to photograph their wedding.  I like to schedule an engagement session beforehand so that we can get some time before the wedding to work together. We shot this quickly –  just a week before the wedding, at the Berkeley botanical gardens.

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