Northern California Romantic Wedding Photography - Jessica & Benny's Creative Session

Newlyweds, Jessica and Benny, tied the knot in July, 2011. After their wedding at The Palms Pavilion in Chico, CA, we discussed a future Creative Session. Bride and groom romantic portraits are some of my favorite to photograph. Since Chico is so gorgeous during the fall months we decided we would wait until the leaves started to change color. The foliage all over the town turns into golden yellows and oranges. As the summer months left Chico and the fall months hit, we made a date to take photos. In their wedding attire we met on a beautiful, slightly rainy, afternoon. The rain made the ground glisten and all the colors exploded. The fall colors really set the mood for some romantic, after wedding photos of Jessica and Benny.


As always I have a blast photographing this couple. They are both so photogenic and are excited to have photos taken. Thank you both for putting your wedding attire back on, handling the rain like champs and meeting me for this Creative Session. Here are some of my favorite romantic portraits of the two of you!

Denelle & Chris's Engagement Session- Truckee, CA Engagement Photography

During the last visit to Truckee I had an engagement session planned with fellow Truckee High School Graduates, Denelle and Chris. One amazing thing about being from a a small town is everyone has known each other for a very long time. But Denelle and Chris have something more special in common then just being from Truckee. They are the classic story of "the girl/boy next-door." Growing up as neighbors on Donner Lake, it wasn't until after High School that they started dating. You can really see the love for each other that they found. You can also see the love they have for the town they live in.

Since both Denelle and Chris are Truckee locals and their families are long time locals, the locations of their engagement session were easy to decide on and they knew they wanted their two dogs to be in the photos. Downtown Truckee was where we started out taking photos. The Bar of America was a perfect location for some fun photos of the dogs outside the bar and the couple drinking a beer inside. We spent some time on the Railroad Tracks and behind the shops but decided we needed to rush to our second location before sunset. Rainbow Bridge on the West Side of Truckee would be the first to lose sunlight during the winter and when that happens, it gets cold. We made it up to the scenic overlook with enough time for some fun photos on the bridge with Donner Lake in the background.

I had so much fun on this engagement photo session. Not only did I get to take engagement pictures in beautiful Truckee, but I also got to catch up with some old friends. Thank you Denelle and Chris for the amazing session. Congratulations on your engagement and I can not wait to capture your special wedding day!

1st Birthday Portrait Session - Happy Birthday to Maleigha!

Ever since I took maternity photos with my wedding clients, Ashley and Andy, I have been so excited to schedule their first family portrait session. As things worked out, we ended up getting together in time to celebrate their daughter, Maleigha's, 1st birthday and decided to use that as the theme. I had a friend make a giant cupcake with extra frosting - this would be Maleigha's first super sweet treats - and she obviously enjoyed it.

Thanks, Ashley and Andy, for the fun portrait session. Happy Birthday to Maleigha!! Here are some teaser photos from the session.

Truckee CA. Family Portrait Photography- Ian and Kristina's Family Portrait Session

When a long-time friend from Truckee, Ian, contacted me and said he was interested in a family portrait session, I was super excited! After speaking with Ian several times we finally decided to do the photo shoot in the sheep herders camp in Russell Valley. I was super excited with the location choice because I had an awesome engagement photo shoot there earlier this year. We had such a great time with Ian, his girlfriend, Kristina, and their beautiful daughter, Mackena.

Thanks again Ian and Kristina for the family portrait session...I had such a blast photographing this beautiful family. Here are some of my favorite images from the session:

Bartel Family Portrait Session- Destination, Truckee CA.

I love taking pictures of this family! When Kathy heard about my plans to stay up in Truckee to photograph families, couples, and brides who wanted their pictures in the Truckee area, she was all over the idea. Kathy, her husband, their two kids and their golden retriever made the drive from Chico to Truckee for a family portrait session. I was super excited for my Chico recruits! Because we were in my old neighborhood the location was totally up to me, and I knew the perfect location for this family portrait session.

Kathy and her family stayed the night in Truckee and met up with me first thing Saturday morning. Even for a mountain girl like me, I must admit it was cold! We grabbed our ear warmers and gloves and headed to where I thought would be a perfect location for family photos - one of my favorite places - Klondike Meadow. We spent some time shooting in the meadow, and around the bare aspen trees, plus we found a perfect patch of snow to really show that the family had made it to the mountains for their family portrait session. After running around and taking as many pictures as we could, we loaded back up into our cars. I had one more location in mind - the rickety old bridge that crosses the Truckee River, at the Boca Reservoir exit off of I-80.

Thank you to my Chico recruits, The Bartel Family, for making the trip to one of the most gorgeous places in Northern California - Truckee. I love so many of your portraits, but here are a few of my favorites.