Sveta and Egor got married in the beginning of November at the beautiful Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown SF. Both the ceremony room and the cocktails were on the 30th floor of the hotel which had simply amazing views of downtown SF and Telegraph Hill.

We had tons of time with the bridal party which always helps with getting great shots: everyone relaxes more and has fun! Our first location was the Palace of Fine Arts, where it was a bit challenging to not get numerous visitors and tourists in the shots, but everybody in the bridal party looked so great and happy that the photos came out amazing anyway! Following this location we made a quick stop at the Legion of Honor.

Right after the sunset there was a beautiful ceremony followed by a reception in a nicely decorated ballroom of Crowne Plaza.

Both the floral design and wedding coordination were provided by our favorite Nelya of SF Amazing Events who always does a fantastic job!

Natasha

Recently we had a fantastic time at what’s known to be one of the South Bay’s fanciest shopping malls. Santana Row has so many wonderful backgrounds and alleyways that it was simply a thrill to photograph there. It just so happened that Schayne and Razzak share their initials with the name of this mall and these letters were everywhere - SR :)

To any of our current or future clients, if you’re considering an urban style shoot in the South Bay this mall should definitely be towards the top of your list. With European architecture, beautiful vines, and cozy walkways this mall is pretty amazing for photoshoots.

The connection between Schayne and Razzak is so clear to see that it made it very easy to photograph them. These guys were really able to take the guard down and relax which always results in the most genuine photos. We find that trust is one of the most important elements when photographing people and we’re always seeking to find a connection.

Mike

Things slow down for us a bit towards the holidays and we start working intensely on the design of wedding albums for our clients. I’m very excited because the first of the ready albums has come in! I love being at home and getting the delivery from the album company. I feel like a small kid on Christmas morning every time I open a box with albums. After weeks of selecting the pictures, designing the album, and discussing it, it’s such a pleasure to finally hold the final product of our work in my hands and go slowly through the pages.

The feel of the real pages is so different to me than the flat look of the design on the monitor! Although both Mike and I looove our digital SLR cameras, we both think that the final product is the printed one. It’s great to have all your digital pictures on the computer, but a nice portrait on the wall or a beautiful album on your coffee table is so much more enjoyable.

Anyway, we’re working hard on the rest of the albums so if you haven’t seen your draft yet, please be patient and we’ll get in touch with you soon :)

Here’s a beautiful 10×10 Vision Art book that came in just a few days ago. You can see the album layout slideshow here.

Natasha

We spent last Sunday afternoon walking in Rancho San Antonio with Alex, Mike’s brother, and his little son Ender. Mike and I usually come here to hike during the week when it’s not crowded. This Sunday, however, it was rather unusual to see so many people running, hiking, biking, and walking with their kids. We love hiking in this park because it has incredibly beautiful trails which disappear into the hills and there’s also a great variety of animals. The deer are almost part of the permanent landscape of the park and we’ve also seen bobcats, rabbits and turkeys.

Ender is Mike’s 1.5 years old adorable nephew. Unfortunately, we don’t see him nearly as often enough as we would like to because we’re all so busy! I hope this will change in the upcoming holiday season! :)

On this day, however, Ender was sleepy almost the entire walk. He wasn’t as much in the mood for walking as he was for sitting in the stroller. Only when we came close to the animal farm did he jump out of the stroller and run towards the animals yelling and pointing his fingers. :)

Here are some favorites:

Behind the scenes:

It was a fun afternoon guys! Let’s do it again soon.

Natasha