Our friends’ Anya and Ilya’s exciting wedding took place at the gorgeous Chateau La Joye in Half Moon Bay. This couple had one of the most original spots for their engagement session in the junkyards of East Palo Alto not long ago, and their wedding day was also nothing short of amazing.

We got pretty lucky with the warm weather as it’s often chilly around these parts. The couple decided not to see each other prior to ceremony and the processional was truly a beautiful moment in time. There were four special people holding the Chuppah for the duration of the ceremony and the emotions ranged from laughter to deeper and more sentimental ones.

The reception was held at the same beautiful venue at an outdoor tent which provided a great ambiance throughout the night. There was a desert buffet, dancing, a singing performance and much fun into the night.

At the end of the night Anya and Ilya got a very special gift from their friends.

Congratulations you guys! We were thrilled to be a part of your day.

Mike and Natasha

We’re excited to already be photographing engagement sessions for some of the couples whose weddings are coming up next year. Kelli and Daniel are a super fun couple whose wedding will take place next June.

For our photo session we decided to check out the beach and boardwalk area of Santa Cruz. As luck would have it, we had pretty much the entire beach to ourselves. I guess this area isn’t all that popular on a Tuesday!

We had so much fun shooting away during that magic hour. As the sun started to set we were able to play until we were all satisfied.

Thanks for an awesome time!

Mike

In mid-august we decided to take a few days off for some much needed R&R. Our destination of choice was the absolutely beautiful Yosemite park and the nearby Mono Lake.

Being the photo-lovers that we are, it was only natural we were drawn to the strange mineral formations that can be found at Mono Lake. They say winter time changes this place into a more surreal spectacle, but we found plenty to see and enjoy during our time here.

In the nearby vicinity we were also able to see Bodie State Historic park. This is known to be one of the best preserved gold-mining ghost towns in the US. Residents have moved out over 50 years ago, yet the place looks almost the way did it back then.

It was interesting to check out how people lived seemingly not that long ago, yet it feels like a world apart.

One of the highlights for us on this trip was taking a spontaneous stop on a mountain overpass and witnessing one of the most amazing sunsets we’ve ever seen. It seemed to last and last, with colors changing over and over again throughout the entire sky. It was a humbling moment just to be standing in this sea of red and orange colors wherever we looked.

On the drive back we had one more night which we decided to spend in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. Boy were we glad we stopped by here! This is the one of the largest campsites in the park and it’s located on the east side, close to Mono Lake. It was so peaceful, warm, inviting and beautiful :)

Bears are regular visitors to the campsites in Yosemite and for this reason they have special bear-proof food lockers at each campsite. Food is not to be kept in cars or anywhere but in these containers. Apparently, it’s a common site to see these big creatures having their way with car doors and windows just to get to the good stuff.

We had so much fun during our small trip out to nature! It’s truly a pleasure to get away from our technology-driven worlds once in a while.

Mike and Natasha

A few weeks ago we had a great engagement session on Stanford’s campus with Gerad and Elizabeth. The couple’s wedding is coming up this October and we’ve been looking forward to spending some time together.

This university is an important location for both of them and they had much to share about their experiences there. We made our way around the more popular and also some out-of-the-way spots to get our photos.

Gerad and Elizabeth were referred to us by some of our past couples and we appreciate this chance to get to know them. Thanks for an enjoyable time, friends!

Mike