Thursday, December 18

RE:MIX Retreat and Soul Beautiful Calendar

Check out this video trailer created by Gia that highlights her RE:MIX Retreat Project and the Soul Beautiful Calendar that I'm so proud to be a part of. For just $20 this beautiful calendar will make a difference in someone's life.
Click on the picture to play...

Soulbeautiful.org - RE:MIX foster youth programs
RE:MIX - play.pause.record...soul beautiful trailer. Help us make a difference in the lives of some of the 500,000 children living in our states foster care system. The Soul Beautiful calendar was designed as a fundraiser project to get our programs off the ground. For just $20 you can be a part of our beginning...visit us at www.soulbeautiful.org and order your calendar today...

Wednesday, December 17

A YEAR OF BEING EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE! A fundraising calendar for foster youth programs...

WWW.SOULBEAUTIFUL.ORG

The Calendar is finally here!! I'm so proud of the amazing Gia States for bringing her passion and dream to fruition. Quoting Gia directly will explain the inspiration for this wonderful project and the reason for making it all happen...

"I awoke suddenly and I am NOT a morning person, on February 24th with wild ideas & vivid images whirling around in my head. Something told me I had to create a calendar called, “Soul Beautiful.” Seriously…really? A gorgeous piece of artwork that celebrates the whole woman inside and out, filled with images that capture feminine beauty as well as personality & emotion.

A calendar that’s raw, edgy, artsy, and alive. One that will inspire people to show the world who they really are while generating resources to help others at the same time. The vision was so clear and the purpose was so strong that I knew I had to act on it. Within a few hours I had twelve incredible women on board and one photographer willing to help out. And that was just the beginning…"

Gia will use the funds from the sales of this calendar to help start her Remix Retreats for foster youth.

Mission Statement

The mission of Remix is to empower foster youth to express their voice, take risks, and encourage them to dream in a safe and supportive environment in the magical wilderness of the Truckee, Tahoe area.

Purpose

Children are placed temporarily in foster care due to parental problems, such as abuse, neglect, substance abuse, abandonment, and incarceration. Foster care is not a place for children to grow up : it’s meant to be temporary, but it’s not. Foster children have learned not to expect much and that not much is expected of them. There’s nothing like walking through life feeling alone. At Remix, we’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore.

Once surrounded by the beauty of the High Sierra Mountain range, Remix Retreat students will begin to understand that all of the labels and stigma society has placed on them thus far can be dropped and they can begin to form their own identities with the support and encouragement of committed adults and peers. Remix provides a safe environment for students to be authentically themselves as they participate in 3 weeks of self-exploration activities, wilderness expeditions, and personal growth opportunities.

Please visit the website SOULBEAUTIFUL.ORG to view more about Remix Retreats project and the wonderful women in the calendar. There's a lot of fun information about the models and photographers, including me! I photographed the Cover, January and May. And by the way, I'm also the model for November! The beautiful image was taken by Brian when we were in Bali Indonesia...

Click on this link to order copies for yourself and the perfect holiday gift for your girlfriends Order my calendar I am really honored to be a part of Gia's inspiring vision and am also so proud of being published in my first calendar. Enjoy these images of the photo shoots. We had too much fun.... and all for such a great cause.












Friday, November 7

Becky + Steve's Engagement Session ~ San Francisco


Rebecca and Steve will be married at the Merchants Exchange Building in the beautiful Julia Morgan Ballroom coming soon on January 31st, 09. Enjoy these wonderful images we captured on a gorgeous saturday afternoon in SF. We had a lot of fun photographing them against the backdrop of San Francisco's endless charm. It's obvious they are absolutely smitten with each other and we were so happy to capture all these sweet moments. ...So looking forward to the wedding!

Their slideshow can be viewed by clicking here: Becky and Steve's Engagement Slideshow

And to view the rest of all the images go to Becky and Steve's Pictage site
(just hit your back button to return to the blog)













Monday, September 29

Tamra and Roberto ~ Berkeley Botanical Gardens

The Berkeley Botanical Gardens and Redwood Grove must be one of the most breathtaking ceremony spots I've seen. And what a special ceremony it was! Filled with beauty and wonderful sentiments offered by many of the guests, Tamra and Roberto just basked in the love and support of all their family and friends. Tamra looked effortlessly gorgeous in her grecian style gown and I just couldn't get enough pictures of the two of them. I absolutely loved the flowers that were hand-crafted by Pilar Zuniga (the bridesmaid in yellow) a very talented florist who also designed Tamra's necklace. All the best to you both and thank you for hiring Brian and I to photograph this wonderful day in your lives.

You can register to view their images on Pictage.com when they're released. Click here: Tamra and Roberto's Photos














Monday, September 15

Nisreen & Christian ~ September 5th, San Francisco

It's not every day I get the opportunity to photograph my own brothers wedding! Between my tears and laughter, joy and some serious celebrating, Brian and I managed to capture some wonderful moments. It was a super sweet, emotional and intimate ceremony on Crissy Field with the reception at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, which hands down, has the best views of the bay in the entire city.

Congratulations to the MOST beautiful couple of the century! Nisreen, my new sister-in-law, must be the most gorgeous bride we've ever seen. How lucky I am to put you two on the other side of my lens:-) We're so happy to have you both living back here in SF after five years in South Africa. We look forward to your grand wedding in Cape Town next year!! Enjoy this peek into a wonderful celebration:-) We love you!!

To view the slideshow click here: Nisreen and Christian's beautiful day!!
(make sure the volume is turned up on your computer and note that it plays smoother the second time around)

To register to view the rest of the images on Pictage when they are ready click here. Pictage.com/539615 (Just click on your back arrow to return to the blog.)





my nieces looking more adorable than ever!