» location shoot

Lauren’s Trash the Dress session

Maria — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:06:31 +0000

Fresh back from the cleaners, Lauren’s beautiful wedding dress was getting a second outing at Chateau La Joye. Grandpa’s Roadster came along too and we spent a couple of hours inventing a little story of newly weds escaping to the country, picnicking and fooling around.

With Lauren’s love of dance it wasn’t hard to get her feet moving and twirling her dress. This is something we like to ask a bride to do, it makes for a bit of fun and lovely dynamic images.

I really like the result Mark got when he started shooting with a slow shutter speed. When processed in black and white a gorgeous piece of art transpired.

I adore shooting into bright sunlight; it gives everything a dreamy look and the sunflowers I picked up from our local florist Flower Flour in Willow Glen look so gorgeous and romantic.

Every bride should have a Trash the Dress session; what better excuse to spend a little extra carefree time in your beautiful gown?!

Tania and Daniel’s San Francisco engagement shoot

Maria — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:52:37 +0000

It was great to see Tania and Daniel again after meeting them last year while photographing Aline and Todd’s wedding.

We had a wonderful time bombing around San Francisco, taking in the amazing versatility the city has to offer on one of those rare summer days where the sun was out in all its glory. It was a pleasure to capture this couple’s love for one another, so apparent in their interaction with each other on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

We met in Mission Dolores park, along with a thousand other people; Tania and Daniel each carrying a big red balloon! Not wanting to seek attention (ha ha) they joked and shared some intimate moments on a bench with probably one of the best views in the city.

Next stop was a tranquil corner of the Golden Gate Park – not a soul to be seen, just a crazy couple with their balloons!

By the time we reached The Palace of Fine Arts, we were a balloon down, (it escaped to balloon heaven) so we ended the session with romantic shoots amongst a backdrop of grandiose columns and domes and those magnificant green doors.

This lovely couple will be getting married in September at Kohl Mansion, so be sure to check back for a posting on what is going to be an amazing wedding.

Trash the Dress – well not really…!

Mark — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:29:40 +0000

Earlier this year, Fresia, one of our past brides, decided to unwrap her wedding dress from its protective layers of tissue and have a Trash the Dress session!

We travelled to Lake Tahoe, meeting our couple at beautiful Sand Harbor where we spent a couple of hours clambering over huge granite rocks, paddling in gently lapping water, and generally having fun.
Trashed dress? No – it’s safe and clean back in its protective layers… But it did get worn again!

Here are a few of our favorite images from the day…

Boudoir Photography in the Great Outdoors!

Maria — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 03:21:48 +0000

Boudoir photography doesn’t necessarily have to be in a bedroom as the name suggests – it really can take place anywhere!

Recently, tobeadored was featured on Boudoir Photography Network for shooting in the Great Outdoors – a local San Francisco Bay Area shoot – using the gorgeous local evening light. As a couple originating from England, we can really appreciate the beautiful light here in California.

Our client had requested an outdoor session, which turned out perfectly as we captured her in the “golden hour” of the evening. The gorgeous light made her skin absolutely glow – the long grasses were a rippling sea of gold.

We chose a location that was fairly remote (a women in a basque is something you don’t see every day when walking your dog!) and had a mixture of old buildings and interesting backgrounds – perfect for one of the looks our model was looking for – of cowboy hat and boots.

So we suggest not to restrict your boudoir session to the bedroom – welcome the beautiful, flattering evening light and embrace the great outdoors!

Engagement shoot with Jeannie and John

Mark — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:49:15 +0000

We’re so excited Jeannie and John have chosen us to photograph their beach wedding in Santa Cruz – but when they said they wanted engagement pictures with their motorcycles in a graveyard, we were ecstatic! This was definitely going to be a shoot for the “something different” section on our engagement folios page!

Here’s the video from YouTube!

We met them and their gleaming bikes – Beauty and Wraith – and spent a couple of hours capturing moody shots. They may look quite menacing, but they actually spent a lot of the time kissing and canoodling (sorry guys!) – very romantic.

Particularly like the shot where the sun is just catching the angel looking down on them…

After a quick change we chased the sun to Half Moon Bay for sunset – alas, it was cold, windy and gray, but we managed to capture some more romantic moments between them.

Looking forward to being at the beach wedding later this year!

Slideshow from this shoot can be found on YouTube!

Engagement shoot with Sade & Brent

Mark — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:02:36 +0000

This well-traveled couple were visiting from Maryland to see family over the Thanksgiving weekend.
It was a pleasure to meet up with them in Palo Alto. After the bustle of downtown (and the brilliant balloon man!) we escaped to the tranquility of Stanford University for some super romantic shots.
Thanks to Mary Phan, wedding planner of Very Merry Events for setting this up, and thanks to Sade and Brent for being such great fun!

Engagement shoot with Fresia & Brandon

Mark — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:00:22 +0000

Fresia and Brandon took us to the Carmel Coastline and the Carmel Mission for their engagement shoot. We suggested late afternoon to capture the amazing sunset at Carmel Beach. Of course, rarely do things go to plan – we were shrouded in an icy mist!!! But how well the photographs look – ethereal and romantic.

Can’t wait to shoot the wedding of this beautiful couple in November!

Child portraiture shoot in San Francisco – Sammy

Mark — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:58:49 +0000

These are pictures of the gorgeous Sammy from a shoot in San Francisco. Boy was I tired after this shoot! So much energy! I can’t believe I captured her sitting still – most of the shoot was spent running. It’s funny how sometimes a shoot will start with definite image ideas in mind – and even though not one of those came to fruition – we still love these images. My best advice to ‘still’ a toddler – give them a lollypop

Child portraiture shoot – Karen, Cian and Leah

Mark — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:04:20 +0000

This is the lovely Karen, her younger brother Cian, and little sister, Leah. Thanks Ronan and Ikuyo for letting me photograph your delightful (and very active!) children.

Children’s portraiture is a new venture for me, and is certainly hard work!! However, very rewarding and worth the results. Kids are kids, and there’s pretty much no controlling them, especially at this age They are charming and natural in front of the camera, with no heirs and graces, and I’m definitely looking to do more.

Engagement shoot with Antonija & Hrvoje

Mark — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:58:35 +0000

So excited to be shooting Antonija and Hrvo’s wedding in October. Such a joy to work with!
Their engagement shoot took place in super-diverse San Francisco, and the gorgeous Kenwood Inn, Sonoma. We had an excellent session, with Antonija and Hrvo being great fun, no matter what we asked of them! We are truly lucky photographers to have such wonderful clients. Please enjoy our favorite pictures from the session.