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Jessica + Justin | Engaged!

06.30.09

We recently shot a pretty kick ass Engagement Session (You’ve just witnessed the first time I’ve cursed on my blog) with an equally kick ass couple (twice!), Jessica + Justin. We shot at Chrissy Field which is a quintessential SF icon. When you combine that background with a couple like these two, I could pretty much walk around firing my camera with my eyes closed and get some pretty spectacular images. :-) I did however keep them open, and I think we were the better for it.

They showed up dressed to kill. Jessica’s red dress, and those shoes stole the show.

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Seriously. Check them out.

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I think its a 3 way tie for my favorite image of the day, and this is one of them.

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This may actually break the tie, I think this is my favorite. Having that background at my disposal doesn’t seem fair to photographers in other parts of the world, and J+J are total naturals.

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Did you know that I can levitate? :-)

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Here’s my other favorite. Doesn’t get much better than that.
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Thanks to Jessica + Justin for the good time and for working their magic in front of the camera, we can’t wait for your wedding at the Cliff House this Fall!

Engaged! | Tags: |||

by Cliff

2 comments

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chelo - The last one is spectacular!! I see a huge beautiful canvas in the making! How could you not put this on a wall??

michele kitagawa - I love love love them. my brother and new sister in law to be look gorgeous! Jess~ glad we picked the red one! nice work Clifford!

Engaged! (sort of) | Caitlin + Sean

06.26.09

I titled this post with a “sort of” because technically Caitlin + Sean are already married. They had a small ceremony back in the Fall so they could be husband + wife even though the timing wasn’t right for the big wedding day celebration. They never forgot their desire to have that big celebration however, and they’re planning the wedding this Fall. We headed to my favorite beach to get some great shots of the two of them, and some with their pup Auggie.

This is Auggie. He has lived a pretty tough life it seems. They got him from a dog rescue center, and he had some health problems, some of which appeared to be human inflicted at one point or another. He’s mostly deaf, partially blind, and an entirely sweet little pup who seemed to enjoy nothing more than having his face in the ocean wind. He’s living the good life now with Caitlin + Sean in his “retirement”.

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I think he was actually modeling for me here.
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I mentioned the wind when talking about Auggie, and was definitely a blustery day out there, but we worked with it and I actually really like some of the motion it lent to some of the images.

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I had them walk along the beach with the occasional display of affection, and all was well…..

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…..until one of those waves snuck up on them! Good times. Caitlin had thought ahead and brought some extra jeans, but poor Sean had wet pants the rest of the session. :) Part of the fun of shooting at the beach I suppose.

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I think this is my favorite shot of the day. Sean has a great profile, and Caitlin’s eyes look amazing! The sweet light doesn’t hurt either.

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We took a little hike away from the beach and up the hill, and we found some great spots, and even a little respite from the wind.

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I love these little succulent plants that grow near the ocean.

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I like this one a lot.

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Thanks Caitlin and Sean for being good sports through the wind and the small dip in the ocean! We had a great time getting to know you, and are looking forward to your wedding this September!

Cliff

Engaged!

by Cliff

1 comment

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Caitlin - Thanks Cliff - they look great! I love them. I can't believe you actually managed to get some where the wind wasn't blowing my hair completely across my face! Sean has such a nice profile, doesn't he? And Auggie looks great! You know, I don't think anyone would guess that he's ten years old. He still has the face of a puppy!

Ha + Sy | Married!

06.23.09

You may remember Ha + Sy from their most excellent engagement session on the Berkeley campus back in the Fall. We also remember them from Tuyet and Duy’s wedding a little over a year ago, where we first met when they were part of the bridal party. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, Tuyet and Duy have a beautiful new child, and it’s Ha + Sy’s turn to be wed. It was a really amazing day. Vietnamese weddings have so much color, tradition, and pride in the faces of the families of the couple. The families are extremely warm and friendly, and always sought to insure we were well fed! It was also a new record for the amount of time we’ve spent on a wedding day (14 hours) and how many images we’d shot (well over 3000). Don’t worry Ha and Sy, you won’t have to go through that many, I’ll narrow it way down. :-) If I’m not mistaken, this is my largest wedding blog post ever as well!

We start with Ha’s preparation for the tea ceremony, where she puts on her beautiful traditional outfit.

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I love this last look in the mirror before heading out:

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Beautiful!

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Sy is prepping for the tea ceremony, but I don’t think that’s tea!

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Some amazing details from the ceremony:

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Some moments during the ceremony:

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Some details from the prep for the church wedding at the beautiful St Joseph’s Cathedral :

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Sy getting prepped using the video guy’s light for a little drama.

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Ha getting into the gown by Sottero & Midgley:

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Sy, you’re a lucky guy! :-)

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Love this shot by Malarie of the flowergirls going down the aisle.

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One of my favorite parts of a big mass ceremony is how the kids pass the time, so I always keep my eyes peeled for them. Seriously, how freaking cute are these kids?

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On to the portraits!

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There were some gorgeous trees in bloom nearby that I couldn’t resist.

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These next couple are from their reception venue, the Corinthian Center. It was a really great classic feeling space.

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I think this one is my favorite.

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Here’s a bunch of details from the reception, it was a pretty awesome space and setup! That super cool cake was from Bijan Bakery. :

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Toast reaction:

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Ha + Sy sang a song to each other on stage, it was great!

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A series from the first dance.

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Bouquet time!

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Fun on the dance floor!

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A parting shot of the venue. I’m digging the spotlight!

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Ha + Sy, thank you so much for choosing us to share this amazing day with you, it’s been a lot of fun getting to know you and your families! We hope you’re enjoying Hawaii!

Cliff

Married! | Tags: |||

by Cliff

7 comments

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vi - stunning photos, cliff! you captured the day BEAUTIFULLY. these are amazing. can't say enough. can't wait to see the rest of them! ~ the bride's sister

Ryann - CLIFF!! Those pics are amazing!! Can you come to So Cal and shot my wedding!!?? It helps that Ha and Sy are stunning people who put on an awesome wedding!!

Cliff - Thanks Vi and Ryann! Ryann, I travel where ever my client pays to take me! :-) I'll send you an email!

ha - even though we're in maui, i told sy that i had to go check out your photos again...and again. i left him in the hotel :) I LOVE how vibrant each photo is and how it captures the moment. we had an amazing time! thank you SO MUCH! <3

Sy - Cliff & Malarie - Thanks so much for capturing all the best moments of our best day.

Cliff - Thanks Ha and Sy!

Tuyet + Duy - Oh my...i just wanna get married AGAIN :) Cliff + Malarie you guys did a great job...like you always do! My favorite is the one Ha is getting ready to toss the bouquet. It could be a Bridal Magazine cover. Love them!!! --Duy+Tuyet--

Published! | Bride’s Cafe Feature

06.18.09

BridesCafe

I’m happy to say that one of my weddings was featured on the fabulous Bride’s Cafe today! Kathy + Matt are famous! :-) You can view the post here, or by clicking on the Bride’s Cafe banner above. The link to my blog post from their wedding is here, and their engagement session is here. (Still one of my all time favs!)

A huge thanks to Kathy + Matt for the fantastic writeup, and to Janie from the Cafe for the feature!

Married!| News | Tags: ||

by Cliff

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Rebecca + Josh | Married!

06.15.09

A couple of weekends ago we documented Rebecca and Josh’s wedding at the beautiful Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley. Before heading over to the venue I met up with them in Tiburon for a little bit of portrait time.

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Love this one, definitely one of my favorites!

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I’m really digging this little series from when Rebecca was going over her vows before the ceremony with her sister. Lots of emotion + fantastic light = happy photographer. :-)

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My wife Malarie has been assisting me at nearly all of my weddings over the past couple of years, and I’ve been teaching her to shoot here and there as well. She’s getting comfortable enough to begin doing some second shooting during times when I don’t need her help with the lighting/logistics, and today she’s making her debut on the blog! The next 2 images are hers, and I think she did a fantastic job. I’d better watch my back!

This one cracked me up for some reason:

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She got this great reaction from Rebecca during the ceremony:

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I snagged this one during the ceremony. I’ll do this kind of shot on occasion, and it’s rare that they come out this clear. Nice little screen on that camera!

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Married!

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The fabulous florals were done by Poppy’s Petalworks. I’ve worked with them before, and their work never disappoints! They do a level of detail that I don’t come across very often. I’d recommend them highly.

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We did some more portraits after the ceremony, gotta love sun flare for a little extra drama!

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Great series from the first dance:

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Couple of cool ring shots!

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The parents dances were alot of fun:

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Josh’s Mom is a total character, so full of life, and she can get down on the dance floor!

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Josh’s brother serenading his pregnant wife during the reception. She seems less than impressed. :-)

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It ended up being quite the party! The guy in front was down to his T-shirt. :-)

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Married! | Tags: |||

by Cliff

6 comments

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otto schulze photographers - you have a fabulous eye!

Manus Chau - Awesome ring shot!

katrina + andrew = sedona bride photographers - gorgeous work cliff! my husband assisted me for a few years and now he second shoots full time and has even shot his own weddings... watch out your wife might start out-shooting you like my husband often does to me! ;) beautiful work! - katrina

Cliff - Thanks Otto, Manus, Katrina, and Andrew!

Josh Birbach - Cliff, we LOVE the pictures so far. We can't wait to see the slide show. We sent the link to some of our friends and the feedback has been great so far. Thanks again! Josh

Jesse Birbach - Cliff, Your photos look like they should be on the cover of a major magazine!! I'm certain the Outdoor Art Club could make an ad campaign out of your photos. Jesse PS. You are correct - my wife is not impressed by my singing.