Thank God for Northern California - Emily and Pablo

it seemed as if God had opened the flood gates of His favor upon the east bay of san francisco, with nothing but greens and purples and golden light pouring down from the skies and dancing up from the earth.

no, i am not exaggerating... it was magical. and no, not like gob-and-the-aztec-tomb-magical, but REAL magic. add to that, two incredibly personal and beautiful people, and the joy of my job as a wedding photographer nearly stopped me in my tracks.

but, you've heard it a million times before. and the answer is, YES, we are truly blessed by our clients. so, for this post i would like to share [and hopefully, emily you don't mind me sharing], the words of our client and our friend, emily.

just days after returning from shooting emily and pablo's engagement in northern california, we received a hand-written thank you note. as if the gift of their friendship weren't enough, emily & pablo's gratefulness is truly touching. i slipped the card out of the envelope and it read:

Dear Carlie & Gabriel,

Thank you both so much for coming up to Nor. Cal. for our pictures... Pablo & I had SO much fun! I was amazed at how fluidly you two operated & worked together. Gabriel, the way you silently scoped out the area, with a big smile on your face, says so much about your passion for what you do... & I loved it every time you said, "killer," because I knew that you were really happy with a picture :) And Carlie, you guided Pablo & I so well! We never felt out of place or awkward and that's all thanks to your direction & placement of our hair, smiles, and poses. Together, you guys are AMAZING! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

You guys ROCKED it!

XOXO,
E&P.

no, emily... YOU guys rocked it!!












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That Oozing Floating Ever-Present Kind of Love - Jodie and Nathan

well, what do you guys do on the weekends? what do you do with your spare time? i continued typing in response to a chain of back-and-forth email as jodie and i really tried to articulate how we might best style her engagement shoot. simply put, jodie & nathan, and carlie & i, were looking for the uniqueness in their story.

and ironically enough, we found jodie & nathan's uniqueness in the simplicity of a cup of coffee. it turns out most saturdays, jodie & nathan follow a special tradition: first coffee, then breakfast, then they ride their bikes.

it's nothing extravagant, thinking of a cup of joe and some scrambled eggs, but isn't that the kind of place where relationship REALLY happens? isn't that the kind of place where story lives?

for jodie & nathan the answer is a resounding YES! love could be found in the way he ordered their drinks. love oozed out of them as they sat in the grass outside the coffee shop. and love floated across the channel as i just sat and watched two people enjoy the simplicity of the afternoon.

i feel like thank you is never enough for the joy our clients bring us. and despite my fear of seeming selfish for my next sentence, i must take this moment to say how much i love my own wife. carlie, i pray that you forgive me for devaluing the simple moments in life. i love you.

and jodie & nathan, thank you for sharing your story with us. you have transformed me in the simplest and most profound way.

enjoy.the.story.









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The Perfect Engagement Shoot - Melanie and Jason

you guys up for it?, i asked through the small sliver-like opening of their driver-side window, rain dancing off our cars in the parking lot.

jason nodded his head in agreement and anticipation with melanie leaning over from the passenger side. i parked my car, grabbed my gear and my umbrella, and we started shooting.

i am always in awe, though not usually until after the fact, of how creative the Master Storyteller can turn an unfortunate change of events, something completely out of my control, into something truly remarkable... and all He asks, is that i lean into it.

though i can't take much of the credit on this one. the day of melanie and jason's engagement shoot, the weather picked up momentum throughout the day, until we found ourselves in the parking lot of the lab, in costa mesa, watching sheets of rain pour down on our shoot location. and it was melanie and jason who saw opportunity to pursue something unique that rainy day. so, with their willingness to get a little wet, their excitement to capture something special, and their confidence in my leadership to guide them, we started shooting...

we found nooks & crannys, shot under trees & umbrellas, through corridors man made & natural... and finally, as it subsided just enough, under the soft rhythm of the rain itself.

the first half of the images below are some of my favorites ever, and not because of the rain... nor because of the setting or the wardrobe... and not because i feel like i am God's gift to photography [because i am definitely not]. these are some of my favorites because melanie and jason are just the kind of people we feel blessed to come across in our work; the kind of people that find themselves no matter the setting.

we can't wait for your big day, and are so thankful we will be there to capture it. oh yeah... and thanks for the sprinkles.

enjoy.the.story.










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Finding a Tree in the OC - Amy and Shayne

the two of them looked overhead, at the canopy of branches that seemed to stretch from one horizon to the other, and chuckled to each other. amy could not have been happier; we had found her "big ol' tree."

in emailing back and forth about wedding plans, amy mentioned that her invitations would have an oak tree motif and she really wanted a woodsy look for her engagement photos. we set the date and location. but, as the day approached, and due to the rain, many of the local parks were closed, including our location for the shoot.

fortunately, for every missed opportunity, one just as great seems to appear.

we had dismissed one of the local wilderness parks, having shot their before, and looking for something unique to offer shayne and amy. but, with the scarcity of open trails, still recovering from the passing storms, we headed for the local park, praying that they might be open...

...and, sure enough, they were. not only were they open, but the winter storms [thanks to the glorious climate here in southern california] had given birth to a blanket of green foliage, sprouting up from the once dry earth, transforming the entire park.

needless to say, amy was thrilled. the following images tell the story. thank you shayne and amy, for the invitation to photograph your wedding, and amy... i am so glad we found you your tree.










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Dingy Driving 101 - Colleen and Jason

carlie graced off the back of "reverence," camera in hand, into the boat, giving me the go-ahead to hit the throttle and pull away towards the horizon as the sun began to fall. i felt a little like james bond, motoring at the edge of the harbor; the chaotic industry of society behind me, and the unrestricted open ocean at the tip of my gaze.

as i began to drift off into my own macho-romantic fantasy, carlie began calling out orders to colleen and jason across the water, and... like a splash of cold water, woke me from my day dream.

although we typically divide the engagements and weddings on our calendar, with carlie & i taking on separate shoots since the restructuring of our studio and brand, carlie & i couldn't pass up this experience together.

colleen and jason had not only invited us to play a role in the telling of their story, by hiring us to photograph their wedding this spring, they also invited us onto their [forgive me, jason if i am wrong on the numbers] 58 foot sailboat named reverence, to shoot their engagement. and what started as a casual portrait shoot on board, quickly turned into a testing practice of my sea-legs and my ability not only to navigate a dingy, but to navigate a dingy as carlie shot from on board that dingy, capturing colleen and jason aboard reverence, from across the aquas gap. i immediately went from james bond, to steven spielberg, using motion to help capture the story of colleen and jason's engagement.

for the tequila, the music, and the company, colleen & jason, carlie & i thank you. we are thrilled to play even a small role during this part of your journey, but even more so, to get to know the two of you.

enjoy.the.story.








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Teachers Pet - Stacy and Kevin

they were there for the sole purpose of checking out other people. but neither of them was interested, in physical appearance; at least, not on the surface. rather, they looked deeper into their subjects... to bones, to ligaments, to muscle tissue. stacy and kevin met in anatomy class.

stacy was the TA. kevin was one of the students. and when stacy found herself quizzing kevin, after mutual friends had talked about setting the two up, it turned from being strictly educational inquisition to a little something more.

now, with that anatomy class 4 years behind them, stacy and kevin pulled two large hand-crafted skateboards out of the back of kevin's truck, and rushed down to the boardwalk to catch the sunset, beach-side on their boards.

since stacy and kevin had found us online, this was my first time connecting with them in person, and i must say the pleasure was all mine. stacy and kevin, thank you... we look forward to fall, and the wonderful responsibility gabriel.ryan.photographers. will play in the telling of your story, as you tie the knot in september.

enjoy.the.story.









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