Photo: Edyta Szyszlo

Alright brides and really, all ladies…photo + makeup = forever. Don’t ever forget it! Meet Alifa Wong (owner of A La Arte Beauty in San Francisco). She’s my go-to makeup artist, the only one I recommend professionally and personally. Alifa is going to give you the real talk on makeup, and how it relates to your life and wedding. So be on the lookout for more posts of tips, advice and pep talks from her! From Alifa:

Hello everyone! A wedding involves so much planning and so many little details, and as it should, since it is one of the biggest and most important days in a girl’s life. So when it comes to makeup for this special occasion, it should be a detail that is not overlooked. As with everything else that comes along with the wedding plans, hiring your makeup artist will be one of the most important decisions you will make. Don’t be afraid to ask your artist questions- lots of it. Get to know your artist and let her or him get to know you. Makeup is not just about the colors on the outside, it can also bring out beauty and confidence from the inside. (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Whoot it’s Friday! And a rainy one at that. Yesterday, I was featured on Style Me Pretty for one oh-so pretty style shoot! We had such a fun team working their magic to help inspire all engaged couples that their home is where the heart is. When thinking of a theme or style for your wedding, cozy things up with inspirations from you very own home/apartment. I was extra excited that we did an indoor, rockin glam, pretty patterned, vintage mix type of wedding shoot. And this San Francisco venue is HOT (so is the model’s makeup)! Vendors listed at the end! See all the pretty and advice on SMP here and enjoy some more images… (more…)

Photos: Josh Gruetzmacher

Happy Booking Season! It’s here and it’s in full swing. Hiring a wedding photographer can be quite a drag. Websites/blogs until your eyes pop, chatty consultations galore that make your throat sore, contracts, albums, who’s available/who’s not. It’s like being on first dates over and over! So I’m going to make it easy on you and let you get to know me better through my own online personal ad because you already know I take photos… (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Round 2 of baby sessions! Meet Eleanor aka Ellie. She’s only 6 weeks old, and she was ‘made’ by my past wedding clients Brieanne and Brandon, who are now dear friends. Brieanne has been quite taken with the baby world for a while now so we all knew it was coming sooner than later :) Ellie, I give you the gold trophy for being the most expressionistic baby I’ve ever met, hands down!  Yay to your first! This was our Saturday morning with Ellie and her new little family! (Thanks Enjoy Events Co. for the holiday garland that I repurposed!) (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Yay it’s 2012! Hope your holidays were a hoot :) Today, I’m coming at you with a couple of San Francisco baby portrait sessions that I’ve done in the past month or so. for the most part, I only offer these sessions for past wedding clients of mine so when I do have the opportunity to snuggle up with a newish-born I’ll take it :) You might remember Sam’s parents’ wedding here. Sam and his fam cozied up in the best spot of the house…the bed!! Here are some of my favorites from our shoot… (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Part II of some of my favorite photos and stylings from the Dear LC wedding invitation photo shoot I had a couple months ago. An invitation in a box and an array of editorial stationery shots that’ll make you smile as you travel today ;) It’d be awesome to see the country at a fast forward speed bird’s eye view of highways and airports. But let the colors and fun styling props whisk you away to a happy place until you over eat into holiday bliss! Lots of hugs and kisses from me to you this holiday. May it be merry and bright!! xoxo (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Alert! Crazy cute wedding invitations from Dear LC! A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of receiving a humongous box from the east coast full of goodies to style and photograph for Dear LC’s new website and editorial marketing! Wedding invitations with downtown style is Lynn’s tag line, and wow is it spot on ;) The goal was to stay true to the designs, keeping focus on color and simplicity but adding pops of fun. Super happy with how classy yet playful the photos turned out. Here is a part one of some of my favorites. Be sure to check her new site out, it’s quite the happenin’ place to see.   (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

So many good shots to chose from, wish I could show you all of them! I’ve been shooting for Hello!Lucky since June, and we’ve covered a lot of stationery ground. Here are some more favorites from our photo shoots throughout 2011. Be sure to check out their HOT new website, bowchickawowow! (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Greetings from afar! Not really but wow have I been blog m.i.a right? Tis the holiday season, not to mention a very busy wedding season is now over. I’m wayyyyy behind on showcasing some of the fun projects that I’ve had a pleasure photographing this year. So I will do my best to get those all up between now and into the new year. Wow, the new year…CRAZY! This past summer Hello!Lucky and I started dating a bit…and well things hit it off! I’ve been very fortunate to have photographed several hero and detail shots of their social stationery (wedding invitations, save the dates, personal stationery), baby announcements, greeting cards and postcards and last but not least their famous holiday cards. You can see a good chunk of our work together on their brand spankin new website that launched in early November. I’m so fortunate to have our photos featured in their print ads for Real Simple and Anthology magazine along with Design Sponge and several other blogs. Lots more to come from us so watch out ;) Hello!Lucky cheers to you on all big new things. For trusting my prop styling and all in all – being the fantastic creative force that you are. Clink to the HL family of sales, printing, designers…YOU ROCK! Enjoy some of my favorites in this part one… (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo

Warning: soggy yet adorable wedding beat the rain with a ton of cheer!! Sure, we could have let this completely outdoor wedding lose against the rain.  But my oh-so cute couple, Rebecca and David (remember his Whole Foods Parking Lot hilarity?), kept our spirits high with constant jokes, laughter and mucho dancing while internally we were all scrambling ;) I’ll be honest, it was my last wedding of the season, and the rain definitely had me a bit deflated. But no, the lovebirds kept going – game for whatever we could do and let me tell you….this wedding is beyond bright on all levels! A wee-bit bohemian mixed with rustic handmade details tossed with modern flair and finished with an amazing berry and red color palette (and glittery mary-jane flats), you’ll swoon. Not to mention a buffet of Miette cakes! Huge thanks to Silvana, my right-hand photo woman for the day. So here’s a personal shout out to R & D – may we continue the 80s/ 90s rockin hip-hop/r&b playlist with this and this – thank you for being a blast! Enjoy this sneak! (more…)