a few weeks ago a bunch of college friends and i headed to chicago to visit our friend dan at northwestern. despite having been to 49 states, chicago has always eluded me so i was super excited for this trip. :) and the windy city did not disappoint! i loved every minute of it, from the ornate skyscrapers to the tree-lined avenues to the midwestern hospitality. and the food. THE FOOD! four days was entirely too short, and i’m looking forward to another visit. thank you dan :)

chicago deep dish! yes, please. although to tell the truth… it’s just as good, if not better, at tony’s little italy around the corner from my house. :)

the incredible view from our 53rd floor mag mile apartment. absolutely. beautiful.

bleeding heart bakery

it rained for most of our weekend in the city, but i feel like it made chicago all the more beautiful. there’s something about the way the street looks when it’s just rained…

frontera grill! home of top chef master rick bayless.

hot doug’s foie gras hot dog + duck fat fries. decadent and heavenly. at the same time. and worth the 45 minute wait.

i loved the art institute. could have stayed there the whole day if it weren’t for my aching feet by the end of our trip…

and of course, the millennium bean!

(i’m saving photos of the publican for the next post because it’s just that good.)

chicago is definitely one of my new favorite cities. photos soon!

i’ve been holding off on blogging until i posted vicky and jeff’s wedding, and that day is finally here! i have to say that vicky and jeff are very dear to me for a couple reasons–jeff has been a great friend since our days of suffering through high school together, and they entrusted me with the job of shooting their wedding nearly two years ago, even before i knew very much about photography. that kind of faith means a lot to me as a beginning photographer, and i am ever so grateful!

jeff and vicky met at uc berkeley, and it’s clear they have deep allegiances with the school. ;) the ceremony was held at st. john’s presbyterian and the reception down at the berkeley marina, but we opted to shoot portraits on campus first. we lucked out with perfect sunshine amidst a week of rain, which topped off vicky and jeff’s perfect day.

(BIG thank you to alex and tim for shooting with me!)

loved the bridesmaids’ apple green dresses…

isn’t vicky’s hair fabulous? funny story–when i arrived at the hotel room, i was a little taken aback because vicky’s hairstylist looked exactly like my friend joyce.  i felt a little silly, but i had to ask–and turns out she’s my friend’s sister! i love it when my world shrinks. :P p.s. if you’re interested in irene’s work, let me know!

while waiting for the groom & co. to show up (how we ended up there first, i don’t know :P), we found the most perfect shaded spot on the berkeley campus.

vicky and jeff had the sweetest first look! jeff’s awfully happy to see his bride :)

back when we did the engagement shoot on campus, the campanile tower was covered and undergoing maintenance, so we were happy to finally get a few shots in with it!

part of the best man’s duties? shaking that cherry tree so the petals fall oh-so-perfectly. thanks, john. :)

st. john’s presbyterian in berkeley is definitely one of the beautiful churches i’ve been in!

vicky’s parents are adorable.

getting used to new bling!

congratulations you guys!! thank you for letting me be part of your special day <3

it feels good to finally be getting back in the hang of things! sorry again for the long delay; the last month has been pretty crazy, and i just got back from chicago two days ago (pictures soon!). but i’m back on track and to prove it, here’s a sweet engagement shoot i did a few weeks back when i was up in san francisco.

annie, jim, and i had quite an adventure getting these photos! the weekend i was up north, it was pouring. from a cafe in berkeley, we debated whether we should go ahead with the shoot, but like the true troopers they are, jim and annie decided to forge ahead. :) and i’m soo glad we did! the entire way driving there we were chasing away massive thunderclouds, afraid to jinx the weather. and sure enough just as we arrived at crissy field, the rain stopped and the wind blew away the clouds covering the bridge. talk about perfect timing :)

it was pouring so hard we had to stop by walgreen’s to pick up these giant umbrellas… and the wind killed them about 5 minutes into the shoot. :P

they make it look easy but we were fighting some drizzling and freezing wind here!

this looks like broad daylight but it was probably about 7:45pm at this point! love that 50 1.2…

it didn’t take long for us hurry back inside. we warmed up at naan -n- curry… delicious! thanks you guys!!

i assure you, i haven’t fallen off the face of the earth! norcal was an absolute blast, but now i’m finally back and getting back into the hang of things… which means, pictures. soon. really. :)

oh, and here’s a preview… vicky & jeff’s awesome wedding party in front of uc berkeley’s library. it was a beauuuutiful day.