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Monte Verde Inn Wedding | Alex and Ryan

daveshilling — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:40:35 +0000

A gorgeous day in the Foothills of California played host to Alex and Ryan’s beautiful wedding at The Monte Verde Inn in Foresthill, CA. Alex and Ryan are young, educated, and loving, and I am just as excited to know them as I was to take these photos at their wedding!

Thanks to Sarah Dawson for helping me shoot this wedding and getting this great shot of Alex dashing off to say I Do!

The indoor banquet room of the Monte Verde Inn Wedding venue looks just as amazing as an empty room… Alex owns this window!

Ryan’s mom hand-folded the paper cranes and created this display to honor Ryan’s part Japanese heritage…wonderful work mom!

And I can never blog a Monte Verde Inn Wedding without showing owner Kelly Dalisa‘s awesome cake-making skills! I mean…seariously? Those are edible flowers? You rock Kelly!

Joe Kalamaras of SJ Disc Jockey helped keep the party going and kept the guest entertained with this photo booth until they shut the place down!

Thank you for inviting me to the biggest and most important party in your lives!

Much <3,

Dave

San Francisco Engagement Photographer | Nicole and Marc

daveshilling — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:26:47 +0000

I love the City, I enjoy big crowds of people moving like one big creature, and I can’t get enough of Marc and Nicole! Marc is a Giants fan, and when the Giants made it the World Series, their first game was scheduled for the date of our engagement session… how awesome is that!! After a hearty bowl of Chipotle for all of us, we headed into the city for some unique engagement photos, and the only Giants fans in the world who did a photoshoot in San Francisco without being glued to their high def TV…after our shoot, we listed to the Giants whip Texas’ ass on AM radio, and stopped for a quick snack… aka full babyback rib plate! Love em? yeah, they’re alright (= Here’s some of my favorite photos from our shoot:

Baker beach engagement photos are a must in SF, and I had to stand waaaay far back to get the bridge on the photo. I couldn’t even shout to them! I was rocking my $25.00 Goodwill lens for this one. Hooray for bargain shopping!

Not too long after this photo was taken, a photographer for the SF Chronicle photographed them standing there… she thought they were just spontaneously kissing..lol. I bursted her bubble soon after (=

This baker beach engagement photo was done with a wireless flash so I could show the location and the couple in a dramatic way after the sun headed south… Baker beach is an awesome place for engagement photos!

Updated caption for this photo: GIANTS WIN!!! GIANTS WIN!!!!

Team Keller, I really enjoyed spending the day with you and becoming, to some degree, a Giants Fan. Soon I will be shooting your wedding at the Old Sugar Mill and posting some Old Sugar Mill Wedding Photos! w00t!

FEAR THE BEARD!!!!

Dave

Ashley and Todd are married

daveshilling — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:34:25 +0000

Somebody out there in the universe was trying to make sure Ashley and Todd would meet and fall in love. They both went to Sac State, and probably crossed paths a hundred times, but never said a word to each other. They both lived in the same neighborhood, but never found the chance to meet and see the sparks fly. Finally, when they both got a job at BJ’s Restaurant ( who has the best pizza in the country), they were forced to meet eacthother…and well, third time is a charm! Todd moved on and began training for his new career across the country, and Ashley decided he was worth the wait. Good choice, Ash! Then on one warm day, Todd knelt down pretending to take a picture, but pulled out a ring instead…You are the MAN for that one Todd! They got married at a beautiful family home in Auburn, CA, and it was a rad party, with food stations and these amazing beef sliders…mmm I can still taste them. When I photographed their engagement session, I knew that they were a fun couple, perfect for each other, and the wedding was going to be awesome! Here are some of my favorites from their wedding day:

I’m so glad I could be there when Ashley married Todd… thanks you guys!

Much <3,

Dave

Ashley and Todd are engaged!

daveshilling — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:08:56 +0000

Ashley and Todd are a super fun couple, and I hope I did an adequate job of representing their chemistry and fun-loving personalities in their engagement session photos! One thing I love about them is that they made me feel comfortable shooting any idea that popped into my head, and they were stoked on the fun and unusual photos.. pretty much my ideal situation. Kind of funny that usually it’s my job to make my clients confortable, but I think they did that for me more than I for them. Thanks for jumping, goofing around, being in love, and being you!

WARNING: Mom Shot AHEAD!!!

Check out Todd putting the moves on his lady:

Much <3,

Dave

Christine and Roger are Married!

daveshilling — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:27:44 +0000

The sun was shining brightly on Christine and Roger as they wed in Monterey, CA at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. The weather was gorgeous, and that was a fortunate gift! Christine was also gorgeous, but I totally expected that. The girls at Oya Inc in Monterey did a fantastic job of accentuating her beauty, and her smile would light up the room every time. Roger and the guys got ready at a separate hotel, and he was looking very dapper himself, although he wouldn’t tell you so. Roger is that rare guy who is modest yet confident, charming but not overbearing, and Christine is his perfect match. Their ceremony on the balcony of the Monterey Plaza Hotel was overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and these two have a special love for water, so it doesn’t get any better that this! As the evening sun cast a golden glow, we headed down to the cliffs where Roger asked Christine to be his wife, and got some meaningful and romantic photos. Jessica and I had such a great time shooting this wedding! Roger and Christine are off to their next adventure in Korea, which is where Roger will be stationed for the next two years. Looking forward to the post cards =)

Roger sent this letter to his bride to be moments before the ceremony… cute!

The Monterey Plaza Hotel’s Patio overlooking the Ocean.. awesomeness!

I love this shot that Jessica took… It was fun having her as my second shooter for this Monterey Wedding!

Thank you so much for including me in a memorable day of your life, and I wish you many more!

Much <3,

Dave

Christine and Jim’s Engagement Session

daveshilling — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:43:31 +0000

I met the fun and carefree bride to be Kryssi while attending the Plan Green event at the UC Davis campus. . She helped facilitate the event, and she was one of the first people to come up and talk to me while I was setting up my booth. I was so excited to hear from her soon after about taking wedding photos for her and Jim! She’s the kind of woman who makes people around her smile, and Jim snatched her up! Smart move Jim =) Even though Kryssi works super close the the UC Davis Arboretum, she wanted to get some different textures for her engagement session. We had a great time cruising around Old Sacramento and basking in the warm afternoon sunlight, surrounded by 100 year old brick buildings. Check out some of my favorites from the day!

Love the pockets on this bag!

I just knew that Christine and Jim would be awesome, and they were… thanks for being so patient and fun, and I’ll see you in Tahoe in 31 days!

Much<3,

Dave

Jackie and Andy are Engaged!

daveshilling — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:39:49 +0000

We kept waiting for the perfect day for our photoshoot… and it came.. on a random Tuesday months ago. We missed it, and I swear it’s been raining since then. Well Jackie and Andy said to heck with it, lets make lemonade out of lemons, and do our shoot in the rain! Well not entirely in the rain, but it was rainy=) We walked around Old Sacramento and found some awesome directional lighting to put this fun loving couple into… Even though they’re both two big kids at heart, they turned up the heat a couple of times, and nearly dried me off from the hotness!!

Thanks for being so much fun, walking in uncomfortable shoes on cobblestone streets, trespassing, and for not making fun of me when I got that parking ticket… hey it’s good luck right?

Much<3,

Dave

Sacramento Chinese Wedding: Amy and John

daveshilling — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:49:32 +0000

I was talking to one of my couples from 2008, Nelson and Linda, and they mentioned that Nelsons sister Amy was getting married soon…Of course I was super excited to meet them! Amy, John, and I talked about life, love, pictures, and how much we wanted to rock out some fun youthful photos for them. I was super stoked off of their engagement session at the Davis arboretum, and after that shoot I knew that the wedding was going to be just as fun! We did the tradtional tea ceremonies, and after a fantastic lunch ( one of the perks of shooting a chinese wedding… yummy food!), we went to midtown to shoot some fun portraits. My friend Jessica Moores came to hang out in midtown for the portraits and do some no-pressure shooting with me, which was rad. While we were out shooting, John got a call that the ENTIRE reception had to be moved from the King Palace restaurant to Happy Garden Restaurant due to a plumbing issue… and he was as cool as a cucumber! Amazing… Amy, he’s a keeper =)

Happy Garden Restaurant is a popular banquet hall for Chinese Weddings in Sacramento, and my last four have been here:

To see more, check out this slideshow

Amy and John, It was wonderful being a part of your day!

Much <3,

Dave

UC Davis Arboretum Wedding Photography| Christine and Roger

daveshilling — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:27 +0000

I love shooting at the UC Davis Arboretum. My first session there was thanks to Amy and John, and when Christine suggested a location that was chill, romantic, and had water, I ditched our original spot once I realized how awesome the Davis Arboretum is. I scoped it out as a possible location for my own wedding, but walking around the place has shown me many more cool spots to shoot! Christine is not only a friend, but also a bridesmaid from Mishell and Christians Yosemite wedding last summer. Here she is looking FAB as a bridesmaid:

She told me then that she was planning to trick this poor boy marry this stud named Roger, and now its her turn in front of the camera! Excellent choice Christine, Roger is a cool guy! Here’s some photos from our day around the Davis Arboretum:

UC Davis Arboretum
1 Shields Ave
Davis, CA

I love this sequence… so cute! I love when my clients want to goof around on our shoots.

The light that poured in at the Davis Arboretum was golden and delicious!

IN addition to being gorgeous and fun, these two are also part-time Ninjas, and they had a Ninja fight when were trying to shoot silhouettes… hey, sometimes you just need to kick somebody in the face.

I’m so proud of Christine for braving the big scary spiders to get this shot!!

We were literally in our cars, driving away, and I saw this steam rising… I flagged Roger down and when Christine got out, she jut knew exactly what I was thinking…. I love my brides!!!

I had so much fun on this shoot, and I think it shows in these pictures… can;t wait for your Monterey Wedding!

much<3,

Dave

San Francisco Wedding Photography|Reyna and Noah Portraits

daveshilling — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:04:36 +0000

After rockin out Frasinetti Winery with Reyna and Noah, we all got some rest and took a weekend vacation together to San Francisco for rest, relation, sushi, and portraits. This was a fantastic luxury to have my clients and friends excited about doing something different and shooting their portraits on the next day…. I was so stoked that they were stoked! My lovely wife assisted, and we were able to get in some sweet locations before the sun set on us and it was time for a fabulous dinner… Check out our day in San Francisco, my concrete paradise.

These getting ready photos have a more relaxed feel to them, and this was a common thread throughout the day… I’m hoping it translates well.

I ran across the street and went the the 12th story of a parking garage for the next shot… love the city feel, and I’d climb those stairs again anyday. And when I say stairs, I mean the ones leading to the elevator=)

Ahhh Pier 39. Clam Chowder, silly socks, Carousels, and tons of memories… and newlyweds.

Yeah, we had to head to the Palace. You know this place gets some serious photo-love…. it was a Monday, and there were STILL two other wedding couples having photos taken there… but we were watching. We made sure to rock it harder. I could see the jealousy in their eyes when I busted out some lighting gear ( the wife counts as lighting gear in this case… thanks babe)

We were losing light fast, but we made the decision to haul butt over to Baker beach, cause Reyna promised me that she will get her dress wet before the day is over…now keep in mind that this is San Francisco, not San Diego, and that water was JUST slightly warmer than freezing, so we didn’t completely trash the dress. I rolled up my pants and hopped in there so I knew what Reyna was workin with. She toughed it out, I screamed like a little girl when that ice water hit my pale legs!

I’m in love with this last image… since they are family friends, I should be able to get away with hanging it on my wall at home. Love U guys! Not quite as much as the love in this photo though… the hand, the look, its just… <3.

As far as photoshoots go, this one was epic. San Francisco portraits with my wife and great friends, sushi, pastry, designing my first bouquet with Maple leaves, it was perfect. Thanks Reyna and Noah!! I barely even realized I was working, and thats how work should be.

Much<3,

Dave