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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 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

How to Use Engagement Photos for Invitations

daveshilling — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:38:45 +0000

Today the mailman did his usual routine. Walk across my lawn with his mailman boots, track mud on my entryway, and loudy dump the mail into our “antique” mailbox. Thats fancy-talk for old. Anyways, amidst the Costco Connection magazine and random recycleables, I got an invitation to a wedding! I’m already invited to this one though.. it was from Christine and Roger, who are getting married in April in beautiful Monterey, CA. She told me she used some photos from our session for her invitations and I was excited to see how they turned out!!!

Needless to say, these are awesome! The details slide out from the left and reveal all the relevant goodies…and of course I loved seeing my client use their engagement photos in such a creative way! If I get permission, I will post the how-to’s for an invitation like this if anyone wants a similar look. Thanks for sending me this Christine, you guys are the best!

Much <3,

Dave

Green is the New Black

daveshilling — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:42:27 +0000

Green is everywhere now, and I couldn’t be happier! And I don’t mean winter grass, I’m talking about the concept of sustainability, especially from businesses. Companies everywhere are turning to more environmentally responsible choices for distribution, communication, and day-to-day operations. Many of the things they do benefit the environment and the business. If you have been to Costco, you see a fine example there. No plastic bags are allowed, only leftover product boxes. And nobody complains! Today on the UC Davis Campus, attended a vendor fair where catering and venue businesses were invited to show off their environmentally friendly menu offerings, and companies were there to demonstrate how their facility is a wise choice for anyone who is an enviro-geek like myself.

And then there was me. I was the only photographer there! I didn’t have duck meatballs in creamy risotto to offer passerby’s, I may not have been the busiest booth, but I felt like I was the most fun… Rather than have a typical trade show booth, I turned my lil space into an instant photo-booth, and people could come over and have their picture taken doing something silly while they were browsing the vendors. Cool right?

So why the heck was I there?? I got a special invite from Lina, the Director of Event Services at UC Davis to attend the trade show and represent for all of us Green photographers out there. Lina and I will be working on a project for UC Davis to help promote weddings on campus. Check out the photography I’ve done at the UC Davis Arboretum to see how gorgeous this place is… I can’t wait to rock out some wedding photography here soon! If you are a bride thinking about getting married here, check out their website for more details, and just know that fabulous pics are guaranteed!

I had a good time meeting new people from different vendors across the valley, and of course the brides-to-be who were there looking for food options, and found wedding photos too =)

Special thank to Lina for inviting me to the Plan Green Trade Show, you and your crew were fun and energetic, and I can tell you love your jobs! Since every post can benefit from a photo or two, here’s a picture of Lina’s crew getting some hangtime!

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

2010 means better choices.

daveshilling — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:57:21 +0000

It isn’t every day that I watch something on television that directly impacts the way my day begins and ends.

I watched Food, Inc. after being recommended by Jasmine Star on her Wedding Photography Blog. She mentioned how watching this documentary about where our food comes from shaped her food choices, and after watching it myself, I understood why. I don’t want to list out every awesome point that the movie made, just watch it, but at the end of the day my family and I decided to make a stronger effort to know where our food comes from, support local growers who grow their food naturally, and find a more responsible choice for our meat purchases. Today we headed to a local Farmers Market behind Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights to check out what local growers had to offer during the winter season, and we came home with a bag full of goodies! Everything we ate was delicious and the cost was not prohibitive to doing this every week, so it has instantly become house law. Jenny is headed to the Farmers Market downtown under the freeway to see if they will have any locally raised meats that weren’t corn fed and raised in their own excrement ( seriously, watch this documentary) and I look forward getting pictures on my phone of these delicious treats! For you photo-nerds and the generally curious, here’s a setup shot for the delectable fruit display above:

NERD ALERT!!!!
Two SB-800’s both fired with CLS on manual at 1/80th power. The flash at camera left is snooted with a piece of tin foil, and the flash at camera right is diffused through an extended roll of paper towels help up by a flashlight. D300, 85mm@f8, ISO 200, 1/250th sec

P.S. We all tried the Asian pear on the right for the first time this evening . It was so freakin delicious. We’ll be getting more next time!

Much <3,

Dave

New Years Day in Photos

daveshilling — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:08:45 +0000

A rare moment of child-free leisure led us to Midtown for Crepes and coffee, and I didn’t dare be without my camera!

Bellies comfortable but not stuffed, we strolled around midtown for a few and enjoyed the solace of the New Year. Jenny is super patient when I’m shooting random eye-catchers on the street, and she holds stuff for me, models, and points out cool stuff of her own.

Jenny commented on how quiet it was in Midtown today, and I concurred. It was peaceful, strangers seemed to stride optimistically towards their destinations, and birds were dancing around from tree to tree.

Maybe everyone is excited about the possibilities of 2010, and they are starting their year on a peaceful note, setting the tone for the rest of the year.

I picked up a fashion magazine from the UK that is as thick as my thumb, and it spurred photo-shoot ideas which I’m looking forward to embarking on. Anyone want to model? Comments are welcome!

Happy New Years to my friends and blog stalkers!

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

Frasinetti Winery Wedding Photography|Reyna and Noah

daveshilling — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:20:43 +0000

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.I think for Americans the love of Halloween is reinforced early on in life, when you can knock on some one’s door wearing a bed sheet with holes for your eyes, and you will be rewarded with candy. How awesome is that? As you get older, it’s a great excuse to throw a themed party, get into some trouble, or in the case of one rad couple, get married!

Reyna and Noah are great friends of mine, so of course I was excited that they planned on getting married on Halloween. We knew a pre-Halloween house party was in order, so we threw a lil bash at our house so the kids could play games and get candy, and got ready for the next week. I found out that Noah was renting a tuxedo, and they always come with some boring cuff-links. If you recall my wedding, I like exciting cuff-links, so I suggested this as the perfect wedding day gift for her man, and is a test of how well she knows him.. she found the coolest cuff-links that were hand-made to look like X Box controllers!!! She knew what she was doing, because Noah LOVES video games.

Before going to Frasinetti Winery for the Ceremony, we started off with Reyna getting her hair and make-up at Kevin Michael Salon, and since it was Halloween, their employees were in full costume! It was so rad.

Michele of Kevin Michael Salon did a fantastic job with Reynas look! They gave her smokey, gorgeous eyes and big, fun hair that lasted all night.

Kevin Michael Salon

2405 15th Street
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 448-5040

Our ceremony and reception were held at Frasinetti’s Winery, and their colors mixed well with the decor of this secluded venue.

We did a First Look, which let Reyna and Noah get some time away from their family, and enjoy their reception later without stepping out for pics! I heart you Rainy!!

Ok, guys vs. girls for best walk… I think the girls brought this one home. Look at Reyna Fierce! Even the Junior Bridesmaid is bringin it!

This was right after Reynas father announced that they are having their second child! So excited for baby#2!

Hands down, this is the coolest cake topper I have seen so far… Rain loves Nightmare Before Christmas almost as much as she loves cake smooshed in her face!

These are some proud parents… you can see it in their eyes!

Reyna and Noah killed the electronics and had a heart-felt acoustic version of a Foo Fighters song performed by her Father-in-Law… I got a little misty-eyed. In a manly way of course.

This was one of the funnest weddings I’ve photographed, not only cause of the great theme at Frasinetti Winery and the couple being good friends, but also because my wife was a bridesmaid, my best friend was a bridesmaid, my daughter a Junior bridesmaid, and the list goes on…. definitely a family affair! i love you guys, you put a smile on my face, and I’m stoked to post up part 2 soon…

Did anyone notice that there weren’t portraits shot at Frasinetti? Yeah, cause they’re so cool, we shot them in San Francisco the next day… <3<3<3. Reyna and Noah should sell a How-to-be-an-awesome-couple guide!

Stay tuned for part two!

Much <3,

Dave