San Fran

San Fran has always caught my eye. For years now I've wanted to visit. Thankfully, my friend Kristen moved out there and gave me the final nudge I needed to book a flight. The trip was worth the wait. San Fran is an absolutely gorgeous city with interesting twists and real energy.
I played tourist some of the time...


(Full House house! Danny Tanner was not laying out in the park as I'd hoped...)


We took the Alcatraz night tour. They managed to create one of the most interesting audio tours I've ever been on. Fascinating stuff.

This is what the prisoners had to stare longingly at each night...

The operating table looked like it was straight out of a scary movie.

I was legitimately scared.



We also did a TON of walking around. I found Chinatown the most interesting area.



I took a trip on a Cable Car. I wish I had utilized them better to get up the crazy hills. My calves hurt for a week after this trip... The cable car museum (free!) showed us how the cable moves underground at a constant 9.5 mph rate. It confirmed that cable car drivers are much more skilled than we probably give them credit for...



The docks were gorgeous. With the bridge and Alcatraz in the background. Plus, Kristen ran around scaring birds for me so that I could get photos of them in flight.




And finally, these are some of my favorite random photos.

Riley & Gracie '10

What an adorable family. Check out their smiles in years past...
Riley & Gracie last spring
And last year

The Selvigs

Becky, Nate and little Will were all smiles when I met up with them. Their playfulness shines through in their photos. Such a fun family to shoot...

Olive '10

I met Olive when she was only a few weeks old. She has developed quite a personality in the last year. Quite the ham. I had a great time capturing her smiles (and GORGEOUS blue eyes) on my camera. See infant photos of Olive

Max & Cole '10

Max & Cole are as handsome as ever this year. We found this great spot where ducks and geese were running rampant. It inspired a lot of natural smiles...





Their parents didn't do too bad, either...



See past of Max & Cole:
photos from this spring
photos from last fall

The Bentleys

I met up with the Bentleys for an extended family shoot. They were a blast to work with and even brought props! The lollipop fared better in the wind than the balloons, which was sad because they could have been awesome.



The kids all knew how to strike a pose...









Total hams...and so cute.



And the adults didn't do so bad either...







I hope I get to work with these smiles again in the future--sometime when the balloons aren't being taunted by the wild wind.

Theresa + Matt

Meet Theresa and Matt.



A smiley couple...



who are up for anything...



and really fit well together.



They recently got engaged on the Stone Arch Bridge, so we returned to the scene of the crime, camera in tow.



We even took photos at the exact spot per Grandma's request.


This is how he said "I love you" that day.


We stepped inside for a few shots. That's where I saw them show some real attitude. I loved it.






Here's to many more tender forehead kisses and lasting smiles.