Karina and Colin will marry this October at a family property in Placerville. It’s going to be a big wedding with lots of guests, but laid back like the vast property they are celebrating on. Karina and her brother Nate were some of my earlier clients when I started my business in El Dorado County. In fact, I must not have started my blog yet as I am unable to find any of their photos in a previous post. I was so honored when Karina reached out about their wedding photography. I’ve had alot of full-circle moments and this is…

After their beautiful and intimate ceremony, we headed to Sly Park Lake for a “just married” photo session. It was fun to run around in my stomping grounds and find the perfect spots to capture their love and to celebrate with them.

by Samantha Iacia, the Knot Updated Jun 28, 2024 What Is a First Look at a Wedding? A first look is a moment when the couple sees each other and spends time together before the ceremony begins. The first look is planned ahead of time and usually takes place at or near the ceremony venue. It’s usually captured on camera by the wedding photographer or videographer to document the excitement and emotion as the couple see each other in their wedding attire for the first time. Superstition says that seeing each other before the ceremony is bad luck, but many…

South Lake Tahoe was this year’s destination and I met up with them right before I took off for a vacation. Their family has a home in Tahoe Keys and they love the area. Who doesn’t? Cooler temps, mountains, meadows, beaches, and sunsets.

We chatted about Leslie’s plan for a fake first look for Dan with their friend Trevor who was all dolled up as a bride. Let’s just say, Dan was very surprised as he shined that big smile knowing that she got him and he fell right into it. Then, when Leslie finally arrived behind Dan for their first look, these two were ready to get married.

The Colby’s moved in across the street three years ago. Shortly after that, my daughter Ember started babysitting for little Kai who was a precocious 2 years old and that opened the door to a broader friendship with our families.  Elora Soleil who shares a middle name with my Ember Soleil, joined their family two years ago. Kai is now 5 and Elora is 2.  I’ve had fun over the years getting to know their family and getting to photograph them. It’s such a life treat to have lovely neighbors. This session was about capturing them in their mountain home…

I’ve photographed Jordan’s family over the years many times including weddings, pregnancy, birth, family….and now they are living in Belgium where Jordan will join them to attend University upon graduating from his high school in Sacramento and he can’t wait! We met up for golden hour last week and captured some images to mark his achievement and it was great reconnecting with him since it has been years. He is sweet, kind and confident- eyes wide open with the world in front of him- and he is ready and looking forward to what is next. He enjoys bowling and the…

The last time I met up with Elizabeth and Greg we were at Sand Harbor and Hudson, their oldest now, was getting ready to make his grand appearance. This was in 2019. Now Hudson is almost 5 and Perry is almost 4. Super cute and ALL BOY! We ran, we built castles, collected pinecones, looked for critters and at the end we succumbed to the lake. They were ready. Thanks, Elizabeth and Greg and also to my husband Jeff who joined me on this one to help with the reflector.

Whitney and Spencer eloped to Sequoia National Park in mid-May opting for a simple ceremony that was just the two of them (and their officiant and photographer) and celebrated their love of that forest.

“What a difference a day makes…twenty-four little hours” And it’s true. The first image was Friday night as the sun was going down, the night before Eveyln and Derrick’s wedding in Pollock Pines. The second image was at 3pm the next day when the full-on rain storm had crossed over to snow. Just. like. that. It’s good to have a “home court advantage”, living only 10 minutes away I offered to get out to capture some images of the two of them after my last session on Friday night, in their wedding attire, and then returned the next day for…

It was super fun to get together with the O’Neil family, with Jackson next up to graduate and Hunter back in town from the UK. We spent a lot of time laughing and joking and their family has a casual ease with each other which makes it easy to keep things loose and playful. Instead of just a senior session we did a family session but concentrated on, and celebrated Jackson. Jackson is graduating early. During 2020 and Covid, he tested out of 8th grade and then went to Washington Middle College High School in Sacramento where he took high…

I feel old. Isn’t Paizlee still three years old? Well, she is not. She’s still beautiful and kind- just the adult version. In fact she graduates from ELDO this May after completing her senior year with online classes from ELDO. I love that this is offered for some students as everyone learns differently and sometimes the drama of a big high school isn’t the right thing. Finishing school this way has enabled Paizlee to have a job at Gut Racing where they make dirt bike seat covers. Over two decades ago(that’s 20+ years if you’re counting) I first met the…