Em the Gem - San Francisco Wedding + Portrait Photographer

the things I learned from Sally Mann
March 29

Last week I had the opportunity to listen to Sally Mann give a lecture in the city. I walked away amazed at the stories and the images from her life that she shared with us.

What struck me was how her work, her art, and her life, are as tangled as the roots of a tree below the surface. They grew out, intertwined as one, and you cannot separate them from each other now.

As I have been wrestling with what it means to be an artist , she taught me that it doesn’t have to be complicated or abstract. It is as simple as documenting the daily things and the people we love that make up a life.

Sally Mann’s body of work grew out of where she came from. The farm where she grew up and eventually raised her children was the place that she created all of her most famous images.

She had to be intentional about capturing these images of their daily lives together, but she didn’t have a grand concept. She let her love instruct her art.

I want to create from that place. To capture what I love simply because I love it, and not get caught up in what I am trying to say. My voice will emerge, and I have to trust that.

I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to do amazing things, maybe instead I can do things with amazing love and let it be what it will be. The rest will come from there.

Here are a few more images from last summer at my grandparent’s summer cottage in Canada.

Taken with love. From a place and a family that has helped shape me into who I am becoming each day.

xoxo,

Posted in personal, photography | 4 Comments »

jay + beth : san francisco trolley wedding
March 21

Something old. A small rose gold locket with the date 1937 inscribed on the side. given by Beth’s grandfather and worn by her grandmother.

Something blue. A plastic ring. Seemingly ordinary, yet extraordinary all at once, because Jay used it to ask Beth to be his wife.

Something borrowed. a flowering horseshoe charm from Jay and Beth’s neighbor back home in Perth, Australia.

Something new. Being husband and wife.

I love the way that little somethings tell a great big story.

In this story two Australians decided to pick up and bring their wedding to San Francisco and make it the first stop of an extended trip around the states.

Jay + Beth – your wedding was a dream for me. You made it feel like a holiday.

Riding around on a trolley with you and your guests was so much fun. I loved seeing the city through your eyes – and the hot cocoa we had at Ghirardelli Square was the best I’ve had in a really really long time.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Eliza did such a lovely job with Beth’s hair and makeup… classic and beautiful.

I’m so thankful to have had Jessica with me. I love these shots she got of the guys getting ready at the Clift.

Laurel did an amazing job creating so many beautiful touches for Jay + Beth’s ceremony space at the Sunnyside Conservatory.

And I am officially obsessed with Crimson Horticulture and their amazing floral design.

A little vintage buffet table from One True Love to hold some tasty snacks for the guests before we hopped on the trolley for our tour of San Francisco.

xoxo,

Posted in wedding | 7 Comments »

the longer I live
March 16

It really does.

xoxo,

Posted in inspiration | No Comments »

jay + beth : san francisco engagement
March 14

I’m not a snob. I prefer the term coffee enthusiast.

In my former life as a speciality coffee barista, the best part of my day would be creating something beautiful for one of my morning regulars. The espresso pulled just long enough and at just the right temperature. Just enough microfoam to create a swirling beautiful design as it layered with the crema on top. Handing over something beautiful and delicious. The highlight of their morning routine.

I guess I should have known then that it was the art of it that really delighted me. There’s an art to coffee that not everyone can fully appreciate. Flavors in a perfectly roasted varietal like mandarin orange, brown sugar, cherries, chocolate, blueberries….

Ok. Have I lost you yet?

Maybe I feel the need to make you understand that when you visit my (adopted) city of San Francisco, I get excited to take you to the places that do it right and not just to show you another sight.

So when Jay and Beth – in town from Australia for their wedding later that week – met me for their engagement session in San Francisco, I wanted to take them to Sightglass Coffee before we hit up Coit Tower.

Thankfully, these two trusted me enough to just smile and nod when I started going off about the espresso and allowed me to shoot some frames I am really excited to show you.

Their wedding is coming up next so I’ll wait until that post to tell you all the other reasons why I love these two Aussies so very much…

Just wait until you see their beautiful and fun wedding. You will love it.

xoxo,

Posted in engagement | 6 Comments »

carissa : las vegas headshots
March 13

Carissa is the best kind of beautiful.

The kind that doesn’t totally realize just exactly how gorgeous she is.

The kind that tells you a crazy story about how her mouth does a weird thing when she smiles with her mouth closed – which is absolutely not true.

It’s the kind of beautiful that makes you jealous because it’s beautiful without being all full-of-itself-look-at-me-beautiful.

I have a feeling it’s the kind of beautiful that her husband sees when she wakes up in the morning and tells him she’s a hot mess and he just smiles because he knows it’s not true.

I like that kind of beautiful.

Carissa is a photographer too.

We met at a workshop last year and when she asked if I would do a few headshots for her while we were both in Las Vegas last month for WPPI , I was excited to reconnect and excited to photograph her.

I love photographing friends because I feel like it helps me show them how beautiful I truly think they are.

I love photographing photographers because they need great pictures of themselves just as much or maybe more than anyone… because really, doesn’t this picture make you want to hire her?