These two lovebirds have known each other pretty much their entire lives since their families were such good friends but they didn’t actually hook up until their middle school years at Riverview Middle School in Baypoint.  It was here at the corner of the library where they would hang out after school awaiting for their rides to come pick them up.  As soon as they saw Beverly dad’s truck come from around the corner, they knew they only had a few minutes to sneak a kiss goodbye.

I personally think this photo is hilarious but Amari didn’t know what I was laughing so hard about. . .

EJ wanted to do something more conceptual and he came up with the BART idea signifying Pittsburg/Baypoint and San Francisco.  (We love it when our couples come up with dope ideas!)  We had them stand really close and really still together as each train passed and we got this awesome shot!

Then we snuck (is that a word?) to the Oracle Arena in Oakland to take some shots around the area since they’re both big Warrior fans. . . well, mostly EJ, he’s a fanatic!  But they’re fans of all three: Warriors, Raiders, and the A’s.

And just in case you’re wondering, we didn’t break chains or commit a crime to get in. . . but I’ll never tell!

These were taken at Treasure Island.  EJ really wanted to do a cityscape of San Francisco but different from the traditional Baker Beach look.  He really wanted to have the Bay Bridge in the background.  Aside from that, we shot around the island at some cool buildings.  Overall, it was cold but fun.  Such a cool couple.  Can’t wait to shoot their wedding in May!

I’m lovin’ the moving BART trains. . . representing Pittsburg and San Fran. . . so symbolic!

This is before I snuck them in the Oracle Arena. . .  

Jasmine called these their “album cover” shots.   

Sep, trying his hardest not to smile.  It’s a little hard to do that with Jasmine around!

Okay, so the idea behind this photo is pretty dope.  Jasmine & Sep first wanted to photograph on the Alfred Zampa bridge but we opted to photograph their concept with the bridge in the backgroud.  So this represents two things: 1) their love for the Bay, hence the Warrior jacket and Bay shirt.  Did I mention that these two live in Nebraska now?  2) Their connection between them.  Sep is from Vallejo, Jasmine’s from Hercules.  The Carquinez Bridge connects these two cities.  So there you have it with the story.  We did some fun shots too here but I like the “grunge” feel with Jasmine not smiling in this one.  Oh, and someone asked me, “How’d you get those pallets there?”  We literally set up our lights at this location in less than ten minutes, trying to beat the sun from going down. 

We couldn’t resist.  We like the “hard” shots!  It would be off to have her cheese and Sep just chillin’.  The mood of the photo would be too confusing. 

Last but not least, here’s one with Demani, Sep’s son.  It’s funny how this photo happened.  With Demani tilting his head this way, you would think he would be a little trouble-maker.  Totally the opposite.  He was a sweetheart during the shoot, chasing mosquitos and spiders.  But I have to admit, this picture is hard. . .

Thanks again, Sep and Jasmine!  Hope you had as much fun as we did! 

Oh, and stay tuned for our behind the scene shots!

Amari is the lighting guru and we often butt heads trying to achieve a lighting style. He approaches things more cinematically, and I, more traditional so often times one of us has to compromise (mostly me). However, it’s something I’m learning to appreciate as we get into more photography based on set design and concept rather than backgrounds. Look for some of that stuff in the near future as Amari pairs up with his best bud and fellow Academy of Art graduate, Christian to come up with some set designs for our upcoming clients.

Here are some simple things that we did for Trish and Joe. Enjoy!