This is Rachel and Jonathan. They just hired me for their March wedding a couple of weeks ago, so with their wedding only a month away we had to get some engagement pictures taken STAT! :)

They suggested Santa Cruz as a location and I was more than happy to make the trip. It was surprizingly busy, there happened to be a Clam Chowder Cook Off which made the boardwalk extra exciting and fun.

Wanna see all of the images from this shoot? click here for the slideshow

Looking good you two!

Rachel was excited about going to Natural Bridges. I had never been there but it was beautiful. I guess it is a place where butterflies travel for many miles to get to. We were a little out of season but there were a couple hangin around.

Nice background for this kind of shoot. Thanks Rachel and Jonathan for showing me a new spot!

"James,

Rachel and I both love the pictures. We're glad you enjoyed the Natural Bridges state beach (I have attached an image of the old 'bridge' before it collapsed in the '80s just to show you). You really did an excellent job. Thanks and we'll hear from you soon."

-Jonathan

Rachelle and Josh are the couple I shot in November of last year at the Corinthian Center in San Jose. They had a vintage-style themed wedding and it rocked! :)

The three of us just finished the layout of their 8x10 magazine-style album and I wanted to share it with you:

click here to view the album slideshow

The image on the left was from the engagement session we did at the Egyptian Museum earlier in the fall. Super cute stuff, and I'm glad Rachelle wanted to put an image from it into their album.

Pink socks and cool shoes for the fellas. . .

. . . and nice legs and cute shoes on the ladys, I like it. :p

"Can I just say I LOVE the album? It looks great. I am on the offbeatbride.com and I promoted the hell out of you on there as well. I showed the link to folks and they all love it."

-Rachelle

Thanks Rachelle! And can I just say that I love all of my brides and their unique weddings. They are all special events to me. Thanks for supporting and allowing me to do my art!

WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding technology company, just announced that James Mueller Photography has won the 2009 Bride's Choice Awards!

In its inaugural year, the Bride's Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year's recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire's vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means James Mueller Photography is one of the very best wedding photography studios.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride's Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

"We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community," according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire's Chief Executive Officer. "This year's recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry."

I would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride's Choice Award! You know how much I love what I do, and it is an honor to capture and be a part of your families. Cheers! James.

I love catching up with past wedding clients to do family portraits. This is Liana and Dan and their 5 month old Brandon. What a beautiful and happy baby he was! :)

Click the following to view the online slideshow: Askari Family Slideshow

What a great moment between the three of them.

Let me tell you how Not easy it is to get a 5 month old to smile and look at the camera. But it's possible and worth it!

Congratulations Liana and Dan, good job and good luck! :)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is an organization I have always wanted to support. President Obama on Martin Luther King Jr.'s day reminded me to act on these feelings, and so I contacted Joanne Gold of the BBBSBA to see how I could help. Turns out they needed a photographer to cover their upcoming No Limit Texas Hold 'em Fundraising Poker Tournament at Lucky Chances Casino in Daly City. I said "I'll be there." :)

Here are two of Lucky Chances' Floor Managers that help out every year. Last year alone, the tournament raised $50,000. Not too shabby!

All of the entry fees and extra buy-ins go straight to the organization, so although the people are playing for real, the atmosphere is light because everyone there is for the cause.

That doesn't mean there wasn't drama, I have to admit I have found myself watching World Poker on T.V. before, and the ending of this tournament was neat to watch too.

"Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!"

O.K. Mr. Obama, I have to admit it felt really good to do a little bit of my part. I always talked about volunteering, but you got to actually do it! I look forward to helping them out whenever they need professional photography, the next big event is their silent auction fundraiser at the Palace Hotel, that should be great.