TJ and Austin exchanged wedding vows this last Memorial Day at Clos LaChance. Although already married, this was their chance to celebrate their love and honor the support of their closest friends and family.

It turned out to be a fabulous day, and the grooms showed up lookin' gooood. :)

Both TJ and Austin had bestmen and groomsmaids.

I don't think anyone missed the horrible pastel or brown matching dresses bridesmaids are sometimes forced to wear. (One positive to mixing traditions up) :)

I swear Clos LaChance ALWAYS looks like this. One reason why my fiancee and I are considering this place for our wedding next year as well. Check them out at www.clos.com

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This was Austin's idea and it turned out great. I love how the spaces between the beams frames all of them.

By TJ's father's speech, I got the sense that initially TJ's coming out was difficult to come to terms with. But if you heard what he had to say this day, you wouldnt know it. All he was was proud and happy and supportive of their love. The sincerity of his speech got to me on a personal level, and separate from the same-sex issue. It just occured to me that I will not get the chance to have my father at my wedding. Miss you dad!

When love is true, you can feel it. It is self-evident, no?

Vendor shout-outs: The top two ladies are Michelle and Kristin (they are the indespensable coordinators at Clos LaChance). To have even one of them on your side is to know that your wedding day will run smoothly!

At the bottom left is Zoe Lonergan, a great wedding photographer in her own right, she assisted me this day and I thank her for it! www.zoelonergan.com

The man on the bottom right giving us his "magnum" pose is Raffi Nalvarian of Sound in Motion DJ's and Videography. He gets the people's hands in the air. Check out his team at www.simdjs.com

Oh, and I almost forgot, the food was catered by Le Pappillon. I do not think I have ever had a better meal at a wedding! www.lepapillon.com

These are my favorite moments. . . When my clients are comfortable enough to forget I'm there. . .

Nice socks Austin! :)

I can't thank you enough TJ and Austin for giving me the opportunity to capture your special day! Best of luck, and I better be the one you call when kids come along. :) Cheers!

Remember my friends Betsy and Glenn who used to work for the childcare center with me way back when? Well they got married last Friday at the Ainsley House in Campbell. It was beautiful!

Looking good Betsy! I showed up at her sister's house where they were getting ready, and she was all cheery and ready to get her wedding on!

Glenn and his boys sporting the all white Nike Air Force Ones. :)

For someone who said he never wears a suit, he sure pulled it off well.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE HIGHLIGHTS SLIDESHOW OF THIS WEDDING

Oh, and Glenn's last name is Lovely, thus the Bill Wither's "Lovely Day" song playing in the background of the slideshow.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL 470 IMAGES FROM THIS WEDDING AS WELL AS THE ONLINE ORDERING SITE

Glenn stepped it up a notch by writing Betsy a poem. Check her out lovingly looking at her man.

o.k., super funny. After Glenn's brother (the officiant) gave them permission to kiss, Betsy said "wait a minute!", and they got her a stepstool so she could be closer to Glenn's height. Cutest kiss ever. :)

This one was a close second.

So the Ainsley House in Campbell is a very pretty wedding venue. Contact Kerry Perkins at 408-866-2718 or email her at kerryp@cityofcampbell.com for more info.

When the bridal party is down with doing the "jump" shot, you know it is going to be a good reception.

The cake and food were excellent. Contact Made From Scratch Catering's DeMorya McCullough at 510-368-9554 or email at dimadem@sbcglobal.net for more info.

My friend Bryan Garza of Scissor's For Lefty fame, was the DJ, and did a bang up job. email bryan@scissorsforlefty.com or call 415-806-9556 for inquiries.

You pulled it off Betsy and Glenn! My heart-felt congratulations. Now get started on making some beautiful babies, k? :)

"i want to thank you for being our photographer. . . you did such a great job !!

glenn and i were talking about how you were like a ninja - glenn would hear me stating how i wished we got a picture of something and he'd look over at you and you were already taking the picture. . .

we are going to 'yelp' you and give you a great recommendation. . .

i can't wait to see you and figure out the magazine-style album. . . i think i am most excitred about that (for some reason). . .

thank you again

betsy"

and:

"These photos are amazing James!!! We've definitely forwarded this on to all our family & friends.

That said, Betsy and I really appreciate how great you were that day. How present, yet not intrusive you were. Both family commented on your great sense of humor and your very considered approach to getting the best out of each moment you shot.

Thanks so much for everything!

~GII~ & Betsy Lovely"

My future sister-in-law Jessica Shepherd recently signed a book contract and needed an "author" shot. She knew just who to call. :) Her book is going to be titled "The Secret Soul Mate Pages", she is an astrologist who specializes in relationships.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT JESSICA'S WEBSITE

She is an awesome writer, you should read some of her work. We cannot wait to see her book. (and I can't wait to see my photo on the inside of a book, I always look at author photos and go, "I could do a better job than that!")

Hey, who is that beautiful woman? Is that my fiancee Erika?! XOXO

She just got braces off but still won't smile for me, go figure. :)

The bond between sister's can be super special. I'm so glad they have each other. What cuties too!

. . .and speaking of cutie sisters. Vince Tarry of iClick smiles had an emergency makeup photo session for some kids, and I was available to provide some help. These two made my day!

Why is this little one so cute? I think it's the cubby cheeks and her infectious happiness.

nice smile, he's going to be able to get away with ALOT. :)

What a handful, but this super dad was super proud. Great to see.

It is not easy getting a 5, 3, and 6 month old to take a picture like this. But it sure is worth it. Cheers, and happy Memorial Day weekend!

A big 'Thank You' goes out to past clients who put awesome reviews of me on Yelp! Thank you Yelp for being a great site for local professionals! And thank you Eric and Jocelyn for finding me, hiring me, and being the cute couple that you are! :)

I met Jocelyn and Eric for the first time this last Saturday. They wanted me to do engagement session photos for them before their 2010 Long Island New York wedding.

They haven't hired me yet for their wedding. But I'm working on it for sure. :)

How photogenic are they? And for some reason I thought Jocelyn would be nervous or something, but at some point she exclaimed "how fun!"

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Here. This is one of the moments where you can tell a couple exactly what to do, but if they do not feel it inside, or feel comfortable enough with you to share it, it just will not look as genuine as this image here. It just all feels right.

My fiancee and her girlfriend decided to go to the beach this day too. Erika was able to capture this image on her phone of me climbing rocks in order to get the picture that I just shared above. I love it, I rarely get to visually share what it took to get the images that I capture for my clients.

Thanks Jocelyn and Eric, you did awesome. Now fly me out to New York for your wedding already! Jeez. . . :)

I'm a huge fan of every couple who finds true Love. So when TJ and Austin gave me the opportunity to capture their wedding ceremony (my first gay wedding!), I was super excited.

It's a little cheating, because they already are officially married, but that may have led to them being so great to photograph. You could just feel their comfort and commitment to each other. (made my job easy!)

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Their wedding is just two weeks away. So you will see more of these two really soon.

Super tender unposed moment.

I can't lie, it was a special session for me. I've done this shot for many many couples, but this one is different, you know?

This was the hot one, my favorite of the bunch.

Awesome! Thanks TJ and Austin. Now on to your wedding celebration!

Yep, another beautiful weekend in SF. :)

Being forced to get out of the house on days like this is a blessing.

This was last Sunday and these two are Courtney and John.

They are getting married at Clos LaChance in August and I can't wait. One of my favorite places to go for a wedding.

. . .and it's not just cause I like the venue. Courtney and John were great! They have been together over 6 years now, so even before they are getting hitched, they are a good example of a solid and lasting relationship.

Some photographers will scoff at going to the Legion of Honor because it is "played out". But I only think a place gets boring if you think there is nothing new and beautiful to do. I say this couples looks pretty darn great with some awesome architecture in the background. . .

And this shot, with the figures in the background with trumpets,

-I've never taken this angle and it is something totally different. It looks like they are announcing Courtney and John's love (I know cheesy). :) But I dig it!

I forgot to warn them that we may find ourselves getting a little wet. Courtney said it was probably for the best cause she probably wouldn't have wanted to do it. Well then, I'm glad to have slipped it in there. . .

Thanks Courtney and John! Can't wait till August!

Today I wanted to share some of my non-portrait work. If I did not get so much pleasure out of capturing families and couples in love, I would spend more time doing the following. . .

One of my favorite rose shots. When I look at this one I imagine what flowers look like to bees. Doesn't it have that kinda otherworldly look?

Ah, the city I love. Not a day goes by when I do not pause a moment and remember how lucky I am to call San Francisco home.

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This is in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

My fiance loves hummingbirds, and so I love hummingbirds. This one I captured flying around our backyard just last week.

The Hawaiian Islands come a close second to S.F.

Thanks for checking out my work!

This morning I drove to the Alexander family's home to do some family portraiture. This is Clare, what a super cutie. I've known her since she was in her mommy's belly. :)

She didnt remember but a couple of years ago around Halloween-time we did another session near their home at a pumpkin patch. This was definitely the winning shot that day. Melissa and Marshall have it hanging proudly in their living room (that always makes me feel good).

Looking good people! I was able to simultaneously get Clare to smile and their dog Leia to pay attention by barking like a crazy-man ("woof, woof!").

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Clare's gonna be a big sister soon!

Hey, that's a good idea, do that swing thing parents do. . .

Clare Bear being silly, what a difference between the girl in the pumpkin patch. Back then she could hardly sit up on her own. On this shoot she had her own ideas about what she wanted to do, she was funny, and of course super cute.

Thanks Alexander family. See y'all again when baby brother comes!

Note from Melissa:

"Thank you! These are wonderful. I've been looking at them over and over all day ;-) And I'm getting lots of emails from family in tears because they are so good. LOL

I'll be in touch about orders!

-M"

Last week was the last time, at least until fall, that I got to take kids school portraiture. It ended with a super challenge: All of these images were captured while it was raining. :)

Facebook definitely has it's positives. It's the main reason why I was able to connect back to my old friend Christina from way back in high school. It just so happens that her and her fiance Eric are getting married in June, and it just so happens that I am a pretty swell wedding photographer. :)

This shot is super cute and intimate and I didnt even ask Eric to do that. Christina you have my blessing to get married to him. You two are a great couple.

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An aside: Christina's father gave me my first job in San Jose when I was 15 years old. -As a frozen yogurt and specialty balloon guy. Not sure if that experience helps me with my photography profession, but it sure makes me smile when I think back on it.

"Oh you have a classic Vespa you say Eric? And you want to go to Gold St. alley to take some photos by Bix restaurant?" I love when my clients have ideas that force me to come up with something different. Turned out great.

Eric looking like a pimp. :)

This shot in particular I am especially proud of. Something totally different, and tells a story, and a cute one at that.

Put on some helmets,

and get a room you two! :)

Thanks Christina and Eric for finding my new favorite alley in S.F. I look forward to your wedding weekend in June!