I think I was actually in San Francisco for less than 4 hours, but I feel like we explored so much. Jennifer and Chris showed me their Nob Hill neighborhood, their little backyard tucked away in the city, the route they walk together to work, their fun socks, their contagious laughs, the stories of their relationship. We finished at the Ferry Buildling at Gotts, an eatery I have since added to my “favorites in SF” list, where we shared chatted over the best ahi burgers and sweet potato fries.

It was a short trip, but I feel like I got to know Jennifer and Chris so well – that they’re funny and down-to-earth and adventurous and totally my kind of people :) I can’t wait to see them again this fall {and work with So Happi Together too! double bonus!}

Sarah and I first met sometime around the 7th grade, in Girl Scouts. I joined a troop of girls who all attended a different school than I did, and she was one of the first to reach out and talk to me. I feel like this little snippet of information alone will tell you mountains about my friend. She’s the type of person who makes friends out of strangers wherever she goes, because she genuinely is interested in you – she wants to get to know you, to hear about your day, to catch up, to stay in touch. She is also perhaps one of the most “real” people I have ever met – she definitely was one of my funniest and quirkiest friends growing up, and when we reunited a few years ago I was SO so happy to find that even as an adult, she hadn’t changed one bit.

And I was also so happy to find that she had met this amazing guy named Tory, who somehow complemented her quirkiness just perfectly. It’s a pretty fantastic thing to see your friend – especially someone as awesome and unique as Sarah – be with a person who so totally let’s them be themselves. Sarah and Tory fit together just perfectly, and it was such an honor for Barrie and I to be able to join them up in SF on their wedding weekend. There was an intimate Jewish ceremony at the Sunnyside Conservatory, followed by a casual reception (catered by a delicious Vietnamese food truck) at Project One Gallery.

Once upon a time, in middle school, Sarah and I used to take pictures of each other with our little film cameras and put the prints together in magazines (these were legit guys – with fashion spreads and beauty tips and advertisements and everything!) It was quite lovely and nostalgic having her in front of my lens again :)

Absolutely adored the fact that Sarah chose to get ready in her beautiful light-filled apartment…

This may sound strange, but when a few weeks go by without an SF visit, I start to feel separation anxiety. I begin to miss the city. I miss the different neighborhoods with the colorful Victorian houses. I miss the endless array of fabulous restaurants and bars. I miss my lovely friends. I miss busy downtown (and the huge mall, where I spend too much at H&M, we have H&M’s in LA, I don’t know why I always buy so much at the one in SF, how does that happen?)

Now I’m not about to take off to spend the rest of my days there or anything – there are always moments during SF trips when I miss LA dearly (usually when I’m trying to find parking spots because THEY DO NOT EXIST IN SAN FRANCISCO). But this city will always be a breath of fresh air and source of inspiration to me, and because of this, I adore shooting there.

Especially when frolicking around with a couple as sweet and fun and down-for-anything as Sherry and Tim. The moment when we saw the MUNI train thing we needed to take in the distance and Sherry immediately took off running for it in her heels? That’s when I knew how rad this couple was :) Did I also mention that though sunny, it was freezing that day? How could it be, when they look so good??

I particularly love this session because I feel like it captures so much of what I love about the city…

The quiet, the busy, the touristy, the hidden, the old, the new.

The Bay Bridge, the Ferry Building, a random hilly neighborhood, a pretty skyline.

It’s all good.

This is the part where I talk about the light. Because OMG THE LIGHT!! I DIE!