More Photo Jewelry!

The jewelry pieces have a clean, modern look. Here are necklace samples...


His and her keychains...

Celebrating with President Obama!

Many of us worked hard to help elect our new President and are filled with hope and a sense of possibilities.  We couldn't let this historic event go by without a celebration!  We invited our new President to join us and had a blast!

NRDC Nutcracker

Here are a few more Nutcracker images that were just added to the Nutcracker posting on my website.  What amazing dancers!   Reminder to the Nutcracker families - the Nutcracker posting on my website goes off line on February 23rd.  Thanks!

Sue + Rich

Sue + Rich came into Napa Valley from Wisconsin and Utah for their January 10 church wedding and then reception at Silverado Resort.  The weather was perfect - warm and sunny.  It felt like a lovely Spring day.  What luck!  They had about 130 guests from all around the country.  At Silverado Resort, their guests got to golf, swim, play tennis, go to the spa ... oh yeah ... and attend a beautiful wedding.   Click on their names above to see a short video of their wedding. 

Hans Fahden Wedding

Piper Johnson catered Sean and Laurie's beautiful summer wedding at Hans Fahden in Calistoga.  Sean and Laurie were a treat to photograph - one of my favorite couples.  Hans Fahden has it all as a place to host your wedding - stunning grounds, a ceremony site next to a small lake, a wine cave for dinners, and sprawling impeccable grounds with lots of flowers and greenery. Piper Johnson has catered bunches of weddings I've photographed.  They always do a top notch job.  Click on Hans Fahden Wedding above to see a short video of Laurie and Sean's wedding.

Sterling Silver photo jewelry

I searched high and low for the past few years for HIGH QUALITY  jewelry that can feature my clients' favorite portraits or wedding images.  Finally, at Photo Expo in NY, I found a company that creates gorgeous sterling silver pieces using photographs.  Here is a sneak peak.  I fell in love with this bracelet, and love it even more with the photos of my kids.  I will show more when I launch my newsletter - soon!

Spinelle Jewelers Marketplace Front Cover

Last evening I photographed Lori Wear, owner of Spinelle Jewelers, for the February cover of Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine.  Lori and Jalia, her right hand person, always come in with a fabulous concept.  Jalia has an amazing design eye and puts together the props.  For this cover, Spinelle is celebrating five years in business.  Here are my six top contenders for the cover.  What do you think?  I have no idea what Lori and Jalia's favorites are.  I should mention that the final product will be rendered by Julia Allen of Folia Design.  She's the best!

A sweet note from Lori....

Suzanne,  As usual, it was a total blast and you brought the cheerful out of me for a great shoot.  I am sooooo excited to see the proofs!  I makes me so happy that I have you and Julia to make our vision come out above and beyond our expectations!  I feel so blessed.  Jalia's make on the dress was no less than amazing as well.  So much fun!

Thanks for being so great!  You are absolutely the best photographer I have ever worked with!

Photoshop Demystified

Switching heads is possible ... in a series of group shots where everyone is in the same place, and more important, the faces are relatively at the same angle from one photo to another. Please note, in the final photo at the top, shine was reduced and the piece of hair was removed from the mother's neck. Beautiful in their Korean dress!

Weddings at Domaine Chandon

Most people know Domaine Chandon's excellent sparkling wines and their restaraunt Etoile. A little known fact is that Domaine Chandon will also host weddings. I photographed the first wedding there a - a friend of Domaine Chandon's Vice President. Jennifer Rose, their event coordinator, asked me to put together a marking piece from that wedding for their packet. Here 'tis! Thanks again to Kendra and Mike, who just had a new baby, by the way. Traci Steuteville from Napa Valley Celebrations did a lovely job as Wedding Coordinator.

Beth + Jed

I'm photographing Beth and Jed's June 6th wedding here in Napa Valley.  They are from Florida and Georgia, and fortunately they were able to come into town for their engagement session.  The weather was rainy and cold all week.  They were hoping for an outdoor, winery photo session. About an hour or two before our session, the sun came out and was so bright we had to work around it.

I really appreciate being able to put faces to names and email contacts.  Beth and Jed were easy and a lot of fun.  I'm convinced the key to natural, authentic photos are to relax and go with the flow.  I always ask clients to "do what you do - interact how you interact and have fun."  With a small amount of tweaking and direction, we get out best results that way.  

Villa Hermosa Cellars

My husband and I rang in the New Year this morning at brunch with Art and Cherie Goulard, dear friends and owners of Villa Hermosa Cellars.  The Goulards' wines have won numerous awards and are yummy. Their boutique winery produces about three hundred cases of wine each year from the Howell Mountain district.

Villa Hermosa is located overlooking the valley in the hills of Angwin.  Stay tuned for photos of their breath taking estate.  They have a lovely spot for weddings - a gazebo and large lawn area - perfect for a elopements.

Katie + Steve

I had the privilege of photographing Katie and Steve's wedding two days after Christmas.  Their families came to Napa from all over the U.S. from as far as Maine.

Both Katie and Steve are great people.  I knew they were special at our first meeting when Katie told me she was purchasing her wedding gown from an organization called Brides Against Breast Cancer.  Please tell all your friends about this organization. They receive generous donations from designers, manufacturers, bridal shops and individuals worldwide.  They organize gown sales events all over the U.S.; the proceeds support breast cancer research.  Katie was lovely as was her gown.

Between their wedding ceremony at St. John's Catholic Church and their reception at the Napa Valley Marriott, I photographed them out and about in Napa.  Click on their names at the top of this post to see a short video presentation of their beautiful wedding!