San Francisco Travel Sessions | The Stork and the Beanstalk

The last of my Bay Area sessions was a couples session in Mill Valley and after a few sessions that involved wrangling kids and making myself look ridiculous to illicit the responses I wanted, it was a breath of fresh air to have two beautiful and competent adults in-front of my lens. Not that I don’t love the wrangling, I do. But I also like change. And more and more, I love capturing couples.

Jessica and Rich emailed me a while back and mentioned they’d be in Northern California on a road trip. It just so happened that our paths crossed while I was there for travel sessions, a twist of fate if you will. They were both quiet and reserved yet uninhibited in a subtle way if ever there was such a thing. They were ridiculously easy to shoot and spent much of the shoot whispering things to one another that I couldn’t hear, sharing giggles only they knew the origin of. They could have been making fun of me for all I knew but based on their kind and gentle spirit, I’d say it was doubtful. They truly allowed me to be the fly on the wall and whatever directing I did do was effortless.

I met them at a home, coined the ‘treehouse’ for good reason, which they found through airbnb. I had wrongfully assumed the entire house was for rent but when I showed up, the hosts were there sipping coffee on the sofa. I hand it to these guys for not letting it spoil the mood and for creating such an intimate and tender vibe in spite of it all.

We made it to Mt. Tam just in time to watch the sun go down with views of San Francisco covered in fog, the light on the tower from twin peaks blinking in the distance.

I left San Francisco the next morning, happily ending on a great note, and bought the dress she wore the very next day because, um, heart eyes, no?

Interested in hiring me for a session? Email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.

I knew instantly that the Foley family and I would be a good fit. Stacey has been a long time follower of my blog and I feel like she really gets me as a photographer. And though it may seem inconsequential, going into a shoot where you know the people you are shooting have a clear idea of what you need and want as an artist kinda solidifies that it will be a good shoot before I even make my first click. And she’s throwing a ‘poop & pee’ themed party for her daughter’s 5th birthday, so – ya know – we see eye to on on the parenting front as well.

We had intentions of shooting first thing in the morning and as I drove across the Bay Bridge to their home in Alameda, I realized that the sun wasn’t even set to rise until 30 minutes into our shoot. I was immediately cursing myself for the extra 30 minutes I could have spent in bed because, ya know, who doesn’t like sleep? But as I drove along the water to their home and saw the first hint of light coming up beyond the palm trees, I called Stacey and suggested we flip flop our plans and start by shooting at the beach first. And so, pajamas n’ all, we headed to the beach to watch the sun grant us the light of day. Her husband Devin joined us for a bit before heading off to work and all in all it felt much like a true lifestyle session. My favorite.

We headed the short block home after the beach. I fell in love pretty fast with Sadie, admitting that if the baby in my belly ends up being a girl that I’m not quite sure what to do… but a girl like Sadie? Let’s just say she’s equal parts sweet n’ kind and rock n’ roll.

We spent the rest of the morning coloring, horsing around, eating breakfast, and playing in the yard. A pretty typical morning in many homes made beautiful and unique by a family I’m now happy to say I know.

Interested in hiring me for a session? Email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.