L & B Engagement Ceremony

Last month, I had the honor of shooting an Indian engagement ceremony. Besides being the first engagement ceremony I've been to, it was even more special since the bride is an old friend from high school! The whole ceremony was such a warm and loving family event. And so colorful!

Preparing flower decorations

Beautiful henna

Fresh flowers entwined into L's hair

Jewelry

I loved how the whole family comes together to help L get ready. And getting ready was quite an elaborate affair :)

And now the engagement ceremony begins:

So beautiful!

The parents exchange gifts:

Exchanging engagement vows:

I love this shot of the beautiful couple and cousins.

Giving the couple blessings:

All the elders blessed the couple with rice:

We took a break from the action for a few minutes to get some couple shots:

And of course, guests enjoying good company and good food:

What a wonderfully colorful and loving ceremony. Thanks to L & B and their families for making me feel quite welcome!

Upcoming posts: several photo shoots, Italy, and Switzerland!

Death Valley

Just got back from a trip to Death Valley. This is record time for going through my photos after a trip. :) And wow, I haven't posted since July...

Driving through Death Valley:

Hiking the Gower Gulch Trail:

View from the last bit of the trail:

Badwater Basin, close to sunset:

Pretty skies. Beautiful skies were a theme of the trip:

Such surreal lighting:

Close up of the rocks in Mosaic Canyon:

Trees at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes:

Sunset at the sand dunes:

Sunset over the sand dunes.

Rocks in Fall Canyon:

The narrows of Fall Canyon:

Catching the sunset on the last bit of the canyon trail:

Again, beautiful skies:

All in all, a great trip! Happy New Year!

Twin Peaks in SF

I'm cleaning out my computer and have been discovering some random photos that I didn't get to posting. Well, here they are now! :) Here are some shots from Twin Peaks in SF. Though I think it's a less interesting photo subject for me, the city at night is beautiful just to admire.

Alaska

I spent a ridiculous week in Alaska hiking, kayaking, and biking. Friends have been asking me for photos but I actually didn't take many. I didn't want to carry the camera around when I wasn't sure I would actually survive all of the outdoor adventures. :P But here are a couple shots.

Glacier view:

The incredible view from my friend's parents' home: