Laney and Jeremy's December wedding at Old Sugar Mill was nothing short of magical. There were tears shed, snow falling during their first dance and an incredible amount of DIY winter wedding projects that made the whole place literally and figuratively light up. Our favorite details were the monogrammed flannels (!!!) the bride and bridesmaids wore while they got dressed, the candle-topped piles of fake snow that lined the aisle and the bucket of blankets for guests to use as the cold December night wore on. These two embraced the winterness of their wedding and threw in tons of gorgeous Christmas details - their colors were red and green, the groosmen wore shawl collar sweaters instead of blazers, the boutinierres and bouquets included things like pinecones, holly berries, fir branches and fake snow. The ceremony and reception sites had Christmas trees and wreaths. The bride even wore a stunning fur wrap!
Read MoreAlex + Katie's Casually Elegant Forest Wedding // Union Hotel // Occidental, CA
We'll admit it: we love to shoot in photojournalist style, to capture a wedding day as it is. That is, ultimately, what wedding photography should be about - documenting a momentous day, all of the ins and outs and emotion and absurdity. Don't get us wrong, posed formals are great, too! It's just that it's these real moments - the unposed kisses, the surprise selfie at the altar, that time your great aunt rocked it to "Ice, Ice Baby" on the dancefloor - that tend to be the most meaningful in the longrun.
Read MoreLaura + Manuel's Churro-Filled (and Filled Churro!) Wedding // St. Stanislaus Church // Oakdale, CA
There's something special about documenting the wedding of a couple who have been together as long as Laura and Manuel have - there's an ease to their interactions, a comfort with each other that compliments the loving looks and the beaming smiles of a wedding day. The sign above really says all you need to know about these two: they may come from different backgrounds, but they're truly best friends who compliment each other perfectly.
Read MoreBest of Stanislaus 2015
We've been keeping this under wraps for a while, but we're thrilled to announce that Photos Just So has been voted Best Wedding Photographer in Stanislaus County by the readers of Contentment Health & Lifestyle magazine! Thank you to everyone who voted. You can pick up a copy of the Best Of issue at any of these locations across the county.
Prospect Theater Project Cast Photos for "The Whipping Man"
In its second play of the 2015-2016 season, Prospect Theater Project brings a slice of Civil War-era Virginia to the Modesto stage with Mathew Lopez's play "The Whipping Man." To match the play's setting, we shot the cast photos in the style of old tintypes.
According to Prospect, the show "is the story of three men in Richmond, VA at the end of the Civil War. Two are former slaves, waiting in an empty house for the former owners to return; the third, a wounded confederate soldier. The three men wrestle with their shared past, the bitter irony of Jewish slave-owning and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves as the last night of Passover sets on this Jewish home."
"The Whipping Man" opens tonight and runs through December 13th. Don't miss this one, folks!
Becky + Walter's Golden Gate Engagement Session // Golden Gate Park + Baker Beach // San Francisco, CA
Is there any more appropriate time for a Golden Gate Park engagement session than golden hour? Becky and Walter were great sports during their shoot - we initially planned to take pictures inside the Japanese Tea Gardens, and when we were thwarted by an early closing time, they were totally game to switch things up a bit. The pictures we snapped outside the iconic park weren't what we had originally planned, but I think they turned out even better. We even found a fairy door while wandering through a secluded eucalyptus grove. There's a lesson in there somewhere about best-laid-plans and going with the flow, I think - especially when it comes to weddings!
Read MoreWelcome to the Photos Just So family, Rory!
Justin and I are happy to announce that our little family has expanded by one - welcome to the world, Rory Reynard Souza! This little guy tagged along in-utero to multiple weddings in the 2015 season, so I think it's safe to say that he's a born photographer. We're thrilled that he's here, as is his older brother!
Megan + Jason's Small Town Church Wedding // Escalon Community Center & Christian Reformed Church // Escalon, CA
I met Megan years ago. First, she was a coworker with an incredible aesthetic sense who - graphically speaking - punched way above her weight. Since then, she's been a confidant, a colleague, a fellow warrior in the trenches of magazine production and, I'm proud to say, a friend. So when she asked us to shoot her wedding, we were there, no question.
There was so much about this wedding to love - the small town feel was inescapable in the best way. Megan and her bridesmaids got ready at a friend's farmhouse while Jason and his groomsmen prepped at the Escalon Christian Reformed Church. After a touching First Look at CRC, the entire bridal party met up in downtown Escalon to do portraits in Main Street Park while locals slowed their cars down and honked/waved as they passed. The day was filled with moments like that - overjoyed friends and family and community members who couldn't have been more thrilled to be there to witness this union.
Read MoreKait + Aly's Rustic DIY Wedding // The Lehman Barn // El Dorado Hills, CA
There's no getting around it: Kait and Aly's wedding was a stunner. Set amongst the backdrop of the Sacramento hills, their venue - the Lehman Barn at Varozza Ranch - literally and figuratively glowed with a mixture of twinkle lights, candelabras, photo booth flashes and impossible-to-contain smiles. What photographer wouldn't fall in love with rolling golden grasses, two smitten brides and two sets of beaming bridesmaids in mix-and-match dresses?
Read MoreLGBT Weddings
It's no secret that we've long been supporters of gay marriage - or as we like to call it, marriage. The recent Supreme Court ruling has us giddy and we were thrilled when the website LGBT Weddings wanted to interview us about our business. You can read the full interview here, in which we talk about our photography, inspiration and our experiences shooting LGBT couples.