Photo shoot with John Kaemmerling

John called me on Monday morning and said, "Hey can you come over this Wednesday and do makeup on girl we'll be shooting?" A simple question leads to some great stuff.

John and his wife Michonne are Kaemmerling photography. They are some of my favorite photographers to work with. They are fun, creative and super nice. The shoot happened at their house which has a full studio inside. The girl was so cute. High Schooler. Big aspirations. What I really love about these shots is how John and Michonne use lighting. Michonne has a background in being in front of the camera as well so she worked the styling side of things. I have only seen a few photos so far, but I really like what I have seen. Super fun afternoon.

Muller/Lima Wedding @ the Fairmont SJ

For anyone from the San Jose area, the names Lou's Village(Muller family) and Lima Family are two very familiar ones. In fact, I would say they are institutions. We were very lucky to be able to work with Kristina Muller and her girls at the Fairmont for her evening wedding to Joe Lima. I can not wait to hear how the reception went!

This was so much fun for us because it was a very elegant evening affair. It allowed us to do work that was more dramatic than we usually do. This was also the first time we worked with the amazing Kristina Taheri. What a fantastic coordinator she is. I was able to get all of the info I needed when I needed it and she was always available via phone or email. As a wedding vendor, this is such critical stuff. It really lets us service the bride the way she should be serviced. So, Kristina, thank you:)

We also had the pleasure of working with Deanna Graham. She is such a skilled, professional and calm person. Three traits that you want to see in a wedding photographer! Since the wedding was just yesterday I haven't seen anything yet. I am really looking forward to previewing the shots.

Here are a few snaps that I took myself. As soon as I get some from Deanna I will add them as well.

Cocoanut Grove Bridal Show

On Jan 27th we had the wonderful opportunity to be at the Cocoanut Grove Bridal Show again.

We are very fortunate to be apart of the team of artists that get the models ready for the 3 fashion shows. This is really great and really challenging! Throughout this post you will see a few photos of some of the models on and off of the stage.

One of the surprises this year was that I was able to do Olga Ospina's makeup from KION news. She was so nice and naturally beautiful. It made my job easy:) She is standing with the marvelous Joyce Anderson who is the mastermind behind the shows.

Consultations

When you meet with us for a consultation...

Consults are not only a great way to see if we are the right company for you, they are a lot of fun. We have two offices to choose from: Campbell and Santa Cruz.

What should you expect?

If this is for hair and makeup, then you should come to the consult with clean/dry hair and no makeup. We aren't a company that likes dirty hair. Don't you want clean hair on your wedding day? You should also wear a white or cream colored shirt. This will help create the same lighting effect on your skin that will happen on your wedding day.

We will talk first about your location, time of ceremony/photos and natural look. From here we will create your look. This can be anything from soft and romantic to something stylized or dramatic. We specialize in a natural look. You will want to feel like yourself on your wedding day and your fiance is going to want to recognize his bride!

After we meet with you there is a follow up conversation or email. This is where we can do some fine tuning. At this point, if you are feeling comfortable with everything, we can cut you a contract to reserve the date.

Here are a few examples of some of the gals we have done over the years. Please keep in mind that I am FAR from a professional photographer. These were done with my very basic camera:)

2008......

As I am sitting here, already edging toward the end of January, I can finally say that we have recovered from 2007 and are anxiously awaiting the beginning of the 2008 season. We started the year off on such a wonderful note with the wedding of Allie Green at the Land Of Medicine Buddha. She is a lovely and wonderful girl. I am taking that as the omen of things to come. I will post some pics as soon as I get them:)

So what is coming up?

• January 27th we are at the Cocoanut Grove Bridal Show in Santa Cruz. This is a fantastic Bridal Show! We hang out in the Sun Room and get the models stage ready for the 3 fashion shows. Not a bad gig:) Also, this year I have the added bonus of getting Olga Ospina from KION news ready for her turn on the stage as well. http://cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com/

• February 17th we are at Seascape Resort's Showcase. You can't get much better than Seascape Resort. So if any of you Seascape Brides are reading this please come by and say hello! Karen will be doing sample hair styles at the table as well. http://www.seascaperesort.com/

• March 2nd we are at Kennolyn for their overview day. Kennolyn is this amazing spot that you just wouldn't know it was there unless you had a reason to drive up the hill. When you see the view of the coast from the Hillside Hacienda you will be amazed. http://www.kennolyn.com/events/index.shtml

Would you like to meet us for a consultation?

Hair and makeup artistry is something that is very personal. If you would like to "try us out" first to see if we are the right team for you all you need to do is ask. We have office space in both Campbell and Santa Cruz and would love to meet with you. The consultations consist of chatting first about what you have in mind and then a full run through. If you are doing both hair and makeup it usually takes about 2 hours. Check out the posting that has pics to look at from past consults.

So all of us here at The Beauty Co - myself (Shawn), Karen, Diana, Sheri and Brook - would like to say good luck on your planning and we hope that we have a chance to meet with you! :)