Tommy spent part of his childhood growing up in the Bay Area of Northern California and it’s just one of those places that we don’t get to visit enough. But when we do, it’s always a wonderful reminder of how much we love it up there — the picturesque atmosphere, the cool weather, his longtime family friends who still reside there and of course the delicious food! Fortunately, we were able to take a road trip up there last fall and it was as always, perfect!

San Francisco has always been one of the locations on my photography bucket list and I am hoping that one day soon we’ll be able to photograph a fabulous engagement session and wedding there ~ honestly that would be a dream! But during this last visit, I was finally able to get my photography “Bay Area fix” by shooting a portrait session with the Coutrayers ~ the most beautiful family at the breathtaking Palace of the Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco.

THE LOCATION: THE PALACE OF THE FINE ARTS THEATRE

As we turned the corner en route to the Palace of the Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, I loudly shrieked at first sight of this incredibly stunning venue — causing quite a distraction to my husband who was intensely looking for parking hahahaha 🙂 But what can I say? This place is amazing and the minute I laid eyes on the huge pillars and majestic architecture it gave me butterflies because it reminded me so much of my time vacationing in Italy. It’s honestly one of the most beautiful spaces I’ve ever photographed before — and if you top that off with a gorgeous family of four, well I was pretty much in heaven 😀

Here are a few of our favorite images from our first-ever portrait session in the Bay Area! I’m hoping it’s just the first of many photography adventures in Northern California to come …
Seriously though, aren’t they a picture-perfect foursome?Krystal and Troy have the sweetest and most adorable boys. Those smiles would light up any camera!!!Future stud, for sure …While the venue was bustling with tons of visitors and tourists, we managed steer away from the crowds to find some amazing corners of light at just the right time. These next few frames just melt me … there’s nothing quite like the love you have for your children …And I was so glad we were able to squeeze in a few images of this beautiful couple. When time permits, we always like to make sure mom + dad get a few frames to remind them where it all began ~ with each other 🙂

Krystal + Troy, thank you so much for spending the afternoon with us! We had a blast capturing your family portraits and hope these photos remain a keepsake in your lives for years to come 🙂 Let’s do it again next time we’re in town!!!