Mariko + John Engagement

Mariko and John are the first couple from my Stanford class who I’ve worked with. While I will likely know quite a few wedding guests, I hadn’t met this dynamic duo until our photo session on Baker beach this past Sunday. They came up from Los Angeles for an early morning shoot, and undeterred by the triathlon that shared the beach with us, we spent a great morning on the beach with a whole side completely to ourselves. From the moment we met Mariko and John couldn’t stop laughing. They have such wonderful energy and are so at ease with each other’s company that these photos almost took on a life of their own. I love this set of images with the iconic blend of the Golden Gate Bridge with this genuine, energetic and fun couple.

Nicaragua

I’m just back from the San Ramon region of Nicaragua. While there I was engaging a bit more with my public health background than photography, working with an NGO I started with some friends called Teach for Health. We have a community health worker program in 18 rural coffee farming communities, providing education, networking opportunities, and basic resources to community leaders who are interested in initiating programs that will help prevent disease, develop community infrastructure, and improve disaster and emergency preparedness. While I spent the vast majority of my time in August working, I did get to take a few photos. The following photos are of some of our wonderful health promoters and their families:

Tiara + Derek | Bayer Estate | Hawaii Destination Wedding

Tiara and Derek’s destination wedding in Oahu, Hawai’i was a spectacular event. We started at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel in Waikiki, before heading to the Bayer Estate for the wedding. The Bayer Estate is a quiet colonial-era estate on the beach east of Honolulu. The evening finished with a spectacular meal at Roy’s Restaurant. We were blessed with scattered showers that parted at all the right times during the ceremony and portrait sessions. It was such a relaxing and beautiful day! Tiara and Derek are off to Kauai for their honeymoon before coming back to join me in the (currently) very chilly San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you so much to Tiara and Derek for inviting me to come along, and for the wonderful assistance of Nancy Tsai and Peter H. Chang with the photography and video fusion coverage.

We’ll have a wonderful fusion video from the day coming soon as well.

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Nancy’s photo below:Hawaii Destination weddingHawaii Destination weddingOutrigger Reef Hotel Hawai'i Destination weddingHawai'i Destination wedding

Getting ready at the Bayer EstateBayer Estate Wedding HawaiiBayer Estate Hawaii WeddingHawaii Destination Wedding

The Bayer Estate’s ocean front view for the wedding ceremony:Bayer Estate Oahu WeddingHawaii Destination wedding

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Photo below by Nancy Tsai:Hawaii Destination Wedding

This event marked the debut of my new Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II lens. I almost always shoot with all prime lenses for improved optical quality, but this lens is directly comparable and was a huge improvement over my other zooms. Highly recommend!Hawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination Wedding

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A rainbow even appeared after a quick rain shower.Hawaii Destination Wedding

Hawai'i destination wedding

Hawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingRoy's Oahu wedding receptionHawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingHawaii Destination WeddingMany thanks to Ashlee Chung for her fantastic help coordinating the event. Ashlee really helped things move along with a smile and is one of the best coordinators I’ve worked with to date. She’s also local to Hawai’i which is always really helpful for these events.

Details:

Hotel - Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Waikiki

Wedding Ceremony – The Bayer Estate

Officiant – Rev. George W. Scott

Reception: Roy’s Restaurant, Kalanianaole Highway

Lanikai Beach | Oahu, Hawai’i

Just back from Derek and Tiara’s destination wedding in Hawaii. The day after the wedding the whole crew (Nancy, Peter and myself) went out to the beautiful Lanikai beach outside of Kailua. It was the prettiest beach I’ve come across on Oahu and I managed to take these two photos before putting the camera down to take in some sun. Wedding photos to come shortly.

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Nancy also wanted some beach photos too. No problem being a photographer and a model- you always know what you want! Nancy loves toned images with an antique look. And if you ever wonder if it’s annoying to have a back seat photographer when you’re taking photos….yes it is;). One my way and one hers.

Chris & Tom | Healdsburg Country Gardens Wedding

Chris and Tom were married at the beautiful Healdsburg Country Gardens, a quiet retreat nestled among the vineyards of Sonoma wine country. Both have a Greek heritage (families that are actually nearly neighbors by pure coincidence) which lead to some great dancing throughout the evening. There was so much love between these families, with an incredibly spirited and charismatic set of friends to cap it all off. Below are a few of my favorites.

Thanks to Nancy Tsai for her wonderful assistance photographing the event.

Nancy’s photo below:

Nancy’s photo below:

Nancy’s photo below:

I love the Band-aid in the photos below. Chris looks absolutely gorgeous, with (for me) a symbolic reminder that my clients are not models (though they might look that way sometimes) but real, honest, genuine people who are totally in love and embarking on a daring journey together.

Nancy’s photo below:

Nancy’s photo below:

Behind the scenes:

Venue- Healdsburg Country Gardens

Caterer- Grapevine

Photographer- Me!

Cake- Patisserie Angelica

Officiant – Rev. Tim Mills

Guitarist – Mike McCall

Flowers- Dragonfly Flowers

Hair-  It’s a Date (Rachel)

Makeup- Glowing Bridal (Audrey)

Transportation: Pure Luxury

Wedding Planner: Thumhart Event Consulting (Amy and Felicia)

New Portfolio Site

The evolution of my business continues with the debut of a brand new portfolio site. www.noahhawthorne.com will join this blogsite as a landing place for some of my favorite work, bigger images, and rocking slideshows for your viewing pleasure.wedding portfolio website

Chris & Tom Sneak Peak