Rapha Rides Oakland

Well, not literally.  But, Rapha shot by Alison and Adm rides Oakland!  OK, let me back up a moment.  Lately, Adm has really been into riding his bike, and lucky for him, we have a whole slew of friends who are hardcore cyclists.  One in particular, our friend and neighbor Rob, introduced us to Rapha a couple of years ago.  Rapha is a high-end bicycle clothing company based in Europe, and they produce catalogs that have amazingly beautiful photography.  Last year, we decided to do a Rapha-inspired photo shoot with Rob (in his Rapha gear) in our own Oakland hills, which in my opinion are just as beautiful as some of those European landscapes that are featured in the the real Rapha catalogs.

This was unlike any other shoot we've done, and it was just a personal shoot for us to have fun with.  We went up to the hills really early on a wet Sunday last February, when the roads were empty and slick with the rain.  Adm and I took turns driving the car in front of Rob, who rode behind us.  We each spent time hanging out of the back of our car (luckily it's a hatchback), gripping onto the sides while taking photos.  Katy, Rob's wife, acted as our stylist, and we all had a blast turning the Oakland hills into our studio.  There are so many other great rides in the Bay Area that we can't wait to go out again!  All of the photos in this set were taken by both Adm and me.

Aubra + Justin Engagement

After making engagement photos with Aubra and Justin for more than 3 hours, we can't wait for their October wedding!  Aubra and Justin are both so easygoing and fun to be around (not to mention that Aubra is also a Tar Heel alum).  This was my favorite kind of engagement shoot - leisurely exploring different parts of Oakland, looking for cool street scenes and art.  We ended up in our old neighborhood near the Parkway Theater where we found some great light, shadows and colorful murals.  They also brought along their adorable pup Lucy who joined in for the shoot.  I happen to be an avid Oakland lover, and so I love these shoots that get to show off my city and feel so quintessentially "Oaklandish."

Who doesn't love a good stick fight?

Photo below by Adm: