family photos

Eiffel Tower Photoshoot With Our Dog

Posted on by Your Pal Cal

Three years ago, Eric proposed in Paris on a beautiful bridge overlooking the Eiffel Tower. This year, we went back to Paris with Calvin and had a wonderful photoshoot with Céline Chan. The photos turned out amazing and we love working with Céline every time we visit Paris!

We met Céline at the Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower around 7am to get photos before the crowds. We barely got any sleep the night before, and didn’t have any coffee in our system…It was rough. On top of all that, Calvin was NOT having it that morning. He did not want to listen, he did not want his photo taken, and he was being very difficult. Luckily Calvin eventually woke up and became a good sport. We posed for some photos on the Trocadero and began having fun. Somehow, Céline was able to make it seem like everything was fine and dandy.

The Parisian monuments have an additional sense of magic in the early morning. The air is fresh before millions of tourists start swarming the streets and there is a peaceful feeling of quiet. We made it a priority to head out early each day to experience the feeling of tranquility.

After our shots near the Eiffel Tower, we made our way to Pont Bir Hakeim where Eric proposed. When we arrived, we saw a sweet proposal which brought back memories from our special day. Just like the day we got engaged, the girl was dressed up and looking as if something amazing was about to happen at 8am on a Saturday morning. I chuckled, remembering that I did the exact same thing on our engagement morning. I had worn a white dress and actually did my hair for once – the decision to get married is a big one, so hopefully it’s never truly a surprise when he pops the question.

I remember that Eric had told me we were going out to a fancy dinner so he wanted me to dress nicely (I immediately knew what that was code for but I played along). In case you are wondering, the dinner was overpriced and way too fancy for us. One of the courses was jello infused with vinegar (what?) and I was definitely hungry when we left. We agreed to never do that again but it was still a magical day.

Anyways, it was so nice to go back to the place where we made such a big commitment to each other 3 years ago. We will cherish this album as a wonderful memory of the trip we took to Paris with Calvin.  Hopefully there will be many more to come.

All Photos by Céline Chan Photographie

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New Puppy Photoshoot

Posted on by Your Pal Cal

When we found out we were getting a new puppy, we immediately booked a photoshoot with Devon & Brooke to capture our family in puppy bliss. Samson was 10 weeks old when we took these family photos – He was the star of the show, but truthfully just wanted to sleep.  Calvin was his typical energetic self and decided halfway through the shoot that he would rather run through the park. Since we are generally behind the camera, we make sure to get professional family photos taken of all four of us a few times per year. Our photographers were so great to work with – they were patient and made us feel at ease the entire time. Check them out! Here were some of our favorite shots from our family photoshoot.

Samson was so cute and fluffy that we couldn’t stop ourselves from hugging him so tightly. Those puppy days only last a few weeks and we wanted to cherish every single moment. Samson has always loved being held so he happily obliged, although his face seems to show otherwise.

Enter Calvin; he was ready to party and definitely did not want to sit still for a photoshoot.  The best way to describe our shoot is the photo of Calvin sprinting towards the photographers – he loved them and didn’t want to leave them alone.

Even though Samson had only been part of our family for a week, we were already so in love with him.  He fit into our family immediately, and he and Calvin were best friends from day one (despite what the videos on social media show).  Over time, their relationship has continued to grow and I am sure Calvin doesn’t even remember a life without his little brother. What I find so wonderful about their companionship is that they manage to be best friends even despite their differences.  Anyone who has met these dogs know they couldn’t be more different – yet somehow, the miracle of friendship works its magic.

We will hold onto these photos for a long time as a memory of our first few weeks as a family of four. Even though we wish that Samson could have stayed so small and fluffy forever, we are grateful that he has grown and learned to become a confident….and potty trained….dog.

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Engagement Photoshoot

Posted on by Your Pal Cal

Although Calvin did not get to be part of our wedding day, he got to be the star of the show for our engagement photos with Scott & Dana. They were our wedding photographers and also happen to share a wedding anniversary with us. We love working with them and highly recommend them for photos in the Bay Area and beyond.

As with many things in life, this shoot did not go as planned.  The first time we attempted to shoot, we accidentally drove to the wrong location.  We ended up lost in the woods with no service and little gas in the tank. When we finally made it, the sun was already setting but Scott & Dana were gracious enough to let us try it again a few weeks later.

Turns out, Calvin is terrified of the balloons so he spent the car ride horrified that one was going to pop.  We must have been quite a sight to behold walking out of our little car full of balloons. We tied the end of the balloons to an apple slicer so they wouldn’t fly away The balloons were worth the trouble because they ended up looking so magical in our photos.

The tree shot below has become one of our favorites photos.  We have it hanging as a canvas above our fireplace. I love shots taken during the golden hour and so this photoshoot was full of gems. These shots were taken in Napa, California.

Throughout the shoot, our Scott & Dana would ask us to whisper things into each other’s ears or say something that would make the other laugh.  I don’t even remember what we said to each other but we thought we were soooo funny. To this day, we never cease to make each other laugh.

 

Calvin looks so young in these photos – he was only 6 months old and still very much a puppy. Calvin grew until he was about 1.5 years old so he was not even close to full grown in these shots. We always wish we had more professional family photos of Calvin with us during his first year, so we will cherish these for a long time.

All photos by Scott & Dana

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