Megan Clouse Photography

As the great George Jefferson once sang:

Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

Ok, so I'm not technically "moving", but my blog did and I want to make sure you have my new address, because I'd like to keep you as a fan!

a) Go to my new blog.
b) Click on the right-hand subscription link (or the RSS if you prefer that method)
c) And then sit back and wait for those beautiful blog posts to roll in! (Ok, you don't have to wait, but it will be a nice little email present waiting for you every now and then.)

I'll see you over there!
Megan

When my cousin Amber realized she was in need of some new profile photographs for work and pleasure, she gave me a call and we turned it into fun family time with a little bit of everything; photo shoot, shopping and dinner!

Just hours before we were to meet up, she called me with a shaky tear-soaked voice, telling me she had wrecked her bicycle on the way home from work and wasn't sure about keeping our date. I was on standby. An hour later, after the Ibuprofen started working, she was willing to give it a go; even though she could barely move her injured shoulder.

This is my favorite photo of her! This angle offered the best light, yet she had a bit of road-rash on her shoulder, so thanks to the magic of Photoshop I got the setup that I wanted, and she doesn't have a visible reminder of her bike incident.



Outfit change and more photos on her adorable 1930's front stoop. This is technically an out-take, but I love her big smile and it makes me smile every time.


Here is Amber with her mom, my wonderful Aunt Colene.


I'm crazy for sunset photos because the light is absolutely magical! Not only is it the most flattering light, it always seems to bring an embedded calm in my subjects. And if you miss the sunset, the sunrise is always a back up for amazing photos; that is if you can get up that early.


While all of the photographic attention was on Amber, my Aunt announced that her place of work needed a profile photo too, so I had her jump in and I got some beautiful images of her as well.

For over 20 years I've slowed my steps and craned my neck to glance at the old time photo booth at the fair, always thinking it would be kind of fun, but for some reason never walking inside and signing up. Well, last week I finally did and it was the best $40 money could buy!

As a photographer, I understand how important a photo is; actually it's the moment that is important, and the photo becomes the fond reminder and I wanted this moment to be remembered forever.

Here are 3 generations. Me, my 88 year old Grandma, and my Mom who will kindly appreciate me leaving out her age. Before we even took a glimpse at the costume choices, I had it all planned out in my head. I was the outlaw, notorious and mean. That's about as mean as I can make my face! And my Grandma is the old time madam at the hotel, and my Mom, once a saloon gal, turned into a vengeful gunslinger, although you can't tell by her big smile.

So next time the county fair comes rolling through your town, I highly recommend stepping into costume and having a little fun!

My long awaited Macro lens arrived today and I'm now seeing the world through a whole new amazing perspective! This lens is going to be a fabulous addition to my camera family and I can't wait to capture all of those beautiful details; sparkling diamonds, orchid petals, whips of frosting on a cupcake, baby's toes... oh it's endless fun for me!

Here are a few images I snapped around my house.

My sweet tooth has been drastically contained for some time now, however I couldn't resist creating this fun sushi platter made entirely out of candy for a friend's party tonight. Sushi is one of her favorite meals no matter what time of day, and I knew that other friends were bringing the real deal to the potluck, so I thought I'd contribute with a centerpiece of sort. It's all divinely edible, yet I have a feeling we're all going to admire them from afar.



It was equally fun shopping for the treats; marshmallows (rice), candy slices (fish), black and red raspberry jellies (roe), swedish fish, etc.


And no sushi is complete without soy sauce and wasabi; aka pancake syrup and mushed together taffy.


p.s. I got so carried away that I forgot to give big kudos to two people that helped make these turn out so cute: My sister who was ultra creative, and Heidi the owner of Tiddle E. Winks. Thanks!

A few of us gals got together last night to partake in the Bocce, Beer, BBQ event at Carneros Inn. The Inn chooses a handful of Thursdays each summer for this event, and it's completely fabulous. It's an experience that exemplifies the best of wine country living and I very much look forward to returning to photograph a wedding or two!

It's likely that you'll find me and Mike there next week!

Some very nice feedback that Kate just posted on Pictage.com...

"In my opinion, picking a wedding photographer is the most difficult decision in the wedding planning process. This is the person or persons that you are, in a sense, putting in charge of your memories. The photos they take and the moments they capture are most likely going to be how you remember your special day. In other words, you've really gotta trust who you pick.

My wife and I met with some amazing photographers, whose work we thought was stupendous, but in the end we realized that we didn't want the perfect picture, we wanted more. We wanted a photographer that was going to capture us, in the moment, as beautifully real to the moment as possible. We're not the type of couple that has many photos of ourselves around the house and those we do have aren't posed. We like candids, we like moments, and we absolutely loved our photographer, Megan Clouse.

From the second we sat down with Megan she struck us as much more than your typical wedding photographer. She had amazing prints for us to look at and plenty of variety in style of shots, but the thing that jumped out at us was the emotion in her work. Even though we'd never met the people we were looking at, we could feel their joy, their laughter, their embarrassment ... we could feel everything.

Her photos weren't what I call the "insert bride here" type, where you can imagine any bride looking pretty in the photo you're looking at, each was truly a moment, even the posed shots. So, if you're looking for more than just great wedding photos, if you're looking for great memories, give Megan a call. She'll make it impossible to forget your special day and you'll have an amazing time working with her along the way. "

Love is love. It's simple, it's complicated, it's real.

Kate and Nicole were legally married exactly a year ago at San Francisco's City Hall, yet they wanted the full experience surrounded by all of their friends and family, and so the wedding planning ensued. A year's worth of details culminated into a beautiful, heartfelt celebration piled high with fun!

Not only was I their photographer, I was whole-heartily embraced by their guests and was treated like a member of the family. The entire day was very special, and I hope to keep them as friends for a very long time.

I've been working on a fun product shoot and I thought you'd enjoy peeking at the finished shots and to see the amusing not-so-glamorous behind the scenes. Keep in mind, when you see beautiful models looking perfect, many times they have clamps and duct tape in the back keeping the front of their clothing looking impeccable. This shoot was similar in concept.

And be sure to check out these beautiful candles at www.seaglowcandles.com! They are handmade with loving hands right here in Sonoma County and each candle is beautifully unique!

What a nice little surprise to see my couple Stefanie & Craig mentioned on fabsugar.com! And a bit of photo credit is always fun too!

Briana & Balys know how to start the new year off right... by pledging their love to each other in front of the friends and family!

In addition to January nuptials, their other circumstances were very special. Because they are both active military, their family members rallied together and helped coordinate many if not most of the wedding details, including hiring me, so the first time I met them was on their wedding day. And I heard we were lucky they even arrived for their own wedding because apparently it was a bit of a feat to get their shore leave approval for the wedding. How's that for exciting?! So they celebrated into the night and then as the true heroes that they are, they went back to their separate bases the very next day and they won't see each other for another 7 weeks!

But with all that said, the day was peaceful and beautiful as if there wasn't a care in the world; the way it should be.

As the saying goes... always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Well my saying is... always a photographer, never a guest.

I'm very happy to report that as of last night I actually attended a wedding as a friend not as the photographer; but I do have to confess a regression. It's just in my blood, I can't help myself, will you forgive me? With the permission of the bride a month before, I tucked my camera in my purse and quickly took some snaps while the official photographer wasn't looking.

It was a wonderfully romantic Tuesday evening wedding and I reveled in every decadent moment! So much so, that at one point a friend spied a magical dancing moment and since I was enjoying my guest-status to its fullest, I handed off my camera and she actually caught the moment like a pro.

Happy wedding to Mark & Allyson and Happy New Year to all of you lovebirds!