Written by Candace on February 16, 2016 | 1 Comment

It’s Officially Engagement Season!

We had our first engagement session of the year yesterday.

We got to spend with the sweetest couple at an absolutely breathtaking location. I walked away feeling creatively inspired, thankful to live in California, and grateful to work with the best people. I’m excited to see what this new year holds.

If you know someone recently engaged, please send them our way! We are booking 2016/2017 weddings and if there is one thing we’ve learned over the last 7 years in business, it’s that our clients, friends and family refer us the best clients. We’d love for you to help us add to the Pictilio family this year!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Photo: Alex and Tanya at the beautiful Sutro Baths in San Francisco.

Engagement photo at Sutro Baths in San Francisco

Chime in or Share

Written by Candace on January 22, 2016 | 1 Comment

The Weekender

It’s Friday! And it’s raining (maybe snowing by you?) and I am so ready for the weekend. Vitaliy is leaving town so it’s going to be a girl’s weekend spent with my mom and Rose. And I’m excited about that!

Rose’s First Birthday: Speaking of Rose, we are weeks away from celebrating her first birthday. I honestly cannot believe it! I’m not into anything over the top. I’m thinking small and low-key with family and a few friends. Any tips or ideas for a first birthday party? Please share!

Whole 30: Vitaliy and I are starting our second Whole 30 on January 31. Have you heard of Whole 30? We did our first one last year when I was about 3 months postpartum and I felt amazing. It definitely takes a certain amount of dedication and extra time preparing meals, but the physical benefits are well worth the effort. This time we finally have a game plan for after the Whole 30 ends so I’m hopeful for more long-term change this go round. We’re going to do eat mostly Paleo, 90/10 – 90% Paleo, 10% wiggle room. Anybody have any Whole 30 or Paleo Pinterest boards or blogs you’d recommend? Anybody want to join us? We’ve got a group of about 10 people so far. So happy to not be doing it alone this time!

Date Night: We finally had a date night this week! We dropped Rose off to friends and went to a local coffee shop to caffeinate, breathe and connect. We spent the entire time looking face to face just talking. It was just what we needed.

MOPS: If you are a mom to little ones, I highly recommend finding a MOPS meeting in your area. I really wasn’t sure it’d be a good fit for me, but I was wrong. Being surrounded by a group of women who know precisely what you’re going through is so comforting. Every time we meet, I leave encouraged and ready to take on motherhood for another week.

Scary Close: Remember I mentioned I received two copies of On Writing by Stephen King. Well, I exchanged the extra copy this week for Donald Miller’s book Scary Close. I read the intro and first Chapter on the way to date night last night and choked up. Have you read it? I’m only one chapter in, but I’m intrigued. It made for some great conversation over coffee with Vitaliy.

What are you up to this weekend? I’m hoping for a lunch date with Mom and Rose on Saturday. Then church and rest on Sunday. Happy weekend, friends!

Photo: Can we go back to Christmas week?

Chime in or Share

Written by Candace on January 21, 2016 | 2 Comments

Photo Shoot In Downtown
St. Louis

Throwback Thursday! We are starting a new series on the blog. Though a new series here, the concept is definitely not revolutionary. But we have so many old weddings and shoots that aren’t featured here and we have been having a ton of fun looking back. Seeing how far we’ve come in the last 7 years while also seeing how much the heart and vision of how we shoot has stayed the same.

This was a photo shoot we did back in 2011 with my cousin and his (then) girlfriend in downtown St. Louis, my hometown. These two are now married and own a thriving start-up called Artifox. They combined their architectural and design skills and produce some of the coolest products! Go check them out!

Photo tip: When choosing a photo shoot location, don’t feel like you have to choose the iconic backdrops of a particular city. For example, these photos were taken in downtown St. Louis, but we purposely did not choose the standard locations (Arch grounds, ballpark, etc). However, I have such fond memories of this shoot because it was shot in my hometown. It has the urban grit of St. Louis and the blistery winter can be felt as I look through these images. Simply shooting in a place you love will do the job of turning a photo shoot into a memory making moment. This will help you avoid any unmet expectations of wanting a specific building or landmark in your photos. And it will also likely offer a more intimate experience as the iconic locations are usually full of people. It’s really all about the two of you anyway.

Chime in or Share