We are Charleston wedding and portrait photographers who have been photographing portraits and events all over the world since 2005. When Randy, who lives in Taiwan, first wrote us about doing pre-wedding photos with Edith, he asked, “Where should we go for our photos?”
Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California…our WhatsApp messages went back and forth with ideas until we settled on the San Francisco Bay, where Randy went to high school in nearby Pebble Beach (and played on their golf team, which is no small feat). Once we had the location, Edith began sending me photos of dresses in all shapes and sizes. We wanted to explore the coast and the city for two days, and that meant lots of wardrobe changes for Edith. Some of the dresses were so grand they wouldn’t fit in a small car. Randy, on the other hand, was not so concerned about what he wore. “I didn’t bring a whole lot of clothes,” he texted me. He even forgot to bring matching pants for his two suit jackets.
But no one cared. We were all in for the adventure.
An Adventure Worth Waiting For
We first met Randy at his sister Derice’s wedding at Alila Villas Soori in Bali, Indonesia. Back then, he was 10 years younger, unattached and simply playing the role of the supportive brother. Of course, a lot has changed since then. He now has a successful career and has found the love of his life, Edith.
So across the world they flew, with bags and bags of dresses, plus their favorite makeup artist, Jimmy. Jimmy normally works for the rich and famous in Taiwan, but this was only his second time in the US – the first time being for our shoot with Derice and Gary for their pre-wedding photos, also in San Francisco. So it often felt like going back in time having Jimmy with us.
The Best of San Francisco and Beyond
Over two days, we explored some of the most beautiful, iconic locations in Big Sur, Pebble Beach and San Francisco. We started around noon each day, and worked until we ran out of light. At the end of each day, we were exhausted, battling colds, along with the wind and fog and chill of the late Fall weather. But all day, we laughed as Randy cut jokes and told us stories about his life in the United States (Edith also went to school in the US, in New York). We ended day two with photos on Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. In between all the wardrobe changes, makeup refreshes and posing, Edith and Randy laughed and goofed off and showed the true nature of their relationship. They were introduced to each other by their parents. However, they quickly found they had an undeniable bond, a fun friendship, and a love that’s easy and natural.
To see a behind-the-scenes video of this pre-wedding shoot, check out the video made by our own Vladimir Chaloupka: Moments in Light With Ben Chrisman. While on this shoot, Ben was using the new A2 monolight by Profoto, one of our gear partners, who asked us to make a film of Ben using the light on a real shoot. It’s a fun look into how these portraits were made!