MEF Photography Blog! bio picture
  • Hello, friend! :D

    Welcome, welcome! That's me over there. < -- I'm Molly, a San Francisco Bay Area-based photographer. I adore weddings, families and portraits, but my cat, food and house get a lot of my attention, too! I'm married to my very best friend, and we sing to each other a lot. I'm a mid-century modern home dweller. I'm always working, working, working to be better at life (a never-ending battle!). I get a kick out of simplicity, tea, bright colors, ice cream, cooking, sarcasm and books -- among other things. I love me some good, authentic, giggly love. And I love making people feel lovely in the midst of their good, authentic, giggly love. And if that's your thing, too, I'd love nothing more than to give you some good, authentic, giggly love photos. :)

                   

Vanessa, Greg + Baby Boy | Maternity at Lands End, San Francisco

Can I tell you a not-really-a-secret? I LOVE maternity sessions, and I definitely don’t get to do them often enough (hint). Pregnant bellies are beautiful, excitement and anticipation are beautiful, love is beautiful. (Perfect examples of all three of these things are coming at you in just a second.) So it’s not terribly surprising that I adore this session. Vanessa + Greg met me at Lands End in San Francisco and the weather was incredible (if you’ve ever been to Lands End you know that it’s usually overcast, foggy and windy as all get out). And Vanessa, who has only about a month left to go in her pregnancy, hiked around in heels and put up with all of my requests, both of the bonkers and not-bonkers variety. But hey, worth it, right? ;)  Let’s let the photos do the talking!

Hi, Vanessa + Greg! :D

A shot incorporating these trees was Vanessa’s one request. Nailed it!

Pregnancy looks gorgeous on you, Vanessa. Seriously.

Normally I like to talk about how funny I am, but all credit for this giggle goes to Greg. Favorites.

Total and complete favorites. Most especially the one on the left. Swoon.

This one is specifically for Vanessa’s momma. :D

Seriously! :D

And ending with another favorite. :D

Vanessa + Greg, thank you so much for asking me to document this sweet time in your lives. I’m incredibly proud to give you these photos and I hope you love them as much as I do. From just our short conversation, I can tell how excited and ready you are for your son to arrive. I can also tell that he is one lucky kid to have you as his parents. I can’t wait to meet him, see his beautiful face and hear what you’ve decided to name him. May the last month of your pregnancy be smooth sailing—he’ll be here before you know it! xo, M

 

 

Krissy, Sean + Avery | Family Session in San Francisco

 

HI, GUYS! Winter break is over (sort of)! Those big, vague changes I mentioned in my last blog post are still ongoing—nothing ever seems to move as quickly as I suspect it will during the planning stages. I don’t mean to be cagey about what’s going on and it’s not life-shattering information. I just don’t like to talk about things while they’re little-t things and not big-T Things and we’re still firmly in the lower-case stage. In any case, life is good and the weather is incredible and the grass is green and there’s work to be done. BUT THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THAT! SUBJECT CHANGE! ;)

Do you remember Krissy + Sean? Do you remember their colorful engagement session and their gorgeous, smiley, breakfast-for-dinner wedding? Of course you do, because they’re unforgettable people, duh. Well guess what? They went and made a baby—an adorable, incredible, perfect little baby named Avery Rose. And last month, they flew themselves and that perfect little 6-month-old baby all the way up to San Francisco from Los Angeles for their first family session. We meant to spend only a couple of hours together, but man, I like their company a lot, so I may have inadvertently stretched it out a bit. Plus, you know, babies have to nap and eat sometimes. Yeah, that was the reason. ;)

Hi, perfect family!

Some things I learned about Avery: 1) She is a close talker. She was 100% on board with this session so long as I was between one and four feet from her face. A place I didn’t mind being, not one bit.

2) She is a momma’s girl through and through. :D

3) She likes to have conversations with distant seagulls while her parents are busy being completely adorable. :D

4) See: fact N° 1.

5) She hit the parent jackpot. Big time.
6) This doesn’t actually have anything to do with facts about her. I just wanted to say that this is a favorite photo:

7) She thinks her dad hung the moon.

8) Reiterating parent jackpot comment.

This picture was actually an accident but I love it and I’m in charge, so I’m sharing it. :D

8) She can’t quite sit up on her own yet, but she doesn’t mind help. (If you could only have heard the sounds I was making in order to get this smile!)

Favorite, but you probably could have guessed that.

This is the face of a baby who love her momma. :D

That one one the left? I mean, come on. :D

Then we went back to their hotel room, ostensibly just to say goodbye, but I’m not one to pass up an opportunity disguised as a baby in a good mood. :D

Love. :D

And I’m ending with my absolute favorite, because, well… How could I not? This is love in a photograph, folks. :D

Krissy + Sean, I was so honored that you came all this way for me to meet your daughter and photograph your new family. From the moment I met you lo those many moons ago, I was struck by how level-headed and practical you are and it surprises me not one bit that you’ve brought those qualities into parenthood. You are incredible with Avery and your overwhelming love for her was a privilege to witness and document. It’s all I see when I look at these photos, and I hope they bring you as much joy as they give me. I cannot, cannot, cannot wait to come down to LA in September for Avery’s one year session and to see what she’s learned and how you’ve grown as a family. You three have a very special place in my heart—there’s just no other way to say it. Squeeze Avery’s cheeks for me! xo, M

 

Zoe + Ethan | Married at Kennolyn Camp

 

It’s here! It’s here! My last wedding of 2014! And man, was it a good one to go out on, my friends. Zoe + Ethan are incredible people with amazing family and friends and a beautiful relationship. Their wedding was elegant and a touching celebration of their love for each other. I’ve listened to a lot of vows while doing this job, and these put my heart in my throat. My words won’t do justice to theirs (if you had been there, you’d understand), so instead I’ll just show you the pictures, because I think those are pretty fabulous, too. ;)

Hi, Ethan! :D

Those are Zoe’s grandmother’s hands. :)

You can’t see it in this photo, but those sunglasses say EZ DOES IT on the sides. :D

Hi, Zoe! I am sort of obsessed with your freckles.

They opted to do a first look…

…and it was pretty dang cute. :D

Kennolyn Camp was a pretty great backdrop.

Then we took some time for portraits! FAVORITE! :D

Way to look good, guys. :D

Zoe + Ethan didn’t say vows during their ceremony. Instead, they gathered together all of their closest loved ones before the wedding. Everyone stood in a circle, holding hands, while Z+E read vows to one another and signed their ketubah. There was nary a dry eye in those woods.

They didn’t have a traditional bridal party, either. But they had their parents and siblings stand up with them.
Ceremony time!

Ethan’s eye color is seriously mesmerizing (and I don’t care if that’s a weird compliment). His sister has them, too, and they’re courtesy of their momma. :D

Love all of the smiles in this one.

In lieu of vows, their rabbi read letters they’d written to each other. I wish I had copies of them, because they were incredible—honest, touching, funny. Perfect.

A kiss so good it knocks off your yarmulke! MARRIED! :D
After 20 minutes of alone time, we snuck in a few more portraits. Favorite. :D
So I took this photo and was feeling pretty good about it…

…until my outstanding second shooter, Stacey, showed me this shot that she got. And blew me totally out of the water. High fives, Stacey! I’m claiming yours as a favorite. :D

Ethan’s sister gave an awesome speech.
And they had a great live band (The Cosmo Alleycats) for their reception.
Cake knife to the rescue again! :D
Horah! :D

Everybody got in on it, including Ethan’s parents:

And his grandmother and their niece:

And Zoe’s parents!

The rest of their reception was relatively low-key and focused on their guests. But at the very end of the evening they broke out some giant sparklers and I took my favorite photo from the whole day. Ending it with this one:

Zoe + Ethan, what can I say? I’ve told you straight to your faces how much I adore you too many times to count. You two are something special; you have kindness, empathy, intelligence and beauty in spades. I was honored beyond explanation to spend this day with you. Secretly, I hoped a little of your awesomeness would rub off on me. It was a pleasure to be present at your wedding and to get to know your friends and family. I am proud of every last one of these images and how they showcase your relationship, and I am thrilled to give them to you. I hope you love them as much as I do. Let’s spend some more time together soon, so I have more chances for your greatness to infect me, k? xo, M

In other news, this blog is probably going quiet for awhile, friends. This was my last wedding for the season and I’m taking a much needed step back while some big changes happen in my little family’s life (they’re all good, I promise!). I hope that you all have a fantastic holiday season and welcome the new year with lofty resolutions, iron willpower and happiness in your heart. That’s my plan. ;)

Megan + Michael | Engaged in San Francisco

 

My shooting season is nearing an end, my friends. I have had an incredible year for an untold number of reasons, not the least of which being that the people who entrust their wedding photographs to me are outstanding human beings. I’d like to think I have something to do with it, but really, I’ve just been exceedingly lucky. And these next two are no exception. Megan + Michael are my last engagement session for the year, and get ready for them to make you smile, because they didn’t stop the entire session!

They met at a ballgame at AT&T Park (they’re sort of massive Giants fans), so where better to start their photos? Hi, M+M! :D

They dressed appropriately, wouldn’t you say? ;)

Michael said he was most comfortable getting his picture taken when he wasn’t facing the camera, so I humored him with the photo on the left. But that one on the right? That one where we can see his lovely face? Favorite.
FAVORITE! I love the way you look at each other.

Oh, wait. This is a favorite, too. :D

Finishing out this blog post strong: The next two are also favorites. :D Love the laughs in this one!

And the light in this one!

Megan + Michael, I had such a great time walking (walking, walking, walking!) all over the waterfront with you and getting to learn a little more about your lives and your relationship. You are smart, kind, dedicated people and you are a perfect pair. I think that’s totally obvious in these photos, and I hope you can see it, too. I am so excited for your wedding next summer. I promise you it will be here before you know it! Until then! :D xo, M

Katie + Frank | Married at Hacienda De Las Flores

Beautiful wedding filled with beautiful people ahead! There’s only one more wedding after this one; you might want to savor it. ;)

Katie + Frank’s engagement session is one of my favorites of all time, so of course I was excited for their wedding. And guys, I was not disappointed. Despite it being about a million degrees that day (which really doesn’t come across in the photos, but seriously, we were melting), it was completely perfect. Let’s get to the goods!

Katie + her ladies were totally ready to go by the time I arrived (a first for me!), but we hung around the hotel for a few anyway. Hi, Katie! :D

I will not even bother explaining to you what this means. :)

Meanwhile, my second shooter, Elsie, was over at the apartment with the guys. Hi, Frank! :D

You clean up well, my friend.

The girls and I headed over to Hacienda De Las Flores for Katie to put on her dress—which was totally gorgeous. Also, these are officially the only shoes I am okay with not breaking in ahead of time. ;)
Loved this shot Elsie grabbed of the girls toasting.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Corset dresses take at least 20 minutes to put on. Plan accordingly!

First sight time! (Love that you can see the shoes peeking out here.) :D

This was hands down one of the best first look reactions I’ve ever seen. High fives for being enthusiastic, guys.

Then we spent a little time on portraits. My view on the left (favorite); Elsie’s on the right.
Holy freaking hot tamales, Katie. Just stop it. Favorite.

Your happiness is perfection. Favorite.

This was a recreation of a favorite image from their engagement session. Did we do it well?

Guys. Stop.

Favorite! Duh!

Then some bridal party photos! :D

Way to look fabulous, friends. :D

…and to be super fun. :D

Ceremony time! I don’t actually know what’s going on here, but it makes me laugh so whatever. I’m including it.
Anyone who claims a first look ruins this part of your ceremony can eat these two photos and shush.

If memory serves, Katie’s dad made that frame.

Katie said she wouldn’t cry during her vows. That photo on the right is Frank comforting her when she totally broke that promise. :D

Their exit was seriously like the end of a kids’ soccer game—high five gauntlet. Married!

The theme of their ceremony was “All You Need Is Love,” and lyrics from the song were cleverly woven through the whole thing. At the end, a six piece band snuck up behind everyone and started playing. It was incredible to experience.

Katie being hugged by her new father-in-law. :)

More portraits! Are you surprised?

Favorite. I know… another one. I make the rules here! :)

Agreed, cake. Agreed. Favorite on the right.

Back of the cake knife to the rescue!

Loved this shot Elsie got of the band!

Then we switched gears for reception time.

Grainy as heck, a little blurry, and totally perfect. Love.

Yeah, okay, too many dance shots. But I liked this one, too!

The rest of the night was dance floor insanity. Here’s a small taste:

Katie + Frank, the amount of affection I feel for the two of you is downright embarrassing. You bring love and joy in abundance everywhere you go, your smiles are infections and your hearts are warm. I was honored (really, truly, totally, honestly) to photograph your wedding and to get to know your friends and families. I am immensely proud to give you these photos; your beauty (both physical and emotional) pours from them. I hope you see that as clearly as I do. Thank you, from the bottom of my toes, for asking me to be there. Best day ever. xo, M