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About Julie

I am growing a small family in Santa Cruz, California with my hubby, Rodney and our two kids, Isabella and Luke. I love meeting new people and learning their stories. It is a joy to work with people. I feel so blessed to be able to meet so many awesome people and share with them my love for photography.

Poke around, leave me a comment or drop me a line: julie@juliecahillphotography.com

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Archive: ‘Engagement’



Jesse + Jessica | Engagement Session

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

I had so much fun on this session!  It could be because Jesse suggested grabbing a drink after about 5 minutes into our session?!  I’m all for keeping the calm and making my clients feel relaxed, so of course I obliged.  Really though, they are both sooo down to earth and sweet.   Jesse shared how much he enjoys family and looks forward to that with Jessica.  Love it.

We started in the Swift St. Courtyard near Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery and then headed north to wrap at Panther Beach.  I’m looking forward to their wedding in Campbell NEXT MONTH!  Holy.  That is close guys. See you guys again soon!

Steve + Jennifer | Engagement Session

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

After a last minute change of time and location, we met up at Lighthouse Field to kick off Steve and Jennifer’s Engagement Session before wrapping up at Natural Bridges. I can’t wait for their beautiful wedding at Rancho Soquel.   That venue looks like a dream with a zillion different backdrops.  These two are both on the path to public services.  Big jobs, that make big differences in people’s lives.  Love it!  Despite a few logistics with directions, we still walked away with some great shots.  Thanks you two for hanging in there, it was a bit of a roller coaster with all the change ups along the way.

Small height difference with the heels off. ;)

Panther Beach Engagement Session

Monday, July 18th, 2011

Ella and Andrew found me online and were up from down south for a little vacation.  We headed up the coast to the secluded Panther Beach that boast some funky rock out croppings, a natural rock bridge and a dynamic sunset.  Ella walked straight off the pages of a magazine in her navy dress and glittery heels.  Smokin’ hot and a heap of fun to hang with too. Check them out…

Engagement Session: Ano Nuevo

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Lisa and Brian took me to where he proposed to her, a beach near Ano Nuevo called Stumpy’s.  I always love asking couples about how they met and how they got engaged.  They are both there chiming in on who thought what, who said what and the two sides to every story always comes out.  These two are so easy to hang with-  I’m totally looking forward to their wedding!  They have an AMAZING 16 inches difference (it could be 18, I forget), so we tried a few tricks to close the gap.  We had Lisa on hay bales, jumping into his arms, seated, perched on the up hill of the sand doons to name a few.  Before on the sand doons, we stopped off at Pie Ranch cuz I saw the fog ahead and wanted a little sunshine for their session.  After the goats and hay bales… we headed north.  Ano had stunning landscape all around us with some fog creeping in overhead and the moon on the rise.  They braved the cold, wet, and wind and hopefully had a little fun along the way. Here are a few from their session…

Love this one.

Night Session in the City: San Francisco Engagement Session

Friday, April 29th, 2011

This lovely bride, Jessica comes to me via her little sister, Farron, who was my dear friend all through high school. We were both the new kids on the block at the new school, so at freshman orientation we locked eyes as loners and the rest is history… and by history, I mean we got into mad mischief.  Good times we had, and through it all, we spent much time hanging out in the kitchen with her older sister, Jessica.  After catching up with Farron down in LA after a wedding, she told me her sister was engaged.  Yeah!  So fun.  Jess met Loren online which is starting become the majority of many of my couples.  I’m so happy for Jess.  Loren is perfect for her.  He is funny and calm admist her super bubbly, half-spastic personality.  I’m so looking forward to their beach front wedding at The Cliffs, down in Pismo.

Jessica requested an all night time engagement session in San Francisco which I had never done before and I was sure she was made aware of before attempting it.  She was gracious in saying she had no expectation, so I agreed.  The small world of all this was that as I looked for some night time locations in the City online, I came across one of the other mischeif makers from high school who ended up marrying a wedding photographer.  Really?!  I shot her hubby an email and he ended up coming out with us that night to nail some bridge shots.  Big thanks to Josh for helping out that night! We walked away with some killer shots thanks to him.  We started over on the Mill Valley side of the bridge to get the Golden Gate all lit up with the city a glow in the background.  Then we headed into the City for some shots.  Jessica needed to stop off to adjust the hair trial that was blown to pieces on the bluffs, so we popped into a restuarant.  When I called her to come across the street, she waved me into the restaurant where she had a seat all warmed up, coat off, purse hung, and a drink at the bar.  Love the girl.  She said, “this is so us, having drinks, out at night.”  So I began to capture them there before we headed out to top off the night. **I used radio poppers with two 580exii flashes.  One on camera, one off.  At times, just off.  Check it out.

Pacifica Engagement Session

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

After a day of clouds coverage, I headed north to meet Joe and Elyse for their engagement session.  If fog was in Santa Cruz, then surely we were not going to get sunshine up the coast.  I was wrong.  I pulled out of the cloud coverage on the way up highway one into some glorious sunshine.  I was so happy.  I met them up at a local beach.  We started on the bluffs and then headed down to the extremely dangerous beach front.  These waves eat you alive.  Everyman is for himself when a wave comes in.  At one point we had five people all scrambling for one rock outcropping that was the only higher ground.

I’m really looking forward to their wedding come September.  They picked a very popular date- 9-10-11.  I get to work along side the brilliant Katie Hund from Wylie Weddings at the lovely Pacific Oaks Winery in Aptos.  As if planning a wedding isn’t enough, they just adopted a sweet little puppy!  Congrats you guys on your new little family.

Full Circle

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Could it get any better?  My husbands best friend, Jon from back home (Australia) met an American, Colleen while working in Indonesia.  Within a few months, he followed her back to the states.  She happen to live in San Francisco just an hour away from us.  Now the international duo are tying the knot in Hawaii in May. I. Can’t. Wait. I had the privilege to shoot a mini engagement session the other day and hit up some spectacular Italian food with them after.  It’s been great fun for Rod to have his best mate nearby to surf, golf, play Australian Rules football, and have an occasional late night Skype session with their boys back home.  These two are adorably in love every time we hang out with them.  So stoked for you two!  All the best.

Bay Area Portrait Photographer: Nate + Amanda

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

These two are such a fun lovin’ couple.  I wish I was able to shoot their wedding too!  It’s hard to do a whole engagement session with a couple and not get invested after hearing their love story and future plans together. However, they booked a package deal that has them covered for a photographer. Sigh.  I wish them all the best as Nathan travels to Guam for work until their wedding day.  If Amanda is anything like me, then I secretly hope he gets more work there and she can have the fun young adventure of being a newlywed there with him before they return to the states.   We headed up to Swanton Berry farm as it is as close to the country as we get around this beach town and Amanda said she’s a country bumpkin from the Fresno area looking for some grass and open space.  We had beautiful blue sky with some crazy fun clouds that day.  Not to mention some crazy wet fun at the end.  Enjoy!

It’s hard to keep a straight face when you’re freezing your ass off.  You guys are definitely crazy in love!  All the best to you both. xx J

Engagment Session: The Adventures of Brian + Jenai

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Oh, how I wish I could share their amazing video that their mega talented friend made for their up coming wedding days.  Yep.  Two weddings.  One on the East Coast and one on the West- my first double header.  Well besides my own.  Yeah- we did the official one with just the parents present, then the huge shabang a year later.  There will be no video though, as it is top secret.  I got a peek though because I will be “working” while it plays.  With their many years traveling from coast to coast to keep up a relationship, the two are planning a travel themed wedding.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing all the details she’s oozing about come to life.  In the meanwhile, here was her other vision for her engagement session… first a hike in Nisene Marks, then a trip to the beach for a coveted photo of them on boards in their clothes.  Crazy I know.  She had me at, “so our backs will be to you…”  There is something so enchanting to me about two people in love looking away from the camera.  It holds so much curiosity and unknowns.

After Nisene Marks… we headed over to the village.  We did a little stroll around town, before hitting the water.

Lucky for these two, there was no swell.  The surf was as flat as a lake. They were able to paddle out unscathed for this shot she wanted.

Thanks for the fun adventures guys!  I’m looking forward to more with your bi-coastal weddings.  xx ~J

Engagement Session: Swanton Berry Farm

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Michael and Jenny are getting married on 1-1-11!!!  Whoo hooo.  I can’t wait.  Winter fun.  I’m certain it will be filled with many thought out DIY details.  I’m very much looking forward to their big day and photographing all the fun little things that her and her family are working on.  When we talked about photo locations for their engagement session, they told me they love to visit Swanton Berry Farm up the coast from me, so we headed there for their engagement session.  It’s double special because it’s where Michael proposed to her.  Perfect spot.  Games, barns, grass, open roads and fields.  It couldn’t get much sweeter.  But it did.  They bought me tacos after our session in Davenport.  Such a fun day- Thanks guys!  I had a great time wandering Swanton with you two and have got it in my back pocket for some rainy fun for my kids.  I mean, come on… board games, children’s books, and free jam samples on animal crackers.  Sorry, I just spilled the secret spot.

The Farm keeps an “old school blog” in their store where guest write an entry about their visit.  And so it goes…

In Love.

Yep- she’s BEAUTIFUL.

There is also a secret reservoir that the owner insisted we go check out.  So we did.  It’s picnic worthy.  Next time.  Quilt, wine, love.

 

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