• Recent Work
    • All Recent/Blog<
    • Engagements<
    • Weddings<
    • Family<
  • Portfolio
    • Engagements<
    • Weddings<
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • c l i e n t s
  • ©2025 J&A Light.
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • Menu

J&A Light

  • Recent Work
    • All Recent/Blog<
    • Engagements<
    • Weddings<
    • Family<
  • Portfolio
    • Engagements<
    • Weddings<
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • c l i e n t s
  • ©2025 J&A Light.
  • All Rights Reserved.

K+K - Sonoma Winery Wedding, Sonoma, CA

June 01, 2015 in wedding, wine country

If I had to pin down a single element about this Sonoma wine country wedding that I shot for Duy Ho Photography to tell the story of the day, I would point out the palpable contentment and happiness throughout the day.  The day started with a welcoming “cool” with K+K and continued into the a day of wide-smiled joy.

The bride and groom lead the their wedding guests in the celebration, and as such smiles abound as we shot in this beautiful corner of Sonoma.  It was difficult not to get swept up in the emotion of the wedding following a beautiful opening toast from the father of the bride that had everyone tearing up and laughing equally.  Following dinner and more toasts, the dance floor opened up and lead by an extremely lively groom, who laid down some SWEET synchronized dance moves to “Put a Ring On It” by Beyoncè with his sister.  

That performance set the tone for the rest of the evening and nucleated one of most lively dance floors to which I’ve been witness.  There were more deft dance moves throughout the night, but my favorite bit of “getting down” was the impromptu limbo contest improvised from the groom’s own leather belt.  Not even a gross lack of equipment was getting in the way of this party.

I couldn’t be happier for the newlyweds, and it was beautiful to see so many people celebrate them.  Congratulations, you guys put a ring on it!

-Joseph

Tags: sonoma
1 Comment

Marlowe's Mission San Jose Baptism - Fremont, CA

May 26, 2015 in family, events, portrait

A staple of many wedding toasts is the wish for the new marriage to bring together families and for the union to bear much happiness, love, and most importantly children.  In this way, baby Marlowe’s baptism is an expression of her parents and family making good on both requests.

Before I worked with these families, I knew over first few e-mails with Marlowe’s then-prospective godmother, Monica, that this was going to be a good one.  My work would be one of the gifts to her new god daughter, something that I was honored to be a part of, and a gift that I thought to be incredibly thoughtful.  This thoughtfulness proved to be a trait shared by both sides of Marlowe’s family, as I was quickly made to feel like part of them; it was hard to pass a family member without being offered food, a drink, or be chatted up as one of them.

The baptismal ceremony was held in the old Mission Church of San Jose, in Fremont, CA.  Its weathered wood and stucco interior, punctuated by chandeliers and ornate alter made for a beautiful backdrop to Marlowe’s special day.  After a few family photos on premises, the delegation who attended the church ceremony joined even more guests at the home of Marlowe’s grandparents.  This was a beautiful home with a large, multi-tiered backyard complete with deck, patio, terrace steps, and half basketball court.

It was watching this reception that I realized how rich Marlowe was with family and friends who truly love her.  There was a strong air of celebration through the afternoon, aided no doubt by the fresh catered tacos, homemade chicharonnes, and just-fried churros.  Yes.  Those.  Churros.  Honestly, the best churros that I have ever had, bar none.  I discovered the source of the churros next to the basketball court on which I witnessed a few thunderous dunks [though, to be honest, the rim had to have been lowered to about 8 feet, unless half the guys at the reception had 42” verticals].  Despite the Sports Center worthy highlights being put up on the basketball court, Marlowe was still the star this day, bringing smiles to the faces of all who saw her.  How could they not love that face and those piercing blue eyes?

I was lucky to be made part of this family, even if just for an afternoon.  Congratulations Marlowe and family!

-Joseph

Tags: Mission of San Jose, baptism, Fremont
Comment

Liezel + Gary - Golden Gate Park Maternity Session

April 24, 2015 in family, portrait

Liezel and Gary are the kind of people you wish that you could work with every time.  They are just a really great couple who you could not imagine apart because they are so natural together.  As photographers, we loved them because they were great in front of the camera, but we were even more intrigued by them as friends with whom you have so much fun, time seems to speed by.  This maternity session was just that; good times with some of our favorite people that ended far too soon.

On top of being great company, they were troopers; it wasn’t the warmest the afternoon of our shoot, but we got nothing but positivity and an infectious verve for life from them.  It was inspiring to see two people love and support each other; that their first child is on its way made us hopeful for the future and gave us a hearty case of the warm fuzzies.  We can’t see these two raise anything short of great people between them.

As for the shoot itself, the western edge of Golden Gate Park/Ocean Beach gave us great backgrounds a nooks of light that really allows us to frame and showcased this couple.  Liezel especially seemed radiant and every bit of the happy, expectant mother for whom Gary loves and cares.  There was a bit of a shuffle getting Liezel in and out of her coat between setups, but she was so easy going and a sheer joy for us to work with, it was never an issue.  We really have to thank these two for making it difficult to take a bad shot, and for making whatever adversity we faced that day feel small and manageable when set next to the love they showed for each other.

Cheers to the expectant parents, and thanks for making it look easy!

 
 
 
 
Tags: Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park, maternity
Comment
Prev / Next

@JandALight on Instagram

We were like, &ldquo;ok guys, cool it, it&rsquo;s a nice garden, but it ain&rsquo;t Eden&rdquo; 🤪 @ericalisa + @_kramark_ coming with the dramz on their engagement session at @_Filoli, link to their story in the bio!

studio space || @garysextonphot
Unseasonal (but still rad) fireworks this holiday season courtesy of @ericalisa + @_kramark_ and their engagement session for y&rsquo;all on the blog today &mdash; check them out, link in the bio.

We had an absolute blast with these guys going from
It&rsquo;s just about that time for @MissxCow + Jason! Congrats in advance guys, for the rest of you, check their engagement photos from the @LegionofHonor and Battery Godfrey in @PresidioSF. 🙃 &mdash;&mdash;
hair/makeup || @facesbyemily
gown || @lu
343? More like 365, because we&rsquo;d take @ThuyLe5 + @yoandyhierrezuelo everyday if we could ☺️ A wonderful post- wedding session in the Financial Distract in SF.

planning || @radleigh.and.sage
.
.
.
.
. 
#JandALight #vscocam #artofvisuals #visual
Mad glam-y vibes at City Hall &mdash; Where there&rsquo;s a will, there&rsquo;s a way ☺️ @johsalvador + @Mistahbets on their magical wedding day.
&hellip;
florals: @ahbfloral4
.
.
.
.
. 
#JandALight #vscocam #artofvisuals #visualsoflife #wedding #bri