Why I Love San Francisco's Crissy Field + Baby Bradley Turns 1!

I have a couple of special things happening here. First -- mini sessions are nearly sold out, and I'm so happy I'll be reunited with families from last year, as well as meeting new faces! Some slots are available for the incredible, colorful, family friendly Hayes Valley, but Crissy Field is sold out. If you're still interested, let me know and I will open up a new date. stephanie@marilee.co

This brings me to the other special thing -- one of my newborns turned 1 year old! Proud parents Grace Ann and Brad brought baby Bradley to play in the late afternoon sunshine, and I was bewildered to see him walking (even chasing me!) in the blink of an eye. There is such joy from behind the camera over this past year. Thanks G&B for inviting me to cover his first year! 

If you've never visited Crissy Field before, you'll see amazing views of the San Francisco Bay, but the most prominent part of your view will be the Golden Gate Bridge. Crissy Field used to be a former U.S. Army airfield until 1974. Residents now enjoy a huge stretch of grassy field right along the water. 

We met & hung out by the Warming Hut for a few reasons: 1) great parking, 2) there's a pier! 3) beautiful proximity to Golden Gate Bridge and the downtown skyline, 4) lots of grassy fields, 5) tree line to create some shade when needed, 6) there's a little beach! All this is within stumbling distance, so it was great for baby Bradley to roam around. So if you've booked a mini session with me, you'll get to see some of these scenes. 

Here are a few of my faves! Enjoy.

William & Staci's San Francisco Getaway -- Fogged Out!

I've learned that it's tough packing for California, when you account for anywhere between 35 - 100 F degrees! Staci and William Graves traveled across the country from Georgia, and I caught them in San Francisco after their secluded, blissful days in Yosemite. We hoped to capture some portraits of the Golden Gate Bridge, but got totally fogged out! Even steps away from the Goldie, you couldn't see any evidence of it being there. We totally improvised and came up with some amazing shots featuring Goldie's BFF, Karl the Fog at Baker Beach. Here are a few of my faves:

In a last ditch effort to get a glimpse of the bridge, we jumped in our cars and raced to Crissy Field. We reached the Pier by the Warming Hut with no luck, but got to play with some speedlight in the dark for a few minutes before every exposed part of us was covered in mist. 

Special thanks to Tiffany Ho for assisting, and especially to Mr. & Mrs. Graves for being such good sports in the freezing weather! We had the best time. :)