Merry Christmas to you!

Hey everybody!  I'm having a very merry Christmas, and I hope you are too!  :D

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going with my family to the late-night Christmas Eve service at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.  On the way into the church, everyone gets a candle.  At the end of the service, the lights go dim, as we all sing "Silent Night"...and beginning in the front with the Christmas Candle in the advent wreath, the candles are gradually lit.  Once your candle is burning, you turn to the people behind you and pass the light on.  At first the church is dark, but gradually grows brighter and brighter as the light spreads through the crowd.

I love the symbolism.  Christ came to bring light into the world.  As Isaiah said, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."  We do walk in darkness, wherever we walk without Him.  He is our life.  Our one true source of joy.  He loved us to the death...and in his death we receive life.  He gave everything for us...all because he loved us so dearly that he was willing to do whatever it took to win us back to himself.

And he continues to do whatever it takes to win us to him...to heal our hearts, piece by piece, and restore them so we can live our lives in the fullness that he wants for us.  He comes every day, every week, in the experiences we walk through, to rescue us from those broken places, and call us to come closer to himself.

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,

All for love's sake becamest man.

Throne for a manger didst surrender,

Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor;

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,

All for love's sake becamest man.

Merry Christmas to all of you -- and may you know HIS love for you today, this season, in deeper ways than ever before.


- Kelsey

Discovering beauty...

Kelsey Schweickert  |  San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer
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I played hooky.

Yep, I played hooky after the workshop in Denver -- went down to Taos and skied!  Our friends the Harlin family were there for a long weekend, so my brother and I joined them Friday.  It was a short but epic trip....

We flew into Albuquerque Thursday evening, rented a small SUV and headed for Taos.  I'll never forget that drive.  It was dark, and snowing, and what should have taken 2 1/2 hours took us from about 11:30 till 5am.  Apparently they don't really care to snowplow much in Albuquerque.  There must have been 6" of snow on the road and vehicles were sliding all over the place.  I've gone up to Tahoe via highway 80 dozens of times, but I've never seen so many cars and trucks stopped in bizarre places all over a road like this.  Flashing lights and snowy skid marks were everywhere.

We had an extra passenger along for the drive, a surgeon from Boston who'd been stranded at the airport.  She was headed to Santa Fe for a friend's surprise birthday party, but her ride flaked out on her because of the storm.  We were going that way so we were happy to squeeze her in among the skis and luggage.  :)  She's also a skier so it was fun chatting with her as we slid along.  We ended up in sort of a convoy, with a Porsche Cayenne in front of us and two other SUVs behind, holding our breath as we threaded our way through mile after mile of this odd midnight graveyard of cars and semis.  All I have to say is, Chris is a good driver, and I'm grateful for God's protection!

Around 2am we pulled into Santa Fe, with GREAT relief, and dropped our new friend off at her hotel.  We moseyed around the narrow streets of Old Town area before hitting the road again (complete with going the wrong way on a one-way road, which is always fun... ;)  There wasn't a soul to be seen, and with Christmas lights, luminarios, and the fresh blanket of snow, the place was nothing short of magical!  I was too tired and under-the-weather to drag out my big camera, but here's an iPhone pic of the town square that gives you the idea:

We reached our hotel around 5am and crashed.  Chris got up and went skiing a couple hours later, but I was wiped out and fighting some sort of cold bug/allergy, so I slept in a bit and headed up to Taos later.  Visibility was poor, but the snow was great!  And to top it off, Salomon, K2, Atomic, and several other ski manufacturers were offering free demos that day, so I tried the 2011 K2 "MissDemeanor" (great name for a ski, huh?).  I'm in love with those things!  Currently don't have the means to acquire these beauties, but hey, maybe I'll find a deal some time this season!  :)

Had a gorgeous drive to the ski resort from the hotel.  Amazing how a blanket of snow makes the landscape into a fairytale...

Well, now I'm home and pretty much back to health (aside from somewhat more than the usual sleep deprivation!). So it's back to teaching and editing photos...should have more to show you soon!  Merry Monday-before-Christmas to all of you!  ;)

- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

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Peter and Evie's rings

I'm in Colorado right now, attending a business workshop by Jeff Jochum...and though I'm sleep-deprived and borderline sick and my brain hurts 'cause it's working hard, I'm having a ball!  :)  Jeff is a business genius with a very impressive resume and tremendous skill at dishing out tough love to all of us attendees.  We're all evaluating and analyzing and growing a lot.

In the midst of all this brain-exercising, I still wanted to get a blog post up and share these lovely shots of Peter and Evie's rings...Christmas light bokeh makes December weddings so much fun!!  :)

Evie's lovely bouquet...

  

 

And...I saved best for last.  :)  I love this image.  The combination of Christmasy and dreamy and magical and twinkly just makes me all happy inside.  It's so beautifully representative of Peter and Evie's wedding.

That's all for now!  Back to brain-frying with Jeff and my compatriots.  ;)  It's been a great day and tomorrow is going to be even better!  God bless your day, too, whatever's in it!  :)

- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

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Random acts of...gingerbread. Or maybe not so random!

We bring you this brief time-out from wedding photos for a glimpse of the wondrous architectural nonsense that took place recently at a Christmas party in Berkeley.  Five teams of gingerbread-house-making geniuses were pitted against each other in fierce competition.  Candy, icing, and creativity were everywhere...

Forget the houses, can we just eat the candy?  ;)

  

Looks intense...

 

Eeeew.  Hazards of the job, I guess.

 

 

Molly's team came up with this awesome bridge.  I hope you appreciate the blue candies underneath, representative of water.  ;)

 

Evans: "Thirty seconds left!!!"  (Or was it "Time for dessert"?  I don't remember...)

 

Gingerbreadhenge... ;)

 

  

The evening also included a food drive for the Bay Area Rescue Mission, a ministry in Richmond.

 

This hot chocolate was what you call intense.

 

The winning team!

 

And happy about it!  ;)

 

The prize: free meal tickets to the Bistro!  (OK, true confessions, I've never eaten there -- but judging from these happy faces, it must be good!)

Crazy busy week here, but I'll be posting more wedding photos in the next day or two.  :)  God bless you all!

- Kelsey Schweickert


Discovering beauty...

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Brant, Evan, and other gentlemen

Brant is one of those men who have a calm, gentle way about them, while underneath lies great determination.  If I had to choose two words to describe him, they would be patience and strength.  I admire the way he patiently waited and sought the Lord's best for him as a single man...till in God's perfect timing, Jessica came into his life.  :)

Getting ready before the wedding...

 

Brant's nephews were the candle lighters at the wedding.  They all have a great sense of humor... :)

Good times with the groomsmen

And here is Brant with Evan.  In all honesty, I must admit that Evan was my personal favorite of all the  gentleman I got to photograph that day.  ;)  More photos of him later!

Have a good Friday, everyone!

- Kelsey Schweickert


Discovering beauty...

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...and he swept her off her feet...

So, here's the photo I promised to share in the last post...Peter and Evie's dramatic "first kiss"!  :)

 

Good times with the wedding party...you all are awesome!  I really enjoyed being with you Saturday!

Yes...they love each other.  A lot.  :)

Many more coming, as I'm working through them all...tomorrow I think I'll share some one-of-a-kind photos of Peter and Evie's rings.  Pretty excited about these!

- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Like my photography on Facebook

A Narnian wedding

Peter and Evie were married yesterday in Meadow Vista, CA, in a romantic early-winter-evening ceremony.  Their wedding had a "winter wonderland" theme, and it truly was magical!

Yesterday was one of those days that I look back at and marvel at the goodness of God.  Like every wedding I've ever photographed, we had to navigate through plenty of on-the-spot changes -- but it all worked out beautifully.  Honestly, I have so many absolutely gorgeous images to show you, I don't know where to start!  I've been sitting here trying to choose them, flipping through image after image in happy indecision...so much beauty came together on this day!

Fairytale couple :)

 

The church was decorated so beautifully...very Narnian. :)

;)

First kiss!  (This is only the beginning...wait till you see the next photo!!  Coming soon, next post!)

Peter and Evie, your sincere, selfless love for each other is a wonderful thing.  Your love for the Lord shone beautifully through every part of the day.  It was an honor to be your wedding photographer, and I can't wait to share more of the images here in the next few days!  :)


- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

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Stained glass, silhouettes, and a happy bride...

The stained glass at this church was so fun to work with.  I wish you could see these photos in all their full-resolution glory...the ring below just pops with vibrance and sparkle.  Of course, I think they're pretty cool even in low-res here, too!  ;)

One happy bride!  :)

 

More coming later!  :)


- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Like my photography on Facebook

Brant and Jessica

I wish I could fully portray Brant and Jessica's gentle, loving hearts.  They are two of the most sincerely kind people I have ever met.  Being around them, you feel so accepted and loved.  They are deeply in love with each other, and with Jesus; and they care deeply for all the people around them.  It's been incredible to get to know them...I loved being able to be a part of their day.  :)

 

The elegant church in Monticello where the wedding was held...it was a treat to photograph here!

I love how they look at each other.

 

Many more photos coming this week!  Stay tuned!  :)


- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...

Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Like my photography on Facebook