 Name, Age/Generation, Profession, Location Where you Reside:
Kelly Curtis, 36, Small Business Owner - Photography, Amador, CA What is your greatest challenge right now and how are you working to overcome it? Finding purpose, missing my family and friends. Calling mom every day, writing a blog, trying to keep up with exercise. I am very worried about the possible loss of lives in my community and family due to COVID-19. I am concerned that our federal leadership did not project a serious concern of a pandemic early-on and thus, our country is largely uninformed about the reality, and potential damage a novel virus can cause in humans and our nation. We have only begun our crisis here in California. Today is April 1, 2020. What will be our greatest challenge in a year and how can we overcome it? People we know and love will die due to COVID-19. We will always wonder, could this have been prevented? What could we have done better? Who is to blame? Is someone to blame? We will have to find compassion, remember our humanity, and dig deep to set aside our differences, and rebuild our families, our friendships, our communities, our government, our economy and our local economy. How will our children remember this time? Have you ever lived through anything like this before? 9/11 is the closest I have come to experiencing a national tragedy such as this. At time of writing, we have lost over 4,000 American lives due to COVID-19 - more than 9/11 and the number will climb for a long. Worldwide we have lost over 44,000. Death on this scale is hard to grasp and it will continue in our psyche for a long time. Anything else you'd like to add? Love is the glue that holds us together. Cliche, I know, but what else do we have?
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The stay home order in California - now extended through the and of April - is starting to look like an extended weekend. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. In some ways this is good: lots of quality time, some progress on long-standing jobs around the house, and tens of hours spent outside adventuring the neighborhood. In other ways it's bad. Our days often lack structure, but we are finding a rhythm. Quantity time doesn't always equal quality. (Anyone who's had physical fights with their siblings or best friends as kids knows what I'm taking about. I had a conversation today with Barrett about what it would mean if Graham became paralyzed in one the tackles into the toy box over a special monster truck.) We find meaning in every day. That's all that matters. I wouldn't like to be quarantined with anyone else. (I do admit, I have fantasized about being totally alone on a deserted island. I tried hiding in the bathroom, but it wasn't the same and the whole family thought I was in there for a ridiculous about of time doing what I needed to do, but I was really just looking up local dogs for adoption and watching silly cat videos.) At the end of the day though, I'm happy to nuke another hotdog, build another Lego masterpiece, read another chapter of Dink, and watch the weather from our window.  My kids are watching Frozen. I had my doubts about this movie. I tend to doubt most things this commercial, but the movie is visually captivating with some cool songs and lots of heart. However, this is not a Frozen review.
What I’m trying to say, is that it takes all my mysterious powers, not to pour another cup of coffee, snuggle on the couch with my kids, and escape into a magical world. Instead, I’ve toasted another bagel and sat down to type. (Whether or not you believe COVID-19 to be a threat, we can all agree the QUARIENTINE-15 is real.) On March 5th, my family ventured to South Lake Tahoe for a few days vacation. Side note here: This was as the COVID-19 situation grew in Washington. We also had one case in Placer County, where I grew up – Go Hillmen. At that time the U.S. had 14 nursing home deaths and a handful of positive tests. As I write, the U.S. now has over 140,000 cases – more than any other country – and more than 2,500 deaths. Over 300 people died in New York last night. Today is March 30, 2020.) In Tahoe, we had some last days of skiing and tried to stay away from gatherings of people (lets be honest, other kids) and when we said goodbye to Grandma Liz we had the feeling we probably wouldn’t see her for a couple months. Barrett went back to school for one day before we pulled him. Then his preschool closed. Everyone would be staying home. While on vacation we attended a timeshare sales pitch for the “free” money. There was hand sanitizer everywhere and the sales guys were elbow bumping in an effort not to spread germs. Now, they are closed, all those people laid-off. We went to the little gift shop to spend our money and bought some ski pants, stuffed animals for the kids, (the one Bear burned on the fireplace) and finally, some of the inspiration stones that Bear had been eyeing for a year. Both kids chose a stone called BROTHER. Cute. While we were looking at the stones, Graham played grab-stone and it was hard to track of what he had in his hands. Meanwhile Barrett danced with his new Foxy. There were lots of breakables in the gift shop and it was quickly approaching the time of “we-need-to-get-the-hell-outof-here, before-we-buy-half-that-shelf.” I did my best to make sure Graham’s hands were free of contraband, and the clerk said she thought he’d put everything back. Well, he hadn’t. We got back to the room and discovered a little blue stone inscribed with SUSTAIN, in gold lettering, in his pocket. I was exhausted in the way parents of young children tend to be at 7 PM and I succumbed to the fact that my child had received his first five-finger discount. (I know some of you are thinking, you should have made him take it back, apologize, return the item, but he’s two, and anyone who has packed a week’s worth of stuff and left a hotel room by 10 AM the next morning know that when it’s time to go, it’s just time to go. Sorry everyone.) Anyways, I remember looking at the blue stone and thinking, SUSTAIN? What’s the point of that? That’s not even inspiring. Why couldn’t he have swiped PATIENCE? Yesterday, I rediscovered the little stones in the crevices of my car and I came across SUSTAIN and knew exactly why this little stone had chosen to come into our lives. (Maybe that’s a cop-out for the theft, I don’t know.) Yesterday, President Trump extended our stay-home timeframe through the end of April. I expected this and expect to go longer, especially in our rural communities where we haven’t been hit yet, but certainly will be, probably a couple weeks after the cities. Staying home is physically exhausting. Lots more cooking. Lots more cleaning. I might break down and wear shoes to save my feet from the stray Legos. It’s mentally tiring. I’m used to stimulating interaction with other small businesses. It’s emotionally wrought with concern for ourselves, our kids, and our parents. Spiritually... I have done ten minuets of yoga since this all started. I felt it yesterday, cranky, tired, burned-out, depressed. And yet, SUSTAIN we must. We’ll get thorough this and we’ll remember how we felt and how we acted. SUSTAIN makes sense. It’s taking a deep breath and just unloading the dishwasher. It’s doing yoga even if the kids have to watch some more TV. It’s creating my own projects to help document the COVID-19 crisis for my children. It’s vacuuming the Legos only some of the time. It’s smiling and being nice, going outside for fresh air, and bowing to humility. I think next time I feel overwhelmed, I’m going to lay a blanket on my lawn (in a horrible state I might add) and look up at the trees they way I did when I was young and needed a reminder – SUSTAIN – We'll be ok.  As the U.S. COVID-19 crisis develops, I want to learn more about our human experience. I invite people from my family, community, and beyond to take this 5-10 minute survey. I ask that we record our experience and think about rebuilding when this is over. Results will be shared and archived here.
This survey can be completed alone, but I also encourage people to work with a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, roommate, or friend. Open communication keeps us bonded.  I am proud to call this woman my best-friend. She's been my bestie since preschool and she has been a leader and an inspiration to me for many years. Now more than ever, I admire he positivity and strength. Name, Profession, County where you reside:
Christina Cunningham, ICU RN, Placer County, CA What is your greatest challenge right now and how are you working to overcome it? Dealing with the ever-changing requirements and recommendations that we health care workers walk into each day. Every time we report to work, we have to adjust our PPE usage (How do we conserve what we have? Disinfect between patients? Who do we isolate? Ect.) Each day, we adjust how we care for the COVID-19 patients, either “rule out” cases or “positive.” We hear how we need to isolate, how we need to group our 2 patients when we make assignments. Do you group together 2 “rule out patients” - putting them each at risk because potentially one has it and the other doesn't? Is it fair for an RN to take care of 2 “rule outs?” Or do you pair one “rule out patient” with another ICU patient admitted for something unrelated and put them at risk? What about the patients that are immunocompromised? Neutropenic precautions? Elderly? Unfortunately, that is the typical population of patients in the ICU to begin with! It is so hard to make each assignment "fair" or even logical because no matter how you pair them, someone is at risk- whether it be patient or health care worker. My second opinion, regarding my biggest challenge is equally important. I, as any healthcare worker, walk in everyday, leaving my family at home, to care for someone else's family member. Yes, this is the normal part of the day, just like any other day. But now, it's different, because not only are we managing COVID-19, but we are managing so many emotions from our co-workers, patients and their families. We have tired, scared, nervous health care workers who, ultimately, do want to be there because this is our calling. But we also sometimes want to stay home with our families and not put ourselves, or them, at risk. Then we have scared patients and families (mind you who are not allowed to visit because you can only come into the hospital on very special circumstances) who are watching the TV and scared out of their minds. I try to be level headed, calm, rational and lastly, but most importantly - empathetic and kind. I try to do what's right by the hospital, by my co-workers, by my patients, ect. Then I come home and do what's right by my family - still be emotionally, mentally and physically there for my young children and be a homeschool mom to my kindergartener. I try to be an involved, understanding and loving wife to my husband who stays home everyday to care for our girls and manage the home life. Ultimately, I want to look back at all of this and say, "I did my best in all aspects of my life at that stressful and trying time." What will be our greatest challenge in a year and how can we overcome it? This is hard, I would like to say... this will all be behind us in one year and we will be back to our normal lives. But, this is a time for us to learn and prepare for the next time this may occur – hopefully never in our lifetime. I want all of us - healthcare, communities, local business and the government to hopefully look back and actually learn how we can better prepare ourselves and future generations. Have you ever lived through anything like this before? Absolutely not! Anything else you'd like to add? I'm nervous for what the next month or so holds. I'm nervous to be in a situation where my patient needs to be intubated to live, but we have decided because they are over 70, that the 55 year-old instead gets the ventilator. My mother, her husband, my aunts and uncles, my best friends’ parents... they are all at risk. It breaks my heart that if they were in the position, it may be them that we have to let die as peacefully as we can allow. I want to end this on a positive note. Please know how thankful I am to have the career where I am able to make a difference and help in a time of crisis. I am so proud of the job I do everyday. I am proud of the people I work with. Yes, from what we have seen and learned from other countries, the worst is yet to come. I am ready to battle this damn virus with the awesome people around me at work. We will overcome as long as we stay flexible, adaptable, positive and compassionate.   One thing I've always loved about my dad is that he's an eternal optimist. As a teenager he would comfort me with a hug and a simple, "It's going to be ok. All will be just fine." So far, he's been spot-on. He also maintains a sense of humor in the face of adversity, and he's had plenty in his lifetime. When asked what he believes is the greatest problem facing our people right now, he asnswers, "I'm concerned our president has worse dementia than I do." He admits to voting for President Trump. My dad has been a republican his entire life, and now, he wants to see a woman president. Name, Profession, County Where you Reside:
Mike Curtis, Retired Auto Technician, Placer, California What is your greatest challenge right now and how are you working to overcome it? I voted for Trump because he said he was going to clean the swamp, but now he’s made a new swamp around him. I’m looking for a woman to be president. What will be our greatest challenge in a year and how can we overcome it? I’m afraid of our social security benefits being changed, or limited. We barely make it on our income, but Jean and I seem to be fine. We did a large shopping for groceries two days ago at our Safeway. We seem to be fine, but I'm concerned that our president has worse dementia than I do. Have you ever lived through anything like this before? I have lived through lots of different things. When I was 4 I had polio. Luckily it was non paralytic. Then I was sent to Vietnam where we had no business. There, they told me, "no matter what, don't shoot the rubber trees." I've lived through the hodge-podge of life and different jobs, but other than basic economic ups and downs, no, I've never lived through anything like this. Anything else you'd like to add? I’m a concerned citizen about the state of polities and the effect its having on me as a senior citizen.   My mom has a sixth sense about stuff. I'm not always super-good at taking her advice because I totter the line between GEN-Y (Why?) and Millennial - (take out please!). But in early February she told me she was on the way to Costco to stock up on some freezer items in case she needed to shelter at home in light of the growing epidemic in China. I was way behind, "What epidemic?" And so I turned on the news. A week later she called me. She works in a hospital. "We're going to have a mask shortage." And so I began to prepare myself and my family for a long stretch of hanging out at home. My point is, she was weeks ahead of most Americans, including our leadership. Even before Trump started assuring Americans that everything was going to be fine, she predicted a pandemic of astonishing devastation. Elizabeth Ann Curtis, Clinical Laboratory Technologist, Placer County, CA
What is your greatest challenge and what are you doing to overcome it? My greatest challenge is being in the house by myself. I miss going out. I want to go to Home Depot so I have a project, but no. I’m going to meet some friends for a social distancing hike. I can’t stay cooped up forever. I have tried morning exercise, working in the yard, then taking a walk with my dog, Kokomo. I have checked in with my older neighbors and have gone on-line to get a few groceries with another neighbor. Also, I'm calling a few friends and messaging others. What will be our greatest challenge in a year and how will we overcome it? Hopefully this virus will go away when it gets hot in California and things will turn around quickly, but if the virus continues to ravage the world as it is now, the world will be someplace I won't recognize. Will 80-90 % of the people be gone? Those that will be left will have a difficult time. Have you ever lived through anything like this before? Never in my lifetime have I lived through such an unknown enemy. My mother stockpiled groceries during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but we could clearly understand and see our threat. Anything to add? The only thing to add, is to make my friends who either don’t understand or are in denial, see the danger we are in. Any one else remember your parent's taking home video as a child? (Or a certain person following people around, repeatedly saying, "The cameraman").
Well, I'm the camerawoman, and here are some videos documenting our days at home during the stay home order issued in California. Regrettably, Week 1 is incomplete. I had some dark days as the COVID-19 stay home orders were first issued. We had about a foot of snow, which was fun, but limited our movement outside and just made me feel cold. The snow dropped trees and our power was out 48 hours. We were prepared, but as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded before our eyes, I had a sense of foreboding like never before. To top it off, the only powder days of the year were cancelled as our local ski resorts closed. My entire winter identity is wrapped in being a cool snowboarder, so this was especially heartbreaking. I had to resort to sledding which I am not nearly as good at, and only made me feel like a 400 year old turtle. Usually, I cope with depression by thinking of things to do to with others, further my business, and keep me busy. Every idea I had was shot down in a matter of hours: photos for local businesses to sell products online? Elopements and vow renewals? News photography in harder hit areas such as Sacramento? All no. It took the power coming on and the sun coming out for me to realize that the best thing I could do, would be to expand on what I already do best. (Documenting my children's lives, and now our family experience, with the growing COVID-19 crisis.) Once I started, I felt better. It game me purpose. Like many others, sharing online has been a good way to feel connected to others. Here is a list of events that were not documented because I hadn't yet settled into staying home, figuratively and literally. - Cooking on the woodstove during the power outage. - St. Patricks Day Four Leaf Clover painting - Mother Son Dance because ours was cancelled - we ate BBQ chips and drank Capri Sun. - Heck, thats about it. Not too bad. Enjoy our Week 1 Video. All the Best, Kelly Stay home, save a life.  I can't tell you how many times I've lay awake at night wishing I could call my grandma and ask her, "penny for your thoughts," as she used to ask me. I've wanted to ask for marriage counseling, cooking tricks, travel inspiration, and raising siblings. (Sometime, ask my mom to tell you about the time she was wrestling with her brother. She fell off the bed and pretended to be dead causing quite the ruckus.)
Now, I can only guess at my Gram's answers. I did ask her once if she was afraid to die and she said no. I asked her if she had any regrets and she said no. She would do it all again, just the same. I might not be able to phone my grandparents (let's be real, a video chat session would be out of the question), but I can phone my parents. I am so fortunate - I can call both my parents and what better time than now? I'll share their answers shortly. I'm also asking these questions of others in our community (elders, medical professionals, government officials, small businesses, friends, ect.) I'll archive and share the answers as we go. Without further adieu, below are 5 questions to ask your elders today. Best to call them, but this can be done by video-chat, phone, or copy/pasted into an email. 1) Name, Profession, State and County where you reside: 2) What is your greatest challenge right now and how are you working to overcome it? 3) What will be our greatest challenge in a year and how can we overcome it? 4) Have you ever lived through anything like this before? 5) Anything else you'd like to add? Please confirm its ok for to share your answers publicly. All the best, Kelly Stay home, save a life.  I’m lots of Irish and much American and so I get fired up and don’t like to follow rules. (Some of you will remember the great gas-pump debacle of my 15th year). I spend too much money and want to go to the Dollar Store for cheap art supplies, but have to keep reminding myself that I have everything I need. I am the last person who should give advice.
Alas, I do try to reflect every now and then, and seek the advice of people who know better. (How I wish my grandmother was here! Can I call yours?) I try to learn from my mistakes. If I look back at the bigger mistakes of my lifetime (you know, beyond the dumb stuff I did like trying to float the North Fork of the American in an inner tube), they stem from a lack of compassion and an abundance of selfishness. Maybe I’m a socialist, but probably a Buddhist, or most likely I’m a kid (haha) who just wants the people I love and the people you love to be happy and healthy. I think that means I’m human. Why do people still think the novel coronavirus is a hoax? (Even Trump has admitted that it’s here, even if he can’t get the name right). Disbelievers are scared. They are in denial. They don’t want it to be true because it’s too frightening to believe that people we know and love will die due to COVID-19. We don’t need nuclear attacks to destroy us – our own ignorance will do that – but that’s ok – I can relate to being scared, and so I'll try on compassion and understanding for size (I’m not a saint – if a family member of mine can’t get a ventilator, I'm going to be pretty angry that some people just couldn't stay home). We are all in different stages of grief over this upheaval in our lives. We will volley back and forth on the Kubler-Ross scale for the next weeks, months and years, and life will be forever changed for our generation and that of our children. What do I want my children to remember from all of this? That I stayed calm, that I forgave (I’ll do my best), that I tried to protect our health, that I cared for my parents and my community, and most of all that I looked forward to a year from now when we start rebuilding and I kept compassion and understanding in my heart. We will need to come back together and heal and the beginning will be compassion. For those of us who still don’t know what that word means – its big in concept and length – just try to see it from someone else’s shoes, or whatever the phrases is. Today I’ll try to understand why my 5 year old is experimenting with throwing stuff on top of the fireplace (more on this later), why the little one is pulling his big brother’s hair, and why my husband wants to go outside first thing in the morning. (I’m a late morning person, myself.) I’ll start at home and work my compassion ring out from there and I’ll check out the Kubler-Ross scale of grief and think about how this will all look a year from now. Stay home, save a life. All the Best, Kelly  Afraid. Angry. Confused. Worried. Stressed.
In a matter of days our lives have been turned upside down. Our towns have been made into ghost towns. Booming new businesses and growing establishments have shut their doors. They are waiting at home with bills to pay and no answers. No answers for months. Our health is at risk, even the health of young, healthy people. Our lives are at risk, just as much as our livelihood and yet we are social creatures. We need each other to survive, but we are all assumed contagious. And so we should be. I might try to drive an hour and meet up with my 70 year-old mother for a walk in which we stay 6 feet apart. I guess we’ll do air hugs. At least I’ll get to look in her eyes. We’ve been having technological difficulties with voice chat. I can’t even help her with her phone. Otherwise, we are staying home, missing our friends, watching the charts and the news with wide eyes. I admit I’m frightened. I have to be here for my kids. I need my husband and partner. We are 36 and 41 respectively. It looks like about 1 of 8 people in our age group who get sick with COVID-19 will need to be hospitalized. Men are twice as likely to die per results in China and Italy. I should be citing news sources. I could, but go look it up yourself. Our local hospital has 52 beds. The rest of this is speculation: I don’t know how many of those are ICU beds. Maybe 10? I don’t know how many ventilators that equates to. I’m wagering less than 52. It looks like less than 52 people in our county of Amador (pop. 38,626) can get sick at the same time. (If anyone can get me these exact numbers at Sutter Amador, I'll write an update.) In Italy they are preparing plans to decide who gets a ventilator. They are doing that in California too, but no one is talking about it, yet. And so, daily life goes on. It’s looking quite different for most people. For us, it looks a lot the same, but without visits from our friends and family. My husband is working from home. We have enough food for month. After that we will move on to Nutella, condensed milk, and Skippy. I'm sure the kids wont mind, but they might balk at the quinoa. (Realistically, we will probably brave a runner to the store before dipping into our fallout food, but who knows. If people don't stay home, this will look like fallout in a matter of weeks/months.) Right now, my kids are watching an Episode of Dora the Explorer and then we will go outside to play in the last of the snow. So far, there has already been a physical fight over stuffed animals. Yesterday, someone got bit. I might have yelled, but maybe that was the day before. I’m sure I wore earplugs for a time. Jesse and I are getting along well today, playing on the same team, but he’s been outside working most the morning. That’s all for now, but I’d like to ponder the future of this blog. I believe it will wander, but I’ll try to post often, for my own record, for my contribution to art and the future. Maybe I'll work in some interviews with our public, our elders, my friends. Maybe I’ll share my latest bread baking fail, or something cute my kids did. Or maybe I’ll just continue to jabber without citing sources. Lots of people don’t believe in sources right now anyways. On that note, most of the blabbing I’ve done here is referenced from the updates the San Francisco Chronicle is providing here. All the best, Kelly I'm taking some time off this week to create for my kids. This is dedicated to Barrett on the eve of his fifth birthday and Graham, newly age two. May they forever know they are loved. A raving success. Thank you so much. More people and businesses than I can name made this event possible. Our sponsors, Hotel Sutter, Premiere Event Rentals, Rare Exception Jewelers, myself, Rustic Roots, Jenny O and our advisors - Tracy at The Clothes Mine and Tamera at Le Mulet Rouge. Special thanks to Ledger Dispatch for so much complementary adversiing and creating a special insert just for us. A true community spirit event!  What is your approach to portraits?
Candid photos are a wonderful part of your wedding photography, but it’s essential that your photographer has the ability to create portraits. I use the term create because a portrait isn’t simply taken. Portraits are truly the foundation of your wedding album and memories. A portrait is the result of intentional lighting, posing, and composition. A portrait photographer studies your face shape, body type, and personality in a matter of seconds and sets up a series of portraits that beautifully represent you. This skill is imperative during your bridal, groom, family, wedding party, and romantic sessions. What is your crowd personality? I’ve literally had people climbing the walls during large group sessions. (I’m not complaining – it was kind of fun. If you’d like to hear this story, give me a call.) It was funny to me instead of overwhelming; that is my personality. A wedding photographer must have the ability to wrangle a crowd. Many weddings have large wedding parties and large families that need to be organized into several, important group shots. Weddings are not always quiet, calm places where everyone is immediately cooperative. Your photographer should have the personality and ability to pull everyone together, guide them, pose them, and photograph them in a fun, timely manner. What is your editing style? Perhaps this isn’t such a surprise question. I see it on lists for brides to ask photographers, but it’s important to be prepared to hear the answer. There is quite a bit of technical jargon that can be associated with photo editing. To you, one of the most important is probably touching up, or removing blemishes on skin, but what about also touching up the landscape, or the plaster on the wall or the hair spray on the table in your getting ready room? Or that telephone pole... or (I like to joke, but it’s true,) that cat who came around during your romantic session... Your photographer should be prepared and willing to take distractions out of your images. Another obvious answer is correcting light and color. All your photos should be properly exposed for light, not too dark or too bright. They should also be fixed for poor white balance. Warm lights in your hotel room, or reception area, and green color-casts from the grass can and should be corrected in your proofs, but especially in your final images. Skin tones should be perfect, or close to, in your final images. Lastly, lets discuss presets. This is a personal choice that every couple will discuss when they think about what they want their wedding album to feel like. Every photographer uses presets to some extent for pop, color, and drama. Think of these as filters, like the ones on Instagram. Some presets are trendy and will come and go in a matter of months or years. You will have your album for a lifetime and you will hand it down through your family. Ultimately, you will choose your photographer based on how their final images feel to you. My thoughts are to choose a photographer who edits for classic beauty. Think Ansel Adams instead of Instragram. Now, give me a call and ask me these hard questions! Happy planning.  It's been a busy week around here. Phone calls, reach outs, emails, ideas, edits, orders, creating, publishing, learning...
We have some awesome ideas in the ether that are becoming realized. Keep your eyes out for an Amador wedding professionals meet and greet and stay tuned for info on a wedding expo party in the new year. I'm doing more studio work which is a new genre for me. I'm adding products and ordering more beautiful display options than ever. Whew. We've been at this hustle. And here is a reminder why I do it. My four year old with a new hair cut that he's super proud to wear. We're headed to the high country for a night of camping and a day of hiking and swimming and unplugging. We all have a hustle and a reason why we do it - someone or something that we love more than life itself. What is yours?  Hi, I'm Jenny-O. I'm a hair and makeup artist in Amador County. Over twenty years of work in show-business, the movies, and with brides like you, I’ve compiled some tips and tricks that help ensure my brides look and feel their best on their wedding day. Keep these in mind as you book your artist and prepare for your big day. Wear Sunscreen This is a daily choice that will make you look great for years to come, but the importance of wearing sunscreen for an entire season before your wedding day is paramount. Bathing suit and goggle tan lines are distracting on a bride and will stand out in photographs. DO:
Spray Tans Having a touch of color on your wedding day is great. It makes cellulite and stretch marks disappear. It helps to hide imperfections, but it does can make you look over-saturated in photographs. It’s difficult to fix in photos where you’re posed with your groom, maids, or guests. DO:
Glowing, Not Sweaty In this day and age of high gloss and contrasting contour, we can get carried away with the sparkle. Too much shiny, sparkly, or shimmering make up around your eyes, cheeks, décolletage or shoulders can make you look sweaty and spectral in photographs. DO
Facials A gentle facial is a relaxing way to start getting ready. Facials are the perfect anchor for makeup to adhere to and the best face to wear makeup is one that isn’t thirsty, is ph balanced and glowing. Perfectly moisturized lips will look soft and supple in dry climates. DO
Timelines Time management on your wedding day, especially while getting ready, is important. You need ample time with your photographer for your bridal portraits and portraits with your family and bridesmaids. DO
Taking a few considerations when preparing for your hair and makeup on your wedding can make a big difference in the way you look on your big day and they way to look in your photographs. After your wedding, you have three things: a new husband, your photographs, and they way you looked in them. Styled Shoot - Bohemian Bridal - Amador Wedding Photographer and Amador Wedding Collaborative8/12/2019  Luxury, lace, taste – the spirit of Amador, Spanish for “the lover.” This is where love is planted, grows, blooms, fruits and starts again. This is Amador County, California. We are famous for our spirit. With this styled bohemian picnic shoot we wanted to show off our light and airy side. We have hot summers and an early bountiful harvest. Photographing in the spacious bridal suite of Hotel Sutter in Sutter Creek, we showcased the whites, the blues, the gentle shadows and luxurious hues of a bride as she prepares for her wedding day. Her hair is romantic and ethereal: soft, comfortable, knots, braids and twists. For makeup, Jenny-O prepared Ellie’s skin to be natural and glowing. She has liner in the waterline to give the eye pop without looking smokey – a feminine, bridal bohemian appeal. The bridal bouquet by Kristi Young of Rustic Roots Decorating and Designs is a loose, gathered bouquet of local Dahlias and Zinnias with eucalyptus and Dusty Miller. The summer colors were tied together with thick twine to complement the Bohemian wedding. Flowers and greens were grown in Ione at Upcountry Farms. Ellie’s sleeveless gown is Savannah by Casablanca. It’s perfect for seasonal days in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. In the Bridal Suite, I photographed using natural light with fill from a speedlight diffused with a shoot through umbrella. Lens is 50mm at 3.5 with varied shutter speed and higher ISO to lift shadows. Downstairs, in The Cellar, we came home to our deep tones, the reds, browns, deep greens, and yellows of a feast. Kristi designed the picnic set and transformed the hip, relaxed space into a lavish al fresco spread where a bride and groom can enjoy a decadent moment. The Hotel Sutter Restaurant provided the indulgent Pig Fig and Goat pretzel appetizer. For the picnic, Ellie’s dress is a bell sleeve Beloved by Casablanca Bridal called Peyton. It’s designed for a romantic, cool evening as the sun disappears. Photography was done with ambient overhead light and a gelled speedlight with a shoot through umbrella. Lens is 50mm at 2.8 with 1/250 shutter speed to shut out most of the ambient light and ISO 2000 to help the flash brighten the dark space. The ring is a two-tone romantic rose and white gold wedding set with a center diamond and contour band. It’s by Allison Kaufman Company and was photographed on location at Rare Exception Jewelers in Martel using an Ice Light and Speedlight. The ring in the assembled picnic spread is a composite image. All vendors are local from Amador County: Photography by Kelly Curtis Photography Florals and Set Design by Rustic Roots Decorating and Designs Hair and Make Up by Jenny-O Model is Ellie Rodriguez Wardrobe and accessories provided by The Clothes Mine Rings by Rare Exception Jewelers Venue is Hotel Sutter and The Cellar Floral Grower is Upcountry Farms                          The wine, the beauty, the romance, the gathering, the history: there is nothing quite like getting married in the Sierra Foothills Wine Country. This isn’t just Wine Country - this is Gold Country. This is at the base of 10,000 foot peaks. This is an hour outside Sacramento, a joyride to Lake Tahoe. This is it’s own destination. This is a seasonal nature. Rivers, wildflowers, farm to fork, off the grid, grapes, harvest, wines, tiny towns one can explore on foot, antiquing, tasting, fresh air. Our May, 2019 styled shoot was to reflect all that, but how? We started with colors, like most brides do. Deep mauves, fair blushes, teal greens, golds, cabernets. We wanted an old-word feel, reminiscent of the Duch Golden Age of art. Low-key in color and distinct in detail. Our Venue, the Le Mulet Rouge tasting room of Sutter Creek is in a historic building, upgraded with modern touches and a beautiful bar, but true to its original character and structure. Hair and make up was deep, flat, not shiny. Florals were big, but not busy. Table design was inviting of a long drink, a long sit, a bustling visit with family and friends. The cake was lacy and light, to contrast the heavy colors. The gown was modern and elegant, graceful and moving. Photography was heavy on the shadows, romantic, dramatic, but light and playful as well. Because weddings are all those things and more. Photography – Kelly Curtis Photography of Pioneer Wines and Venue – Le Mulet Rouge Winery and Tamera Richards tasting room manger Flowers and Design – Kristi Young Rustic Roots Decorating and Designof Pioneer Hair and Make Up – Hair and Make Up by Jenny O of Pioneer Cake – Ingrid Frasier Cakes by Ingrid of Sutter Creek Party Rentals – Party Smart Rentals of Sutter Creek Gown – Beloved by Casablanca and provided to us by the Clothes Mine in Sutter Creek Models: Kristy Kendrick, Kate Kendrick, Garrett Gavalis – all of Amador County See the original blog post about the Amador Wedding Collaborative.    
             Several months ago, myself and two other local wedding vendors began dreaming of a styled wedding shoot, but not just any styled shoot – we wanted something that would sing the praises of shopping local, shopping from women in the wedding business, and emphasized the beauty of planning a wedding in Amador County.
And so the Amador Wedding Collaborative was born: Kelly Curtis Photography, Rustic Roots Decorating and Design, and Jenny O Hair and Make Up. We became a team of creatives and professionals working together to make our dreams of an elegant, modern, stunning visual concept a reality. Next week, our planning, creativity, and combined strengths will bear fruit in our first ever Amador Wedding Collaborative styled shoot. On Thursday May 23, 2019 from 12:00 – 4:00 we will celebrate our local wedding industry by styling models, decorating sets, lighting and photographing, (and eventually publishing) a wedding shoot in the beautiful Le Mulet Rouge tasting room of Sutter Creek. Our ambition is to create trend forward wedding inspiration and encourage those who might be considering a wedding in Amador County to choose us, and plan a new scope of wedding, one that will make their dreams come true. Participating Vendors Venue/Wines – Le Mulet Rouge Winery and Tamera Richards tasting room manger Photography – Kelly Curtis Photography Flowers and Design – Kristi Young Rustic Roots Decorating and Design Hair and Make Up – Hair and Make Up by Jenny O Cake – Ingrid Frasier Cakes by Ingrid Decoration and Set Rental – Party Smart Rentals Wardrobes – Clothes Mine                      
     Sutter Creek Wedding Photographer
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