engagement – Jewel Photography

Engagement photos-American River

I’m thrilled to share these engagement photos that we did on the American River near Paradise Beach. Kristina contacted me and had a vision of what she wanted. Whimsical, fun, and dramatic engagement photos. I was not about to let her down! I recommended one of my favorite American River locations in east Sacramento–Paradise Beach! They had a little over an hour drive to get here, but they were definitely game. This river spot is nice and wide open, as well as having some secluded areas with a lot of cool vegetation (also nice for changing wardrobes). So…I met Kristina and Jeremy (and their adorable Yorkie) a bit before sunset at Glenn Hall Park, packed up the wagon and headed over the levee and out to the river.

We had so much fun finding spots and creating fun photos for their engagement shoot. The sunset was perfectly warm and cast a nice glow over the area. Kristina and Jeremy were very excited about their photos and couldn’t be happier.

Congratulations Kristina & Jeremy! So glad I could share this experience with you and show you some beautiful areas in Sacramento! Best wishes to you two!!

As always, you can check out more photos on my website 🙂

xoxox~ Julie

March 17, 2017April 14, 2017 by Jewel Photography

Historic Folsom Engagement

Kristin and Shawn met me in the little old town of Folsom, CA. I was glad to see them again and also excited to chat about their upcoming Mission Ranch wedding in Monterey! We had a relaxing jaunt around Old Folsom, which is a beautiful area right along the American River. The Folsom historic district, Folsom Powerhouse State Park , and Rainbow Bridge make great areas to hang out, sightsee or take photos! Engagement sessions are always fun, and these two make it really easy to take great photos that captured how cute they are together.

Thanks Kristin and Shawn for choosing me to take your engagement and wedding photos. I wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness!

xoxoxox ~Julie

Check out more photos HERE!

January 24, 2017January 24, 2017 by Jewel Photography

Glamping it up at Soul Food Farm

Elisa and Truman were heading into the valley from San Francisco. I was looking forward to meeting up with them at Soul Food Farm, just 40 minutes west of Sacramento. I was eager to check out this spot, with reservations available on hipcamp (aka: glamping), antiques, chickens, farm fresh eggs, an olive grove, and flower gardens galore. Just being surrounded by the golden hills covered in oak trees sounds like a good time to me, but now I know there is a lot more to this little farm than meets the eye. I will share more from Elisa and Truman’s photo session later, but for now I am going to give you guys a little glimpse of what it was like to explore the grounds of Soul Food Farm.

First off, I was greeted by the owner Alexis, and I wish I had watched this YouTube video of her Ted Talk before I went! This is a wonderful story about her dream to be a farmer. If you have ever farmed, or grew up on a farm, it is definitely something that lives in your soul. And now I know why it is so aptly named Soul Food Farm. Their story, The dirt beneath my feet, can be read about here.

I’m pretty sure these photos speak for themselves, but one of the first things I noticed was the truck “garden” bed. Have an old truck laying around? Put it to use! Now i’m thinking I need to turn every available spot into a garden. They have the prettiest lavender growing and an amazing field of flowers, which they sell for bouquets and flower arrangements. I will definitely need to remember to stop here when i’m in the neighborhood to get some farm fresh eggs.

We had such a relaxing little adventure, I don’t think Elisa and Truman minded their picture being taken at all! Congrats to this beautiful couple and thanks for choosing me to take your photos and see Soul Food Farm!

xoxoxox~ Julie

Check out my website for more photos and testimonials!

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016 by Jewel Photography

Loomis country engagement

There’s probably nothing more comfortable than your home. And these two made me feel right at home as soon as I showed up to take their photos. Nicholas and Breeanne’s engagement photos are special because they take place where the wedding will be held in Loomis, CA. This is the property of the bride’s parents, and also where they were married long ago. I think it is so sweet to get married in the same place your parents were, and take formal photos where they did as well. What a special tribute to love!

This property is so beautiful, and at this time of year full of wildflowers and lush greenery. We decided to go off to some remote areas that we will probably not be able to get to during the wedding. This was fun and I can see why these two are a couple, they have great chemistry and are constantly smiling at each other. I’m so excited for the wedding!

The property was full of huge boulders…who wouldn’t want hiking in their own backyard!

A meadow of purple wildflowers? Yes please!

Of course we had to take photos on the rusty old tractor! My family actually had one of these on our little farm growing up.

This wedding is going to be so beautiful…I can’t wait!

Want to see more of my photos? Check them out HERE 🙂

Until next time! xoxoxox~Julie

May 12, 2016May 13, 2016 by Jewel Photography

Foresthill Engagement…Staci & Shane

Not too long ago, I drove up to the beautiful town of Foresthill to meet up with Staci and Shane. They thought it would be fun to come up to their wedding cite, the Grand Sierra Pointe at Forest House Lodge to take some engagement photos, and I loved the idea. We got to do a lot more exploring than we will be able to on the wedding day, so it was nice to take a look at the area surrounding the ceremony location. This place has the most awesome views!

The drive up was so nice…on the way back, I just had to stop at the viewpoints to snap some photos of wildflowers that I caught a glimpse of on the way up.

I am excited to see these two again at their Forest House wedding! It will be here before we know it!

Till next time…check out my website HERE!

Feel free to follow me on Instagram! And Twitter! And Facebook!

xoxoxo~ Julie

April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by Jewel Photography

Northern California Snow!

On Valentine’s day, our little family decided to go up to the snow for the day. I had a few spots in mind for taking photos. One of them was Donner Summit Tunnel…except we played a little too hard the first half of the day and our 5 year old fell asleep before we could get to the tunnel. I wanted to set up a tripod and take a romantic little photo of me and my husband in the snow for V-day, but we didn’t quite get to that part! I did take some other photos that I thought everyone would enjoy. We love our little family road trips and feel very lucky to live in such a beautiful place as Northern California.

To see more of my photos, click here.

To schedule a snow session, click here!

xoxo

Julie 🙂

February 20, 2016 by Jewel Photography

The real Jewel is turning a new leaf

Jewel Photography is growing and changing! I’ve been really busy lately and now I’m going to be a whole lot busier! I’m changing my business name to “Julie Apichino Photography!”

Recently, I was contacted by another photographer in Tennessee who goes by “Jewels Photography.” A year ago she obtained the federal trademark on that name (without notifying other businesses already operating with that name). These other businesses (mine included) have been busy building great reputations for many years and she’d like to reap the benefits by expanding into our geographical regions. At least one of these businesses has a good chance to have this Tennessee photographer’s trademark overturned–turn around is fair play, right?!!!

Well, I decided, “Why get bogged down in this mess, even if I’ve got a regional claim to the name?” Besides, I’d much rather spend time with my clients!

So, with your love and support, I will be changing my business name to “Julie Apichino Photography,”

Truly,

Julie 🙂

UPDATE: I am still operating my business as Jewel Photography. I have worked hard to gain SEO in my area and I have put a lot of time and effort into my business so I will keep running it to the best of my ability. This means put time into taking care of my clients instead of worrying about changing my business name!

February 8, 2016November 23, 2016 by Jewel Photography

Windmill Farm & Vineyard Engagement

I left it up to Jennifer & Jeremy to pick a spot for their engagement photos, and they did a great job in finding a beautiful location just outside of Woodland in Yolo county. Windmill Farm & Vineyard is a quaint wedding venue and it was so nice to be surrounded by olive orchards and grape vineyards. There are barns and tractors, old fences and an old porch to sit on while you gaze out at the rolling hills. This is a great spot for a country vineyard wedding! We started by the pond and worked our way up the road to watch the sunset behind the hills of Northern California wine country.

Their dog Indiana joined us, and he was very willing to take photos.

Windmill Farm & Vineyard has beautiful views in every direction! I can’t wait to go back someday and take more photos! And I cannot wait for Jennifer and Jeremy’s wedding day!

If you would like to see more of my portfolio, please visit my website!

Thanks!

xoxox~Julie

February 1, 2016 by Jewel Photography

Custom Designed Wedding Albums

I personally believe that the wedding album is one of the most important things you should consider when choosing a wedding photographer. This is why I give all of my clients a wedding album. This gives them a tangible piece of their day…to have forever. Trust me, it is much harder than you think to design a beautiful and professional album!

I show my brides and grooms a sample album, but here are a few photos I took of one album from last year. It is much better to see in person, but at least this gives you an idea of how nice these are. They are so heavy and the thick pages with luster finish make the photos look amazing.

You will be happy to show off this gorgeous leather wedding photo album. Another favorite of mine is the linen cover with a picture window. I also like the hardcover, so the photos can be printed right on the album cover.

I let my couples choose the photos for their albums and then I design them with their wishes in mind. Each wedding album is a piece of art and also a piece of history!

Check out more of my wedding photography here. I am in Sacramento, but I also travel all over Northern California for weddings!

Julie 🙂

December 28, 2015 by Jewel Photography

Jen and Jake in the city

SF Engagement | Jen and Jake I love San Francisco, so it was very easy to talk me into driving there from Sacramento to take this… Read more “Jen and Jake in the city”

June 20, 2014April 9, 2016 by Jewel Photography