Molly reached out to me to photograph a dinner party she would be hosting in Calistoga, a small city within Napa Valley, that had been in the making for a long time: Molly wanted to bring together the important people in her life for a weekend of fun and relaxation to celebrate friendships, honor those who she's lost, and her very own birthday! The champagne would be flowing and fresh paella's would be made on the spot on a Calistoga estate.
This was a dream shoot come true: there is nothing more that I love than photographing people interacting at dinner parties, and hello food and wine! I deeply value community and love the idea of bringing people together to share a meal: food brings people together. Sometimes you know everyone at the table, sometimes you don't, but it's always a shared experience amongst everyone present.
These plans, however, were all made pre-Covid, and come the dinner party weekend in mid-May 2020, the decision was made to move forward with the event: the guest list had been significantly reduced in size and all events would be held outside.
As someone who had been strictly quarantining with family in the Bay Area, I felt confident that a long zoom lens would be my go-to piece of equipment in order to maintain a distance, mask on, to capture candid moments of this amazing group of people enjoying time together.
Overhearing everyone's conversation, noting how coming together felt right for them during this tough time, resonated with me as documenting this gorgeous event, laughs and toasts, and the delicious Spanish catering from Nora Cocina Español, gave me a sense of normalcy. For that I am grateful.
Molly, thank you for entrusting me to capture such a special event. Everyone's warm energy gave me life! xoxo, Evelyn
What better party favor than a mini photoshoot for your guests?! The estate vineyards were the perfect backdrop for portraits. Some couples had not been photographed professionally since their wedding, years ago, or had not taken family portraits in ages so this was a complete treat for me to give everyone individual time in front of the camera.
Nora Cocina Espanola, based in Berkeley, did a phenomenal job catering this dinner: look at these Spanish tapas! Not one, but two paellas made on site! Yes and please!
