The Blog

Milly and Jeff

I had worked with Milly on a previous wedding as she was the event planner.  She was dedicated, sharp, and funny.  I hoped that I would get the chance to work with her again.  And then, one day, I got an email from her about my availability for another wedding.  I took that as a compliment because when a wedding planner/coordinator likes you, that's says volumes about you as a vendor.   She liked my work, she liked me as a person, she thought I delivered to my clients. . . all those great things.  We went back and forth a few times, and then , in her last email, she wrote : "oh yeah, by the way. . . it's for MY wedding".  I was floored.  Out of all the photographers she deals with from all of the events she puts on, she thought of me.  

Well, getting to shoot Milly (and Jeff's :) )   wedding gave me the opportunity to get to know Milly even better.  What a wonderful person.  And this was my first time meeting Jeff. . . again, incredible guy.  There are, unfortunately, wedding I've shot that I wonder why the two people are going through with this.  Milly and Jeff are NOT one of those couples.  They play off each other, are intensely in love with each other, and have so much fun together.  It was such a pleasure to watch unfold. 

Here are a few images from their wedding that I hope captured all that makes them so perfect for one another.


look out san francisco- Here comes CARLY LOWRY

An Arizona High School Senior, Carly Lowry has had great success in volleyball.  She was named Southern Arizona Volleyball Player of the Year! She's committed to University of San Francisco to play for the Don's next season.  She was in town (San Francisco) visiting the school and family for the Thanksgiving holiday and I was fortunate to get to photograph her before she left town.  We only had a short window, so she decided to brave the exceptionally cold night and shoot at something iconically San Francisco. If Carly is half as good at volleyball as she is photogenic, she will certainly be an all star next year.

Day in the Life

I'm not good at self promotion. . . .

so I thought I'd let someone else do it. . .

“Michael,

I just can’t get enough! Every time I look, I discover new images I hadn’t noticed before.

Thank you so much, again, for this timeless gift of a fleeting moment in time. These are absolutely the days we’ll forget. Ordinary, regular routines - daily habits, expressions, interactions, activities - just the average day. It’s like freeze framing my favorite time in life - the now. It pains me to think of how fast time passes. Having this collection of photographs is a clear reminder of how blessed we are - it’s almost an out-of-body-experience every time I open it. I’m never given the chance to watch my day unfold. Page by page, I get to experience a day in our life. I love seeing the kids at school behind the scenes - talking to their friends, concentrating on a task, playing at recess. These moments are imagined, until now. It is a treasure and will be rediscovered often.

Your gift of time, talent and treasure is beyond appreciated. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience your work. You are so professional - from our first telephone conversations last May, to your understanding, flexibility and accommodations in switching the dates around for our numerous “not so ordinary” conflicts.

I will promote your business, as I’ve been doing, with 100% conviction and pride in your service. I do pray that this business takes off for you.

You have a gift to share; people need to experience your remarkable talent.

I’m passing the link on to friends and family! Can’t wait to share:)

Thanks again, from the bottom of our hearts!!”

Pride Week Wedding Photography FREE Giveaway

In honor of  Pride Week I am giving away a FREE wedding shoot to one LGBT couple.  Yes, "Free".  No gimmicks, no hidden fees, NO MONEY!  

I will be there the day of the wedding to shoot the couple getting ready, the ceremony and reception.  Afterwards, the couple will get an online gallery with all color corrected images , a download link for all the digital files, and a professional video slideshow.  

There have been so many positive strides made in recent times, that I wanted to keep the momentum going and simply do something nice for a loving couple.

Please fill out the form below and answer two simple questions:  

  1. How did you know your partner was "the one"?
  2. Why do you feel I should choose your wedding to shoot?

If you are reading this and you're not an LGBT couple, and/or you're not getting married, please send this to someone who is!

                         Deadline to enter is 11:59pm on July 7, 2014

 

Farmgirl Flowers

Farmgirl Flowers

A few weeks back I got to shoot another story for Zip Car's online magainze Ziptopia.  Below are some of the images I shot that didn't make the piece.

This was about Farmgirl Flowers in the Flower Market in San Francisco.  Their mission statement :

Farmgirl Flowers is different, but not in the "Honey, I tried a new recipe" sort of way you might be thinking. Our goal is to completely change the way flowers are purchased in the United States. Yeah, we like to dream big, and we hope you do, too.

What's our plan? We provide beautiful flowers at a reasonable price, support Bay Area farmers and businesses, minimize our environmental impact as much as possible, and save you time through a simple ordering process.

Christina Stembel is as charming as her flower arrangements (and even at the horrible sunrise hour).  Once again, it was so fun to meet and shoot another local business (and it smelled amazing !!)

Check out Farmgirl Flowers online. . http://farmgirlflowers.com/

And, to see more images I shot and the story on Christina and Farmgirl Flowers, go to http://www.zipcar.com/ziptopia

Self Taught . . .

Periodically, my wife and kids and I will do things to help those in need.  The goal is two fold. . . 1, to really give to those that have so little, and 2, selfishly, teach our children to be grateful for what they have and to realize how lucky they are. 

Typically, our efforts are making 60 sandwiches and bagging them with chips, cookies, water, etc.  They get dropped off at a shelter and then they magically get to the people who need them.

Well, last night, we went into the San Francisco, in the shadow of City Hall (all lit up in Red and Gold after the 49ers win), with sandwiches, water, oranges, blankets, socks, t-shirts, soaps and lotions to hand them directly to the folks that need them.

It was incredibly eye opening for me personally.  Most of the people were so kind and so grateful, but most of all, fair.  They only took what they "needed" and said things like "I already have a blanket, so I'll leave that for someone else". 

I don't know, but I find that unselfishness incredible when each person is just trying to stay alive out there in the cold.

We live in the "me first" generation.  . I see it with so many people that have so much, so to see the direct opposite with people who truly need, blew me away.

As a photographer, I had the notion to bring my camera to document this.   Maybe I'm a bad photographer, but I just didn't feel that it was right to take images of these people as though they were part of a show, so I opted to leave the camera and home.  The only photo I took was with my iPhone of the beautiful lights lighting up City Hall.

Believe me, there are MANY more people out there who do TONS more than me to help others (as a matter of fact, what we did is nothing by comparison to real true samaritan ) , but I hope it taught my children a fraction of what it taught me last night.




Tanya and Sean

Nothing like Vacaville in June for a wedding.  Well, was I wrong!  The weather was perfect!  I had been looking at the forecast for weeks anticipating 100 degree temperatures.  But when the day came, it couldn't be more perfect.  The wedding was at Pippo Ranch , about an hour north of San Francisco, a unique venue where the ceremony and reception both took place.  It lent itself to many wonderful moments and images.  The bride, Tanya, was so fun and incorporated balloons and other festive things in the wedding and photographs.  Sean, who is in the Coast Guard, displayed his incredible honors dressed in his military attired.  Besides being such a wonderful couple, they approached the day with such a fun , light, attitude in the spirit of why there were there. . . for each other.  Here are a few from their day.   

Lovin' the Lovins

Got to see some good friends that we haven't seen in a while this weekend.  It's incredible to see their pair of twins after a year.  That time between 3 and 4 years old shows such a monumental leap from baby to kid.  All the personality and vocabulary and just overall confidence shows through. . . well, you be the judge . . . 

time. . . .

Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions. 

-John Randolph

As I looked through the viewfinder of my camera at my girls this morning, I had this wave come over me about how hard it is to fathom how much has happened our lives.  Another last day of school, another year gone, another last picture.  There are so many quotes about time, but this one spoke so much to me.  This is the exact age I lost my dad (I was 9 and he was 42 . . ok, I'm 43 now).  Time is constantly the most incredible concept for me, and to this day, I wish I had and endless supply.

Welcome Darcy J.

Here are a few shots from a photo session I just did of the 1 day old Supermodel Darcy J.   It's been a while since I've had babies this little and you forget just how small and fragile and dependent on you they are. 

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s   L e s l i e   a n d   T o b i n   !

the extra effort . .

I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding last weekend up in Vacaville, CA.  A wonderful couple, a beautiful venue, and incredible weather.  As much as I love shooting, at the end of an 8 hour wedding, I'm pretty exhausted.  I haven't sat down all day. . . climbing, squatting, crouching, laying down. . you name it.  Anything to get that photograph.  Well, it was 9pm, I had carefully loaded all my gear into my trunk, and sat down in the driver's seat ready for my hour plus drive back home.  I pulled out of the venue, still a tiny bit of light left in the sky (only visible by a slightly long exposure) only to see, in my opinion, something that would make a great photograph. ​  But I JUST put all my gear neatly away in the trunk.  But I JUST sat down for the first time in 8 hours!  But I have over an hour drive ahead of me.  I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving!  But as tired, sore, hungry and exhaused, I thought about how much worse I'd feel tomorrow if I didn't get the shot.  You tell me if it was the right decision . . .