This Dominican Republic photo shoot was really special one for me for professional and personal reasons. One of the wonderful things about running your own business is the opportunity to be involved with and give back to the communities where I live and work. Back in April, I gifted three photo sessions which were auctioned off at a fundraiser, El Futuro II, for La Academia Internacional de Cabrera , here in the DR. Their fundraiser was held at the luxurious private villa, Casa Kimball and I’m thrilled to say that I was able to help raise close to $2,500 for the school! One of the sessions bids was won by the law office of Garcia Blcanco & Asociados.

The law office is just meters from the beach, in the town of Cabarete in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. So it was only natural to keep the beach vibe with all the employees in light, comfortable clothing, with a beautiful backdrop of water and greenery. This is a serious law practice, with a lighter side which is evident in this shoot. One cool feature of this law office is that they support local schools and education. We visited the 3 Mariposas Montessori School, in town, to take photos with the children. This is a school which the law office has a personal relationship with and helps keep the doors of the school open. After connecting with the school and the kids, I began my own visits to the school, teaching photography to the youngsters…more on that later.

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Children’s photography is something I enjoy, and I want to do more of. Cute kids, really make my job easy! This little boy’s adorable looks, combined with a “joie de vivre” that only come from the young (& young at heart!), made this session a delight! His mother wanted to create an Andy Warhol-style multi-image print. We used their rooftop in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood and a few local nooks and crannies for our shoot.

My job leads to relationships with professionals in every field imaginable. This shoot was done for trade with the mom of this little boy, an amazing stylist named Shea English.  Since my wardrobe was in need of a revamp, Shea hooked me up with her assistant Amanda Massi who went through my closet and we hit the town for some serious shopping.  Never thought I would talk like this, but there you have it, and i feel great not wearing jeans 350 days a year! Thank you ladies, for a fantastic trade and a fun shoot!

For more information on Shea English’s professional image consulting service in San Francisco!

Also, please check out Amanda Massi’s run for Miss California USA, https://www.facebook.com/missSF  Her passion in life is to put an end to female sex slavery all over the world.

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Another successful engagement session! The shoot I did with Rosi and Eddie was great, and particularly meaningful to me since Eddie is a friend of mine.  He is a bartender at a popular San Francisco nightclub where I have photographed frequently in the past, and so we’ve come to know each other well over the years. Being asked by Rosi and Eddie to photograph their engagement session and wedding was such a privilege. It’s always feels good when friends and family trust you with what will surely be one the most important days of their lives.

We held the session at the Fisherman’s Wharf to revisit the scene of Eddie’s proposal to Rosi. We moved into Musée Mécanique, the antique music and arcade machine museum, and captured some unique shots around the vintage machines. In keeping with the retro theme, the couple posed with a classic car from the 60′s. Another fun aspect to the shoot is that Rosi’s maid-of-honor, Irma, was the light-holder for the session!

Congratulations, Rosi & Eddie! Thank you for including me in your celebration!

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Had the privilege of shooting a lifestyle photography feature on Waterbar. Not only did I get to shoot posed portraits of the wonderful staff, but I also got a behind the scenes look at the kitchen and staff, in their day to day working environment.

Waterbar is an unbelievable, upscale seafood restaurant located in the shadow of the Bay Bridge on the Embarcadero of San Francisco. They have managed to create breathtaking ambiance with floor-to-ceiling aquariums filled with a myriad of creatures of the Pacific, and a spectacular raw bar. I had the mouth-watering privilege to shoot a promotional, lifestyle session there with members of the staff, including the managers, head chef, and supporting kitchen staff, pastry chef and the oyster shucker.

The pastry chef recently submitted a pumpkin pie recipe for a cook book, so it was fun to take shots of the finished product.

Thanks again Waterbar for the delicious portrait photo shoot!

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Most of us who have taken public transportation in San Francisco would hardly consider BART to be the setting for a modern day fairy tale. But for Caroline & Steve, a fateful train ride a few years ago led them to each other and to true love! Caroline is an architect and Steve is in PR, so both have a lot of vision. Although it took them a while to warm up at the beginning of the shoot, it wasn’t long before their creative and fun personalities surfaced for me to capture on film.

In this San Francisco-inspired engagement shoot, we ventured throughout the city by foot and BART while I captured the couple in various familiar city settings. We started at the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero, and then moved to 101 California Street with the oversized Christmas baubles. We also took shots on the iconic San Francisco cable cars, and as a tribute to their love story, at the BART station. We ended in the Mission, using the electrifying murals at Sycamore Alley as a backdrop to create a little video you can watch below. I was inspired by the use of stop-motion animation technique and applied the soundtrack to the film Run, Lola, Run. The images from this shoot were created by using a combination of motion blur and off-camera flash techniques combined with a slow shutter.

Another exciting part to this story is that Caroline & Steve chose me as the photographer for their wedding in Chicago in September! They are also having a photo booth from SnapFiesta, a division of Gene Kosoy Photography. I’m really exciting to head to the Windy City and photograph this awesome couple in a new setting.

Congratulations, Caroline & Steve! Thank you for letting me be a part of capturing a piece of your beautiful love story!

Sidenote: We were joined on the shoot by my assistant, Terry, who took some behind-the-scenes photos of me for his class project. You can check out a few of his images of me for his class project…which I am happy to say he aced!

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