Richard Avedon at SFMOMA

We had the opportunity to take a day off and decided to go see Richard Avedon's show at SFMOMA. We parked in Berkeley and rode BART into the city. 

I am a huge fan and have a lot of respect for his work, it was great to see it on a larger scale. The show walked you through some early fashion work, to a huge collection of politicians and ended on arguably  his most significant work.  He turned the same straight forward approach for shooting celebrities onto ordinary people he found along his travels, including a bee keeper from Davis.  

After the show we walked the streets for a while passing Macy's as they set up their Christmas tree, and stopped into old hotels.  I enjoyed shooting some pictures with Canon's G10 digital camera.  This thing is great, it offers full creative control in a very compact and tough design. 

 

Portrait Event

We kicked off the Empire Oaks Elementary portrait event today in Folsom.  The weather was perfect this morning, minus a bit of wind.  The early sessions were treated to great light and with the help of Denise we were able to wrap that light around these awesome looking families.  I am looking forward to showing some examples, they are on the way. 

There are open spots available for next Saturday the 24th of October,  if you are thinking about signing up, we'd love to have you.  

Hike for a Cure 2009

We are gearing up for another Hike for a Cure.  

For the last three years I have been photographing an amazing grassroots fundraising organization.  We rely on family and friends to help support us on our hike to the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite California.  

Donations help provide research studies to find a cure for Langerhans Histiocytosis, a white blood cell disease that affects mostly young children.  The reason for hiking 21 miles to the top of Half Dome is the help understand the uphill battles and struggles that face the families and children that live with this disease.

HikeforaCure.com has a ton of information about the disease as well as ways you can help.  You can donate money, time or your walking legs.  

Doughnut Guy

We produced a shoot recently for an email marketing company here in Sacramento.  

I was excited about the opportunity to work with a working model.  Amos of Cast Images was a real pro, he was able to bring the feeling of this delicious doughnut to life.  Garth, of G Creative and I, tried many different configurations and scenarios but this was by far the most effective. Garth is a wiz with photoshop and works so quickly.  Each element of the photo has been manipulated to emphasize impact.  The model's expression is used from one file, the model's hand from another and the doughnut itself is yet another shot entirely.  He stitched them together for this final product.    

In the process Amos had to eat close to a dozen doughnuts so I'm thankful he came hungry. He told me afterwards that he won't be eating any doughnuts in the near future.  

We shot at Photo Source in Sacramento and their studio facility is top notch.  They have anything you could want or need in terms of lighting equipment.  The staff is always friendly and willing to help out.   

Nikita Clothing limited edition coffee table book.

I was recently contacted by a designer in Iceland, to provide photos for their coffee table book. I was thrilled that the photos Denise and I produced were remembered and then placed in their book.  The company that is making these limited edition coffee table books is Nikita. (Nikitaclothing.com) They are based out of Iceland, and specialize in outdoor wear for "girls who ride."

A while back, Denise was looking at some of their stuff online when she thought to ask if they made clothes for girls who climb rocks.  They responded by saying no, and that many of the people associated with the company do in fact climb as well.  A week later a box came in the mail filled with sweatshirts, shirts, belts, and other cool stuff.  She was so happy we decided to go out and shoot some photos of Denise climbing some buildings in downtown Sacramento. She was climbing on old factories in the heart of downtown, and on burger places near our house.  

We had a great time shooting the photos and then sent them off to Iceland to see if they would use them.  The coffee table book will be out early next year.  

Sacramento Wedding in Farm Country 8-8-09

This weekend I had an opportunity to help my friend, Keith Slagerman, photograph a wedding in Elk Grove’s farm country, just south of Sacramento.  The family’s country house was on quite a bit of land and was a great venue for a morning wedding.  The bride and groom seemed very much in love and the groom was definitely excited to “finally” be married.

After the ceremony, it was off to the tri-tip lunch they had lined up for the nearly four hundred guests.  It was a large wedding with eight bridesmaids and groomsman, but it was a lively group that made our job easier. 

While we ate I spotted a nursery school door open with perfect light pouring in.  There were two little girls eating their sizable portions of tri-tip and chicken and I asked if I could take their picture. Afterwards I went to grab Katie, Phil, and the reflector in my car.  I had them stand in the doorway and gave very little direction.  Keith helped me this time, holding the reflector to bounce more light into the doorway.  I really like the feel of this image; it has an easygoing country look while showing a newly married couple completely at easy with each other.    

The group dance shot was a great mix of a little planning and a little luck.  I was cruising around the dance floor with my camera gear in one hand and a chair in the other. I was dragging it around the perimeter of the dancers.  When an older gentleman approached me and said there was a latter in the hallway, I don't know if he thought I would actually use it.  I grabbed the latter and was not shy about plopping it down as close to the dancing mob as I could.  The latter became engulfed with all the dancing guests as I made my way carefully to the top.  This photo was the first shot after the crowd realized I was there.  I made several more photos right after but the magic was gone. 

Folsom Lake, CA Family Portraits

On a slightly cloudy day in Folsom California right after a long heat wave, I had the pleasure of sharing an afternoon with a great family on Folsom Lake.  They fired up their brand new Malibu wakeboard boat, and we set out for calm waters.

We arrived at a secluded section of the lake to find fading light on granite boulders sitting right next to the water.  After scrambling to get everyone on land we realized our light was fading quicker than expected.  The Silver’s were troopers; they endured mud pit crossings and all sorts of lake debris on the shores to get back to the boat. 

We raced across the lake where we found a great beach set up.  There were granite boulders, a small island, and great orange sand that felt sharper on your feet than almost anything I’ve encountered except coral.

The sun finally dipped down over the bluff and the light became very clean for family portraits.  The hill blocked the direct sun light but there was enough hitting the surrounding hills to keep the scene saturated and crisp. 

I want to thank the Silver family for trusting me with their very first family portrait. They were naturals!   I loved the opportunity to show this family in their element.  

Robert

Robert was one who shared his story with NPR (National Public Radio) and SN&R (Sacramento News & Review).

Sacramento News and Review - Homeless Connect

So the new issue of Sacramento News and Review came out yesterday. As I said before we worked on the cover story.  Check out the online version  http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1010578

It was a great experience and I learned a lot about what it means to be homeless.  There are so many different situations people find themselves in,  but there was always a shred of hope and determination.  

James, "the captain", is affectionately known as the Mayor of Loafs and Fishes which is the most prominent shelter in Sacramento.  I heard from others that he is a great guy, if there was anything he could do to help you he would.  

Last week I participated in an event at Sacramento City College to benefit the growing homeless population.  The College hosted Homeless Connect, where they could get services from a number of providers including medical, dental and psychological.

With the help of Paul Estabrook, Director of Photography at SCC, Louise Mitchell (fellow student), and David Jayne, Art Director for the Sacramento News and Review, we created portraits of 21 people who represented a wide variety of homeless situations.  Everything from the stereotypical to individuals who looked like accountants in denial of their own situation.  

The photos will be part of the Cover story for next week's issue of SN&R.  It will be on Sacramento newsstands on the 11th.