Video walkthroughs are a super way to highlight a property and really gives the viewer a sense of space and the flow of the home. This is a beautiful house in Salinas with lots of nice touches and a bright and airy floor plan. The still images I did of this home work well on flyers and the web while the walkthrough adds another dimension and motion to the listing.
Cima Collina is one of my favorite wineries and a wonderful group of people to work with. I have photographed their staff and winery for their website and shot some video and for their site and social media channels.
Two new team members came on board this January and I spent some time getting aquatinted and photographing them. Their tasting room in Carmel Valley serves as the backdrop. Cima Collina has a delightful tasting room and the people are always very warm and inviting. So that is the message we are trying to convey with the images.
A trick I use when photographing people in their workplace is to give them something to hold or to lean on. Many of us would naturally hold onto something when chatting with a friend, so putting them in that situation tends to get them more relaxed. A lot of times people just don't know what to do with their hands - so hold a glass of wine or the door open to let guests know they are welcome.
Oh, and don't put them in the same spot or the same pose. These photos were taken about 10 minutes apart and are literally 5 feet from each other.
It never ceases to amaze me what young children can do when they put their hearts into it. Each year Dance Kids of Monterey County puts on a truly remarkable performance of the Nutcracker ballet. The stars are children ranging from age 3 on up to 18. The supporting cast are, for the most part, just parents of those kids along with a couple very talented male dancers for 2 key rolls (mostly because they can do lifts and studied dance their entire lives too).
Each year I photograph the performances so that the parents (me included) get well done photos of their children's 15 minutes of fame. They start rehearsing in September and put on 3 shows in early December. Hours and hours of rehearsal. Sore and bandaged feet balanced on the toe box of pointe shoes. Memorizing choreography for 6 or more scenes. Doing homework and studying for finals in the dressing rooms between numbers. Commitment.
For the record, dancers may be some of the best athletes - like gymnasts. They have strength and poise. My 8th grade daughter holds the sit up and push up record at her middle school - boys and girls. As she says to the boys "Oh you play football? That's cute."
And these dancers shone like the stars they are. Nothing cuter than a teeny ballerina or more impressive than a 14 year old girl dancing with the beauty and elegance that 11 years of dance training and commitment can bring.
So it's official. The holidays are nearly here and that means family portraits with many of my clients that I have enjoyed photographing over the years. It's a treat to see how much the children have grown (why don't mom and dad look a day older).
I have had the privilege of photographing this family for several years now, so we all know each other well and it makes for fun and beautiful images. Each year we try something a little different in a new location - such is the fortune of living in a diverse area with beautiful scenery nearly everywhere we look.
They even send me a Christmas card with their favorite images from that day. I look forward to seeing how much they've changed next year.
So many important decisions to make, so many things you didn’t know that you didn’t know. To help you get to your goal of making it through the wedding planning process (still wanting to get married), I asked some recent brides what tips they would pass along to their friends who were getting married. I also added some of my own thoughts from my experience.
Many seem to have good photos on their website - how do I know who is right for me? Here are a few questions I have heard from prospective clients who did a lot of homework. I also seem to get a lot of photographers as wedding clients and they ask good questions...
Go enjoy the process and make your wedding your very own unique and special day. You'll find so many great ideas from friends, Pinterest and many other resources. Don't forget, it's your wedding so don't be afraid to ask for exactly what you want.
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