I am not a gambling man. Having said that, I bet my friend from Detroit $10.00 on a football game between 49rs and Detroit Tigers last fall. The looser had to deliver money in person!! I won the bet but since my friend could not leave his business, he flew me last month to Detroit to collect the money. I have heard from numerous sources about "Armageddon" style images in Detroit since there are lot's of buildings in a state of decay. Many movies were filmed in Detroit because of that reason. So when I go on "vacation" to Detroit, I bring my cameras. :) I can always use this images in my "green screen photography"
Noe Valley Newborn Studio Photography
I had the privilege of photographing Dana and Jeff's newborn for their Baby Step Club with Fima Photography. Jeff has black belt in Karate. As you can see from those photos, their sun is not far behind! :)
Executive headshot photography
For his executive headshot, Ben wanted to look confident and yet approachable. I believe we succeeded.
Newborn Family Portrait Photography
Angela and Lubin joined our Baby Step Club (4 photo sessions during child first year). This is their first session. They even brought their dog to the session.
Family Photography: Baby's First Cake
My client Michelle asked me to take portraits for her baby’s first birthday. I have a product especially designed for this type of occasion, where I place a birthday cake in front of the child and we watch the fun unfold. I love being able to photograph a kid tearing through their first birthday cake, especially when I can do it through the lens of a camera, capturing every step of the way. From these photos, we create a memory book as a keepsake for that family to enjoy for the years to come.
I always like a challenge, so in this particular photo session, I decided to ask Michelle if she and her family had any pets. Upon discovering that they had a cat and a parrot, I asked if I could photograph their pets in front of a green screen so that I could Photoshop them into their baby’s first cake portraits.
When they brought in their pets, I had their child pose with one of them, so we could capture an authentic interaction between the baby and their pets. Of course, having a cat and a bird in the same place might not end up so well, we went with just their parrot, and the photos turned out beautifully. Who could resist capturing the dynamics available between pets and their human companions?
Using green screen technology, I was able to composite images of their pet cat and parrot next to their child, cake and all. Creating a portrait with both their child and their pets brought out a side of their family that was playful and whimsical. Most importantly of all, my clients loved it.
But of course, we couldn’t forget about the big kids in the family: Mom and Dad! I had them both pose with their child, together and individually. I loved how their daughter’s magenta dress stood out against the muted tones that her parents picked out. Wearing neutral tones works best in family photography. Of course, children tend to look great in whatever they’re wearing, especially if they’re the center of attention.
We took a few more photos of the birthday girl, even adding in their pet parrot for good measure. This time, we didn’t use a green screen, since we wouldn’t have to have both pets in the same place.
I keep a smattering of stuffed animals, toys, tricycles, tiny chairs, and other accoutrements for children and even parents to play with. I have a child-sized bench in my lobby, and their daughter immediately took a liking to it. We brought it into the studio, and it was an immediate win for everybody involved. It even acted as a perch for their pet parrot!
Taking family portraits is always a rewarding experience. Taking photos of children, babies, parents, families, and even their pets together brings me a sense of joy, and brings the families themselves closer together. As a photographer, my job is more than just taking pictures. I create memories for people to cherish for years and generations to come.
Child and Pet Photography
My client Kay asked me to photograph her daughter and their dog. She wanted to capture the relationship that her daughter had with their pet. This was a very special outdoor photo session. I love to show the relationship between people as well as people with their pets.
Cleopatra: Examples of Green Screen Photography
Frank and Sonny are long-time clients of mine. They're wonderful with creative ideas for every photo session we do. Last Halloween, they concocted the idea of dressing up their daughter as Cleopatra, Frank as Julius Caesar, and Sonny as Mark Antony.
For the portraits that I took in their family photo session, I used green screen technology to put photos of their daughter in front of an ancient Egyptian setting.
Frank made every single one of these costumes. What a family!
Family Photography
Crystal and her family have been clients of mine for several years. Much like many of my other clients, when I ask them what they want for their family portrait session, they can't decide on whether they want indoor studio photography or outdoor photography. Luckily, we can make both of those happen in 1 1/2 hours or less, and all for the same price. We have many parks nearby. 40 minutes in a park, 40 minutes in the studio, and we can make everything that you want for their family photos a possibility.
Newborns and pets
Recently Stacey Wiley of Woof Walks in the East Bay came to me with a challenge. She wanted portraits of her newborn as well as several of her dogs. What came from the photo shoot was a lot of wonderful shots with the dogs as well as the people. I have done a lot of pet photography in my career and these were some of the best behaved dogs I have worked with so far. Stacey really is a dog whisperer.
Painted Ladies Panorama
After a photo session with a client in Alamo Square that ended at 7, I waited until 8 to take this gorgeous panorama. It was worth the wait! The photo, of the famous Painted Ladies Victorian houses, has downtown San Francisco in the background. The final panorama image is compiled out of eight separate images.
Professional Portraits
My client Paul is a speaker and an insurance agent, and he needed to update his image for online professional websites, and speaking tours. To do this, we had a photo session to produce professional headshots in our San Francisco portrait studio, as well as more casual portraits. Paul, after seeing the photographs, said: “The photos are amazing, I really like the way I look.”
San Francisco Studio Family Photography
My client Marica hired me to photograph her whole family. In our San Francisco portrait studio, I had the opportunity to take family portraits of her family, her brother’s family, and her parents. She told me it was the first time in her life that she had a formal photograph taken with her father. The family photos included pictures of the grandparents with their granddaughters, the two cousins playing together, and photos of the entire family together. It was a great opportunity to take these very special photographs for my client.
Portraits with Personality
Recently, I was able to take a series of black and white portraits of my client Michelle’s youngest son. We wanted to show his silly and unique personality in the portraits, and I think we succeeded in capturing the charisma of this young boy- a new model superstar is born! Michelle brought in her two older sons as well, and I photographed all three of them together for a family portrait with lots of love between the siblings.
Portrait of Boxer and his Family
In a studio session with client Carolyne, her husband, and their daughter, I photographed both family portraits and individual shots of this unique family. The husband is a professional boxer, so the family wanted actions shots of him. While the little girl was changing, I got the chance to take portraits of her father as a boxer, plus family portraits as well.
Fundraiser for National Breast Cancer Foundation
Raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, our portrait photography studio in San Francisco had the opportunity to work with a variety of pets. These “pets against breast cancer” ranged from adorable Black Labs and Bernese Mountain Dogs, to colorful parrots and toucans. We would also like to give a special thank you to the Animal Company, located at 1307 Castro Street, for helping us with the fundraiser; we couldn’t have done the studio portraits without you! It was a great opportunity to fundraiser for the NBCF, and to photograph these cute animals.
My studio photo session with 2 acrobats for their portfolio
Sonny and Cher
Having an appreciate for pop music, we paid honor to legends in the 60s and 70s in this family photography session. Sonny and Cher were icons forging the way as husband wife team. I photographed these timeless portraits capturing the heart of this father and daughter and to the memory of Sonny and Cher.
Rita Hayworth
Reminiscing on the past, this portrait photography session continued along the path of a tribute to the famous stars of the 40s. There needed to be a change that happened in my studio in order to capture the essence of Rita Hayworth. Adding some color and a costume change we got back to photographing and capturing unique family portraits.
Rita Hayworth and her loyal companion. Everyone made it into this photography session even the dog. He was on his best behavior and right by Rita's side!
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner
At this photography session the family wanted to capture the essence of the 40s and some of that era's legends. I captured this family's' portraits as they would have back in the day at my portrait studio in Noe Valley. Everything was working the wardrobe, make-up and posses. It is as if Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra came back in 2013.
Flashback to the 40's with leading actress, Ava Gardner! Once a classic always a classic
This father daughter portrait was a tribute to the classy 40s era and of course the leading couple Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Black and white photos, pearls and tuxedos you cant get any better than that!
Frank Sinatra at his best, sitting back and enjoying life!
Newborn Studio Photo Session
I had the pleasure of having this lovely family in my portrait studio with their newborn baby girl for a family photo session. She was only 8 days old when we had this newborn session.
