Chester stole the show this morning to be sure.  I love photographing pets of any kind.   This lively pup was hard to follow so what to do?  Three things:

• Let him do his thing of course!  It was us following Chester’s lead to be sure.  But this keeps him happy and gives great opportunity
• Treats!  Crucial for the obvious reasons!
• Work fast!  The attention span of most pets is pretty limited.  You can tire them out for a more portrait shot after getting the action shots when they are excited and playing.

Arista Winery is such an amazing place.  The fall, being my favorite time, is especially beautiful here.  The vines, the trees, bushes and rolling hills are just fabulous!  So this was an amazing day to be sure.   The colors were fabulous and this simple, elegant affair was a definite success.  The flowers were by Dragonfly Florals and the catering was by Park Avenue Catering.  See for yourself!

What a beautiful country.  I always love traveling just at the beginning of the winter season.  The light is ten times more dramatic, far less tourists to contend with and the mood is always kind of more festive with the oncoming of the December holidays.  Last year I walked the streets of Auschwitz almost alone, saw the festivities of the holidays in town squares like Berlin and Vienna and Warsaw. It’s just more amazing than the blue sky and green grass of summer in my opinion.  So this year was a great follow up.  The skies poured on us often but left such amazing scenes to photograph.  You just don’t get that in summer.  So please enjoy my somewhat touristy photos and more artistic visions that happened during my time in Ireland.

I’m a total animal person.  Love them all.  So when I get a new toy yes, my ahem kids become my subject.  You have a great opportunity at home to photograph your pets.  They know you and trust you and that makes for the best access.  So some tips to get great portraits:

1. Instead of shooting from afar and on your feet get on your knees or sit down with them.   Get up close and personal.
2. Look at how they see the world when you look at them.  A lot of times I’m actually lying on the ground to get portraits.  It makes for much more interesting shots!
3. Take close-ups.   A nose, ear, whiskers are all bits and pieces that make for cute little details in an album or a series of portraits.
4. Make it easy and fun for them and for you.

Congrats guys!  A beautiful albeit very hot day in Sonoma at the Sonoma Lodge.  Cindy looked just beautiful and Bharat was pretty darn handsome!  The florals were amazing and by Grandiflora. I wish you all the best!

Sam was breathtaking in her gown and Matt was rocking it big in his suit-not his usual uniform!  The day was beautiful and warm and sunny and couldn’t have been better at Radonich Ranch in Santa Cruz.   Old and new came together in a fantastic way.  The florals were amazing and by Precious and Blooming the catering was by Vignette.   The kids of course were great photo opps and friends and family were just all kinds of laughs.  Dancing till late under the stars it was a great time to be sure.  All the best you guys!

I photographed the wedding of Karen and Eric about 7 years ago.  This still amazes me!  Now they live in NYC and are expecting their first baby.  Karen is close to due but was a very willing and able subject as we used different places in their apartment on the West Side.  Karen is a shy type and was nervous but even dared to get just a little racy and looks beautiful!  Of course the feline kids got in on the action but what are you going to do…they are part of the family! Congrats guys!!

Some hints for pregnancy portraits:

• Do it around the eighth month.  You are large enough to show but not so large that it’s uncomfortable.
• Include the whole family!  The dad, other children and the pets.
• Dress in the dad’s shirt or shorts.  It’s a way of incorporating him in the portrait that may just be belly.
• Hands on the belly are so simple but say so much.

This is absolutely my favorite time of year and especially in New York City.  The crisp air, colors and light is just the best.  Here are a bunch of photos I took on my average 6 mile per day walk.  It’s the best way to see the City by far.  I used the Canon Mark II for this to test as I’d just gotten it which was fun but I sure missed my film camera!!!  Remember when you travel always keep your camera with you!  You just never know what you may see.

This was a fun day from out of towners Wendy and Ray.   We did the whole City Hall wedding and then hit Foley’s Irish bar to celebrate Wendy’s Irish roots. Then it was off to Chrissy and the beautiful San Francisco view.   We had a lot of laughs this day to be sure!

Michelle and Sam certainly brought their New York flair, humor and love to our part of the world and it was fantastic!  The reception was at the Mark Hopkins atop Nob Hill and the ceremony at St Peter and Paul.

Tram and Howie had the most amazing day at War Memorial Green Room.  It started in the most traditional Korean way with honoring the bride’s family with an amazing array of foods and gifts.  Then it was off to War Memorial.  Eric Yee of Spintronix and Geri did the most amazing job with design.   There were special gobo’s to celebrate Howie and Tram and Eric set up hot pink lights on the columns for the most amazing affect.  It was truly beautiful and Tram and Howie are just the best.

I finally got to see Avedon at MoMA yesterday and what hit me immediately is how he got people, some strangers, to communicate with him so honestly and deeply.  I snapped these pics of just the eyes and that is all you need to see to feel.

Photographing children is a challenge but tons of fun too.  Parents have a lot of great opportunities to photograph their kids.  Coming from the outside you have to build the trust kids need to be comfortable with you.   What to do?

• This day Asher was quite shy and first and I pretty much let him come to me first.  At the end of the day he was climbing all over me.
• When kids are themselves it lends itself to great photo opportunities.  Letting Asher just “read” to me was hilarious as he made his scary face and explained.
• Parents stop having your kids smile at the camera!  The best images are when they aren’t paying any attention to the camera at all.  See for yourself!

Victoria and Kent did an amazing job planning most of their wedding themselves. Christygale at Mark Hopkins was wonderful and they had great vendors like Jonathon Metcalf for video, Kate’s Blossoms and Hoogasian for flowers and music by Dennon & Doyle.