I had a day off last week and decided that FINALLY after living in San Francisco this long that I was going to Safari West in Santa Rosa.  It wasn’t nearly the same as my adventure in August to South Africa  where I got very up close and personal with some amazing Cheetahs at the Le Sueur Cheetah Project.  But this place was lovely and had me back for a moment to almost the same place.  I’m a total animal lover and this was meant to take me out of my element and push me just a bit photographically.  This is a private reserve and the owners live on the property.  All of the people who work there seem to really love animals and their jobs.  They have giraffe, cheetah, numerous types of monkeys and birds and kudu, zebra, buffalo and wildebeest and very shy rhino’s.  I really wanted to play with the cheetah again but alas, it was not possible.  But it was an amazing day with the most beautiful sunset to close it out.

I had a wedding I photographed recently featured on IDoVenues.com.  It was a great day with Jessica and Brett at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in  San Francisco’s Union Square.  It was a beautiful sunny day and this was one fun crowd.  You can see in the post just how fun and beautiful this event was to photograph.

My good friend Laurel Winzler of Laurel Designs did an amazing job with the flowers and it’s really important to work with great people to help you in your own job.  It can be really daunting to plan a wedding and book vendors.  I always recommend a professional wedding planner or professional event planner but sometimes it’s just not in the budget or people really want to do it themselves.   Be prepared to spend a lot of time planning your wedding!  When you hire a professional they can recommend people they know well and trust.  This is the most important step. A lot of times I walk into a wedding event and know the DJ, florist, venue coordinator or caterer and it’s great because we make sure we are all on the same page and make sure it goes off without a hitch.  Other times it’s important to introduce myself and make sure we keep communication open during the event to keep things running smoothly.

However way you decide to go with either a wedding planner or no planner make sure you are in communication with your vendors and you know they are dependable and reputable and experienced.  I know budget is a concern sometimes.  But just be sure you hire the best you can afford. One example of a vendor I worked with that was not good is a videographer I had never met before.   I’m not sure what their experience was but some things that I noted and actually had to point out or fix myself was:

1. An electrical cord lying completely across the dance floor
2. Electrical cords untaped in the middle of walkways
3. The light from the camera always in my shots
4. No communication on planning and staying out of the way of each other

These are all very serious issues.  Can you imagine if your grandmother were to trip over a cord?  That is really inexcusable.  So hire the best you can!

I hope you enjoy the images on IDoVenues but here are a few too from the hilarious engagment session we had at the Embarcadero waterfront and Flora Grubb in Hunter’s Point, San Francisco.

Cheers,

Misti

Kissing at Flora Grubb

I came across a posting on StyleMePretty that was totally unique.  If you aren’t aware of this site and are getting married you should surely check it out.  It’s a great resource of ideas and vendors that you know are reputable and should check out.  I had a wedding of mine posted on it for the wedding  theme of red, white and blue which was fabulous.

It was about two women who were both recently married and contemplating changing their names to their spouse’s last name.  They totally surprised their husbands and brought back the officiant that married them to have a “ceremony” celebrating the name change.  They included wedding photographs and many of their guests that had been there that day.  By incorporating all of these things they brought together all the best moments of the celebration of their weddings and kept the fun going in their marriages and with friends!

They women (remember the husbands were surprised!) went all out on the theme of “Maiden Voyage”. You do get that right?  Emphasis on MAIDEN!   The colors were yellow, blue and white and the theme nautical of course.  Their professional photographer did a great job of capturing the event, the people and definitely the details.

While they went all out on this idea you could do it with your own special spin in the backyard of your home and just keeping it intimate with your closest friends and family and a Do It Yourself or hire professionals to help you out with resourcing vendors and supplies.  DIY does bring on other issues like finding vendors, supplies and all the time it can consume.  I have come across many unique ideas when I’ve done DIY weddings but the common comment I hear is just how time consuming it is!  Remember this of all things though to be sure to research your vendors thouroghly before hiring them.  This is on you in DIY as a planner will be able to make great recommendations based on experience with them personally.

This is an amazing idea.  So many of my couples get married not deciding on the whole thing about doing the name change.  This is a great idea and one I’m going to be sure to pass on!

Here is my original post on my blog for the red, white, blue theme.

I had a truly life changing experience in South Africa and I’d like to do something in return. The Le Sueur Cheetah Project was just truly an amazing experience for me. They need money and more so now because one of the cheetahs is pregnant which is wonderful. Please consider purchasing one of my images. All profits will go to Le Sueur. They really need support and I hope to do just a little bit. Thanks a ton!

Purchase images here… Help Le Sueur Cheetahs.

Why do you really need more than just your images on a CD?  Let me explain!  You won’t save money and you wont’ get the best that you deserve.

Since the dawn of digital I get asked a lot “I just want the raw files on CD”.   Well, if only it was so simple.  I once thought of this situation when I saw an advertisement for doing self-surgery and I think it was removal of a kidney!  My thinking is to leave it to the professionals and this is why…too much can go wrong.  I’m a photographer specializing in people so things like wedding photography, event photography and corporate and head shot portraits.  I wouldn’t imagine going in to an industrial commercial situation and say I know what I’m doing.  I definitely do not!

I recently got an email from someone who wanted engagement photos taken and wanted the raw files.  He mentioned he was a photographer but I saw he actually had another full time career.  So the dilemma for me is, as an artist, the image I take doesn’t end at just the push of a button and do I want someone else to not let me finish my process.  It’s a whole lot more.  I often run into amateur photographers who ask why I don’t do this or have that or tell me their Nikon is better than my Canon etc.  The best thing about photography is that there are a million ways to do it and all of them your way if you choose it to be that way.  But there are things that can wrong.

The process of being a photographer isn’t just about owning a camera. It is a whole lot more and I won’t even begin to discuss the business aspect of it in this post.   Experience, vision, education, tools, passion and creativity are all a part of it.  It starts with “seeing” the image. You have to see something, maybe manipulate it to make it better, make some technical choices and then perhaps change your mind again because it wasn’t right.  Oddly enough the biggest part of taking an image for me is getting my subject to connect to me and forgetting the camera.  Yes, you read that right.  I want us BOTH to forget the camera.  When the subject is in front of me whether for a wedding portrait during their wedding or acting head shots or a family portrait the camera is just a tool and believe it or not I mostly shoot in P.  Yes, you read that right too.  Once I have my basic settings and choices in equipment I use P or A and nothing else (this is in Canon I’m not sure about Nikon settings).  If I fiddle with the camera and try to think about technical things then my client can get restless, lose mood or feel uncomfortable.  If this happens the shot is lost and I have nothing anyway.  This is why you see emotion, expression and feeling in my images and not a perfectly posed, placed portrait.  Cameras today are built with a zillion different algorithms so why not trust them?

Once that part is done there is the post production which with digital is more complicated than film.  Developing choices in film can be made and then labs will still look at all your negatives and work with the color or adjust chemicals for a different grain or you can push or pull your negatives.  All of these processes lead to the final “image” that was in my mind’s eye when I pushed that button.  If you get the chance Google Ansel Adams and look at the extensive notes he did when printing his images.  They were never straight out of the camera and there was never just one print.  When I develop prints there are other choices that need to be made and all of this my artistic expression.  In regards to post production on digital images the process is all on your computer but those choices of intensity, brightness, color, filters are all the same thing leading again to my choice as my final image.  Here is a sample of images that about post production choices that made the images stand out and feel “finished”  Intimate Weddings, Documentary Weddings, Head Shots

So when you are choosing a photographer for your wedding or family portraits or even just head shots remember it isn’t just about owning a camera and while your friend is “into” photography it’s always best to hire a professional and trust them and let them do what they do best.  It is NOT about the camera and definitely not a good idea when it is your wedding and no chance for a do-over.  What about head shots?  You only get the one chance for that first impression.  Do you want to risk that to an image that isn’t finished?  Let’s be honest, will you ever make that album or retouch those photos yourself within the next couple of years even?  Most likely not!

While digital photography has brought cameras to the masses and some amazing pictures taken there is a big difference with a professional photographer.  Find the right one for you and you won’t be sorry.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!

Ellie and Legs

Emily and Chris are just the sweetest people and I was so honored to be their photographer, guest and witness all in one.  These weddings in the beautiful San Francisco City Hall are just always fun.  The intimacy of them just teaches me something every time I do them.  Emily is so sweet and her gorgeous red hair with the gold inlay of the front doors I just love!  We got a very fun officiant and had just a wonderful time.  They then were going to surprise family on Christmas Eve with “guess what!”.  It did go well because I got a lovely email from mom thanking me.  All the best Emily and Chris!

Michelle and Dan had their wedding during my most favorite time of the year–Fall!  The wedding was at Arista Winery in Healdsburg, one of my favorite spots.  The cake was from Patisserie Angelica and the flowers by Dragonfly.  It was such a beautiful day.  The weather rained the day before and the day after but not that day!  The vines were a deep gold, the sky a beautiful blue and clouds made for perfect texture and depth.  It was my first time to meet them as they planned the day from New Jersey.  Their friends and family brought the East Coast to the West and made for a lot of laughs and memories.  All the best to you guys.  Come back and visit!

Here are a few more shots that I think are worth seeing.  Again the details just say so much about you and your day and set a vibe that guests remember.  So have fun and be creative!  A big budget is not necessary for this.  The card holders made of the tree slices were cut by the groom himself.  The brides bouquet had rosemary, heather and other various “weed” type plants to fit the surroundings of Big Sur.  Plants and vegetables make great additions to bouquets.  The cakes with the fine detailing are by Patisserie Angelica.  Something so simple in an outdoor, wine country wedding are perfect.  Let nature speak for itself!  Splashes of color can have huge impact in a natural setting.

If your wedding is in a hotel or more urban setting usually lines are better when clean and work with the architecture.   A large room needs large centerpieces but be sure your guests can see and speak to each other!  Nothing worse then leaning into your neighbor to converse with the person across from you.

But most importantly just have fun with your plans and be creative.  Let your professionals help you to create something that is unique to you.

The details of a wedding really set the day.   The littlest of elements are indicative of you as a couple and set a tone of the day.  This wedding was in Big Sur and the elements blended like nature themselves!  It was elegant but casual and comfortable.  Enjoy and think of what “says” you!  The place card holders were cut by the groom himself.  The bouquet consisted of many natural plants like heather and rosemary and blended perfectly into the Big Sur settings.  The cowboy boots worn by the bride were THE perfect choice!!!