New Year's Eve Reflection

Tonight as I have for the last two New Year's Eves prior, I'll be working at JJ's Blues. Today marks the second year (to the day) that I've been working there as House Photographer shooting musicians in some dark conditions. Ironically Brad Kava, a great friend, will be opening tonight with his band, Doghouse Riley, the first band I went there to photograph (as a favor to him), and soon after started working there.

In two years the stage lights have gotten brighter and I've been able to help influence the color gels used, so now they have more greens and blues and less red. Red while dramatic and intense often looks awful on skin tones when its the only or predominant stage light.

Shooting in dark conditions has surely helped how I shoot in equally dark scenes including in churches at weddings, and some of the anticipation I've learned shooting musicians has translated into weddings and vice versa.

Working in the same club has also shown me how to really bend my creative processes to come up with new ideas, such as shooting the subject and the mirror image which I first did during a long set by Jason Ricci (a technique I also used in wedding photos including one of my favorite images ever (still the first photo on my web splash page).

Merry Christmas, blog rating

Well, I thought this was pretty funny. I only put in my blog address once, honest, and this was an amusing, if probably quite inaccurate, ego boost.



Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all,

Danielle

Asra and Hani's wedding, part one

Asra, right, was a beautiful bride who had her makeup put on by her sister, Sama, a multi-talented artist who described it as "painting" her sister as a canvas. More photos to follow.

Field Trip: San Francisco Networking

Today I went up to one of my favorite cities, San Francisco, to network with some great people I'd met before. I gave Jinza, who designs great gowns some two photos of her with two different dresses on matted metallic paper.

She really liked the paper (so far almost everyone I show it to likes it) and asked if couples could get their wedding photos on it (they can). She showed me one dress that she said was the fabric representation of metallic paper.

I saw some amazing new designs, including one that I'd probably wear on my own wedding day. Photos coming soon.

Onward and Upward

Yesterday I added my sidebar link from this blog to another site. I'm part of a new community called Wedfog where wedding photographers and hopefully soon brides will come together to have questions answered and connect with one another. Below is one of my favorite shots in my gallery profile, though I titled it something else today it feels like "Onward and upward" which was my personal motto throughout much of college, always trying to reach more heights of success.

The shot is one of my favorites from recent weddings and I also had it printed on metallic paper as a portfolio image to show clients.


The name wedfog is a take off of Wed(for wedding) FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), which is what the letters kind of look like. Though I've been in the business so long that I first read it as Wed FOG where FOG is father of the groom. So many acronyms.

Random Photo Tuesday - Music Man

Johnnie, who co-owns JJ's Blues with his wife is often recognized as one of the people keeping the blues alive in San Jose. He's less known for being a really great piano and keyboard player, even though he's incredibly talented. He was concentrating so hard on playing this song, in b flat which he tells me is the hardest key to play in, that he didn't even see me take this photo

Reflections on walking, new study

After making it the whole 2.6 miles yesterday, today in hindsight it's amazing how much easier it was then I thought (having told myself if I get to a certain street I'm almost there and reaching it sooner than expected), and I'm still a little sore today. I guess I just have to keep it up, hoping to do so.

I read a study done in the UK that claims initials effect grades and baseball. Supposedly people whose first names start with the letters denoting the bad grades C and D do worse in school than others, and baseball players with either initials starting with K strike out (with a K symbolizing a strike) more often.

I think that's hysterical, and didn't effect me luckily as a D (for Danielle) I did great in school, and enjoyed most subjects in highschool and college. Remembering back to high school, the top two students (valedictorian and salutatorian, both of whom coincidenally were female) had C names. I don't follow baseball well enough to think of tons of examples, but I know Babe Ruth holds, beyond other things, a record for striking out.

With my friend, David as a new teacher, I've learned so much about students and so much of academic learning involves what preparation one gets and how, not to mention the encouragement and involvement of parents like this woman I photographed teaching her son, in two languages about geography.

Also, I think it's funny that so many studies focus on negative outcomes (bad grades, strikeouts) and not positive (good grades and home runs). Lastly the study didn't mention students with the F initial, I realize some schools won't give out F's but surely enough must to make this trend apply if accurate, or perhaps they just forgot to study or include them. Oh well.

I'm Walking!

I'm walkin, yes indeed and I'm talkin bout you and me
I'm hopin that you'll come back to me, uh uh
"I'm Walking" - Fats Domino

You can do the walk...everywhere you go
Do the walk
"The Walk" - Jimmy McCracken

It's ironic that even though two of my favorite songs above are all about walking (and I've been priviliged to see Jimmy McCracken and his large, amazing band do his twice), I don't walk that much.

I think that's because I'm so used to just getting in my car and going somewhere, even when it's within easy walking distance (though I do often park relatively far from stores to have a little walk inside).

Inspired by others who have posted on their blogs their plans to exercise and eat better (most recently Becker), I'm going to resolve to do more walking starting today, literally. Of course it doesn't hurt that my car is in the shop and I won't have it back till much later this afternoon.

Anyhow, having been dropped off at a destination today where I'll be for a few hours, I have a 2.6 mile journey home. I debated using the Light Rail, and if this was San Francisco I would take a taxi. However, San Jose doesn't have large hills like that, so I'm going to walk home.

I sincerely hope this will inspire me to walk more, and towards that end every Friday I'm going to give an exercise update so my blog readers can help me stay honest, and feel free to offer encouragement.

Yes those are my green sneakers, I love colorful shoes when I'm dressed casually, in high school I got the nickname Punky (from Punky Brewster) though I never dressed quite that mismatched.

I read online that this should take less than an hour, so I'll post my time when I get home.

______

Updated:

My walk took 45 minutes and 29 seconds. Not bad considering I had to stop for traffic lights and some intersections that really should have had some. I walked down a street I don't normally drive for most of it to see and appreciate new things.

A lot of people smiled and said hi which I liked. Two unusual things I noticed were two brick chimneys partially built in a spiral pattern and a young man on a bike with a rake. Don't see those things everyday.

Couples at SF Gay Pride Parade

Inspired this week by looking through and posting some photos from this summer's parade I found two more to share, two couples. I was struck by how long they had been together and the quiet dignity of their statements.

I really enjoyed the parade as a whole with beautiful costumes and amazing music, yet I think these couples and others like them were my favorite part of all of it as they drove home what they are fighting for and how committed they are to the cause and most of all, each other.

Another Dancer from the SF Parade

One of the organizers of this year's San Francisco Gay Pride parade told me that this year's was the largest ever. The reason for this is that anyone who signs up gets to participate, so every year they have more and more people, some large groups, some small groups and some individuals.

As I didn't have a program I don't know all the names, but I found this dancer really intriguing. He performed without music and everyone was very entertained by how still he was in between steps.

Random Photo Tuesday

This week's random photo is one of my favorites from the San Francisco parade that I haven't posted till now. Code Pink, the female political activist group brought their anti-President Bush message to the parade. I'm really awed when I see people rallying in this way whether I agree with their message or not.



I've been in one such demonstration, years ago on San Jose State University's campus I was one of the demonstrators walking back and forth from one part of campus to the other across the street. We were trying to get a traffic light installed as the street was particularly dangerous and even then district leader Cindy Chavez joined us.

Our photo was in the school newspaper and it turns out I was the only one with my caution tape sash on upside down, how funny!

We did end up getting it, the city split the cost with the university, and as far as I know no one was injured crossing after the light was installed (and there had been quite a few close calls previous to that). Politics in action, I love it.

America's Most Photographed

My friend Jordan, a DJ and fellow photographer, has an adorable one-year-old son named Joshua. With a father whose a photographer and many photographer friends we often joke he is the most photographed child in America.

A curious young tyke, he often crawls around his childproof areas and pulls himself up to see what we are working on. Here he is peeking over the desk. He loves typing on the keyboard as well.

Things I learned about my mother this week

My mom visited me this week from Florida. We had a great time catching up and it's amazing how much we had to talk about, even though we talk regularly every week.

On this visit I learned so much about her. A few favorite things:

* When I was little she had a silver bracelet that I loved and apparently asked her if I could wear. Though she never let me wear it then (it would have slid off my wrist anyhow) she gave it to me this visit. Since she always has a fashionable bracelet or two on her wrist it's a great present, and I've been wearing it almost non-stop since. Photo to follow next time I take it off.

* Her favorite city that she's visited is Paris, France. My mom has been to many places and I'd imagined she'd pick a really exotic place, but it fits her to a T.

*We read a lot of the same authors. She is a huge Robin Cook fan and even read a few I haven't had a chance to read yet.

* My late father who I learned to shoot from got his love for photography by taking a college class that at first just my mom had been enrolled in. Mom said everywhere they went he took lots and lots of photos. This makes a lot of sense I have so many photos she's in and fewer that he's in (till I picked up a camera of course).

I love you, Mom, thanks for an awesome visit.

Email from a portrait customer

I just received this email from a happy portrait customer:

Hi Danielle!
I've picked up the family pictures and we're all very happy with them! Thank you for doing such a great job!

Jeanne

Some favorites from their session:






This last one was a fun, silly shot we decided we entitled "Our Family Tree"

Happy Birthday Colleen

Today is the birthday of someone special to me, my best friend Colleen.




I've known her for eight years, it feels like a lifetime in a good way. Colleen has been there when I changed majors, jobs and career goals, and she's been a supportive friend and started shooting some weddings and events with me (some to be photographed and posted soon.

She is in my opinion the sister I never had biologically and always wanted.

Happy birthday, looking forward to hanging with you and working with you in the coming year.

The first Random Photo Tuesday

Welcome to the first Random Photo Tuesday. Each Tuesday I'll post a photo of something, most likely not wedding related, and tell you a little about it.

This shot is of Sean who says he spends most of his free time in a tree. Colleen and I encountered him, not surprisingly in a tree, while she was walking her mom's dog. We heard some kids laughin above us, when I looked up all had jumped off their branches except Sean. He said he could hold onto a branch for longer if I needed him to, but I knew this was the shot I wanted.

New Business Cards

My new business cards came today and they look great. I'll be putting up real scans soon, though the computer screen can't show fully how they shine in the light. In the meantime, here are the two designs back and front:

Card one:




Card two:


I love having two different cards, and with different fronts I'll know which ones I gave someone so I can give them each design if giving two or more. I'm planning more colors and pictures soon, but not sure if the next color will be a blue or something else.

Whole lotta shaking

Tonight there was an earthquake that hit near San Jose. It was the largest I've felt since moving to California almost a decade ago.

Reports of it were over 5 in magnitude, which I had guessed, though it's the first one I've come close to guessing accurately.

Though the house shook a lot only a dish broke. I had sort of expected Sebastian to react more right before one, but he was pretty calm. He did come into my room to check on me right after. I wonder if dogs really sense something is wrong before quakes, if so he didn't try to warn me in any way I can tell.

Rosie the Riveter Park stone

Rosie the Riveter Park in Richmond is just incredible. My favorite part was the st0nes which have words from Rosies talking about their work. One of my favorites:

Sebastian at Home

Every so often when I'm at home working, Sebastian will unknowingly get into a great pose. I was editing some files when I saw him like this and reached for the first camera handy, in this case a point and shoot (hence the white eye look).

Bay Tour

Today I went on a bay tour and fish assessment voyage around the San Francisco Bay. I brought a point and shoot travel camera and took this self portrait against one of the many pieces of artwork created by students who have been there, I thought it made a great backdrop. More photos to follow.

Pre-Quinceneara Shots

A special day is coming up for Alexa's twin sisters. Alexa likes having her picture taken so I got a few of this adorable 5 year old first. Here she is showing off how she can put her tongue through her teeth gap - too cute.



Some of my favorites from the twins session from Leal Vineyards in Hollister, CA.







Adrianna and Esmerelda will be having their quinceneara next month and will be escorted by their brother (who was a little camera shy and didn't join us but promised to smile big on their day).

All Talked Up

With the advertising executives and myself all doing Town Talk photos, there are often a mix of our work on one page. This is the first time this has happened that I know of: all the ones on one page were taken by me:


Click to enlarge:



I get asked a lot who writes the material, I write my own, though my editor, JP, can change the words if he wants.

Being Single in SF

Earlier this month Forbes Magazine named San Francisco as the best city to be if you're single. My editor had me go to places where singles would be found (restaurants, bars, and I scoped out a laundry mat as my own guess, and did find a single male there) and it was one of our front page stories today.



Click to enlarge:

A Bride and Groom Visit JJ's

Since I've been working at JJ's Blues, there have been several occasions where I photographed a wedding then the second music set at the club. Before today, I'd never photographed a couple on their wedding day at the club.

Tonight Rachel and Pete walked into our club for a post-reception party, so I photographed a few of them, and their maid of honor and best man as well.

Kristen and John's Reception, Part Two

Both John and Kristen wore green to compliment their lush surroundings. When I approached John to take a quick portrait he was already watching Kristen mesmerized, so my first shot of him looked like this:



After that I took a more formal portrait of him. He has a great smile.



As does his new wife of a little under two months, Kristen.



With matching smiles, and outfits, they really just went well together. They even had matching flowers to celebrate the event.



Their first reception kiss.



Though they didn't have a formal cake cutting, they did bring along the knives from the cake cutting at their first formal reception, and had the flowers on the cake match them.

Kristen and John's Reception Part One

When I was a student at San Jose State University I got to watch a love story in progress unfold. Two of my friends, John and Kristen, found friendship, then love, a relationship that lasted beyond college and culminated in a wedding this June in Illinois.

As they had a lot of friends and family in San Jose, they had today a semi-formal wedding reception at Family Circle Park. It was beautiful and I was honored to have a part in it.

I remember Kristen and John and both do-it-yourself types. Here she is working on some of her decorations.



Inside the basic were the sweet and practical tape measures, in two types so people could choose a circle or heart for themselves. On it the message really says it all.



Not wanting any of their guests to have nothing to do, they even brought this dart set for young tykes and had an arts and crafts and games table.



Another detail shot with some of the lovely flowers they brought with them.



Kristen and John had both cooked and baked for the occassion, some of their handiwork, complete with handmade signs with food descriptions: