A Special Thanks to Endre Tarczy

Today's blog entry is a shot out to friend and musician, Endre Tarczy, who created a great track of his song, "Your Serenade" for my web page.

Endre is very expressive onstage, and at JJ's Blues, I've shot him playing with Max Cabello, Jr., in the first two shots, and his own band, W.H.aT. (Wedemeyer, Hayes and Tarczy).

Thanks again, Endre.

Alma and Jeff, Second Engagement Shoot, Part Two

Jeff was especially into the colors of the foliage at The Japanese Friendship garden. This was one of his favorite trees. He excitedly pointed out this one, and lots of the ones he, and his fiancee, Alma posed in front of.


This one one inspired by the many walks in the woods they have taken in their years together.



The bridge made a great backdrop for them.



The light hit Alma just right here and made her skin literally glow a golden color.



With the palm trees in the background, it looks like they are already in Hawaii.

Alma and Jeff, Second Engagement Session, Part One

Welcome back, Alma and Jeff!

Alma and Jeff, who went away for the holiday weekend, decided to schedule another engagement session to have a different clothing, and another setting for their photos to be in their sign in book.

The Japanese Friendship Garden added a lot of new colors, here they are kissing in front of a waterall.



The pair spend a lot of their time in the out of doors.




While colors are great, they also wanted a lot of converted images for an old-fashioned look to their sign in book.



Coming tomorrow, some more great shots of their session.

Happy Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, a special and heart felt thanks to the memory of the brave men and women who have served our country in the past and present, and whose honorable service ended in the ultimate sacrafice.

Though I will never fully know all you have endured, I appreciate you, and your efforts, and you make me proud to be an American among you.

Alma and Jeff Engagement, Quick Peek Shot

Alma and Jeff decided to have another engagement session to get in more background scenes (having had their first session at the garden where they will be getting married).

Yesterday found us all at The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Jose, CA. It's a beautiful place, and one the two had also considered for their wedding day.

As they are currently travelling and won't have Internet access for a bit longer, here is as promised, just one shot, more to follow.

Here, duck, duck!

I was photographing an engagement session yesterday when ducks came over to where we where. They seemed really interested in my camera, this little guy (girl?) came right up to me to get a closer look.

I thought s/he would swim away before I got a close shot, but the duck waited for me to get a shot, then swam off to get the bread being tossed over the pond.

Photos of the Week (Ending 05/25/07)

Again this week (I think the third in a row maybe,) my pics for photos of the week are from my chef profile. This is of Pal from Roti, a fun Indian restaurant who likes adding spices to things, his recipes are so unique even the co-owners admit they don't always know what he adds to the dishes. Here he is with spices and an amazing smile.



Here he is taking out nan bread, which gets baked at very high temperatures. It's easy to lose the bread at this point, but he is careful, and it was delicious.

Peaches - Adoption Advocate

Peaches is an adoption advocate, mainly because she, herself, is a cat looking for a good home.



Though the Chow-Shephard mix at home would never stand for a cat here, seeing her makes me wish we could give it a try.

Please visit your local shelter and find your own great pet today.

Concrete Surfing

One of my favorite subjects to shoot for myself is youths skateboarding. It has the challenge of speed, the beauty of movements, and great reactions from the subjects (many of whom come up to me and ask them to shoot them next.)

This photo of Ryan was one of my favorites as carves the bowl or surfs the concrete. I love how he looks at the next place he will go to with determination and a little fear. He does complete the trick correctly (on his wheels) in the next instant.

Merola Opera Fundraiser

Today the second event I covered with Carla was published, photos of people attending the Merola Opera benefit. I agree with all the photos the paper chose, though I'd have printed another larger than the one they did (a litle more on this later), here are the pdfs, click any to enlarge.



This photo, which I think actively shows best people looking at things to bid, in the form of a beautiful couple, would have been my pick for large photo.



The colors were just amazing in the dresses, and everyone looked so great. Here are two more of my favorites, and great examples of why I wish we could be in full color instead of black and white.

Qoio New Location Party

The San Francisco Daily published today the first of two events I photographed last weekend with Carla, the opening of the new Qoio location by business owner, Gilberta Guarini.

Click either pdf to enlarge.


In color, my favorites published include Gilbertina with one of her beautiful necklaces:


and Juvenal, one of the amazing sommelier/bartenders the paraty had:



Photos of both Gilberta and Anette, one of her customers (the latter having received a necklace picked out by her young son after hearing his mother say she liked it), however, I really like this one of Gilberta having her try on a new one, which did not run, as well.



In addition to jewelry, the new location will feature some amazing cultural pieces (so new they are still pricing many of them including these sculputures:



and this great and functional birdhouse:

Happy Birthday, Jordan!

Jordan, a friend, DJ, and fellow photographer, just turned 40. He had his birhtday party over the weekend at The Capital Club in San Jose, which is ironically where I met him three years ago at a wedding I was shooting and for which he was the DJ.

He had a lot of cute kids at the party (with their parents), this girl stopped to pose for a picture as she moved his balloons around the room.


This little guy just had the best mischievous look in his eyes for his portrait with his mom.



Here is the birthday boy, playing "I got your toes" with his six-month-old son, Joshua.



The food was amazing including this chocolate covered dessert station complete with "Happy Birthday guitar pick (Jordan also plays guitar).



Jordan mixed and ran a lot of his own music, but he left the real life playing up to his friend.



One of the highlights of the night was Jordan performing a series of magic tricks with his friend, Chris.

Alma and Jeff Engagement Session

Meet Alma and Jeff who just completed their engagement session. For their location choice they wanted to use the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden where they will be getting married in a few months.


They brought a visitor with them, one who isn't permitted by the signs. Luckily our visitor, Bailey, couldn't read, and was very well behaved.



We just had to get a few quick shots of them with "their baby" as they call him before he was returned to the car to watch in the distance.



Of course, there were then many pictures without their dog.


Alma wanted a ring shot atop red roses which are her favorite out of all the flowers of many hues in the garden.




Here's another of them surrounded by the beautiful red flowers in bloom.



...and taking a romantic stroll through the rose garden.


See you both in July.

Photos of the Week (Ending 05/19/07)

This week's photos of the week (O.K., I admit it's been so hard to limit it to just one photo that I've rarely done it) are from my chef profile of Nate from A-16. Nate is the head chef and here he is with his sous chef working together to prepare a pizza.




Nate hard at work at filling a mouth watering canolli that was delicious.




Wines are pretty important at this place that has over 400 of them, so even there head bar tenders/sommeliers just had to get in some fun photos.

Fun with Color and Curves Portrait

Paula from Maximum Mama Maternity, whose store I found Tuesday for Town Talk photos, was fun to talk to and had a store with wonderful products. Here Paula's mannequin models a dress that matches both her dress and her head band. I like how all the colors including those of the background curtain and portrait match, and how all the curves on the mannequin, model in the photo and Paula all fit so well together.




After photographing her and talking with her more about her store, I learned she is from the east coast, and since we both traveled around New York at the same time, we had frequented some of the same places, though as far as we know we haven't met before.