portrait – San Francisco Wedding and Event Photography

Gallery: Portraits of revelers during Oakland’s Art Murmur or First Friday celebration.

candid, Event Photography, oakland, portrait No Responses »

Sep 172012

Oakland is jumping these days, and it never shines brighter than on the First Friday of every month when the galleries throw open their doors, and the streets of Uptown fill with celebration. I wanted to capture a piece of that.

I took my camera and my studio strobes, and I set them up in “The Eatup” (https://www.facebook.com/TheEatup at 2025 Telegraph Ave) I let anyone who wanted step on up and get their portrait taken. It was so fun I could hardly stand it.

These are the shots. I just want to say “Thanks Oakland for letting me take your picture. You are looking FANTASTIC!

Business portrait of a young entrepreneur in Oakland, Ca

African American, Environmental portrait, portrait No Responses »

Jun 112012

Allow me to introduce you to Alanna Rayford. She is transforming a derelict building in Oakland’s up and coming Uptown neighborhood into a thriving gallery space. I wanted an image of her that was dynamic and exciting, pretty and approachable. I feel like this photo says all of this and more. I shot it during the golden hour as late afternoon light streamed through the windows and wrapped around her. She looks natural and in charge at her computer. The photo was shot with all natural light on a 50mm prime lens.

Professional portrait photography, Dr. Karen Peters of East Bay Naturopathic Clinic

business photography, corporate photography, El Cerrito, headshots, photojournalistic, portrait No Responses »

May 092012

I’ve been shooting a lot of portrait photography recently. I shoot for business people, actors, students, people who are doing online dating.

Here is a shot from last week of Dr. Karen Peters of East Bay Naturopathic Clinic. As you can see, she’s really beautiful. However, she was terminally camera shy. She hates having her photo taken. No problem! I’m generally a relaxed person. We chat, we shoot, we keep shooting we keep talking. Eventually people will either relax, or I catch them in-between moments. You can’t be stressed all the time, and I’m fast.

Pregnancy photo. Beautiful pregnant Indian woman on a Northern California Beach.

art, black and white, Environmental portrait, nature photography, portrait 1 Response »

Jan 142012

Prenant Indian woman on a beach in Pacifica California

I did a pregnancy photo session for a couple recently. We started on the hills above the ocean somewhere south of Pacifica CA. We got some great shots of the two of them but the award winner is posted below. The long back hair, round pregnant belly, dark Indian skin, the dark cliff walls, the cold white-capped ocean, this shot just works in my opinion.

It’s on the blog twice. I was just going to post the color version you see first. This shot is a bit intimate, and I know for a fact the husband has some conservative family members, I thought I’d check before I put it out there on the interweb for all to see. I emailed a proof of the shot with my request, and when I got the email saying “yes” back it also said “aren’t you going to use the black and white version?”

Which one do you like better?

Portraits of Children at the Campfire after school program

African American, non-profit, oakland, photojournalism, photojournalistic, Photos, portrait, pro bono, street photography, Sunset, uplifting 4 Responses »

Jan 102012

Proud and happy young african american girl in Oakland California

Last year I volunteered regularly at the Campfire after school program in West Oakland. The program gives affordable and enriching education and care to a great group of kids in a low income part of Oakland. They do a really good job with the kids. They help them with their homework (and see that it gets done!), feed the kids healthy snacks, play games (kickball, FTW) and give them a supportive and accountable environment. I was proud to be a part of what they were doing.

One of my duties included portrait photography of the students. Here are some of my favorite portraits of the students.

This first shot, this girl (or teen, or young woman) she was a spunky kid. Strong willed, smart and tough. I love to see her so fiercely happy here.