San Diego Locals

I am lucky enough to live in southern California where the weather is deliciously gorgeous nearly 365 days of the year. Today I thought I would share some of the locations I love to shoot. This first image was taken near the downtown train station. I caught the light at just the right time of day. It makes me want to take off my shoes and go stomping around like "Singing in the Rain".



This next image was shot late in the day at the Imperial Beach pier. It's a very quiet, lackadaisical beach. For some reason I think of Harry Potter's brooms when I look at this image.



About once a year I drive an hour east up to the mountains into the city of Julian. It's a quaint, and cozy little town that has the best apple pies! I happened upon this image as I was making my way there.



Ahhh, the famous Hotel Del Coronado. Need I say more?



The boulevard in the rain. I love the way the sidewalk glows.



This is a shot of the San Diego Trolly as it was making it's way towards San Ysidro. The conductor sent the train police after me. Lol. I got away.



The Coronado bridge at dusk. I love the eerie light glowing in the fog.

Christmas in California~

Those of us lucky enough to live in Southern California get to experience the holiday season with the best weather in the country. It's nearly November and the temperature in the last few days has been a delicious 71 degrees. It's true we don't get to see the seasons change, but we also don't have to scrape snow from the windshield or sprinkle salt on our walkways.

We really are fortunate to enjoy such fantastic year-round weather. There's not too many places in the world where you can run to the beach in the fall and see this. These pictures were taken at one of my favorite locations - the Sunset Cliffs near Ocean Beach, CA.

Andrea and Patrick were a fun, amiable couple and we a great time exploiting our picturesque location. We talked about family portraits and how some of the images would be used for a Christmas card. If I received a card with an image like this, while I was in the middle of a snow storm, I'd pack my bags and get on the next bus out of town.

Baby on Board ~

One thing I really love about doing maternity shoots is how creative I get to be. It's always a fun challenge to come up with a fresh and artistic approach. The idea for this particular portrait session came to me after speaking with my client Claire and getting a feel for what she was looking for. Right away she was receptive to all my ideas and that made for a very exciting session. I love the beauty of pregnancy and the feelings of love that shines through these images.
I found this garden path unexpectedly. It was tucked away from the park where we were shooting and couldn't have been a better blessing. Sometimes the unexpected can turn out to be even better than anything you could have planned.
Luckily for us it had rained a few days before our shoot, which made everything look so fresh and colorful. It was also an overcast day which gave us soft and gentle light.
Sometimes all you need is a tiny piece of fabric to create some magical images.

This is my favorite image of the day. I used my 35 mm lens which blurred out the background nicely.
This is a fun photo shop action I discovered called Patina. It just creates a whole different hippie-type vibe which I adore. I love discovering new ways to make beautiful images. I used to do it by trying out all different kinds of films. Now it's done in photoshop. You never know what you're going to come up with which makes taking photographs a continually evolving and exciting art form.

California Dreaming ~ Kelsey and Joe's Engagement Photos

Meet Kelsey and Joe - an adorable couple I had the pleasure of photographing a few weeks ago. Besides being the best of friends, they have an easy familiarity between them that translates onto film. Talk about a photographer's dream!

When they mentioned they wanted their pictures shot by the water - I immediately thought of Sunset Cliffs which offers such a variety of places to shoot. We had such a great time joking around while we were working together, it was hard to pick between all the great shots we got.

A neat thing I learned about Kelsey and Joe is how they met. In high school! The very high school I graduated from myself! They even went to prom together. Isn't that terrific? They are both in graduate school now and about to transition into the next phase of their lives. How much more inspiring can they be?

This black and white image is one of my favorites. I was shooting into the sun as it was setting and had no idea if the shot would work. I just knew I wanted to try to get a silhouette and hooray, it worked. It kind of reminds me of something you'd see on a movie poster.

This is a path of flowers that leads down to the cliffs and to the shore below. It feels a little like the east coast. Like something you might see on Long Island or perhaps Nantucket. I love it.

One of the things I try to do when I am shooting is to joke around with my subjects to get them to relax and be their true selves. If I can do that, I can capture their spirit -- if only for an instant. I think I was successful - and for that I am grateful.

Just named one of the top 20 photographers in San Diego!

Photographers, San Diego

A year in pictures...

It's already the middle of December. How did that happen? In a millisecond it will be Christmas and then the new year. Zoiks!!! I'm not mentally prepared. I still have too many things on my "to do" list. On the top of that list was my "Year in Pictures" review. Last years blog showcased a lot of my commercial work, but I thought I would change it up this year and share some of the art I do for myself. As a photographer I tend to be drawn to scenes from life that may not always appear to be that glamorous. What excites me is finding a way in, and getting those ordinary things come to life in a new and unexpected way.

This was taken in early January at an event at a Buddhist monastery. I was walking past these flowers and spotted the Buddha through the flower petals.

On a warm Sunday afternoon I drove up to the mountains to see what I could see and stumbled upon this windmill. It was surrounded by a chain-link fence - so I decided to use that to my advantage and shoot through the branches.
A cold February day at the beach. But shooting in overcast light always has its advantages. I feel like a fairy or some other kind of extradinary creature will stumble into view.

I remember walking past a cafe on my way to meet a friend. This flower was sitting on the table in the hot sun. I loved the contrast between the white flower and the dark table.

This image was taken when I was driving around town looking for locations for an engagement shoot. I've always loved the romance of train travel and this image makes me feel nostalgic for days past when everyone traveled by railway.

I was walking through the streets of Florence when I came upon this chair. I wonder who was sitting there before I walked up? I was drawn to the graffiti and to the muted colors. It's just not something I would stumble upon in the states.

Verona, Italy. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was crossing the courtyard on my way to the piazza. I happened to glance over and saw this little girl was waiting for her parents to come out of the church. I saw her framed in the doorway and had only seconds to bring the camera up to my eye. As soon as I clicked the shutter, she was gone.

This flag was hanging on the porch of a cafe I found up near the Laguna Mountains. It was about four in the afternoon and as I walked up the steps intent on grabbing a quick coffee to go, I saw the light coming through the material. I love the way it glows.

This image always makes me laugh. I was visiting a small town in Lucca when I happened upon this hanging chicken. I'm still not sure why it was there.

A detail shot from an abandoned car I found. They just don't put that much attention to detail in cars anymore.
I love umbrellas and I love the rain. I get so excited when the two of them come together and...I happen to have my camera with me. I love the curve of the sidewalk and the geometric shape of the storefronts.
A bit of a hazy day when this image was taken. I thought black and white was an appropriate match for the subject matter.
Lines and shapes always catch my eye. I love to find ways to break up the space in an image. The colors also help to make this image pop.

When do you ever find an angel on the wall like this? This statue is part of a war memorial dedicated to WWII veterans.

One of my favorites. I want to take a seat in that chair and enjoy the late afternoon sun on my face. The texture of the wall and the colors get me excited.

Coronado as dusk fell. My favorite thing is the red stripes on the water.
I caught this little girl running towards the water. Sometimes magic does happen.
San Diego looks a lot more metropolitan in this photograph. After I took this shot, the train police asked me to get off the tracks. Lol.

The streets take on a dreamy quality when photographed in the rain. This is near Time's Square.


One of my favorite movies is Foul Play. When I saw this little car, I thought of Goldie Hawn's yellow convertable in the movie. This image was used in a travel book for Fiesole Italy.

Smoke stacks in Morro Bay. I love the simplicity of the lines.
Another of my favorite things -- paper lanterns. These hang in China Town in Los Angeles.
Disney's Symphony Hall. A study in lines and cool architecture.
A Christmas window in New York. I feel like she's going to come alive at midnight. Anyone remember the Twilight Zone episode where that happened?
Skyscrapers through naked trees in Battery Park.
Late afternoon light creates good dramatic light. This drain cover is near my house. I was going for a walk and saw it and ran back and grabbed my Nikon.
An abandoned house I found while I was driving. So glad I had my camera that day. I love finding the unexpected when I take a drive. You never know what you may find.
The view from Central Park. Can you feel the temperature dropping?
The first day of school in the rain. Shouldn't it be a movie poster to some cool Italian film?
I can't get enough of umbrellas. I want to jump into this picture and walk with them.
I shot this image at around midnight. I had my tripod in the middle of the street and got soaked, but it was worth the effort.
Even bicycles in Italy are sophisticaterd. I was actually lost and trying to find my way back to the main street and walked down this small alley. Surprise.
The Crystler Building with a little bit of steam. Nothing beats the skyscrapers in Manhattan. It's as good as a chocolate donut. Hope you enjoyed a little of my work...until next time.