San Francisco Photographer – Bay Area Portrait Photography

Valerie Rose is a super talented Irish singer and fiddler in the SF Bay Area. This week I had the pleasure to shoot her promotional shots at the College of Notre Dame to go with the Celtic theme we were going for. Here’s a sneak peek of one of my favorite shots of the session:

This past weekend I had the amazing honor of photographing Dan and Zita’s wedding day at the Mountain Terrace in La Honda. They are such a fun, quirky and unique couple and the love they share is so apparent in all they do, but especially on how they celebrated their wedding day. More to come on that in a bigger post but for now here’s a sneak peek.

Yesterday I had an amazing day with 7 other East Bay Wedding photographers shooting 4 models and tons of designer dresses provided by Image Provocateur at Preston Castle in Ione. A huge ‘thank you’ to my very talented photographer friend, Jessie Cho, who organized the event for us. There will be a bigger post about this once I process some other work but for now here’s a peek for you.

I’m so pleased to be able to post my photos of my one-on-one with Kelly Moore last month. I traveled all the way to Ruston, Louisiana to spend some time with her and get personalized advice and tips from the master of lighting, style and photography. We spent the entire time talking, mainly about photography but also about life and our little families, she has an adorable little girl named Posey who is just one month younger than Gemma, and it was all just a wonderful experience. I learned so much and had blast doing it.
Our photo session was eye-opening to say the least. Off-camera lighting is a whole new beast I’m just now starting to get my head around – so exciting! I also have to give a shout out to Brandi, her Stylist guru and assistant – she’s so creative and sweet and fun to be around. Thank you guys for an amazing experience! You guys are the best! Also thank you Jeanne and Stephen and the band for rocking out the session… wow, you guys were fantastic!

I had the great pleasure to meet and shoot Jennifer and José’s engagement photos at the Legion of Honor. Jennifer and José met 6 years ago in medical school and are so happy they are finally getting married this September. They are from New York but were in town for a wedding. Being busy doctors, they don’t take many trips together (who has the time especially when you are both doctors?) so this trip was a special occasion and they really wanted to remember this time together.

José had both of us laughing through much of the shoot. To keep their mind off the camera and the cold (it was foggy and freezing), he’d pick a topic, usually a sport, and then ask Jen some basic question about it. For example, “American Football: How many points do you get for a touchdown?” or “Golf: How many holes are there in a full game of golf?” It was hilarious how she’d answer. Suffice it to say that Jen’s not an avid sports fan but she is a really good sport. Gracias, Jennifer and José for spending the time with me and I wish you the best in your new journey together. Below are a few of my favorite shots from the session:

Save the date!

He was really funny – not only was he neighing like a horse but every now and then he’d start bucking and it was hilarious!

My mother is a sweet, shy, strong and creative person. She moved to the US from Mexico in the late sixties and raised 6 kids with my father whom she was married to for 49 years. This past year has been extremely difficult for the whole family but especially for my mother. My father passed away last March from colon cancer. He was an amazing person but he was also an uber macho Mexican who refused to see the doctor unless there was absolutely no tolerating the pain. So when he finally saw the doctor, he had already advanced to stage 4 cancer, terminal.

For better and for worse, my father was her life. She met him when she was 14 years old and had been with him until his last breath, literally. How does one even try to bounce back from something like that? It has been tough. For many months all she wanted to do was sleep and not get out of bed. My brothers and sisters and I would call and come visit to try to fill the void that my father’s big personality, strength and laughter left. And little by little, day by day, with the help of prayer, support from my family and time, she’s been coming out of the fog. Each one of us has been trying to give her new experiences and help her step into her own.

Well, back in January, when I went to LA for my birthday, my brother Gonzalo and I decided to play with his studio lighting – it was my first time playing with that kind of setup. We asked my mother to be the model and she actually went for it. She surprised us both by coming to the shoot with multiple changes of clothing and fun accessories. She had a lot of fun being the ‘star’ for the day. And my brother and I were so happy to be able to give her a new experience and get her mind off of all the heavy emotions and thoughts she usually has to deal with.

She is a true inspiration for me and my family. She’s been through so many trials and tribulations, so many heartbreaks and woes… but she’s still here and with us and taking it one day at a time. For me she exemplifies the word ‘resilience’ and I really appreciate and love her. So on Mothers’ Day, I’m making this post for my lovely mother. May she continue her new journey and find out who the real Maria Del Carmen Sandoval really is and has become. Feliz Dia De Las Madres!