GoodEye Photography + Design » Events

Morton’s VIP Party

Chris Schmauch — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Morton’s Steakhouse San Jose held a VIP event this evening promoting their newly expanded space that can be used for events, receptions, or even dinner (haha). It was bedecked with cool, glowing, kiosk-like tables, beautiful bouquets, fancy lighting and chic furniture. Next to the bar was a beautifully sculptured ice luge that was being used to serve the sweet martinis (burdened with enormous, alcohol-displacing ice-spheres) to guests – and speaking of guests, I was under pressure to get some shots of the space in situ before the army of guests broke down the doors. Luckily I work quickly and got the necessary shots before the VIPs got too cranky, and afterward had a great time mingling and taking the occasional candid or group photo over the next couple of hours. Here’s some of my favorite shots – click here to peruse all the photos from the event – and even order a print if it strikes your fancy!

Like what you see?

Click here to see Chris’ Event Photography Portfolio

Inquire today about scheduling your next photo shoot (408) 431-4808

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Amber + Michael (Wedding)

Chris Schmauch — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 06:28:53 +0000

I didn’t meet Amber and Michael until three days before their wedding – they are local to Washington State, but were planning their wedding to take place in Santa Cruz, where I live. (WARNING: gratuitous self-promotion plug ahead) Being the young and tech-savvy couple they are, they searched Yelp for “Wedding Photographers” and with twenty-one five-star reviews, guess who shows up at the top of the list

While meeting each other for the first time over a few lattes at Starbucks, the three of us instantly clicked as we discussed the wedding looming just around the corner. Saturday arrived, and save for the “getting ready” part, the whole shebang was happening at Shadowbrook in Capitola (Side note: Shadowbrook has a horrendous ’90s-era website, and is great need of a “GoodEye” makeover…) Darla Arndt, of Willow Glen Event Planning was coordinating the whole event, and I was duly impressed by her ability to calmly control the pace of the days events. Back to Shadowbrook – it’s a well-known and much-loved gem of the Santa Cruz area – it’s a romantic destination for special dinners and events. It’s nestled on the side of a hill adorned with meandering walkways and lush waterfalls. There’s even a tram that will ensconce 3 or 4 guests up and down the hill at a near 45-degree angle. The building itself is mostly made of dark wood, except for the lowest level which is more like a glass greenhouse. From a photography perspective, the whole interior is a nightmare – at least for the light-conscious photographer who understands the beauty of bouncing light of available surfaces. Attempting to bounce light off dark wood is not only an exercise in wasting batteries, but it seriously throws off the color of the photo. The lower dining room is also dimly lit with extremely low & dark wood ceilings/walls, so I really had to pull out my bag of tricks when it came to shooting in these environments. I used a portable softbox armed with four nikon sb-800 units, and where that was too cumbersome, I resorted (gasp!) direct flash in some cases. But being a good photographer means being adaptable, flexible, and prepared for anything.

Back to Amber and Michael – they are so sweet, and so clearly in love that I didn’t have to try too hard to capture “fleeting” romantic moments. There’s nothing fleeting about their enamor for one another, which was evident at the end of the ceremony, and every time I asked them to kiss when doing their formals. Even though I probably lost 5 pounds hoofing it up and down that damn hill, it was a pleasure to share the day with the newlyweds. One of the best parts was almost getting kicked out of the boardwalk when attempting to do a few B+G photos – we did we even try to ask for permission?

Here’s some of my favorites from the day, in no particular order. All photos can be viewed and prints ordered here.

Lauren & Branden (Wedding Album) I’m pretty happy with how Lauren and Branden’s wedding album...
Birthday Party Turned Wedding (Ashleigh + Ross) My last “job” of the year was a birthday party...
Luisa & Graham (Wedding Album) Luisa and Graham got married at the beautiful Murrieta’s Well...

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StarChefs.com Event @ Ghirardelli Square

Chris Schmauch — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:14:37 +0000

StarChefs.com is a NYC-based online magazine dedicated to spotlighting up-and-coming chefs around the country. They hold annual events in multiple major cities. They needed some help getting some good photographic coverage of this year’s San Francisco event, so through a series of friends and contacts, they ended up contacting me! It was a fantastic private event that overtook the entirety of Ghirardelli Square, and I met many new chefs that I hadn’t before. The StarChefs people were great and loved the work I did for them. I can’t wait for their next event!

If you are like me and don’t have the patience for a slideshow, click here to sift through all the photos

Like what you see?

Click here to see Chris’ Event Photography Portfolio

Inquire today about scheduling your next photo shoot (408) 431-4808

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First Graders Attack Monterey Bay Aquarium

Chris Schmauch — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:24:24 +0000

Ok, so forgive me the dramatic headline. I’m on a roll for non-professional posts on my blog, so here’s one more; I tend to avoid putting personal stuff here, but I thought there were a few gems from today that I had to share. Well more than a few – between my wife and I we had 8 kids to chaperone at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, so we had our hands full and there were plenty of photo opportunities. Usually my littlest one clings to me when we visit this place (which makes taking pictures challenging), but she latched onto several other over her big sister’s classmates, freeing me up to snap a few candids here and there.

I was surprised how good all the kids were, and the aquarium wasn’t as crazy busy as we’d experienced in the past – probably because it was a weekday. The newest exhibits are jaw-dropping, I really loved the seahorses. The exhibit about climate change was also really, really well done. Highly interactive and informative, yet scientific and fun.

My coverage of the day is split between all the candid moments I witnessed throughout the day and the wondrous animals exhibited at the aquarium. Wherever possible I tried to join the two, to show some mixed species interaction, if you will. The penguins, sea otters, bat rays and sea turtles all seemed visibly interested in the curious faces on the far side of the plexiglass, it was a joy to behold. Please enjoy the photos in the slideshow below, or jump to all 143 photos here.

Hint: Click Slideshow Below for Full-Screen Presentation

Strawberry Day at Gault Elementary Stawberry Day at Gault Elementary (my daughter’s school) is full...
Four Seasons Lights Up Their Christmas Tree The folks at Four Seasons, East Palo Alto know how...
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Strawberry Day at Gault Elementary

Chris Schmauch — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:06:38 +0000

Stawberry Day at Gault Elementary (my daughter’s school) is full of (you guessed it) strawberry-related activities, the core of which is a little hide-and-seek in the special outdoor “Life Lab,” the expansive garden that the teachers and kids maintain. The kids were having a ton of fun, and I had a great time chasing them around. Gault is the greenest school around, and they’re proud to show it off!

Scroll down to check out the slideshow of my faves, or click here for all the photos from the shoot!

Hint: Click Slideshow Below for Full-Screen Presentation

First Graders Attack Monterey Bay Aquarium Ok, so forgive me the dramatic headline. I’m on a...
Lorig Family, Natural Bridges OK, so I mainly chose the location because of the...
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2010 Eddy Awards @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center (Event)

Chris Schmauch — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:58:51 +0000

Soquel High School Concert Choir

The Eddy Awards is an annual event honoring outstanding individuals in the Santa Cruz school district. Whether teachers, administrators or parents – the honorees truly deserve to be recognized for their selfless commitment to the youth of Santa Cruz. The Soquel High School Concert Choir (directed by Mr. Mark Bidelman) performed several songs which were simply amazing!

On a technical note, the lighting was terrible, and there was no room to bring in lights, plus all the walls and ceiling were painted black, so bouncing light was not gonna happen. It was pretty much a worst-case scenario, but I managed to get some decent shots using both on-camera flash (SB-800) or some available low-light shots with the d700 + 85mm/1.4 lens.

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Sick Sixteen (Austin’s Birthday)

Chris Schmauch — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:35:28 +0000

“Sweet 16″ just doesn’t seem to apply for guys… Sporting a nifty fedora and surrounded by at least a hundred of his mates, Austin had a hell of a 16th birthday at Illusions in Palo Alto. Lots of dancing, hangin’ out, and even several breakdancing performances by Freestyle Express. Oh, and Austin is quite the dancer himself, I can see why he wanted the breakdancers to come to his party. Happy birthday buddy, I’m sure you had a blast, hope you like the photos. Slideshow of my faves below, all the rest are here.

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VIP Party (Event)

Chris Schmauch — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:34:12 +0000

It seems like all my posts lately are related to Kaama Lounge – well there’s a lot going on there, with it being a hot new restaurant ‘n’ all. Here’s a few photos from a VIP party held the night before the place opened. Slideshow below (click it, neat!), all 166 printable photos here.

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Friends and Family Night (Event)

Chris Schmauch — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:36:46 +0000

Kaama Lounge is almost open, here’s a few shots from the “Friends and Family” event – a chance to to the food and cocktails and generate a buzz in anticipation of the grand opening! Everyone had fun, and I enjoyed getting some nice shots of the guests and staff! Slideshow below. All 93 photos here.

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Gods & Goddesses (Party Pics)

Chris Schmauch — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:53:16 +0000

Okay, so my parents didn’t have the wherewithal to throw me a raging party like this when I turned 18 – but hey, I don’t think I could’ve appreciated it at the time anyways. This group of 200+ high school seniors dressed up as Roman Gods and Goddesses – and the entertainment was endless at Illusions in Palo Alto:

1) Killer DJ

2) Roman Tent with round bed and twin dancers

3) Performance by Bay Area Rapper E-40

4) Giant “Cake” with a Girl Jumping out and… dancing

The list goes on, but needless to say everyone had a great time, and the photos should show it. Check all 500+ printable photos here.

Hint: Click Slideshow Below for Full Screen Presentation

Birthday Party Turned Wedding (Ashleigh + Ross) My last “job” of the year was a birthday party...
Holiday Party, Four Seasons-Style I had a great time hanging out with the Four...
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