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Author Archives: Chris Schmauch

Lauren & Branden (Wedding Album)

I’m pretty happy with how Lauren and Branden’s wedding album turned out, especially the wedding ring spread above – believe it or not I shot the top-left and both right page pics on the wedding party dining table – some careful use of an off-camera Nikon SB-800 and quick adjustments to taste. Gotta love creativity […]

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Santana Row Posters for Franco Uomo (Men’s Fashion)

Franco asked me to design some posters to advertise his men’s clothing clothing store – the posters (approximately 24″ x 27″) will be displayed around Santana Row on self-supporting metal stands at strategic locations. I’m leaning towards the single-photo versions as they are more direct and eye-catching to the casual shopper. I kept the design […]

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Jonathan & Dara (Wedding Album)

{Slideshow Hint: Click for Full Screen Presentation} [slidepress gallery=’jonathan-and-dara-wedding-album’] A great looking couple, fun to shoot, lots of personality, and, of course, lots of love! Jon is actually a pretty darn good photographer as well!

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Nothing Fishy With This Sea Bass

I like my Bass as much as the next guy, but Shekoh over at Shokolaat in Palo Alto takes it to the next level. This melts in your mouth and has amazing flavor. Ok, this sounds like a paid commercial so I’ll shut up and just let you enjoy the photo…

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The Spider Holster (Review)

I’m not sure why it’s called the Spider Holster, I mean, there’s not 8 of anything, and there’s no dangly legs or fur of any kind. But what it does do, it does well, as I can safely say after using it daily for the last couple of weeks. What is it? The Spider Holster […]

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All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front _____

Yup, Kaitlin has officially lost her other top front tooth, just in time for Christmas. Check out the huge gap in these photos of her and Emma playing in the leaves! The rest of the photos are here. [slidepress gallery=’kaitlin-and-emma-play-in-leaves’]

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Not Your Typical Product Shoot (Vaccuum Sputtering Systems)

Technical Engineering Services, based in Santa Cruz, was about to ship off a couple of their latest custom-built behemoths – big ol’ High Vaccuum Sputtering systems. These puppies are equipped with the latest in ion gun technology and plasma doohickies. As far as I understand it, they’re used to coat objects with different types of […]

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Matt Levin, Restauranteur (Portraits)

Matt Levin, owner of The Refuge in San Carlos, stepped outside his restaurant for a few portraits. I love the neon signage, and it makes a great backdrop for these shots. I also got a couple when I was in the kitchen and he was standing out by the kitchen pickup window. Shot with a […]

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Eat, Drink, Be Merry!

Restaurant owners always want to get shots of their establishment when it’s full of people. Photographers tend to like it when they’re empty – no pesky people getting in the way, and you can use a tripod to get those nice architectural shots without motion blur. However, with the latest digital gear shooting at high-ISO […]

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Behind the Scenes in the Kitchen (The Refuge)

I love shooting candids of people, it’s real photography. It’s fleeting, spontaneous, and most of all – challenging. And who doesn’t love a creative challenge? I invite you to step into a particular restaurant kitchen to see what the heck is going on back here in The Refuge. Enjoy the slideshow below, check out more […]

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Toasted Buttery Rye Bread, Thick Juicy Pastrami…

Please enjoy these food photos from The Refuge, just don’t lick your computer… Slideshow of my faves below, the rest are here. [slidepress gallery=’the-refuge-food’]

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Glowing Details (The Refuge)

The shot above is a 7-exposure HDR blend, taken just after sunset. The sign says it all: Pastrami & Belgian Beer. Here’s some detail shots in the slideshow below, the rest are here. [slidepress gallery=’the-refuge-details’]

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Beer + Pastrami = Ultimate Man Feast

San Carlos finally has a Refuge for those who appreciate fine Belgian beer, the most succulent pastrami, and delicious selections of cheese and salami. But this place isn’t filled with middle-aged guys sporting giant bellies – this place attracts an eclectic mix of men, women and children who appreciate the few things The Refuge has […]

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Four Seasons Lights Up Their Christmas Tree

The folks at Four Seasons, East Palo Alto know how to throw a tree-lighting party. The place was swarming with giggling children and parents desperately seeking out steaming coffee, or perhaps the famous hot chocolate put out by the high-end hotel. Regardless, there was no shortage of things to do: an outside movie theater, cookie […]

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Holiday Cheer at The Grill (interiors)

My good friend John Price asked me to take a few shots of their holiday decorations for ye olde corporate office. Of course I couldn’t take simple snapshots – I had to take 7-shot bracketed exposures, blend them to create high dynamic range files, and process those files into tonemapped 16-bit TIFFs then enhance with […]

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Forever Beautiful

Just had to share my most favoritest shot I’ve ever taken of my wife Becky. Shot with a Nikon D3, 70-200/2.8 lens, sun backlit, filled with four nikon speedlights shooting through a FourSquare softbox.

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Sammy & Josh Davidson (Bro + Sis Portraits)

Samantha and Josh Davidson are only 15 months apart, making them practically twins in my book. I’ve known them since they were toddlers, and it’s been a joy to watch them turn into young adults. They are so much fun to photograph because they are unabashedly unafraid of the camera, and… they do whatever I […]

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Hargreaves Family

We were a little worried about the weather after it rained yesterday, but the sun was out, and we had a great time together. Nothing too fancy, but we made some good photos, which is all you can really ask for. It took little Zoe a while to warm up to the camera, but after […]

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Busy Photo on a Magazine Cover (Design Solution)

So I didn’t happen to take this issue’s photo, but it was the strongest image I had to pick from of everything we’d acquired for the Home for the Holidays issue. It’s a cool shot from a unique vantage point (I can only assume it’s from the Silicon Valley Capital Club at the top of […]

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Fashionable Gift Cards (Design + Photography)

I love Franco Uomo’s clothing. From an aesthetic standpoint, it’s damn sharp, damn sexy-looking men’s clothing. From a design perspective, it’s colorful, contrasty, and accented in the right places. After our successful fashion shoot at Santana Row a couple weeks ago, Franco and his store manager Angelina came to me with a design challenge. They […]

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