Beautiful Wedding Rings
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 under pressure!
Lauren & Branden got married at Guglielmo Winery, a beautiful little place tucked away in the middle of Morgan Hill. I lived a mile away for four years and didn’t know it was there until this wedding! Enjoy the slideshow of the whole album below, make sure you click on it for the full-screen effect!
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Tags: bay area, bay area wedding photographers, bay area wedding photography, best, branden gardella, chris schmauch, cutom wedding albums, good eye, goodeye, guglielmo, guglielmo wedding photography, images, lauren amaral, morgan hill, morgan hill wedding photographers, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, santa cruz, wedding, winery, winery wedding photographers
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 to a minimum so as to not distract from the photos, which should tell the story. I mean, if we have 1,000 words already, why mess it up with more
Here’s some more mockups in the slideshow below. Click it for a full-screen presentation!
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Tags: bay area, best, chris schmauch, Clothing, Design, Fashion, franco uomo, gift card, good eye, goodeye, images, layout, men's, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, poster, santa cruz, santana row
{Slideshow Hint: Click for Full Screen Presentation}
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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!
Tags: album, bay area, bay area wedding photographers, bay area wedding photography, best, chris schmauch, dara, good eye, goodeye, images, jon, jonathan, layout, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, santa cruz, wedding, woodside wedding photographers
Sea Bass - Shokolaat, Palo Alto
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…
Tags: best, brussel sprouts, brussels sprouts, celery root puree, chris schmauch, cream, Dining, dish, downtown, fish, Food, good eye, goodeye, images, mediterranean, palo alto, photo, photographer, photography, pic, plated, port, red wine bacon reduction, restaurant, santa cruz, sauce, sea bass, shekoh, shokolaat, university ave, wine
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 is what I consider to be a revolutionary way to carry your heavy SLR camera paired with a big lens and even a flash, in comfort and style. Any pro photographer who carries around a couple cameras all day will tell you their shoulders are in a world of hurt at the end of the day. The Spider Holster transfers the weight to your hips, and does away with the strappy-strap, making vertical shooting much, much easier (the strap always gets in the way). When you are done shooting, you simply holster the camera on the sturdy belt with the satisfying scrape-click of solid metal parts sliding into place.
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Tags: bay area, best, camera, chris schmauch, good eye, goodeye, hardware, hip, holder, holster, images, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, review, santa cruz, shai, Shai Eynav, shai gear, spider, www.spiderholster.com
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.
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Tags: bay area, best, candid, chris schmauch, christmas, emma, good eye, goodeye, images, jumping, kaitlin, laughing, leaves, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, playing, Portraits, santa cruz, schmauch
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 exotic metals. They are almost submarine-like in their thick, welded metal walls and large bolts – and have a definite presence in the room, especially when the lights are off and the purple plasma can be seen glowing through the porthole-style viewing windows.
Because these devices are big with lots of shiny metal, they are pretty challenging to light for photos. I decided to start out getting some High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos by bracketing 7 shots using my D3 & 17-35 lens on a tripod. Typically HDR photos are for outdoor, high-contrast scenes, but it can produce some interesting results indoors, especially with reflective metal surfaces (as you can see in the photo above). I used the ambient fluorescent lighting (every photographer’s favorite!) and corrected it in post.
After getting the “hero” shots of the vaccuum systems, I pulled out my new FourSquare softbox using Four SB-800s as the primary lightsource. Because this solution is very light, portable and wireless, it was useful for getting some nice detail shots. I also threw a couple other speedlights inside and around the machines to get some light where I wanted it. Check out some of the photos in the slideshow below, the rest of the photos are at www.goodeyephotography.com.
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Tags: bay area, best, chris schmauch, david lloyd, exotic, good eye, goodeye, high-tech, images, metal, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, product, santa cruz, sputtering, system, technical engineering services, tes, vaccuum
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 D3, 28-70 lens, and four SB-800s shooting through a FourSquare softbox camera-left. Check out the slideshow below, peep the rest here.
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Tags: ale, bay area, bay area business headshot, bay area portrait photographers, bay area portrait photography, beer, belgian, best, business, business portraits, chris schmauch, Food, good eye, goodeye, head shots, headshot, headshot photos, images, kitchen, matt levin, meat, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, portrait, professional, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, santa cruz, tap, the refuge
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 images with amazing quality, we no longer need to make the compromise of insisting on an empty restaurant. I hope you enjoy the way I captured the essence of The Refuge and how much people enjoy hanging out there. Slideshow below, full gallery here.
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Tags: bay area, best, candids, chris schmauch, customers, dinner, eating, enjoying, family, Food, friends, good eye, goodeye, images, matt levin, meat, nighttime, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, santa cruz, 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 in this gallery.
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Tags: bay area, bay area architecture photographers, bay area food photographes, bay area restaurant photographers, bay area restaurant photography, best, candids, chris schmauch, Food, good eye, goodeye, images, kitchen, matt levin, meat, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, san carlos food photographers, san carlos restaurant photographers, santa cruz, the refuge
Please enjoy these food photos from The Refuge, just don’t lick your computer… Slideshow of my faves below, the rest are here.
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Tags: ale, bay area, bay area architecture photographers, bay area food photographers, bay area restaurant photographers, bay area restaurant photography, beer, belgian, best, chris schmauch, Food, food photography, good eye, goodeye, images, kitchen, matt levin, meat, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, san carlos food photographers, san carlos restaurant photographers, santa cruz, tap, 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.
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Tags: ale, bay area, beer, belgian, best, chris schmauch, details, exteriors, good eye, goodeye, HDR, high dynamic range, images, matt levin, meat, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, santa cruz, the refuge
Matt Levin, Owner of The Refuge, loves Pastrami and Belgian Beer. Who doesn't?
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 to offer, but does so well.
Here are some shots I took of the beer, see the rest here.
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Tags: ale, bay area, beer, belgian, best, chris schmauch, Food, good eye, goodeye, images, kitchen, matt levin, meat, pastrami, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, refuge, restaurant, san carlos, santa cruz, tap, the refuge
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 decorating, arts & crafts, snow [bubble] machine, and of course, Santa. East Palo Alto mayor Ruben Abrica, ignoring the fact that his foot was in a cast, said a few words to the large crowd before the dramatic lighting of the beautiful Christmas tree. Here’s a few shots from the event, the rest are here.
Here’s a slideshow of 56 photos from the event…
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Tags: arts, bay area, best, candid, candids, cheer, Children, chris schmauch, christmas, christmas tree, coffee, cookie, crafts, decorating, east, evening, event, executives, four seasons, frosty, fun, good eye, goodeye, holiday, hot chocolate, hotel, images, kids, laughing, lighting, line, marines, mayor, movie, night, outdoor, palo alto, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, reindeer, ruben abrica, santa claus, snowman, soldiers, toys for tots, tree
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 a little Photoshop magic. I know, I’m a geek. Here’s a couple below, the rest are here.
This shot above is my favorite, an excellent display makes for a great photo!
Tags: Architecture, bay area, best, chris schmauch, christmas, decorations, fairmont, good eye, goodeye, holiday, images, interiors, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, san jose, the grill on the alley
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.
Tags: bay area, bay area business headshot, bay area portrait photographers, bay area portrait photography, beautiful, becky schmauch, best, business, business portraits, chris schmauch, foursquare, good eye, goodeye, head shots, headshot photos, images, lightwaredirect, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, portrait, professional, wife
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 say. It’s refreshing after trying to shoot little kids, or god forbid, my own offspring.
We walked around Vasona Park in Los Gatos looking for interesting places and random props. I love this park, it’s so huge and there’s always something new to discover. They are just starting to put together the festival of lights, so we had to avoid knocking any of that stuff over. The other thing to watch out for is the ubiquitous poop pellets (not all dry!) left by the resident (and numerous) goose population. I assure you they are no joking matter!
Anyways, here’s a few of my favorites from the shoot – all 80 photos are over here, ready for your print orders.
{Hint: Click the Slideshow for a Full Screen Presentation}
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Tags: bay area, best, chris schmauch, good eye, goodeye, images, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics
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 a while she gave us her pretty princess poses! Click here for all 100 printable photos from the shoot.
{Hint: Click the Slideshow for a Full Screen Presentation}
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Tags: bay area, best, bill, chris schmauch, family, good eye, goodeye, hargreaves, images, los gaots, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, Portraits, rebecca, vasona park, zoe
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 the Knight Ridder building), but the problem is it’s busy busy BUSY for a magazine cover. Coverlines won’t work on it, and even without any, it was still too busy. On top of that, it’s lacking that, ohhhh, festive touch. I know that snow isn’t exactly a common sight in San Jose, but we can fake it, right?
First, I did a little tilt-shift photoshop work to bring the focus on the Ring of Palms and ice rink, and blur out the other stuff. This was nice, but it wasn’t enough. Then I thought, let’s make this scene appear to be seen through a frosted over window – you know, like when you have to scrape a view through your windshield. Work with me here… I bought a cool frost photo from istockphoto.com, removed the black background, and used parts of it around the edges. I added a little fog, and WA-LA, there you have a creative solution to an unfestive, busy photo for use on a magazine cover! Thanks for reading. Oh, for a few hundred more magazine covers, click here.
Tags: bay area, best, busy, chris schmauch, cover, Design, Editorial, good eye, goodeye, home for the holidays, images, issue 19, layout, photo, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, solution, the wave, v09i19, volume 09
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 wanted some gift cards printed up using one of the photos from our shoot, but needed help with the design. I suggested looking into printing multiple gift cards with different photos, so they could be displayed all spread across a table, like a mini portfolio. The other challenge was Franco Uomo’s logo – it’s wide, and we didn’t want to scale it down too much so it became illegible, so I came up with these vertical layouts for the card. Enjoy!
P.S. Angelina, don’t kill me for the “easter egg” photo of you 🙂
Tags: bay area, best, chris schmauch, Clothing, Design, Fashion, franco uomo, gift card, good eye, goodeye, images, layout, men's, photographer, photographers, photography, photos, pics, santana row
by Chris Schmauch
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