A Quiet Afternoon with an Old Friend Along the Carmel Coast
My oldest and best friend, Terry, made another visit to Pacific Grove recently. On a spectacular February afternoon, we went back to Carmel Meadows Trail, a place we first visited when he helped me move to the area. We did not hike far after finding a bench with the view you see above. The view was just stunning, and we both just enjoyed some quiet contemplation time as the fog rolled in below the setting sun. Just one of the many, amazing, and totally free places along the Monterey coast one can enjoy an afternoon unlike anywhere else in the world.
After making a video and photo set one of the guest rooms at Del Mesa Carmel earlier this year, I was invited back to capture drone video and aerial photography of the community and surrounding Carmel Valley landscape. It was great to work with Odeli again who made the whole process of getting drone video of the expansive 55+ community organized and efficient. They just updated the courtyard by the main community building, so I made that one of the focuses of the drone video.
It was great to attend the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting celebrating the re-opening of PG Meetinghouse after a period of renovations and updates to the interior space. As a Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, I enjoy volunteering my photography to help document these community moments. The mayor, other local leaders, and loyal customers gathered to welcome the refreshed space back to Pacific Grove, with remarks from the mayor and a ceremonial ribbon cutting to mark the occasion. It was wonderful to see the community come together to celebrate the improvements and wish the team continued success.
It was my pleasure to have local Pacific Grove realtor and fellow Rotarian, Arleen, visit my photo studio for updated headshots. Anytime people I know in the local business community choose me as their photographer, I am very flattered. Arleen has a lot of personality so I knew it would not be hard to get great headshots of her! With a wardrobe change, and several background colors changes, I was able to make a variety of modern headshots for Arleen without taking up much of her very valuable time, as realtors are very busy of course! Arleen also gives back to the PG community through her volunteering with the PG Rotary Club which is where I first met her. Thank you Arleen for all you do and for choosing me as your headshot photographer!
Corporate Awards Event Photography at Asilomar Conference Grounds
It was a pleasure returning to Asilomar Conference Grounds this February to photograph another corporate event for Aramark Destinations. Last year’s multi-day assignment (see day: one, two, three) focused heavily on showcasing the event spaces and themed décor throughout the property. This time, the spotlight was on the people — the leaders, teams, and award recipients whose work earned recognition across multiple Aramark venues. As a valued repeat client, Asilomar continues to trust me to document both the energy of their conferences and the professionalism of their corporate gatherings. It is always rewarding to work again with organizations that understand the long-term value of strong visual storytelling. Thank you to Alex, Crystal, and the rest of the team at Asilomar for continuing to choose me as your photographer!
From Photographing the Art to Photographing the Artist
It was great working with Marlene last fall making photographs of her paintings in her studio. So when she called me about this time having a branding photography shoot, I was looking forward to returning to her studio for an entirely different shoot. She had plenty of artist props and settings to get a wide variety of branding shots, but she also wanted a couple of the photos we made to be able to be cropped to a more typical headshot style. The flexibility of my lighting setup and the high resolution of my mirrorless camera allowed me to get just what she wanted in terms of both a branding photo ,and one that could be cropped to a headshot. This provided max value “two in one” photos for Marlene to use on her website. I had one idea for the final shot if Marlene was game for it. I asked if she would be willing to lie on the floor and surround herself with brushes and tubes of paint for a straight down perspective branding photo. She said sure! I turned out to be my favorite photo of the shoot. Thank you Marlene for continuing to choose me as your photographer!
When the Button You Didn’t Know Existed Changes Everything
Thomas returned for his second photography lesson, this time bringing his friend Cindy for her very first session. Cindy mentioned early on that she had owned her Sony camera for several years, but never quite liked how one part of the lens operated. I asked to see her camera as I knew the exact button to switch to address the issue! She did not even know that button existed. I was glad to be able to instantly solve the issue that had been frustrating her for years. Those are the kinds of small but powerful adjustments that can completely change someone’s relationship with their camera.
Even though this was Thomas’s second time hearing my 5-step process for shooting in manual mode, the review helped reinforce what he learned during our first one-on-one session. We wrapped up with hands-on shooting practice in the studio. I guided them through applying the 5-step process step by step, then changed the scenario and asked them to create a well-exposed, sharp image completely on their own. Watching that moment when everything clicks is always the best part.
