Branding and Marketing Video and Photography for local Monterey Band The Wharf Rats

December 19, 2025 in Video, Commercial

Photographing The Wharf Rats at the Salty Seal in Monterey Live for Promotional Photos and Video

How did I end up making promotional photos and a video of The Whatf Rats at the Salty Seal in Cannery Row in Monterey, California on a recent Saturday evening? All through the Pacific Grove Rotary Club of course! Fellow Rotarian, Matt, is the singer and guitarist for the band and he asked if I could come to their performance and make a series of photos of them performing, and then at their start of their second set list, make video of those songs. The lighting was better than I expected resulting in more dynamic still photos and the proximity I could get to the band members while they were playing allowed for close up video shots. The video above features the start of them playing Black Magic Woman, which we did not coordinate, I knew the song pretty well, and with a bit of luck and a bit of good timing, was able to record from start into the opening of the lyrics like we practiced it many times! Thank you Matt for this opportunity and for choosing me as your photographer and videographer.

Team Headshots and Branding Photography for Doctor's Clinic in Monterey California with Dr. Allison

September 24, 2025 in Commercial

A Creative Shoot for a Doctor in Monterey from Headshots to Branding Photos to a Group Shot

I met Dr. Allison and her staff at her clinic in Monterey, California aptly named Monterey Natural Wellnesss, to make a variety of professional photographs for her and her team. We started out with making some white background headshots with my on location studio setup. Then some branding photos of Dr. Allison before finishing with a group shot of the entire team. Her wellness center space made for a great photo studio so that her and her staff could get right back to caring for patients, taking up only an hour of their morning. That is what I offer clients with on location team headshots and personal branding photography. Thank you to Dr. Allison and team for being so great in front of the camera and choosing me as their photographer, and also to Elijah for assisting!

Branding and Marketing Photography Photo Shoot in Pacific Grove for Amara Boutique Spa

August 05, 2025 in Commercial

Branding Photography for Amara Spa in Pacific Grove California

Nick and Jen of Amara by the Seas Boutique Spa reached out to me via the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce member directory about a commercial photography shoot for making branding and marketing photos of all of their many spa services, the products they have for sale, and the amenities in the spa like the two sauna for couples. I always highly recommend that businesses use photos showing their actual location, actual team members, and how their services actually look on their website and in their social media and marketing materials. I call this the “better than stock photography” impact. Nothing adds authenticity to your brand than real photos of your location and services.

Professional Food Photography for menu items at La Casa del Sazon in Monterey California

July 18, 2025 in Food

Menu Item Professional Food Photographer in Monterey California

I went to La Casa del Sazon in Monterey, California for a food photography shoot featuring ten menu items. Setting up on a table in the back of the restaurant, using some staging items they provided, I then used natural window light and a reflector for fill light to create these food photography images to show off their most popular menu items. I captured at least three angles for each menu item, from the standard 45 degree “customer view” to a top down “hero shot” and then a close up shot. So not only do they get great photos to use on their menu and website, but also social media and marketing photos of each dish as well. Thank you to Ignacio and the team for everything they did for this food photography shoot at their Mexican restaurant in Monterey!

Modern Dark Gray Background Headshots in Pacific Grove California with Mike

July 14, 2025 in Commercial

Modern gray background for a modern headshot in Pacific Grove California

Mike visited my photo studio in Pacific Grove, California for headshots with only one request, a gray background. This gave me a chance to use for the first time the new “thunder gray” background I added to the studio recently. I am very pleased with how it looks in these headshots and is a new modern, option I can offer for headshot clients in the Monterey area as this dark gray look background has become an increasingly popular headshot trend. Thank you Mike for choosing me as your headshot photographer!