From Dolphins to Design: My First Shoot with Illusions of Grandeur at Monterey Plaza Hotel
This was my first shoot for new client Illusions of Grandeur, an event planning and design business, and my first event photo shoot at Monterey Plaza Hotel. It was an incredible setting, right on a pier behind the hotel with the waves rolling in right beneath our feet! We saw dolphins swim right by, that’s how on the water it was. Alison and the team at Illusions of Grandeur did an incredible job transforming the space into an under the sea nautical adventure, with a huge red octopus watching over all! They had new custom tables they asked me to highlight in photos, along with capturing wide and detail shots of this design rich venue environment they created. There was also a spillover space inside the hotel that tied in with the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament happening this weekend that the actual event itself was being put on in honor of. I really enjoy shoots like this that take me into a different world, and a world I world otherwise never see! Thank you Alison and team for choosing me as your event photographer and I look forward to the next shoot on Saturday in Carmel!
This was for sure the biggest event I have attended of its kind since I started being an ambassador for the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce in June 2024. The grand opening and ribbon cutting for Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove seemed to have everyone I know from the local business community and city hall there! It was shoulder room only trying to get a photo of the actual ribbon cutting for the PG Chamber. No chance for a posed photo beforehand like usual either. Given all that, I was very glad to capture this wonderful candid of the ribbon being cut to this unique hotel and the newest addition to downtown Pacific Grove. After the ribbon cutting, I enjoyed my first tour of the hotel from entrance and lobby, to the expansive inner courtyard, and then actually getting to see inside a couple of guest rooms themselves. I finished with a sneak peak at the attached restaurant. I definitely look forward to photographing events at this stunning new hotel!
Candid Event Photography telling the story of the PG Rotary Club 2025 Holiday Party at the Lodge in Pebble Beach
As still a new member of the Pacific Grove Rotary Club, I am finding ways to contribute to the club that suit my skill set, one of which is of course photography! The holiday party for the Rotary Club this year was in a beautiful ocean view room at The Lodge in Pebble Beach. The sun was flooding in, plenty of space to move around, all of which made for a great environment for capturing some of my favorite kinds of photos, event candids! The Rotary Club had a massive white elephant present game going on with the “stealing” bidding for presents money all going to help one local family. The Rotary Club really is great at directly helping the local community. Thanks to everyone for making it a really fun end to my first months as a Rotarian!
People and Grinches and Lights and Santa at Pacific Grove’s 22nd Annual Holiday Parade
One of the things I really like about living in Pacific Grove, CA, and where I live close to downtown PG, is being able to walk to all the events that the city has going on seemingly every month! So I took my camera down just one block and was able to start getting photos of the 22nd Annual Holiday Parade of Lights! I photographed it last year too. My friends at the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce help organize this annual parade featuring bands, floats, and local clubs showing off their BMX bike riding skills, robots, and senior dogs up for adoption! I hope you enjoy the photo story below reliving your favorites sights from the parade.
Photographing the memorial service for Richard Stillwell with sensitivity in Pacific Grove
I was asked to photograph the memorial service for Richard Stillwell, a very well known figure for nearly a century in Pacific Grove, California. The stories told by his family members and his friends during the memorial service covered all aspects of his life from how he was a firefighter, a mentor, and as a very active figure in the community so well, that even though I never met him, I felt I had a very good idea of what type of person he was and how impactful he was on many people’s lives. Many people were visibly overcome with emotion in attendance. As a photographer at such an event, there is a balance to be found of sensitivity, but also capturing the moments that will help others remember this memorial and feel its impact long after this day. What you see in these photos is my effort to find that balance.
Celebrating two years in business in Pacific Grove with Saint Addiction
I had walked by the Saint Addiction store front many times, and was always curious about the clothing store because it is a very rare thing, a boutique clothing store just for men right here in downtown Pacific Grove, California. Well, I wish I had stopped in before the ribbon cutting celebration event for their 2nd anniversary yesterday as I really enjoyed meeting the owners and I really liked the style of a lot of the clothes they have for sale there. I talked with one of the owners, Elmer, about collaborating on a few things that would be mutually beneficial for both of our businesses. This is what the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce is really great at doing, connecting to local business owners in a friendly and fun environment that may not normally ever meet. Thank you to the teams at the PG Chamber and at Saint Addiction for adding a special event to a Thursday afternoon!
Photographing the PG City Veterans Day Ceremony 2025 for the PG Rotary Club
Joining the Rotary Club of Pacific Grove has given me even more ways to connect with and contribute to our local community. The latest example was being asked to volunteer to photograph the City of Pacific Grove Veterans Day Ceremony for 2025 for which several Rotarians made up the Honor Guard. I was glad to help out and capture through photography this annual ceremony and to get to hear the stories of service from the different speakers. Thank you to all that served on Veterans Day.
