It has been nearly a year since I joined the Rotary Club of Pacific Grove, and I have enjoyed finding ways to contribute to the club and the community through photography.
I was grateful to be asked to make this year’s cover photograph and excited to see it printed on the finished event guide. With Jaguar as the featured marque, three beautiful classic Jaguars were brought together in front of Monterey County Bank on Lighthouse Avenue for the photo.
The club also generously included a quarter-page advertisement for Jason Collin Photography inside the guide.
I will also return for my second year as a judge for the car show portion of the rally. Photography, classic cars, Rotary and Pacific Grove all coming together make this an especially meaningful community project for me.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Pacific Grove for trusting me with this year’s cover photograph.
Watching a New Pacific Grove Dental Practice Come to Life
Dr. Jamie has become one of the clients I most appreciate working with. She always has great energy and enthusiasm and her team is also so friendly. From team headshots, to the grand opening, to teaching the staff dental photography, to now this combo drone + gimbal video, it is always a great experience collaborating. It was a bit of a challenge getting drone video of the exterior of her practice, as this is when I first learned how aggressive seagulls are in the summer in Pacific Grove! I was lucky to be able to get just one elevator shot up showing the dental practice’s proximity to the PG coast. Moving inside the practice, getting the handheld gimbal video was free from any avian attacks! Dr. Jamie had a plan for the scenes she wanted video of. We made the continuous following shot of her through the practice in to see a patient in only two takes! The rest of the team did great in their shots as well. Thank you so much to Dr. Jamie for continuing to choose me as your photographer, drone pilot, and videographer too!
I am always grateful when a client chooses to work with me again, and Waveform Electric has trusted me with several photography and drone video projects throughout the Monterey Peninsula, as well as making their team headshots and family business portraits! I was extra excited when they contacted me about a drone project in the Aurora Del Mar area of Carmel Highlands, as I had actually daydreamed about this specific area in the past, so to get to see it in person (it is a gated community so you cannot just go there) was a daydream come true, ha! Waveform wanted drone video of batteries they installed in a garage, and a shot going from in the garage up to the water view. This was a challenge on several fronts, starting with how to get the exposure to be bright enough for the garage, but not totally overexposed for the water and the sky. Then, it was a very tight space with trees in the way and getting any continuous shot smoothly takes a lot of concentration. After a couple of tries, I was glad with the continuous shot I was able to get for them and confident it was the best possible given the conditions and circumstances. Thank you to the team at Waveform for continuing to choose me as their drone pilot and photographer!
You may recognize Tim and Anna from a surprise engagement drone video and photo shoot from last December (check out the drone video). They returned to the Monterey Peninsula area for their wedding party reception and asked me to be their photographer again which I gladly said yes too! Their family and friends all traveled to Monterey to celebrate with them. Tim and Anna wanted a photo with each and every person, so I had the guest list in my pocket to make sure we did! In between those group photos I searched for candid moments to capture, before making a group photo with everyone (see above). Then it was time for speeches that were very personal, very emotional, and made me emotional as well to hear them and it was truly special to be invited and included in their celebration. Tim and Anna have been so kind to me since the beginning of this photo journey together last year. Congratulations to you both, and thank you for letting me be a small part of the story.
A New Construction Client, Already Three Shoots In
I really appreciate returning clients. This new client was an exceptional case because I had three right in succession! By the time I left Carmel, I had already completed multiple shoots for AA Construction Company. Though they were all in progress job sites, each site offered its own unique opportunity for creating photographs and aerial drone photos to highlight how AA Construction builds its own client projects and to show their team and crew in action. In particular, the framing stage made this visit especially visual. Walls were beginning to define the layout, workers were measuring and fastening structural components, and the shape of the building could be understood from both inside the site and above it. My goal was to create photographs that documented the progress accurately while also showing the people, physical effort, and craftsmanship behind the build. Thank you to Andrew and Mandi for choosing me as their new construction and job site photographer and drone pilot!
Even after nearly 3 years of living in Pacific Grove, there are still big surprises for me, like, the Pacific Grove Senior Living building is the largest building in PG! I had been in it once before, but this was the first time properly inside for the 100 year anniversary. It was a special event for me from the start, due to the company I had, the reason for that first prior visit, and then the chance to not only photograph a ribbon cutting like I have done many times before for the PG Chamber, but to talk with and listen to the residents and hear their stories. I love to hear stories and thank you to the residents that share theirs!
Monterey Car Week is one of my favorite times of the year as a photographer and car enthusiast. Remarkable vehicles arrive from around the world, but the week is not only about the shows and auctions. It is also a rare opportunity for owners to photograph their cars against the coastal scenery and distinctive settings of the Monterey Peninsula. Some clients need complete, accurate photography for an upcoming auction listing. Others simply want memorable photographs of a car they enjoy, recently purchased, restored, or brought to Monterey for this special week. Whether the goal is practical, personal, or a combination of both, I enjoy creating a photography plan that fits the car and the owner.
