after melissa + josh's bbq in saratoga alec and i headed to santa cruz for the 4th of july night. of course it was packed with people and kids running around everywhere. we had all intentions of riding some rides but the lines were too long. instead we had some beers, played carnival games and watched fireworks on the beach. it was a fun night.
skate park near the motel
we hung out with my nephew a few weeks ago. when he comes to san francisco all he talks about is taking the bus to the beach but it was too cold for the ocean. next time. instead we went to the park near our place and he had fun running around with all the other kids. leaving the playground he bombed the little hill in his hot wheel... it was so funny!
we're heading to big sur this weekend for a wedding... it sounds like a fun one!
i'm back from las vegas and it was a whirlwind of a trip. i had a fantastic time! there were so many photographers there it was crazy.
since i was only there for a few days i had to squeeze in a bunch of stuff in a short amount of time. the days were packed attending talks, classes, networking and parties. i left with so much good information and business tips i'm excited to get going with some changes for my business. i also got a chance to check out some new vendors and talk to them about certain services and albums. i got a lot accomplished in just a few days.
monday night i went to the awesome photo lovecat party hosted with pay it forward photo and it was pretty cool. they said they were giving away lots of prizes and they weren't joking around. i won a great new camera bag which couldn't come at a better time. i'm starting to outgrow my current crumpler bag so this will definitely be put to good use. at the party i met a bunch of cool photographers and i also got to meet ones i only know from their blogs. it was good to put a face and a real voice to them all.
i did get some gambling done too which was pretty lucky. the 8 came up a few times on the roulette table and i had a good amount of chips covering it so i was pretty happy! the photographers poker tournament was a bunch of fun too. i lasted longer than i thought but finally got knocked out by a guy named charlie from oklahoma. stupid pocket kings. believe it or not i didn't take any photos in vegas. i brought my cameras but never busted them out. there was too much going on and i didn't want to lug around the big camera. the only photo i have is from the kiss photobooth at the tradeshow. i look like a goof ball.
i'm looking forward to next year's WPPI. now it's back to work.
i'm leaving for las vegas tomorrow morning to attend WPPI. this is the huge portrait and wedding photographers convention! this is my first time going so it should be exciting... hanging out with friends, meeting new people and attending the seminars. so much to do in just 3 days. i'll be returning calls and emails when i get back.
i think i'll be able to squeeze in a little bit of poker and roulette. come on lucky number 8!
enjoy st. patrick's day!
while out and about last week in SF we came across these funky cars. i'm glad i had my point and shoot camera with me.
i saw this one on the way to trader joe's. i love old VW's and it's been awhile since i saw a VW thing. and it's orange!
we were headed to the aquarium which is temporarily located downtown until the new one opens in golden gate park. on the way we saw this car and i couldn't resist a picture. then as we got closer to the aquarium we stumbled onto wondercon! that explains this hulk car and the other one we saw with all the star wars stickers. alec went in to get a peek at the real hulk, lou ferrigno.
yesterday the weather was gorgeous in the city! after i met with a fun couple about their wedding i headed out for the day. alec took the car to play golf so i walked and bused it all around. i took the polaroid camera with me to get some snapshots. i'm inspired by sfgirlbybay who features photos of her walks in SF.
a few favorites from yesterday.
did you hear the sad news? polaroid will stop producing their beloved instant polaroid film. from what i understand they'll phase out the large format by the end of this year and next year the cartridge series.
i'm going to buy up a bunch more polaroid film to have on hand. i like bringing out the polaroid camera at shoots and friend's birthday parties. plus i love seeing polaroid guest books at weddings. we had one at our wedding and i love looking back at that book. nothing like instant gratification.
polaroid taken this morning.
a beautiful clear blue sky in SF for Valentine's day.
this past weekend has been a whirlwind. alec and i drove down to LA so i could attend the light & fast seminar, visit his aunt and go to universal studio. and it rained pretty much the whole weekend. the one week out of the year in LA it rains is when we drive down. by the time we'd gotten back home we'd clocked 910 miles. alec was a champ and drove the whole trip!
the light & fast seminar was a good time! the day was spent learning about studio lighting gear and techniques by john and jules' guerilla style lighting on location. the mixture was balanced and there was lots to learn. i'm going to rent a set up this week and try out some new things.
later that night we headed to alec's aunt's house for dinner. it was good to visit with her since the last time we saw her was at our wedding. the next day we went to universal studio... my first time ever going. thanks to the rain it kept away most people so the place wasn't crowded. no lines. it was the best!
jules and i at the end of the day
