it’s funny to jump back into film photography, and to see what habits i’ve developed over the last fifteen years of shooting exclusively with digital cameras. each time i shot a frame, i intuitively checked the back of the camera for the image. i laughed a little each time, thinking the next frame would break the habit. it didn’t, and i was so unconfident about the quality of the images that i took a few with my phone camera, for insurance.
ashley and i went out on an unseasonably warm winter day in denver, colorado, to shoot with the grungy backdrop of an industrial part of town. i liked her polished look — sleek hair, flawless makeup, and fashion-forward sack dress — against the variety of textures this construction site had to offer.
this won’t be a permanent move to film photography but a flashback to analog is a worthy lesson in patience and precision.
i prefer to take an unconventional approach to boudoir photography, showcasing the under-appreciated parts of a woman that, collectively, make her beautiful on the whole. an angular collarbone creating soft, geometric shadows. the length of a thigh muscle on a toned leg. the pattern of her lashes hanging over a cheekbone. a delicate hand drawing your attention to...another beautiful body part. i like the images to remain sensual, feminine, delicate, artful, and — most importantly — leaving the viewer wanting more.
sofia and i ventured out to a pocket of redwoods in san francisco’s golden gate park to play with light. i asked her to float around so i could find a sliver of sunshine just big enough to catch the gold in her brown eyes. i noticed that the branches were creating shapes similar to the print on her dress, which led to an exploration of shadows rather than light. she changed into a top that exposed a gorgeous blank canvas of soft skin across her back, and from there, we married nature with art.
for this shoot, we went to marshall beach, which is a secluded sliver of sand and rocks where san franciscans flock to flaunt their banana hammocks and bare buns in warm weather. it wasn’t exactly a temperature to strip down in, so i didn’t anticipate the gang of photographers that became our audience. while they weren’t dropping trou, they were there to capture the glowing golden gate bridge against a sunset-lit sky (and getting more than they hiked down the cliffside for!).
my goal for this golden hour was to play with form in motion, light, and texture. we managed to accomplish all three, thanks to a generous stretch of sunlight and an abundance of sea spray. and maybe feeling like a celebrity because there’s a private photographer and paparazzi helps bring out the model in all of us.
These loves have been together for nearly half of their lives and I was lucky enough to be witness to and photograph their wedding day. The City Hall officiant who married them asked how long they'd been together, and when they told him, his response was, "About damn time." He later brought them to a statue of Harvey Milk in the rotunda where they exchanged vows, and he explained that it wouldn't be possible without the efforts of Harvey Milk decades ago.
D + D are a treat to spend any amount of time with - and to photograph a couple that has been together for so long but is still so obviously in love is a treasure. They came to the table with a couple of requests for photos but for the most part I was just there catching them in the midst of their naturally playful interaction.
The first time I met these two, San Francisco didn't exactly deliver on the weather front. We met in the parking lot at Land's End on a foggy/misty/gray day, and decided to reschedule. The second time around was just what we wanted, and it shows in these photos.
Sometimes overcast weather can be better than sunny weather, especially when that sunshine is casting dark shadows across my clients' faces. In this case, we had some golden hour light that was unbeatable. it poured through the cypress trees and made this couple glow.
We tackled a few couples shots together in the beginning and then captured the Mrs. in her element. A pilates teacher in Cow Hollow, we took some photos of her in some bendy stretches, with her toned baby bump prominently displayed.
I love the untraditional approach this couple took to their wedding planning. They decided to do a pop-up wedding on a bluff overlooking Montara State Beach, off of Highway 1.
I'd been to Montara Beach for hiking and beach-dwelling, but hadn't yet explored the bluffs. I scouted for an hour before the ceremony and that was that. We were all winging it together.
It was a gorgeous day - just enough haze to make the images look like a painting - and a slight breeze for some movement. The ice plants were bright green and blooming a sea of vibrant yellow and purple flowers.
A complement to the gorgeous setting was this beautiful couple, so clearly in love. You can tell by the way they look at one another, and not included here are outtakes of them bent over in laughter. Constant inside jokes have them smiling and cracking each other up, and I can't help but love their love.
Just a few short years ago I was photographing this couple's engagement, then their wedding, then her first maternity session, and then their first photos as a family. One of the greatest pleasures of my job as a photographer is watching people grow. In this case, the De Rosas have recently grown into a family of four, and I feel lucky to know them on a personal level, but also to capture these moments as their photographer.
These days, it makes the most sense to select a location based on how fun it may seem to their two+ year old. This time, we landed on the San Francisco Botanical Garden, because what is more fun than giant leaves and rocks when you're an adventurous toddler boy?
can you recollect a time when you walked into a remarkably designed space? it could be a cozy coffee shop, a musty library, a seductive bar, or even a restaurant bathroom (one day i’ll have a collection of restaurant bathroom photos plentiful enough to make a book), and we remember it because it evoked a feeling. i use the word ‘remarkable’ here because the feeling could be memorable for a number of reasons.
walking into hillier’s home in san francisco, i immediately noticed the clean lines, variety of textures, and the abundance of light pouring in from every angle. he wanted it photographed to showcase the attention to detail but also how it looks as a home, as opposed to being staged by a designer. his family’s collection of furniture and accessories all have a story, which lends an element of charm unlike other interiors i’ve photographed.
take a visual walk through hillier’s delightfully inviting cole valley abode and decide for yourself what feeling you’d use to describe it.
My recent trip to Cuba was a deeply moving experience, unlike any I've had on other travels. When I visit another country, I like to get a feel for the culture by spending time away from touristy areas. I'm looking to learn something new and there's more value, to me, in spending time the way those who live in their own culture do. If it involves food, art, or daily rituals, I want a piece of it.
I went to Cuba by myself, and was nervous about not speaking Spanish, not having access to the outside world in the event of trouble (read: no wifi, phone service, or the ability to use American credit cards in a pickle) and mostly just the idea of being alone in a foreign country. I planned ahead as much as I could possibly think to do, which meant diving mentally into worst-case-scenarios. However, any worries I initially felt faded quickly.
I made friends in the first few hours of arriving and these people became the roots of what we now call our Cuba Family. We spent every day and night together, engaged in deep conversations, laughter, and affection that would normally come after months of time together, fast-tracking the getting-to-know-you process. My family members come from Lithuania, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, and the US - most of them also traveling alone. Each one of us was there seeking adventure or healing, or some of both.
The one experience I'll share on this platform is this. On our fourth day, none of us had a place to stay, so we decided to hitch a ride to Viñales, which is about two hours from Havana. Upon arrival, a local woman offered us rooms in her home - this is commonplace in Cuba, staying in what's referred to as a casa particular. We scoped it out and accepted, and she casually mentioned that her husband would take us on a tour of the valley. Little did we know at the time, this would be the best decision we'd make on our trip.
Let me begin painting this picture by saying that we were the only seven people around, other than those guiding us along the way, so this was in no way a touristy gimmick. We rode horses through the countryside to a tobacco farm, where we drank mojitos made with local honey and learned how Cuban cigars are made. They translated into English for us and picked flowers to put in the ladies' hair, and we soaked the moments up under the warm Caribbean sun. To follow was a dip in a nearby lake, where we ate grilled meat and drank from fresh coconuts. As the sun was setting, we toured a cave with narrow passageways inhabiting flying squirrels and snakes, surely among other creatures we didn't see. We continued on from there to tour a coffee plantation, where they were bleeding a pig as we sipped liqueur and tasted honey produced by bees that only gather nectar from the coffee tree flowers. {Fun fact - Cuba's bee population thrives because of the country's lack of pesticide use, and honey has become their fourth largest export.}
Our horses (mine, a little one named Mojito) waited patiently for us to return, and initially I was nervous about riding in the dark - this having been my first time riding a horse - but the stars and fireflies were enough to light the way. We couldn't stop talking about what a magical side-trip it was, and how spontaneously everything fell into place. My life in San Francisco is mapped out at least a week in advance and is always packed and rarely surprising. I'm happy with the way things are but this trip was refreshing for my soul in a way I didn't realize was so badly needed.
Havana is lovely. Go for three days and experience Old Havana but don't spend all of your time there. Stay in Vedado at a hostel or casa particular and walk the Malecón and get away from the touristy areas. Exist in Havana as the Cubans do and don't have your experiences fed to you. See the crumbling buildings adorned with artwork and buy fresh fruit from the cart on the corner. Eat strange food, drink cheap rum, have breakfast in a local's home. Their culture is warm, the people are friendly and curious but they also want to show travelers what is so wonderful about their country.
These photos are as raw as my experiences there, having spent most of my time away from the tourist traps, and I hope you enjoy this taste of Cuba. And if you have the desire for an adventure here, feel free to shoot me questions!
m.
These. Eyes.
Clearly she gets these doe eyes from her beautiful mama. Look out, world. This girl is going to grow up breaking hearts.
