Matt & Cel’s Stinson Beach Wedding

Last weekend, on June 12th, Matt and Cel got married on Stinson Beach, steps from the very spot where they first met, and they charmed the sun into shining down on the small group of friends and family assembled to witness their vows.

Now, most people imagine the temperatures at all California beaches to be a comfortable 70-90 degrees at all times, but this is Northern California and Baywatch wasn’t filmed here, y’all. 85 degrees fahrenheit is a glorious day at Stinson. And so Matt and Cel exchanged their beautifully handwritten vows, surrounded by family — Cel was given away by her father, Matt by his mother, and midway through the ceremony the couple joined by their two lovely children to pour colored unity sand into a tall glass jar.

As the happy couple walked back up the aisle, the crowd very skillfully blew what seemed like thousands of bubbles, adding in no small measure to the sheer joy of the occasion. After the ceremony, we took a few group photos on the beach, drove down highway 1, and headed inland to Tiburon for the reception, where we took portraits along the main street, and then joined the reception at Servino’s. From there, we watched the sun go down over the bay and the San Francisco skyline, and danced into the night. Thank you Matt and Cel for a great, great wedding.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lenses: Nikon 70-200 VR, 85mm f/1.4

Production & Processing:
Cinnamon Rose ACR Presets: Figgish, Seep
6×6 ACR Presets: Veil, Beach Wedding
Cinnamon Rose Photoshop Actions: Taffeta, Gauze

The Same Boy I’m Not // Raveonettes & Cake at SF Oysterfest

We caught the Raveonettes and Cake at the SF Oysterfest last weekend, and timed it perfectly — just in time to grab a couple of Vodka Crans and freeze our asses off as the late afternoon fog blew through the golden gate and made a beeline for Fort Mason.   Thankfully and mercifully, the Raveonettes, donned in black, took the stage soon after, and launched into some excellent new material just as the fog cover blocked the sun for good.  We shot from the press area right up front, as apparently the security guards were too cold to be bothered keeping us out.  The Raveonettes absolutely destroyed it (just as they did last time I saw them, at the Independent SF).  They are a “can’t-miss” live, as far as I’m concerned.

Cake, the headliner, took the stage next.  Cake was pretty cool, as the trumpet and the lead singer’s funky percussion instrument (which always adds a touch of whimsy to his cutting lyricism) complemented Xan’s incredible guitar work nicely, and they basically sounded the way the sound on LP, which is to say quirky and entertaining with great musicianship.  They got the crowd going, and the well-lubed masses were singing along to every word.   It was another fine performance, and it was a kick to see Xan play, as I hadn’t seen him since he played with local band the Assortments, from Berkeley, when we were both in high school.

Camera: Nikon D300

Lens: 85mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4

Processing: Cinnamon Rose Actions & Presets – I used this shoot to mess around with some of the new features of Camera Raw (including post-crop vignetting and film grain) and apply some of Cindy and Lauren’s new Photoshop actions, including Taffeta and Sublime.  I also used a couple of my new presets, such as Figgish.

Sneak Peak: DC3 ACR and Lightroom Presets

I’ll be releasing my new collection of Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) Presets through Cinnamon Rose Actions in the very, very near future. I love and subscribe to the Cinnamon Rose philosophy of value for a reasonable price, and consequently I’ll be selling this set of 12 presets for my usual $9.99, which will include both Lightroom and ACR versions. Stay tuned, and enjoy camera life!

DC3 Lightroom & ACR presets - sample grid

Sutro Heights & Sutro Baths

After a recovery day yesterday (we haven’t been feeling well of late), we rallied and ventured out to the sunset to get some brunch (more on that in a later post), then drove along ocean beach, where the sun was shining and the spring winds were blowing hard enough for a couple of red white and blue stunt kites to glide through an acrobatic series of dives, rises, and loop-de-loops, entertaining us as progressed north on highway 1 to our ultimate destination – the sutro baths parking lot. We walked down to the baths, shooting mostly b&w film, but I mixed in a few iPhone shots, and thought I’d post a few.

Here’s to glorious off-days in San Francisco.

Matt & Cel’s SF Engagement – Golden Gate Bridge, Mission Alley

Cindy and I shot lovebirds Matt & Cel back on a windy and intermittently rainy San Francisco day in February. We warmed up (and I used the term very loosely as there was nothing warm about it!) shooting in an alley off of Valencia street in the Mission, and then made our way to Potrero Hill for some city view shots, Dogpatch for some lunch, then out to Golden Gate Park an finally to an old fort overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge for a blustery but by then sunny finale. Looking forward to shooting Cel & Matt’s wedding this summer, and taunting bridesmaid and fellow photographer Diyosa, who’s still trying to figure out how to smuggle in her DSLR under her bridesmaid dress. ;-p

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Nikon 85mm f/1.4
Processing: Cinnamon Rose ACR Presets – Fresh, Kneoseep, Seep, Mission3, Rexroth3, Stockton and Yesteryear