The Expressive Blog

I am pleased and honored to announce that one of my images was chosen out of thousands submitted by a select group of California wedding photographers, to grace the cover of the January 28th, 2010 "The Ultimate Wedding Guide" issue of Good Times Magazine. Shown below, is the cover of today's issue of Good Times, illustrated by one of my recent wedding images, taken at Carmel River State Beach. Although Expressive Photographics is available for weddings and events nation-wide, the majority of my work happens in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas. The Carmel and Pebble Beach area has some fabulous wedding venues, all within short distance from amazing photo-opportunities such as this beach photo-spot!

Corinna Bellizzi. Well, she's at it again... or does she ever even stop? I first met Corinna, when she and her then-fiance, Matt Bellizzi, were seeking a wedding photographer. Lucky me, I got to be their wedding photographer, and we still keep in contact, mostly on Facebook. Corinna has become a marathon runner, with Team In Training, and is dedicating untold hours and energy in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My contribution of a creative photo-session and 16x20 portrait is so little, compared to what Corinna is dedicating to this important work, but every little bit helps, and it's a way I can be part of something bigger than my usual day-to-day world.

If you are looking for an opportunity to get a creative photo-session with Expressive Photographics, the March 14th Crab Feed and silent auction could be a great way to do it. Bidding starts way below the retail value, and all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Location will be at Gigi's 550 River Street, #A, Santa Cruz. See more info below:

Stage two of the Amgen Tour of California finished in my home town, Santa Cruz. I was near the finish line, when the elite cyclists whooshed by! Very exciting stuff to see. I thought I would share a few shots that I managed to get from the very crowded street. The two cyclists shown are: first, Tom Peterson, second, Levi Leipheimer.

The extraordinary wedding photographer, Anne Ruthman, recently wrote a very thoughtful and information-packed post on her blog, about why wedding photos take as long as they do. As a pro photographer, I could not agree with her more, on everything she has to say about this subject! Essentially, what she says, is that we photographers, are artists, who appreciate and care about our clients, who give us the opportunity to do what we love - create beautiful images, that have deep intrinsic value for them. And, of course, it takes time to go through the many (1400 to 2400, in my case!) images we shoot at a wedding, and prepare a final presentation of 1000 or so of the very best shots. What I especially appreciate about Anne's words, is that it's not just me preaching my views about the creative process and production times for the HUGE project that all wedding assignments are. See Anne's post here. Thanks Anne! You're amazing!

P.S. In case you're wondering... We normally have wedding photos available to the couple and their guests, for online viewing, within three weeks after the wedding.

Many thanks to Scott Haines, of Newfront Creative, for his excellent work updating and expanding the capabilities of the new Expressive Blog! My original plan, was to keep the old blog around for everyone who had been visiting it, but the database that supports the old blog became corrupted - all my fault, of course - and it had to be scrapped. Fortunately, Scott was able to work a miracle, by migrating all the content from my original blog, into the new Expressive Blog

This post marks the beginning of this all-new blog, with larger photos, and other special features I can hardly wait to try out! If anyone out there is looking for a great engineer/web design expert, I highly recommend checking out Scott's company, Newfront Creative!

If you are considering having us create portraits for you, this would be a great time to act quickly. You can now bid on our donation (a portrait session and 16x20 portrait) to the Kids On Broadway online fundraising auction, which is happening NOW! Auction closes at 4:00 PM, on 12/5/2007.

Kids On Broadway, is an awesome organization that gives young people the opportunity to participate in and learn about professional theater. Click here to visit the online auction site.

Click here to visit the Kids On Broadway website.

This is a last-minute notice, but a very worthy cause...

Nancy Grace, Santa Cruz local musician, teacher and community leader, was severely injured when she was struck by a car, last December. Her miraculous journey to independent living continues, but she still needs our help. You are welcome at the auction, even if you cannot attend the other presentations. It will also be available while you are enjoying the music and other activities featured at Nancy's upcoming celebration & fundraiser on May 31st (at Inner Light Ministries, 5630 Soquel Drive, Soquel CA) A Time For Grace, please do take a stroll to see and bid on some of the wonderful merchandise, services, vacation opportunities, art, and other items being offered at the Silent Auction, being held from 4:00 PM -- 8:40 PM. Please see flyer below, for details.

Expressive Photographics has donated a creative portrait session and a 20x30 portrait. If you have been wanting to do a photo-session with us this could be a great opportunity!