The Expressive Blog

Sometimes my clients think of a 16x20 or 11x14 as a "big" print to display in their home, above the sofa or mantle, but... As we see here, 20x30 and up is actually the more appropriate size to display above a sofa or mantle. The Archival Metal Print shown above this sofa, is 20x30 inches, and is just large enough to stand out in this type of display environment.

When you invest in the artistic talent and services of a professional photographer, you should have something special to show for it, right? We are always available to assist our clients in selecting the optimal size of wall portrait for their homes. Many factors must be considered, such as number of people in the portrait, their distance from the camera, and the environment in which your portrait or wedding photo will be displayed.

When it comes to that other important question... "How much is it?", our Archival Metal Prints and Canvas Gallery Wraps rock, because no framing is required, saving you substantial $$$!

Oftentimes, I am asked by folks planning their family portraits at the beaches in Santa Cruz County: "Where are the best beaches for portraits in the Santa Cruz area?"

Well, that depends, I explain. Which particular beach is the best location for YOUR portrait session depends on several important factors, such as the number of people in your party, their ages and levels of agility. Panther Beach, which is featured in the photos of this blog post today, has stunning scenery, but it ALSO has a steep trail which you must navigate, to get access to the beach. If your photo session includes people who are frail, or just not comfortable with steep trails, it would be wise to select one of our other beautiful beaches, such as Natural Bridges State Beach or Davenport Landing Beach, where the walking is mostly level and easy. If you are looking for a great location to do beautiful family or engagement portraits, feel free to call on Expressive Photographics for helpful suggestions. We can make it super easy to get Portraits That Amaze and Delight, in any location!

For those who are open to a little adventure, I wholeheartedly recommend Panther Beach. Not only does it have some of the most incredible scenery on the Central Coast, but it also happens to be a little less windy than other locations on the coast. Please click below, where it says "Read More" to see this whole gallery...

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Recently, and old school buddy, Mark Martinez, asked me to do portraits of him and his two children, at the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk. Of course I loved the idea, and we recently did the portrait session. Mark explained how he loved the action-oriented portraits of kids he had seen on my website in the family portrait gallery, and wanted to know if we could do something like that at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. He was not looking for the traditional style of portraits, but preferred more of a lifestyle portrait, that would show them all just having a fun time together. We also did a few shots in a traditional portrait style, because we could, and also because I know parents and grandparents also love to see those! Here are a few of my personal favorite photos from this fun portrait session. I hope you enjoy them!

I also want to acknowledge Mark, for his recent accomplishments in publishing a new book, that is very relevant to our times. It is called "The Myth of the Free Market: The Role of the State in a Capitalist Economy". Congratulations Mark!

Okay, here is a sampling of the cool photos from our session at the beach and boardwalk, in Santa Cruz...

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I recently did a photo-session with Noga Vilozny, visionary artiste, singer and dancer. This was a test-shoot, where we were free to be spontaneous, and I had the perfect opportunity to experiment with some new ideas and techniques for creating interesting nighttime images. We also made some more "conventional" portrait images, that are very much like what I do for my clients. I have posted several images from that session here. I hope you enjoy them!

BTW - Noga Vilozny, is a wonderful and talented performing-artist! She truly loves what she does, and that quality infuses what she does. She creates performances in flamenco dance, and is also gifted with a beautiful voice. If you ever want a special performance for an event you're planning, I recommend contacting Noga.

This final image was the primary new technique I wanted to test with Noga. I am currently refining my skills for creating images that combine well-illuminated subjects, such as Noga here, with starry skies. For a first try, I was very happy with the result here! What do you think of it?

I would also like to give thanks to my team of excellent assistants, who braved the cold, damp and windy conditions on this photography session. It was their help, which made the session so easy and even more fun! They were John Christiansen, Reija Bolwell and Leila Cara.

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:

Many thanks to Phuong and Jeff, for allowing me to do an extended engagement session with them. We photographed in Capitola and Santa Cruz, for almost four hours! At first, this post will only have four photos, but over the next several days I will add more. I hope you enjoy them!

I appreciate all of my clients, because they give me the opportunity to do this work that I love so much. There are, however, certain very special people who have been returning to Expressive Photographics for many years, and I am especially grateful to them. I first met Ron and Stephanie when they hired me to photograph their wedding. That was at least 16 or 17 years ago. Stephanie, feel free to help me out here on how long ago that was! Well, life has certainly moved forward in beautiful ways for them, and they are now a family of 7... Um, that's four humans and three doggies!

I've had the honor of documenting some really beautiful times of their lives with photographs, like the portraits of Ron with their first daughter, Abigail, when she was just so tiny and only a few months old. There have been some great family portrait sessions at gorgeous locations, such as Panther Beach. There was Abigail's Bat-mitzvah, in August of 2006, and now it's just about a week until Rebecca's Bat-mitzvah. For all of these important times, they have called on me to help them commemorate the occasion with photographs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for so many opportunities to work creatively with them! All of this is a lengthy introduction to my latest portrait session for the Morse family. Last Wednesday, we did a portrait session for Rebecca, in honor of her upcoming Bat-mitzvah. We also had the pleasure of including Abigail in this session.

This is my first post of photos taken with the new Nikon D3, which is my ultimate dream-camera! Here are some of my favorite images.

Our family portrait galleries also showcase family portraits in a variety of beautiful locations. Click to see!.

Here is the original version of the previous image.