Wedding favorites, dresses, venues, or vendors

One of the great things about being a wedding photographer, is that I get so many opportunities to experience great places for weddings, see great floral beauty, and photograph some fantastic wedding dresses. It seems that it would be a great idea to share some of the wonderful places that I have been at, and to share some of them with you.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will be going over some of the places that are favorites for me and some of the great vendors that I have worked with in the past. If any of these items: florists, vendors, or dresses seems important to you, then feel free to post your opinion on my poll at Facebook. I look forward to sharing some of my ideas with you. For those of you who are photographers, I will also be sharing some tips and tricks regarding Photoshop and camera lighting for some of my images in the near future as well.

Roundabout

It is rare to see a full size, major construction like a commuter bridge being built right in front of you. To be honest, this construction has been going on for the past few years, and I sort of lost sight of the immensity of the job. I am fortunate to view this massive new replacement Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland being built from the level of the bay. A good friend signed me up to see the development from the same view as those who are building it. I really did not have a full appreciation of the structure until I saw it from the builders perspective. It is HUGE. The construction machines are also gigantic as are the bridge pillars that are being dug deep into the sea bed for stability against potential natural disasters. The new Bay Bridge is due to be ready for auto traffic commuting in 2013. These are some photographs of this new, and hopefully long-standing, bridge being created straight from the sea right in my own backyard.

Old and New

A View from Across the Bay

Construction

Old Steel Beams vs. New Concrete

Some Scale

Beams to Aid Setting the New Bridge

Roundabout

A View from Below

On the Way Home

This is a personal post to say, “happy birthday” to my wife and her dear friends, Serene and Reina. From what I have heard, they have been celebrating their birthdays together for many years, so this one was no exception. There were probably close to 90 people in attendance for this group birthday bash. Celebrating at Orson in San Francisco for dinner together, and then for some drinks and dancing down by the bar. Here is a thank you to all of you who attended to make this birthday party a celebration to remember.

Cupcakes!

Great friends - Susan, Annie, and Soogi

Orson

The Girls

Serene and friends

Reina, Susan, Soogi, Annie, and Serene

Annie and Aisha

The Birthday Girls - Annie, Reina, and Serene

Clear Skies and Wind for American Le Mans 2009 at Laguna Seca

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve put any new photos up on the blog. I thought it would be cool to show you another interest of mine – auto racing. It all started when I was young and my Dad would take me to the races at Laguna Seca. We’d usually bring my cousin, Dean with us. It was crazy hearing all of those cars race around the track. I think that’s what started my and Dean’s appreciation of what a car is and what kind of freedom it represents to an owner. It had been years since I had been to Laguna Seca to see a race, but Dean and I were talking one day sort of reminiscing about the “old days” when we would have the time to go and see a race there. I did mention that I really wanted to see one of the American Le Mans Series races. One was due in October at Laguna Seca. Perhaps we should try to see it?

Fortunately, Dean was able to get some time off and we made plans to head out there. We were able to get down to the paddock to really get a chance to see the cars and all of the effort that goes into getting them ready for racing. I’m a big Mazda fan as I’ve owned a few over the years, so it was great to see their P2 B09/86 MZR-R Lola getting prepped for racing. Gil de Ferran was the winner of the race, which was also his last as he is retiring this. It’s a great feat to win this challenge as it is an endurance race that requires a lot of skill and a bit of luck. His P1 Acura ARX was actually painted a white color scheme to mimic the old school Chaparral sports cars of the 1960-70 era that were raced by Jim Hall, the first person to give de Ferran a chance to race in the IndyCar Series.

Although it was supposed to rain, we had great weather and had a chance to walk around the track. We had a great time at the races and hopefully, we’ll get a chance to catch some more races next year. Enjoy the photos.

The Mazda LMP1 B09/86 MZR-R Lola Getting Prepped for Raceday

Mazda MZR-R With New Paint Scheme (Red, White & Blue)

Ford GT Waiting for ALMS to Start

Porsche in the Paddock

Lots of Prep for ALMS

Corvetter Getting Checked Out

American Le Mans - A Revolution with Five Classes of Cars

Tires, Lots of Tires

Porsche

Lots of Porsches

Acura Racing

Mazda Racing

Booth Girl for Falken Tires

Gil de Ferran Giving an Interview

A Little M Power

Mazda MZR-R on Track

Mazda MZR-R Running Solo

Mazda MZR-R Down the Corkscrew