Needless to say I was thrilled to photograph them as the newest "family of three". Although Riley made us work to "her schedule" (like most babies do) I think we captured some really cute pictures for all of them to treasure. Here is a sampling of the images along with my favorites in a black and white timeless frame .  

If interested You can see more of my work here or feel free to contact me at http://mmasinterphotography@gmail.c

Riley Marie newborn Riley Marie-17

Riley Marie-7

Riley Marie-34 snapshot (14)

Remember - your family photos are meant to live on your walls,not your phone.  :) 

http://WWW.MMPHOTO.NET

Furthering my commitment to document stories and relationships (ie: #existinpictures )– I asked my friends Cheryl and Nancy if they would allow me to photograph them. Which of course they agreed. (Okay with maybe a little bit of salesmanship on my part).  Anyway - Nancy is not only a friend but she is also my sons Mother in Law and Cheryl is a dear friend and neighbor. They have such a great relationship and I wanted to document it for them and their families.

My idea was to capture their relationship in the Downtown Campbell Coffee Shop.  You see, coffee is a big part of the life for Nancy and Cheryl. You can read Cheryl’s blog http://cheryloreglia.blogspot.com/ to learn more about her love of coffee.)   So it was a natural to set up this photo shoot at the Orchard Valley Coffee in Campbell . http://www.orchardvalleycoffee.com/

Orchard Valley has a fabulous old time feel to it.  It is decorated with an antique coffee roaster and many wooden tables and chairs. They also have comfy sofas and chairs that you can enjoy your favorite “cup of Joe”. As you can see the lighting is awesome thanks to the large walls of windows that look out to the Campbell Ave. Basically they have a very small town feel to the atmosphere. 

Anyway – My goal was to capture the love between these two sisters, and try to show their relationship in a more voyeuristic way. Basically, letting the viewer of these images catch a glimpse in to the relationship of these two wonderful women. Please have a look at the quick video below of the images and let me know your thoughts.

PS – I would LOVE to help you capture your story - so you too can “exist in pictures ”.  If you are interested send me a note or reach out on social media so we can chat.  I look forward to it!

Take care,

Melissa

Sisters final final

Okay I wanted to share the background on this latest “selfie” image. I have been thinking of this image for a long while. Mike and I were finally able to head up to Baker beach in San Francisco to capture it this last weekend.

It wasn’t the best lighting and my hair was a little “wind-blown” to say the least - so not a perfect picture of me – but never the less it shows me, holding hands and walking with the love of my life!

I began thinking of this image after watching a class on Creative Live a while ago. The class was taught by the awesome Sue Bryce. I have watched many classes she has taught. She never disappoints and has so much to offer not only as a Master Photographer but also a beautiful spirit. (Google her – even if you are not a photographer - she has such an awesome message)

Her message in this class was to teach women (especially mothers) that they must get in front of the camera or in her words “exist in pictures”. Often women don’t want to have pictures taken of themselves. Many times, women would come to her studio and say “oh we just want pictures of the kids”.  I thought to myself -"this is soooo me" !

 As photographers we are always taking photos of our kids, our family and friends, but we tend to shy away from putting ourselves in front of the camera. I realize now this is such an incredible disservice to my family and friends. As they will have nothing tangible to hold on to and remember me by when I am no longer around. 

I am my own worst critic (like all of us) but I decided it was a little hypocritical of me to be taking portraits and espousing how important they are to document your life, while never documenting my own. So, all that said, I decided to take the plunge and get in front of my camera for change. I wanted to take a photo that is more than just a snapshot but something tells a little bit of “my story”. If I can do it, so can you!

The lesson here is to have those photos taken! Don’t wait -  the time is now!  #existinpictures

Baker Beach San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge-5

Thanks for stopping in ! I decided to put together this short video of my trip to New York . Once again the photos are of the fabulous places and people I saw while traveling . But this time I was traveling with two of my very best friends Ann and Sue. We had talked about going to New York for a while and were finally able to make it happen . 

I hope it conveys the electricity of the “City that Never Sleeps “. We packed a lot in to four days.  Visiting the Empire State building, (even witnessed a marriage proposal). We saw the Broadway show “Come from Away” – which was awesome! comefromaway.com, and then experienced the famous Sardi's restaurant for cocktails.  Too many places/experiences to list here.

Bottom line - the trip was filled with fabulous dinners, great friends and so much laughter - awesome memories I will treasure forever! New York is an awesome place to visit- Enjoy  !!

Final BW New York

Kauai Hanalei Bay Pier Sunset (1 of 1) Kauai 2016 (65 of 74)

I am back from vacation. (albeit too short, but then aren’t they always?!)

We enjoyed the beautiful island of Kauai. There is a reason so many Hollywood movies have been filmed on Kauai! It is truly a landscape photographers dream come true.

My plan was to get some shots at Queens Bath (local swimming hole surrounded by the ocean. However, the weather did not cooperate as it was 24 foot swells and raining consistently.

So, we decided to change plans and shoot at Hanalei Bay instead.

This is a pretty cool covered pier where locals and tourist can hangout enjoy the sunsets.

I had an image of under the pier in mind that I wanted to capture. The challenge at this spot was not 24 ft waves but rather timing my shots before the kids that were playing raced back in to the frame.

The little girl below ran in while I was setting up. It was so funny - she posed and just stared at me until I took the photo. I thought it was a pretty good shot of her totally unplanned.

Anyway – this was one of my favorite shots of the trip….with and without the little girl J

Have a great week-end !

Mike and Sue - Chico Bridge Hi all !

So excited to share these cool images of my very good friends Mike and Sue.  They both grew up in the Chico CA. area. They wanted a large print to hang in their media room that has a country theme to it. (Michael is a hunter :)

The location was actually not my idea so I cannot take credit. I asked where would be someplace special to them.  I think Mike actually came up with the idea of the covered bridge in Chico. Of course Sue took that idea and ran with it :)

So the plan was to go to the bar where they first met, the church where they were married – with a sideline trip to Durham (small town outside of Chico where Mike grew up).  Anyway talk about a small town- where everyone knows everyone. While we were shooting in front of the church where they were married – who shows up for Saturday evening Mass? (Mike’s lovely mother Rita!) Talk about a perfect surprise for everyone :)

The place where they met is called Madison Bear Garden known as “The Bear” http://www.madisonbeargarden.com/  we took a few shots outside which was not an easy task with no one else in the shot (Think Octoberfest at a bar in Chico : ) I had to be quick to make it look like they were alone in the world!

Anyway – back to the Bridge ….The Bridge is actually called Honey Run Bridge. It was built in 1886 and then later covered in 1894. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. So bottom line - It is pretty cool !  

Here are a few of my favorites!  Would love to hear any comments you may have. Feel free to contact me if you would like to capture your own environmental portrait, anywhere in this big beautiful world that is important to you! 

Costa's on one filter (15 of 4) Costa's on one filter (17 of 4) Costa's on one filter (20 of 1) Costa's (12 of 5)

Sorry for the long silence on this Blog … I promise I am going to try to post more regularly. ( Not committing to the regular cadence as I have no idea what I can do on a regular basis) But I will try to be more consistent. 

So that being said, I am writing to share some information on a new Lightroom editing package I was introduced to recently called  "Through The Woods Landscape Bundle" by SleekLens .

It was actually good timing as I had a batch of landscape photos from my recent Alaskan cruise to edit. (My Mom's 80th Birthday present -more on that in a later post : ) 

Anyway - I was very impressed with the available presets in this package.  I mostly wanted to try the brush presets as most of the presets I see, aren't quite right for an entire image . I like to fine tune my images and modify or develop to put the final polishing touches on after some of the global adjustments.  This is where I feel this package really shines. 

Don’t get me wrong the presets are great but the customized brushes that are also included truly sets this package apart . The brushes I think are the key to really putting the polished final touches on my landscape photography. 

Sleek lens has a great number of "how to"  tutorials (including how to download and integrate in to Lightroom) They are easy to use and very intuitive.

Here are a few Before /After images to compare …Judge for yourself :)

Before - After Before - After Before -After

M&M Photography signing

Large custom Lifestyle Portaits

Quintessential design

Quintessential design

Hi All !

I had to follow up my last Blog post on my custom Lifestyle portrait sessions in San Francisco. I am very pleased with the final product.

I have to give a big "Thank You" to Ann McKim of Q Interior. Ann has an awesome eye for style and very cool design. 

Check out her website www.quintessentialsf.com for more of her stunning designs  

If you are looking for help in design and decorating in the City. She is the definitely the person to call! 

Additionally – I want to give a shout out to Joe Dellert of "the Artisans of San Francisco" He did a fabulous job on the matting and framing. www.artisansofSF.com.  Check him out for any framing needs you may have. 

I am continuing to book many more custom portrait sessions in and around this beautiful city. Give me a call if you are interested in booking a shoot to create your own custom image.

Stay tuned for my next shoot from Southpark San Francisco ! 

Preparing for the shoot

This was definitely something that would be unique. We wanted the image to stand on its own but to also have the client captured in it would be very cool !

So plans began for the shoot - Wardrobe , timing, schedule, location etc… Again the thought was for him to blend in to the environment with lots of people around him,  so that anyone looking at the photo would take in the entire scene first and then recognize him secondarily.

Finally the day came for the shoot - I was a little nervous, as you never know what you might encounter on the streets of San Francisco. Luckily, we had good clear day so lighting was not an issue . The street in Chinatown in the afternoon is mostly in open shade, so harsh lighting was not an issue.

Hard at work !

Okay now with all that said, we also got really lucky with the older automobile in the photo. It was parked in front of the "Old Shanghai restaurant " . Just as I got set up with my tripod and camera in the middle of the street ( Not an easy task ) It pulled in to the middle of the street .Also the guy with the rolled up jeans and the hat came out of the restaurant to help create the "old school"  feel to the image .  Talk about "capturing the moment" ! I was on cloud nine !
The shot

I am thrilled with the shot, and plan to do more of this type of photography. If you would like your own "iconic portrait" give me a call. We have so many fabulous locations here in the Bay Area - I would love to talk with you about the perfect environment to add something like this to your wall !
 

Melissa
 

www.mmphoto.net
 

Kauai - Jurrasic Park Tree-1

Loved this shot from our Kauai trip last week . Additionally in honor of the recent release of "Jurrasic World"  I thought I would post it . I mean really, who could not fall in love with this beautiful island. Mike and I took a tour of the Allerton Gardens  which is a part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden along the south shore of Kauai.  - There is a reason why Hollywood has a love affair with this place. So many movies have been filmed over the years. It truly is a photographers paradise - Kauai should definitely be on your bucket list .... Come back to see more images of Hawaii in the coming weeks .   http://mmphoto.net - More to come ! :)

Pillar Point Harbor Lights-3The Pillar Point "Irene" Decked out with Santa at the Helm !

Pillar Point Harbor Lights-3The Pillar Point "Irene" Decked out with Santa at the Helm !

Pillar Point Harbor Lights-3The Pillar Point "Irene" Decked out with Santa at the Helm !

Pillar Point Harbor Lights-3The Pillar Point "Irene" Decked out with Santa at the Helm !

Something about boats, lights, and reflections that I love. 

Very "small home town" feel to the festival, complete with Santa  - and the best clam chowder I have had in a long time.

I would love to make this an annual family tradition .  http://business.halfmoonbaychamber.org/events/details/harbor-boat-lighting-at-pillar-point-harbor-12714 

Photo Critique by the World Renowned Frans Lanting  

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was chosen by Frans Lanting, and the CreativeLive producers to join a field trip and workshop course called the “Art of Seeing.”

https://www.creativelive.com/courses/art-seeing-frans-lanting

Frans is a world renowned photographer. He has shot for many publications including National Geographic for over 30 years. He concentrates on Landscapes and Nature ( Right up my alley ! ) I was even more impressed with Frans after I heard him speak at one of the TED talks . http://www.ted.com/search?q=frans+lanting  He is very active with many conservation groups. If you want to be impressed - Google him .

Well anyway - little did I know, that I would be spending the entire day with him almost one on one, and even borrowing his equipment!  He let me borrow his 300mm Nikon 2.8 lens ( That thing is a beast ! ) I don’t mind saying I was a little intimidated by the thought of shooting with Frans…. I mean really ? I have been shooting a long time but come on!  Anyway, Frans was so charming, and had such a great style of teaching that he made me feel at ease right away.  

The day was absolutely fabulous – I had so much fun and kind of forgot about the cameras and microphones … In fact, I forgot I was wearing a microphone and swore like a sailor when I was accidentally knee deep in ocean waves while shooting at sunset . (The CreativeLive guys were kind enough to edit that part out in the final video :) 

By the way - If you haven't heard of CreativeLive - do yourself a favor and visit their website .  https://www.creativelive.com/. They have tons of on line courses for free when they are broadcast live. Or you can buy the course and watch whenever you like . Was so much fun hanging out with these guys in their studio in San Francisco . Very creative and fun group of people . I even bumped in to the CEO -Chase Jarvis in the coffee room ! 

Anyhoo -enough of my rambling - Have a look at the 5 minute video showing Frans critique of my images. I thought I would share, so you can hear is advice specifically on composition and learn the “Art of Seeing".  Thanks again Frans and CreativeLive ...you guys are awesome ! 

It was a fantastic day of shooting starting before sunrise to well after sunset. Frans presented us with a brand new Gura Gear Camera Bag for joining the workshop !    http://www.guragear.com/  

We shot at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing first.  These Harbor Seals were very interested as we approached in the boat. We had to stay very low as to not to startle them before I got the first shot below . I also thought the one seal on the shore looked like he was was waving to me :) 

Sunset was at "4 mile Beach" in Santa Cruz - The cliffs and rocks took on a orange hue as the sun set behind them . I took this shot with a 30 second exposure to soften the water. All in all -  a great day ! Can't wait to attend the classroom taping next week in San Francisco at the Creative Live Studios . 

More to come ! 

Melissa 

Elkorn Slough- Santa Cruz

Elkorn Slough- Santa Cruz-4 Elkorn Slough- Santa Cruz-5 Elkorn Slough- Santa Cruz-6 Elkorn Slough- Santa Cruz-8

Winner M&M Photography

Contest Winner!!!

“Dare to be Different“ is awarded to - Stephanie K.

After closing my showing at Barefoot Coffee in Campbell – I had the honor of choosing the winner of this contest.  I had so much fun reading through all of the entries. It was very hard to choose a winner, as I had so many very touching and insightful comments from so many people. I want to thank everyone who entered.

Again, the objective of this contest was to get people that visited the coffee shop to spend some time to study or interpret my work and provide feedback.

As you might remember – I asked the contestants to answer three questions.

1. Which image is your favorite?
2. What would it mean for you to own it?
3. Describe what you feel the Photographer has captured in the image.

Here are Stephanie's answers below:

Favorite Image: "Dare to be Different"

What would this image mean to you if you were to own it?

It would be a reminder of two things I should hold more dearly: my desire to make changes in my life that are more in line with what makes me happy and a wish to learn to sail before I am too old to have the time to enjoy it.

Briefly describe what you feel the photographer has captured in the image.

From a composition perspective, she's captured a perfect balance between the sky and its reflection on the water and the orange in the sail brings the boat into harmony with nature.  I feel the photographer captured the idea that being brave and taking risks can lead one to such harmony within themselves. Thank you for making me think.

I mean seriously? - How could I NOT pick her as the winner !

As always, all of my images are available on my website.  Additionally,  I am now showing my California collection at Barefoot Coffee in Campbell   http://www.barefootcampbell.com/ (including this image below from Ocean Beach - San Diego ) We stayed at the very cool Ocean Beach Hotel right across the street from the pier http://obhotel.com/...   Please stop by the coffee shop and and let me know what you think .

Just a heads up,  I will be kicking off a free giveaway from that collection shortly.  The contest will be pretty easy . All you have to do is tell me which image is your favorite and why? 

At the end of the show (mid October) I will be choosing the most thought provoking and insightful entry and awarding the contestant with their favorite piece of art ... Pretty cool huh ? What could be better to win a contest and be able to pick your own prize !

Surfer in San Diego - Last light at sunset

This is a take-off of the famous "Humans of New York" , started by Brandon Stanton, a 29-year old self-taught photographer, who started the "Humans of New York" page on Facebook after arriving in New York City in August 2010.  In the first year, he was only taking pictures without captions, however started having conversations with his subjects and started adding small quotes as captions. His initial aim was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their portraits on a map of the city.  Not sure I will be able to document that many people here in Campbell or even get their individual stories. ...But I will try to document what catches my eye.

Here is what I captured today .... Enjoy!

Adding to my wine project this week  - We visited some wineries in Morgan Hill and Gilroy yesterday. It was the Spring Passport weekend .Had a great time in spite of the rainy weather. Many of the wineries participating offered special tastings, great barbeque, live music etc. Lots of fun  !! Here are some shots from Guglielmo Winery, Kirigin Cellars, Martin Ranch Winery, and the Fortino Winery. 

wineries sping passport One of the oldest wineries in the area Spring is here ! wineries sping passport-5 View from Martin Ranch Winery wineries sping passport-7 wineries sping passport-8 "You go first " Fortino Winery old crushing barrels

We went out on Sunday to visit the Pacifica beach area. We went out in the middle of the day, so lighting conditions were not optimal . I added my 10 stop neutral density filter to my wide angle lens for the shot of the pier.  This filter is so dark , I was able to slow my shutter speed down to 30 seconds to get the softening of the waves and water . I think it looks a bit surreal especially in black and white.

Secondly trying to stay true to my commitment of adding people in my landscape shots. I saw this woman with her daughter looking out at the ocean, just enjoying the scenery and each others company  . I composed this shot intentionally to be "off balance" (breaking one of the photographic rules of composition) But I think it is more interesting to look at.

Please give me your comments on both !

Pacifica -1

I have started researching my top 50 favorite, boutique wineries in California. My first winery to highlight as one of my favorites is Sarah's Vinyards.

They have a  lovely tasting room that is warm and inviting . Of course when I visited it was 78 degrees outside so that helped. ( Gotta love winter in the Bay area ) They have a nice seating area outside  (with heaters for when the weather isn't as nice )and plenty of grass area for a picnic as well.

Anyhoo - I Spoke with Steve Howard (his business card says "Captain" He is the GM and has been for about three years.)  He was very nice and answered all of my " non wine expert " questions. He gave me some tips on other wineries to visit .  Solis  winery located across the street on Hecker Pass  and also Jason Stephens winery on Watsonville Rd  . He is friends with both .  I visited the grounds of both but did not have a  chance to taste their wines. However I plan on going back in the near future. ( More photos to come) 

Sarah's Vineyard is very proud of their newest award winning  Zinfandel .  It was  voted "Double Gold" for 2014 at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition . .  In the wine world this is huge.  Double Gold means that a panel of 5 judges unanimously voted them the best overall hands down . 

The 2014 SFCWC judging includes  5,825 entries from over 1,500 wineries from over 25 states in America- the largest competition of wines in America 

I tried the Chardonnay ( my favorite) which also won a gold  as  well as the Pinot Noir ( Silver medal ) . Both were very good .  I bought 2 bottles.  ….I think I am going to like this project :)

Sarah's Vinyard Sarah's Vinyard-8 Sarah's Vinyard-10

Well with all of the sports on television today ( Raiders, Nascar and the World Series - Mike was glued to the TV).

So I decided to go shoot some pictures at the San Jose Train station . This is a spot I have been thinking about shooting for a while now and would definitely go back to spend more time shooting the details.

It was opened in 1935 , and you can see by some of the paint schemes it still has a very "old time charm ". The depot is listed on the for its style architectural and historical significance.

I loved the lighting in some of the tunnels to the trains as well as the huge American flag and lighting in the main waiting room .

I rode the commuter train from this station to Palo Alto about 30 years ago on a daily basis and forgot how cool it is !

San Jose Train station (1 of 1)Llighting in here was awesome - Love that huge flag with the lighting on it !

I thought I would share a few images from my night tour of Alcatraz yesterday . Mike and I were in SF to see some of the Americas Cup race... So we decided to sign up to the Alcatraz tour while we were there . Little did we know, that most tours sell out several weeks in advance.  We bought stand by tickets and were lucky enough to get on .  I have lived in the Bay Area all my life and have never been on this tour so I was REALLY excited to go on a NIGHT tour :) .   I was not disappointed... Alcatraz offers tons of history and lots of photo opportunities . (Both right up my alley !)...Alcatraz housed notorious criminals such as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley, and Robert "Birdman" Stroud. It has a rich and interesting history to say the least.

The National Parks Service runs the tours , and do a very good job of sharing the interesting history.  If you have not been on this tour,  I would highly recommend you check it out . 

I have to say the hospital area was one of my favorites. I can't even imaging being wheeled in to this "Operating Room " for any type of operation . ( Shoot me ! ) 

The solitary confinement area was pretty interesting as well . I took this shot,  and originally thought I had shaken the camera (hence the light strands at the top )However - I had my camera on a tripod, and obviously nothing else in the image is blurred... so perhaps it was "Paranormal Activity " ?  

Alcatraz-14

I have recently decided to concentrate on some more local shots. Trying to take advantage of the area we live in.

Here are a few of my favorites!

I am very excited to announce that this shot of the Campbell water tower at sunrise will be in the next edition of the "Campbell Reporter  Newspaper" ! :) .... Also could not resist posting this shot of this lovely barefoot little girl at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. In this 90+ degree heat, she looked like she wanted to jump in this fountain.

Lastly I took advantage of the clouds and rainy day we had last week to get a shot at Alviso. Loved the sky and the colors.  I will definitely spend more time there for more creative shots. 

If you have suggestions for other local areas to shoot, feel free to drop me a line !

Thanks much.....

Melissa

Treasure Island was an old Naval base built in 1936/ 1937 . It is now a California Historical Landmark . I enjoyed the spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge along with the 40 ft dancing woman called " Bliss Dance" .  

San Francisco- view from Treasure Island at night with Bliss Lady Statue

We started towards Half moon bay this morning - thinking I would get some good pumpkin patch shots - however the fog did not cooperate ....so ended up taking some pretty cool shots of birds today .  I should have changed my white balance a little more towards the shady setting ... but nothing Lghtroom couldn't fix  :)  Loved the Pelicans !