We started out at 10am this morning, finished up around 4:45pm after a wonderful lunch in Old Auburn, California and 200 photos later. I got home at 5pm and just finished up on editing, color corrections and special effects along with designing a web show…pew…Im tired. Let’s see now..it’s taken 11 hours from start to finish for just one engagement shoot. That’s alot of labor, hope everyone enjoy’s the pics and show. We were all over Northern California. Tommorow its a all day shoot in The City By The Bay ..San Francisco!

Click here To Watch The Slide Show

This Friday at 10am I have a engagement shoot in Colfax, California. I have no idea where I’m going, my clients are directing me as I drive them to a destination they have chosen.

These type of shoots can be fun for me since I have to put my thinking cap on and try to create images in a unfamiliar location. Traveling and shooting somewhere I’ve never been to before always gets me a little nervous at times, but at the same time its a learning experience that gets my juices flowing. After almost thirty years I always have some ideas up my sleeves.

On Saturday I have one of my Ultimate Engagement Shoots that starts at 8am and we all get back around 6pm. In the City By The Bay I know where everything is, and always end up with a beautiful array of images for my clients to select from. San Francisco is my old stomping ground, living on the peninsula almost my entire life I know every inch of the City. The couple I’m shooting works with my wife, and I told her I was going to take them all over the city, from Golden Gate Park, The marina, The Golden Gate Bridge, Fishermans Wharf then off to a wonderful lunch on the bay. Check back on Monday the 14th for pics and a slide show!

I had the honor of photographing an “Dove Award” nominated singer for country album of the year and her husband along with two of their bands yesterday. Their names are  Lisa Daggs-Charette and Zack Charette. They have a awesome recording studio on their property along with their 40′ show bus that when they are touring is home and office.

Lisa can been seen on tour most of the year with the Gaither Family who just last year were here in Sacramento at ARCO Arena with a sold out concert. The two of them also perform at churches throughout the country and many locally year round.

Zack is totally cool and the “Captain” as he likes to be called as the one in charge of how he wants everything to look and sound. Lisa is the “Out Front” person, lead singer and she brings not only beauty to the stage but her voice is amazing! Oh and Zack is awesome on guitars and the mixing board. Here are a few shots from the other day, until I get permission to release any others.

If you would like to know more about The Charettes go to http://www.lisadaggs-charette.com/

Throughout the year people ask me about shooting graduation photos of their teens or of their college aged children. I checked out some photography studios that shoot and specialize in this field and found out that its really expensive for students and their families.

I have a real simple shoot that consists of up to 3 clothing changes and a 30-45 minute shoot for only $200. This includes my time, talent and materials. The client recieves proof sheets of all of the images I create, and I retouch them all. Thats right even if there are 100-150 I do them all, they all look great and to top it off they get the Master Hi Res CD. It’s a bargain! Some of the studios I contacted only charge $75-125 for the shoot, but by the time you order all of your prints (and you will want them all) you are spending anywhere from $600 up to over a thousand dollars and no CD.

Hey, I want these kids to come back to me when they get married someday and also want their families and friends to hear about me, so my grad sessions are my loss leader. It takes me anywhere from the time I start out the door until I’m finished at the computer around 4-6 hours of labor.

Here are a few images I just shot the other day.

Fellow shooters lets have some fun . Start to post online some really great kissing shots of your Brides & Grooms. Lets see who has the best one. Ok…start now!

Had a great time with you and Kerry in Old Town Sacramento

on your 49th birthday. Next year for your 50th we need to do

and go somewhere spectacular…maybe Vegas!

Do you like them or if not why? Every so often I will use one of

my FX borders for a print, they’re different and a little artistic.

I want to know how many people out there ever use these.