Here are just some images from my last eight weddings of the wedding cakes that were on display.  One important thing to always remember when selecting the cake, flowers and favors, is to think about how it all will look and taste at your event.

So many times a couple will select what they would like and not the average guest. If you’re having a wonderful meal its only fitting that the desert be as good if not better, so don’t skimp on the desert. People remember the first and last thing they consume right down to the coffee. I’ve seen beautiful wedding favors just left behind on tables after a wedding by guests who just don’t want to chip their teeth on those hard candied almonds and I’ve seen cake left behind because it was fruit filled and is all soggy and looks like mush after its sliced.

So…ask friends and family what they think of your choices, it couldn’t hurt.

Collages are always fun to do. I’m now including them as a last page in my designed albums for clients as a re-cap of the day. It makes a great finish in any Storybook Design.

The Paradise Valley Country Club in Fairfield, California was our setting for Audrie and Chris and one hundred fifty guests. This wedding was F-U-N!

Last night was a family portrait session near my home. Sixteen people and one screaming cute little boy. I love kids and when I get these large groups in there homes to shoot it can be hard to say the least at times, but its always a challenge for me. I arrived at 5:20pm shot from 5:50 until 7pm then was home and editing images. Today they will place there orders and I will retouch, size and print everything out and deliver all to them by late this afternoon. I usually always shoot and deliver this way, since most families live all over the globe, it sets the urgency to order everything now and then they get to take there images home with them right away.

Here is one of the group shots in their living room after I dropped out the background for them.

Here are also some before and after images too.

#1 The orginal

#2 Chroma Green added

#3 1st Background

Shooting using a Chroma Green Background can place your subjects anywhere

in the world at any time. Try it out sometime, you’ll love it!

 It was a beautiful 71 degrees out with a wonderful sunset and a great couple.

This is the way to wind up a great 2007! Here is just a sampling of images from last nights wedding with Ashley and Jesse at the Rancho Solano Country Club in Fairfield, California.

The beautiful little 10 year old Rottwaller/Akida I just photographed a couple days ago died yesterday at 5:30am. She was so full of life for her owner Linda and was playful with me when I shot her that I really thought she would be around a lot longer. Cancer is a horrible decease and it affects everyone and everything these days. I’m glad I got to meet her and was able to document her last couple of days for Linda her owner. Goodby Precious, I’ll miss you.

Seniors these days want more and more out of the box type images for their photography, and some like my friend Nick here just want some nice clean portraits.

I try to limit my time with my senior clients as with most people they are not used to posing and modeling in front of a camera. The guys, want to “just get it done and over with”, and the young women, they have an agenda and lots of ideas and clothe changes.

Nick and his mother used to attend our church until they moved away from the area and his mom wanted some simple images for his family and friends. She also told me that his school was forcing the kids to only use this one studio who’s least expensive package was well over $600 for starters and if they didn’t shoot his senior photos that he wouldn’t be included in the year book.

This is downright Blackmail! Forcing someone to use and pay for something or someone they don’t want or can afford isn’t right…so I’m going after all the High Schools in my area one by one and offering them my services without a contract. I think more and more photographers should be doing this, not everyone can afford $600-$2,000 for senior portraits. This session only took 20 minutes, studio and lab time to retouch and print was only an hour. My fee for eveything including the master DVD to my client was much less than what the minimum was from his schools official photographer.

Here are some shots from the other day with Nick Garcia.

From time to time I get calls to photograph someones dog or other animal that has been diagnosed with a terminal disease and the owners want some photos to remember them by before they are gone. I myself have had to put down several of our little Maltese babies over the years and its like loosing your children, just awful. This is one time when I’m shooting that I know how important it is to just love them up with some snacks and take my time with them and there owners.

It’s really hard for me to hold back my emotions because my wife and I really love animals and we know what its like to loose one, they are like children to us since we couldn’t have kids. So I put on a happy face, play and roll around and try to get to know the subject a little before I start shooting and of course I’m loaded with all sorts of surprises in my pockets from sqeekee toys and cheweys that usually always perks up the pooches I’m shooting, even at times their owners! Ha!

Here is “Precious” who I just shot the other day. It only took about 10 minutes to shoot off about 30 images and edit them down to 21, but what great finished images we got!

I had the pleasure of photographing the Anniversary party for the California State Lottery last night here in Sacramento with my Instant Digital Studio that creates  5×7″ photos in 15 seconds, for their 400 employees.

They were celebrating the $20 Billion Dollars the Lottery has raised for California schools.  Party guests  brought in baskets of school supplies to be donated and given out at schools throughout the state too. This was a great bunch of really hard working people who love what they do and work as a family. The host for the evening was non other than Comedian, Actor and past Lottery MC Spinner himself Mr. Jack Gallagher. It was a great night with fun and games for all along with wonderful surprises and gifts too. Oh, and our instant photos were a big hit with everyone, as soon as people saw the first couple come up and be photographed it spun out of control for 4 straight hours nonstop!

Here are a few shots from last night.