Bar Hopping with Tiffany & Greg
When Tiffany reached out to me saying that her and Greg are getting married in November but would love to get some pre-wedding photos done in their 3 favorite bars in the city, I said ..”tell me when. I’ll make it work!” Think about it! Most of engagement, pre-wedding photos are from parks, pretty locations, maybe with Golden Gate bridge behind the couple. And there absolutely nothing wrong with that. I enjoy those sessions and over the years have shot many of them.
Admit it.. bar hopping for engagement session is quite original. It’s even more special because Tiffany and Greg actually met at a bar in the Nob Hill area. They said that bar isn’t there anymore, but they really enjoy the idea of going out on the weekend and hitting some places walking distance from where they live. And I like the idea of not just imposing a photo session on a couple but using their real environment and build a session around that, not the other way around.
We met at the Peacekeeper and took it from there. Tiffany and Greg have so much of that natural chemistry and my goal was to ease them in front of the camera at first and then let the drinks do the rest :) In reality we just hit it off quickly chatting about life, people, places they like, their wedding plans, a bit about me and my family. It truly felt like old friends hanging out, having a few drinks and talking. I wanted to make sure I capture very candid, real photos but I also wanted to give them few artistic shots, include the mood, feel of the place and show my perspective on how I see them.
Each location was quite unique. The Peacekeeper has this modern, fresh look with a lot of natural light. Royale has a very cool 2nd floor. I love frames and it provided the perfect location for that. In few other shots I incorporated the location and general San Francisco vibe. Ace’s is where we spent the most time.
With around 200 photos, it was hard for me to select these photos as highlights.
When Tiffany reached out to me saying that her and Greg are getting married in November but would love to get some pre-wedding photos done in their 3 favorite bars in the city, I said ..”tell me when. I’ll make it work!” Think about it! Most of engagement, pre-wedding photos are from parks, pretty locations, maybe with Golden Gate bridge behind the couple. And there absolutely nothing wrong with that. I enjoy those sessions and over the years have shot many of them.
Admit it.. bar hopping for engagement session is quite original. It’s even more special because Tiffany and Greg actually met at a bar in the Nob Hill area. They said that bar isn’t there anymore, but they really enjoy the idea of going out on the weekend and hitting some places walking distance from where they live. And I like the idea of not just imposing a photo session on a couple but using their real environment and build a session around that, not the other way around.
We met at the Peacekeeper and took it from there. Tiffany and Greg have so much of that natural chemistry and my goal was to ease them in front of the camera at first and then let the drinks do the rest :) In reality we just hit it off quickly chatting about life, people, places they like, their wedding plans, a bit about me and my family. It truly felt like old friends hanging out, having a few drinks and talking. I wanted to make sure I capture very candid, real photos but I also wanted to give them few artistic shots, include the mood, feel of the place and show my perspective on how I see them.
Each location was quite unique. The Peacekeeper has this modern, fresh look with a lot of natural light. Royale has a very cool 2nd floor. I love frames and it provided the perfect location for that. In few other shots I incorporated the location and general San Francisco vibe. Ace’s is where we spent the most time.
With around 200 photos, it was hard for me to select these photos as highlights.
Sahar
Sahar is an exteremely talented individual. While being a professional actress, she also enjoys being behind the camera. She carries her Soviet Union film camera called Smena and takes photo of things and people she finds interesting. She writes very cool, complex, visual poetry. During the session as we talked about movies, we talked about singing and turns out she also plays piano and sings. So with all these broad creativity my concept was to tell a story of time as it relates not only to Sahar but to people in general. I wanted a poetic, thoughtful, moody, hopefully session to showcase as many sides of Sahar as I possibly could. And she just went with it completely!
Sahar is an exteremely talented individual. While being a professional actress, she also enjoys being behind the camera. She carries her Soviet Union film camera called Smena and takes photo of things and people she finds interesting. She writes very cool, complex, visual poetry. During the session as we talked about movies, we talked about singing and turns out she also plays piano and sings. So with all these broad creativity my concept was to tell a story of time as it relates not only to Sahar but to people in general. I wanted a poetic, thoughtful, moody, hopefully session to showcase as many sides of Sahar as I possibly could. And she just went with it completely!
The idea of being having one foot in the past and another in the future. Reminisient, even nostalgic of the past, but anticipating, excited about the possibilities of the future.
It’s the moment when you know what happened, when you long for it, but you can’t bring it back. It’s the moment when you have desires and want so much out of your life, but can’t be sure it’ll happen as you plan.
We are walking through time, collecting all we need to use that in the future.
Kailyn
Before meeting, Kailyn and I talked about the kind of session we would like to work on. She said she loves travelling and can’t live without coffee. So through the conversations the concept of shooting in this European like cafe and then walking down the streets of Santana Row to recreate Kailyn’s longings (travel and coffee). If you’ve never been to Santana Row, it’s very reminisent of European street design. It even has a hotel called Valencia.
Kailyn and I sat down for a cup of coffee, started talking, strike an occasional pose and took lots of images. Kailyn has done plenty of modeling shots and is quite good at it. For this session I wanted to bring to life her own personality, her own interests and desires. I was interested in showing a girl who’s full of laugher, joy. energy and at the same time determined, not afraid and open to whatever life brings her way.
Before meeting, Kailyn and I talked about the kind of session we would like to work on. She said she loves travelling and can’t live without coffee. So through the conversations the concept of shooting in this European like cafe and then walking down the streets of Santana Row to recreate Kailyn’s longings (travel and coffee). If you’ve never been to Santana Row, it’s very reminiscent of Europe. Restaurants and cafe, wine bar, outdoor dining and even brick pavement have this European spirit about it. It even has a hotel called Valencia.
Kailyn and I sat down for a cup of coffee, talked about life, religion, our interests and anything that came to mind. I wanted to keep this shoot more casual and less about posing. Kailyn has done plenty of modeling shots and is quite good at it. For this session I wanted to bring to life her own personality, her own interests and desires. I was interested in showing a girl full of laughter, joy, energy and at the same time determined, not afraid and open to whatever life brings her way.
Veena Studio Portrait
I was always interested in not just taking photos of people, but in creating a concept around what they like, what they enjoy and what is part of who they are. When Veena reached out to me that she wanted to do some portrait photos I didn’t just set the time, i asked questions. I wanted to know what she liked, what she couldn’t live without, what makes her happy, etc.. I wanted to get a feel for her as a person before she even stepped into the studio. So i wrote down some ideas I felt i should consider for our session. When she came in, I instantly threw half of them away and focused on the ones that felt right and fit the mood both of us were in. While Veena was nervous at first - which is quite natural - she relaxed shortly and her true self came out. The room filled up with peacefulness, harmony and a load of positivity.
I was always interested in not just taking photos of people, but in creating a concept around what they like, what they enjoy and what is part of who they are. When Veena reached out to me that she wanted to do some portrait photos I didn’t just set the time, i asked questions. I wanted to know what she liked, what she couldn’t live without, what makes her happy, etc.. I wanted to get a feel for her as a person before she even stepped into the studio. So i wrote down some ideas I felt i should consider for our session. When she came in, I instantly threw half of them away and focused on the ones that felt right and fit the mood both of us were in. While Veena was nervous at first - which is quite natural - she relaxed shortly and her true self came out. The room filled up with peacefulness, harmony and a load of positivity.
My goal was not to force any concept or idea on her but to build the imagery around her personality and showcase Veena as she is and also to visualize her warmness and openness as a human being.
Old Hollywood Photoshoot
Have you noticed our infatuation with the past? Our desire to go back in time wether it’s fashion, music, film. There’s something very charming in the notion of feeling something that happened before us.
I loved old classic hollywood images - for the light, the techniques, for this almost naive romantism bordering on non explicit sexuality that was showcased in the eye as opposed to exposing body parts. It was sensual, inviting and mostly in black and white which has its own charm.
Have you noticed our infatuation with the past? Our desire to go back in time wether it’s fashion, music, film. There’s something very charming in the notion of feeling something that happened before us.
I loved old classic hollywood images - for the light, the techniques, for this almost naive romantism bordering on non explicit sexuality that was showcased in the eye as opposed to exposing body parts. It was sensual, inviting and mostly in black and white which has its own charm.
I understand classic hollywood is a popular theme in modern photography and I’m not doing something exteremely unique, nontheless I wanted to play around with light, emotions and in general create softness with some glamour.
A very talented hair and makeup artist Sheryl agreed to give this a shot. Few images below is the end result of our collaboration
