Santa Cruz Residential Real Estate / Architecture Photography

Santa Cruz Residential Real Estate / Architecture Photography

These are some of local architect Peter Spellman's latest works of art – you can tell just looking at a few of his homes below that he has a distinctive style and flair to the homes he designs. I'm a fan of his work! Here's three different homes below:

Jewelry Photography in Santa Cruz

Jewelry Photography in Santa Cruz

Jewelry, especially the really small stuff, is actually very difficult to photograph. I recentl shot these rings, earrings and necklace for a local jeweler in Santa Cruz for advertising / marketing purposes. 

Flatbreads, Sandwiches and Salads – Cupertino Commercial Food Photography

Flatbreads, Sandwiches and Salads – Cupertino Commercial Food Photography

Rootstock Wine Bar in Cupertino has much more than its namesake to offer it's customers. There's some really great food coming out of that kitchen that will go great with your wine pairings of choice. Here's a few photos from our food photo shoot that will give you an idea of the menu offered there. All photo by Bay Area commercial food photographer Chris Schmauch.

Luxury Real Estate Photography in Carmel

Luxury Real Estate Photography in Carmel

This is a unique property very close to the beach in a beautiful Carmel neighborhood; perfect for entertaining inside and out. Shooting the panoramic interiors and exteriors was a rewarding challenge as I really wanted to capture the essence of this place as best I could. Here's my favorites from the shoot:

Panoramic Interior and Exterior Photos:

Fun Headshots in Redwood City

Fun Headshots in Redwood City

I was honored to team up with the creative geniusus (geniusi?) at Personify for their Creative Talks(TM) at Main and Elm in Redwood City. Most of the attendees were independent entrepreneurs in various creative fields, so it was great to chat about the industry with a bunch of like-minded individuals. I contributed to the evening by setting up an impromptu studio out in the parking lot against a corrugated metal shed. Just goes to show you can pretty much create great photos anytime, anywhere. Here's a few photos of the fun folk who attended:

Commercial Food Photography in Cupertino

Commercial Food Photography in Cupertino

I originally shot some awesome architectural interiors at Rootstock Wine Bar, but they have more than just drinks on the menu – they've got some fabulous flatbreads, meat and cheese platters, salads and other yummy goodness. I haven't had a chance to go through all the photos yet, but here's a sneak peek of what they have to offer. Check them out in the new Main St. Cupertino shopping center and tell them GoodEye sent ya!

New Commercial Building in Mountain View, California

New Commercial Building in Mountain View, California

Here's a new (vacant) commercial building located on National Avenue in Mountain View. It was designed by Chang Architecture, and has some beautiful signature lines that are recognizable to the Chang brand. I shot this building in the late afternoon where the sun created some really interesting shadows, emphasizing the linear architectural elements. Here's a few photos:

Scotts Valley Business Headshots / Portraits

Scotts Valley Business Headshots / Portraits

We took some indoor and outdoor headshots / group portraits of some of the staff at this Scotts Valley business – the main shots intended for use in a Forbes Magazine article.

Cupertino On-Location Lifestyle Portrait / Headshot Photography

Cupertino On-Location Lifestyle Portrait / Headshot Photography

Cliff is a local architect, and I met him on-site at one of his latest builds in the new Main St. Cupertino shopping center. I loved the recycled wood he used in part of the building he designed, so I incorporated it in a subtle way into the background of the headshots. The group shot of the two of them was shot from a lower angle to show off the distinctive styling of the building behind them. These were all shot a little after sunset with a couple soft-boxed off-camera profoto B1 strobes.

San Ramon Commercial Food Photography @ Firehouse 37

San Ramon Commercial Food Photography @ Firehouse 37

Today we had a 2-hour commercial food photography photo shoot at 4-year-old restaurant Firehouse 37 in San Ramon. The chefs in the kitchen were very productive, but we found a good balance of making sure I was able to shoot extremely fresh food without too many dishes stacking up in my queue. Everyone was very nice and accommodating, and I'm glad we finished up before the lunch rush. Can't wait to come back here for some architectural interiors.

Professional Headshots in Redwood City

Professional Headshots in Redwood City

Rebecca needed a new business portrait for her LinkedIn profile, so I went to her home, helped her pick out some wardrobe options and provided a little skincare product to reduce shine. I then found an outdoor location near her home that I thought would provide a nice, natural backdrop for her portraits. I used the sun as backlight and my Profoto B1 with 30" softbox as the key light. Rebecca's son held a reflector camera-right to help reduce the overall contrast. 

Hayward Corporate Executive Headshots

Hayward Corporate Executive Headshots

Eight executives who are rarely in the same city at the same time for this tech startup came together to get their professional business portraits taken at their Hayward property. We shot in 3 or 4 locations for each individual over the course of a few hours – shooting both indoors and outdoors.

Burlingame Food Photography – Rangoon Ruby

Burlingame Food Photography – Rangoon Ruby

Rangoon Ruby has multiple locations in the Bay Area, but these photos of their delicious Burmese cuisine were taken as they came out of the kitchen at the Burlingame location. Every dish looked delicious and piping hot, straight from the talented chef working a couple dozen feet away from my food lighting setup. Enjoy the photos!

Commercial Advertising Group Portrait Shoot in Burlingame

Commercial Advertising Group Portrait Shoot in Burlingame

I was hired to shoot a group of 10 executives at a luxury kitchen appliances company in Burlingame. The intent was to stage an area in the warehouse that would subtly showcase some of their products but mostly be about the people. To make it more engaging, we wanted to show some interaction between the people. Not challenging, except for the fact that in order to get the best lighting for each person, I had to shoot each person individually without anyone else in the frame! I worked with branding expert Krista (Personify) on this project – she spearheaded the concept and layout of the shot, which we referred to day-of, getting the actual setup quite close to the mockup (thankfully!). After Christal Caladio (Artistry by Cristal) polished each individual's hair and makeup, I photographed them in one of the positions we'd outlined (or two or three). The camera was on a taped-down tripod and the lighting was dialed in, so (in theory) it would be pretty easy to pick the best shots of each person and merge them all in photoshop. 

Cupertino Commercial Architecture Photography – Rootstock Wine Bar

Cupertino Commercial Architecture Photography – Rootstock Wine Bar

Rootstock Wine Bar just added to their Los Gatos location by opening a stunning new property in Cupertino off Stevens Creek Blvd. I took some interior and exterior twilight architectural photos for the company to show off the design of the business. Most of the photos are in my signature panoramic-style – and no, there's no HDR imagery here! I haven't tried the food or wine yet, perhaps in an upcoming shoot...

Soquel Restaurant Photography at Cafe Cruz – Food & Lifestyle Portraits

Soquel Restaurant Photography at Cafe Cruz – Food & Lifestyle Portraits

This was a dual restaurant shoot – with the goals to shoot some of Cafe Cruz's more popular dishes as well as get some lifestyle portraits of some couples enjoying the nighttime ambience indoors near the fireplace and outdoors on the patio – by another fireplace and a fire pit. Lots of good stuff, this is one of my favorite restaurants in the Santa Cruz area! Enjoy a few photos below:

Palo Alto Restaurant Photography – Food & Portraits

Palo Alto Restaurant Photography – Food & Portraits

These are some of the best photos from a multi-day photo shoot at the fine restaurant MacArthur Park in Palo Alto. We had an aggressive list of objectives for the photography – to be used for marketing (print and web), advertising and general promotion. We shot some great BBQ food dishes (their specialty) – both by themselves and with people/hands. We also shot lifestyle portraits of customers enjoying themselves – at the bar and at the dining tables. I'll describe the photos in more detail below – enjoy!

Santa Cruz Lifestyle Business Portrait Session at Wilder Ranch

Santa Cruz Lifestyle Business Portrait Session at Wilder Ranch

Brenda needed some portraits for her new real estate venture, but she wanted more of a natural lifestyle feel to the photos than your typical executive headshot. She sent me a few sample images for the look and feel she was going for, so I suggested a natural light shoot at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz. It’s very rustic, with lots of old buildings, barns, distressed wood textures, rickety fences – the perfect backdrop for Brenda’s vision. 

Lifestyle Business Portraits at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz

Lifestyle Business Portraits at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz

Brenda needed some portraits for her new real estate venture, but she wanted more of a natural lifestyle feel to the photos than your typical executive headshot. She sent me a few sample images for the look and feel she was going for, so I suggested a natural light shoot at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz. It's very rustic, with lots of old buildings, barns, distressed wood textures, rickety fences – the perfect backdrop for Brenda's vision. Luckily it was overcast, so the natural light was going to look great. Plus, with all the rain we've had this January (thanks El Niño!), we got some great green fields in the background of many of the photos, giving them a lush feel. Brenda has a great natural smile and a youthful, dare I say Santa Cruzian, look to her. Beautiful outside and in, I had a wonderful time getting to know Brenda and getting some great shots of her true personality. Enjoy a few of my favorites below: