There were babies this week!! I get a little excited about Bronson’s baby girls coming to lunch.  I feel like every time I see them they have grown so much, so it is awesome when they come around. Spending a full lunch with them was awesome!

We went to Freebirds for lunch to pay homage to Zimmer’s college party days in Santa Barbara. She raved about how good this place was, so we had to check it out. Freebirds is a restaurant with the build your custom burrito model. You start with a tortilla size: the hybird, freebird, monster, or super monster.  Then you go down the line and pick what you want to fill it with.  What I liked most about this place was that the ingredients really tasted fresh and well seasoned.  There was plenty of flavor in my Monster Burrito.

I was also glad that they had a big board with instructions on how to eat the burrito.  I would have been completely lost.

Enjoy the baby photos!!

Lara went to school at PLHS (Point Loma High) and graduated in 2000. So did I. And, So did Jared. And, so did one of Lara’s Bridesmaids! It was practically a high school reunion at her wedding! We had fun shooting with Lara, Albert, and their super hilarious wedding party and we also got to learn a new area (in Orange County) which is always exciting. Lara and Albert pulled off a reception that any guest would be stoked about – Lots of dancing, lots of candy, and lots of drinks

Possibly one of the worst weekends to do your family portrait session on the beach is 4th of July weekend. So when the Martin family contacted me to create their family portraits in front of the Hotel Del, I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge. Being on vacation and limited on the day and time that they could do it, we had to schedule a time where the sun was super bright and the beach was crowded.

My solutions to the brightness issue was bringing a very powerful battery operated flash.  I used it to balance out the harsh shadows that were being cast on them.  I had my assistant holding the 20 pound battery, the flash and the light stand with an softbox. The second challenge was a little harder to figure out.  There were people everywhere! I tried to shoot in directions that were less crowded but it was almost impossible. So their photos had to receive extra attention in the post production to remove all of the extra people that were distracting elements in the backgrounds.

In the end I was very happy with the photos that I created for the Martin Family and I think they were too.

So, this year, we had the distinct pleasure of working on the fashion feature for Ceremony Magazine. What a great time and what amazing images!!!
It’s on Newsstands soon so go get it!

The Fantastic Vendors we worked with:

Venue:
The Hotel Del

Gowns:
Allyson Simone Brides
Manuel Mota
JustineMCouture
Vera Wang
Ines Di Santo
Alvina Valenta
Jenny Packham
Martina Liana
Augusta Jones
BlissBride
Lovella Bridal

Jewelry
Lugano Diamonds
Sofia and Chloe

Transportation
Classic Limos

Hair
Richard Dalton Styling

Makeup
Couture Beauty Team

Wardrobe Stylist
CBS Lifestylist

Flowers
Embellishmint

Models:
Natalie Fine
Kate Burke
Megan De Cort

Before coming a photographer, I spent 10 years of my life doing non profit work. Now when ever I have someone contact me about shooting an event that is for a good cause I get super excited. For most corporate events I know that when they hire me, it’s mainly to prove that the event happened. I am like a recorder for them. I create images that are used in their newsletters and websites and then go in to their archives. For nonprofits, I know that it’s that plus more. Nonprofits have to make sponsors happy to get more money to do the good work that they do. I feel that if I do a great job, my work will be a big help.

This is the second year that DJO Global hired me to provide event photography coverage for The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.  It is a very fun event and all of the participants are very cool people!  The event was very well designed and ran very smoothly.  The Allstar Group did a great job putting their event together.  Check out the custom golf ball table decor that they designed.  I also felt that the Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club staff was great!  They provided great service to all of the participants, made some pretty delicious food, and even made sure that I had an easy time doing my job by offering me help with anything that I needed.

It’s great seeing such a successful event for a great cause!

Apparently it’s the off season. First we hit the Cheba Hut, and now we are hitting Snooze. I guess we are being lazy right now.

Snooze is a an A.M. eatery which aims at giving its customers the best breakfast and  lunch experience.  The first thing you will notice about this place is how cool it looks.  It’s a very clever design with its bright colors and variety in seating arrangements.  The place is very spacious, which kind of makes sense because it reminded us of a place from the distant future like the Jetsons cartoon.  I wonder if the theme was influenced by the cartoon.

It’s hard to mess up breakfast.  But it also takes some effort to surprise with breakfast food.  Their menu is very creative.  They had a very cool list of items on their menu.  We were very intrigued by their list of Benedicts and pancakes.  Most of us ordered a half order of each.  My combination was the Chilaquiles Benedict and the pancake of the day that was an Oreo pancake.

We could not be happier when we left this place.  I will be recommending it to all of my friends and all of our Bauman Photographers followers.

It’s official, this has got to be the best place to shoot in San Diego! Kelsey and Rob are tying the knot next month so we went out for some fun beautiful photos before the big day (including great weather and an amazing sunset) I can’t wait for their wedding (North Chapel and Tom Ham’s Lighthouse) but it was great to get together for a little while and just have fun! They are one of those couples that makes you feel like they really care to get to know you which is always a pleasure. Looking forward to next month!

Last week for Bauman Lunch we went to a place called Cheba Hut. Their slogan is “WHERE THE ONLY THING FRIED IS THE OCCASIONAL CUSTOMER!”

I have been wanting to check this place out for a long time.  Every now and then when I need a quick print I’ll send it to Fromex and they are right next to that print lab.  They have this bright green van that is always parked in the parking lot and grabs my attention.

The first thing that I noticed about this place is that it is 420 inspired.  Their menu is organized with categories named after pot smoking terminology.  I guess it’s only fitting since it is right in the middle of the college area.

For me I was a little overwhelmed with all the different options, so I just told them to give the their customers favorite sandwich.  They suggested the Kali Mist and they did not lead me wrong.  The sandwich was great!

They also offer other treats like hemp brownies and fruit loop rice crispy treats.  They even had Kool-Aid in a fountain.

Recognize this place?? This is where I had my very own wedding photos taken several years ago!! This is in Olivenhain, a small community just east of Encinitas in San Diego’s North County. You wouldn’t know that you’re surrounded on all sides by homes and roads…. feels as though its in the middle of the country!

Speaking of my wedding, Marjeri of Events By Design is also the one who coordinated my wedding. If you didn’t see the pictures (Click Here) and video (Click Here), then you didn’t know how AMAZING of a job that Marjeri did in putting the whole thing together. What an amazing amazing day

Marjeri and her husband Herbie have become friends of ours through the years, and what a gorgeous family they have! We had a blast during this Family Portrait session, and I love all of the casual shots, especially the ones walking through the trees.

This weeks Bauman Lunch we found a pretty cool place for lunch.  Super Cocina is a place that you might not even notice.  I have drove past it many times and never took a second look, but I’m glad we went there for lunch this week because it is definitely worth a look.

This place can look a little confusing when you first walk in to it.  I had no idea where to start.  But in no time the friendly staff was pointing me in the right direction.  Their menu consists of a lot of great traditional Mexican dishes.  If you are not familiar with Mexican cuisine, it can look a little strange.  But the staff walk us through the options and gave us samples to help make our decisions.

The food was great!!  It was so flavorful.  I can’t wait to go back and since the food was so inexpensive, I’m sure we’ll be back soon!