Stranger Scenes: Street Portraits in San Jose
Posted on February 6, 2023
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been making street portraits of strangers in San Jose. I find a patch of light that shows promise. Then I wait. When a subject approaches the light, I introduce myself. My intro is magic. It works almost every time. I’ve learned a few things worth sharing. The public square is dominated by twenty- and thirtysomethings. When I see an older person like me or even older (rare), we acknowledge each other with a chuckle and say something about how nice the sun feels. Women are more comfortable than men with the idea of a street portrait. They enjoy the process more and take a greater interest in why I do what I do. My intro is so exquisite that I expect a yes every time. When I get a no—it’s happened twice this week—I suffer as though it were a break up. Some version of the it’s-not-you-it’s-me is exchanged, as the stranger moves in one direction, and I move in the other. I never close the day on a no. I shake it off and wait for a yes to happen. In a future Stranger Scenes post, I’ll try to say something about the mysterious power of fleeting yet intense encounters with a perfectly unknown Somebody. Please click on thumbnails below to see full-size images.






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High School Senior Portrait Photography in the Bay Area
Posted on February 2, 2023
Creative senior portraits are a great way for parents of high school graduates to capture their teen’s unique qualities before they leave home for college. As a high school senior portrait photographer, I take advantage of diverse landscapes and architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area, from waterfronts and cityscapes to rural fields. My goal is to capture your graduate’s style and personality while showcasing the beauty of the Bay Area. If you’d like to learn more about a high school senior portrait session, please contact me.




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Family Photography at the San Jose Rose Garden
Posted on January 31, 2023
The Rose Garden in San Jose is an embarrassment of riches for family photography in the Bay Area. With weathered brick and stunning floral displays, the Rose Garden is the perfect location for capturing moments with loved ones. Whether you’re looking for candid shots of your children or posed family portraits, a photoshoot in the Rose Garden yields gorgeous results. If you’d like to learn more about family photography sessions, please contact me.











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Family Photography in the San Jose Foothills
Posted on January 20, 2023
Professional family photography in the San Jose foothills offers a great combination of natural beauty and timeless memories. Oak trees and soft warm accents at golden hour provide a lovely setting for family photoshoots. If you’re interested in booking a family photography session, please reach out to me.








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Sunset in Costa Rica
Posted on January 13, 2023
When I’m not photographing kids, teens, families, and business professionals in the Bay Area, I’m often traveling or dreaming of travel, especially road trips. During holiday break, I was in Costa Rica with my family. I didn’t do a lot of photography, surprisingly, and really only worked one scene, and even then I was a bit rushed. Still, I like the result well enough to share the image. It’s one exposure only. I desaturated all color channels except yellow, because the reds, blues, and magentas were simply too vibrant for my taste. I did some dodging and burning with luminosity masks, sharpened a few of the boulders, and created an Orton Effect in the highlights. In retrospect, I wish I’d blended two or maybe even three exposures for improved sharpness in the boulders, front to back. Next time!
