Rick & the kids in the park

A few images from today, I had a great time with Rick and the kids.

Home & Garden Show

Everyone that knows me knows that I am (partly by business necessity) a night owl so todays 7:30am photo session was especially early. The 24th annual Spring Home and Garden Show is running now through March 1st at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Here are a few of my favorites from todays session.

Midnight at Crystal Pier

Just back from a midnight Safari to Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach... Brown Lori * and I ran across the guy with the cool spiked hair, he was just finishing his set at as the drummer of a punk band (I don't really remember the name, something with "nutts" spelled with two t's, that part I remeber)

*at one time two of the photographers that shoot with me were both named Lori, to avoid confusion nicknames evolved based on hair color. They came to embrace the reference of Red Lori and Brown Lori.

Mindy & Chad at Windandsea

First time in a long time there were no other photo sessions going on at the beach, we had the entire place to ourselves. Mindy and Chad were able to play in the surf without fear of other people being in the scene. There was a closed sign on the stairs but we took that for the stairs being closed not the beach... Maybe we were wrong :)

Here are a few images from tonight's session.

All my friends know...

As the band War once said, "all my friends know the lowrider"... Valentines weekend I had the chance to meet several, in lieu of the traditional limo this stylish wedding couple payed tribute to some classic Chevrolet cars owned by family friends. The ceremony and reception were held at the Coronado Community Center. Thankfully the weather forecast was off by a day and we were rain free. A special thanks to officer Robert for being a good sport and impromptu model.

Does the internet = Karma

It seems that as technology moves forward and information about everything including things that were once private is now available with only a few key strokes. Some will say we are paying a high price for the loss of our privacy but on the other hand it is in some way instant internet Karma. Sure we have all had good and bad experiences with individuals and businesses. 

The old marketing logic was that a dissatisfied customer would tell ten other people. Now a dissatisfied customer can reach an untold number instantly (while they are the most angry). The same is true for happy clients. 

Recently Kate and I found a coupon for a nearby restaurant, the offer was good and it seemed like a place we would like, on our way to the location Kate pulled up the restaurant on Yelp.com (I was driving so it was safe surfing), we were shocked at the reviews and immediately changed our destination. Point is if you treat your clients with respect and approach things from a position of love and generosity the internet Karma will reward you with success. However, if your a mean bitter person internet Karma is going to move you quickly into your next professional life. What a great time to be alive and in business :)

I wish you all good internet Karma,

Sean

Party Planning Tips

Planning a party can be stressful, for many people. Here are some of the tricks that the experts use:

Enjoy Yourself-

Plan ahead well enough or hire the right professionals to make sure that you do not have to work at your own party. You will have a much better time if you are laughing and mingling versus working. Plus, it is YOU that everyone came to see, anyway! Plan ahead for this.

Let's Chat-

Remember to create seating areas that promote conversational flow for your guests. Make it easy for your guests to get to know one another simply because of where they are sitting. Lounge-style party rental furniture is great for this and it looks fabulous!

Looks Delicious-

When it comes to the food, presentation is key - even with the most basic fare. The experts create added visual interest at buffets and food stations by creating height. They do this by using a variety of box sizes that they insert on the table under the tablecloth or draping. This provides a different levels on which they can place their food trays. Also, they frequently stage the areas by adding in plant life and other non-traditional decor for a spark of interest. 

All's Well-

Avoid sharing detail with your guests about the plans that did not work out. For the appearance of success, do not share those dirty details. Only you know what went wrong. Everyone else thinks you planned a flawless party. Let's keep it that way.

Check back regularly for more tips and ideas!

-Kate Capshaw, Event Planner & Fundraiser

Look Great in Photos Tip #1

30 second diet plan

Most people when confronted by a camera resort to the same pose they have done for years (and it always looks bad). The trick to looking good is to first have an honest evaluation of your strong and weak attributes. Let's take a common one for this tip - love of carbs.

I, like many of you carry a bit extra due to my "over efficient" metabolism. Knowing this is your situation gives to the tools to look better in photographs. First thing is the outfit you choose, the human eye is drawn to flesh tones and bright objects. Since we notice things that are bright a large person will always look larger in light or white clothes, dark colors are slimming.

The other issue in exposed skin, if you carry a bit extra a sleeveless shirt can expose as much skin as is visible on the face (drawing the eye to the problem areas and away from the face). Now I am not advocating everyone dressing like Robert Smith from the Cure but clothing can have an impact on your look (especially if you know you are going to get photos taken). Another very easy way to reduce your camera size is to take advantage of the cameras lack of 3D perspective. Simply put, things that are closer to the lens appear larger so take a step back when in a group. Also, width can be shaved off with angle. As an example take a pencil (this represents your shoulders) hold the pencil at arms length point to the right, eraser to the left. Turn the pencil so the eraser is pointing at you. The pencil turns from a long object to a circle. The same is true with your body. If you stand in the middle of a group of three and place your arms around the two on either side, you are at your widest. You can cut nearly half your mass by turning to a 45 and tucking one shoulder behind the person next to you. "What about the person on the end" you ask... that is where you put the person that shows up late to the photo :)

Be sure to check back for more tips on looking great in photos or subscribe to the RSS feed and get them as soon as they post.

Del Mar

One of the fun things I get to do is photograph the city of Del Mar (for use in their marketing). Here are a few images from tonight's wanderings... the new 3 dog bakery was awesome.