Wedding photographer for a day

My brother Steve and his wife were married on Montara Beach on 11/28/09. It was a glorious day. Here is a video.

The coldest day at Baker Beach

I've never been as cold on Baker beach as I was on 12/02 and that was before all the Bay Area snow!

I managed to get some great shots of this family even though the girls were shivering and had little red noses!

Low tide quite an attraction!

I was blown away by how many people were enjoying the super low tide at Pillar Point Beach yesterday. I was trying for a quiet family portrait for a client but instead found the beach and parking lots just crawling with people and happy dogs. It is nice to know that our beaches are so well appreciated.  Makes me realize how much we need state funding for park maintenance.

I did manage to get a few images without crowds in the background.

Wine with a View #1 La Costanera

I've set myself the arduous task of visiting all of the bars overlooking the ocean on the San Mateo Coast to have a glass of wine and report on the experience.

Since it is right in my backyard, I started with La Costanera which just opened last month. What a pleasant experience! The bar is downstairs and has an outdoor deck with heat lamps and two large, lava filled, fire circles. We got there just as the sun was setting and were able to sit outside and enjoy the sites and sounds of Montara Beach. 

Happy hour is 5pm to 7pm and they offer house wine for $4 and all bar plates for $6. What a deal. The staff is super friendly. Just to whet our collective appetite for Mavericks, they feature two big TV screens with footage from previous competitions.

Here is my husband enjoying the view

Highway One at 2nd Street in Montara.

Congratulations to the Brown Pelican

The brown pelican is being taken off the endangered species list about 40 years after it was one of the first species listed. DDT made their egg shells so fragile they all broke. There are now about 650,000 in the world. I love pelicans for their prehistoric look and their beautiful dives and their great flying formations.  It is nice to have a success story like this for the environmental movement.

The crabs are coming!

I went to visit Pillar Point Harbor to check on the crab season. Opens 11/15 - can't wait

one with the kelp

Bill and I were in Mendocino photographing an extended family over the weekend. The drive through the Anderson Valley was wonderful - grapes are all in. Once we got to the coast the waves were incredible. I love how the rivers open to the sea in that area.

Running with Coyotes

OK - this happened last week but I think it is worth sharing. I wish I had a picture but I don't. I was walking my dog Harpo in the flower field in Montara when a coyote jumped up out of the tall grass. Harpo took off in pursuit. I was terrified that one of them was going to get hurt but there was no stopping Harpo who is a chaser by nature. They coyote ran Harpo up and down the field at high speed. Then he started running in ever tighter circles, reversed direction many times and then stopped. Harpo stopped. The coyote started and stopped several times before resuming the circles. They ran for at least 10 minutes before the coyote ducked into the brush around the creek and disappeared. I really think he was playing with Harpo.

There was another coyote in the field that day but that one showed no interest in the play.

The beauty of a grey beach

I love China Beach for its wonderful views of the Golden Gate Bridge - but you don't always get them. We had fun even though it was completely socked in on this day. Dophins are not uncommon at this beach - the marine variety and the human Dolphin Club members.

SF Studio safaris

We are still doing lots of studio portrait sessions in San Francisco. What bigger adventure is there than getting everyone dressed up and heading for the city?

My aim is to catch kids being kids - hard not to be a kid when you have a hula hoop.

Check out some other cute kids.

My halloween 09

Every year we have an entire entourage supporting my nephew, Daniel. This year we are Egyptian gods and goddesses. Unfortunately, Daniel got sick and we had to wheel his costume around.