Blues and Brews Festival

A few weeks ago I had the chance to work with CASA of Mariposa at the Blues and Brews Festival in Mariposa. CASA is a non profit that works hard to ensure that children that are in foster care are not abandoned in the legal system. Each CASA worker takes their time to spend with children one on one because they love and look out for children. It really is a life changing organization. I brought our Crazybooth setup to the festival to take photos of "children of all ages" which we printed on site to make Mother's Day cards. Everyone who came through, from infants to grandmothers and musicians love it. I had an amazing time meeting new friends all day long. And of course, being at a Blues Festival I had to sneak away for a bit to take some shots of my favorite performers...

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My shortest wedding video?

Recently I have been doing nothing but editing videos. When it clicks, I love it, theres just something about the way a good video tells a story. But sometimes for me editing those stories is like pulling teeth. Add to that my self imposed perfectionism (is that a word?) and it can be downright difficult. Enter Genghis and Flower. They had one of the most touch and heartfelt weddings that I have ever been a part of. A small, intimate ceremony with their family reaching out and offering tender words of wisdom during the ceremony. A simple and beautiful reception along the San Francisco shoreline. They knew what was important to them and created the perfect wedding. And to top it off, Stevie Wonder could see that these two are in love. Their wedding video follows the beauty of the day, but alas, it's just too long. My highly edited shortened version is still over 10 beautiful minutes long, so what to do? Keep chopping. So tonight I made this. It flowed right out of me and I like it. I'm not sure what it is, but I know its on a different planet compared to the rest of the video. I think I started out to make a short "coming soon" feature but got carried away. What do you think?

Genghis and Flower HD from Patrick Pike on Vimeo.

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Shooting for sanity

Recently I have been doing nothing but editing video. In other words, too much time in front of a computer instead of being behind the camera working the creative juices. Thankfully, for my sanity, last week I worked with Carol of Bellissimo Brides and two other local photographers, Tanya of Photography From the Heart and Carrie Lynn. Again, its always a blast to work with other photographers as we each see the same scene through a different set of eyes. Carol worked hard all morning (perhaps before the sun rose?) to create these amazing looks for three models. All I can say about Carol is that she's amazing. I've had the pleasure of working with her on a few weddings (many more to come) and she delvers every time. If your getting married in the Yosemite area and you need hair and makeup, you need to call Carol. 'nuff said. This shoot was really geared towards a fashion forward look and not traditional wedding photography. A bit urban, a bit fashion, and a lot of attitude. Working with our amazing models Stephanie, Ashley, and Melanie made it easy. I love days like this! Thanks again to everyone involved for your hard work!

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Amber on the Pier

Last week was a lot busier than it was supposed to be. Originally, Katie and I planned on taking a vacation for a few days with the family and travel down the California coast on our way to Los Angeles to spend time with my family for the holiday. We had dreams of beautiful sunsets, hikes, and surf on the coast -- what we got was instead rain. With our tails between our legs, we headed to LA faster that we planned. In town with a few extra days, I quickly arranged a few shoots. This is a session we did with Amber at the Santa Monica Pier. Once again, Natalie Eaton did an amazing makeup job. Amber was great - simply amazing in front of the camera and was willing to stay out all night and shoot with us. It's a mixture of different styles and looks, but I love it all. As I look through the images now, I'm reminded of an eclectic album where every song is different than the one before. Big thanks again to Amber!

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Lisa and Drew in Yosemite!

Yesterday I had the chance to second shoot Lisa and Drew's Yosemite wedding with Krystal Preciado. It was a blast to work with her because our photography styles are different in many ways - Krystal loves to work in the natural available light, I like to work with any available light. Because I was not the primary photographer, I had tons of freedom to play around and try out different ideas I've had in my mind. And to top it all of was the love of Lisa and Drew. I love the look of amazement in his eyes as he catches the first glimpse of his bride entering the Chapel and the heartfelt embraces after the ceremony. The dance floor took on a crazy life of its own. Thanks again guys! Lisa ROCKED this shot! This is the most "James Bond" photo I have ever shot. Daniel Craig anyone? This lens definetly needs to come out of my bag more often! Such a romantic feel! Yeah, it's blurry, but I love it. Who said every shot had to be perfectly sharp?

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