Photography by Colin Michael

Desiree and Chris's Los Gatos Engagement Photos

2008-08-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Desiree and Chris are the kind of couple I just love to be around; when they are together they both just light up and become more than when they are apart. Probably 2 seconds into our session I saw not only just how in love with each other they are but also how much one of them is truly a part of the other! They are that couple that we all say "they were made for each other!"
We met up in Los Gatos, which is beautiful town about 50 miles south of San Francisco and near San Jose. I grew up just over the hill in Santa Cruz so it felt nice to be "home." We started out by heading up Highway 9 out of Saratoga into the Santa Cruz Mountains until we found a turnout on the side of a stream that had PERFECT lighting! It was right on the side of the road but the lighting was just amazing and the images were beautiful. Desiree and Chris were great, not even caring about the cars driving by with some even honking approval!
We then went just a little ways back down the road to a regional park then to the beautiful The Mountain Winery for an amazing view of the Silicon Valley before heading back to Los Gatos for some night shots downtown. We were expecting it to be pretty quiet, it being a Sunday evening, but downtown LG was hopping! I had shot down there not too long ago for a commercial so knew of a couple cool spots that would be a bit more quiet. Funny thing is, I don't think Chris and Desiree would have cared at all if I set them up right in the middle of main street! lol
I had a great time with you both and I can't wait to shoot your wedding down in Carmel!

This is one of my favorite images, the beautiful light and the overall feel really help illustrate how passionate Chris and Desiree are for each other

They couldn't stop having a good time!

Here's some of that gorgeous light

If you look closely, I think you can see them melting together!

haha, I love how Chris is checking out Desiree here!

Mark and Viviana's San Luis Obispo Wedding

2008-07-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Mark and Viviana's wedding was last weekend at the Mission San Luis Obispo. You probably remember their engagement session which was shot all around the mission that I posted back in May. The big day finally arrived and they were both really excited. I started with Viviana at the Madonna Inn which is always a trip! If you've never been there, it is the funky hotel with the bright pink sign at the base of Cerro San Luis in SLO. There are underground rooms, nautical themed rooms, western themed rooms and pretty much every other bit of funky-ness you can imagine!
After Viviana was ready we headed over to the beautiful Mission San Luis Obispo, where I always enjoy shooting. It is a beautiful wedding venue and Father Miguel always performs a meaningful ceremony. After some family pictures we headed out for an hour of Bride and Groom session then back to Madonna Inn and got some really fun group and individual shots from inside the hotel.
Thanks so much to Viviana and Mark for having me, I had a great time!

Viviana looking amazing!

This was shot pretty much at the spot where Viviana and Mark met

All the ladies looking amazing at the bar at Madonna Inn

The guys trying hard to one-up the ladies, sorry guys...

I couldn't resist this composition, so surreal!

My take on a classical couple

I love this shot of the cake, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland and is totally fitting for Madonna Inn!

Brian and Sophie in Carmel

2008-07-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I headed up to San Francisco for a beautiful wedding with my good friend John Griffin (more from that wedding later) and stopped by Pacific Grove to meet with Brian and Sophie for their engagement session. The smoke from the Big Sur fires was a concern but seeing as it ended up being super foggy it didn't really matter in the end!
Both Brian and Sophie are Biologists by trade and by lifestyle. They thoroughly enjoy the outdoors and being in nature, being that I am an avid cyclist we all get along really well! Brian is a self described "Bird Nerd" who not only works tracking bird populations but he is also a bird photographer and avid bird watcher. It was really cool to be walking through the forest and he knew the names of every bird we saw and could even identify them by their call. I might just borrow his bazooka of a lens, the Canon 500mm f/4, just to have some fun with at the wedding. Being that the combined weight with my camera would be about 13lbs, I might have to bring a third assistant just to lug it around!

Sophie and Brian were a ton of fun to work with and have such a great time with each other.

Walking down Asilomar Beach

I couldn't resist the comparison to birding, lol

Wasatch leading the way!

In front of the Carmel City Hall

Even time/a couple recent FILM (gasp!) wedding pics

2008-07-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

With all the pics of Kyla we haven't seen much of Caiden! Here's a funny one I shot with my trusty Holga film camera. I love this shot, if I ever had a band it would be my band's poster! I have not edited this image, this is how it came out of the camera.

And here a couple shots from a recent wedding with my friend Gene Higa. I have to also congratulate Gene on being named Top 10 Wedding Photographer of 2008!
It was a beautiful wedding out in the Livermore area with a very fun couple, Will and Andrea. I shot a ton (of course) but these are just a couple of my favorites from the film I shot. I find it really funny that I will take 1,000 digital images and yet my favorites are usually from the film though I only shoot maybe 100 frames of film! Part of what I love about film is the amazing and soft skin tones I get. The other part is that you can't look at a LCD to see what you captured so you really have to concentrate and trust your skill as a photographer to get great images! Plus, at more than $1.75 for every time I push the shutter button, you want to be sure that every shot is a great shot!

It was really windy so we had a fun time trying to keep that long veil under control!

I love this shot of the Fathers talking. There is something so amazing about the look of a good and grainy black and white film when combined with a rangefinder camera! I love the mood and feel of this image.

LOL, yes, I even use my $12 Holga camera for ceremony shots!

Hanging in San Francisco

2008-07-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I hear you...I've been terrible about updating my blog! I know, I know! LOL. I've got several weddings, a couple boudoir shoots, 3 engagement sessions and many more pictures of Kyla to blog about, now I just need to find the time to get them up here!
I'm in San Francisco right now hanging with my friends Gene, Ann and Bogie (above) and had to get a picture of these crazy little Jamaican rum bottles. They're definitely one of those "Only in Jamaica" kind of things (Gene and Ann just shot a wedding there ). I'm thinking they would make good chess pieces... hmm, rum and Coke is sounding kind of good though!

ouch!

2008-06-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I raced my first mountain bike race in 13 years and had a really fun time. I headed up to the CCCX race in Monterey and raced the sport class (there are 4 classes; Beginner, Sport, Expert and Pro, with the non-pro categories broke up by age groups 19-34, 35-44, 45+) and actually did fairly well all things considered.
The race started out pretty fast, climbed up a hill then a fast descent. I came off that descent in about 4th place, reached down to grab my water bottle and found nothing there! It had bounced out of my cage in the first 5 minutes of racing! I had a small 16oz bottle but that's how much I normally drink in 1/2 an hour and this would be a 1 1/2 hour race! About 20 minutes into the race I remember thinking "Wow, this is really painful, why am I doing this?" LOL After the first lap I settled in and started to feel better.
The 3rd lap (of 4) I took it kind of easy hoping to put in a really good time on the 4th but the lack of water really caught up with me so I couldn't push it but still actually enjoyed being out there. It definitely cost me a few minutes by loosing my water but I made the best of it and was satisfied with my performance. All said and done, I placed 8th of 14 riders in my class and was 6 minutes behind the winner on a 22 mile course.
While I have no illusions of "going pro" this sort of racing is really fun and gives a great sense of accomplishment. That was definitely one of the hardest 1 1/2 hour rides I've ever done and I plan on heading back in 2 weeks for the next round of the series!

Mark and Viviana's SLO engagement session

2008-06-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's time to make some non-baby related posts again! lol, life has been a bit nuts with two kids but we're all adjusting to the demands. Kyla sleeps fairly well (for a newborn) but likes to be held ALL the time! Stephanie always wanted Caiden to be more cuddly but I think she's thinking she needs to be careful what she wishes for now! Good times.

Mark and Viviana are getting married next month at the Mission in San Luis Obispo so we figured what better place to do their engagement session than at the Mission. Wedding day's can get so hectic that taking the time to do an engagement session at or near where the wedding takes place is never a bad idea, especially when you are right next to the beautiful downtown of SLO.
We started out on the steps outside the Mission and then ended up wandering around the next couple blocks shooting all we had time for. That part of town has a real Chinese influence so we got some images that reflect that as well. Mark and Viviana are awesome people who are great together. They are both Architects so I was sure to incorporate plenty of interesting architectural features in the images as well! Their wedding is coming up real soon so look out for more. They are having the reception at the wacky and fun Madonna Inn so check back for some super fun...and pink!...images!

Kyla's birth story

2008-05-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick slideshow I made from the day of Kyla's birth. I prefer the look of film for really emotional times so I'm super happy with how this all came out as the prints are stunning and it shows an amazing day in our lives. Sorry, I had to put down the camera for the super hard contractions :)

Kyla one week old

2008-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

So some of you think it's really fun to give me, as a photographer, a hard time about not getting many pictures up right away! Explanations about how the film is at the lab and will be back Thursday just don't seem to appease you so here you go, all the baby Kyla pictures you can handle! I will still post up the stuff from our time in the hospital as soon as it gets here. These are just some quick pics from bath-time.

Kyla Janette is here

2008-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

After a long 9 months and 12 hours of intense labor, Kyla Janette is here! 7lbs, 2oz of healthy baby girl arrived last night around 1am after Stephanie went through a 12 hour induced labor with no pain medications! I can't believe how tough Steph is, I was truly amazed by her incredible strength! I will post much more about all this later but wanted to get a single image up now of Caiden enjoying becoming a big brother :)

Game Time!

2008-05-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

The Doctor decided that considering all the complications Stephanie had the first time around that she will be induced tomorrow. So if I'm a bit behind this week now you know why!
I'm sure I'll have a long story to follow :)

Jenny and Tom in San Luis Obispo

2008-05-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Jenny and Tom are an awesome couple whom I met out in Avila Beach last week for their engagement session. We started at Mr. Rick's playing pool and having a couple drinks before heading over to an old barn and then on to San Luis Obispo. I love starting engagement sessions an hour or so before sunset so that we can get great afternoon light, beautiful sunsets and a bit of night time drama where I can break out all my off-camera lighting. It also gives us plenty of time to cover several locations.
It was really funny, Jenny thought Tom might be a bit shy in front of the camera but he was a natural! They have a great connection with each other and it really shows in their images. I can't wait to photograph them again!
I'm really looking forward to their wedding later this year. It's going to be a beautiful affair down in Santa Ynez, Jenny has some awesome plans that are going to make for some amazing memories!

Shooting Film in Napa with John

2008-05-04T13:47:00.001-07:00

About two weeks ago I headed up to Calistoga Ranch (which is in the Napa Valley) to shoot a wedding with my buddy John. John could easily have handled this small wedding himself but his wife was due the following day with their first child so I went up just in case he got "The Call." Luckily that did not happen; John and Jody had their daughter several days later, congratulations guys!
Calistoga Ranch is a beautiful location and was a joy to shoot at. It was super windy but Jenny and Daniel braved the elements and still had an outdoor ceremony. I wanted to post a couple of B+W film shots I took with my new rangefinder 35mm camera. Both these images were shot in almost total darkness inside a wine cave with just a few candles for lighting. It was quite a difficult shoot, technically, but these two image really capture the feel for the wedding.
For anyone curious, I do shoot both film and digital. Both have their strengths and weaknesses but I believe that combining them to only use the strengths gives a much broader look than shooting all of one or the other.

OK, I couldn't resist posting just one digital shot :)

Linda and Jack Engagement Session

2008-04-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me apologize for being so bad about blogging lately, I've been so busy, sorry! I've actually only been home 1 day in the past 8 and have been working like crazy. Lots of exciting stuff to talk about, but more on that later.
Last Sunday I met up with Linda and Jack for their engagement session. Let me just say that these guys were a blast! If that first picture above doesn't say everything about our shoot then nothing can. We headed out from Alameda over to San Francisco on a crisp but sunny day but by the end the wind was really blowing which made for some really fun shots! Jack and Linda were really game for whatever so we went to several locations and had a great time.
And a big thanks to Linda for noticing so quickly I left my reflector in the car before I got too far away! I'm really looking forward to their wedding, it is going to be amazing and they are such fun people that I know it's going to be a highlight of the year!

Photoforthepeople.com Interview

2008-04-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

My new friends, and awesome photographers, Michael and Anna Costa just interviewed me on their up and coming photography forum, Photoforthepeople.com. In it I share a bunch of behind the scenes stuff about how I using lighting to create some of my images. You can see the interview here.
Thanks so much to Michael and Anna for featuring my work, I am honored!

Here's the diagram for the above image. I shot this image while helping out the awesome duo of Chris+Lynn last fall up in Vancouver. And no, I don't know how to quickly draw a nice curved line so don't laugh at me! :)

Cool shot

2008-04-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

I don't talk about it much but I actually do quite a bit of photography for commercial clients like wineries, manufacturer's and restaurants. Normally it's all pretty boring stuff (thus why I don't mention it!) but I do enjoy the challenge it presents. Technically, commercial shooting is way more difficult than shooting portraits or weddings but it mostly lacks the creativity that I really enjoy. But every once in awhile I play around a little bit and get something I really like this this shot of Jim Kish of Kish Fabrication welding a bottom bracket on a custom titanium bike.

Vegas Boudoir

2008-04-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

I've been getting lot's of requests lately from my brides for boudoir. Now, I don't do the old-school glamor boudoir you might be thinking of, nor do I shoot nudes, but I do shoot fashionable and beautiful images that husbands really seem to love! :) We've done these in all styles from this sort fashion sexy look to classic '40's pinup; it's really fun and makes a great gift.
Here's a little sample from a recent shoot in Vegas, we rented a suite at Planet Hollywood and had a great time. Kasia's husband was very pleased with the results!

2008-04-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

Before I headed out to Las Vegas I swung by San Diego for Steve and Suzanne's engagement photos. They are a really fun couple who's wedding will be in Yosemite next year so we wanted to get some variety by also shooting down there. We met up in the morning near Balboa Park and ran all over the place getting some great shots. They even brought their dog, Tanner, who was a riot! That dog had so much energy it was amazing, both my dogs are older so I had forgotten just how much energy a 2 year old can have! He pretty much took over the shoot but my favorite shot is that top one so I can't complain...he knows how to work the camera!

I'm really looking forward to Suzanne and Steve's wedding! I love shooting in Yosemite and it sounds like they have some really great plans!

This shot here is on film. I shoot mostly digital but find some shots just look better on film as the softness and color is just impossible to imitate with digital. It looks even better printed!

Vegas! WPPI '08

2008-03-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've now been home for exactly one week and I'm am just now feeling normal again, what a great time! I left on Saturday afternoon to head down to San Diego for an engagement shoot. The drive was kind of brutal but I had my latest book on tape from audible.com so it was all good. Saturday night I met up with my friends and past bride and groom Angie and Brian for some drinks and dinner. The next morning, after the engagement (I'll post those soon!) I drove out to Vegas where I had a shoot then the festivities began.
I met tons of great people and had an awesome time. Not much sleep though! The convention is the largest of the year and brings together pretty much everyone in the wedding and portrait photography industry. It is a far cry from my everyday life in little San Luis Obispo! I get the chance to hang out with many good friends, meet the vendors I use and check out new products that are offered. Basically, it is the same as any other tradeshow but you know me, I always manage to have a good time wherever I go :)

Brian and Angie

Jason Groupp,Aimee Cooper and Me at some party...not sure who's as we went to a ton of them but I think it was at my new friend Sara France's.

Gene, who I have far more embarrassing images of but I won't do that to him! We're making fun of modes...sorry, the patron was flowing so it seemed funny at the time...

The San Francisco Crew, left to right
Jesse, John, Augie, someone I don't know (sorry) and Gene

John with his girlie drink our server set him up with!

Gene and Angelica oh my, after this we had the most wild limo ride ever! That was too fun!

My new favorite Southern Girls! Amy Martin and Mary Beth Tyson. That isn't my arm, but that would be funny if my hands were that feminine!

Jason got a really weird fortune out of a giant fortune cookie...only in Vegas!

Almost missed this one so I'm adding it in. Jefferson Todd, me and Aimee

What a great time, I'm looking forward to next year! So much more fun stuff, I had 7 shoots over the past 2 weeks so I've got tons of blogging to catch up on. But you know how it goes, you leave for a week and it takes a month to make it up!

WPPI Photo Contest Winner

2008-03-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the annual Wedding and Portrait Photographer's International convention in Las Vegas and yes, I'm exhausted! I will post more about it after I get some rest.
One thing I am very excited about is that I got an "Accolade of Excellence" in the 16x20 photo contest for the above image of Becky! Becky is stunning and looks great in this image and I'm honored by the recognition!

Eric and Hayley's Paso Robles Engagement Session

2008-03-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

Last week Eric, Hayley and I headed over to a couple of local Paso Robles wineries for some engagement photos before their June wedding. Conveniently enough, Hayley is an assistant winemaker at Summerwood Winery so we had access to all of their beautiful grounds and vineyards. Heck, we even used the production facility!
It was a beautiful and warm afternoon, the kind we wait all winter to enjoy. So warm in fact that Eric and Hayley were wearing flip-flops! You have to love California's Central Coast in March! They are both really quite funny, especially around each other. It was cool to see how they would communicate more with glances and body movement than with words, it's the kind of thing only people truly in love can do and it was beautiful to watch.
After running around Summerwood we headed across Highway 46 West to Peachy Canyon Winery just as the sun was setting. The light spilled through the trees and into the vineyards creating a very surreal environment. I did not know, but Peachy Canyon is now accepting weddings at their facility. It's a beautiful venue, I would love to shoot a wedding there sometime. We even found a fun little tunnel and played around in there before getting some night shots and wrapping it up.
Thanks again to Eric and Hayley, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with you again and am excited for your wedding!

Christina Bridal Images

2008-03-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Last week I headed over to Eagle Castle Winery which is just over the hill from me in Paso Robles to shoot some Bridal images with the beautiful Christina. Eagle Castle is a newer winery with a ton of great spots to shoot. They also have some fantastic wines as well...you didn't think I would go and not try them did you? They are quickly growing to become one of the premiere wedding venues in San Luis Obispo county and after shooting there I can see why!
We started off inside in the Library which is baroque in design and quite stunning. The fabrics and interesting metal work made for a wonderful setting that just needed some touches of my lighting to really make them come out. We then headed up the grand staircase for some natural light shots. I have to say that I wasn't expecting to get much natural light inside a castle but the architects did an great job of keeping the design but also adding in windows to allow for beautiful natural light. I was completely prepared to shoot all with strobes and ended up hardly using them at all!
We then headed out onto the patios and then the vineyards themselves. The sun went behind a hill just to the west of Eagle Castle and shaded the entire venue (which would be awesome during the hot summer months) but left the far hills lit and gave us some of the best natural light I have ever had. It was a great shoot, Christina was amazing and the venue was perfect! I love my job!

The dresses are from Central Coast Wedding Center in San Luis Obispo. Kim, the owner, is fantastic to work with and has an amazing selection. I was very surprised by the wide selection when we were picking out the dresses for this shoot, she's got everything, I'm going to tell all of my brides to check there before driving to Santa Barbara or San Francisco!
Thanks again to Eagle Castle Winery for allowing us to use the facility for this shoot, it was amazing!

Death Valley

2008-02-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last week I headed out to Death Valley to meet up with my friends for some fun and photography. Meeting me there were Jason Groupp, John Griffin, TJ Cameron and Tim Halberg. It was a great opportunity for a bunch of wedding photographers to get together and do something different! We got there on Tuesday afternoon after stopping at one of my favorite diner's in Mojave, Primo Burgers. Note: when you go to a burger place, stick with the burgers! haha, some of us learned that lesson the hard way! It was pretty overcast and the light was flat so we just kind of setup camp and hung out. I cooked up my "college special" of macaroni and cheese mixed with chili and corn, mmmmmm!
The next day we were up early and headed over to the sand dunes but the light was completely flat, we couldn't even see our own shadows. Most of Wednesday we spent sightseeing by checking out old mines and ghost towns. I got some kind of cool shots in the rain (yes, it was raining!) of one of the towns but it's all on film which I don't have back yet. That night we consumed plenty of frothy adult beverages then woke up at 6am to shoot at Zabriski point the next day.
Zabriski is well photographed but the light was good so we shot away. It was pretty funny to see all the other wannabe nature photogs out there (I definitely include myself in this category!) as people were taking pictures of all sorts of things! It was a total nerd pack! LOL
I had developed a real bad cold by this point so I was taking it pretty easy and didn't really get to shoot as much as I wanted but the light was hit or miss so it was not big deal. That afternoon we jumped in my Jeep and motored out to the Racetrack. The Racetrack is that weird dry lakebed where the rocks somehow slide along and leave tracks behind them. It is a really cool place but there were high winds so we didn't stay all that long. We did manage to get some good shots of all the wildflowers that are starting to bloom which was beautiful. I think I will head back on my way home from Vegas next month as all the other colors of flowers ought to be blooming by then.
If you have never been to Death Valley I strongly recommend checking it out. It is the least visited National Park so you are guaranteed no crowds which makes it worth it right there!

These pics are just what I shot as extra's from my digital camera. When I get my film back I will get some more fun shots up.

The flowers aren't quite all that thick yet, it needs another rain. This was near Salt Creek.

The view from Zabriski Point

Laying on the ground was the only way out of the relentless wind out at the Racetrack!

Some sort of interesting desert plant. I love how everything in the desert is all about texture and form.

Here's a pic of the moon just before the total lunar eclipse. It was pretty amazing, it completely covered the moon for about an hour. It got super dark so the stars became very vivid, it was one of the most star filled skies I have ever seen!

New Look!

2008-02-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

If you have been to my splash page or my main website you will probably notice a new look for me. I've been working for quite awhile on this stuff and finally finished the new logo in early January. Then it was a matter of picking out the right colors and then doing the html coding to make it all come together. Phew! This stuff is harder than it looks!
I would have been done sooner but January was an extremely busy month for wedding and commercial bookings so I want to take a moment to welcome all my new couples and clients and say how excited I am to be chosen as your photographer! I am blessed to be shooting some really awesome couples at some incredible venues and also to get to shoot some great products and beautiful models.
Soon I'll be heading out to the desert with my friends Jason Groupp of New York, TJ Cameron from Portland and Tim Halberg of Santa Barbara. John might even join us too! These are some of the top wedding photographers in the country so we are all going out to do some nature photography and enjoy some time shooting purely for fun! I'll be shooting mostly film so it will take a bit to get pictures up but I fully expect to get some great new shots for my office and home, maybe I will even put out some limited edition prints while I'm at it :)

Some fun video

2008-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've never posted video here before (I am a still photographer afterall!) but I thought it would be fun to post up this video of a jump I build behind my house. This is the sort of silliness that I can't do during the wedding season as I don't want to risk breaking my arm! ...As if it's okay to break my arm in the off season LOL!