The Murals of the Mission District in San Francisco

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MacArthur Place Wedding

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Sonoma Wine Country Weddings:

Ten Tips for Enhancing Your Image

In Front of a Camera

1. Remember that prime time for photographing outdoors is one hour before sunset. The light is softer and warmer which gives you beautiful, rich, saturated colors. Try to avoid a photo shoot in the middle of the day. The bright sunlight creates dark shadows under the eye sockets and under the chins.Pay attention to body language.

2. Put all of weight on your back foot. Bend your front leg at the knee to create the classic pose called the “S curve”. This position gives the body a nice look. Women should allow a slight space between the upper arms and the torso. When the upper arms are against the body, the width of the torso appears larger.

3. Be aware of the proper placements of your hands. Men look great with their hands in their pockets or with their arms folded. For women, you should show all of your hand or none at all. Raise the wrist slightly to give a curve line where the hand joins the wrist. Putting your hands on the waist creates a triangular base. Such a composition visually attracts the eyes towards the face and minimizes the flat or flabby arm look.

4. Get a leaner look by wearing dark or medium shades with no patterns. Cool colors recede and warm colors advance. Wear long sleeves which will give you a more flattering look. Neutral colors emphasize faces and makes them appear warmer.

5. In a large group shot, encourage the group to form a “U” curve instead of being in a straight line so that the individuals on the end are in focus. If you have positioned your group into different rows, make the first row wider than the top row to ensure a better composition.

6. For those with gray hair or a bald head, make sure to have a background that provides contrast to the color of your hair or skin on top. Beware of a pale overcast sky which will fade out the top of your head.

7. To avoid any reflections on your eye glasses, either remove your glasses from your face or tilt them down slightly on your nose.

8. Photographer Bill Hurter advises turning your shoulders at an angle to the camera. When the shoulders face the camera directly, people look larger than they really are. With women, the head is often at a slightly different and opposing angle toward the shoulder nearest the camera. With men, the head is more often turned the same direction as the shoulders. Tilt the head slightly to make the pose more dynamic. Do not sit against the back of the chair because it thickens the torso. Posing with your body at an angle to the camera is more flattering for older women. Also crossing your legs at the calf level will make your legs look thinner.

9. For women, make sure to use a foundation make-up with a matte finish to prevent a shiny face. During a midday shoot, use a little shimmer (not frosted) eye shadow as a highlight above your eyes to open them up to avoid having your eyes look like two darks holes in the image..

10. Flash photography used in low light will wash your face out. Makeup specialist Robert Jones recommends that the best solution for maintaining color and more dimensions in your face is to sculpt your face using highlighting and contouring techniques. First apply regular foundation to your entire face. Then you use a foundation one shade lighter that highlights your forehead, the center of your nose, the middle of your chin and the area right under your eyes. With a foundation one shade darker than what you use regularly, contour the sides of you face, the sides of your nose and the area below your eye brows down to the tops of your eyelids. Powder afterwards because it is the most important step in eliminating shines and helps the skins appear smooth and matte.

Sonoma Photographer: The Feast of the Olive

The Feast of the Olive 2012 will be on Saturday January 26th at Ramekins. It is one of my favorite events of all those that I shoot during the year. It is a very intimate celebration where the local wineries, olive oil purveyors and the best chefs of the Sonoma Valley come together to enjoy multi-course dinner around our treasured "other fruit", the olive. Narsai David usually delights the guests with his appearance.

Sonoma Photographer: Make up for the camera

I recently read an article in the April 5th edition of New York Times called Skin Deep which highlights a new trend in the world of photography. With the posting of un-retouched photos to social media willy-nilly, some women are taking pre-emptive measures to ensure their complexions look smooth on the internet. To reduce the shines for photography, one woman layers on Bobbi Brown's face base and Smashbox HD Healthy FX foundation before contouring her cheekbones with bronzer.

With the advent of HD cameras that detect every flaw, cosmetic companies are scrambling to create makeup to address this issue. They discovered that foundations need to look thinner, yet still have coverage.

Smashbox bought by Estee Lauder in 2010 also offers products such as Photo Op eye shadow trio, Be Discovered cream and Photo Finishing hydrating foundation primer.....the latest creation being Camera Ready BB Cream. The founder of Smashbox is Davis Factor, a photographer whose great grandfather was Max Factor. Smashbox's competitor, Revlon has come out with a new product line called Photoready and their cream blushes will arrive in drugstores this month.

Sonoma Photographer: The Feast of the Olive

The Feast of the Olives was held on January 28th at Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma. This is one of the greatest events of the year featuring many of the best chefs in the area. You get to also mingle with local wine makers and olive purveyors. As a photographer who does many events, I feel that this is the one special occasion where you get to meet the real players in Sonoma. Well worth the ticket!