Category: San Francisco

Come To This Event!

This weekend, my friend Star Germain, her band This Can’t End Well, and talented comic book artist Ted Naifeh are teaming up for a live show version of Ted’s wonderful all-ages comic ‘Courtney Crumrin and The Night Things‘.

Oh, and it’s free. So there’s no excuse not to come!

Sun­day Feb­ru­ary 27th
1pm sharp
Pub­lic Works
161 Erie at Mission

Rainy Ray Activities

A friend of mine just gave me this camera and I’m unreasonably excited. It belonged to his grandfather and was just gathering dust – such a shame. My first camera ever was my father’s old Canon AE-1, which tragically went missing during one of my many apartment moves of the last fourteen years. It’s astounding to think that I’ve lived in San Francisco that long, and moved over eleven times…

I’ll be test driving this thing out over the next week, but I’m not too worried. These old cameras are built like tanks. Can’t wait to use this on some upcoming gigs, including a wedding in a few months.

Issac, if you’re reading this, you’re one heck of a good friend!

So much for warmer weather. It’s been gross, cold and rainy the last few days. Good to know we still have time to sneak off to Tahoe sometime this season, but we’re having all kinds of motivational…. issues today. Ok, it’s just me who’s having issues. David has been very productive.

Pi Cat ponders the need for another nap.

We thought that ordering the new sofas in grey would cut down on the cat hair issues.

Boy, were we ever wrong about that.

Sad droopy tulip. Exhibit A – why all photographers need a live-in stylist.

Kitty von Quim

The week started out a little less than fun… Monday D and I both went to the dentist and met with our CPA about business taxes + planning for next year. We also signed up for a health insurance plan through his business, which is wonderful (healthcare, yay!) and expensive (less than yay.) So far the theme of the week so far has been ‘grown up stuff, and acting like a grown up about it’.

Retouching a shoot like this reminds me that while running a business can be an enormous pain in the a$$, I love this job! Kitty von Quim is a burlesque performer and a dancer with Rubenesque Burlesque. She performs regularly here in the SF bay area, and it was a blast working with her on these photos.

Kitty’s fierce dress is by Orange Appeal, and her hair was styled by Artina Marie.

Succulence

Warmer weather is finally upon us! Cue the desire for outdoor photo shoots and beach excursions.

Our backyard garden is slowly waking up, and some of my orchids are beginning to flower. Growing orchids isn’t all that different from photography in combining detail-oriented O.C.D. tendencies with a more artistic (ie… scattered and intuitive) temperament. I got into the plant hobby with succulents and still have a relatively large collection out on the back steps where conditions are closer to ideal – our backyard doesn’t get a ton of sunlight.

Here are some product and garden shots I produced a while back for a terrific little shop called ‘Succulence‘ out in Bernal Heights. They’re tucked into the rear of Four Star Video on Cortland. They sell individual plants, succulent arrangements, terrariums, pottery, and crafts by local artists.

There’s a bit of a fad for succulents and tillandsia at the moment, a movement I’m completely in favor of. Years ago if you told me I’d have a house full of healthy and happy growing plants, I would have laughed in disbelief. It’s surprisingly easy to get yourself into the habit of caring for a plant, and very rewarding!

Here are some of my favorite blogs and local sources for green things.

Hortica – a wonderful garden center and nursery on Castro Street. I’ve picked up far too many tillandsia from this store.

Flora Grubb – they’ve been featured in a number of magazines and blogs. Really fantastic place, worth a visit. Check out their ‘cutting garden’ blog for examples of incredible wedding bouquet and centerpiece work.

Sloat Garden Center – Recently began carrying an expanded range of orchids! Great place for backyard gardeners, wide range of plants which grow well in the bay area. They currently have dahlia bulbs in stock, I picked up a bunch for the garden over the weekend.

Shelldance Orchid Gardens – Nice selection of orchids, and home to a staggering collection of bromeliads and succulents. They aren’t for sale, but if you’re a plant geek, you need to make a visit.

San Francisco Botanical Garden – Always worth the time to wander through.

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers –  Amazing collection of botanicals, friendly volunteers and employees, and rotating special galleries including their very popular carnivorous plant exhibit.

Far Out Flora – I’ve never met the writers of this blog, but I feel it may be inevitable! They do day trips to nurseries, botanical gardens, and have an enviable back yard succulent garden.