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Author Archives: Chris Schmauch

Casandra & Roland (Maternity Photography) @ Capitola Beach

It was a beautiful morning at Capitola Beach, we practically had the ocean to ourselves for this precious maternity photography session with Casandra, Roland and their pup “Hercules.” The Captila wharf/pier is an excellent location for portraits, and I almost always start sessions there. The wooden columns make for interesting dynamic elements to the compositions, […]

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Body in Motion (Pilates / Fitness Photography) @ Aptos, California

Dominique is updating her company’s website, and one of the highlights of the redesign is a prominent panoramic-format slideshow to show off Body in Motion’s studio space and services. She’s got some amazing talent on staff, so we spent a couple hours today photographing all the things they offer. I must say it was more […]

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Kelly + Nat (Elopement Photography) @ Wedding Rock, Carmel

Anyone who’s ever planned a wedding knows it can be simply shocking how expensive everything is. Even the smallest weddings can easily cost $15,000 – the food, venue, and of course professional services such as my own quickly add up, forcing people to ask “Is this really worth it?” To most, the answer is a resounding […]

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Jamie + Matt (Engagement Photography) @ Lagunas Beach, Santa Cruz

Jamie and Matt are getting married at Ranch Soquel in a few months, but were smart to take advantage of my engagement photography service, recognizing it as not only a good chance to get to know me better, but as valuable practice for taking photos together. I truly believe that a 1-2 hour shoot in […]

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Charlie Hong Kong – Food Preparation (Restaurant Photography) @ Santa Cruz

Charlie Hong Kong is a tiny little restaurant on the corner of Soquel and Seabright Avenues in Santa Cruz. The kitchen is, of course, small. But constantly cleaned as the staff expertly prepares the Asian fare in an efficient manner, no matter how long the line gets. I’m doing my best to stay out of […]

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Charlie Hong Kong (Food Photography) @ Santa Cruz

I paraphrase Charlie Hong Kong’s owner when she first told me about her restaurant: “This is fast food/takeout, but with local, organic ingredients. We aren’t a fancy restaurant, but our food is good. I haven’t been able to consistently capture that with any photographers.” OK, no pressure, right? It’s true that fancy restaurants with their refined […]

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Charlie Hong Kong – Location & Details (Restaurant Photography) @ Santa Cruz

I had an ambitious morning shoot with Charlie Hong Kong, shooting food, kitchen action, and the content of this post – the location and details. There’s some really neat muralist design/artwork on the walls, and the location itself is iconic for the Santa Cruz area. The poster board is a favorite resource for locals to […]

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Preston Wynne Staff Portraits (Business Headshot & Group Photography) @ Saratoga

Peggy decided to get her staff group photo taken by a professional this year, and knew of me because I photographed her friend’s wedding last year. The goal for the shoot was to get one big shot of all the staff – about 30 individuals. I knew that would only take a couple minutes to […]

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Verona + Paul (Wedding Album Design) @ Eagle Ridge, Gilroy

Check out Verona and Paul’s 60 page wedding album design. I love laying out wedding albums to show off the wedding day in a truly unique way. Their wedding was last December, and I know they’ll love the keepsake this album will become. Enjoy the spreads below! Getting married in Gilroy, California? Bay Area Destination […]

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19th Annual Art Inspiring Hope Gala (Event Photography) @ San Francisco Design Center

For the last couple of years I’ve donated my time photographing the Okizu Foundation’s annual fundraiser to help children affected by cancer. The goal is to send as many kids as possible to week-long camps in Northern California where they are free to drop their guards, be themselves, make friends and have a blast. This […]

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Stephanie + Kevin Wedding (Album Design) @ Felton Guild

If you’d like to get married in an intimate, natural grove of redwoods, but have the convenience of a restaurant and outdoor seating for a couple hundred people nearby, Felton Guild is the ideal location for your wedding. The following photos are album spreads from Stephanie and Kevin’s Felton Guild wedding – representing their favorite […]

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Katie + Tyler (Maternity Photography) @ Panther Beach, Santa Cruz

As awesome as it is to have a new baby in the house, there’s something to be said for the almost-year that precedes the little person’s arrival. The woman’s body is an amazing vessel, and it always blows my mind that it just knows how to change to accommodate the new human growing within. I […]

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Kylie + Michael (Wedding Photography) @ Kohl Mansion, Burlingame

I met with Kylie and Mike last October about their upcoming wedding at Kohl Mansion, and was excited when they told me I was their first choice as wedding photographer. I’d just shot there for the first time a couple weeks before, and I really fell in love with the historical estate. Fast forward to […]

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Kelsey + Michael (Wedding Photography) @ North Block Hotel, Yountville

Kelsey and Michael live in Chicago, where it’s very cold and wintery right now. So of course they decided to tie the knot in nice ol’ California – more specifically, Yountville. Now, I’m a California native, and I had to look Yountville up on a map. Turns out it’s this adorable little town in the […]

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South Bay Accent – Sensational Seafood Story (Magazine Editorial / Food Photography) – February / March 2013 Issue

I did some editorial photography earlier this year for the local glossy magazine South Bay Accent. They needed a consistent look for the restaurant dishes that were being featured in the multi-page editorial spread. I’ve worked with them before, so they knew I was the right guy for the job. I shot most of the food […]

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Carie, Seth, Wyatt & Grandparents (Family Photography) @ Hidden Beach Park, Aptos

Hidden Beach Park is a special place for this family, being close to home and an easy place to take the kids. There’s a big grass field and playground near the parking lot, and it’s a quick walk from there through some towering sycamores to reach the beach. For this particular family photo session, we […]

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Capitola Family Photography (Album Design)

Great family portraits are awesome to hang on the wall. But sometimes, there’s just too many good ones to choose from – or more likely, simply not enough wall-space available for prints. In those cases, I recommend my clients invest in custom-designed albums that tell the story of their fun photo shoot with GoodEye Photography […]

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Where to Retire Cover Photo Shoot (Magazine Lifestyle Photography) @ Pacific Grove

I was contacted by the publisher of Where to Retire  magazine to photograph Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe and his wife Cheryl – possibly for the cover of the publication. I met up with the down-to-earth, friendly couple on Lighthouse Ave. in the heart of downtown Pacific Grove this afternoon. One of the many requirements from the […]

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Victor (Business Portrait) @ Ocean View Park, Santa Cruz

Victor needed some new business cards, so he thought it was a good time to update his portrait as well. Well dressed in his suit, we met for some semi-casual portraits at Ocean View Park in Santa Cruz. We took a variety of shots – close in to full body – at several locations around […]

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Jennifer P (Pilates Photography) @ Santa Cruz

Jenny is opening her own Pilates studio in Los Gatos, so she had a specific vision for the hero images that would appear on her website homepage when she contacted me. She wanted a clean, white background shot at a low perspective for the photos of herself during different Pilates poses – with and without some basic equipment. As […]

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