Santa Cruz Photographer for Weddings, Families, Commercial, Food, Lifestyle and More!
Hey you. Yeah, you. Thanks for visiting my blog. Check here often for the latest and greatest photos by Chris Schmauch. I shoot weddings, food, architecture, families, events, models, products... well you get the point, I love it all!
Click on the "Categories" link up top to find posts related to certain types of photography. Most of my stuff is restaurant-related (architecture & food) or people-related (weddings, engagements, families, etc.)
Click the "portfolio" link to visit www.GoodEyePhotography.com, where you can order prints from over 130,000 photos in my always-expanding archive.
Oh, a little about me: I'm 32, happily married with two little girls, and am passionate about both Photography and Design (hence the business name). I'm a Nikon shooter, love both Macs and PCs, have that type of personality that gets along with anyone, am totally unflappable, and, well, I'm pretty good at what I do.
Visit often, and if you need to book me, don't hesitate to call: 408.431.4808!
Went back to Shokolaat today to shoot this fine, fine duck dish. Shekoh, the owner, was kind enough to let me eat it afterwards, and it was mighty deelish! It’s usually served with rutabaga instead of green beans, but I’m not complaining. Check this place out, it’s a must-visit restaurant if you’re wandering down University Ave. in Palo Alto!
Had to share these ones of my oldest daughter, Kaitlin. Tooth number three (top), and ain’t she proud o’ that gap!
Natural light
Natural Light
Two SB-800s firing through a FourSquare Softbox (review on that baby coming!)
Catheryn & Sebastian had a wonderful ceremony at the Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose this last August – I had no idea the banquet spaces were so nice there! C&S are a beautiful couple inside and out. I really enjoyed our first engagement shoot down in monterey, they were real troopers braving the misty weather and helping me make some nice photos. When it came to the big day, they both maintained a positive, laid-back attitude, just wanting to make sure everyone had a good time, which indeed they did! Thanks Catheryn & Sebastian for choosing GoodEye Photography + Design! Full-sized album images are here.
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November 24, 2009 - 8:55 am - Very nice work!! Beautiful location and well captured Chris!!
OK, so I mainly chose the location because of the iconic natural bridges that give the park its namesake, but if I’ve learned anything about photography, it’s to assume nothing about weather, light, kids good behavior, camera and lighting gear functioning properly… you get the picture.
Anyways, I met the Lorig family in the parking lot. The weather in Santa Cruz was gorgeous, but the waves were HUGE, like, knocking pelicans off their perch on top of the natural bridge rock huge. Normally there’s a beach to walk up and down, but the waves washed over everything essentially making the dry part of the usually large beach much, much smaller.
Luckily there’s many cool little nooks in the picnic area if you’re willing to explore a little, so there was no need to panic. We still tried to get some shots walking along the wet beach, and almost lost a pair of flip flops for our trouble. Enjoy the slidshow of 65 photos below, or check out all 180 final photos on my portfolio site!
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I met up with my buddy Daniel Patino today, the Executive Chef at Downtown San Jose’s Arcadia (in the Marriott Hotel). We wanted a couple photos of their Thanksgiving special which he was kind enough to plate up for me. Here’s a pic from the quick shoot below. Afterwards we went up to the 26th floor of the Marriott to the Concierge Lounge, which offers stunning views of downtown from the highest building in the city. Here’s the rest of the photos from the session. Look for the next issue of The Wave Magazine for more info on this dinner and other excellent places to eat out this Thanksgiving.
November 6, 2009 - 7:34 am - Really like the layout on that pic. Nice presentation!
November 17, 2009 - 9:12 pm - Too bad I could not have gone with you Christopher. Maybe I could have sharpened his knives!! Very nice pictures. Thanks for sending to us. Very tired. Trying to get too many projects done right now... Love, DAD
I met with critically-acclaimed clothing designer Franco Uomo at his Santana Row location to shoot some of his creations on our model, Jason. The store manager, Angelina Haole, was indispensable as she dragged the rolling clothes hanger up and down the alleys of Santana Row, all the while providing constructive creative input. Franco whisked in and out of the frame making minor adjustments from time to time, and Jason did a simply excellent job posing and was a good sport about changing in the shadows on the fly. Big thanks for my photographer buddy Sam Fontejon for coming by to assist and take a few shots. Here’s a few shots from the 400-odd photos posted on my portfolio site:
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November 20, 2009 - 8:07 pm [...] Just Give Me “Blue Steel” Already… (Fashion) [...]
I met up with Jason, Madelyn, and their two adorable rugrats this morning at Sunol Community Park. We shot a ton of photos, and I’m just downloading them now, but I thought I’d share one that caught my eye in the last few minutes. I try to creatively wing it when shooting families, it keeps me on my edge and prevents me from getting all cookie-cutter. My sole goal is for everyone to have a great time during the shoot, and let the ideas flow from the fun. I’ll post more later!
Update: Okay, I’m done going through all the photos, here’s my favorites below. Full gallery of all 210 printable edited photos are here!
There’s a pic in the full gallery of where I had to climb to get this above shot 🙂
November 5, 2009 - 11:35 am - BEAUTIFUL photos and a very, very adorable family!! :D
October 11, 2010 - 10:12 am [...] had this great family session with Jason and Madelyn Conrad a couple years ago in Sunol, and I remember this shot distinctly because of the effort it took for [...]
I met with Shekoh, owner of Shokolaat in Palo Alto, to get a couple photos of some award-winning entrees. She was excited as that very morning she’d received the coveted 2010 Michelin Recommendation, which is basically a foot in the door to getting the exclusive Michelin Star. She was kind enough to allow me to eat the wonderful creations she plated for me. Trust me, they tasted even better than they look here!
DUCK BREAST, ROASTED YAMS, SWEET POTATOES, POACHED PERSIMMON, BRAISED FIG AND PORT SAUCE
CARAMELIZED SCALLOPS, BUTTERNUT SQUASH GNOCCHI, SAVOY CABBAGE, ENOKI MUSHROOMS, WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
CARAMELIZED SCALLOPS, BUTTERNUT SQUASH GNOCCHI, SAVOY CABBAGE, ENOKI MUSHROOMS, WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
November 20, 2009 - 7:01 pm [...] Way More Than Chocolate at Shokolaat (Food) [...]
March 22, 2010 - 3:19 pm [...] being said, I shot this beautifully-prepared scallop dish by Shokolaat almost six months ago for an advertising campaign. At the time I didn’t know I’d be using the image for The [...]
Linda McGrath of Yoga Source Los Gatos needed some group and individual shots of her Yoga teachers. We met at the front lawn of Los Gatos High School, which is big, beautiful, green, dotted with tall palm trees, which would help accentuate the reaching poses. It was hot as hell, and everyone was wearing all black bodywear, so I made the executive decision to do the shoot in the shade. It was a sunny day, so I had the lights at practically full power to cover the distance they had to be from the subjects for the larger group shots, as well as to bring down the ambient light.
We did a bunch of small groups and some individual headshots (full gallery here) over the course of a couple hours. Everyone was so nice! I’ve taken a few yoga classes, and they certainly know what they’re doing at Yoga Source. It’s no wonder they’re so highly acclaimed as one of the best Yoga Studios in the Bay Area.
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Luisa and Graham got married at the beautiful Murrieta’s Well in Livermore, CA. Graham used to work at the winery, so it was a bit of a reunion with the folks there. The main building looks like a big, weathered, two-story barn with rocky walls on the base level and giant wooden timbers and glossy wood floor on the second story. A small porch off the second story overlooks the vineyard and outdoor wedding area below.
Luisa and Graham clearly love each other, which made for an emotional, meaningful ceremony. I was honored to be a part of it, everyone was a joy to work with and photograph. Printable photos are on my portfolio site here, below is a slideshow of the album design I made for them.
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Jo Abbie, Heather Driscoll and I met up with Robin Tomb, the owner of the new Pooch Hotel in Sunnyvale. She generously gave us the PR tour of the opulent, canine-only hotel. Prices range from $50-$100/night, but most suites include flat screen TVs (24/7 Animal Planet, Anybody?) and webcams to remotely check on your pooches while abroad. So you know, it’s entirely justified. There’s a zen meditation room, “spaw” facilities, an underwater treadmill, a fetching pool… the list goes on. It’s actually a pretty awesome, space – and huge! Check out a few photos from our visit below:
Kelly and Doug are totally laid back, left me to do my magic. They had a wonderful wedding at Sesnon House on the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz). Please enjoy the album slideshow below. All their printable photos are on my portfolio site here.
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Went to Iguana’s in downtown San Jose to watch Mitchell’s friend Nick attempt to master the 5+ pound monster that is “Burritozilla.” Nick made a valiant effort, managing a little more than half of the beefy behemoth down his gullet. I was there to point my finger, laugh, and of course document the moment for posterity. Rest of the pics here.
UPDATE 3/12/09: Nick, temporarily enhanced by alcoholic spirits and in a fugue state, finished the Burritozilla at 1am. He is not available for comment.
The Location.
Gettin psyched up, Iguana-style.
It is coming.
A quiet moment of reflection. Perhaps wondering, “why am I here?”
There’s really nothing funny about facing a burrito that weighs as much as a newborn.
Just needs a little salsa…
Making room. Spectators are getting bored with imminent failure approaching.
The end.
I thought this was a cool shot – I told them I was testing the lighting setup, so it was totally candid. Reading a mag, yawning, I couldn’t have tried to get this shot…
This shot shows some of the “stuff”
December 16, 2009 - 11:58 pm [...] Read the original here: Dredg, The Band | GoodEye Photography + Design [...]
Enjoy, and leave a comment if you like what you see!
OK, so I probably outweigh this guy by at least 50lbs, but if we were in a ring together, I’d last as long as it took for him to cross the distance to get to me. Mitchell Alan Parker and I drove down to the Team Guerrero gym in Gilroy to interview and take pics of The Ghost for an article in The Wave Magazine. Robert was really nice, and we hung out with him while he got ready to spar about 20 guys for “practice.” His dad was really cool too, I mean, he just “looks” like a boxer coach-guy. You be the judge. All the pics are here.
by Chris Schmauch
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