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Tag Archives: chris schmauch

The Meat is on (The Grill)

The Grill on the Alley, nestled next to Downtown San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel, oozes with class and sports a menu that will satisfy any discerning meat ‘n’ potatoes-loving connoisseur. I always enjoy shooting here, whether it’s food or interiors. When it comes to slabs of beef, The Grill keeps it simple. Meat, broccoli, and beer […]

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Salvador & Lydia (50th Wedding Anniversary)

I’m used to dealing with first time bride and grooms, so I was delighted when I was hired to capture the memories of a 50 year wedding anniversary! Draped in Philipino ceremonial garb, Salvador and Lydia renewed their vows to each other in front of friends and family at Le Rivage hotel in Sacramento. The […]

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The 26 Million Dollar House (architecture)

Nestled on 28 acres of extremely private property in Portola Valley is a living relic from the roaring ’20s, and its name is Villa Lauriston. I won’t go into the history of the house as there are books published about it, but it was literally built from the ground it majestically sits upon. All the […]

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Spring Menu @ Sent Sovi, Saratoga (Food)

I love shooting Josiah’s culinary creations. I can make 100 photos by cropping various portions of each dish, he has such a fine attention to detail. Here’s just a few from our marathon Spring Menu session. All the photos from the shoot are here. A few stills and a slideshow of my favorites are below. […]

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Kaama Ambiance (Architecture Photography)

I always have a tough time shooting the interiors of really dark places – not that’s it’s a technical challenge, it’s just that it’s so easy to bring out details that you really don’t want to see in a dark place. For example, when someone paints their ceiling black, it’s because there’s nothing up there […]

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Magazine Cover (Before / After)

If you’ll recall from my last cover, it’s good to envision the the final product of the mag – the proportions, negative space for coverlines, etc – when shooting your subject. But more often than not, the photos gracing many, many magazine covers were never shot with that intent. Usally Art Directors are sourcing images […]

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VIP Party (Event)

It seems like all my posts lately are related to Kaama Lounge – well there’s a lot going on there, with it being a hot new restaurant ‘n’ all. Here’s a few photos from a VIP party held the night before the place opened. Slideshow below (click it, neat!), all 166 printable photos here. [slidepress gallery=’kaama-vip-party’]

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Beer + Burgers = FireHouse Grill

I love beer. I love burgers. I love restaurants that excel in both departments. Enter Firehouse Brewery, anchored on Murphy Street in downtown Sunnyvale for several years now. The General Manager (Leticia Jensen) was kind enough to meet up with me before the craziness of St. Patrick’s Day was upon us to get a few […]

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Tasty Thai (Siam Taste)

Murphy Street, the one-block heart of downtown Sunnyvale, is getting totally remodeled right now. To the casual passer-by, it looks like a serious construction zone. But the businesses are still open, and there’s some true gems – new and old. One such jewel is Siam Taste, and although there’s nothing extraordinary going on from a […]

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Friends and Family Night (Event)

Kaama Lounge is almost open, here’s a few shots from the “Friends and Family” event – a chance to to the food and cocktails and generate a buzz in anticipation of the grand opening! Everyone had fun, and I enjoyed getting some nice shots of the guests and staff! Slideshow below. All 93 photos here. […]

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The Farquhars (Family Portraits)

Today I met up with Wayne and family at the Coyote Creek trail head in Morgan Hill for their family portrait session. It was a nostalgic trip as I used to live a stone’s throw from where we met, and we couldn’t have chosen a better time of year for the area. Instead of dry […]

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More “Fast” Food (Kaama Lounge)

In my last post, I showed some select shots from the first shoot with Matt Mermod, the Executive Chef at soon-to-be-open Kaama Lounge in San Jose. We were experimenting with high-speed (1/800 sec) food photography, which is fun, but a little stressful for the photographer (aka me) as I really only had one chance to […]

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Kaama Lounge (Food Action!)

I met with Executive Chef Matt Mermod at Kaama Lounge, which is slated to open in the next couple of weeks at 385 S. Winchester Blvd., near Santana Row in San Jose. We wanted to do something a little different from the norm with the food shots – somehow make them more dynamic with action […]

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Jenn & Johnny (Wedding Album)

I’ve known Jenn & Johnny for a looong time, and was honored when they asked me to capture their wedding day. They are a lovely couple, and the camera adores them. Luckily they aren’t camera shy, and were willing to play around with my creative whims. They had a small wedding at a friend’s house […]

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Tips for Magazine Cover Photography (Design + Photography)

I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I can both photograph and design magazine covers, but in the real world it typically doesn’t happen this way. Often the magazine art director (AD) isn’t even involved in the shoot – they simply receive the end result and need to “make it work.” When I […]

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Co-Branded Movie Slide (Design)

It’s nice that movie slides are (for the most part) digital these days. It makes it easier to update without having to fuss with all that film. The real challenge is making the ad’s message simple/clear enough for the average popcorn-munching, soda-slurping, waiting-for-the-movie-to-start moviegoer to, well, digest. Advertising is a necessary evil, and a captive […]

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George & Claire (Wedding Album)

Check out George and Claire’s 40 page wedding album proof below – they are such a fun couple and I hope the photos I chose for the layouts illustrate this. The venue is Larkspur’s Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos – the reception was in the middle courtyard, and with weather like we had, it’s […]

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Who Doesn’t Love Leo DiCaprio (The Wave Magazine Cover)

I designed this cover with a movie still provided by Paramount Pictures. The “spa girl” was from a previous shoot I had at the wonderful Harmonie European Spa in Saratoga. Other Wave covers I’ve made here.

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Blackrapid.com Digs My Mug

Somehow the kind folks at BlackRapid (makers of the much-beloved camera straps) came across my blog and the caffeine-crazed portrait of yours truly, sporting a couple of these aforementioned camera straps. The RS-5 has a special place in my heart (and on my shoulder), and is a fine complement to my Spider Holster when shooting […]

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Jennifer & Leon (Engagement)

After one postponement due to the rain, I was determined to make today’s engagement shoot with Leon and Jennifer happen. The weather was iffy in Carmel according to the interweb, but we met up at 4pm anyways at Carmel Beach (Carmel-by-the-Sea). It’s a gorgeous, beautiful, stunning location – and the quality of light was simply […]

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