The vibe at Flora Grubb in San Francisco is amazing. Such beautiful, green life all around with a little Ritual Coffee shop nestled right in the middle. I visited during a quick break in the rain, and it was just so... relaxing.
Tiffany and Al frequent this neighborhood and met for some quick snaps. Check out some of my favorite scenes from around Flora Grubb Gardens below.
Update from Monday, Nov 7: I'm excited to report that all time slots have sold out for the original Holiday Mini Session dates, but thanks to those still interested, I've opened up a NEW SHOOT DATE ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2016. Presidio Woodline is the location again due to it's popularity. I have 4 spots available. First come, first served. These photos will be delivered before Thanksgiving. The remainder of the details below remain the same.
This the season for holiday photos! I'm offering a limited number of 30 minute mini sessions in San Francisco this Fall. You'll get a minimum of 15 retouched photos digitally delivered before November 19, perfect for those greeting cards you'll send to family & friends.
You can enjoy the session with just yourself, with your partner, your friends, or with your family of up to 4 (additional family & pets are welcome at $25 per person).
Sign up by emailing your preferred date/city to stephanie@marilee.co. We'll agree on a shoot time and your slot will be saved first-come first-served upon completing payment through my booking system (I use Square).
Don't see a date or city that works for you below? Feel free to request another day and I may open up another block.
Weather permitting. In the event of heavy rain or act of nature, we will reschedule at no additional cost.
How lucky I am to live in San Francisco, home of the most gorgeous City Hall I know of. I was looking do a bridal inspired photoshoot here, so I dusted off my very own San Patrick Calais wedding dress, picked up an amazing floral bouquet from a local neighborhood shop, and joined forces with my good friend & model, Robelene Novero.
Being a new real-life bride herself, Robelene had her modeling muscle memory down solid for these photos, because she looks gorgeous. Though City Hall can be crowded during the week with tours, fieldtrips, and other brides & grooms (we shot on a Tuesday), everyone was extremely respectful of each other's space. We had an amazing time meandering through the beautiful halls to find some beautiful portrait spots -- there are way too many locations in this single building to show here.
Below, you can enjoy a few of my favorite shots from City Hall. More of my bridal & wedding photography can be found here.
Credits: Coordinated by Stephanie of Marilee.co. Special thanks to model: Robelene Novero, assistant: Tiffany Ho, florist: Vanessa Lovato, Polk Street Florist, hair: Adrian Enriquez, makeup: Robelene Novero, dress: San Patrick - Calais
I didn't think this would be on my bucket list, but when my husband suggested we take a doors-off helicopter ride (potentially in a storm), I said YES! And I'm so glad we went. We chartered Jack Harter for the helicopter experience in Kauai, starting from Lihue. I knew this would be a great opportunity to learn how to shoot from the air while moving around fairly quick, and I was eager to test my Sony A7.
Lens: My only regret was not bringing the wide angle lens. Because I travel with a toddler, the amount of stuff I can carry is limited, so I only carried my 55mm 1.8 prime lens (aka the workhorse for portrait photography). With a wide angle lens (I have a 24-70mm), MAYBE I could have fit an entire waterfall in one shot. But nope, Kauai waterfalls can be 3000 feet tall!
Shutter speed: Because we were moving super fast (compared to my two feet being planted on the ground 99.9% of the time) and I'd never been on a helicopter before (would it be smooth? bumpy? whippy!?!?), I intentionally shot at 1/1000 and ended up with most shots hovering around f8. In hindsight, the ride was smoother than I ever expected and maybe I didn't need the shutter that fast, but 100% of my shots came out crystal clear with limited noise.***
*** Excluding the shots taken in the rain storm. Yes, we flew doors-off through THE RAIN! The water was hitting so fast, my husband's finger got a small cut when hit with a drop. Craaazy. You will see these ominous looking rain shots. Just scroll down.
I was sure to shoot in RAW because I knew I wanted to see every detail of those mountains, and damnit I'd like to find a shark in the water if at all possible in post (this did not happen).
Thanks, Coryfoo for the grand adventure! Here 27 pics for anyone who wants to see Kauai from above. If you are eager to see more, visit my full-resolution album on Flickr (165 pics).
Our pilot, Myles was the best! Highly recommended. :)
I got all 5!
It's easier than you think to make better portraits. Since dedicating my life to photography full time over this past year, I've learned a few simple tricks that I'm excited to pass on in a series of community workshops via meetups.
Founded by Can Ahtam, PortraitMeet organizes local meetups in partnership with IgersSF for networking and skill sharing. Under encouragement from the Boston PortraitMeet community (hey Steve and Rasvan!), I'm hosting one of my own in San Francisco's Financial District and SoMa areas this Saturday 5/7 at 11am. Come one, come all, and follow along using the hashtag #SFPortraitMeet.
We will meet at One Sansome for introductions at 11am and move on by foot through FiDi and SoMa.
Some background: A long time ago, there was a little company with a little app called Instagram, and so far, the community has stood the test of time since I hosted a video review of the early app at Revision3 on a show called AppJudgment over SIX YEARS AGO.
Before moving into the world of pro portrait photography, I casually enjoyed snapping photos of my friends (and dog) with my phone. Both mobile cameras and DSLR cameras have come a long way, and this has been a catalyst to increasing the quality of photos. The community has skyrocketed, and it's been amazing.
I'm seeing a trend of everyday users putting more effort into making their photos sharp and vibrant with several easy tricks, whether they're using a mobile app like VSCO cam, a desktop app like Lightroom, or boosting light during the shoot. The results are gorgeous, and the community wants more.
Meetups in nature are casual and fun. You're surrounded by people of all skill levels who have the same interest of creating better photos. No matter what age you are, or what formal education you've had, I'm a big believer that you can learn by doing... andd it's real hard to practice photography alone. Models and photographers converge on spontaneous, creative ideas, and in the end, everyone has new pieces for their portfolios.
Come ready with a goal or a topic you want to learn more about. Last time, I gave photography demos on utilizing natural light reflectors, how to shoot during harsh mid-day conditions, how to position flash for a basic portrait, and when you should diffuse your light. Models might want to wear a specific theme of clothing or practice dance or athletic poses. You can bet you'll have the opportunity to practice and learn.
Photo above by Tiffany Ho. I demoed a pocket sized reflector with Albert Chen.
Here are more of my photos from the last #WWIM (Worldwide Instagram Meet) hosted by Kim Alvarez in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. I, myself am still learning new photography tricks every day -- I look forward to meeting you!
Here are some of my favorite images tagged #SFPortraitMeet from the very first San Francisco gathering hosted by Steve Nisotel.
A photo posted by Stephanie Marilee Tucker (@marilee) on
A photo posted by PortraitMeet (@portraitmeet) on
