San Francisco Portrait & Wedding Photographer - Joey Chandler

What is your one thing?

Joey — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:35:37 +0000

I’ve been talking with people recently and asking them a great question – what is the thing they are dong these days that most exemplifies their life right now?

For me, it’s watching my son Lucius change from Clark Kent to Superman. Every afternoon we head over to the park and without fail, he insists on wearing a button down shirt, tie, dress pants and blazer over his Superman costume. Then, when the moment is right, he strips off the outer layers to reveal his true identity. Somehow it never gets old and it never ceases to amuse me.

One mom started off by saying playing with her kids by the river in their town. But then she smiled and laughed and changed her mind to watching her boys wrestle with her husband on the mat in the back yard.

Another mom said “being a new mom!”. She has a 5 month old and told me about playing with him at their home, at the zoo and the airport where she works.

Another client, talked about how her one thing would be in her home office where she and her best friend are starting a business.

What I love about this conversation is not only do I get to learn something special about clients and friends but it creates such amazing visuals. I can completely see the boys wrestling with their dad, the little one with an airplane and the young women working in their office to build their business.

I’ve realized I became a photographer to capture the moments like these and help people appreciate the beauty and wonder of these everyday moments. These are the moments I love and I think these make the best pictures.

So I ask you – what is your one thing?

Please let me know on my Facebook page.

And contact me to do a One Thing photo session. As a special offer, for any session between now and the end of June, I will match your session fee (either $185 for 90 minutes or $325 for 3 hours) with a print credit of equal size.

Spots are limited so schedule yours today.

Your one thing Schedule Your One Thing Session Today. Sessions held before the...

Carrie and Diego’s Wedding – Monarch Cove Inn – Capitola

Joey — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:05:43 +0000

Last month I traveled to Capitoloa (about 90 minutes south of San Francisco) for one of my most memorable weddings. Carrie and Diego planned a beautiful wedding at the Monarch Cove Inn - a wonderful bed and breakfast with stunning views of the ocean, a lush garden and classic charm. Definitely check it out if you are looking for location between Santa Cruz and Monterey. One of best things about the Monarch, is that it comes with Aimee Newlander, wedding planning extraordinaire. We had a few logistical challenges (i.e. a major rain storm) and Aimee took everything in stride, was always smiling and absolutely took care of Carrie and Diego. Such a joy to work with and I definitely recommend giving her a call if you are thinking about hiring a wedding planner.

We knew there was a good chance of showers so I brought extra umbrellas and Carrie and Diego tented the area for the reception and dancing. But there is no way around the fact that it rained during the ceremony. In fact, I think the 10 minutes of the ceremony was the hardest rain of the day. And for that I really admire Carrie and Diego, their friends and family and Aimee and her team. Carrie and Diego really wanted an outdoor ceremony and when the rain let up for a few minutes before the scheduled ceremony time, everyone pitched in to move flowers and chairs from the tent to the grassy area and they went for it.

And for that I will always remember that day. Yes it would have been safer to do everything in the tent but in the end it wouldn’t have been as fun, special or memorable. The rain started just a few seconds before Carrie was escorted down the isle by here mother and father, kicked into high gear during the vows and then ended sometime after everyone retired to the tent for drinks and time under the heaters. Pretty amazing hour for sure.

After everyone got warm and had a bit to drink, the party kicked into high gear. The toasts were great, both Carrie and Diego got a face full of cupcakes and dancing went on and on. I think all the rain and challenges of the day brought everyone together and made the day even more special.

Thanks Carrie and Diego. I had great time and wish you the very best.

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What makes your mom awesome?

Joey — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:51:34 +0000

Photo sessions will take place on a Wednesday or Friday Afternoon and between San Francisco and San Rafael, CA. Winner can choose two 8×10 prints from a gallery of about 20 images. Digital copies and additional prints are available for additional fee.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Professional Portraits with Personality in San Rafael

Joey — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:57:05 +0000

I’ve been having a blast recently. We moved to San Rafael about 20 miles north of San Francisco) earlier this month and I’ve set up a small portrait studio in my garage. So now in addition to weddings and family portraits, I’m able to offer portraits and head shots for professionals and actors. What has me really excited is seeing client’s personalities shine through in these studio portraits. My impression of studio portraits has always been the standard smiling face with a blue background. That work has never had much appeal to me so I’ve never really pursued that line of photography. But with a little extra room I set up a few lights and backgrounds and started exploring what was possible. I had a few clients that needed head shots so I invited them over and we went to work. I still have a long way to go in terms of lighting people in a studio but I found right away that the things I do to get people to relax at an outdoor session apply almost 100% to a studio session. And just like outdoors, when my clients relax and have fun, their personalities just jump put of the photos. Honestly I was completely surprised by the results and by how much fun the sessions were for both myself and my clients. Definitely looking forward to learning more about this art form and see where I can go with it.

Interested in updating your own head shot? Contact me to set up a session.

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Abisia Family at Perry Farms

rebeca — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:14:12 +0000

I met the Abisia family a few months back at Perry Farms in Hayward (about 30 miles south of San Francisco) and we had a great time. Perry farms is an awesome place for picking pumpkins, learning about frontier living and generally having a great time. In fact, my family is still enjoying the popcorn corn that we picked then. Pretty awesome to put the whole cob in the microwave and watch it pop. But we were there to take photos and it was great spot. Pumpkins, hay bales, trees and wagons made for a great session. Of course the Abisia’s were nothing but smiles and the photos came out great. Loved how playful everyone was and that energy came through in the photographs.

We ended up printing several large canvas’s for their home and those look awesome. Really love when my work makes a contribution to a family’s home.

Thanks again Abisia Family and I look forward to seeing you again.

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Shadow fun in San Franisco

Joey — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:58:07 +0000

Follow any of my family or engagement photography and you know that I love playing with shadows. My shadow proposal photo remains perhaps my most talked about photo. So I get a lot of requests for different shadow shots. But for anyone that has tried these types of shots, you know they aren’t easy. To get something that works, you have to have the right lighting, the right background and most importantly, the right people. And honestly, I’ve had little success trying to recreate that moment.

But light and shadows are always on my mind so I’m not surprised that I yelled “pull over quick” (almost causing an accident) while driving between locations while on an engagement session in San Francisco’s Mission district. Matthew and Emily looked at me with a little concern of course but they are a totally fun loving couple so they agreed without too much explanation. We ran over too the loading dock I had seen and played with the shadows that were there. Once they saw the light (pun intended), Matthew and Emily were the perfect subjects as we played with different positions and placements. Pretty happy with these shots especially with this first one. You can see how much fun they have together the love shows through even in black and white.

Have to love moments like that.

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San Francisco Smugmug User Group Call for Presentations in 2012

Joey — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:49:36 +0000

The San Francisco Smugmug User Group is putting out a call for speakers for our 2012 monthly speakers series:

The general topic for 2012 is Creativity and all that it encompasses. Possible topics include:

Expanding creativity through lighting, posing and personal projects
Building a business foundation that supports one’s creativity
Finding inspiration for creativity after being in business for a while
Collaborating with others photographers and vendors.
What are newbies missing about creativity and what are the old dogs missing about creativity?
Finding your own creativity without chasing every new fad

We are looking for people that can address these topics and other in an educational and entertaining way.

About the San Francisco Smugmug User Group

SF SMUG is a place for professional and amateur photographers to meet other photographers and hear talks from industry leaders. Currently the group has about a 1000 members and averages about 70-80 attendees at our monthly meetings. About 50% of the attendees are photographers that have both a photography business and a full or part-time job. The other half incudes full time professionals and amateurs. That ratio fluctuates depending on the speaker. Over all we are one of the most active photography groups in San Francisco and the Bay Area outside of the industry associations (and even with those we are getting close).

Our speaker series runs from January to October with the meetings always being held on the last Tuesday of the month in San Francisco. Meetings last from 6-9 with the speakers going from 7:05-8:30. Topics range from using flash and natural night, working with brides and clients, and creating strong business practices. About half of the speakers are wedding and portrait focused with the other half being a mixture of landscape, sports and fashion photography. We also bring in business experts to discuss marketing, contracts and search engine optimization. Past speakers have included Bambi Cantrell, Ed Pignol, Anna Kuperberg, Scott Robert Lim, Zach Prez and Brook Todd. The group has a 4.5 star rating on meetup.com and you can see our reviews here.

If you are interested in speaking, please send a short bio and course description and let us know why you would be great for our group. We really want people with something interesting to say so let us know why at this you. These presentations are not sales-oriented so while you are more then welcome to mention products and workshops at the end, the bulk of the presentation should be on the chosen topic. This is a great opportunity for anyone to get in front of a large, active group of photographers.

To submit your presentation or if you have questions, please email Joey Chandler at joey@jchandlerphotography.com. We are already a quarter booked for the year so don’t delay. All submissions will be kept on file and we’ll contact you if we choose your presentation. At this point we have no budget for travel so speakers have to cover those costs.

P.S. If you are wondering why this is posted here, I’ve been running the group fro the past two years – Joey

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We want to help your business – Ace Networking

Joey — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:37:23 +0000

Our BNI networking group - ACE Networking in San Francisco – is growing. We are over the 30 member mark and are on track to reach a million dollars in referred business this year. We are looking for professionals that really get the “giver’s gain” philosophy and want to be part of an active business networking group. If that is you, then Please consider visiting our chapter:

Thursday’s 7-9am
Serrano Hotel
405 Taylor St. (Near O’Farrell St)
San Francisco, CA, 94102
$5 for parking

Our goal is help each other grow our businesses through mutual referrals. I’ve more then paid for the chapter dues already in my first 6 months. And now I have a team of people behind me that not only sends business my way but also is trusted resource if a friend, myself or one on my clients is looking for help in a variety of areas – accounting, book keeping, graphic design, family law, wills/estates, real estate and many more. For a solo creative person, these meetings have proven to be an invaluable resource and support for my business.

A few of the professions we are looking for:

Finance And Business Services

Business Broker
Business Coach
Promotional Products
Tax Attorney

Residential & Commercial Services

Junk Removal Provider
Landscaper Architect
Master Gardener
Plasterer
Plumbing / HVAC Contractor
Roofer
Auto repair
Body shop
Auto detail

Health & Wellness Services

Physical Therapist
Personal Trainer
Pilates Instructor
Yoga Instructor
Nutritionist
Aestheticians

Events/Weddings

Caterer
Florists
Hair stylists
Make up artists
Baker
Event Planner
Videographer

First thing to do is to come as a guest to meet the people and see the process at work. To attend, contact me so I can get you on the list.

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Surprise Engagement Photographs on the San Francisco to Sausalito Ferry

Joey — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:30:56 +0000

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Those words were said twice in the past week. The first time when Creighton called me to see if I would be interested in photographing him as he proposes to his girlfriend. I responded with the multiple “Yes’s” since this was something that I have been wanting to do for several years. I’ve done lots of engagement sessions in San Francisco but never an actual, in the moment, engagement session. Creighton’s plan was perfect. He told Julia that they were going on a hot date complete with a ferry ride from San Francisco to Sausalito and dinner at Caballa point. (Take note if you are ever planning to do a surprise photography session for a girlfriend or wife. Make sure you give her a reason to dress up – this was very smart on Creighton’s part.) Just as we were pulling out, I approached them as planned and pretended to be a boat photographer. I took their photo and as Julia started to pull away and walk towards the warmth of the cabin, Creighton pulled her in close and whispered something. I kept shooting as she went through a slew of emotions – confusion, surprise, excitement, glee – as Creighton talked to her and then got down on one knee. The boat crowd cheered as he slipped the ring on her finger and she said her “Yes’s”. So much fun. They called their family from the ferry and once we landed in Sausalito we walked around for a few more photos. All in all a very well executed plan and a great way to start their life together.

Well done Creighton and Congrats Julia. Can’t wait to see what plans you cook up for the wedding.

I love photographing people with interesting ideas. If that is you and you need an engagement or wedding photographer, please contact me. I would love to talk with you.

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Date Night Photography with Jocelyn and Glenn

Joey — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:55:37 +0000

Photography sessions in San Francisco always have a unique feel depending on the couple’s personality, where we are at, and of course the always interesting variable of the San Francisco weather. This session ended up being special because the location was great (Yerba Buena Gardens) and the fall sunshine made for perfect weather. The last aspect of the personality was determined by who was and wasn’t there. Jocelyn and Glenn have been married for 14 years and it was great to see the love and the playfulness between the two of them. And what made this session all the more was who wasn’t there – namely their two beautiful children. This was a Date Night Photosession and we were out on the town for a few photos before their reservations and a local steak house. But even after the 14 year span since their wedding, a doubling in size of their family, and a whole lot of pre-session gitters, they did awesome and we had a great time. I’ve always said photography sessions make for great dates (especially for parents) and this was proven true again. There were a few nervous laughs but we explored around the Contemporary Jewish Museum and started having fun. By the time we crossed Mission and went to the Yerba Buena Gardens they were holding hands a bit more tightly and I could see the romance through the camera (always love that). All in all it was a wonderful afternoon. The photos turned out wonderful and from what I hear the steak dinner was equally fabulous so all in all they had a very good date. Congrats Jocelyn and Glenn on not letting the day to day get in the way of having a great date.

If you want a date that goes beyond dinner and a movie, call me to set up a Date Night Session.

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