Articles by David

Our eyes are in constant motion; zooming in, zooming out, panning about. In static images our glance moves over the subject pausing with interest and passing with indifference. Great paintings often have mini scenes within the whole that our brain reflects upon.

Here are examples of framed views inside larger compositions. In web applications these cropped views, or mini moments can be used as a rollover application that expands to a broader view or in a flash based application that creates a dissolve effectively giving movement to the composition.

Here are the same image pairs before being cropped.

Joyce Hewins of SVI Interior Design created the San Francisco home.

Mario Aiello, a principal with the Dahlin Group, created this contemporary mountain home playing with simple vernacular forms that give way to lofty spaces. A restrained palette of materials and hidden details inside give a fresh urban feeling while keeping a good neighbor exterior.

David Crouch hit the ground running over the past few years creating inviting custom homes around Menlo Park, California. Here, his most recent project shows David’s Australian Federalist inspired home with tasteful detailing and excellent craftsmanship throughout.

Andrew Skurman carefully proportioned this pre-war town home with his repertory of classic details. By adding elegant arches to the home, a peaceful repetition quietly defines the space.

Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher, of Fisher Weisman, brought in a calming palette and a wonderful modern mix of furnishings.

Given a quirky site with great views, Robert Nebolon Architect drew inspiration from the Case Studies Homes in designing this modern perch in Montclair. Layering the spaces to grab views and connect to the outdoors, Robert also sought to bring the snap of daylight into the spaces.

Hidden from the cities great views and behind classic facades are stunning garden moments pressed into compact footprints. Here are two examples shot for the contractor Dijeau Poage Construction. Katharine Webster created an updated fire circle and Topher Delaney created a cubist courtyard. Deft use of Photoshop helped both of these projects by removing surrounding buildings.

A dying breed in the age of mega homes, this Saratoga property still has the scale and intimacy of a Californian ranch from the forties. Interior designer Karyn DeBoer made tasteful additions to the home and gardens of a property once owned by Sandy Walker, and possibly with an unconfirmed pedigree back to Julia Morgan.

A mid-size furniture company embracing today’s global market realities, Brownstone Furniture commission’s fresh design and they work with a range of quality manufacturing partners. They then layer on stylish marketing and provide timely distribution fulfillment. This classic furniture firm is on steady 20% growth year over year.

Working in today’s compressed product to market cycle, the photography is crucial to the marketing efforts. Like the product, the photography needs to be fresh, of quality and timely. Here are some examples from a shoot at the Las Vegas World Market on the last day of the show.

Marin’s Sutton Suzuki Architects are know for their contemporary homes mixing site, space and texture in their engaging homes. Here on a challenging down slope lot, they worked wonders in this fresh family home with an elaborate program.

When Sotheby’s Erick Larson got the listing for this one-of-a-kind 40-acre retreat upon Sonoma Mountain he wanted a unique marketing program. The marketing presentation became a portfolio of individual photographs with vellum slip-sheeting between.

Over a day we created over twenty photographs that showed the grandeur of place along with visionary singular spaces. In post production we tighten up the photography to give the clean architectural feel you see here that belies ten years of wear.

I have photographed kitchens from Maine to Hawaii, they become published yearly in magazines and books.

To make a feature we need four to ten photos of the kitchen with a couple of overalls, the sink and appliances areas, the eating space and material details. When shooting kitchens I wear three hats, that of the Art Director, the Stylist and the Photographer.

Styling points: pick a color range for all the props that will compliment and not over power the kitchen design, keep it simple and let the design shine, make it natural and real for today’s lifestyle.

Dianne Einstein used bold Italian cabinets to enliven a fifties ranch with Pucci modern. California Home and Design loved it too.

House Beautiful will be taking it outside this summer with this Calistoga BBQ. You would have never known that we spent the day avoiding raindrops and looming clouds as we created the perfect summer fete in March.

Arclinea of San Francisco created Euro chic in Orinda. This precisely designed kitchen works perfectly for a family of tidy chefs.

Howard Backen and Nicole Hollis created this grand rustic kitchen in the Napa hills.

Woman’s Day magazine loved the proportions and detailing of this cozy craftsman style remodel in Mill Valley. With the fireside dinning it is truly inviting.

Woman’s Day might use this Mill Valley classic on the cover; there is plenty of room for the title and tag lines.

Down in Carmel, Renovations transformed a bland spec kitchen into a mediterranean dream with color and texture.

Following the lead of magazines like Real Simple and Dwell, here are examples showing a minimum use of styling elements. Florals are non traditional and not floral at all. Items are tidy and not placed askew. Quiet restraint, with a touch of the natural, rules the day.

Styling interiors is much like finishing a puzzle, putting in the last piece to create a whole. Here are some examples of styling elements that blend in, add life, give texture and feel natural.

For me the elements of scale, color and texture need to come together supporting the balance and harmony of the space.

Ironies is a California based luxury furniture manufacture always at the design forefront. Here they show off not only great furnishings but also a clean modern take on styling.

The principals of Ironies and I took a great monochromatic assemblage of forms and textures and used a lighting and photography style to create a soft mood.

This designer and architect team wanted clean interior architectural photographs showing their collaboration on Pampas Restaurant in Palo Alto. With the benefit of large skylights and in-house post production capabilities of Photoshop we created a great set of images in a half-day of shooting.

These photographs showcase an editorial and graphic perspective of Lyman’s work with a San Francisco home in a series of duets.

Samantha, who has had her practice for three years in Ross, wanted me to create photographs that would be paired together on her website samanthalyman.com. She sought to showcase the broad strokes and tasty details that make a room.

Careful consideration was given to the aspect ratio of the compositions so the photographs could work in a one third two third arrangement as tall verticals and horizontal rectangles. With pre-planning and attentive art direction throughout the day we created these perfect takes.

When restaurant Le Colonial wanted to update their website they needed a photographer who understood the food, felt the mood and could deliver photographs that are inviting. A lean team of just photographer and assistant created over a dozen shots in a day. The photographs had multi uses for Web, Print Ad & PR along with in-house banquet sales.

Here are some of the tasty offerings with more seen at lecolonialsf.com

Brix Restaurant, the Napa Valley staple, recently under went a fresh and colorful face lift. The interiors were transformed in ten days and the menu is now farm to table fresh. The creative director heading up the change is David Gingrass with noted chef of Hawthorne Lane (now Two Restaurant).

Photographs for the website, magazine stories, and ads were created with close attention to capturing the feel of freshness and wine country casualness. Over two days of shooting, the tricky art direction required the same photographs to stand alone as either wide panoramic banner for web use or a traditional square/rectangle for print.

David Gingrass sought out my abilities to work collaboratively, be versatile and make fresh inviting photographs quickly.

Inviting, fresh and clean are some of the thoughts I seek to invoke when seeing my food photography. There is a natural and bright mindset here that brings the plate right to you ready for that perfect first bite.

With decades of experience as a home chef, I understand the food and the process of working directly with the chef to capture their creation. The food photographed is the real thing and not overly fussed with. I will mock up the setting working out the details of composition and lighting first. I next “fire” the order and get the shot in it’s freshness for a strong graphic photograph. Sometimes a couple of takes are needed to get all elements to come together as you see here.

These are the same image groupings without the cropping.

In a ten-page spread “The Rock Collector” Wendy Owens wonderful Provincial inspired home and gardens are featured. Here is a selection of some of the thirty photos taken last June. It is always interesting to see which photographs are used and the magazine layout that comes from a great day of shooting.

A L’Ancienne Imports is a family owned importer of old world stone building elements and a fabricator of new element with a very believable patina. Spending two days with the family felt like a trip to San Gimignano with a French accent.

A Palladian inspired estate with expansive grounds with excellent detailing sets the story to be conveyed in the photography of quiet entitlement and perfect relaxation. Listing agent Anne Riley.

Ken Fulk brings fresh style, drama and personality when creating his interiors. Here is a home in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco that Ken and his team transformed.

A full floor Pacific Heights home gets a complete make over bringing together tradition and urban chic in a timeless update. The photography would feel at home among the pages of Elle Décor. Listing agent Deborah Svoboda.

A delicate balance of light is need in creating these photographs of outdoor living spaces. These shots can be more complex than they seem in working with the daylight and flash to create the natural effect you see here.

Since 2003 the store MARCH in San Francisco’s Pacific Height neighborhood has been sharing with the city their unique vision of modern luxury and sophisticated furnishings. Owners Sam Hamilton and Mark Cunningham, alumni of Polo, find comfort in Belgium linen, shades of taupe and the juxtaposition of period antiques with readymades of ethos.

The first exhibition of fine art was the one-man show by photographer David Livingston showing “New Works” in December 2007. Livingston’s serene abstractions of nature brought a rich and textured layer to the space.

Urban chic meets Victorian redo, Jiun Ho created this moody urban home in the Castro, as the steely palette is warmed by fire. Crisp whites, natural finishes and state of the art lighting tricks make this home hot.

For the New Canaan mid-set here is an Arts & Craft home in Hillsborough. The photography portrays established tradition and Gatsbyesque romance. Listing agent Anne Riley.

The Indians called Tahoe the lake of the sky. Here Blair Morgan worked with the cobalt blue and bark brown colors of Tahoe. By mixing Seventies chic with contemporary comfort Blair created a sophisticated mountain home that felt very fresh.

Photographing a home to feel inviting and natural in a fresh style is truly an art form. Recently I shot a project for Sub-Zero, who wanted an editorial look for their magazine.

Here from Sub-Zero are styling guidelines that are right on the money and a great help in prepping for a photo shoot…

Photography should look warm, lived in, fresh, approachable, natural, and inviting. It should not convey a contrived, dramatic, or perfect image. Propping should follow this same “relaxed” approach.

Overall Objectives:

Less is more. The composition can be simple and still luxurious.

The purpose of all our photography is to:
• Inspire readers
• Make the room feel inviting
• Convey information
• Reveal how the kitchen functions
• Explain the layout
• Show the relationship of kitchen to adjoining areas

Props should:
• Look realistic
• Be logical
• Reflect a level of accessible good taste
• Use only natural flowers, and in moderation
• Bigger is better and less is more is our desired look

Props should not:
• Be moved from one shot to another
• Use lighted candles in day shots
• Be too messy, crowded, busy, hectic or overwhelming
• Combine incompatible objects (e.g. onions and bananas)
• Be clichéd, such as the dish towel draped on edge of counter

Details should:
• Show something not easily seen or not clear in an overall shot
• Use scale effectively
• Guide the eye to important features

The San Francisco Decorator Showhouse celebrated its 30th anniversary this year within a grand home a top the Gold Coast with an alumni cast of designers. Bold color and whims played throughout the house. Here are a few examples.

Dianne Chapman has always loved color. In this parlor Dianne paired rich brown walls with soft cream upholstery. Fuchsia takes the day here as the rich accent color, enlivening the space. Syrie Maugham would feel right at home.

Kendall Wilkinson was feeling blue in a great way. This master bedroom with bold turquoise walls is grounded with a rich brown sisal carpet and snapped to attention with over the top Chinoisery inspired drapes.

Ed Lobrono, always known for a well tailored room, kicks back in this crisp sitting room full of perfect selections, details, and great strokes of yellow.

Leaving a great career with Hyatt Hotels International Properties, Antonio Martins is now a rising star in the Bay Area design scene. We spent about five hours creating these vignettes to tell the story of a young SF bachelor and his pad.

Antonio has years of experience directing and styling photos for Hyatt. During our shoot he had at the ready a wide range of flowers, art and props to make these photos come to life.

This tree house of a home is atop a ridge in Belvedere with wonderful views. Diane Einstein enlivens a fifties period home with freshness. Having seen these photos, California Home & Design will be running the story this spring.

Pebble Beach Magazine always likes to feature a grand home on a great fairway. Carmel’s interior designer Jan Gardner brings her wonderful style to create an inviting home. Have a look and see how shooting in January can look like a warm June day. Seven of the ten photos from the day are here.

Optimizing Your Existing Images For Greater Impact

Viewing photos in a traditional portfolio is different than viewing photos on a website. Re-cropping your existing photos can change the impact and feeling of your work.

Photos on websites are viewed quickly and viewed small. Here are some examples of recropping.

Design and style writer Diane Dorrans Saeks asked me to be the photographer for this beautiful ode to country living. What a treat to go to great homes, meet wonderful hosts and come away with fresh photos. Michael Vanderbyl’s study in white was one of my favorite homes.

The book, Hawaii a Sense of Place by Mary Philpotts McGarth received the top book award for 2006 from the Hawaii Book Publishers Association. Awarded top photographer of the year by the Association was a mild mannered guy from the mainland. Mary’s unending energy and her devotion to the spirit of Hawaii is always an inspiration. Her great lessons in flower arranging have served many a photo shoot.

A classic and a who’s who of the SF design community. As the photographer it was a pure delight to be welcomed into these homes and take away great stories from some very talented folks.