Recent Shoots

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.