I'm on the front cover of Alpacas Magazine!!

Ya, ya.. I know it's not me! It's a photo taken by me though! It's called the Alpacas Magazine and it's the official journal of the alpaca owners and breeders association. You can buy it or check it out at your local Barnes & Noble. For about a year now I've been working with an online clothing company called Alpaca Direct that specializes in products made from alpacas. The owners of Alpaca Direct submitted these photos we took last winter to the magazine and one of them made the front cover.

The model in the front cover is Rayna, who I've worked with several times before. She's a pro in front of the camera and really shows it in this cover shot. Working with animals is very challenging because it's not easy communicating with one. We just got so lucky that the alpaca was looking straight at me at a calm state and Rayna looked her best at the same time.

I'm so excited about it and feel that my hard work is paying off. First of all I want to thank everyone who have supported and encouraged me this past couple of years with my photography. I've made a lot of friends online who have inspired and influenced my creativity in many ways. To view more of the photos in the magazine by me check out my gallery (coming soon).

DJ Qbert

I had a great opportunity to work with the best DJ in the world a while back. He goes by the name of DJ Qbert the performing name of Richard Quitevis, a Filipino-American DJ and composer. His partner Ritche Desuasido co-founder of ThudRumble.com needed some new photos so we set up a shoot. It's such an honor to meet a legendary DJ who inspires all the lovers of turntablism and the culture of Hip Hop. The picture above DJ Qbert and Ritche aka Yogafrog was shot with a large umbrella camera right and two strobes firing in the back out of sight.

The picture on the left of Qbert holding a turntable is called the QFO, a turntable with a built in mixer. The QFO is the first ever musical instrument made specifically for the skratch DJ! Plug in and play anywhere in the house or even outdoors, with the help of a battery pack. You can't really see it in the photo but it sports a special needle made for Qbert from Ortofon. The image was shot in the basement with ambient light behind Qbert and a work light from his garage right above him.

The last shot on the right was shot with a strobe camera right and reflector camera left. This is in Qbert's recording room as you can see all his vinyl records in the back.

Krystyl

Since I have some time to spare while my desktop computer is processing some stuff for me, I can post another blog sitting comfortably on my bed with my laptop playing "Smells like team spirit" while I type. So who is Krystyl? Yes, that's two Ys and no vowels. First of all Krystyl does it all! She does all forms of modeling, starting from a young age, and one of the hardest working models at it. If there's one person I need to contact for "the hookup" or some Wingstop chicken, it's Krystyl. She's the guru of networking! Might I add that she's also featured on justin.tv at krystyl.tv where you can view her live and stalk her lol. She's also talented in hair styling, wardrobe styling, promotional work, and graphic design just to name a few of her other talents. She's a multitasking networking machine running on an over clocked processor! uhhh.. yah.

The first time I met Krystyl she had pink hair. No kidding, look closer at the photo posted from our first shoot together. I knew we would have fun during our shoot after meeting her and I was right. Not only did we have fun shooting, we got some great images. I love it when it works that way. She brought all sorts of cool vintage clothing from... still thinking.. I'll get back to this. Anyways, they all look great on her.

I've worked with Krystyl several of times in the past and consider her one of my good friends. It's always fun working with Krystyl and her good friend Mr. Martini. Aside from her being a great model, she has an awesome personality that makes each shoot smooth and fun. The hard work and determination she puts in her life is admirable and makes me proud to know her. More brownie points for Randy woohoo!! Anyways, I've posted some of the work we shot in the past and some we did recently for an online clothing company called Dive Girl by Cetacea. Dive Girl is a brand for women that enjoy diving and other adventurous activities.

For booking information:

www.krystyl.net

Photoshoot with Jennifer

Last week I got to shoot with a favorite model and good friend Jennifer aka Foxy D! Every time I work with Jennifer it's not like working at all and I can't knock the smile off my face. She's such a great person to be around and full of energy or redbull or just naturally high. If you're reading this Jen you know I luv ya. So, Jen needed some headshots to submit to her agency and I decided to shoot with her at a nearby beach location. I already knew we would get great results because we make a good team.

Jen is from the SF Bay Area and travels for various projects around the country. She's been also featured on Maxim.com as one of the contestants for the hometown hotties. By the way, if you didn't notice, she's the model jumping in the orange dress on my homepage. No special effects on her jumping. She was once a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.

The weather was windy and cold just like the other sessions we had together. I'm always warm during these times. Sorry Jen. It was overcast but the lighting was great. Soft diffused light was provided by the overcast sky which made my job even so much easier. We were going to try out some fitness photos but we lost light pretty fast so we decided to try another day. We both had a good time and Jen was able to play with some dead crabs left behind from the outgoing tide.

For booking :

BOOM Models and Talent: 415.626.6591 (San Francisco)

MediaStars International: 602.999.8838 (tv hosting)

Cast Images 916.444.9655 (modeling)

DC Pro Modeling (Nationwide dcpromodeling.com)

Winnipeg, Canada trip

Last month I traveled to Winnipeg along with some family for my aunt's 75th birthday celebration. To cut down costs on traveling we took a flight to Minneapolis and drove North to Canada which was about a 7-8hrs. While driving through Minnesota we crossed almost about a hundred lakes which I think I only have on my video camera. We crossed North and South Dakota while driving up but I didn't get to snap much photos because I was the designated driver and there really was nothing to see.

We arrived in Winnipeg in the evening and it was already starting to rain. The next morning I went outside to take a look around and took a few shots of the trees lining the street of my aunt's home. This was one of my favorite, shot with my Canon Powershot A560 P&S camera.

The neighborhood where I was staying at was pretty quiet and rarely did I see anyone walking besides the kids coming home from school. The homes have alleys in the back where their garages are located which I thought makes the houses look more attractive. I guess I'm just too used to the garages in the front of the house.

Anyways, the party went great and I got a chance to meet some family I've never met before. Everyone was happy to see each other and there were a lot of family photos snappin like paparazzi. I wish I got the chance to take more photos of Winnipeg but I had a busy schedule there. Maybe next time. I'm just glad to be home again.

Brown Estate Vineyards

Last month I attended my first wine party event at the Brown Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley. This was a party to celebrate the release of a new blend. It was also catered by Chef Thomas Keller of Ad Hoc Restaurant with live music in the garden and DJ in the cave.

The landscape of the estate is beautiful despite the overcast weather and light showers we encountered during the event. You drive about 5-10 miles of winding roads of beautiful scenery until you reach the private estate. The vineyard is privately owned and operated by the Brown family since 1981. The restored victorian house that you see above is over a hundred years old and full of character from it's time.

The event's them was the "Roaring Twenties" where most of the members and visitors dressed up to have a great time. It was really fun to see everyone in character in a home that caters to it's theme. I had to use a wide angle indoors because it's not as spacious as modern housing. Nonetheless it was a home of history and a place for history in the making. Below is a little about the family and history of the Browns.

Brown Estate is a family owned and operated private estate winery tucked into the eastern hills of the Napa Valley. In 2005 we celebrated our 25th year in the Valley and our tenth crush.

The seeds for this labor of love were planted in 1981 when our parents fell in love with the rolling hills, rambling walnut groves, and majestic oak trees that populated what we now affectionately refer to as "The Ranch." The property had been abandoned for ten years prior to coming into our family. We subsequently built access roads and reservoirs, brought in residential and agricultural electrical power, refurbished the hundred-year old Victorian home that barely stood on the property when we acquired it, and between 1985 and 1990 we planted a total of fifty acres of vineyards that include Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.

Through our first decade of farming the land, we sold all of our fruit to a variety of small wineries in the Valley. During that period of continuing education – and to this day – we have worked to maintain, nurture, and encourage the land in a fashion that yields what we believe to be exquisite fruit, while simultaneously remaining mindful and respectful stewards of the property.

In 1996 we produced our first vintage of Zinfandel under the Brown Estate label. Our first Cabernet Sauvignon followed in 2000, and in 2002 we added a tiny production of Chardonnay. Through years of hands-on labor Brown Estate has remained a truly homegrown endeavor, and today every aspect of the business remains under direct family control.

Wedding Portrait Session

I know it's been a while since my last and first post but I have some new work to share now. The beautiful couple above is Tracey and Noel from few months after I shot their wedding. A few months after? Yep, our original location to do the portrait session didn't turn out available at their wedding day so we decided to to schedule a session later which was even better. Better because everyone is more relaxed and less pressured which results into better pictures. During the wedding day everyone is running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

Tracey and Noel are now some of my new good friends. We first met during our engagement session last year which was referred to me by an awesome makeup artist Vyvy, who is Tracey's BFF. During the session I already knew how much they were in love and weren't shy to show it. A couple like this makes my job so much easier.

I decided on a location where I knew the lighting would be near perfect during the time of our session. It's important to know the conditions of your location before the actual session to avoid any complications. Usually I check or scout an area at least a few days in advance and sometimes find alternative places. We arrived at the location and there were 3-5 wedding parties during our time there. In a situation like this, it's important you respect the other photographer and keep in mind that you don't have any of your gear in their way and vice versa.

Our last location was at the beach which didn't turned out as great as I had imagined. The reason why is because the winds were too strong and was blowing sand all over. We managed to get a few shots and one that I really liked which I converted to black & white. During unexpected conditions, it's still worth taking a few shots because all it takes is one good one.

First post!!

So I decided to start a blog to share some of my newest work and hopefully I'll be able to keep this thing updated frequently. I have a myspace account but I'm really bad about replying to comments and messages on there because I don't find it reliable and prefer email instead. So bear with me while I post my first blog and enjoy the upcoming work that lies ahead.

If it's makeup, hair, or wardrobe.. stylists are key players during a photo shoot. I had the pleasure to work with an awesome aspiring wardrobe stylist from Chicago a couple weeks back by the name of Keia Hamilton. Keia and her best friend (also stylist) Tiffany assembled some unique outfits for our models Eileen (left) and Joyce (below). Kristine, the owner of Le Burget hair salon in San Francisco, complemented both models with her artistic makeup application and hair styling.

The location is in Berkeley by the train tracks and I was lucky to have Raj, a good friend of mine, to assist me with the lighting. We first started off with ambient lighting and reflectors then as the light began to creep away we set up a strobe along with a 60-inch umbrella. Yep, 60-inches!! Oh, our power came from a portable battery pack which comes in handy when you have no access to a power outlet.

I had one of the best times during this project and I think everyone felt the same. We worked and laughed until the battery died that was supplying power to the strobe and our hands became numb from the cold settling in. We called it a wrap and said our goodbyes until next time.

A few more images can be seen on my website at www.randyreyesphoto.com