For my first post of the new year allow me to get you up to speed. I ended 2012 (with a few moments to spare) having some fun with the fashion arena. My brother-in-law Kwesi, a connoisseur of fashion himself, introduced me to his long time friend, Kirin of www.closetcast.com. With the help of Carrie, we put in a full day of shooting to close out the year. Scroll down to get a look at just a few of the awesome shots we were able to pull off!

Looking forward to an eventful 2013! Until next time…

This is Vic!

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Many of you have ready by now how difficult it is for me to proceed with portrait or a headshot session without Carrie and her meticulous attention to makeup detail. But there’s a whole other aspect to those photo shoots, the location! Not the on-location shots but specifically the clean minimalist studio look. If you’ve ever had a portrait session out in the elements in winter, that can be a hit or miss even in sunny Cali.

I currently make my studio space in a salon owned by a great couple, Leilani and Paul Slack. Together, they run the Slack Collective Studios & Gallery and the Bloom Hair Salon in downtown Napa. They are great supporters of artists here in Napa and without their support to the art community, there’d be a huge void. I can’t thank them enough for their generosity.

I recently had the opportunity to partly repay their generosity. Paul and Leilani are expecting a new addition this winter and I was privileged to cover her baby shower. As with anything they’re a part of, it was filled with fun, good friends and their generosity.

As with any good deed, I hope to pay it forward to whoever may need it…

Have a Great Thanksgiving.

As always, thanks for reading!

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…Amy G(utierrez).

Not to take away from the kiddos, but the sandwiches are awesome. I think I have a new favorite sandwich spot!

As always, thanks for reading!

The post Lucchesi’s Deli “Amer the Gamer” Fundraiser appeared first on Victor M. Samuel | Photography.

I was privileged to meet Doris Gentry, a teacher and leader here in Napa (also currently in the running for Napa City Council)
Through Doris I was able to serve as the photographer in an event that she hosts, The Napa Chocolate and Wine tasting celebrating its 25th year (www.napachocolateandwine.com). The fundraiser benefits an association that she founded and that my wife and I are fortunate enough to be a part of, The Napa County Family & Foster Parent Association in addition to the Napa Boys and Girls Club.

I met great people and some even greater products. Endless samples of the best of Napa’s wines and chocolate that just seemed like a sin. Since I was technically on the clock, I didn’t enjoy as much as one should at an event like this. I’m seriously debating attending as a guest next year! Picture don’t do these things justice, but I tried…

(be sure to check out the full event photos HERE)

As always, thanks for reading!

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I celebrated 11 years from the day that I met my wife (then girlfriend), I aged out of my 20′s into my 3rd decade of life and coincidentally enough, met a great couple celebrating 30 years of marriage! Mike and Rosemary flew into the Bay Area from New York to celebrate their 30th year of marriage.

Their vow renewal ceremony took place just north of Napa, overlooking the vineyards of the world-famous town of Calistoga. They selected me to be their photographer to capture the ceremony of this momentous achievement. Being a witness to their affection for each other after many years was really encouraging and inspiring to myself and I’m sure to many others.

Despite a sleepless night, a short-lived battle with food poisoning, a BURNED OUT circuit breaker to the office equipment all on the night BEFORE the shoot, I was able to capture just a fraction of the love they have for each other that makes their bond strong.

I just thank God I recovered thanks to remedies courtesy of my medic wife and my photo day prep & plans. (I may meed to employ a trusted backup photographer in the very near future!)

Thankfully I recovered and kept my commitment to capture Mike and Rosemary’s ceremony.

Here are the results… enjoy!

As always, thanks for reading.

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Very eager to showcase a new venture that I attempted on a whim.

For a long time I’ve wanted to shoot anything Fashion based. I specifically wanted to start off with something that has a stern GQ male vibe. Something very tough, border-lining corporate millionaire, 007 and hired hitman (I know it’s a little eccentric, but stay with me).

After toying with the idea and unsuccessfully pitching and/or poorly executing the idea with clients, a year goes up in smoke. This and other ideas start to just fade. I’m just about ready to pull random people of the street and just shoot anything and see what would stick but saner heads prevailed.

Don’t get me wrong, the “Stranger Challenge” (which was oh-so beautifully done by a photographer in Singapore, Danny Santos – Portraits of Strangers,) is still in the books and I plan to do that soon when the timing is right, but that wouldn’t cut it quite right for this session.

After taking the advice from my wife and Carrie (my makeup artist & male grooming expert) I set up an open call out on Model Mayhem. I quickly received emails. Many fell through but a few stuck it through and one stood out. Here is that one… Keith.

I have to give credit to my wife who saw that Keith would be a perfect fit for the goal. With a wife like mine, and a Makeup Artist like Carrie, where would men be without women? And again Carrie and her meticulousness helped groom Keith into the perfection. Definitely not surprised that I have such a hard time booking her lately, her value in this session was priceless.

We’ve just started on this one. MUCH more to come.

As usual, I’m rambling. Ladies and Gents…
Keith.

You can find these and a few more in the gallery here…
Much, MUCH more to come.

For now, I must mentally prepare to age into my 30′s

The post GQ Inspired appeared first on Victor M. Samuel | Photography.

This is a bit of a self/peer promotional post (when is it not?) for myself as well as fellow self-employed professionals.
‘Cause hey, you get what you pay for…

I had a shoot yesterday with client Tomi Thomas (www.tomithomas.com) aided by my go-to perfectionist of a makeup artist, Carrie (www.carriealdous.com). For the brief, Tomi is a real estate agent based in the East Bay (Berkeley, CA) and is a real pro in her profession and knows her trade like the back of her hand. But like most people, whip out a camera and a different person appears like magic (or more like bad joojoo). Tomi described her photography personality with, “I’m tough to shoot, as I tense up when someone points a camera at me!” Sure enough after makeup, she stepped into the studio, saw the setup and camera and out comes the awkwardness and forced smiles. It wasn’t any help that she didn’t get much sleep the night before and had the whole drive up to Napa to stress about the photo shoot.

This is where the pro’s expertise helps to overcome any obstacle. From faulty equipment (which also happened yesterday) to shy clients, a professional can take it all in stride. In my conversations with Tomi, I assured her that we’d get the photo we want before she left the studio. I could guarantee this because I shoot with live reviews on a laptop where we can make certain we get the pose we want, Carrie can take a live check of her makeup to make sure it’s on point, touch up and continue the shoot.

Allow me to emphasis what a ROCK STAR Carrie is at helping mold a client for the camera, not only at her craft with makeup but with helping to make a client comfortable. I try and limit the shoots that I do without her!

Carrie and I just assisted in suppressing the camera-shy Tomi and brought out the 1st class real estate agent we met before the photo shoot.

And of course all this comes at a bit of a cost. You do pay for this professionalism, attention to detail and quality. From knowing how to interact and keep a client (hopefully YOU reading this) at ease to knowing the technical aspect behind the craft.

If you need more explanation and reasoning…
…well here are a few samples of the results.

(Carrie even manages tiny stray hairs that I would have to fix later in Photoshop… ROCK-STAR!)

You can’t deny the confidence and awesomeness Tomi presents in this last image.
As hard as Carrie and I worked, it always helps to have such great clients as Tomi that go with the flow and allow themselves to be molded.

So rest assured, when you book Carrie and me for a session, you’re in good hands.

The post The Pro Difference appeared first on Victor M. Samuel | Photography.

As promised, the conclusion of the Surprise Proposal and Engagement session of  Zach and Michelle!
Be sure to view the entire session in the portfolio!

(If you missed it, here is part one with the setup brief)

Lastly, if it wasn’t clear… She said YES! 

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A few weeks back, I was contacted by Zach to help assist him in documenting his surprise proposal to his longtime girlfriend, Michelle. This was something I couldn’t pass up.

The Location: Goosecross Winery located in Yountville just north of Napa. A local winery known to Zach and his family while growing up. They all knew Zach and were more than happy to assist in making the day perfect for the proposal.

The Setup: Zach and I planned for me to be there “for the winery”, documenting everything while indiscriminately photographing Zach and Michelle. All the while I use them as models, continuously “interrupting” them.

They headed out to a private wine tasting table set up outside facing the Vineyard where Zach ultimately popped the question.

To be continued…

Her Response Posted!
Just Once Click Away…. –>

(Also, you can check out the ENTIRE session in the portfolio post!) 

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While I will always do my absolute best to return each and every call within 1 business day, EMAIL simply makes it more efficient for me to make contact (generally within hours) and address your needs in detail .

I don’t have a fancy schmancy phone system with operators on hold (yet) so you get me from the very first call.

I’m proud of my work and I want YOU to be proud of my work for you (so you can show it off) so I put in all my time and effort in the current project at hand. So while I may be working greatness for another customer, being able to take a moment and read your inquiry in full detail allows me to dedicate my full attention to your needs so you get the most bang for your buck and provide YOU with greatness.

That email again is:
victor@victormsamuel.com

Don’t get me wrong, I still welcome ALL calls!
That number again is:
(707) 634 • 4VIC

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