tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75838372010-02-02T16:40:10.532-08:00Fresh-baked images, globe-trotting news, and thought-provoking articles on photography - served on a silver platter by Emerald Bay Photography.Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-28174885205034151752010-02-02T16:19:00.000-08:002010-02-02T16:40:10.547-08:00

Recently - more as a challenge to myself than anything else, really - I tippy-toed into the complex world of jewelry photography. Yepp, there was a learning curve. And a huge one, at that. But I was fortunate to at least have the privilege of being able to use a custom ring by my hugely talented friend, Bollywood's costume and jewelry designer Niharika Bhasin Khan, based in Mumbay, India. And I'm

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-13331741015330464892009-12-02T13:54:00.000-08:002009-12-02T14:16:56.660-08:00

Traditionally, the Thanksgiving feast is an opportunity to give thanks for the bounty of food, bestowed by a successful summer and fall harvest. Given however that most people don't hunt or grow their own food these days, it just becomes a beautiful ceremony - a chance to gather around the table with family, friends and loved ones, and share some good chow. If you're lucky like me though, and

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-77597106250551540782009-11-13T15:37:00.000-08:002009-11-13T15:45:34.097-08:00

So I got myself a ring flash not too long ago, and finally got the chance to try it out on a client shoot. Here are the yummy results! I love how it glosses and tones the skin. I tried a couple of different backgrounds, and found a flat black painted, smooth wall in the gym to be ideal. Try this at home!

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-11977126495449560642009-11-03T16:22:00.000-08:002009-11-03T16:55:35.398-08:00

That's really the one word that comes to mind when seeing this absolutely stunning example of elegance and craftsmanship: Check out the rest of the images here.

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-92159089401741901512009-04-20T20:49:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:55:24.655-07:00

I think my editor at TIME Magazine has some sort of special radar. I may not talk to her for eons, but she seems to know exactly when I'm either gone on vacation, or when I'm about to leave on vacation. Point in case: last week, I was scrambling to get my work organized in order to leave on a 10 day trip to California. Tuesday was a day of solid meetings, and I had a 2-hour shoot scheduled for

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-62521098682497735882009-03-07T14:55:00.000-08:002009-03-08T12:32:41.104-07:00

Over the years of working as a professional photographer, I've come to realize that at least 50 percent of my job consists of educating and guiding my clients through the confusing labyrinth that is the photography industry. So I thought I'd share a recent story as example for clients and photographers alike. Note: names have been replaced by generics for reasons that will become obvious

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-53206950757500124542009-03-03T16:53:00.000-08:002009-03-03T17:01:38.850-08:00

A week ago, I wrote about the perils and joys of selling your images for book projects.In volume 2, it's pretty much all about the joys. Because this time, it didn't take very long - and the image wasn't for some far-away Midwest book publisher, but rather for a friend who lives in my own town. I had had conversations with Stan about his book before. It sounded like an intriguing story, and I was

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-71939897003793271502009-03-01T16:20:00.000-08:002009-03-01T19:48:50.621-08:00

I admit - when I signed up for Facebook, I did not sit down with a nice hot cup of tea and take a leisurely half hour to read their Terms of Use. Did you, my dear pro photographer/artist/filmmaker friend? Didn't think so.Today however (and only a day after I uploaded the first part of my portfolio to Emerald Bay Photo's custom Facebook page), a nudge from a friend prompted me to go take a closer

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-45276239487740049622009-02-25T16:11:00.000-08:002009-10-31T14:50:38.331-07:00

In this economic age of steep declines in new home building, a lot of home owners are choosing to remodel instead of building new homes (always a good idea too to have contents insurance on your building though!). The building contractors that have tapped into that trend are currently experiencing brisk business. So it may come as a surprise that only very few of them have the foresight to take

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-31992812043263144852009-02-22T18:53:00.000-08:002009-02-22T20:27:07.964-08:00

Book publishing can sometimes be such a sluggish venture. In this impatient age of instant gratification - fueled by the net, Facebook, Myspace and, yes, blogging - the thought of selling an image for a project that's not going to come into existence until 6 or 8 months later, can be a trying thing. Luckily, I have plenty of experience in the field, having worked for four years in PR and

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-76580241752072456822009-01-14T10:03:00.000-08:002009-10-31T14:40:55.898-07:00

One of my biggest and most stout resolutions this fine new year will be to EAT LESS, eat more modestly, and consume food with greater attention paid to nutrition and calories.For example, my breakfasts will likely look like this every day (eggs = protein. protein = good):Something like this for lunch will probably address my nutritional needs (I see fiber in there! I swear I do...), in

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-61785899408917613502008-11-14T09:30:00.000-08:002009-10-31T14:40:55.899-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the fun I had shooting the Deschutes Brewery's annual Fresh Hop Tasting. Last Saturday, I went back to the fabulous Mountain Room. This time to get some shots for the brewery as they were getting ready to host a fundraiser for the Bethlehem Inn. The venue had gone from casual to elegant in a snap... ...and the food accompanying the affair was equally

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-29642829952315036062008-10-28T12:08:00.000-07:002008-10-30T14:47:28.873-07:00

I'm sure Homer Simpson would have thought he'd died and gone to heaven - if he'd only taken time out of his cartoon life to attend Deschutes Brewery's annual Fresh Hop Tasting in their beautiful Mountain Room. Indeed, the beer flowed free and strong, and Homer would have been quite certainly delirious, trying to decide which to grab first: the Mt. Angel Fresh Hop Stock Ale or the Harvest Moon

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-51634896186590730442008-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:47:55.754-07:00

Fall is always a great time for some indoor shooting. Not restrained by weather or needing that perfect simmering sunset, I can stretch myself creatively - and I love those clients who pretty much give me free range. Such as Volcano Vineyards. Not only are these guys great people and make kick-ass wine - they are also heaps of fun to work for cause they just throw their product at me, and say "go

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-36881212025848438592008-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:40:55.899-07:00

Truly good food is a little bit like a symphony: Elegant. Graceful. Sophisticated. Eloquent. With bold notes and delicate undertones. Sweeping, and yet demure. It can make your head swim, your heart flutter, elevate your mood, and help you forget your everyday life. Science has tied the chemical dopamine to food - a stimulant your brain releases upon receiving a rewarding experience. Most

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-17545337331664202732008-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:002008-09-29T14:04:06.991-07:00

I'm so damn lucky. I have these incredible friends. They are a talented and generous bunch - who also happen to be awesome human beings to boot. One of them is Adam Z. Now - I've never actually *met* Adam. And yet, I count him as a dear friend. Our lives first touched about 9 years ago, when he was running a powerful site about geek stuff out of his native Toronto, Canada, and I was an Online

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-52305418461342786862008-08-15T11:23:00.000-07:002008-09-15T15:11:17.141-07:00

Earlier this week, I shot this beautiful home in The Highlands development of Bend: The house is up for sale now (did you see the one-page ad in the Bulletin today?), and you can get more info and see more images right here at www.bendhighlands.com.

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-32809582156211825402008-07-22T12:43:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:59:48.863-07:00

Gleaming metal. Clean lines. Sharp glass. Shadow and light, working together to create unexpected and dynamic patterns. Harmonic colors that enhance eachother, play off eachother, contrast and produce an environment of simplicity and grace. These are the things I live for when doing architectural photography. Yes, I admit, I'm a junkie - my favorite fix being contemporary buildings. So here's a

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-2328188039334092362008-07-21T10:47:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:32:20.725-07:00

I'm so terribly behind in posting fresh images to my blog - a side effect of being always on the run and working, I guess... But - I recently had the privilege and delight to shoot a portfolio for a company that specializes in concrete floors and countertops, and I thought I'd post some shots here. Not in the least because there's a special - and surprising - beauty to concrete that made me

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-60757341189069821222008-05-02T13:37:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:40:55.900-07:00

I don't even think I need to elaborate past the headline ...More options on how to delight your palate in the Home Cookbook section of Bend Living, out on newsstands now.

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-80241890493084379202008-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:41:43.552-07:00

In the world of magazine publishing, working a few months ahead of the print deadline is nothing unusual. So the results of the assignment that took me to San Francisco last July only just hit the newsstand last month. You can check out the article "Sushi Quest in the City by the Bay" in the March/April issue of Bend Living Magazine - or, given their rather meager selection of images from that

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-44938929841628787132008-04-17T12:09:00.000-07:002009-10-31T14:40:55.901-07:00

Life is challenging without sugar. Trust me. I know. I'm going through withdrawals as we speak. Such is the sacrifice you make when doing a little Spring cleaning on the ole carcass. But hey. I know, it's temporary only. Luscious chocolate cakes, covered with thick shiny coats of couverture and adorned with ripe sweet raspberries loom in the not-too-distant future... In the meantime, I have to

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-59036613646594271262008-02-19T13:19:00.000-08:002009-10-31T15:04:55.767-07:00

Bend-based travel writer Tim Neville and I have been working for the past 8 months on a 4-part series of articles for Canoe & Kayak Magazine, chronicling his efforts to build a kit kayak in his garage. Arriving at Part 3, he writes:"You start out building a boat with all these grand, romantic visions of Man and His Craft, getting sawdust in your hair, sanding a keel that's fair and true, and then

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-15042269380458656892008-02-19T13:06:00.000-08:002009-10-31T15:04:55.767-07:00

Last Tuesday, February 12th, BendFilm and the Tower Theatre premiered the first film in their new Indie Reels series, a celebration of independent film outside of the annual festival. The brainchild of new BendFilm director Sandy Henderson and Tower Theatre chairman Eli Ashley, the series debuted with the film "The Breast Cancer Diaries", and drew a packed house.A sometimes sober, sometimes

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583837.post-69127930353018082122008-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:002009-10-31T14:40:55.901-07:00

In Bend, the name Blacksmith Restaurant has for years been synonymous with exquisite cuisine, an elegant atmosphere and above-average service. Now they've added something else to their arsenal: a hipper-than-thou bar, artfully lit by a dazzling, alabaster-like counter. A few weeks ago, they hired me to shoot that new space, its fabulous drinks, appetizers and some of their signature dishes. Such

Simonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271762524361047998noreply@blogger.com0