August 2011 - Siegel Thurston Photography

Monthly Archives: August 2011

August 30, 2011

San Fran Polaroids

We LOVE old cameras and our Polaroid is no exception. A few months back we came across a couple of old Polaroid land cameras. I did a little research and discovered some film that would still work in them. Then it was Brett’s job to McGyver the vintage cameras back into working order. Some Googling, inspecting, battery cleaning and 30 miles of driving for film later we had a working camera. The focus and the cropping are not particularly accurate but that’s just part of the fun. We dragged our Polaroid around San Fran with us and had a blast. There are lots of actions and brushes and fun Photoshop effects to create Polaroids digitally, theses are not photoshop digital creations. We shot them, stood around for a minute and half watching our clocks as the polaroid developed before pealing it apart and hoping for the correct exposure. We look forward to posting more of our Polaroids. Enjoy!

Alamo Square.

The view from Tank Park.

August 30, 2011

Coffee, Toys and Ice Cream… [a quick jaunt through San Fran]

Sometimes I think that Brett and I might just be a little off our hinges. We were recently hired to photograph a wedding in Portland. Well we had the option of flying up renting a car and then flying back. What do we do? Rent what was supposed to be a compact car from our local Hertz and drive the 18 hours up to Portland in one day. I’m not sure we were thinking clearly when the little light bulb blinked over our heads and said “lets just drive it!” Well the wedding was fantastic. Portland was having its hottest weekend of the year. We met some wonderful people; created some beautiful pictures and everyone walked away with wonderful memories from the weekend. The advantage to having driven up to Portland was that we could take a nice little detour through San Fran on our journey back home. We managed to swing through Napa for a couple hours and do some wine tasting. By the way if you ever happen to be up in Napa check out Trefethen family vineyards. We thoroughly enjoyed their Reserve tasting and the sommelier were really knowledgable and very nice.

We ventured into San Fran via the Golden Gate, and I just have to say driving over that bridge always feels like my first time. I lean as far forward on my seat as I can with the seatbelt straining to jerk me back in place. My face practically touching the windshield and staring towards the sky as we cross under the beautiful red towers. Poor Brett is then trying to get me to sit back because of course in my excitement I’m blocking the mirrors. This time as we approached the bridge, fog was just starting to come in and it was beautiful to see it rushing up over the bridge and across the blue bay. The pictures don’t do the experience justice. We only had a day and a half to explore the city and see friends but we managed to zig zag all over the city seeing just about everything we had hoped to. We started in the Haight Ashbury district because they have a Kidrobot store, got ourselves a new toy to photograph in the city. Ventured down to the warf so Brett could eat clam chowder. Tried to ride the cable cars but the ridiculously long line was moving at a snails pace. We ate lots of good food and ventured to Twin Towers for a nice view point of the city but the fog was as thick as split pea soup up there. Did manage to find Tank Tower view point a little lower for a beautiful panoramic shot of the city as the fog closed in around us. After the fog consumed us we drove through Golden Gate park and stopped to see the buffalo, yes that’s right buffalo. Went in search of dinner but found the Green Apple book store instead and got lost in the excitement of new and out of print books. We would have loved to stay in the city for a couple more days but it was time to get home to our doggies.

Our first glance of the city was of the epic San Francisco fog bank rolled in over the bridge and across the bay.

First stop was the Kidrobot store on Height St, but we got stopped by a cute dinosaur on our way.

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Our new Dunny!!! We were little kids in a candy store picking this guy out.

I just remember the breaks squealing as we passed the Swensen’s ice cream shop and Brett trying to find a parking spot as fast as he could. I wonder if anyone makes a bumper sticker “I break for Ice cream”

I'd like 2 scoops of Cookies N' Cream and Mint Chip. MMMMMmmmm

Yeah, we just picked this girl up out front of some law school. Luckily she knew us and likes ice cream as much as we do. By the way Rachel, thanks for letting us drag you around the city for the day.

Love the cable cars. The line to get on was time wastingly long so we settled for just taking some pictures.

Coffee break! I mean taking polaroids is just so tiring.

I think we drank more coffe in our 2 days in San Fran than I drink in a week.

We loved finding art all over the city.

Domo even found some fun street art.

Walle is that you?

We drank a lot of coffee, took a bunch of pictures and made some wonderful memories. Can't wait to go back for another exciting visit.

August 23, 2011

Adam & Sarah- Engagement Shoot At the Griffith Observatory

There are moments in life every now and again when you walk into a room full of strangers and one of them stands out to you as someone you must meet. Such an occasion happened when, two and a half years ago, Adam walked into a French class and saw Sarah across the crowed room (much thanks to the musical South Pacific). He was determined to get to know her so he asked her to be his study partner in French with that goal in mind. They found themselves at a coffee shop with the intention of studying but managed to talk for hours about anything and everything else but French. Adam knew he really liked Sarah and began asking her out. Six tries later Sarah finally agreed to go to dinner with him. Adam, being the gentleman that he is, showed Sarah a lovely time by taking her out to an amazing Michelin three star restaurant. They are now one of the cutest couples we know always finding time for one another frequently in the form of bike riding, hiking, camping, and even a random BBC show on Netflix. Needless to say we were really excited when Adam popped the question to Sarah one night after a relaxing dinner and movie. When it came time to start planning their engagement session, the four of us had a time of it trying to decide the best location because there were just so many good ones. It came down to Joshua tree (which turned out to be just too hot) and Griffith Park. The Griffith Park Observatory turned out to be the perfect place for these two. The wedding takes place in beautiful Solvang at the Sunstone Winery next year. We wait with baited breath for the wonderful occasion. Thank you Adam and Sarah for such a fun day!

August 19, 2011

Inspired Bridal Show at Vin de Syrah

So when we were approached to showcase our work in the Inspired Bridal show that was held at the Vin De Syrah in the Gaslamp Quarter we couldn’t imagine passing up such a fantastic opportunity. The venue is such a delightful and unique space that works off themes from Alice in Wonderland with the undertones of a Prohibition speakeasy. Step through the vine-covered door to a show that was an intimate boutique experience. This is a place where we could really have some wonderful one-on-one time with brides and get to know. It was also delightful to be able to work with some very talented people in our industry here in San Diego. To name just a few there was a beautiful tablescape done by Amy of Affairs By Amy, florals by Kiyoko of Cherry Blossom Floral Design, Classy Covers supplied the chair covers and linen rentals, Pub Cakes supplied us with delicious cupcakes, Jen of Pink Star Design whipped up some fabulous invitations. Sara of Tailored Sweets was there, too, with her ever amazing cake pops while the vintage rentals provided by Pow Wow Vintage Rentals added a charming touch. We cannot forget our ever important organizer for the event, the lovely Iliana Morton, who’s vision for a small show in a great venue providing a more intimate setting for brides to get to know potential venders was inspiration! Thank you too, to all the other venders not mentioned here who made the show such a success. We had a spendide time and can’t wait for an invitation to the next fantastic show.