Shooting with Open eyes, an Open Mind and Open Heart.
Every family has a unique dynamic and it’s my job to capture that in photos. I loved photographing the lovely D. family around Berkeley. Not only where they a super cute family, their energy and laughter totally enveloped the scene. It was one of those special family sessions when at the end, I wished they could adopt me. I’m so blessed to be able do the work I do!
{OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA} – January 10, 2013 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that Photograffiti by Auey Santos has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2013 for Photography in California.
The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism.
Photograffiti’s selection as a Bride’s Choice Award 2013 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Photograffiti by Auey Santos.
The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2013 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and
timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Photograffiti by Auey Santos is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000
wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.
“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth year, the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program continues to recognize the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize Photograffiti for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”
Photograffiti is thrilled to be one of the top Photographers in Oakland, California in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2013.
For more information about Photograffiti, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today.
To learn more about the Bride’s Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com/brides-choice-awards.
I’m three days off my bridal faire high, and now ready to hunker down and get to business! The Modern Luxury Weddings held recently at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco was a wonderful success, thanks to the organizers, wedding vendors and lovely engaged couples who came out to the city last Sunday, January 6, 2013.
While my toes hurt from wearing my only pair of Manolos, my heart is full and happy to have connected with happy brides and grooms. My favorite part? Hearing their stories about they got engaged and about their vision for the wedding day. Planning is so much fun! But I still try to offer my little pearls of wisdom about wedding planning. Ready? Chose three words to guide you for your wedding and make sure all decisions align with these three words. For example : sustainable, fun and family. Or maybe modern, simple and whimsical. Also, don’t overthink it! Wedding planning should be fun!
January 6 was also very special to me because my hubby and I celebrated our 12th anniversary, working the faire together. What better way to bond and wax sentimental about your wedding then spend it at a bridal faire? Thanks schatze for the support and love (and yes, putting up with my quirks for the past 12 years). Here’s a photo of my handsome dude, enjoying the quiet before the storm (five minutes until doors open!)
I didn’t have a ton of time to walk around the bridal faire but I did manage a few quick snaps. Here I am!
Lots of couples asked me about this print of former bride and groom Alana and Shain on a bicycle. It was one of my favorites of 2012!
Meet my friends Frederick and Jaime of Sullivan-Botello. They are just awesome wedding designers and planners. That blood red lamp was simply stunning.
We did a raffle and gave away a copy of “How to Get Married” at every top of the hour.
We were constantly tortured by the smell of yummy food was wafting from nextdoor booth mates Shannie Cakes. Their free sampling was a huge hit!
Brides and grooms got a chance to check out the pedicabs taxi service of Cabrio Taxi.
Here I am with with Eric Yee of Spintronix, who dropped by my booth. I’ve been so fortunate to work with him on numerous times and his DJ-light-design company is among the most respected in the San Francisco Bay Area.
*Thanks to the amazing Kinsley Wong for our annual family photo!
Ah…2013 – let’s cheer for the New Year! It’s time once again for the annual renewal of resolutions. Or as some people are now calling, “Setting of Intentions.” Well, I’ve got my resolutions in mind, but instead of boring you with that, here is my TOP TEN OF THE YEAR. Yay for lists!
#1 Education
Let me start with a few things I’m so proud of this year — and I apologize in advance if it’s sounds a little bit like horn-tooting — but hey, I’m happy!
So, this year I enrolled at the UC Berkeley Extension campus in San Francisco to take up a course in Multimedia. I have been playing with the idea of offering photography fusion multimedia pieces and this was a great place to renew my skills. I loved the class and (proudly) got an A. You can see my finished project here:
Arthur + Tony {The Beloved Experience} from Auey Santos on Vimeo.
#2 Beloved Photography and Getting Certified
2012 marked the completion of my Beloved photography training. In September, I took my certification and live demo exam in Palm Springs. Amazingly, I passed (yes!), along with a handful of Beloved photographers hailing from around the world. Many of them were already established awesome photographers such as Ria Mishaal from the U.K, Juliana Wiklund of Sweden, Jacqueline Chang of Singapore. I was so happy to be amongst such talented company. Beloved photography and the experiential genre is fast growing in popularity around the world and it was just an amazing feeling to be part of the pioneering batch! I have been shooting professionally for over 10 years now, but now I feel that I’ve finally found my calling.
My own brand of spreading the word has begun. The Beloved genre of photography was featured this year in the UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center website. I was also invited to speak in front of the Bay Area Professional Videographer’s Association to speak about the Beloved technique. And you can watch my talk (cringe) here and here ! It was my first photography talk ever. I am used to talking but in front of a big crowd can be daunting. So, yes…another first for me.
#3 Personal Project: Flummox and Friends
As a parent of a child on the autistic spectrum, I’ve tried to be an advocate for information and education for the children with special needs. When my friend and fellow Joaquin Miller parent Christa Dahlstrom asked me to be part of her brainchild, a TV show geared towards kids with social difficulties — I just jumped on board! Through the support of a Kickstarter campaign, she created, wrote and produced “Flummox and Friends,” a quirky off-beat original TV show for children. I was just so ecstatic to shoot the stills for the show and be on board as script supervisor. It was such an amazing experience! I revisited my TV production roots and being part of a team with a bigger vision than yourself just lifted me.
You can watch the pilot episode for free, right here!
Flummox and Friends – Pilot: The Party from Flummox and Friends on Vimeo.
#4 Yoga, Mindfulness and The Whole Karmic Enchilada
Lots and lots of asanas this year. Namaste.
#5 My Favorite Session of the Year
I continually marvel at my blessings for doing work that is so meaningful to me. Every face I encounter is etched in mind and captured by my art. It was difficult to chose a favorite wedding or portrait session but one definitely stood out for me. This summer, I photographed Linda and her husband Robert. Their love story inspired me so much that I only have to revisit the images and tears of joy form in my eyes. Linda is a cancer survivor and her quiet strength inspires me tremendously.
I travelled to Mendocino to photograph them in their home. The images below were taken in their healing garden and the banner strung above represent each of their friends who died of cancer. I was incredibly moved to just be there. And as Linda read each name out loud, I sensed their spirit, lifting me to fight whatever personal battle I had. While I cry and laugh (sometimes both) at most of my sessions, this one could only be described as a spiritual experience.
#6 Camera of The Year – My Fuji XPro1
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!
I vowed to shoot more personal projects this year and had been drawn to street photography. However, lugging my Nikon DSL proves highly impractical at times. So I jumped in and bought a Fuji X-Pro1. I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s the best travel and always-in-purse camera ever. Just google for reviews and specifics, all I need to know is that it works for me.
Here’s an image I took inside the Chelsea Market in New York City in May. No flash, dark as hell. LOVE IT.
#7 Inspiration
On to the fluffy stuff that feeds the spririt —
TV: Downtown Abey, Portlandia, Being Human (BBC), Sherlock (BBC), Come Fly with Me, Parenthood, Mad Men
Music: introduced to Nick Drake, Band of Horses, Blind Pilot; watching Elvis Costelo and New Order live in concert.
Theatre: Book of Mormon, Once
Books: reading Game of Thrones (damn it’s long – still working on it), “Love Does” by Bob Goff and “Anatomy of Love” by Helen Fischer
Photography: Revisiting Man Ray and Discovering Lee Miller
TED Talks.
#8 Friends. Old ones, news ones…and those yet to be met.
#9 My family.
#10. YOU.
Thank you everyone for reading this far. It really was an amazing year. All 525,000 minutes of it.
May 2013 be equally or even more amazing. And amusing. Just say yes to the universe and it will respond in mysterious and surprising ways.
Love,
Auey
Once again, I’m inviting all engaged couples to check out the Modern Luxury Faire at The Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, January 6, 2012. It’s my second year as a bridal vendor and it’s always a wonderful time meeting engaged couples face to face. I’m excited to show you my albums and work and just chit-chat a bit.
Need a little more incentive? I have a little giveaway for those blog readers and brides-to-be who can drop by. Drop by my booth and get a chance to win the raffle. I’m giving away copies of my favourite wedding book in the world, plus one Beloved engagement session to a lucky couple.
So come on over and let’s have fun hanging out. It’ll be blast!
For more details and ticket information, do check out the official event website.
Check out the fun photos from last year!