Napa Portrait and Wedding Photographer » Bay Area Photographer

Beauty Treatments, Photography, Wine & Food | Sala Salon in downtown Napa

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:42:04 +0000

What are you doing this Wednesday, February 9th? If you would like to have an absolute dreamy few hours, come see me at Sala Salon in downtown Napa beginning at 4 o’clock. Enjoy the beautiful environment that is Sala Salon, their lovely hairstylists, wine, food, music, and me! This is an incredible offering: Hair, makeup and a custom photographer to take your photo once the team at Sala has worked their magic on you, all for only $60. Come on, I mean really, where will you ever find a group of professionals all in one package for a price like that? Take advantage of this screamin’ deal and have some fun. Make it a girls night out and have a group photo taken! And, the end result, a happy, beautiful you, will have an amazing photograph of yourself to give as a Valentine’s gift to your special someone. Could be your new coolio avatar too.

Hope to see you there!

St. Helena Family Photography | St. Helena Cyclery’s own Jake Scheideman!

admin — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:38:46 +0000

Hey my local friends! If you own a really great bike, chances are that you bought it from Jake at St. Helena Cyclery. And, if you didn’t, next time you’re in the market for a bike, go see Jake. The selection, service and way nice people will make you customers for life! I love my bicycle, and it’s pretty too. Almost looks like it has these pretty henna tattoos on it. Sorry, didn’t think about photographing it and it’s raining at the moment, so no can do. Yep, thought about searching the web too, but nah, just use your imagination, or go see Jake. Anyhow, St. Helena Cyclery is a great resource for upcoming riding events and a lot more. Click on the St. Helena Cyclery link here and check it out. And, just for a bit of added background, if you’re not aware of this organization, DCN, Developing Communities in Nicaragua, it’s pretty amazing. Based in St. Helena, Jake is the organization’s founder, and it’s a coalition of volunteers who’ve partnered with residents of Empalme de Boaco in an effort to help the community towards a better future. It all started long ago out of Jake’s passion for baseball and a trip to this community after college. It has, with the help of many, assisted with housing, education, recreational programs, jobs, and firstly, that coveted baseball field. If you do click-though to the DCN link, please watch the brief, but incredibly moving video, ‘Diamond in the Rough’. See how our own San Francisco Giants got involved. I challenge you to keep the moisture out of your eyes! I’ve only vaguely known about this ongoing project in Nicaragua until recently. After our photo session, I asked Jake more about it and was completely drawn in by the story of how it all began, the steps forward and his then, upcoming December trip with Amanda (that’s his beautiful daughter in these photos). Jake and I talked about the community in depth and I am hoping to see this place and meet the people for myself in the near future. Just an amazing bunch of people, all the way around.

So I leave you with a few images we took this beautiful day, in this beautiful place we call home. Every year when Jake calls, I’m so happy and grateful that I get to photograph the two of them once again. I’ve had the opportunity of photographing these two many times over the years, watching Amanda grow into the pretty young lady that she is today. And wow, I’ve known her for a long time! Amanda and my oldest son, also in high school now, spent some time together as toddlers in a wonderful, super small in-home daycare in St. Helena. Now that does seem like a very long time ago, and I will not cry.

Thanks, Jack and Amanda (He told me I could call him anything I wanted to on the blog, ha, ha. There was this one typo in some correspondence) !

Lifestyle Family Photographer | Shooting a Shooter | Napa Family Photographer

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:35:01 +0000

My favorite thing to do is photograph people just living life, documenting the little things in their daily lives. Turns out for most people, these little things are loaded with meaning. Think of my job as sort of a visual journal, a way to go back and look at an image and remember what was going on that day. Really, telling a story, the story of you. Someone said to me recently that they felt that my photographs felt true and full of life. The images they saw made them want to be there, where ever that was. It almost made me cry. I just about floated away from that meeting. How nice. It’s what I hope for whenever I pick up my camera and set out to photograph my sessions, that I will tell a story. That I will be that fly on the wall, unobtrusive and watching the story unfold and tell it in a way that will be remembered always.

That leads me to this session with someone who knows what I’m talking about. Please meet my friend, Jennifer Chaney, photographer extraordinaire from the East Bay. Jennifer invited me in to capture some very sweet and meaningful moments in her life. She has such a sweet family! There’s ‘the crazies’, I mean the kids, the handsome husband and a gigantic dog (who managed to not be in any of these shots, whoops!). It was fast paced and so much fun.

Thanks for the fun and the laughs Jen, can’t wait ’til next time.

| The One-Word-Project | Wrinkle | Napa Valley Photographer |

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:42:56 +0000

Recently I have begun participating in something called the-one-word-project with a group of talented photographers. Each Sunday, we get a word, then we go photograph our interpretation of this word, applying our artistic vision as we see it. We are to use four images for the completed piece. I am having such a good time with this little project. It is little, true, but its impact for me is big. Sometimes we get so caught up in only photographing for our clients (whom we love!), or we do photograph our own family and friends, but they never make it off the hard drive! So, with this project I’m forced to photograph for pleasure and post these images within a small space of time. I like a deadline, I’m good under pressure! However, I find I haven’t been doing much for myself and feeding that weird photography geek that starting photographing so long ago, spending hours in the darkroom watching the magic come alive in the trays before me. You know, the geek that drives everyone crazy because you just stop where you are, and simply cannot pass up documenting that really cool spider web, backlit with beautiful morning dew? Or, the one who has been driving her friends crazy for years requesting that they go climb down into that ditch, or trudge to some hard to get to place for that one artistic shot? Yeah, that would be me. Anyhow, I was at a close friend’s house the other day, and I find every detail of her home warm, cozy, friendly, interesting and filled with texture. She just looks at me and shakes her head as I’m wandering around her house, ignoring the fact that she doesn’t want me to go into a room that might have an unsightly mess. Well, that’s because I know better, even her messes are filled with interest and beauty. And, her children no longer pay attention to me, they just let me be and get in on the treasure hunting with me at times.

Just for fun, here’s my ‘wrinkle’ from my dear friends lovely home; and I couldn’t resist that beautiful artichoke when my young friend picked it up with her talented artists hands. That young artist will have to be in another post soon. Thank you friends, you know who you are.

| Isn’t She Lovely? | Napa Senior Photographer | Napa Family Photographer |

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:28:30 +0000

Hey there, how have you all been? Things are moving fast around here. As is usual, I have a lot of catching up to do here on the blog. I thought I would start with sweet Klarissa. I met Klarissa’s mom along time ago and we’ve reconnected through our mutual love for Napa Fit/Bikini Bootcamp. So I was more than thrilled when I got the chance to photograph Klarissa’s senior portraits. She was so wonderful the day we got together because it looks really warm and sunny, but it wasn’t at all! Beautiful light, beautiful day, beautiful girl, fairly chilly, I tell you. I told her she was definitely a pro in my book! Did I also mention that she’s one of the most hardworking high school students I’ve met? This is one industrious and hardworking young lady and I know she’s headed for success. Honestly though, knowing her mom, it’s in her blood, ha, ha! Enough from me, enjoy the images and these beautiful days we’re having around here.

The Bui Brothers Rock! | Napa Portrait Photographer | Bay Area Photographer |

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:28:43 +0000

Hey all, happy Monday! I wanted to make a quick post before heading out for the day to photograph some really cute kids. Last week I got to meet Vu and Lan Bui aka The Bui Brothers, from Southern California. I heard them speak one evening, then got to hang out with them at a workshop the next day. Wow, what a great couple of days I had. These guys are just plain fun to be with and are so knowledgeable. They don’t hold back and show you/tell you everything you want to know. As a photographer, if you ever get a chance to attend one of their workshops or hear them speak, jump on it! And, of course if you’re going to WPPI (Kathi raises her hand, yippee!) in a couple of weeks, you’ll see them there as well. Anyhow, gotta get out there and shoot today, so here’s just a few fast images of one of our fantastic models that day.

Cheers!

One of my Favorite Sessions | Napa Family Photographer | Napa Valley Photographer

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:44:53 +0000

I don’t even know where to begin with this post. I’m still trying to catch up from the holiday season on blogging and showing off some of the fabulous sessions I had. This session seemed like the perfect place to start. It was a crisp, sunny, magical lighting kind of day in November when I got together with these gorgeous girls. Not only are they beautiful, sweet and fun, but they like to play around with clothing too! It doesn’t get much better than that. Well, actually, it does, because two out of the three are dancers as well. Fantastic! I would also like to plug the dance studio they attend because it’s such a great place, Napa Regional Dance Company. Along time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I danced with the Executive Director, Wanda Martin McGill. Wanda is an exceptional talent and you can also catch her at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Now I realize this is a very long post, but let me explain. Brianna and I ended up with more time together that day because the other two girls had to get to their afternoon dance class. So, Brianna and I kind of had our own private shoot. I didn’t mind in the least! Makes sense to start with Brianna, yes?

Meet Sophie.

Isabella.

They’re great together.

The Boy got his Bass {Clarinet} | Napa Child Photographer | Napa Valley Photographer |

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:00:30 +0000

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been absent for awhile. Like most other photographers, I had a crazy, busy season, thank you! I also took a couple of weeks to ‘just be’ with my family and friends. It was wonderful. I’m back and ready to go now and thought I would start the New Year with a post of a personal nature. It is my blog, and I can play if I want to. And so, just before the Christmas break from school, my son Evan was bestowed with a most coveted prize, the bass clarinet! For those of you who have musical children, you will know how fun this is! For those of you who don’t, just enjoy this boys happiness with me if you will. Evan’s middle school music teacher purchased a brand new bass clarinet for the school and dedicated it to him for the next three years. I think you can tell from these images how happy this made him. He was actually hugging this thing! He plays this beautiful musical instrument for anyone who will hear it. We had several Christmas parties in December and he played it at every one of them. Even when my brother was playing his guitar on Christmas night, Evan went to his room and set up the clarinet and played along. Go Evan, go, the world is your oyster son, you’re beautiful and I love you so much!

So here’s to a new year of beautiful music, loads of love, and lots of beautiful images to come.

Thanks for looking,

Kathi

Exquisite Ashland | Beauty Everywhere | Napa Photographer Hits the Road |

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:28:14 +0000

Several weeks ago I traveled up to Ashland, OR with my son’s eighth grade class for a week long trip to attend the Shakespeare Festival . We had a fantastic time! We camped at beautiful Immigrant Lake, attended several plays and a couple prologues, took the backstage tour, toured the beautiful heart of Ashland daily, played at Lithia Park (even drank the disgusting Lithium water from the public drinking fountain — can you say sulfur? Bleck!), played with some costumes of our own, and had a generally wonderful time together. However, this post is just a sprinkling of our experience up there, as the photographs are too numerous to post, and I mainly wanted to add this post in the spirit of Halloween, and show you some of the beautiful costumes that are worn in these plays. As you may have guessed, you are not allowed to photograph on any of the tours, or during performances, so the costumes you see here are on display in a window at the Shakespeare Festival Visitor Center. Still awesome!

So lets get started, welcome to Ashland, OR!

The incredible outdoor Elizabethan theatre and a really awesome MacBeth!

Some of the beautiful costumes used at the Festival.

A lovely florist shop with a chocolate bar, as in chocolate you can drink, wow!

A couple of happy parent chaperones enjoying this ‘sweet’ venue.

Clearly he’s had too much of the chocolate drink!

So much beauty around.

We found a funky costume shop of our own. It was a kick hanging with these girls, I love them all!

Enjoying our spoils.

A quick shot of our prologue host front-loading us for the afternoon’s play, which was MacBeth. If this guy looks familiar, Google him, his name is David DeSantos. He’s not only on stage, but movies and t.v. as well. He did a superb job of engaging us in the story to come.

Some props around the room during the prologue.

Uh huh, a beautiful cup of coffee completes this episode of exquisite Ashland. For all of my fellow parents of this class, you know you will see hundreds of photographs from our time in Ashland. Patience though, ’tis a busy season for me. And, in the words of our lovely teacher ‘thank you for your children’. I can’t believe this is our last year together as a class. It has truly been an honor to be able to attend so many trips with these beautiful young adults and document them through the grades. What a slideshow we’ll have at the end of the year! Gotta go before I start crying, I love them all.

Kathi

| NapaFit-Bikini Bootcamp goes to San Francisco! | Napa Photographer…. finds her energy! |

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:18:13 +0000

Wow! Welcome to my world on a beautiful Saturday morning in San Francisco with a group of energetic, dynamic, and way fun women! Meet NapaFit-Bikini Bootcamp, and be prepared to get your butt kicked, with a capital B. I am one of many women who participate in this great adventure called ‘find your energy’, ‘find your body’ with NapaFit. We are all inspired and driven by one Ines Bargenquast (Donnelly). This was a workout ‘field trip’ to San Francisco, where we insanely agreed to run the infamous Lyon Street Stairs (over and over and over, again —- insert a lot of sweat!) and the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I had never been to the Lyon Street Stairs before. I know, what kind of California girl am I? So, it was not with a tourist’s eye, exactly, that I enjoyed this venue for the first time; though I was equally as stunned as any out-of-towner at the vista that is the ‘admission’, if you will, to this amazing neighborhood wonder. However, I was one of many that day, who enjoyed a beautiful view of our lovely city and a workout that was really vigorous, extremely hard, and worth every minute of it! I can’t think of a better reason to get up and start the day than this. Those steps kicked our butts (to the tune of Ines barking orders at us — in a loving way, of course), but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you, Ines, and ladies of the S.F. workout field trip. I had a great time, and an amazing workout with all of you on this gorgeous San Francisco day. And, as always, your comments are very welcome here on the blog.

This is the view that met us at the top of the stairs. See what I mean?

So, we had been at this for awhile when I snapped this photo. I hate to say ‘snapped’, as a professional photographer, but this was my workout too, and Ines was not about to let me get away with ‘I just happened to bring my camera along today’. Though I taunted her with a few comments prior to our departure that morning about ‘a group shot’ and ‘as a photographer, I must document at least some of this!’ She’s not so tough as to turn down a few shots in between breaths from me. We were literally on our way down the first set of stairs for a group shot just below the heart sculpture that is obscured by the morning light. That pretty brick building to the right is the home of former Mayor of San Francisco and Senator Diane Feinstein. Google it for a great view of the terrace/gardens.

Yep, there we are, our fearless leader, Ines, dead-on in the middle there with that ever-so-lovely banister pointing right at her. Well, I’m not in there — you all know how that goes, right?

OK, enough about me, on to the bridge!

And, we’re working it! That handsome man below would be Mr. Bargenquast. I have the distinct honor in the coming months of photographing this happy man and his wife, Ines, in a maternity session. I know, you can’t even tell that Ines is expecting! The only thing that could be better than this is that I also get to photograph their newborn! You’re going to have to check back here after the New Year folks.

A lot of water out there.

Can you believe we’re smiling?! Even those two below in the lower right with Ines pushing them onward!

Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?

I think they’ve caught their breath now.

Yes we did!

Pretty girls all in a row. And, don’t forget to stretch!

Here’s our group ‘tourists’ shot, I love it! What are you waiting for? Call NapaFit now!