Todd Petrik: Photographer and Friend

Last weekend I was out with a bunch of really good photog and model friends at the Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, CA. We were having a wonderful time shooting pretty people and using different gear and socializing.  One of the photogs is my friend Todd Petrik of Todd Petrik Photography.  While we were there he asked if I could take a couple of pics of him for his business and a pic or two of his family for his Christmas Pictures.  Needless to say I was highly honored and did not have to be asked twice. Here are some of the pics I took for him.

 

Mark Behrens coaches one of Todd’s daughters

 

Todd’s two oldest daughters give each other a hug.

 

Todd’s Wife and three daughters

 

Todd and his three daughters: A candid moment

 

And finally, a Christmas card designed by Sierra Springs Photography and Natalie Designs.  There’s still time to set up your family mini-shoot for Christmas Cards.

Merry Christmas from the Petriks

A Senior Mini Shoot (El Dorado County High School Senior Photographer)

I had the honor of photographing Michael for his High School Senior Pics.  I think he might have been a little apprehensive at first, but he was great to work with and I think we got some great pictures.

And here’s a short slide show of the whole shoot, including some out-takes.  Enjoy.

 

Michael Senior Mini Photo Shoot

 

 

Rice Farm Photoshoot! {El Dorado Country Portrait and Senior Photographer}

I mentioned that I had attended a workshop and portfolio building photoshoot for models and aspiring models a couple of weeks ago on a rice farm in Williams, CA.  Here’s a little bit of behind the scenes and a little bit of my finished product.

Or, go here for full screen: Workshop on a Rice Farm

It was a long day, but great fun!

If you like what you see and you would like to have some great looking photos like these, send me an email at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net and we can set you up!

Food! (El Dorado County Portrait and Commercial Photographer)

My husband is a secret chef.  He’s always enjoyed cooking and so, several years ago he did some interning at a local restaurant for a very fine chef.  He honed his skills while at the restaurant and now our family and friends reaps the benefits. This was our dinner last night (and yes, the steam is real…I did not photoshop the steam into the picture.)

His cooking interests mesh quite well with my photo interests.  So, for the last two months, I have been taking a food photography class. The above photo was done for my final assignment.  I wanted to see if I had the skills to photograph food right out of the oven and be able to get a decent shot before the food went cold.  I had about 15 minutes to photograph this lovely bird before she would need to be sliced for dinner.

This photo was for the chef.  He wanted a shot looking down on the bird. Looks good enough to eat, huh?

One of my assignments was to photograph a translucent food.  I chose jello, mainly because I couldn’t think of anything else.  Our lesson was about getting light thru the food rather than just on the food.

And on the opposite side of the spectrum is the silhouette.  I loved this assignment and I was able to accomplish it with one light.  It is a very simple set up but it took many photos before I got just what I wanted.  My husband wants me to take photos of wine and food to put in his office and he chose this as one of them. (I’m very honored.)

We have roast chicken almost every Sunday, so if you are around some Sunday, stop on by.  The chicken tasted as good as it looked.

Photo of the Day {El Dorado County and Sacramento Social Media Photographer}

Runway Models