Daddy's Girl

This is the day after our Giada Bella was born. One day old! She was so alert and would stare right from the beginning! Giada is training her photographer eyes already..It was so heartwarming to have family & friends visit us & the baby at the hospital, and the days that followed at our home. I can't post all the images, as there would be too many. But I will post some of our family holding Giada for the first time. Also, I must say, she is not just a daddy's girl, she is also a mommy's girl. I guess we'll have to share..

Alisha


Brook's mom & dad!


My dad & my sister Erika. This is the first grandchild for my parents!

Just Born: GIADA BELLA TODD

We are excited to announce the birth of our daughter, Giada Bella Todd! She was born on September 4, 2007 at 2:30pm at Sutter Maternity in Santa Cruz, California. She weighed 7 lb. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long. The shot above is Giada 5 days old. She currently 3 months old. So she wasn't exactly "just born" but we are finally finding some time to let you all know! I went into labor in the afternoon on Monday, Sept.3rd which is LABOR DAY. I had her the next day by C-section. Giada was 3 weeks early from her due date. The surgery room was kind of scary as I was awake and could feel a lot of tugging and pulling from the other side of the curtain. I had Brook and his camera, and my mom and her camera along with me. When Dr. Susan Schaefer delivered her and I heard my baby's cry for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion, tears and joy! The most beautiful thing I have ever heard! Brook said to her almost immediatly, "What are you crying for?" She stopped and looked at him. Then the new daddy held her with tears in his eyes. Moments later he was able to bring her over to me to look at her. Then my mom held her and showed my baby to me. Its hard to explain how overwhelming and wonderful it all was. And I had been trying to picture it in my mind for months what it might feel like! We are so thrilled to have her! Giada Bella is so sweet and such a good baby. Besides being THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY IN THE WORLD!!!


Breathing through a contraction....


Of all the nurses, I end up with the one that is also a professional photographer! She was very helpful and here she leads me to the surgery room as my mom and Brook photograph each other.

I await my baby...
Giada Bella is the sweetest and we'll be posting more of her!!!

Belly Time!

OK, we're going to try to catch up here because our adorable baby girl has been eating our time! Yes, Giada was born September 4th! But this blog entry is not that announcement. I'll make that the next one! Since I meant to post some pregnancy portraits way back in August, before she came....
Becky Burgin, my mom, took these beautiful photographs when I was a little over 8 months pregnant. I felt pretty good except that last month of hugeness was taking a toll on my previously injured back, not to mention my bladder! Was that too much info?! Anyhow, I really enjoyed having my little baby moving around & kicking in my belly. It was awesome!

I want to say HI to our friends Ulysses & Jenni! Jenni asked to see more belly shots after our SWEET BABY!(July's Post)of Brook's maternity shots. So here I am: all big and round!

By the way, thanks, mom!!!

Alisha

High School Pics

Remember when grad pictures were super bad!!!! The photographer would give you that weird half tux thing and make you put your hand under your chin. You know the shot that I am talkin' bout. I am sorry to say that there is one of those exact shots of me hanging at my mom and dad's house. Well, they like it. No longer. We are doing more and more fun senior photos. I love these! Thanks for checking back in with us.

Brook Out!

The Bathroom - Are you sure?

Oh yah! I said the bathroom. I just had the chance to work with Michael & Rita, a great couple from L.A. They had a beautiful wedding at Auberge Du Soleil. We just had a couple of minutes to photograph her before Michael showed up and Rita did not want to go outside. So, I was like, "Hey, let's go to the bathroom." She was like,"The bathroom?" I was like,"The bathroom." It really comes down to the lighting. And I go where the great light can be found. Sometimes that includes the "powder room". Here are couple of those shots of the Bride, Rita, in the bathroom. I love them!

Remember: Trust the Brook

Dude, another post? I am on fire!

That's 2 posts in one week. Amazing! The Dude is busy, but I am making time for the blog. I gotta say I have been having fun shooting digital. I never thought that I would type those words, and spell it correctly(spell check). Here are a few shots from my first ALL digital wedding. A BIG thank you to Joe and Adrienne for letting me be a part of the BIG day. I had a fun time!

Brook is out!

Sweet Baby!

I know, I know...... I swear I will post more.....So, my friends are on my case all the time about posting, or not posting. The Dude is busy. I am always doing something. With that said, some of you may not know but Alisha & I are expecting a baby. She is 7 months along. Here are some super cool images, otherwise known as Pregnancy Portraits or Maternity Portraits, that I took of her last week. I hope you enjoy these. Here is Alisha with our little baby girl Giada, who is obviously still in her belly. Bun is in the oven, cooking just a little longer! Please come back soon!

Brook out!



P.S. I also wanted to update you on our transition to digital. I am LOVING it! That will be my next post. The images that I have been getting have been super sweet.

Hello Everyone! This is Alisha posting within Brook's post. I wanted to share a picture of our unborn kid! I highly recommend to anyone that is pregnant to get 3D Ultrasound images. And of course get Pregnancy Portraits and Newborn Portraits, that goes without saying! Here is our little baby girl, Giada. Her foot is hitting her forehead there on the left. As for the feature we recognize...she has Brook's lips!

A new post! What? No way!

I know, I know. It has been, like, a month since I posted. I am sorry. I swear I will be better about sitting down and blogging. I guess that's how you spell it. Well, we have been busy with some weddings and a bunch of portraits. Recently, we've being photographing some senior portraits. No, not like old people, cause I got nothing against them. In fact, I like old people. I'll be one someday! What I am talking about here, are High School graduates. With that said, here are just a couple of shots from our recent senior. Congratulations Rochelle!

Brook out!

Cruisin' to Santa Barbara . . .

Sorry I have not blogged for a bit. Too busy with things. Well, Alisha and I are off to southern California. Destination: Santa Barbara, for the purpose of enjoyment and to be guest speakers for the local PPSBC(Professional Photographers of Santa Barbara County) on Tuesday, May 8th. It should be a bunch of fun. We love Santa Barbara! If you have not had the chance to go there, do it. Don't think about it, do it! There is so much to do there, from walking on the beach to shopping on State Street. I try to keep Alisha away from the shopping as much as possible, it is tuff. As soon as we get back home we will be sure to post some pictures of the trip. We will also be staying at the Brooks Institute mansion. Some of you may not know but Brooks is one of the most renouned and BEST photography schools in the world and we get to hang there. Sweeeeet! Please come back soon.

Brook

Blog Readers: BEWARE!

I have got to say, I like the blog. Thank you all for checking in on it. It has been a bunch of fun. On a darker note, has anyone noticed that there has been a lot of talk lately about the Chupacabra, or is it just me? I mean seriously, last week I was watching the Discovery Channel and they had a whole hour show about the Chupacabra (Spanish for "goat-sucker"). Then, on LOST, Hurley started telling a spooky story about the Chupacabra. Coincidence, I think not. I am just saying, we gotta be careful about these things, especially if you are a goat farmer in South America. That is why I am so happy to be a wedding photographer in San Francisco. There have been many goats lost to the Chupacabra over the years, No wedding photographers! For that reason, I will continue to photograph weddings here in the Bay Area and around the world, except for where the Chupacabra dwell.

Brook out!

Bliss.... Yes please!

I LOVE getting together with my friends and family. I do! A little BBQ and possibly a great beverage. The red cup kind, you know what I'm talking about. Every great party growing up involved the solo red cup with power action grip, for safe delivery of your beverage without worry of spillage. Ah, thats nice. Sorry, a little off topic. Back to my point. So, you head over to your friends house and you are prepared for a fun evening when you hear the words of death,"Wanna check out my wedding video?" I get the chills just thinking of it! Why? Well, most of the time wedding videos are as the French say,"cheesy". But with a French accent, so it sounds way more snobby. Not so if you use the services of Kristen, founder of Bliss* Video Productions. We have had the chance to work with Kristen a bunch of times, from San Francisco to the Bahamas down to Mexico. She is FANTASTIC! Kristen chose us to photograph her for her new promotional piece. It was a lot of fun. You all have a great weekend!

Enjoy a red cup today!

Brook

What should I look for when I hire a photographer?

Clients always ask this question. And hey, it's a good one. There is not just one thing to look for, it is a bunch of things. One, and I hate to say...it is the dreaded "B" word. BUDGET! You need to find a photographer in your budget. So, when you are sitting down to watch your Tivo-ed Oprah and plan your wedding, plan to spend about 15% to 20% on your wedding photographer. At least. Some may say that is a lot of money, and hey it can be if you are having a large wedding. I have to say this, photos are the one thing that you are going to have years from now. People forget the chicken, shrimp, and the crab cakes. I mean I love them, don't get me wrong, I love me some crab cakes and those asparagus bacon wrapped deals, you know the ones I'm talkin' about. Sorry, I am a little hungry now. The point I am trying to make is that photographs are the one thing you have left, years later. Get the best that you can get. Get us.

The next thing to look at is the photographers work. You should love your photographers work, not just like it, LOVE it! Otherwise you are going to look at your photographs years later with the kids and think your pictures are ok. And your kids are going to say, "Your pictures are ok but they could have been amazing." With tears in their eyes they will say,"Why? Why didn't you hire Alisha and Brook?" For nothing else, hire Alisha and I for the kids. Do it for the children. Don't disappoint them.

Last but not least, hire a photographer you love, I am talking about "personality". You need to feel comfortable around your photographer. Not like, "Wow I love his/her work, but boy, they give me the heebie-jeebies!" Because the result will be that you and all your guests will have a weird look on their face in each and every photo. You don't want that. Alisha and I guarantee not to give you the heebie-jeebies or even anything like a heebie-jeebie. We are anti-heebie-jeebie.

To sum up, crab cakes are delicious but don't last. An ok photo is still mediocre, but fabulous images are taken by Alisha & Brook. And in conclusion, we offer anti-heebie-jeebie wedding packages. No one else in the world offers that. No one.

Have a great day,

Brook

Ah........Italy

Alisha and I have been able to travel to many exotic locations over the years. The Bahamas, Hawaii, Mexico, Fresno. Wait a sec, ok, maybe not Fresno. Not that there is anything wrong with Fresno, I mean, it is the prune capital of the world, mainly because it is so dry and butt hot. Really, it is super hot, I am not just saying that, it is. But one of our favorite places that we have ever traveled to for an event was definitely Italy. WE LOVED ITALY! The event was amazing. You can see it on our Far & Away page. While we were there we had about 20 day that we were able to explore Italy. From Rome to Florence, from Cortona to Venice. Alisha and I are happy to say that we are going to be doing our first Italy Art Show of our images, here in Santa Cruz. But for those of you not living in this part of the world, you will be able to view them and purchase them on our site in the next month. They are beautiful! Here are a few of these fine art images. Enjoy!






Shout out to Fresno, Producer of K-Fed and other dried up Fruits!

Brook

Importance of a Photograph

We have an amazing job! I love what we do! Some people wonder if photographs are that important. The fact is THEY ARE! Alisha's grandpa died this week and friends and family have all come to visit. Each and everyone of us have LOVED looking at the old photos of grandpa Dave. After looking at the photos, really after looking at grandpa's life, it reconfirms that we as photographers have a responsibility to our clients to make sure we capture all the great moments of their special day. Even family photos. What we create today is what will be loved and cherished by friends and family for years to come, this week has proved that for us. Tell your family that you love them today and while you are at it, take a picture.

Brook

David W. Burgin Jr. Loving husband of 64 years, father of 5, grandfather to 14, great-grandfather to 11. We love him dearly.

Elvis has left the Building, but we're here!

So, my bro, Joe Photo has been buggin' the heck out of me to post some images of our new studio in San Francisco. It is a great little spot just around the corner from Union Square, FAB location. The day's of meeting clients in coffee shops is over! I have to say that coffee shops had worked pretty good. I did hate yelling over those freakin' loud espresso machines, DANG the hot foam. So, with out further "adu"(sorry I don't spell French or whatever), here is our office. Enjoy! I added that French word for the Bebbs, they are "Canidian". Sorry, I don't spell in "Canidian". Wait a second, I can't spell in Inglish. What the heck. This post is over. Alisha is going to read me a book, hopefully one with pictures, those are my favorite. Pictures good, words bad. I guess that is why I am a photographer, not one of those ritter people, you know, those people who make the books with words and such. Pen to pad, small hands, those people. If you don't get the joke by now I would draw you a picture, but I can't draw. Dang it. I am stickin' with my Canon.

Have a great day!

Brook

This is Alisha writing since Brook can't. Heh, heh. This is the front of our building, The Hearst Building. As in Hearst Castle. This is owned by William Hearst's grandson who works in the building. He has a cool Bocce ball court on the roof that we played in once with the building manager, Brennan. He's a pretty cool guy.

You walk into the building and there is a directory of the different offices which include O - The Oprah Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country, Cosmo Girl and Esquire. You take the elevator to the 7th floor and come to our suite:


That's it for now and thanks for checking up on us!

Alisha