Gustavo Fernandez Photographer

Tomorrow i leave on my HOG for KIDS project.  It has been several months in the making and i am looking forward to some time on the road.  Learn more about the project on the HOG for KIDS website. Below is a map and the route of the almost 5,000 miles i will be covering on my 2003 100 YR Anniversary Harley-Davidson Fatboy.

The HOG For Kids Project is designed to raise awareness and support for impoverished boys and girls in the Dominican Republic (DR).  Many Dominican children grow up in extreme poverty, giving them a disadvantaged start in life. As these children transition to adolescence and later adulthood, breaking the cycle of poverty is daunting.

Gustavo Fernández is addressing this situation by raising public awareness and support for underprivileged Dominican children.  Gustavo, a San Francisco Bay Area based wedding and portrait photographer and native Dominican, combines his passion for photography and commitment to helping needy children in a two prong strategy to accomplish this goal.

First, Gustavo will embark on a cross country tour of the United States on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle (the “HOG”).  This 2^nd annual ride will include visits to clients and friends, with stops in at least 18 cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburg and New York.   Gustavo will perform a photo shoot of the children of these clients free of charge.  In return Gustavo will ask them to support a needy child in the DR through the sponsorship program of Children International, an international humanitarian organization based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Gustavo’s clients will help address the needs of a Dominican child by paying the cost of sponsorship for one year, $264, through the Children International website.  Children International programs provide medical and dental care and remove the barriers to getting an education.  Gustavo’s goal is to acquire sponsors for at least 50 Dominican children on this trip.  This trip will take place during July and August, 2009.

In the second part of his plan, Gustavo will undertake a two week photo project in the DR to capture the experience of poor children, focusing on the children his clients have sponsored.  The photos will portray the children in natural settings at home, at play in their neighborhoods, at work and at school.  The photos will show the spectrum of their human needs, aspirations and potential.

Gustavo will publicize the project and display the DR photos through a combination of social media outlets.  Gustavo will document the U.S. cross country tour and the DR trip on his daily blog and Twitter and create a Facebook page where people can go for project updates and view video clips.  Gustavo will also seek publication of the photos in magazines with wide circulation such as Rangefinder and Professional Photographer and local magazines like Diablo Mag.  A radio talk show is considering highlighting the project as well.

Located in the Caribbean, the DR is about twice the size of New Hampshire and has a population of nearly 10 million.  42% of Dominicans are considered poor, with many families earning $2 or less per day. The public schools are overcrowded and 59% of Dominican youth are not in school, one of the highest dropout rates in Latin America.  Many children are unable to attend school because their parents cannot afford the required supplies and uniforms.  Only 58 percent of children reach the fifth grade.  Clapboard houses with dirt floors are common and create unhealthy living conditions where children often get sick. Respiratory tract infections, malnutrition, parasitic infections and gastrointestinal disease are the most common health threats.  Government health clinics are inadequate, overcrowded and often inaccessible.

The result of this project will be to help 50 needy children grow to be healthy, educated and prepared to meet the challenges of adulthood while raising awareness about child poverty around the world.

Dear brides, make sure you do not miss this bridal event on Wednesday. My friend Michelle, owner of MB Wedding Design and Events will be having this wonderful Bridal Soiree in San Francisco you must check out. I will be there as the event photographer to photograph what i expect to be a gorgeous evening. I love being an event photographer, i meet so many fun people that way. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Promises and Pearls was created by Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini, owner of MB Wedding Design and Events and Beverly Yip, owner of Especially Yours Chair Covers in 2007. The boutique style soiree is a one of a kind event that allows couples to find wedding resources in a low-key, yet swanky environment. Designed to focus on brides and grooms who know what they want and don’t want to shop around, only one or two vendors per category are invited each year to participate. We pride ourselves in showcasing only the finest event professionals in each category. Each professional is hand-picked by Michelle and Beverly and participation is by invite only. After two years of producing such a successful event, we continue to inspire those couples who dream big and love whole heartedly. We hope that you will consider participating in our event this year and should you have any questions about our soiree, please do not hesitate to contact either Beverly or myself.

Yours Truly,

Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini and Beverly Yip

Event: Promises and Pearls, A Bridal Soiree with the Finest

Date: July 8, 2009

Location: The Payne Mansion,

Time: 6:00-9:00pm.

RSVP directly on the website: www.promisesandpearls.com

I feel honored to have been asked to speak for my local Professional Photographers Night School Class in August.   There are so many talented people in the Northern California Professional Photographers group that have inspired me to continue to drive my business further.  It will be my first speaking engagement as a professional photographer.  Come join me as i speak on incorporating Networking & Social Media into your business.

Date: Tuesday August 25th
Time: 7PM
Location: TBD

Join Gustavo Fernández for this ?”social event”? on tapping into the power of Social Media to project your brand and create rich relationships. This San Francisco based ?”Green Photographer”? has harnessed the power of the internet to project his brand beyond his Bay Area home base. He will share his insights on how to use this powerful medium to effectively grow your online presence, build social networks, and market your brand. Tap in and learn the secret power of connections!

After my “Have a picture perfect wedding with a Green Photographer” feature on the San Francisco Examiner’s Green Weddings section last week the ShootQ blog kindly featured the article.  As a Green Wedding Photographer ShootQ is one of the main resources i use to manage my studio and has made my journey to go paperless seamless.  ShootQ allows me to track all leads, have my client sign their contracts online, send out invoices automatically, organize my workflow, have all my client event information accessed easily via my iphone, and many more.  Sign up for Free and take the tour here: “I wanna ShootQ too!” or click on the badge below.

I was featured yesterday on the San Francisco Examiner’s Green Weddings section.  I had a great time on my interview with writer Patti Lew who just had her own green wedding last year.  Being a Certified Green Wedding Photographer has allowed me to incorporate my lifestyle into my profession while meeting some amazing people in the Green/Eco space.  Check out more green wedding articles on Patti’s SF Green Wedding Examiner home page. Click here to read the full article “Have a picture perfect wedding with a Green Photographer“.