Gustavo Fernandez Photographer » Personal

Stanford University Photography | Happy Father’s Day!

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:26:45 +0000

I was photographing an engagement session on the Stanford University campus yesterday when i came up with a great gift idea for my Dad. My Dad attended Stanford University and was part of the 1969 graduating class. As i walked around and photographed my couple i took some extra images of the buildings and beautiful vistas. One of the most stunning buildings is the Stanford Memorial Church. Stanford Memorial Church weddings book up years in advance my couple said. Yesterday we saw about four different wedding photographers with couples. Stanford Memorial Chapel has become a great backdrop and destination for wedding photography images. I would love to photograph a wedding at the Stanford Memorial Chapel, it’s just a gorgeous location. This morning i downloaded the images and created some screen-saver/background images for him. Here are a few of my favorites, enjoy!

Another classic landmark is Hoover Tower. It has an observatory platform and is about 14 stories high. Will definitely try to get up there next time.

Kansas Visit to see my sister Larissa & nephew Luis Gustavo

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:31:07 +0000

This past weekend i visited my sister in Ottawa, KS and got to hang out with my nephew Luis Gustavo who is now a little over 2 yrs old. We spent much of our time at home since Luis had just gotten out of the hospital due to a lung infection. Here are some of my favorite images i captured over the weekend. Enjoy!

Took him outside for a few minutes to get some outdoor shots, well bundled so he would not get sick again.

My Nephew Luis Gustavo, aka "Luisito" is too darn cute…

Gustavo Fernandez — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:41:00 +0000

Just got these images from my sister yesterday taken with one of their cell phones. Too cute, can’t wait to hang out with him in a couple of weeks.

Dinner with Kenny Kim

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:11:00 +0000

Had dinner last night with my friend Kenny Kim at The Cheesecake Factory. We met about a month ago while he was helping with DJ’s Freedom & Slumber workshop. He has had a pretty crazy schedule for the last couple of months also helping out Mike Colon at his local workshop in Orange County and then traveling with Mike and Bob Davis for their Master their Craft Tour. We caught up over dinner and i had a chance to have a real conversation outside of the craziness of a workshop. We spoke about the industry, networking, and how we both go started and where we came from. Kenny recently asked me to shoot a wedding with him in San Francisco and i feel honored and stoked about the opportunity. Thanks Kenny for dinner last night, for all your insights, and for sharing your knowledge with me. Looking forward to hanging out at WPPI in a couple of weeks.

Michelle Walker Travel Photography Show

Gustavo Fernandez — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:11:00 +0000

Last night I went to a photography show with my friend and fellow Bay Area wedding photographer Sylvain Gentile. We attended Michelle Walker’s Travel Photography show. Jose Villa introduced me to Michelle last year at the PDN on the Road seminar. She is a very talented Bay Area wedding photographer that has been published in many of the major magazines. Definitely someone i look up to. She took photographs from her travels to Cuba, India, Africa, and Peru and had some amazing large (40 by 60) canvases made by Simply Canvas. The show will be on display at Luka’s Taproom & Lounge til March 29th. You can see the images on her new website under Galleries then Travel. We enjoyed some great food, some Oscar watching on the projector, and lastly some great company. Congrats Michelle on the success of your first show.

The talented artist-Michelle Walker.

My favorite, the little girl looking up at Grandma in Cuba.

Gotta love point and shoot camera flash!

Star Wars Mimobot R2-D2 Designer USB Flash Drive

Gustavo Fernandez — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:29:00 +0000

My friend Nicole DeMeo who owns Kamikazee Pop hooked me up with the Star Wars Mimobot R2-D2 USB Drive by Mimoco, they just stopped making them and it is part of a limited edition series. They also have Darth Vader, and the Stormtrooper which are all sold out. Chewbacca is in low stock status. They just added another 4 to the Star Wars series: Princess Leia, Hans Solo, Boba Fet, and Luke Skywalker. Pre-orders are being taken now. Check them out. They come in various sizes and i got the 1GB. They make great gifts and they come in a ton of other designs other than Star Wars. Give Nicole a call before these run out too at (415) 597-5767. Thanks Nicole for the hook up.

#331 of 2,900

1GB

The rest of the almost sold out family.

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Commute Rainbow

Gustavo Fernandez — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:44:00 +0000

This rain just does not want to stop, we are getting hammered with it in the Bay Area.

A glimpse of hope.

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Volunteer-John Muir Medical Center ER

Gustavo Fernandez — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:12:00 +0000

Tonight i volunteered as usual at John Muir Medical Center’s Emergency Room. I am scheduled every week on Wednesday nights from 7-11pm but make it in once or twice a month due to my crazy schedule. Ever since i moved to the Bay Area i have volunteered here. I used to be the Philanthropy Chairman at my fraternity in college and have continued to give of myself since that experience. I have accrued over 500 hours of service and having fun doing it. They now have me train the new volunteers that are brave enough to do so in the ER. Actually, it is not that bad at all. Not like what we see on TV, it is way slower pace and nobody is spurting blood everywhere and doctors are not running down hallways to screaming orders. We do actually get some of the fun stuff like gun shot wounds and bad accidents since we are the trauma center for Contra Costa County. Tonight i had the opportunity to train one the new volunteers Tia. I showed her around the ER and advised her on what to do and what to expect. Many volunteers are usually looking to go into nursing or being a doctor and want to get some experience in the environment to see if they will really like it and often times need volunteer hours to spruce up their resumes to become more competitive. Tia was no different, she want to become a nurse. She is a diabetic and want to help others manage the disease that took her father at a young age.

The patch on my green volunteer polo shirt.

The nametag/badge that gets me in all the doors in the hospital.

My First Tank of Gas-Gotta Love Hybrids

Gustavo Fernandez — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:57:00 +0000

After picking up my new 2008 Toyota Prius last friday i had to get some gas. I already felt better that i was not driving my best friends(Ralph) Land Rover Discovery, although i was extremely thankful for him letting me borrow it til i got situated. The Prius takes about 10 gallons and i can drive it over 400 miles on one tank (i know this since my old company car was also a Prius).

Here you can see that i was getting over 37 miles per gallon and had already gone 313 miles, i usually get about 44mpg or so, first tank, just breaking her in.

This is also a much better number than the $75 plus i was paying on the Rover. My wallet sure is happy.

Picked up my New 2008 Toyota Prius

Gustavo Fernandez — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:40:00 +0000

On the drive back from Lodi i got a call that my new 2008 Toyota Prius had come in and that it would be ready tonight for pickup. I drove over to Toyota Walnut Creek at about 6pm and handed my loaner jeys to JD-the salesman and he handed me my new keys. He walked me through some of the new features and even set up the bluetooth on my phone. I was very excited to say the least.

Yes, very new, only 4 miles on it.

The next day…

My First Car Purchase-2008 Toyota Prius

Gustavo Fernandez — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:04:00 +0000

So i have actually never owned a car before. Ever since leaving college i have had a company car and therefore after leaving the corporate world i had to figure out all the nuances of buying a car. I did my due diligence and read my Consumer Reports magazines and asked most of my friends about their suggestions on financing, new or used, cars, and dealerships. My last car with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals was a 2006 Toyota Prius. Our company had a Green Initiative that if you were interested in a Prius you could order it at any moment because they were trying to have a certain amount of hybrids in our fleet. Normally the process was having your car for two years or 55,000 miles, whichever came first. After attending Sundance Film Festival and being at the premier of the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” with Al Gore i decided to give up my 2005 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan for the Prius. I loved it and was doing my part for the environment at the same time. After leaving it was an easy decision to just get another one. This time with a few more perks than the stock model we get for work. I decided on a Black Package #6 model that includes leather, bluetooth, smart key system, ipod auxilary jack, backup camera, and navigation. After calling around and talking to a few dealerships i settled with family owned Walnut Creek Toyota. JD, the saleman, said he had one just arrive at the docks and it would be a few days. I said i was returning my rental car tomorrow after having it for a week and did not want to have to renew the rental agreement. He said he would be happy to put me in a loaner til my car arrived. Sold!

I drove the rental car back to the Oakland Airport first thing in the morning and caught BART back to Walnut Creek and walked over to the dealership. The process was pretty simple since we had agreed on a price over the phone so i just filled out the paperwork and they put me in a Toyota Corolla for the week. I drove off anxiously awaiting my new 2008 Toyota Prius.

The "Wet" Road to Hana

Gustavo Fernandez — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Today Bart & I drove the famous Road to Hana. Unfortunately it started pouring rain shortly after our trip started. It was about 65 miles to Hana that bordered the north coast of Maui. Since it was raining the waterfalls were in full force. It was one long windy drive and we stopped at a few waterfalls that were visible for the road and ended up in Hana for lunch.

View Larger Map

I got a little lens envy when i saw this guy shootin the surfers. Imagine bringing that to a wedding…

Here comes the rain…

By the time we got to Hana we were in a pretty bad storm. Check out the video below.

We stopped in Hana and had lunch, luckily by the time we were done it cleared up a bit. We headed back and decided to stop at Black Sand Beach. This large beach is set among lava cliffs and the sand is actually small, smooth, lava pebbles.

Yup, it’s black…

After Black Sand Beach we had a long, windy, and uneventful dark drive home. A fun day but definitely need to come back when the weather cooperates to take in the views that are visible from the road.

Here are the rest of the images of the day on my Flickr account.

Missed flight, lost car rental keys, the works!

What a day…

Gustavo Fernandez — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:49:00 +0000

I took off work from the Studio today since i leave tomorrow to shoot Aaron & Nicole’s wedding at the Four Seasons in Maui and needed some time to run a few last minute errands. I started by buying my ticket for Burnigman which took over an hour once i logged in at 10am when the tickets went on sale. I was immediately #1644th in line. It counted down pretty smoothly and an hour later i was able to place the order. The reason i logged in this early was that the first batch(10,000) of tickets are the lowest cost at $210 a piece.

I then headed into San Francisco and joined my friend Jana Asenbrennerova at Macworld to catch up on all the latest toys/gadgets. Loving all the new features added to the Ipod Touch, it’s now basically an iPhone without a cell connection. You can log into any open wifi available where you go and get your e-mail and surf the web, even has a new cool feature that tells you where you are so you can do directions from there. I would love to get an iPhone but i am stuck with my Sprint contract til September ($200 fee to cancel my contract) and the AT&T service alone would cost me $40 more a month. So Ipod Touch it is, looks like B&H has Macworld special for $30 off.

After Macworld i drove straight to Sacramento to join my friend Sam Harnack and attend the PPSV (Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley) meeting. This month Mike Larson was in town to speak and delivered a great presentation on forming your Identity, having a Purpose, establishing Relationships, and Balancing your life.

Back home now packing up and doing some last minute laundry. There goes the buzzer, stuff’s dry. Good night.

The New Macbook Air

These guys are way skinny!

Your not in Kansas Anymore..

Gustavo Fernandez — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:45:00 +0000

That is what i used to hear about five years ago when i moved out here from Kansas. I spent seven and a half years living in Kansas. I moved there to go to the University of Kansas located in Lawrence and graduated with a Bachelors in Latin American Studies and Spanish four years later. I then got the job with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals right after school and moved to Salina which was about 2 hours west. I spent my next three and a half years covering the western Kansas territory til i got promoted to the Bay Area.

Tonight my good friend Daron Brown is in San Francisco at a sales meeting. I met Daron in Salina since he also worked for another pharmaceutical company-Aztra Zeneca. I joined him for dinner at the Hilton’s CityScape Restaurant with a couple of his partners Brandon Gary (whom i actually used to wash dishes with at the Tri Delta Sorority house at KU) and the beautiful Aram Morvani who i just met tonight. We enjoyed some great food, had a few drinks and reminisced about all the doctors i used to call on and how freeing not living the corporate life feels.

Morgan’s Birthday Party

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:05:00 +0000

Today was my best friend Ralph’s daughter Morgan 7th birthday party. He asked me to take some images to document the evening. The party was at Skipolini’s Pizza in downtown Walnut Creek. About 20 or so kids showed up and everybody had a great time, especially when Ralph brought out the piñata.

Miss Morgan

Noah finally breaking it all loose..

Definitely Daddy’s Girl…

My First Tank of Gas-Gotta Love Hybrids

Car Broken Into…

Gustavo Fernandez — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Ever since i left Corporate America back in November after Thanksgiving i have had the opportunity to borrow my friends Ralph’s Land Rover Discovery for which i am very grateful for. I have been traveling so much for the holiday and the upcoming weeks that i have had no time to research and purchase a car.

I was on my way home early tonight after working at the studio to go volunteer at John Muir Medical Center Emergency Room and was surprised by a broken window. They ripped the radio out of the dash and also took my iPod from the glove box. It was partly my fault since i forgot to take the radio faceplate with me. I was bummed, frustrated, and concerned to how Ralph would react. He was cool it, “things happen, and for that we have insurance” he said.

1st Day on the Job

Gustavo Fernandez — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Today i started working as the Studio Manager for Mark Leet Photography. I have my good friend Nicole DeMeo to thank for introducing us last year. Mark has over 20 years experience as a commercial photographer. The studio is based in San Francisco at 2132 Folsom Street which also doubles as a loft space where him and his wife Leslie and beautiful 15 month old daughter Isabella (Bella) live during the week and commute to their home in Woodside, CA on the weekends. I am helping Mark with studio management, producing shoots, and marketing and new business development.

Heading Home

Gustavo Fernandez — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Last night i flew back from visiting my parents for the Christmas & New Year’s holiday in Warren, NJ. Newark Airport never seizes to surprise me, delayed by two hours due to the storm brewing in the MidWest to then land at home in San Francisco and miss the last BART train. Super Shuttle it was which got me home at 2:30AM!

About Me…

Gustavo Fernandez — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:48:00 +0000

I wanted to take some time and introduce the blog again since i just made it public yesterday after spending some time this week trying to figure out Blogger. Definitely still have some kinks to figure out. As you will see there are quite a few posts before this one, i basically went back and backtracked to practice making different posts. So a brief story about myself.

I was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, have lived in Italy and Spain. Finished High School at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, attended the University of Kansas, started working for Johnson & Johnson right after graduation in Pharmaceutical Sales, then got promoted to the San Francisco Bay Area. Have been here for the last 6 years or so.

Now after 9 years as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative with Johnson & Johnson i am taking a stab at following my passion for photography full time. I will developing my Wedding Photography business this year while continuing to second shot weddings, manage a commercial photography studio (www.markleet.com) in San Francisco, and assist in commercial shoots.

I’m pretty excited about this year already, i have some great destination weddings, events and trips scheduled. I start by shooting Nicole and Aaron’s engagement session this coming Sunday to be followed by their wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Maui a few weeks later. At the end of the month i will be driving down to Santa Barbara to attend David Jay’s Freedom & Slumber Workshop. In February i will come back to visit my parents in New Jersey and attend the Mike Colon and Bob Davis workshop Master Your Craft. At the end of the month i will then join my partner Jennifer Muntz in Chicago to shoot another wedding. Then in March Jen and i fly to Las Vegas for the annual WPPI convention.

Back to the Gym

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:43:00 +0000

Thought i would get a jump start on my New Year’s resolutions and get back on track to working out. I signed up earlier this month to do the Wildflower Triathlon Olympic Distance in May. The Olympic Distance entails a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run. I completed it two years ago in 3:08 and my goal this coming year is to come in under 3hrs.

Drove down to the Warren Gym for a quick 30 minute run on the treadmill before having to pick up my Uncle at the train station. Listened to Part II of Me Rah Koh’s (a talented Seattle, WA Wedding & Portrait Photographer) interview by Ron Dawson on his new Blog F-Stop Beyond on my iPod. Ron runs a film & video production company that works closely with the wedding industry. I had the opportunity to introduce myself and thank Ron at this years Photo Plus Expo in NY for the wonderful interviews he has been sharing with us in his new blog.

My Nephew is Not a Happy Kid…

Gustavo Fernandez — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:43:00 +0000

Quite the contrary. Mr. Luisito (Luis Gustavo) seems to always be in a good mood. Here he is just having a ball with his own reflection at a store at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey. See video and images below.

Enjoying the After Christmas Sales

Gustavo Fernandez — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 04:04:00 +0000

My Nephew Luisito (Luis Gustavo) has become a very talented shopper. Here you see his excitement for the after Christmas sales at GAP Kids.

Ready to Roll!

What do we have here?

What do you think of these deals Uncle?

How do i look?

In Flight Movie-The Ultimate Gift

Gustavo Fernandez — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 04:10:00 +0000

Watched a beautiful movie on the plane flight from San Francisco, CA to Newark, NJ last night starring Abigail Breslin from one of my favorite movies “Little Miss Sunshine“, Brian Dennehy, James Garner, Bill Cobbs, & Drew Fuller. It was called “The Ultimate Gift“. Just looked it up online and looks like the author Jim Stovall has a pretty amazing story of his own.

Jim Stovall is a blind man who sees what really matters. After years of reaching out to diverse audiences with his own remarkable history, he turned deep inside. Right to the heart of the values – or ‘gifts’ – that rest within us all, and the magical transformations that begin once we start to recognize and share these 12 treasures. The universal yet profound insights of his book became the keys that continue to unlock incredible new hope, joy and meaning for individuals, families, schools and public-service organizations throughout the world.

Jim Stovall has overcome blindness to become a national champion Olympic weightlifter, a successful investment broker, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. He is co-founder and president of the Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for our nation’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families.

This movie was based on a book that Jim wrote.

A best-selling story that just keeps giving… now as an award-winning film!

When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks – or “gifts” – designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is really most important in life.

Christmas & New Year’s Vacation

Gustavo Fernandez — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:07:00 +0000

Taking the Red Eye flight on United from San Francisco to New Jersey tonight where i will be visiting my parents for Christmas and New Year’s. My sister Larissa, my nephew Luisito (Luis Gustavo), and my Brother-in-Law will also be joining us from Kansas and my Uncle Ricardo and his family will be flying up from Miami.

Tony Robbin’s “Date with Destiny” Seminar

Gustavo Fernandez — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:38:00 +0000

Just got back from an amazing six day experience in which i was able to share with my Mom in Phoenix, AZ.

Digital Photography Edge-Bruce Dorn & Maura Dutra Seminar