Sevtap Agabay-Isik, Photographer: 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Wedding of Laura and Enrico

Two weeks ago I was at a wedding as a second shooter.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of this beautiful bride. I did not know her prior to the wedding at all. Later, I learned that she got accepted to University of Oxford and has to leave in two months. I guess the sweethearts did not want to get apart and put together this cute wedding in hurry.

Good luck and best wishes to the newlyweds.

A beautiful back light, no photographer would waste.

Finishing Touches

I wanted to know what she was thinking.

My favorite image of the day. It was as spontaneous as it can get, sheer love.

And fun times

And more

Monday, August 10, 2009

Reno by Night

Both nights we spent in Reno fell with unbelievably dramatic sunsets.

This building reminded me the Matrix movie.

Here is a small casino with a cleverly attractive name. Money can be borrowed conveniently. The man in the wheelchair was placed in the frame perfectly.

A juxtaposition of casino lights, entertainment and patriotism.

People looked hypnotized by the illumination. Check the reflections on the guy's glasses. I was tempted to replace them with $ signs.

Doom and gloom. Huge stratocumulus clouds covering the whole city was a good ending to my "Sin City" theme.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Reno by Day

West Valley College Photography Department coordinates several field trips to different destinations year round. These trips are incredibly popular; once a photographer goes on one of these excursions, it is most probable that he/she will come back again. I am one of the most religious followers.

Summer of 2009 the trip was to Reno. The assignment was to capture juxtapositions and/or contradictions. Reno is no short of either. My take was the difference between day and night.

Reno was empty, spic-and-span clean in the morning. Street cleaners removed the empty drink bottles and cups left on the streets or corners first thing in the morning.

The casinos looked sober and deserted.

This alley view brings the old and the new together. I heard that the "Old Reno" was closed recently. The yellow building seems to be a brand new condominium complex.

Another view of the same alley.

Our fellow photographers embraced the few colorful characters who were the only ones around early in the morning.

As the day went by, buses full of hopeful people came to the town.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

4th of July, San Francisco

The plan for the 4th of July was photographing San Francisco fireworks from Angel Island. A few unforeseen problems got in the way and we had to settle for less than perfect results.

Absence of a tripod: This can be attributed to my foolishness rather than an unexpected hardship. What kind of a photographer would try to shoot fireworks without a tripod but me? I ended up setting the camera on a cooler and going on my knees and elbows to have access to the viewfinder.
Low temperatures: I never fail to think San Francisco weather would be comparable to our very own San Jose's warm temperatures. It was uncomfortably cold even with borrowed extra clothing layers.
Less than perfect firework location: We really hoped they would fire the fireworks strategically so we could have beautiful city views as a background. But no, probably no one cared about giving us the perfect views.
Wind: The smoke produced by the fireworks moved to the South giving us an unsightly cloud.

Despite of all the adversity, a few images survived the quality control cut.

Bay Bridge

San Francisco Lights

I thought about adding the fireworks to this image but what's the point?

If somebody paid me for it, sure...

Feather Boas

Daisies

Light Showers Over Nowhere

Rick Waltonsmith

Rick Waltonsmith has been a great client of mine. He is a Saratoga based sculptor artist and I was fortunate enough to photograph his portfolio.

21060 Saratoga Hills Rd., Saratoga, CA 95070

(408) 656-8565

www.waltonsmith-sculpture.com

waltonsmith@comcast.net

Here are his words explaining his art and himself.

"For centuries humans have made sculpture to create powerful symbols for a variety of purposes such as: religion, love, fertility, or beauty. I use bronze, brass and stainless steel in non-representational shapes, with organic and geometric images to express my feelings.

My sculpture is primarily for outdoor display to enhance architectural sites or augment natural settings. My belief is that sculpture can invite us into a visual appreciation of our surroundings. Sculpture should not dominate a setting, or keep us from seeing what is already there.

I do all of my own work in a converted carriage barn in the hills near Saratoga. I will deliver and install pieces, build pedestals; and will perform any maintenance that may be required over the years."

"Dancing Sunrise" is a commissioned wall installation he created for CMT, Computer Media Technologies. We prepared a wall size poster to explain the complete process of its creation. It is always interesting to learn how much work is involved.