Connecticut Mini Sessions | January 25th

I'll be in Connecticut to celebrate my grandmother's 97th birthday this coming January, and I would love to meet up with you for a mini session! Please email sandra@sandrafazzino.com to book. Spots are limited due to the short window of light we have during winter, so don't wait! xo

Pinterest, You Complete Me.

Some articles have been circulating like Jasmine Star's, A Photographer's Perspective on Pinterest, which emphatically agrees with everything Aimee Grover writes in her blog post, with the same title, so much so that Jasmine republishes Aimee's article, because she wants to be sure that her followers get the message: Pinterest boards are great, but beware.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, I may be one of very few photographers who appreciate receiving a client's Pinterest board. Or maybe other photographers do like receiving inspiration boards from their clients, but they just don't want to be told to replicate anything seen on the board. I'm going to explain why this doesn't offend me nor make me squirm and why I'm happy to fulfill my clients' requests.

Long before becoming a portrait and wedding photographer, I made commercial and catalog photography shoots come to life as a photo producer. Essentially, a photo producer is similar to a wedding planner. The Creative Director would share client approved creative schemes, and I would execute these ideas by booking all necessary team members including but not limited to the photographers, the locations, stylists, models, etc. On the day of the shoot, I was in charge of ensuring that everything went smoothly, that we remained within budget, and most of all that our client was happy. This is where I learned, no matter how well one dots their i's or crosses her t's, shit happens, and I better have a sturdy supply of pooper-scoopers handy at all times. Which I did! And I was glad.

Well, guess what we used to map out our creative cues. We used something in the commercial industry called swipe. Guess what Pinterest is. It's swipe! And it makes everyone's worlds so much easier. We can finally speak a beautiful language with one another, one that we can quickly and easily understand. If an Art Director showed a photographer an image of coffee beans spilling out of a female's hands, then it was my job to book the hand model, the stylists job to find the right props and the photographer's job to capture the light. We all worked together - a team of ten of us - at least - to create an image similar to the swipe with which we had been presented.

So, you can see how referring to Pinterest boards wouldn't really intimidate me or stunt my creativity. I know that you understand that we will never completely replicate the images you've shared. I know that's not your intention. I know that you have booked me for my style and that you trust me to get the shots. But I also know that you have a solid idea of what you want, and I want to be sure I provide that to you and more, of course.

For the record, I do agree with Jasmine and Aimee's end points on how to use Pinterest. I think it's a great tool, and I hope it makes planning a wedding easier for my clients. Prior to Pinterest or wedding blogs, we had to flip through wedding magazines of which there were few good ones. Now, we are fortunate to have so many avenues to walk down in order to window shop for what we want. I'm glad for it, and I am thankful that you have a way to communicate well with me.

Also for the record, I wanted to give an example of why I believe Pinterest helps us to speak a beautiful language with one another. All of this dawned on me, because I am in the process of rebranding my business identity. It's amazing what an odd process this is. It's like describing who you are to your designer so that she can find you your soul mate. It's an intimate, reflective, contemplative thing to do. Here is a look at the Pinterest board I shared with my designer.

Now, look at this one image which I LOVE.

Now, look at the glass dish I keep on my bathroom counter to hold my jewelry.

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Pinterest, you complete me. You know my language. Someone out there made a beautiful photo of a woman wearing jewelry that almost but not quite replicates my very own collection of everyday gold jewelry. How better can I communicate who I am to my designer than by showing her this image?!

I don't know if my point came across as well as I intended it. I guess my hope is that when a client shares an image with fellow photographers that they not be offended or cringe or feel creatively stunted. I hope rather they recognize that their clients are extending themselves to you. We may not think the idea is original, but few are. And yes, we may have to make the bed before it creates the right backdrop for our client, but why wouldn't we go to that extra effort? Why wouldn't we want to give our clients exactly what they hoped for - and more?

Personally, I've been a part of the recreation process for many years for commercial clients and I'm perfectly okay with carrying that service to my portrait and wedding clients, too.

Cindy + John | Sonoma Wedding

Texas girl meets California guy and they begin a life of happily ever after. Okay, maybe it wasn't that simple. But these two are proof that blind dates really can lead to true love, that distance does make the heart grow fonder, opposites definitely attract, and most of all that commitment is about support and friendship just as much as it is about romance and tender kisses.

Venue: Ramekins, Sonoma, CA
Day of Wedding Coordinator: Marilyn Ambra
Flowers: Daisy Rose Floral Design

Cindy chose to hang carnations above the ceremony site in memory of her late mother. Couldn't help but notice the light pouring through the wisteria and how her sash blew in the wind just as I snapped the shutter.

Oh, It's So Delish! | A Recipe for Vegetable "Ceviche"

Every once in a while, I post a recipe that really hits home. Today is one of those days. This month's Food & Wine Magazine is almost too perfect. Every page is bursting with colorful vegetable recipes that are screaming my name. I tried this one for Vegetable "Ceviche", created by the popular Stockholm-based bloggers, David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, of Green Kitchen Stories, and it was a big hit. My in-laws, visiting for a month from Italy, wouldn't be able to palette the cilantro - they're just not used to it. And my husband won't go near an onion much less a scallion or pepper, so I toned it down a bit. 

Have fun with it, and let me know what you think!  Oh, and if you would like to follow each other on Instagram, you can find me HERE. 

1. 1 cup fresh baby lima beans (from about 1 1/2 pounds in the pod) or other shelling bean
2. 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3. 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1 scallion, thinly sliced (omitted)
6. 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced (omitted)
7. 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (omitted)
8. Sea salt
9. 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears)
10. 2 nectarines, cut into thin wedges (substituted w/yellow peach)
11. 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12. 1 large orange bell pepper, finely julienned (omitted)
13. 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
14. 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (substituted w/italian flat leaf parsley)

1. In a small saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the lima beans until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the lime zest and juice with the olive oil, scallion, jalapeño and shallot; season the dressing with salt. Gently fold in the lima beans, corn, nectarines, avocado, orange pepper and tomatoes. Refrigerate the “ceviche” for at least 2 hours. Fold in the cilantro just before serving and serve the “ceviche” chilled.

MAKE AHEAD The salad can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours.

Taylor + Brock | Engagement Session | Stanford, CA

He walked into the weight training room at Stanford University, and she immediately took notice of the new Assistant Baseball Coach. Once they were properly introduced, he found himself preoccupied with strategies on how he would manage to see her again. Within two weeks, everyone noticed - they clicked. Maybe their sequestered night long conversation at a crowded party gave it away, but whatever it was, even Taylor and Brock knew the connection was undeniable.

When I meet with Taylor and Brock I see two genuine people who utterly, without a doubt, no-mistaking-it belong together. I feel so honored to document their wedding day this summer. Thank you for selecting me to be your photographer. I simply can't wait.

Horse Project | Barb + Bentley | Circus Club, Atherton

It doesn't get more elegant than a horse named Bentley and a woman in a pair of Louboutin shoes.

Cindy + John | Engagement Portraits | Cavallo Point

A fun-filled day at Cavallo Point with Cindy, John, Cassie and Carson. When love calls you to the altar a second time, you just have to turn your e-session into a family session, so that's what we did. I love this family, and I cannot wait to photograph Cindy and John's wedding in Sonoma this summer. Here's to life's blessings. Happy Friday!

Horse Project | Lara + Hansi | Portola Farms

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.
Arabian proverb

Meet Lara and Hansi, two beauties who travel in the heavenly winds.

Marketing to Event Planners | San Francisco Bay Area

Several months ago, just as the 2012 wedding season was coming to its end, I sent out this promotional piece to event planners in the bay area. At this point, I had photographed roughly thirty weddings, but mainly as a second shooter. So, none of the planners in my area knew of me, and I figured if was time to introduce myself. I found a great article by Caroline Joy, 3 Ways to Shake up Your Marketing Today, and followed her every word. Here are the steps I followed:

Step 1:  Researched local wedding planners. Based on the information that I found mainly via the internet, made a SHORT list of women whose style and personality resonated with my brand. Created an excel sheet of each business's contact information. Used this document to track response of mailing.

Step 2: Made a decision on the impression I aimed to make. I wanted to come across as warm, professional, considerate, and organized. Of course, I also wanted to convey my brand. The three words I would use to describe my style are timeless, elegant and graceful.

Step 3: Made printed cards of several of my favorite images and created a questionnaire card that the planners could easily fill out and return in the self-addressed and stamped envelope. This was the key to the success of the promo piece. I simply asked if she would be willing to meet for coffee, lunch or a quick office visit, which month worked best October, November or December, and how she preferred to be contacted by email or phone.

Step 4: Mailed the packages during down season. And patiently waited!

Step 5: As returned post cards arrived, sent a follow-up email thanking the planner. Based on her feedback, marked my excel sheet, and made plans accordingly.

It took just a week to feel the immediate impact of the promo. I actually received an 80% response rate! That is a powerful number especially considering the limited amount of promos that were mailed. Here are the results of my efforts:

- Invited to several industry events.
- Collaborated on two styled shoots with two different planners.
- Published in Utterly Engaged.
- Booked three weddings to date.
- Established several industry relationships with other vendors introduced to me by the planners.
- Continue to receive referrals through these planners and contacts made through them.
- Major bonus: met some extraordinary women who I truly admire and respect.

The two things I like most about this approach are fairly basic. First, I spent less than $200, a small investment on the return I received. Second, the promo made it easy on the planners to respond because of the self-addressed and stamped questionairre. Not to mention, they received something pretty in the mail and reusable since the promo arrived in a photo box stuffed with excelsior.

I hope this has been helpful and encouraging to those new to the industry or perhaps if you've moved to a new area. My words of advice: Be thoughtful. Be you.

xo