NABA Scholarship Gala

Last Thursday, I had the honor of photographing a very special event held at The Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.  My friend Ziada referred me for this project since she just left for a three month job in Botswana, Africa.  I was honored that the Greater San Francisco Bay Area NABA (National Association of Black Accountants) selected me to photograph their Scholarship Gala. 

I've been wanting to upgrade to a full frame professional camera body for some time now.  I'm a Nikonian simply because I love the way the camera bodies fit in my hand, the useability and the overall performance.  I've heard lots of great things about Canon, but I just can't seem to get my hands to hold and use Canon bodies the same way as Nikon.  (There are my reasons why I shoot with Nikon!  PHEW!)  So, I decided to rent the Nikon D700 with the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.  Oh BABY!  Was this combo a HEAVY one!  I was so nervous how I was going to manage lugging this camera and lens with a flash around for the evening.  I rented the camera from www.borrowlenses.com for 3 days (but really 5 since I had it for the weekend too).  Boy, are they a great company!  I would highly recommend renting from them if you're interested in trying new gear before you buy the gear!  After picking up the gear, I got the camera all set and ready to go for the big scholarship gala.  I was so nervous!  Nervous because I was using new gear and nervous because I knew this was a very special night for so many.  I wanted to make sure that the shots I took exceeded their expectations.  I want every client who hires me to have their expectations exceeded!  I want them to look back at the images and relive the experience and smile.  :)

As the evening approached, Matt dropped me off at the Hyatt Regency near the Embarcadero and I went in, confident yet nervous.  I said to Matt as he was dropping me off, "I'm so nervous!"  And he responded with, "Honey, you're nervous because you care!"  And it was so true.  I cared so much that the photos from this shoot turned out well.  I knew the lighting was going to be low.  I knew that the Nikon D700 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 was going to perform wonderfully in the environment and all I had to do was go into the ballroom and capture the celebration of 16 individuals receiving their scholarships from the Greater San Francisco Bay Area NABA.  The Keynote Speaker was Lee Henderson, Assurance Partner for Ernst & Young LLP (Chicago) and he delivered a fabulous speech on being "Leaders in a Connected World." 

The evening came to an end.  Even though I was hired to be their event photographer, this group of people were so kind to me, I felt as if I were a part of their association and like they became friends!   I took one last group shot of their Executive Board and said my goodbyes.  Matt was waiting for me outside the hotel and I was smiling from ear to ear.  The first thing that came out of my mouth to him was how much fun I had and that I can't wait to upgrade my camera body and lenses! 

Here are some images from last week's events.  Thank you Greater San Francisco Bay Area NABA for having me come photograph your event.  It was inspiring and full of celebration!  Congrats to all the scholarship and award recipients!

If you are hosting an event or planning a wedding and would like me to photograph your special event, please contact me at jaime@jaimelee-photography.com.  Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

                                                                        ~Jaime

Going Away Party in Carmel Valley and the $900 oil change

Scott is moving from San Francisco to Chicago due to his job.  So, he decided to have a weekend party at a posh mansion in Carmel Valley with some of his closest friends.  He wanted to have a photographer come and take some pictures of their weekend together and that's where I come in!

The night before I was to drive to Carmel, it had poured and poured and was extremely windy.  Matt wasn't going to come with me, and I knew that our car needed an oil change.  So... we went and got an oil change.  I had a coupon for $19.99 and we thought yay!  We'll be in and out with an oil change for $20!  The appointment was going to take an hour, so we decided to go find a coffee shop.  Then we got the call... we were already on our way back to the shop, so we waited to hear the news when we got there in person.  Matt and I said we'd pass on everything for now since we just wanted an oil change and didn't want to be sold on anything else.  :)  BUT, our alignment was WAY off and all of our tires were about split due to the alignment.  We needed all new tires!  And it was already 5pm on a Saturday afternoon.  We had no choice but to buy the tires and have our alignment fixed.  We told them to change the air filter too.  Our $20 oil change turned into a $900 oil change!  Grrrr!!!  It had to be done and we couldn't pass on this fix.  And when we say we would pass on everything, we were thinking windshield wiper blades, upgraded oil, etc...  The poor guys at the garage had to stay an extra two hours to get it all done.  We were hungry, our poor dog had been home alone all day long.  So, we stopped by Chevy's for that really yummy steak salad that I love, to end the evening.  We were sat in a booth and behind us were these two guys who didn't know how not to use the "F" word and or how to talk about women with respect.  One of the guys was talking about a girl that wasn't a "10" but an "11!"  They were completely drunk and when they left, we got to enjoy the rest of our meal.  We got home and Biskey was so ready to go potty!  It was literally raining sideways the weather was so bad.  And I was just hoping that the drive to Carmel the next morning wouldn't take 5 hours.

I got up the next morning and thankfully, the storm had passed through the night.  I had a peace of mind driving our car with the fresh oil change, brand new tires and an aligned alignment.  (I hate the potholes in San Francisco, which is probably what caused the bad alignment!).  I got there and toured the mansion.  All I can say is wow!  So, here are some pictures of Scott and his friends at the mansion.  They were quite creative and had a great sense of humor!  Good luck Scott in Chi Town.  I'm sure you'll love it there!

I don't know when the last time I had laughed so much during a photo shoot, but my cheeks were hurting by the time we were done.  Unfortunately, there is one gal missing from the pictures.  Poor thing was so sick with food poisoning and a hangover.  Yikes!

Thanks for reading my blog today.  Please contact me if you'd like to schedule a photo session!  jaime@jaimelee-photography.com

Raas for a Cause!

Back in May, I attended a ShowIt workshop here in San Francisco.  That's where I first learned of Jasmine Star, and where I first met Nicole Chubb Ralston!  We volunteered together to help set up the workshop for the ShowIt crew.  Ever since then, Nicole and I've become friends!  Through Nicole, I've met some other fun and fabulous people.  Check out Nicole's website!  http://chubbphotos.showitsite.com

Last Thursday, Nicole and I went to 111 Minna Gallery to shoot the Raas for a Cause event for her friend Rakhi.  Rakhi put together the event for the second year in a row.  Check out the Raas for a Cause website:   http://www.raasforacause.com/.   The purpose of the event was to raise money to benefit charities dedicated to helping underprivileged children around the world.  Taken from the Raas for a Cause website, "Raas is a festive dance originating in Gujarat, India.  Raas is an energetic dance performed with sticks, called "dandiyas." Raas is not only easy to learn, it is intoxicating. And if you have been to a traditional Raas festival before, get ready for a creative twist on your favorite festival style dance."

Here are some photos from Thursday's event.  Everyone had a great time!  And I got to wear the Sari that my Indian Grandparents sent me via my Mom and step-dad Jim.  They had gone back to London to visit them in June.  Who would have thought that I'd ever have an event to wear my beautiful sari???  I felt so beautiful in it and it was an adventure just getting wrapped up in it! 

Raas for a Cause 2010

Raffle tickets and Dandiyas

Sponsors

Raas!

Rakhi and Chandani

Nicole, Rakhi and me.  :)

Thanks for viewing this blog post!  And please visit my website at:  www.jaimelee-photography.com.