Luxury Beachfront Estate - Dana Point

Twin Palms is a new luxury beach front estate located in the exclusive gated coastal community of The Strand at Headlands. It is a 9,300 square foot contemporary home designed by renowned architect Bob White.

Features six bedrooms with en suite baths, a swimming pool, and more than 1,600 square feet of private outdoor decks with stunning whitewater ocean views.

Twin Palms has a robust history dating back to 1926 when Henry Chandler and General M.H. Sherman purchased the Headlands. The name Twin Palms is in reference to the iconic palm trees that were positioned directly in front of 39 Strand Beach Drive and regularly referenced by surfers as the best break area at the Highlands.

ETTA Luxury Apartments / San Francisco, California

A recent apartment building photography assignment brought me to San Francisco. The Etta Luxury Apartment Building offers as much elegant residential living to the interior apartments as the outside view of the structure lends to the overall aesthetics of the community. Residents can be proud of their building as they approach and comfortable once inside. Shooting a high-rise apartment structure such as Etta is a particular challenge for a San Francisco architectural photographer. The challenges range from the lighting to that of getting the full measure of such a towering building. Lighting is a challenge due to the varying direction and effect of shadowing. Instead of fighting the natural shadows that are formed, getting the perfect shots takes accepting the challenge to find the angles to both capture the art of the design and the effect of the building’s construction.

The outside of the Etta was photographed in the early evening. It was at this time that the sky was most cooperative and the darkening sky offered the chance to portray the indoor light shining through the windows of each apartment. From the inside, shooting during the day allowed for the sunlight outside to breath a soothing natural light into the residential spaces.

The indoor images do a brilliant job of highlighting the diverse choices in materials used to decorate the common and private areas. The light wood floors, for example, are a bold choice but offer a clean palate for the residents to plan their personal choice of décor. In other areas inside the building darker flooring provides a more grounded and warm feeling that invites residents and visitors alike.

Meeting the various challenges of a San Francisco architectural photographer was made easier with the benefit of experience. Having had the experience of different lighting schemes I was able to schedule the session to take advantage of the lighting conditions to deliver photos that do justice to the building’s many attributes.

MARK LORETTA PRIVATE RESIDENCE

Taking a step away from commercial properties and public structures, I recently had the pleasure of capturing an interesting residential photography project, Mark Loretta’s private home. Mark is a retired Major League Baseball player who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Mark’s 8,000 square foot home is located in the ultra-upscale community of Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego, California). With an estimated median income of $189,000, it is on the list of highest income communities and has the fourteenth most expensive ZIP code in the United States (fourth most expensive in California). The client, PORTELLA, manufactures individually engineered, high-quality architectural steel doors and windows, contemporary metal doors, pivot doors, gates, railings, and hardware. All of these high-quality treatments were on stunning display in Mark’s home and shooting the property was a pleasure personally and professionally.

Aside from the exquisite items supplied by PORTELLA, the grounds were full of features that were breathtaking to photograph. The property had as many stunning features inside as it did outside. Being a San Diego Architectural photographer and interior design photographer, being able to participate in a photo session like this allowed me to draw on my experiences as both.

You’ll notice from the images that Loretta’s home had a wide range of design accents that provided continuity without being boring or repetitive. The outside tile was similar to the tone of the flooring inside the home and the furniture in the main areas inside the home complemented the seating in the outdoor areas.

The structure itself combined a mix of warm wood and stone that was consistent in both the indoor space as well as the areas where Mark took advantage of the open air.

Interior design photography often gives me a chance to showcase both indoor and outdoor features and mark Loretta’s home is a beautiful example of both.