Business – Alexander Rubin | Napa Valley Photographer

Ehlers Wine Harvest by Alexander Rubin Photography

Ehlers Estate Winery – Full Moon Harvest

When you or I walk into our favorite wine shop to purchase a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, we rarely think about the effort that goes into that one perfect bottle. I was given the opportunity to photograph the recent harvest of these lovely grapes at Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley. Situated in the St. Helena appellation, this winery practices a strict adherence to Biodynamic and organic farming methods. The harvest began at night under the light of the full moon and continued until sunrise the next morning. This experience was very surreal for me. I wish you could have been there to take in the smell of the earth and the fresh cut grapes. One of the most indelible moments of this experience for me was watching the hard work and pride of the team at Ehlers. It’s given me an entirely new appreciation for what goes into a beautiful bottle of wine. The next time I open a bottle of Ehlers Sauvignon Blanc, I will take the time to savor the smell, taste, and the spirit of the people that went in to creating it. I hope the images I captured will encourage you to do the same. Cheers!

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Landmark Vineyards – Open House

Landmark Vineyards in Sonoma invited me to photograph their recent open house for their marketing efforts and I had a great time! When the day came there was a chill in the air, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Guests in attendance had the opportunity to taste a variety of wines accompanied by delicious cuisine. I love Landmark’s labels. They have a luxurious texture and simplicity that made it easy to stage the bottles in unique situations. I used the native flowers on the property to showcase the bottles, and I’m so happy with the results. The rich colors of yellow flowers, purple lavendar and the green grass were a stunning contrast for the bottles.

You’ve noticed that we’ve been doing more experiential marketing photography lately. This combination of staged photography mixed with a live event is becoming very popular here in wine country, and I’m enjoying the medium. I love the everything about Northern California lifestyle, fine food and wine. I’m truly a blessed man to do what I love in the place I love.

Alexander Rubin Photography Napa Valley Commercial Photography

LEVELsleep – Commercial Shoot

Being a commercial photographer in Northern California, I find myself outside at stunning wineries shooting landscapes, vineyards, and rustic builders. But for my latest project for Levelsleep I moved inside to shoot models, mattresses, and a dog. My client LEVELsleep is a Bay Area mattress company that designs and manufactures mattresses to help people to sleep better. They don’t just offer a good looking mattress, but they have proven science behind it. Owners Roger Sramek and JJ Abodeely hired me to photograph their mattresses, their team, and situational shots with models for their marketing and advertising needs. Visit their website to view more of my images and to learn about these amazing mattresses and the technology behind them. My commercial work brings me great pride. Especially in a case like this where my imagery helps a great company to tell their story.

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Cakebread Cellars Open House

Cakebread Cellars recently hosted an Open House at their winery, with the goal of treating their guests to a sensory experience while capturing new images for their marketing. They brought me in to shoot the event with the concept of providing commercial and lifestyle images during a live event. I’ve been doing more and more of this style of shoot lately, and it’s something I’m really enjoying. It’s a great new way to do commercial marketing and it feels more fluid when I’m shooting around a actual event. I was chosen because the winery was attracted to my style which they felt conveys warmth, color, and texture. Through my camera I was able to show Cakebread Cellars’ commitment to quality and hospitality. Through the movement of a live event I was able to evoke the craftsmanship that goes into their wine making and the comadery that their guests enjoy during an event. I loved shooting the food and wine offerings that engaged all the senses. After all, isn’t that what food and wine is all about? It should engage the eyes, the nose and the palate. I worked very hard to ensure that I kept all of Cakebread’s goals in mind, and I’m so proud of the final product. I think I really helped to tell their story through my lens.

Lucy Restaurant and Bar by Alexander Rubin Photography

Lucy Restaurant and Bar – Garden To Glass

Lucy Restaurant and Bar is an establishment that believes that everything starts from the garden. It’s located in Bardessono, a world-class luxury hotel in the town of Yountville, practicing green operations. So it’s only natural that the restaurant would foster the same eco-spirit as the hotel. The restaurant sources many of their ingredients from their own garden, as well as from local Napa growers with a Farm to Fork Philosophy. The bar has a similar philosophy of Garden to Glass. They are a commercial client I love working with, so it was easy for me to capture Jan Russell, manager of bar operations and her love of artisinal cocktails using the garden’s own ingredients. It’s evident to see in the images that the philosophy is not just a modern catch phrase, but instead a honest to goodness promise of practicing what they preach. Utilizing their own year-around-garden, with a focus on seasonal produce, Jan creates inspired cocktails that are both pleasing to the eye and the palate. Her cocktails embody the colors and flavors that are nurtured in the property’s lush and fragrant gardens. It was a great experience for me to watch Jan choose fruits and herbs that inspire her, and then to watch her behind the bar creating cocktails that she is proud to serve to the patrons of the bar. I can attest to the fact they were as fragrant, fresh and mouth watering as they look! Thank you for a great time Jan. It was so much fun watching you work.

Somm Journal – Wente Vineyards

As a photographer based in Napa, I have a love affair with all things food and wine. From enjoying the flavors the valley has to offer, and then being able to photograph them, I’m a pretty fortunate guy. My relationship with Somm Journal allows me to do just that all over California. For the recent October/November 2015 issue I captured images in Livermore Valley of Winemaker Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards.

The Wente Family has such a rich history in the Livermore Valley. Known as the First Family of Chardonnay, their family has owned and operated the vineyard for five generations. They are known as the oldest consistently operating winery in the nation. I love their philosophy about the stewardship of their land and their belief in sustainable ecology. Don’t take it from me, read the entire story. It’s an inspiring story of the land, winemaking and family, and it was so great to be the one to shoot the images. In addition to the featured photos in the issue, I’m sharing some of my favorites of the day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed capturing them.

Studio Lighting Mentor Session

HEATHER & PHIL | MENTOR SESSION | FREMONT & STUDIO | SEATTLE, WA

I’ve been friends with Heather for a couple of years. Recently she got married to Phil and they have decided to build a studio on their property in North Seattle. Before getting started on the project they scheduled a mentor session to talk about everything involved with building their perfect studio: from dimensions, to natural light, to studio lighting, etc. We had such a great time talking about what they need to build their studio. I also taught them more about studio lighting and captured a number of images with different lighting set ups before heading to lunch.

If your interested in finding out more about my mentor sessions feel free to contact me.

Be sure to check out her work below.

Heather’s website

Photography Mentor Session

FRANCES GAUL | MENTOR SESSION | STUDIO & FREMONT | SEATTLE, WA

A little while ago Frances came into my studio to have a mentor session. She had been following my work for a while and wanted some help to push her work to the next level. We talked about everything from studio and on-location lighting to streamlining her post production. We also spoke quite a bit about how to develop her style. Your style plays into everything you do from the photo you choose to take, to the editing of your session, to the post production of that image. I’m very much an experiential learner and I like to teach that way! We captures images in studio and around Fremont and then processed them in Lightroom to help give her a better idea to these concepts.

If your interested in finding out more about my mentor sessions feel free to contact me.

Be sure to check out her work below.

France’s website