I had the privilege last Saturday of being part of the wedding of a great couple, JoEllen Chunn and Patrick Davies. The reception was at Eagle Castle Winery where Patrick is a wine maker. What a fun evening and a great place for a wedding. Here is a short slide show of a few of my favorites.

Swanson Animal Rescue
This is our latest rescued animal, a very young wild bunny that my daughter Matisse pulled out of a cats mouth. It weighs about 3oz and must be bottle fed every 2-4 hours. Matisse (12) has been very good at taking care of it so far. In the past few years we have rescued cats, dogs, a morning dove, a crow, a turtle, a pony, and even a turkey vulture. We don't go looking for lost or injured animals they just seem to show up in our front yard. Right now I am trying to convince Matisse that the bunny would be happier if it was set free,
Dad.

Emily and Nick
Friday morning I had the fun job of creating Emily and Nick's engagement portraits in a great session at Avila Beach. Thanks Emily and Nick, we got some great shots and I'm really looking forward to photographing your wedding in June.

On my birthday our family drove up the coast on Highway 1 from San Luis Obispo to Carmel. It has to be one of the most scenic drives in the world but so twisty that you only need to do it once every 5 years. Our first stop was near Piedras Blancas at the Elephant Seal rookery where weaners/pups and adult males are on the beach from now through the end of April. The cute little pups are quite the contrast to the very large and strange looking adult males, not only in looks but in the sounds they make.

Dennis Swanson Shoots The Mayor Of Old Edna!

Dennis Swanson Shoots The Mayor Of Old Edna!
Actually I was hired by Westways Magazine to photograph Pattea Torrance the owner and "mayor' of Old Edna for this months issue. Pattea was a kick to photograph with a colorful, friendly personality that is full of energy. There was a frigid wind blowing that day and like many people she said she was not crazy about having her own portrait taken but after a few shots (not the drinking kind) she loosened up and we got some great environmental portraits.

Mammoth Lakes
Spent the last 5 days up in Mammoth enjoying the 13 feet of snow they have right now. The weather was perfect, sunny and no wind. We stayed at our family house where the snow was so high the kids built a short luge run in the front yard. We took a ranger led snow shoe trek, spent a day down hill skiing, and tried cross country skiing for the first time. I have to say that snow shoeing is still one of my favorite ways to enjoy nature, I recommend it to any one who wants to get some great winter photography.View looking down on McCOY Station, one of the 4 day stations on the mountain. Mammoth has over 3,500 skiable acres and 150 runs. www.mammothmountain.com

The Galley
I had a recent photo shoot for The Galley Seafood Bar & Grill in Morro Bay. They just reopened in a new building on the water of the bay where the original restaurant had been for over 40 years. It was fun working with Jim and Sarah from Mason Associates Marketing Design Group and the restaurant owner David. I added their website link under Friends, check it out. If you go there make reservations, order the fish and get there before sunset so you can enjoy the million dollar bay view.

New Website!
Its finally up and running. The new Studio101West.com website was built from scratch by our own graphic design department led by my beautiful wife Deborah. It has an updated look, lots of Flash and much more content than those caned template websites that are so prevalent right now. It still needs a little fine tuning so please let me know what you think good and bad. Just click on the link on the right under Friends and Other Great Sites.

http://www.studio101west.com/

Why Not To Hire A Friend To Shoot Your Wedding Video.
I have always gotten along with the videographer at the weddings I shoot, I tolerate the empty tripods they leave sitting around, and have no problem working with them to keep each-other out of our shots. But one wedding I shot last sumer they hired a professional videographer friend to shoot their wedding. He was an hour late, got their just before the ceremony and told me he was he was going for the "cinematic look" and would be in very close and for me to let him know if he was in the way. You can see from the photos that he was very close during the ceremony but what could I do or say at that point. My assistants and I try to be invisible during the ceremony and still get great shots. I am not a confrontational person but if I had a Tazer Gun at the time I might have used it, on second thought that may have spoiled the moment. Other than that it was a perfect wedding on a perfect day at Avila Beach. The bride said everything was just the way she wanted it, but I don't think she wanted her video friend in many of the ceremony photos. If you have a friend help with any part of your wedding, professional or not, make sure they are well aquatinted with wedding etiquette.