APP GROWTH SUMMIT 2020 | LOS ANGELES EVENT | MARINA DEL REY HOTEL

willy johnson April 19, 2020

It was another awesome App Growth Summit this time down in at the Marina Del Rey Hotel in sunny Los Angeles. Lots of speeches, networking and good vibes were to be had despite the fact that we were all whistling past the graveyard as this was the last event I photographed for months as the pandemic soon took foot in America. Enjoy.

DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA | OAKLAND EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY | LAKE CHALET

willy johnson March 1, 2020

Members of the Directors Guild of America getting together and talkin’ film biz at Oakland’s Lake Chalet. Check it.

PCMA: LAUGH & LEARN | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER | PUNCHLINE COMEDY CLUB

willy johnson February 20, 2020

PCMA hosted another awesome event at the much celebrated and longest running comedy club in San Francisco, the Punch Line Comedy Club. This Live Nation sponsored program brought a comedian and a facilitator to this crowd of event professionals and opened up their hearts, minds and senses of humors, as the speakers asked individuals to reflect within themselves and share with others their fears and hopes as they move towards self-actualization. It was a very interesting event. Enjoy.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST SAN FRANCISCO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS BY PEERSPACE + 10 EVENT PHOTOS OF 2019 | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

willy johnson February 18, 2020

Many thanks to @peerspace for naming me as one of the top 10 event photographers in San Francisco. They did a nice write-up about me on the article, which you can check out here. Salutes to all the other photographers who were recognized as well. Much appreciation to all of those who've supported me over the years!

Below is a mashup of all of the photos that Peerspace used for that article (with my photo in the middle) and ten of my favorite event photos I shot from 2019.

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ICEBERG SUMMIT | HYATT REGENCY DOWNTOWN | SAN FRANCISCO CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHY

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AGS LA | PLAYA STUDIOS | CULVER CITY EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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AGS | ZILK LODGE | AUSTIN EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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Event photography for AGS in loud and lively Austin, Texas. Attendees enjoyed engaging speeches and relaxed chats under the oak trees. For lunch, guests feasted on tasty barbeque from the well-known Terry Black’s BBQ, a highlight of the day. The atmosphere was enhanced by live music from talented local artists as the sun set. The evening ended with drinks by the campfire, enjoying delicious s'mores under the stars.

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CALIFORNIA SPIRIT | SAN FRANCISCO BAY | EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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BLIPS AND BLEEPS | 1UP RETRO VIDEO GAMES | SACRAMENTO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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CARNAVAL SF | MISSION DISTRICT | SAN FRANCISCO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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HEAVYBIT DEVGUILD | DOGPATCH STUDIOS | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT

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Heavybit DevGuild and experts in the open source community doing there thing at an all-day event in San Francisco’s Dogpatch Studios.

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KONG SUMMIT | PALACE HOTEL | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT

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Kong Summit 2022 in San Francisco’s Palace Hotel was a dynamic affair filled with lots of energetic presentations, fun, food and music. Kong are definitely pros at throwing events and everything just clicks with the trains all running on time. Always a pleasure working with these folks. Check out some awesome event photography below.

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AGS LA | MARINA DEL REY MARRIOTT | LOS ANGELES EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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AGS Los Angeles took place down in Venice Beach at the Marina Del Rey Marriott during one of this year’s most epic storms in California history. It snowed in the Los Angeles foothills and mountains and all the speakers and attendees got 360 degree views of the city and were able to watch as cascading storms brought rain, hail and beautiful light. The most glorious aspect of the day was being witness to a multitude of rainbows and one that lasted for almost an hour. Good spirits abounded and lots of good networking

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AGS MASTERMINDS | ROSE ROOM | VENICE BEACH EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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Did research to get the best breakfast burrito in Venice Beach where the AGS Masterminds Los Angeles event was taking place. $28 later it turns out AGS in the Rose Room had three types of breakfast burritos to choose from. Oy! My luck improved from there though and I ended up getting some great shots telling the story, and having a fun time while I was at it. Capturing all the people, places and things in this event photography. Once everything wrapped up, my man, Koren, the videographer and I hit up the boardwalk for 15 minutes or so to document that interesting scene. Stay to the end for those. Enjoy!

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MIRAMONTE HIGH SCHOOL PROM | CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | SAN FRANCISCO PROM

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Photographing the Miramonte High School prom was an absolute joy. It was filled with nostalgia from my perspective, witnessing all of the rituals, the awkward moments, the jubilation, the horsing around and of course, some burgeoning romances. My proms and homecomings were typically in our High School gym and these youngsters were balling out at the California Academy of Science museum - incredible. I found them way more mature and cooler than what I remember from my youth and these kids knew how to party and cut a rug. It was a blast. Check it out.

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GMID 2022 | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | THE WESTIN ST. FRANCIS HOTEL

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Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) 2022 went down at San Francisco’s Westin St Francis hotel bringing together parties from all over the event industry. There was awesome music, top-notch chefs bringing epic breakfast foods, photo booth fun and of course networking. I captured some fun moments and a few solid portraits of vendors and attendees. Check it out.

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AGS LOS ANGELES | MARINA DEL REY HOTEL | LOS ANGELES EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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AGS crew bringing the sunshine at their summit of marketing experts at the Marina Del Rey Hotel in Los Angeles. Lots of solid event and portrait photography to be had on this blog post. Please check it out.

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KONG SUMMIT 2021 | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

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Kong are absoute pros on throwing events. So even though Covid placed limits on how they normally function they still made their imprint felt with a unique conference with big production value that their community could take part in from home. They had their usual content of the latest developments in their industry and great fireside chats with many experts with a host of incredible interludes during the two days from acts from individuals like Golden State Warriors home deejay, DJ Sharp, to the San Francisco Mariachi band, a fitness instructor, hip-hop freestyle emcee, a painter and other artists. It was great.

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AMERICAN BIOMANUFACTURING SUMMIT | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | HYATT REGENCY SFO EVENT

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The American Biomanufacturing Summit took place in San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency, filled with experts within the biopharmaceutical industry highlighting new trends and discoveries. The crowd was positive and super friendly with knowledge and networking flowing freely between industry leaders and attendees. Check out this post for some top-notch conference and event photography.

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AGS ROUNDTABLE 2020 | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT | VILLA FONTAINE

willy johnson February 8, 2020

AGS Roundtable 2020 at Villa Fontaine in San Francisco with that ol’ classic event photography by me below the fold.

MARTINA & GEOFF | SANTA BARBARA PHOTOGRAPHER | UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF SANTA BARBARA WEDDING

willy johnson February 5, 2020

Martina and Geoff’s wedding in Santa Barbara was hot with weather and warm with love. Their special people came from all over to help celebrate this fun and sweetness tinged day and night. It’s always a blessing to be able to get intimate proximity to these types of affairs that are filled with momentous and sublime moments of life happening around you and this special day was jam packed with them. Enjoy the fun, love and smiles below the fold.

HEAVYBIT DEVGUILD | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | DOGPATCH WINEWORKS

willy johnson November 21, 2019

Some great event photography of the mighty Heavybit crew down in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood.

KONG SUMMIT 2019 | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER | HILTON SAN FRANCISCO UNION SQUARE

willy johnson October 15, 2019

Kong Summit 2019 at the Hilton in San Francisco’s Union Square. What a fun conference and cool company. Check out my event photography from the two-day event below.

HEAVYBIT DEVGUILD | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | FOLSOM STREET FOUNDRY EVENT

willy johnson September 4, 2019

Heavybit hosted another dynamic event with their Devguild on all things related to product marketing with experts of the field at the Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco.

TREVOR PROJECT FUNDRAISER | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | TWITTER HQ EVENT

willy johnson July 25, 2019

Make It Mariko organized the event production of this colorful Trevor Project fundraiser at Twitter HQ in San Francisco for the cause of LGBTQ youth suicide prevention. World renown drag performer Honey Mahogany emceed the event and awesome performances were held by Golden Gate Men’s Choir, Jessica Childress, and DJ Philip Grasso.

PCMA LEAP | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | THE CHAPEL EVENT

willy johnson July 14, 2019

PCMA’s hosted a day of learning at the super hip venue space of The Chapel in San Francisco’s Mission District. The inspiration and spirit was provided by Grammy nominated Ciaran Gribbin of Rock and Roll Team Building, violinist Kai Kight and speaker Donny Nefuss. Next door at Curio sustenance of food and drink were supplied. This special environment and thoughtful edutainment set the stage for a day of laid-back networking and music making.

APP GROWTH SUMMIT 2018 | SAN FRANCISCO EVENT | MISSION BAY CONFERENCE CENTER

willy johnson May 18, 2019

App Growth Summit is an international conference with experts from the app and mobile world educating professionals about the latest industry trends and marketing strategies. Here’s some shots from the San Francisco conference.

ATLASSIAN | SAN FRANCISCO TEAM BUILDING | ORACLE PARK EVENT

willy johnson April 1, 2019

Atlassian had an epic team building event with a scavenger hunt throughout the Fisherman’s Wharf and North Beach neighborhoods of San Francisco. After all of the shenanigans were over with the hunt, we headed to the ballpark where the San Francisco Giants mascot, Louie the Seal, greeted us with spirit. DJ Trevor Williams rocked the party with tunes and his super capable turntablism. Everyone was served classic ballpark fare from hot dogs to peanuts and washed away the day with their beverage of choice chilling on the ballpark seats overlooking the beautiful Bay high above on the Virgin America Club Level.

HEAVYBIT DEVGUILD | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | FOLSOM STREET FOUNDRY EVENT

willy johnson March 14, 2019

Heavybit hosted another great event with their Devguild on all things related to product management with experts of the field at the Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco.

MOBILE GROWTH SUMMIT 2019 | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | PARK CENTRAL HOTEL CONFERENCE

willy johnson February 25, 2019

A two-day conference with experts and professionals from the mobile world discussing the latest industry trends. Events took place at Park Central hotel, Le Colonial, Halcyon SF, and MaSo in San Francisco.

KRISTIN'S BASH | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | 111 MINNA GALLERY BIRTHDAY PARTY

willy johnson February 9, 2019

80s inspired birthday party at 111 Minna Gallery in downtown San Francisco. The epic conceptual and cityscape artwork of San Francisco of Emily Fromm helped frame the scene and the band, deejay, cool decor and awesome party goers took care of the rest. A Robert Palmer dancer, Stay Puft Marshmellow Man, Madonna and giant cellphones also make appearances at this epic rager. This birthday girl knows how to rock.

PCMA BAMIES AWARDS GALA 2018 | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | PALACE HOTEL EVENT

willy johnson December 17, 2018

Event photography of PCMA’s Bay Area Meeting Industry Excellence Awards Gala, celebrating leaders in the hospitality industry at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel.

COLORBLOQ LAUNCH PARTY | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | COLORBLOQ EVENT

willy johnson October 2, 2018

Come for this cute couple’s elopement in San Francisco City Hall; stay for their kisses, dance moves and the moped they rented.

LEROY JONES FILM SCREENING | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | AFRICAN AMERICAN ART & CULTURE COMPLEX EVENT

willy johnson July 15, 2018

What a treat to photograph the festivities surrounding the film screening of ‘A Man and His Trumpet’, a documentary about one of the best trumpeter’s to ever come out of New Orleans, Leroy Jones. Filmmaker and musician Cameron Washington presented his film in the Western Addition. After the showing, over a dozen brass band musicians coalesced outside the venue and did a musical procession through the city streets to the party site in Hayes Valley. It was lovely to witness a piece of New Orleans culture on the streets of San Francisco. Numerous San Franciscans came out of their homes to see what the commotion was about and many passerby organically joined in on the parade; of course they all had smiles on.

Leroy Jones was the leader of the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, which eventually turned into the Hurricane Brass Band, which was extremely influential to later generation New Orleans brass bands, including the Rebirth Brass Band. Through the documentary I found out that he opened and played with Harry Connick, Jr. for many years, which for me was amazing, since as an extremely little shit Connick’s album ‘Blue Light, Red Light’ was the first jazz album I ever had and listened to constantly. Leroy was lead Trumpet on that album, and can still hear those powerful, yet smooth musical phrases he blessed us with in my mind. Thought it too dorky to mention when I had the opportunity to chat with him, but talked to him about how my first Second Line had me smiling and crying at the same time, and he expressed that he was happy that I got to experience that. On a later convo with him and Cameron, Leroy thought the party seemed like a Spike Lee film, but I added I thought it was more like a David Lynch film, but positive and upbeat. We had a good laugh. There were a lot of colorful and eclectic characters at this party ya’ll!

Leroy plays all over the world, and you can find him playing in New Orleans at many different venues, including regularly with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Preservation Hall. He is the coolest and sweetest. Check this national treasure out!!

HOLIDAY PARTY | SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOGRAPHER | THE SPEAKEASY EVENT

willy johnson March 10, 2018

Some of that good ol' event photography from a San Francisco party at a North Beach speakeasy.