San Marco Centennial Soirée

Jennifer Earnest of Chef’s Garden Catering & Events reached out looking for elevated event coverage of her team in action, starting with the San Marco Centennial Soirée at the historic Swisher Estate. The San Marco Preservation Society hosted a packed celebration—charcuterie walls, chef-manned stations, circulating apps and desserts, and no shortage of wine or cocktails. Her staff brought the energy, and the atmosphere made for a perfect blend of candid moments and polished service shots.

This event also doubled as my first real test with the Nikon Z8 + Tamron 35–150 f/2–2.8, having switched from a Sony A7 III just the day before. Without off-camera flash, it was all about pushing the Z8’s high-ISO performance in low light (I went as high as ISO 12,8000 which felt like pushing it). A few quick in-camera tweaks as the night went on and the files held up beautifully—clean detail, great color, and some noise cleanup in Adobe Camera Raw. For a social-media and web destination, the results were more than solid.

With most of the stills secured, I spent the last stretch testing the Z8’s video capabilities. 4K 120fps N-Log at ISO 5000 looked incredible, and once graded in DaVinci Resolve, the footage became a fun 40-second recap Reel I sent over as a bonus thank-you to Jennifer. A great evening, a happy client, and an exciting first run with the new kit.