Some Architecture

This is one last artsy picture for now. It is so hot today - up in the 90s here and I'm not a person who enjoys hot weather. I don't know how I'm going to survive this summer...

Anyway, I'm getting ready to step up to the big leagues now that I actually need a new camera (megapixels do matter when it comes to albums). My trusty old D70s has served me well and I've learned a ton while producing some lovely pictures. Still a great camera but I need something with 12 megapixels and since I shoot Nikon, that leaves me 2 choices: The monster D3 or the D300 junior version?? The D3 (the one I drool over) has an incredible full-frame sensor that just works extremely well in low light and it shoots like a machine-gun but it'll be a while before I pay that off. I've been asking around and getting different opinions and I know it's not about the gear, it's about the person shooting but I want to have something that will last me and not buy a new camera every 2 years (like with my last one) .. decisions decisions.

Some Cool Art

This colorful photo is a close-up of a yellow sculpture near Scott's restaurant in Costa Mesa. I took it scoping out cool shooting locations but we ended up not having enough time.

Sumu and Brian's Wedding Reception Part 2

Brian having fun.


Nothing too fancy, just a cute little cake.


Sumu workin the camera.


It was also Sumu's dad's birthday so everyone sang 'Happy birthday' really out of tune.

The lovely young ladies.

Here are a few more pictures from the wedding reception. Karen was also there with Anand but didn't bring Mateus.

Also, I signed up for twitter so I'm a little more Web 2.0 up in here. Basically it posts whatever you're doing at the moment and can even be updated using SMS text messaging. There was this American reporter the other day who got out of Egyptian prison the other day because he let his friends know he got arrested through a twitter update. It posted a little link on the blogger sidebar on what I'm up to.

Sumu and Brian's Wedding Reception Part 1

Yesterday I shot Sumu and Brian's wedding reception at Scott's Seafood Restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA - across the street from South Coast Plaza (I didn't get to shoot the actual wedding, which was last Thursday). It was a very small and intimate reception for family and close friends. There wasn't a lot of hoopla but it was very romantic. When I saw Brian come up in a tux I thought it was going to be very formal and no-nonsense, but I was absolutely wrong. They were completely into each other and absolutely adore each other. Brian was full of fun photo ideas like laying on Sumu's lap, dipping, and plenty of smooching. Here are some images we took before the guests arrived. Plenty more in the next few days.

Since we're talking about weddings, I went to check out Laguna Ablums and was very impressed. So now, I'm in the process of selecting pictures to put together a couple of sample albums and will be able to offer some awesome and affordable wedding packages.

Before | After

I was talking to Shari today about photos and retouching so I gave her a quick demo. The first pic is straight out of the camera and the second shot is retouched. As you can see, it makes a big difference. My philisophy on this is just to do enough to enhance the picture a little bit - don't go nuts. The trick is a good shot to begin with. Some people can perform miracles with Photoshop but I can't. I love the lighting in this shot, giving her the famous "glow."

What I've done is enhance the color saturation and contrast and boosted the light a little. Some people might not like the color or that you can't see the beach but I like the warm tones on this one - the effect I was going for, it's all a matter of taste. Also notice she's not facing the sun. But you do it I bet either the flash goes off or the person is too dark. How did I do this?

1. You need a DSLR (you can get one for pretty cheap these days, don't anything fancy)
2. Spot meter on the face (make sure your camera has this)
3. Adjust your camera settings to it and make some adjustments. (I use manual mode)

How did I learn this? Reading photography sites with tips like this one and practicing ;) I'm just passing along the info.

Feel free to leave questions in the comments or share your photo tips.

Last Couple of Wedding Pictures

Not my best cake shot, I admit.


I had to throw this one in.

The next upcoming event is a mini wedding reception in a couple weeks but hopefully I'll shoot something before that. Stay tuned.

Photo of the Week

This flower was taken at AC's church last weekend. I didn't use any sort of color or brightness retouching, just sized, sharpened, and framed for the blog. I don't know if the camera was off - my Nikon tends to be thrown off by intense reds, but this is just ridiculously vibrant. I noticed a ton of blooming wildflowers at UCI on Tuesday and riding my bike around the neighborhood. It looks like Spring is in full swing. This is a great time to take lots of pictures.