A Few More Photos

She was definitely working the camera.

Let me talk about why weddings are difficult to shoot. When conditions are less than perfect, like indoors in a dark church, it can be very tricky. Aperture mode and auto white balance on the camera get easily fooled because of the white dress and dark tux. Most of the time you can't use flash, which means you have to have really good lenses and you have to really know your camera. You generally have to shoot in manual mode and you have to be fast adjusting your settings.

In this case, what really drove the camera nuts was the mix of natural, incandescent, and florescent lighting. You'll get half the person really cool (blue) and the other half warm (yellow). One sign a wedding photographer isn't good is if a majority (or all) of his or her indoor and night shots are in black and white.

Randy & Victoria's Wedding

I love the veil blowing in the wind.






This is a cool shot for some reason.

I assisted AC today at a wedding. Technically Randy and Victoria renewed their vows after 17 years of marriage and 2 kids. Pretty incredible this day and age if you ask me. Here are some of my favorite pictures from today. The ceremony was simple yet beautiful. Then we went to Cascades Park in Monterey Park to shoot some photos before the reception, typical wedding place that everyone goes to. Hopefully it didn't turn out cheesy - I don't think it did. I didn't do my usual several thousand shots today since the pressure was on AC. I just snapped away casually but I think I got some nice shots. A few more pictures when I get the chance to fix them up then send the whole thing over to AC to edit the rest however he likes.

The 70-200 2.8 is an absolute must for any wedding. AC borrowed the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS lens. That thing is a solid piece of metal that's shorter and thicker than the Nikon equivalent I used for Lynn and Donovan's wedding - but equally as expensive. It was a pretty spectacular lens. I didn't have it and missed a lot of important shots. I stuck to my 50 1.4 most of the day and used my 17-35 2.8 for the wider shots. I didn't use too much flash much so I can't really review the flash diffuser I bought. Instead, I cranked up the ISO to 1600 and things looked fine. People complain too much about graininess but it's really not a big deal. Things used to be even more grainy with film so I think they're just looking for excuses for poor shot selection.

Shari @ Santa Monica

Earlier this week Shari and I met up in Santa Monica for some food and hanging out. I had my camera with me so we snapped a few photos. She spotted a great location on the pier and the lighting was perfect.

So what's the best way to light a person with sunlight? There are a couple of ways to go about this. A lot of people face the sun, but all you get are squints and it looks harsh. Some people will have the sun to the back but it'll come out dark or you'll have to use a flash, which isn't flattering. My favorite is to have the sun at an angle - notice the nice glow :) This can only be done during specific times.

So what's the best time to shoot? Ideally, I like to shoot during dusk, about 30 minutes before the sun sets. The worst time is probably high noon, when the sun is bright which casts harsh shadows. It can be easily fixed by just going in the shade - but if you do make sure you have a good fast lens.

That's my way of shooting, there is really no right or wrong way but this way produces the more flattering pictures in my opinion and it's just my style of lighting. Some people love it and some might hate it.

Saturday I'll get a chance to shoot with AC so hopefully I'll have some nice pictures to show.

A Birthday with Crawdads

I had a tasty cholesterol-filled treat this past weekend at Anisa's birthday crawdad extravaganza. This is the second year I've done this so I'm a pro at this now - the trick is not to eat the meat and suck the head but you gotta peal the head back to scrape the head fat (the best part). Yes, it sounds gross but true crawdad fans know what I'm talkin about. The next birthday coming up in my good friend "Prince" Howard's this weekend (see the post where I was a groomsman at his wedding).

Anyway, here are a couple of my portraits shot with awesome sunset lighting and my favorite 1.4 lens. I'm going to post another golden sunset lighting picture soon that I shot at Santa Monica.

Also, looks like I'm going to be assisting AC this weekend to shoot a wedding so that should be fun. A lot more pictures soon.

Sienna The Slideshow

Ok this is the last Sienna post for a long while, as I am only documenting the first year of her life. It's a good thing Kris has a nice camera so he can take over from here. It's amazing to see someone grow up so fast. She's developing quite the personality as you can tell by the pictures. She's got a split personality, so goes back and forth between all-business like dad and silly/funny like mom with her own goofy style added in. My regular blog readers have shared this experience with me. If you like the pics you can see most of them in the archives. Enjoy :)

Sienna's Birthday Part 2

Polo shoes?!


How to entertain a kid without exerting much energy? Ans: Bubbles.

Here's part 2 of Sienna's first birthday. She's having a party this Saturday so I'm still debating on whether or not to go to that. I also have a video that I'll be posting soon based on pictures of her first year.

On the photo front...I did receive a tax refund so what new toy should I buy? The 70-200 lens??? *scratches chin*

Someone Just Turned 1 !!!

Guess who can walk now!?! It's not Sienna because she doesn't walk, she struts. Check out the bounce and her snappin those fingers - which can only be described as FIERCE!! (Project Runway fans know what I'm talkin about). Some more pictures when I get to them.

Howard + Sandy + Nikon F4

Nikon F4 with the fat 17-35mm 2.8.

Howard and Sandy came up to visit today for some lunch (See history for their wedding). Sandy brought her Nikon F4 film camera, which was the top-of-the-line Nikon back in the day. Actually, Howard's dad owns the camera and it's been sitting in storage in mint condition for ages. She's taking a photography class. Attached to it is the 85 1.8 lens ...yummy (did I tell you how much I think prime lenses rule???). Unfortunately for me, I have an old Canon EOS Rebel S film camera that isn't compatible with my Nikon lenses. Two gear posts...what's going on here??!!

The good news is that there are some birthdays coming up in March, which means some pictures of people coming soon.

Update: New Poll (Which camera brand do you use) on the right as well as a link to Sandy's blog -->>

Photo Gear Talk

I finally broke down and now I'm going to talk about the photo equipment I use. Some people are more interested in gear more than others like me, who like looking at and talking about the photos more.

So here's what I own and use:

Nikon D70s
18-70mm 3.5-4.5 (came with my camera)
50mm 1.4
17-35mm 2.8
SB600 flash
SB800 flash
Flash diffuser
Photoflex softbox
Manfrotto light stand (not pictured)

I also use Photoshop for retouching - on a PC running Vista. As said earlier, if you own a dSLR, you probably have a better camera than I do. The D70s is a few years old and is by no means a "professional" camera. Part of the reason why I don't like focusing too much on the equipment is that it really doesn't matter too much what you use as long as it's fast and reliable and does what you want. Having a better camera won't make your pictures look great overnight, it takes a little bit of practice and having a good feel for what the final pics will look like. Here are some things I've learned so far:

- Go light: Carry what you need in a small bag and don't lug around all your equipment if it's not necessary. I have a "murse" I carry 1 lens and a extra battery and a couple of small things. The bigger the bag, the more cumbersome and heavy.
- People look good smiling: "say cheese" is very cliche but smiling is still great especially when it's a genuine smile.
- Light first: Before the background, always check out the lighting - if it's harsh, etc. Don't mix harsh sun with shadow because you'll get some really dark areas and areas that are too bright, especially if there are bits of sun in people's faces. Just be in all shade or all sun.
- Don't be self conscious about your equipment: I've had big lenses on my camera, I've had small cheapy lenses on my camera. Heck, I could've been shooting with a shoebox with a hole cut out, no one ever asked me about it. They're only interested in the pictures.
- Tripods are a pain: I've tried it once when I was shooting in Dana Point and it was the most cumbersome, slow, and ineffective device for shooting people. Instead, use high ISO and fast lenses.
- Lens caps and camera straps are a pain: I can't count how many times I've tried to take a picture with the cap still on. The straps seem to always be in the way but if you must, neoprene ones make things seem lighter.
- Use flash sparingly: It's a pain to get the lighting just right and it makes people look not so good. I always prefer natural lighting.

- Prime lenses rule them all: You can't zoom but the pictures are incredible when used right.
- Stuff looks awesome printed: Don't forget to print your pictures and blow them up. Even pictures that look a little blurry and grainy come out great in print.
- Ditch the inkjet: Go to Target, order your prints at a kiosk, walk around for 15 minutes and pick up your photos. Buying ink is a ripoff and it doesn't look as nice.
- Photography equipment is expensive: Duh.
- Learn from others: Choose some pictures you really like and mimic them to learn how they were shot. Then apply those techniques to your own style of shooting. Or just ask around or use Google.
- Get up close: Don't be shy, get up close. Get on your knees...get on your stomach. Try new angles. Stuff like this makes it more interesting.

Almost everyone I know either has a Nikon or Canon. It's quite divided - more on this later.

Slow Period ... Old Photos

I haven't updated this blog in a while and well...I haven't been taking any pictures lately. So, the next best thing is to dig up some old ones and fix them up. Here are a couple of pictures of me (top) and AC (bottom) taking pictures during our trip to Lake Tahoe last year. Seeing these pictures makes me miss the fresh air and relaxation.

Let's see...what else is new in my photo world. I bought a new flash bounce card which I haven't tried out yet. I am looking to buy at 70-200 lens - I was so impressed at Lynn's wedding and if I have the money, a new camera. I know it's not the camera that produces the nice pictures but the person taking it but I've outgrown my little camera. I'm looking for something with better low-light capabilities and faster/more reliable focusing. If you are reading this blog and have a DSLR camera, chances are your camera is > than mine...but that's ok :) What I will buy first is a little point and shoot camera. I'm deciding between the soon to be released Canon SD1100 or the Nikon S600. Personally I hate using the little cameras because they're so slow. What to do???

If I don't take any more interesting pictures soon I'm going to post a 'What Gear do I Use' post.

Before and After

Out of camera picture resized for the blog.


Picture processed with Photoshop - brighten, sharpened, contrast.

The trick to using Photoshop or any other type of photo processing program is simply starting with a good photo. I don't mean good looking photo, but good in terms of lighting, focus, color balance etc. A great smile doesn't hurt either. This way, all you have to do is tweak it a little bit. The key is a little bit, you definitely don't want to go overboard and make it look unnatural and weird (unless that's the style you're going for). If you do it right, it's like those Claritin D commercials where the cloudy film is lifted off revealing a vibrant picture. It's actually pretty fun, but you have to have a good photo to begin with. If you want to do it the simple way, use Photoshop Lightroom with the presets and just turn it down a little bit. Here's a picture of Sienna and you can see the differences are subtle, which means that the picture was taken with proper exposure.

A more dramatic example can be found HERE (which is what I have as my desktop background, that's how much I like it).

A Day in the Life of Sienna...Part 2

This wasn't a posed shot, she's just a curious little girl.

Here are a few more pictures from Sienna's day out. What's funny about her is one minute she's all business (like Dad) and the next she's got a silly grin or smile. She likes to point at things and say Papa. It's pretty amazing to see someone grow up before your very eyes.

A Day in the Life of Sienna...

Dr. Summers checking out Sienna's cough. Haha that expression.


Susy and Sienna


They referred to her as "Eyelash girl" at the doctor's office. They're real.




File this one under Johnny's Favorites.

If you haven't noticed by now, Sienna is pretty much the star of this blog. This shoot is for the invitations for Sienna's upcoming first birthday party and part of a photo book. Unfortunately she has had a little cough so we went to the doctor's office (she's perfectly fine) then off to UCI for some pictures. I knew it was going to be a cute shoot but this is ridiculous - this is up there with my first post with Silas.

Update for the photo geeks: This was all shot with my 50mm 1.4 (my favorite) lens with no cropping. I used Photoshop to give it a little more spunk by boosting the contrast and color/B&W.

Colorful!

I haven't posted any pictures for a while so I thought I'd look in my archives and find something interesting to share. Here are some colors and patters from my Atlanta visit to the World of Coke. The good news is I'll have some pictures soon of little miss sassy, AKA Sienna this Thursday.

It's weird to see wedding planning ramping up because my blog has been hit with a lot of inquiries about the Huntington Beach Hyatt, which I did a post for my friend Howard's wedding. Here's my advice for selecting a photographer:

- The Ultimate Photography Litmus Test

1. Women are the most critical of pictures of themselves. Evidence: they tend to look at group photos and focus in on themselves first and determine whether they like a pic on how they look. Usually, it's ewww I hate this picture.

2. If a photographer can get a woman/girl to truly like a picture of themselves, then he/she is a good photographer. Evidence: They not only like their picture but show it off. It's cheesy but posting on a social network such as facebook is a for sure sign.

This sounds silly but it's harder than you think. Try it out and see ;)

A Couple More PIx and the King

Here are a couple of more pics but I really just wanted to post this Burger King video. Being a former BK employee back in high school, this was especially cool. You've seen the commercials but this video is a must see. My body still can't handle The Whopper but this commercial is making me want to give it another try.

Coming up this week is another Sienna shoot :)

A couple of shots from my recent adventures across country. The first one is the snow in a small town in Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh - kinda like Scranton, PA in The Office. It was beautiful and I was completely messmerized by the postcard-like Winter. The second is a beautiful Atlantic sunrise outside of my hotel window in Florida. It was weird seeing the sun rise over the Ocean but very cool...and cold. This was shot with a camera phone so the quality wasn't all that great. Too bad I didn't bring a real camera, but pretty cool nevertheless.

L&D's Slideshow

These are the pictures I've fixed up so far. I thought using viddler instead of google video would boost the quality but apparently not so much, although I think it's a little bigger. I'll post some of the actual pictures a little later. Of course this is the music that Donovan rocked during the reception, which is perfect for this slideshow in my opinion.

More Wedding Pics

Here are some more pics from the wedding. The theme here are candid and action shots. Check out the last one, pretty cool huh? I can't say that's my idea...I probably seen it somewhere but I still like it. Ok more in a few days when I get a chance to make a slideshow.