I'm headed back to Washington DC today with my team to shoot a big 2-day wedding celebration for Justin and Aliya. You might remember their engagement pictures I took months ago...the ones where I fell down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial due to ice. I have Leslie flying in from Florida, and Don, Cameron, and I are flying in from California. It's a beautiful couple with a beautiful wedding and should be an absolute blast!!
Javier and Liz
Below are pictures from Javier and Liz Cabazuela's wedding we shot a little while back. We had such a great time. The ceremony and reception were awesome....but I just had to include the pictures from the beach shoot we did.
The bride and bridesmaids totally made the shoot by taking off their shoes and running through the water. They had so much fun...and the greatest part was watching all of the beach goers get a kick out of them. This was in August in San Diego during a warm San Diego day....so the beach was packed. It was a wonderful shoot and I can't thank their families enough for allowing us the opportunity to shoot their day for them.
The bride and bridesmaids totally made the shoot by taking off their shoes and running through the water. They had so much fun...and the greatest part was watching all of the beach goers get a kick out of them. This was in August in San Diego during a warm San Diego day....so the beach was packed. It was a wonderful shoot and I can't thank their families enough for allowing us the opportunity to shoot their day for them.
Orfila Vineyard Wedding Slideshow
Click on the link or the picture below to view the wedding slideshow of Jeff and Chelsee at the Orfila Vineyard!!
Jeff and Chelsee
These shots are from a wedding shot last month at the Orfila Vineyard near San Diego, CA. The wedding was for Jeff and Chelsee, and it was a beautiful wedding. After the ceremony and before the reception we had the opportunity to do a shoot in the winery and the couple did such a great job that the shots turned out great. We were very fortunate to have a full moon to add light to the shoot. It is so neat to see two people in love.
That's the greatest thing about this job...being able to see people in love and to be able to capture that moment for them is awesome. Jeff and Chelsee are in love and it shows. If you recall in an earlier blog post I did a bridal shoot with Chelsee that was also a ton of fun. Thanks for everything guys!
That's the greatest thing about this job...being able to see people in love and to be able to capture that moment for them is awesome. Jeff and Chelsee are in love and it shows. If you recall in an earlier blog post I did a bridal shoot with Chelsee that was also a ton of fun. Thanks for everything guys!
Myomed Ragnar Washington DC
These are the shots from the great race we shot last weekend in Washington DC for Ragnar Relay. The race runs from Cumberland, Maryland down into Washington, DC right along the Potomac River. It was a really fun race and the first time we've shot one in a lot of rain. As you can see by the pictures the race route is just beautiful....a perfect place for a race. We had a great time and can't wait until the race in three weeks in Austin, Texas!
Trash the Dress....Pensacola Style
These are shots from a trash the dress shoot Leslie Roark and I did last week. I was in Pensacola for a wedding and Leslie wanted to trash her dress..I can't say that I was opposed to the idea...We had to do the shoot in two locations (the first shot with her standing on a tree was the first location) because the first location had some really strange activity....several guys kept coming around and when I would say, "Hello," or go to talk to them they would run away....and then a few minutes later we'd see them peering through the bushes....it was very weird, so we left.
We drove down the Scenic Highway in Pensacola about 3 miles and found this slab of a former house that Hurricane Ivan washed away. All the pictures below except for the first one are in the water in front of the washed away home...and the wood you see is from a former deck or pier that the owners had that was also destroyed by the hurricane.
It was a tremendous shoot and I can't thank Leslie enough for being such a willing model. I always tell my clients that when the pictures turn out great...so much credit goes to the model. You can have the best photographer in the world shooting you but the person being shot makes such a huge difference in the quality of the shoot. It's all about a great working synergy between the photographer and the subject. I hope you like them!!!
We drove down the Scenic Highway in Pensacola about 3 miles and found this slab of a former house that Hurricane Ivan washed away. All the pictures below except for the first one are in the water in front of the washed away home...and the wood you see is from a former deck or pier that the owners had that was also destroyed by the hurricane.
It was a tremendous shoot and I can't thank Leslie enough for being such a willing model. I always tell my clients that when the pictures turn out great...so much credit goes to the model. You can have the best photographer in the world shooting you but the person being shot makes such a huge difference in the quality of the shoot. It's all about a great working synergy between the photographer and the subject. I hope you like them!!!
Washington Monument in the rain
Below are pictures from the Washington Monument taken during a fantastic rain storm in DC on Friday night of last week. Life has been crazy right now traveling through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and DC last week...then I flew down to Pensacola, Florida for a wedding Saturday morning from DC. I'm now doing a one-day 700-mile drive from Pensacola to Miami for meetings there tomorrow!
But back to these pictures......these were taken no tripod during an absolute down pour in DC at about 11pm at night. I shot them at about 6500 ISO (you have to love the D3). I took a foil wrapper from a Wendy's hamburger I had eaten, cleaned it off with a napkin, wrapped my camera as best I could, and then ran out into the rain leaving my car with hazards on in the middle of the road....there's no parking directly around the monument due to security concerns. I'm excited in how they turned out. I circled the monument to get some different angles of it. I was also crazy (stupid) enough to use my video light as well just trying to cover it with my shirt to splash some light on the sidewalk shots.
I want to dedicate these shots to my family who I miss terribly. To Kevin for the way you say, "Daddy," to Michael for the way you make me laugh, and to Jason for the courage you inspire inside of me. And lastly to Kara for the way you love me. I will always love you every day as much as I love you today...
But back to these pictures......these were taken no tripod during an absolute down pour in DC at about 11pm at night. I shot them at about 6500 ISO (you have to love the D3). I took a foil wrapper from a Wendy's hamburger I had eaten, cleaned it off with a napkin, wrapped my camera as best I could, and then ran out into the rain leaving my car with hazards on in the middle of the road....there's no parking directly around the monument due to security concerns. I'm excited in how they turned out. I circled the monument to get some different angles of it. I was also crazy (stupid) enough to use my video light as well just trying to cover it with my shirt to splash some light on the sidewalk shots.
I want to dedicate these shots to my family who I miss terribly. To Kevin for the way you say, "Daddy," to Michael for the way you make me laugh, and to Jason for the courage you inspire inside of me. And lastly to Kara for the way you love me. I will always love you every day as much as I love you today...
True Companion
Below is a link to the slideshow for Bill and Molly Bracken as promised. Click on the picture or link to view. I hope you enjoy!
Bill and Molly Bracken
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Molly Bracken on their marriage!!! Below are pictures posted from their wedding three weeks ago. Molly is a personal friend and I had such a great time shooting both her and Bill...and their families are fantastic! It was a wonderful and beautiful wedding where the entire evening felt magical. I have to thank Mollie Salazar for shooting with me as well as Cameron my videographer. We have weddings pretty much every weekend until the end of November so no rest for us now. I will be posting a slideshow of Bill and Molly's wedding tomorrow once it's posted on the web. Thanks Bill and Molly!!!!
Rancho Bernardo Courtyard
Below are shots taken from a bridal portrait session for Chelsee Bopp (now Epperly). We did this shoot on Friday, the night before her wedding. We planned on going to the beach to do the shoot...but while driving up to the hotel I saw this fence and decided we'd try to get some shots there...after finishing with the fence we decided to look inside the complex to see what there was....and we found a perfect place for a photo shoot...plenty of light, different lines and shapes and a great bride. Thanks to Chelsee for making the shoot so great...I couldn't have done it without her.
New Website Coming
I know I haven't posted for a long time.....not since August actually! I've been wanting to add so much content to the existing website and while working on that...I didn't shoot last weekend for the first time in 4 months....so I had a little time to think...and while reviewing the new content I thought, "Why not just make a better website?!!" Well, to those of you with websites you know that is no small undertaking. But I can't resist....the website could be up as soon as the end of this week or as late as the end of the month....but it will be up this month. I'll make sure to let you know when it's up!
Myomed Ragnar Great River
Below are images from the Myomed Ragnar Great River Relay Race that runs a whopping 205 miles from La Crosse Wisconsin to Minneapolis Minnesota. We started off the race watching the Ragnar guys getting interviewed by CBS news for the race. As you can tell by the shots below the race route is absolutely gorgeous. It follows the Mississippi River pretty much all the way down...making for some great shots.
The sunset was gorgeous as the sun turned deep red and ran into a dark blue sky. These Ragnar races are so great to shoot as a photographer because of the different lighting, terrain, and conditions that are present at each race. It was a great time.....we'll be doing the next one in Washington DC in three weeks!!!
The sunset was gorgeous as the sun turned deep red and ran into a dark blue sky. These Ragnar races are so great to shoot as a photographer because of the different lighting, terrain, and conditions that are present at each race. It was a great time.....we'll be doing the next one in Washington DC in three weeks!!!
Venice Beach Engagement
Below are pictures taken this month at an engagement session done at Venice Beach down in So Cal. Venice Beach is so amazing because you have so many different backgrounds, settings, people, water, everything!
One thing I really recommend is to find a great place that shows the heart and grit of a city and incorporate a great couple to make some very dynamic photos. I can't thank the bride and groom enough....judging from their engagement session the wedding in November will be fantastic. I also have to thank my main photographer Don Atherton for shooting with me...I always love shooting with him....he has several shots below....including the one with the sail boat that I really love. Plus, finding the area down by the water where the waves crashed so hard on the rocks was just unbelievable. Let us know what you think!
One thing I really recommend is to find a great place that shows the heart and grit of a city and incorporate a great couple to make some very dynamic photos. I can't thank the bride and groom enough....judging from their engagement session the wedding in November will be fantastic. I also have to thank my main photographer Don Atherton for shooting with me...I always love shooting with him....he has several shots below....including the one with the sail boat that I really love. Plus, finding the area down by the water where the waves crashed so hard on the rocks was just unbelievable. Let us know what you think!
Santa Monica Engagement
These are shots taken for an engagement session with Scott and Noemi down in Santa Monica earlier this month. We started the session with me following Scott and Noemi from a short distance while walking on the boardwalk. I got stopped by security who thought I was there either as a paparazzi or shooting some kind of a production without a permit. It's very common to get stopped in LA because of the Hollywood productions going on. They took my information and by the time I got back out there the couple was gone! They didn't know I had been taken away by security.....
Well, we met back up and really got started and got some great shots. Some of my favorite were taken in the underpass where it had some great lighting that I just loved. Scott and Noemi are getting married next month in Malibu and I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding. Thanks to Scott and Noemi for making it a great shoot!
Well, we met back up and really got started and got some great shots. Some of my favorite were taken in the underpass where it had some great lighting that I just loved. Scott and Noemi are getting married next month in Malibu and I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding. Thanks to Scott and Noemi for making it a great shoot!
Myomed Ragnar Northwest Passage
Below are pictures from the Myomed Ragnar Northwest Passage Race that our team shot in July. It is a great race that goes from Blaine, WA (1 mile from the Canadian border) all the way down to Seattle. It's a beautiful stretch and a tremendous amount of fun. I have to thank my team of Michael, Brady, and Chris for everything they did to make this race a success as we drove the race route hanging out of the SUV shooting photography and videography and of course blaring music the whole way.
A big thanks as well to the Ragnar team for choosing to work with us in these incredible races. We just finished shooting the Great River Race from Wisconsin to Minnesota 2 days ago and will be in Washington DC next month. If you haven't done one of these either as a runner or photographer, you should....they are a blast.
A big thanks as well to the Ragnar team for choosing to work with us in these incredible races. We just finished shooting the Great River Race from Wisconsin to Minnesota 2 days ago and will be in Washington DC next month. If you haven't done one of these either as a runner or photographer, you should....they are a blast.
Casa Paramour
These shots are of the beautiful Molly Darnieder, a bride that is getting married next week. These shots are from her bridal portrait session we did a few weeks ago at the Casa Paramour in Balboa Island in Southern California. It's a beautiful beach front residence that is rented our for special events. We did a two hour shoot at the house and I can't thank Molly enough for being such a great model for me. Let me know what you think of the pics!
Poli Poli
These pictures are of our last day in Maui. I woke the boys up at 3am and we drove for 2 hours to the top of the Haleakala volcano for sunrise pictures. Even though it's Hawaii it's still cold up there. The temperature was 35 degrees and my boys let me know how cold they were. The funniest thing was that once they had the opportunity to use my cameras they dropped their blankets and started shooting. Before we left the boys went into the restroom and warmed their hands and legs up by standing under the automatic hand dryers. Needless to say there were a lot of laughs coming from the restroom. On our way down the hill we saw a really bad car accident....they did seem okay but the car was flipped over....
We drove back to the hotel to get Kara as we had to check out of the hotel. We packed up all our luggage and went downstairs. I did grab a shot of Michael as he sat out on the balcony taking in the view for one last time. We went downstairs and I couldn't find my Ipod. Kara went back to the room twice, security and housekeeping went back...and no one could find it. I finally asked my boys...."Where's my Ipod?" Kevin responded, "In the lamp." Kara said, "That's impossible, we checked everywhere." Kevin said, "It's in the lamp!" I said, "Okay, go show me." Kevin and I went to the room and sure enough, Kevin stuck his hand up the lamp shade, grabbed my Ipod and said, "Here you go!" He had hidden it there......
We left the hotel and drove a beautiful drive to the Poli Poli State Park. This place was amazing. There was a beautiful cloud cover that we were above...The shots may make it look like snow, but they're clouds. It was such a fun drive....we saw Wild Boars, Bulls, and did a good deal of offroading. It is a remarkable place....
We took off for the airport and got there 2.5 hours early only for US Airways to tell us all of our seats are separated for a 6 hour Red Eye flight. Our flight was supposed to leave at 10:30pm, but if we wanted to sit together we would have to take the 9pm flight...leaving us only 30 minutes to get through security and make the flight. We started to run and what a site that was....I'm running down the terminal, Kevin and Michael behind me...with Kara and JJ behind them. I'm shouting down the hallway..."Come on boys you can do it!" The boys were trying but by the time we reached the gate they were crying saying their legs were hurting. We got there only to watch the plane take off....We got booked on a later flight where after doing some musical chairs while on the flight...we finally sat together. It was a wonderful trip that we'll never forget....and soon to repeat.
We drove back to the hotel to get Kara as we had to check out of the hotel. We packed up all our luggage and went downstairs. I did grab a shot of Michael as he sat out on the balcony taking in the view for one last time. We went downstairs and I couldn't find my Ipod. Kara went back to the room twice, security and housekeeping went back...and no one could find it. I finally asked my boys...."Where's my Ipod?" Kevin responded, "In the lamp." Kara said, "That's impossible, we checked everywhere." Kevin said, "It's in the lamp!" I said, "Okay, go show me." Kevin and I went to the room and sure enough, Kevin stuck his hand up the lamp shade, grabbed my Ipod and said, "Here you go!" He had hidden it there......
We left the hotel and drove a beautiful drive to the Poli Poli State Park. This place was amazing. There was a beautiful cloud cover that we were above...The shots may make it look like snow, but they're clouds. It was such a fun drive....we saw Wild Boars, Bulls, and did a good deal of offroading. It is a remarkable place....
We took off for the airport and got there 2.5 hours early only for US Airways to tell us all of our seats are separated for a 6 hour Red Eye flight. Our flight was supposed to leave at 10:30pm, but if we wanted to sit together we would have to take the 9pm flight...leaving us only 30 minutes to get through security and make the flight. We started to run and what a site that was....I'm running down the terminal, Kevin and Michael behind me...with Kara and JJ behind them. I'm shouting down the hallway..."Come on boys you can do it!" The boys were trying but by the time we reached the gate they were crying saying their legs were hurting. We got there only to watch the plane take off....We got booked on a later flight where after doing some musical chairs while on the flight...we finally sat together. It was a wonderful trip that we'll never forget....and soon to repeat.
Lahaina
Saturday was a relaxing day for the family. We went down to Lahaina and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. We then went walking throughout the shops of Lahaina. Kevin asked us a really funny question as he looked at the cars passing by...."Daddy, why don't cars have legs? Why do they have wheels?" I responded, "Well, wheels are faster than legs...so it's better for cars to have wheels." He replied, "If wheels are better, then why don't we have wheels?" I thought for a moment and said, "Well, I just don't think we'd look good with wheels." He said to me, "I would." I love writing down the things they say....because kids say the neatest, most real things.
We took them for ice cream where they all ordered strawberry and then we found a part on the walkway where the waves would splash over the railing. It was like watching kids standing in the "Splash Zone" at Seaworld. The funniest thing was watching the other tourists get such a kick out of watching triplets play in the water. If only all of us would lose our inhibitions and be able to play like kids....the world truly would be a better place.
We took them for ice cream where they all ordered strawberry and then we found a part on the walkway where the waves would splash over the railing. It was like watching kids standing in the "Splash Zone" at Seaworld. The funniest thing was watching the other tourists get such a kick out of watching triplets play in the water. If only all of us would lose our inhibitions and be able to play like kids....the world truly would be a better place.
A Photographer's Perspective
The pictures below are from our adventures on Friday. I had some work to get done in the morning so before I got started I decided to take the family down to Sonz restaurant in the Hyatt....and it's a great restaurant. I decided it was time for the boys to start learning more about photography so I actually let them start shooting with my D3. The pictures on the bottom are from the restaurant....and the pictures of myself and Kara were taken by the boys....no help.
The kids went swimming with Kara and I took a break to go and snap some shots of them. It's amazing how old the boys look when you see them in photographs... At about 5pm we left the hotel and went on a drive back down the road to Nu'u. I saw what I call the "Car Garden" which is a beautiful hillside with abandoned cars that have been overgrown by the foliage. I intended on taking pics of that until I passed this tree. As you can see it's right along the road.....but it was amazing. There is very little photoshopping done to these images....the sunset really was that amazing. The picture below the tree shots is actually of a sugar plant in Maui. I just love the smoke stack with the full moon. All these shots are taken without a tripod....the D3 really is that amazing with night photography...
People sometimes ask if I get tired of taking pictures.....my response is, "No, because I'm always looking for something I've never taken before." That's what I love most about the tree pictures....I've never quite taken a picture like this before. That is why I love photography. The world is so different and beautiful....you just have to open your eyes and decide to see it a little differently.
The kids went swimming with Kara and I took a break to go and snap some shots of them. It's amazing how old the boys look when you see them in photographs... At about 5pm we left the hotel and went on a drive back down the road to Nu'u. I saw what I call the "Car Garden" which is a beautiful hillside with abandoned cars that have been overgrown by the foliage. I intended on taking pics of that until I passed this tree. As you can see it's right along the road.....but it was amazing. There is very little photoshopping done to these images....the sunset really was that amazing. The picture below the tree shots is actually of a sugar plant in Maui. I just love the smoke stack with the full moon. All these shots are taken without a tripod....the D3 really is that amazing with night photography...
People sometimes ask if I get tired of taking pictures.....my response is, "No, because I'm always looking for something I've never taken before." That's what I love most about the tree pictures....I've never quite taken a picture like this before. That is why I love photography. The world is so different and beautiful....you just have to open your eyes and decide to see it a little differently.
Lanai
What an adventure we had on Wednesday. We left in the morning from Lahaina Harbor and too the ferry for a 45 minute trip to the island of Lanai. Immediately upon arriving in Lanai we realized we were in a different country....not really....but it felt that way. We grabbed some food at a small market (no fast food on the island), and took off on a Jeep adventure. We thought the rental car company would have car seats....but no such luck. They did find two booster seats....and Kara only felt comfortable putting the third triplet (JJ) on her lap....so we broke the law....and had a blast!
We took off the Shipwreck beach....Kara got out over a real rough part on the road and I took the boys off roading....I don't think I've ever heard them scream so loud in my life....they loved it! I then took shots of this amazing WW2 ship that wrecked just off the coast...that's why they call it Shipwreck Beach. We left and went to Garden of the Gods....a place that looks like Mars...really a trip. We took the road all the way down to this ocean that looks like it's straight out of a Hollywood set....deserted and beautiful. We had some fun down there and then took off to the Jeep and had to outrun the bees that had swarmed around our snacks in our cooler.
We drove down the road towards an old deserted church that is over 100 years old. It's amazing to drive down this dirt road and just find an abandoned church. There was even money in a collection plate and a prayer written on the pulpit with an old straw hat still sitting there.
By this point we had to make it back to the ferry and fast.....the brochure said it took 45 minutes to make it from the church to the paved road.....no joke....we did it in 11 minutes..... The boys and Kara thought that was the funnest off roading they had ever done....and I completely agree. We got back just in time and took off on the ferry back to Maui. My boys stayed out with me to take pictures while it was light...but as it got dark only Michael was able to make it out there on the top deck with me....what a trooper!!! The cutest thing was while I was taking pictures of teh moon Michael asked me, "Daddy, what does the moon say?" I replied, "I don't know, what do you think he says?" He responded, "I don't know, you tell me." I replied, "I don't think the moon talks Michael..." He responded resiliently, "Yes it does Dad....his mouth is on the other side....you just can't see it. You have to look harder" I responded, "You're right Michael...sometimes when we get older....we stop looking as hard as we should. I can see it now." I love those moments as a Dad. The last shot is of Lahania Harbor at night. It was an amazing trip and one that I highly recommend. Only a few more days left on our trip....but man....we have had a great time!
We took off the Shipwreck beach....Kara got out over a real rough part on the road and I took the boys off roading....I don't think I've ever heard them scream so loud in my life....they loved it! I then took shots of this amazing WW2 ship that wrecked just off the coast...that's why they call it Shipwreck Beach. We left and went to Garden of the Gods....a place that looks like Mars...really a trip. We took the road all the way down to this ocean that looks like it's straight out of a Hollywood set....deserted and beautiful. We had some fun down there and then took off to the Jeep and had to outrun the bees that had swarmed around our snacks in our cooler.
We drove down the road towards an old deserted church that is over 100 years old. It's amazing to drive down this dirt road and just find an abandoned church. There was even money in a collection plate and a prayer written on the pulpit with an old straw hat still sitting there.
By this point we had to make it back to the ferry and fast.....the brochure said it took 45 minutes to make it from the church to the paved road.....no joke....we did it in 11 minutes..... The boys and Kara thought that was the funnest off roading they had ever done....and I completely agree. We got back just in time and took off on the ferry back to Maui. My boys stayed out with me to take pictures while it was light...but as it got dark only Michael was able to make it out there on the top deck with me....what a trooper!!! The cutest thing was while I was taking pictures of teh moon Michael asked me, "Daddy, what does the moon say?" I replied, "I don't know, what do you think he says?" He responded, "I don't know, you tell me." I replied, "I don't think the moon talks Michael..." He responded resiliently, "Yes it does Dad....his mouth is on the other side....you just can't see it. You have to look harder" I responded, "You're right Michael...sometimes when we get older....we stop looking as hard as we should. I can see it now." I love those moments as a Dad. The last shot is of Lahania Harbor at night. It was an amazing trip and one that I highly recommend. Only a few more days left on our trip....but man....we have had a great time!