Final shots from bridal shoot

These are the final shots from the bridal shoot I did last week.  I truly am still surprised what can be found with just a little bit of exploration.  This shot was taken just 30 minutes from my house...yet you'd think I'm in the middle of nowhere....Pretty soon my adventures will take me to different parts of the world as I explore more and find other places to shoot....I can't wait.

El Nono Part 2

Waiting for the weekend....

I snapped this shot at the end of the bridal shoot I did last week and thought it truly symbolizes the way I feel about today which is....I can't wait for the workday to be done and the weekend to begin.  How about you...are you ready for the weekend???????

Night Basketball/Slumber Party

It's time to get back into shape...so we bought a basketball system and set it up.  It's supposed to take two adults...but we did it with one adult and three little boys.  It took about 7 hours to get set up...and the boys refused to go in...so they brought their blankets and pillows OUTSIDE to sleep.  It was hilarious and very cute.  Luckily we live in California so it wasn't too cold fo them outside.  

The cutest part was when Kevin took off his shirt, pulled out my license plate frame and hung his shirt up.  When I asked him why he did this...smiling at the time, he looked up at me and said, "Well....I didn't have a hanger."  It was very cute and all three boys tried to help as much as they could before they pooped out.  As a Dad you gotta love these kind of moments.....

El Nono Part 1

Below are shots we did for a big band from Mexico called El Nono.  These guys were so much fun and we had an absolute blast!  Don and Chris joined me for the shoot...and to see Don dancing with these guys was a sight I will never forget.  

I can't thank Cassandra enough for setting everything up...and for these guys being such a great bunch.  The shots were taken for their upcoming album cover....a first for me!  I'll be releasing a second set of images later this week.  CLICK TO VIEW LARGER.

Jason Lanier Photography Phone Number

Please be advised that the new phone number to reach us here at Jason Lanier Photography is 310-860-6976.
We updated our phone number to a Beverly Hills location in line with our studio. We left the old numbers up for awhile to give people time to adjust but those numbers will no longer work. Please call us at the new number listed above to discuss your big day...or just to chat a little....

Lost in the woods....

Something I challenge myself to do is to create different shots on every shoot.  While there will definitely be similarities with shoots....changing the locations and going for a theme or concept really drives the creative juices.  I really like this shot because I told the bride to walk through the trees pretending she was lost.  Now, why would a bride be lost in the woods????  She wouldn't, but it sure makes for a great shot and can symbolize many things....

California Dreaming

I went out on a bridal shoot yesterday that was fantastic.  The weather in California right now is so amazing and it really is gorgeous out here.  This shot was taken 30 minutes from my house in the mountains above the wine country where I live.  

I've been challenging myself to really find some great areas without having to drive 200 miles....and I realized I chose to live where I live because it's so beautiful...so I will be featuring a lot of shots from around my home area of Temecula because it is so beautiful out here. 

Please click on the picture to view...it's much better larger and when compressed to the small size you lose so much color.  Enjoy!

Vasquez Rocks

Have you ever been to Vasquez Rocks?  It's north of Los Angeles and is beautiful.  Right now California is so beautiful because of the amount of rain we've received....it's the perfect time to shoot.  We have a shoot scheduled for Vasquez Rocks with a famous band from Mexico called El Nono that we'll be shooting at Vasquez Rocks.....I'll make sure to post once we have a great shoot!

Hollywood- treasures in your own backyard

Sometimes we forget the amazing things we have in our own backyard.  I must pass the famous El Capitan Theater once a week but have never stopped to photograph it.  No matter where you live there is something amazing for you to shoot.  True some areas have more than others but you can find something unique no matter where you are.  

That's why I love traveling so much. Even if I'm on a business trip not scheduled to shoot I love shooting the areas I'm in because there's something different everywhere.  If you think you've shot it all...challenge yourself to try and find something new...I guarantee you will. 

HDR- Noticing a trend????

I know I've been posting a lot about HDR this week but it truly is the new age of photography.  You either set or follow a trend...and real success lies in setting, not following.  I'm not saying I'm the quintessential trend setter...but I love exploring the new avenues of our industry and try to make decisions that will set us apart.  Can you imagine a bride and groom in front of this shot???  That would be cool.  This shot is another one from Indianapolis.  More to come soon!

Indianapolis-a great place for photography

I had never been to Indianapolis before and I just loved what I found.  The city is pretty small by LA, NY, or other area standards....and once you get outside the city it turns into open space pretty quickly.  But inside the city it's like a mix between Pittsburgh and Europe.  It has some great old  buildings and some wonderful manufacturing complexes.  If you love this kind of photography you won't be disappointed visiting Indy.  It was also cool because the NFL combine was going on and I got to see some players.  

I got this shot below of the theater in downtown Indianapolis.  I wish I had more time there because it was all so cool...and cold.  I now need to find a bride and groom to shoot here because I would love to take advantage of the great architecture of this place!

HDR- Another image from Indianapolis

This is another HDR shot from Indianapolis where I've been the last two days.  This is a shot of the Crownhill Cemetery...one of the "Top Ten places to visit in Indianapolis...so I had to visit!  I love all the detail you see with the HDR in black and white....

HDR- High Dynamic Range

If you haven't tired HDR, you should.  With today's technology capabilities we now have the ability to increase the dynamic range on our photographs to capture everything we can see through our eyes and more.  The first picture below is a combination of the 5 shots below it.  The image below has no photoshopping for special effects...I simply controlled the amount of each picture of all 5 images to create 1 master image.  From the colors...to the shadows, etc...no photoshopping...pretty cool huh?  

I'm going to be messing around a lot more with HDR and start using it at my weddings.  The shot below is of the Scottish Rite building in Indianapolis.  Driving around tonight I saw the building and had to try to get some cool HDR shots from it.  If you have more questions on HDR let me know...but you will start to see a great deal of HDR from me over the next few months as I explore the possibilities of this new medium....give it a try!!! 

Painting- the photography industry has changed

PLEASE CLICK ON THE SHOT TO SEE BETTER!

After leaving WPPI...I can definitely say the industry has changed.  Leaving the awards ceremony you would think that you had accidentally attended an awards ceremony for painting...not photography.  I think what photographers do with painting makes complete sense...after all we have been telling people for years that photography is an art...maybe now that we are painting with photographs people will believe that even more.  

I went on a shoot the day after the convention ended and grabbed this shot.  I applied the techniques of painting photography and had some fun.  I don't see the industry turning back. The photographer of the year award at WPPI was given to Jennifer Hudson..and I can tell you that all of her award winning shots were paintings...constructed with shots from a camera.  Tell me what you think of the shot...and what you think on the changing nature of the photography industry.....

Photoshop- no longer the future, but the present of photography

Walking through the rooms displaying the Accolades of Excellence winners at this years WPPI I am amazed at how much the industry has transformed from a photography related business to an art related business.  Knowing many of the photographers in the awards circle and how they got their shots....it is amazing to know that many shots are actually a compilation of 5 or more shots...combined into one.  I'm not saying it's a bad thing...but the awards hall should be a commercial for Adobe Photoshop...because the amount of work done after the photograph was actually taken is many times more time consuming than taking the actual shot.

Photography truly has become art..because it's not about always capturing a beautiful image in one shot...it's about using your portfolio to create a piece of art from the images you have taken...even if they are from multiple locations and different times.  The purist might disdain the current trend...stating that all photographs should be from what was taken...1 shot, 1 time. Are we photographers or artists....using a camera instead of a paint brush to paint our image? 

What say you?  

Red Rock Canyon

Saturday I had the awesome opportunity to do a shoot with a beautiful bride named Laketa. We went out to Red Rock Canyon which is about 20 miles west of Las Vegas.  I have to thank Laketa for being such a great sport...the weather was pretty cold for Nevada...and the areas of white you see on the ground is snow!  It seems everywhere I've been recently is colder than normal and the same holds true for Nevada.  

The Red Rock Canyon is a National Park but I had never heard of it before...despite having traveled frequently to and through Las Vegas.  Even the locals out here didn't know about it when I mentioned it....but it is a goldmine for pictures.  I felt like I was taking landscape shots with a bride in the middle.  I hope you enjoy!

WPPI 2009- Going to Vegas

WPPI is back!  I'm heading up to Las Vegas and plan on meeting some friends and those who have worked with me while there to have a great time.  Leslie is coming all the way from Florida for her first WPPI (she's excited) and Don will also be there along with others.  

Not only are the classes and tradeshow going to be fun...but I will be doing several location shoots with models in the Vegas area which will be a blast.  If you're interested in hanging out shoot me an email at jason@jlpros.com.  I'll try to post every day if possible!!

Going to Australia

I'm very excited to announce that I will be going to shoot my first wedding in Australia!!!!!  The wedding is scheduled for this May in Sydney on the water....I can hardly wait...while I'm there I will be extending my trip to do some sightseeing as well as model shoots in Australia...and I'm taking my video guy Cameron and my family.  I am pumped!

Wedding Location Link

Drafting works....but it's a stupid idea

Ever heard of drafting in your car to save gas?  The theory is you get close behind a semi-truck which reduces your headwind and you get in the draft of the bigger vehicle in front of you...thus reducing your consumption of gas in your car.  

I was driving a rental car from Miami to Orlando on the turnpike late at night.  The turnpike has gas stations every 40-50 miles and is desolate in between the stops.  Having never driven this car before (Dodge Charger) I judged my gas availability based on the top half of the gas tank...and how long it took me to go through the top half of the tank.  Well...by the time I was above a 1/4 tank left...I had about 30 miles to the next gas station....I was very wrong....

Before I knew it I was literally past the "E" with the gas light blaring at me....and the sign told me I had 10 miles to go.  I couldn't believe it went down so quickly.  My buddy Gary sitting in the passenger seat suggested drafting behind the semi-truck in front of me.  I pulled in snug behind the truck and we began to drive white knuckled just waiting for the engine to choke.  I hit the trip meter so we could track how far to the station...and every time we got another mile closer we let out a nervous cheer.  

The semi-truck knew what we were doing and didn't like it.  He sped up, slowed down, but we stayed the perfect distance behind him.  It was really funny to be going 60mph and see all the cars passing us that we had passed when we were cruising at 85 mph...we got some real funny looks.  We honestly were in disbelief when the exit came for the gas station and we coasted to the gas pump.  It really was kind of nerve wracking...because it was 11pm, and the thought of being stranded in the rain late at night was a very uncomfortable thought.  I will never know how much the drafting helped...but I do know that if the situation was the same...I would do it over again....