Bridezillas

Creativity- Don't ever be afraid to become a kid again when you are shooting. I think it's so funny that adults pretend that say they aren't creative. Creativity is a grown up word for "playing make believe." If more people stopped worrying about what other people thought about what they did, and just channeled their inner 5-year old and started "make believing" they would make amazing imagery. SO GO BE A 5-YEAR OLD AGAIN!!!!

Bridezillas- this image was taken during my workshop in West Virginia last month. We found this abandoned little house that was nestled in between overgrown weeds and a corn field. It was the kind of thing that's almost impossible to find in California which is one reason why I love shooting in areas like West Virginia. We had two models a house, and an idea….they were both in love with the same man and he was inside the house, all they had to do was fight and to the victor would go the spoils. Both girls took turns being the aggressor and I have a ton of great shots from this shoot. Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/500 sec at f/5.6, 19mm at ISO 100. Shot at 3:23pm on October 11, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

Long Exposure Photography- getting the right look!

Long Exposure Photography- this is an image taken earlier this year in Maui, Hawaii near the lava rocks by Waimea/Kihei area. The trick to long exposure photography is to set it up on a tripod, frame the shot the right way, keep your ISO low (that sounds crazy with low light, but if there is enough available light, you want LOW ISO because it gives you much more ability to work with in post production. With the long exposure time it will add a movement type look to the image like you see here with the water. If you haven't tried long exposure photography, give it a try today! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 30 sec at f/4.0, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 7:33pm in Maui, Hawaii by Jason Lanier on August 31, 2011.

Basking in the Hawaiian Sun- this image was taken while I was in Maui back in August of this year. We were shooting some tutorial videos and we had this amazing back drop, beautiful woman, and the golden sun. This was shot with natural light. If you shoot at the right time it will look like you are applying special effects because it just looks so good. If possible, shoot during the "magic hours" of 2 hours before and after sunset and sunrise...this was taken about 20 minutes before sunset. Hope you like it! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/400 sec at f/5.6, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 6:12pm on August 30, 2011 in Maui, Hawaii by Jason Lanier.

Bridal Portraits West Virginia

Almost Heaven, West Virginia- this image was taken during my 1 on 1 with Stephanie Stiles back in August of this year in Morgantown, West Virginia. This was such a fun shoot, and I just loved the rolling green hills, it is just beautiful out there. I also want photographers to know that you don't have to or shouldn't always put your subjects in the middle of the frame...it's boring if it's on all your shots...so make it more dynamic and change things up a little! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/320 sec at f/9.0, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 5:26pm on August 20, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

2-day Photography Workshop in Pensacola, Florida

2-day Workshop this week on June 23rd and June 24th! Come join us for two exciting days this Thursday and Friday in Pensacola, both sessions running from 8am to 3pm. Attend 1 session for $250, or both sessions for only $450! Attendees of previous workshops can attend for $200 for 1 session or $400 for BOTH!

Register today! INFO@JLPROS.COM

Thursday is a full shooting session as the group scouts, shoots, and has a tremendous time making MAGIC happen!

Friday is a full classroom session as we review our shots from the shooting session, and I show you the nuts and bolts of developing your images for success. We also cover business techniques, tricks of the trade, and tips for success.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #3 of 3

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 3 of 3

11. Who or what has been your greatest inspiration in your life? Explain.

My parents. My Mom is very musically inclined and is an unbelievable composer and pianist and she taught me to play/compose music as well. I can't edit images without music playing, it's part of my creative process. My Father was a photography enthusiast which is where I first learned what a Nikon camera could do at the age of 5, and since then I've been hooked. My Dad was also the best Father in the world who has now passed on. While I know he would always say he's proud of me (because he's the kind of guy who always made their kids feel great), I don't feel like I will live up to who he was. So I'm inspired to try and be like him. When I die if people know me as a famous photographer that would be neat. But I'd much rather prefer they know me as a decent and good Father and Husband. No success in this life can compensate for failure in the home. Believe me when I say that there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family. If photography ever got in the way of being a good Father or Husband, I would give it up.

12. What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?

I keep myself motivated by trying whatever sounds fun. I don't place any limits (other than moral/ethical stuff) on myself. I figure if I want to shoot it, no matter the genre I will shoot it. That's what's so funny about my website/Facebook page, etc. One day you will see an engagement photo, the next day an elephant. When you are open to doing anything, you very rarely ever find yourself painted into a corner that can lead to boredom and shut down your creativity.

13. If you could interview a creative person (past or present), who would that person be? Please explain your choice.

You may be expecting me to say someone famous. But if I could interview anyone tomorrow for example, it would be my Dad. I would ask him his life story, and record every second of it. For those who still have your loved ones around, take the opportunity to get to know their life story before they are gone. Believe me, I had a great relationship with my Dad before he died and was there when he passed away, so I don't have any regrets and I know I will see him when I die. But if I could interview someone from the past or present, it would be my Dad without hesitation. He is my hero and along with my Mom and family is the creative force and influence for who I am today.

14. How many foreign languages do you speak? What are these languages?

I speak 3 languages, English, Spanish, and Korean.

15. How did you acquire your language skills? Did you awaken your creativity to study foreign languages? Please share your secrets and tools!

I learned English from my parents, especially my Mom and Grandma who were English majors. I learned Spanish through my Dad who went on a 2-year mission to Chile and upon coming home spent the next 25 + years teaching Spanish and in fact had my wife Kara in his Spanish class in high school. I learned Korean while serving for two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Pusan Mission from the ages of 19-21 years old. It was the absolute best experience of my life. It's also what influenced me to adopt our three boys (triplets) that we have now. While on my mission we would visit the orphanages twice/week. I made a promise to God that if I ever had the means and opportunity I would adopt children into my home. A little over 7 years ago my wife and I were able to do that. It was the absolute best thing I have done on this earth. Raising those boys is my (our) mission now.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #2 of 3

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 2 of 3

6. Do the opinions of other people influence or change what you create?

NO. When I first started other people's opinions affected me greatly as I was so eager to please as many artists are...after all we do want people to like our stuff right? About 1 year into my photography journey I grew tired of hearing everybody's advice so I gently told friends and family to keep their opinions to themselves. I don't shoot for anyone else other than me. My pictures are exactly the way I want them to look like. I don't cater my imagery for another person's taste or desire because then it wouldn't be my imagery, it would be theirs! When I do have a project and I'm working with an art director for example I will of course collaborate on the theme, concepts, etc. But that shoot will still have my look on it. Once artists stop seeking the approval of others they are truly free. Some people think it's arrogance, I think it's confidence. It takes a lot of guts to put your stuff out there for the whole world to see. Be confident in what you do and if you aren't happy with the way it looks than you need to seek to improve yourself....but do it for yourself, not for the approval of others. The funny thing is that you will find that there are others who love what you do, whatever the genre might be. So if you keep plugging away you will stay true to yourself and find a very loyal following of people who love your work.

7. If you have experienced creative blocks, how have you overcome them?

The best way to overcome a creative block is to bust right through it. If you are a creator you are inspired by different elements in your life. When I'm shooting if I've had a very short creative block it's been overcome by continuing to shoot until I found my inspiration. Another technique is to go shoot something entirely different than what you normally do. People think it's funny that I can be shooting a wedding one week and lions in Africa the next. Me changing stuff up is honestly one reason why I can say I've never had a block in my career.

8. What distinguishes you from other creative people in your genre?

I think what distinguishes me is that fact that I combine so many different elements of photography into what I do. Whether it's weddings, portraits, landscapes, or wildlife I combine these elements into all the work. People have often described my wedding work as landscapes with weddings in them. That's because I am at heart a landscape photographer who tried wedding photography after I was volunteered by my wife to shoot a wedding for a family friend and ended up really liking it! I would just say that some photographers say their work is "different and unique" when truly it isn't. What they don't realize is that saying you're unique when you aren't actually hurts your brand. My photography has also been described as painting like which is true to what I like. The biggest compliment is when someone tells me they go through a gallery of images (like at a competition) and can tell it's one of my images without even looking at the names. I love the fact that people can recognize my imagery for it's look and feel.

9. Is there a certain place you go for inspiration? Please describe.

God, my family, wife and kids. I often tell my wedding clients that the reason I love shooting weddings is because I love my wife so much. When I shoot nature and wildlife I feel a true connection with God and feel honored to show the world what He has created, to people all over the world. When I'm particularly down I get outdoors and find something beautiful that God has created for me and all of us. Within a little while I'm starting to feel better and inspired.

10. Do you have any special rituals that you do in order to achieve your creative goals?

Preparation. Lack of preparation can kill creativity. That doesn't mean that creativity can't be spontaneous because it can. But as a professional photographer when you have deadlines and other people you are meeting and shooting if you aren't prepared you will be in trouble. My best shoots occur when I leave plenty of time available for the shoot, when I've scouted the location the day before to find the optimal lighting situations, and when I've had great pre-shoot phone calls with the models/clients prior to the shoot to go over expectations. If I do a good job at these things than the creativity just flows. For example when I was shooting wildlife in Africa I would map out at night where I was going to shoot the sunrise in the morning. That way I wasn't running around like crazy in the morning trying to find the right spot while the light was changing and I was missing something. Preparation breeds creativity.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #1 of 3

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 1 of 3

1. What environmental factors do you consider to be helpful (or limiting) to your creative process?

The word environment can having many meanings but for the purpose of this question I will refer to the outdoor environment of nature. Being that I shoot outdoors so much I can't help but think of myself as an amateur meteorologist. I love clouds, either dark or bright, as they lend tremendous depth and contrast to the sky. The worst thing in the world for shooting is a sky without clouds...makes it very boring, bland, and stale. Lighting of course is the primary element for consideration for all photographers and choosing light during the "magic" hours near sunrise or sunset is optimal.

2. Please describe your state of mind when you are creating something.

When I'm in the middle of creating something I open my mind to all possibilities and try to not say, "No," to anything. If you were inside my mind during the creative process you would find it a place full of excitement and fun. I'm not the kind of artist that needs to go to a "dark place" to create. I truly love life and love portraying it's beauty. I'm not scared at all about not knowing what to do in a situation. I figure I just try something crazy until it works!

3. What are your reasons for sharing your work with others via the World Wide Web?

I share my work over the web for many reasons. First, it's the absolute best way to get your name out there so you can become a profitable business and make it a full time career. Secondly I love sharing beauty. The world can sometimes have so much darkness and cruelty to it, and I want to do my small part to balance the scales and show how amazing and beautiful it can be. Third, I realize that I have been extremely blessed to be able to travel the world and there are many people who can't. I love bringing my imagery to the world via the web and hope that it can in some small way help others to go there with me to that place if they aren't able to go there themselves.

4. Do you have to be in a certain mood in order to create?

I have to be happy. I've shot before when I'm upset and the images take on a decidedly different look. When I'm preoccupied with a problem it will inhibit my creativity because my mind isn't free. I've always been good at compartmentalizing so if I do have something going on I can usually find my "happy place" pretty quickly.

5. When you begin to create, do you have a finished product in your mind?

Yes. As I've shot more and gained more experience I've learned that having a finished product in mind is the clearest way to achieving your desired result. The hardest thing for me when I began was having the vision but lacking the know how to make it happen. As a creator that was extremely frustrating. In the middle of a shoot I am like a schizophrenic (constantly talking to myself) because I remind myself of my goal and what I'm trying to achieve. It seems to help me get there.

Part 2 and 3 of this interview will appear in the blog and on Facebook over the next two posts....

1 on 1 Session San Francisco

San Francisco- shooting in San Francisco/Napa this week and having a great time. If you are interested in doing a 1 on 1 I have 1 spot left so please let me know! It is going to be an amazing shoot trying some very cool concepts that you might want to try! I will be here until Wednesday until I take off for Utah next week. If interested please send me an email at INFO@JLPROS.COM.

Mount Vernon by Jason Lanier

These images were taken this week during my visit to Mount Vernon (George Washington's home and final resting place) which is located in Mount Vernon, Virginia. I've always loved coming to this place as it is so peaceful and beautiful. The back of the home opens up to one of the most beautiful views you've ever seen of the Potomac River. The two images on the bottom show this view, and the really wide one (which is a 5-shot panoramic) shows it the best. For more information please check out our Facebook page as well where some of these images are posted and contain the camera settings for those photographers out there....

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

Register for a workshop or 1 on 1 session by sending an email to:

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Come join me for an amazing 2-day workshop in Orem, Utah on Tuesday May 17th and Wednesday May 18th, both sessions starting at 8am. It will be a very hands-on instructional 2 days as we spend an entire day shooting followed by a day of editing, business, and motivational skills you need to be a success in the photography industry. You can attend the 2-day workshop for $450 or come to only one of the days for $275!

1 on 1 sessions are also available where you go out with me for 3 hours and get the personal attention you need and can all the questions you ever wanted to ask without the embarrassment of asking them in front of a group of our peers! 1 on 1 Sessions are available for $199.

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

Register for a workshop or 1 on 1 session by sending an email to:

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Come join me for an amazing 2-day workshop in Orem, Utah on Tuesday May 17th and Wednesday May 18th, both sessions starting at 8am. It will be a very hands-on instructional 2 days as we spend an entire day shooting followed by a day of editing, business, and motivational skills you need to be a success in the photography industry. You can attend the 2-day workshop for $450 or come to only one of the days for $275!

1 on 1 sessions are also available where you go out with me for 3 hours and get the personal attention you need and can all the questions you ever wanted to ask without the embarrassment of asking them in front of a group of our peers! 1 on 1 Sessions are available for $199.

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

Register for a workshop or 1 on 1 session by sending an email to:

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Come join me for an amazing 2-day workshop in Orem, Utah on Tuesday May 17th and Wednesday May 18th, both sessions starting at 8am. It will be a very hands-on instructional 2 days as we spend an entire day shooting followed by a day of editing, business, and motivational skills you need to be a success in the photography industry. You can attend the 2-day workshop for $450 or come to only one of the days for $275!

1 on 1 sessions are also available where you go out with me for 3 hours and get the personal attention you need and can all the questions you ever wanted to ask without the embarrassment of asking them in front of a group of our peers! 1 on 1 Sessions are available for $199.

Photography Internship Program with Jason Lanier Photography

Internship Program! Want to become an intern for Jason Lanier Photography? This is your chance to be able to learn from us and become an excellent photographer. We offer both a 6-month an 1-year internship program. The 6-month program is great for those who are starting out and want to learn more that they can take to start their own careers. The 1-year program is meant for those that want to eventually become a certified Jason Lanier Photographer and shoot for my company for pay! I am opening up 5 slots for interns.

We need: 4 photography related interns and 1 office staff intern

All skill levels are welcome to apply. If interested please send me an email to jason@jlpros.com with the following information:

*Name, current city you live in (must be in Southern California).

*Current level of ability- send me a link to any online images you have up if you have a blog, website, etc. If you don't, just tell me you don't!

*Schedule Flexibility- those who have the most flexibility will be given additional consideration. We really need those available on Saturdays (for the 4 photography slots) and weekdays (for the 1 office slot).

*Picture- I'm a visual person as you know so please attach a small picture of yourself so I can know who I'm talking to when we explore your candidacy for the position.

*Age- 18+ (not because of any adult related material) We need those who are adults simply for liability reasons.

I look forward to your responses.

Thanks!

Jason

Pensacola Photography Workshop- Jason Lanier Photography

Pensacola Workshop- This is a calling to all Pensacola Photographers! Want to learn how to do fun and crazy stuff like this? Then come to my workshop on Saturday April 23, 2011 starting at 10am at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front. Send us an email at INFO@JLPROS.COM. Cost is $100 and can be paid via credit or debit card. Workshop is 2 hours in the classroom and 2 hours on a shoot like this one...what are you waiting for? One-on-One training sessions also available for only $175 where you get to go out with me on a shoot for 3 hours by yourself. I can't wait to see all of you there!!

Southern California Photography Workshop May 14, 2011

Southern California Workshop Announced! My team thinks I'm crazy but I'm announcing a workshop for Southern California for next month on Saturday May 14, 2011! The workshop location will be centrally located in Southern California so it is accessible to as many people as possible.

To register for the workshop please send an email to INFO@JLPROS.COM. Workshop will be 2 hours of classroom instruction followed by 2 hours of on shoot training. Cost is $100. We would love to see you there so please register now!

Pensacola Photography Workshop with Jason Lanier!

PENSACOLA PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP! We will have our Pensacola Photography Workshop on SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2011 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front for all those who would like to come.

To register please send an email to INFO@JLPROS.COM. Registration is $100 per attendee and includes 2 hours of classroom instruction followed by areal shoot with Jason Lanier at an outdoor location. We don't sit around the hotel and do a boring shoot...it is very interactive where I help with everything from camera settings, posing, lighting techniques, and general shooting questions as well. We would love to see you there and spacing is limited so register today!

One on one Photography Training

Chance to shoot and learn alone with Jason Lanier- I've done private tutoring sessions for photographers, enthusiasts, and beginners for quite some time. I was asked if I could do something when I came out to Shreveport, Louisiana on a one-on-one basis and the answer is, "Yes!" I will be doing 3 fashion type shoots where I combine my landscape and fashion photography experience into one shoot to create something amazing. I have 3 spots available for anyone that might want to come along for the shoot, shoot along side with me, ask me any questions they have, and then receive instruction on how to shoot and why. After the shoot we can grab some dinner and review the results together! I'm offering the shoot for only $175 for those who attend my workshop on Saturday, and $275 for those who don't. If interested please send an email to info@jlpros.com. It will be first come-first serve so don't delay!

FREE photography workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana!

FREE photography workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana!! I've had such an amazing time with my photography career that I am always grateful to give back when I can. I am going to be opening up my workshops for FREE so anyone that wants to attend can do so. The first two hours of instruction are for free, we take a short break, and then the second two hours where we go for a model shoot is reserved for those who pay the $100 tuition fee. I have to pay the models so I can't make that portion free. I can tell you that anyone looking to learn will benefit from all portions of this workshop. Those looking to get hands-on training will benefit SIGNIFICANTLY by the 2-hour model shoot. Regardless of the type of photography you shoot (everyone knows I like a few different types myself), the model shoot will benefit anyone looking to learn and improve. I hope to see all of you there!

My Amazing African Safari- Day 2- Johannesburg and more

Having spent the night in Johannesburg I woke up ready to head to the airport to get a GPS and wireless card for internet access for my laptop while out and about in the country. I headed out towards the airport and upon trying to rent my GPS from Thrifty, the Bank of America credit card was BLOCKED again. For those who read the first post you know that this just happened 8 hours earlier when I rented the car. This was the third time in less than 24 hours I had this problem.

So I called B of A and in short the guy apologized but told me the card block wouldn't be released for another 3 hours as they were down for maintenance. This meant I had to wait until noon to rent or buy anything and worse yet I couldn't start on my way to Kruger which is a good 5-6 hours from Johannesburg.

So with no GPS, money, or working card, I decided to spend my 3 hours that I had before the card started working and headed to downtown Johannesburg hoping I could make it back to the airport without incident. There's about a 20 minute drive from the airport to downtown and following the signs got me downtown without too much of a problem. Being that it was the weekend there wasn't much business activity down there but there was a lot of people just having fun.

Let me tell you they drive crazy in South Africa, especially downtown. No regard for street lights, other cars, or other people for that matter. The funniest thing was while driving a taxi driver pulled up to me and said, "Hey man, if you're going to drive here you have to drive like we do. Otherwise you are going to get bounced around like a ball and end up in the gutter." I took his advice and switched to crazy out of America mode and started driving like they do...and it worked, it was actually safer.

It took some advice from some strangers to get back to the airport and after a little difficulty I made it back there. Well, the card was finally working, so I went to the ATM and got cash, and then to the Vodafone store to rent a GPS and wireless card. They couldn't guarantee that the wireless card would work on a Mac, so I had to take the chance that I could get it to work.

After leaving the airport I plugged the directions in for Kruger and set off. The only problem was that the power cord to the GPS would only work if the car wasn't moving. Exasperated beyond belief while sitting at the side of the freeway I just couldn't bring myself to go back to the airport. I decided to just risk it and hope it would work.

At this point I was so far behind schedule I just was hoping to make it close to the entrance gates to Kruger. I took off and was on the toll road towards Kruger which was about 450km away. One of the first things I noticed was all of the people walking on the side of the road (freeway) just hitchhiking. The toll road was pretty smooth and I was trying to make it to Kruger before the gates closed at 6pm.

I headed for the Numbi gate and by the time I got there it was well nearing 7pm. On the roads I was so surprised at how dark they were which was dangerous because so many people are walking on the roads and can be hit. I was also very surprised to see all the roadside fires, and kids just playing in the fires, no adults around or caring. I pulled over to the side of the road and captured some shots of the fires and kids.

In South Africa you are going to be hard pressed to find a gas station that takes a debit or credit card, so it's very important to carry as much cash with you as can. I filled up with gas and found lodging at the Numbi Lodge which was very simple but accommodating. The only bummer was that my Samsonite travel adaptor didn't work in the hotel but I figured that it must be a problem at the hotel. The cost of the hotel was around 500 Rand. The easiest way to figure out the exchange ratio is to assume that the USD cost is 15% of whatever the Rand cost is....so the hotel cost about $55 dollars.

I prepared myself for the next day to finally enter the Park planning to be there at 5:30am when the gates opened. Even though it had been a rough start to the trip I was beyond excited to be able to finally get inside of this amazing place. A dream come true was about to happen..and I couldn't wait!