Exciting Developments!

Hi Everybody!

I wanted to show you the latest issue of South Sound Wedding & Event Magazine since you might see some familiar faces. . .

Here's the issue to look for on newsstands; cover photo which was taken by the incomparable Ms. Heather Gilson of One Love Photo!


I captured this shot on the left of a DARLING little trooper (the bride's neice) at the wedding of Megan & DJ Davis. . .haven't we all felt this way before?!?



And here we have Erin & Brad's Botanical Garden wedding I shot for them last August! But that's not all. . .


Yes, that's a full page ad for Julie Watts Photo! The text reads,

"Ryan and Celeste of Seattle, WA were married August 23, 2008 in Butte, MT. We ran over and took this shot in about 60 seconds as the limo and caravan of family and friends watched on. The crazy time limitations and lack of control in wedding photography will either drive a photographer nuts, or inspire them to no end. As for me? I can't help but be inspired. . ."

Congratulations everyone on being in print!!

The fun doesn't stop there. . . within the next two weeks I'll be unveiling an addition to my website that is going to allow you to see what it's like to be on an actual shoot with me!

Senior--Jenny!

Back in the fall I had the pleasure of shooting Jenny's senior portraits!


Jenny's BF was a client of mine when he had his senior photoshoot last year. . .


Can you guess what I used for Jenny's backdrop in this shot?


This shot above with mom and BF Jesse should give you a big hint of where I found that fantastic black backdrop...

Yep, none other than dad's sweet rig!

I literally shot all around this truck, and there was a photo-op everywhere I looked. You know how babies and pets are totally fascinated by new toys? You can see their gears grinding in their head as they discover all the new possibilities? Me too! I'd never shot a semi-truck before so I was pretty stoked. . .we climbed on the back, did shots in the cab, mirrors, grill, fenders, etc...

We are all at the mercy of the sun and the clouds when you are shooting on location...so patience and a watchful eye are my best assets when it comes to figuring what shots to do when. I especially liked the light filtering through this shot...

I really liked the colors on the porch so why not grab a few shots in a place she's ran up and down a gazillion times?

Awww.....again, the directional backlight was sweet right here!

Jenny you are a total doll! I had fun with you and Jesse and your mom! Tell your dear 'ole dad thanks for letting us use the truck!

*I have had some VERY EXCITING developments to share with you soon so stay tuned! Within the next few days I'll post my cool news!!

Photographing the Moon

As much as I am in love with photographing people,I've always wanted to learn how to take a good shot of the moon. Heavenly bodies like planets don't count as landscape or still life to me...in my weird world planets get their "portrait" taken! The Universe is awesome, gorgeous, and a complete miracle! Little 'ole me down here on Earth has tried to photograph the moon before, but it always just looked like a tiny white fuzzy ball....

So, how DO you get a great Moon shot?


ISO 200, F9, 1/125sec 200mm

The first key is TELEPHOTO! If you are trying this with a point-and-shoot camera, the results probably won't be as good, but if that's all you've got, by all means try it anyway! I'm going to explain how I did it with my new Nikon D700 DSLR and a 70-200mm 2.8 lens. The recommended lens is a 300mm, but as you can see 200mm impressed me enough to want to show people :)

Set your ISO to 200. This goes against instinct, but do it anyway and I'll explain why it works below.

Set your F-stop somewhere in the 6.3-9 range.

Okay. Now either use a tripod or anything you can set the camera on to keep it from shaking. I have to admit that I sat on my front porch at midnight and held the camera up, balancing my elbows on my knees, and didn't breathe. lol But ideally you're not handholding a shot like this.

Experiment with your shutter speed...1/125th 1/100th, 1/80th, etc.

Okay so here's the mind blower: Even though it's nighttime and dark outside, you're not shooting the dark sky...what you're actually shooting is the Moon which is light by DIRECT SUNLIGHT! The Moon is well lit! Isn't that wild?!

So the low ISO allows you to see the craters and cool details and color variance in the surface of the moon, and the high F-stop contributes to that as well. If you had a low aperture (F-stop) like 2.8 or 3.5, the moon would appear to be a solid white ball, as it does in most random snapshots.

Lastly, crop the heck out of the image and use a little Unsharp Mask in Photoshop if you need to crisp it up. I'm really happy with my results, ESPECIALLY because I was winging it, trying to get a good shot without the preferred 300mm and (gasp) not using a tripod.

I'm all amped up to whip out my tripod next time and the other cool trick I want to try is-get this-aiming your camera lens THROUGH a telescope aimed at the moon?!? That doesn't seem like it works but I hear it works GREAT even with whatever telescope you've got. My best friend has a telescope. This is definitely a fun little experiement I'll be returning to in the future, with a tripod AND a telescope for sure, and who knows, maybe with a beefy 300mm someday!

Engaged! Jill & Barry!!

Jill & Barry are getting married this coming February and so I suppose it was fitting that it was a bit chilly during their engagement shoot last fall at the Woodmark Hotel! Okay it wasn't a bit chilly, it was windy and absolutely chilling! lol But guess whose love kept them warm? Here are some favorite shots of this adorable couple:

I'm so pumped for your wedding you guys! Everybody, stay tuned for their wedding in February 2009!!

Wedding! Vanessa & Anthony!!

Happy New Year Everybody! It's been busy around here but I've been itchin' to get back to blogging about a bunch of great shoots!



Let's start off with Vanessa & Anthony's Gig Harbor Wedding from last October!!

The wedding was held at The Inn at Gig Harbor

Hotel weddings are a great way to go. When your guests can relax and stay overnight, it makes things easy peasy for everyone, especially if you've got family traveling from far and wide to be there to support you on your wedding day! Everyone at the Inn was SO accommodating; they even let Vanessa & Anthony park their 4x4 trucks all crazy in the parking lot!! Not to mention ginormous truck tires were rolled into the foyer to be used as pedestal tables for signing guest books and guest...hoods?! Yep! Leave it to this couple to take an age old tradition and make it all cool and manly. I mean, the guest book will be a treasured keepsake, but a truck hood signed by guests, well that gets admired everytime you look at it hung up in the shop (I mean, I don't THINK he's gonna put that hood on his truck and drive it around!!) Check this out:

The Inn...

The Ladies. . .

The gentlemen. . .

Anthony. . .

Flare....loving it. . .

Vanessa. . . gorgeous!

Grabbing a quick moment alone at the Inn. . .

This was their idea...kissing at the bar with guests in line. I love it when couples get excited about the shots they'd like!

Hilarity ensues during a lively round of toasting and storytelling. . . . .

Our time....our song...our love. . .

Vanessa & Anthony's entire wedding slideshow can be viewed if you just give a little click on here!

SNOW, FUN, & CANDY BAR SLEIGHS

We usually don't get snow in my neck of the woods, and if we do, it's a couple of inches that melts the next day...but this year's Western Washington snowfall is indeed extraordinary. . .I had a chance to prepare ahead of time with food and good snowboots, so that feels like quite the accomplishment! I'm more of an "idea" girl but when it comes to survival, I get pretty motivated :)

Do you like the snow?

Do you live in a place where this is rare, or a place that gets pummeled with blizzards and subzero temperatures?

What do you DO when you're cooped up at home?

My son talking. . . .

My daughter sledding.

I don't know what's more endearing, that this is a classic shot of dad and daughter, or that dad's beloved '69 Chevy Pickup is in the background! Okay, I agree, it's dad and daughter, but around our house this truck is buffed and polished and admired. A little surface rust, like a few grey hairs, just adds interest and character. . .


And when it's time to inside and thaw out, I ACTUALLY had a craft ready to go! My mom used to make candybar sleighs, each bar individually wrapped up with candycanes taped to the sides as runners. Normally, the bar on the bottom would be a large Hershey's or Nestles Crunch, but I accidentally ate mine. I thought I had bought plenty. Oops. So I wrapped an Odwalla bar instead! Easy and fun.

As cool as it is to be "snowed in", I can't help but notice that any of my "routines" (if you could call them that) were gone. Everybody's sleeping in. We're eating whatever, whenever. And even though I see the benefits of structure and discipline, this has been a fun departure from the norm. I've read a book by the window with cocoa and got through a couple of chapters before anybody needed me. Ahh, the simple pleasures :)

How about you?

Baby Olivia & The Essence of Squish

Olivia. What a cutie! I grabbed this in between shots. . .I love the documentary feel of it.




And Angela's mom had this AWESOME old freaky chair in the middle of her very contemporary and normal colored home. We balanced Olivia with mom sitting on the floor behind the chair (you can see her arm).

A lot of parents think their babies aren't acting "normal" when being photographed. It usually just takes them some time to warm up. Photographers and their cameras are VERY interesting to small children occasionally and they are just too curious to smile in the beginning. . . .

I've never so well captured the essence of "squish" that make babies so irresistable...

Jeez, did I say something wrong Olivia?! lol

Lil baby buns. . . .

Olivia those BLUE EYES! My Goodness! On her head, if you are wondering, are Olivia's superficial hematomas. They are just on the surface, don't hurt or do anything, and will go away eventually....

Can't wait to get to watch you grow up Olivia!

Olivia is the darling offspring of one of my BBB, (brides before I started blogging), Angela and her husband Josh. Let's revisit their April '07 wedding a moment. . . .

Aw yes. Angela's so vintage-y I loved this one in particular.

This dress was handmade by Angela's mother...GOR-Geous....