If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.Buddhist Proverb
+ Reblog: Laurie & Adam
I believe I blogged some pictures of these 2 already on my old blog, but there are so many other pics everyone hasn’t seen yet, so it’s okay right? Haha. Anyways, I’ve known Laurie since high school, and she is one of the most amazing performers I know. She met Adam while she was out in Australia doing Miss Saigon. What a great beginning to a love story!
Here is a video of Laurie singing one of my favorite jams, Sun and Moon. Laurie, you’re amazing!
Laurie and Adam were already married when we did this shoot, but they were stoked at the idea of getting back into wedding mode and reliving some of the emotions that came with their wedding day. I personally think it’s awesome to do these shoots because you can get so creative with it. Anyone who has been married knows how hard it is to schedule a big gap of time towards the photography. These photoshoots give couples another chance to rock out their wedding attire, and do things out of the box! Everyone knows that I love editorial and fashion, so we all sit and down and storyboard a bunch of fun scenes together. We did street clothes too as you can see to mix it up and to get images of them in their everyday world.
Photo of the Day: The Best Dog Ever!
I was reminiscing through some old photos this morning and came across this portrait I took of my dog lovelie when I was still in high school! Yay for dogs! We miss you and hope you’re having a great time hanging out with mommy in heaven.
If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules.Paul Arden
Photo of the Day: My First Mentor, Dad
He always pushed the arts towards us, and that is something I’ll always remember and be thankful for. My appreciation for music and creativity is rooted in him. Thanks Pa!
Does it Feel Real?
As a photographer, I take portraits. Now we have a job to portray something about our subjects, but through whose eyes? Am I telling a story about this person only through my perceptions, or possibly how the rest of the world sees that person.
Sometimes I feel what often gets lost in translation is the essence of the people that we shoot, and that in the end, the photos just feel forced. I hate it when that happens, but it’s just one of the biggest challenges we face as photographers. Some poses just look like its pretend, and we can see it a mile away.
When I shoot, I always hear it in the back of my head….”Does it feel real?” After seconds of crazy inner dialogue with myself, I make a decision to take it another direction, or even better, decide that I got the shot! Hurrah!
It’s still one of my favorite things to hear after all these years when couples will tell me that the photos I took of them really felt like “them.”
Next time you have your eyes glued to the viewfinder, maybe you can ask yourself the same question and see if it takes your work to another level. Just don’t spend too much time arguing with yourself as your clients are waiting and looking at you like a weirdo. Ha! Let me remind myself that it’s not the easiest thing to do either, but it’s another step in the right direction. Stay positive people!
Finding Your Personal Style
I often see friends and other fellow photographers on their own journey to be the best artists they can be. A lot of times I see frustration, which is a key part of the process because in the end, that builds your character to persevere from all the mental challenges we have with ourselves.
A lot of times I see fellow artists that want to rush through the whole experience and be the best in their field NOW, and that can hold them back too. When people ask me what it takes, I always start with one word: TIME
Finding your creative style is one of the biggest challenges we all go through because it’s constantly evolving. If you’re still in the beginning of your career, what is just as important is learning the technical side first and knowing how your camera works. The more you know your equipment and what it’s capable of doing, the better you’ll be at executing your shots.
What’s next? You get out there! Like everything else in life, the only way to get better at anything is to practice. The more you shoot, the more you’ll start to notice the little things in your work that could make it better. At that point, the journey will always continue. I can’t tell anyone how long it takes to find your personal style. For some people it takes years. For others a much shorter time. The point is to not deny the process. Enjoy the journey and keep shooting!
I’m still on my own path and enjoying every step of it. Keep your head up people and help others who have lost their way!
Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.Henri Cartier-Bresson
