This past weekend we were hanging out at Gracie Barra Irvine for a special class and I took a few of the family…
Archive for the 'Ramblings' Category
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEEY !!!
Today was special for a couple of reasons:
- Ashleey is able to vote
- She is able to buy lottery tickets and actually WIN the money
- She can enlist in the Military
- She can vote
- She can be tried in the courts as an adult (not a real benefit…)
- She can drive
- She got a car
She looked so excited when everyone piled out of the house to the driveway where she was presented her new classic Cadillac Coupe de Ville. She stood stunned and after hugging her mom, she repeated “This is my car !!” over and over. She was truly surprised, happy and thankful. Enjoy your new ride Ashleey !
And of course I had to snap some of the kids and family
It is not normal that we get such colors here in Orange County, it makes me miss seeing the colors turn in South Carolina and Iowa.
Wow… WOW !… I was so suprised to see this show up in the mail yesterday. It really made me smile and honestly, it made my day. I have a photo that I shot of a couple people competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from a recent tournament that was selected for the cover (THE COVER) of the Gracie Mag. Here are some photos along with a few others that made it to the inside as well.
The cover and cover photo credit:
2-page spread that opens the info about the event:
A Photo of a competitor:
I am pretty stoked about this
Hola!
I am trying to learn some Spanish before I go to Mexico City… oh, you didn’t know about that? Yeah… So this guy I met during the workshop lives in Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City). We had him stay with us for the weekend and I think we bonded. He is trying to pitch me as a shooter for some upcoming weddings! I think the experience would be great, and it would be fun to visit him.
On to more items in the future: I am working on our updated price guide. I am inspired by what Paul Gero does for his and I am trying to use what I learned from his without copying it So that is in the works. I am also trying to scope out a possible software product for photographers workflow management. More to come on that later but I don’t want to spill the beans just yet.
So today I find myself in Chicago… I flew in yesterday, or should I say we flopped in… it was so windy that we were moving down and to the left with every gust. White knuckled like a roller coaster.. scarier but I would go back on the ride again :) Off to Vegas today - nothing fancy just meetings!
Today we did a lot, and we are really seeing our results. We added the dreaded flash to our portraits. At first, I had a hard time but I ended up with some pretty nice frames. I am continuing to work with the 50mm and am loving it. I am going to buy the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L , I used it exclusively yesterday thanks to George for letting me borrow his. I want to shoot only that lens and the 85mm at our next wedding and let JB go nuts with the zooms. After this week using only prime lenses, I am convinced that once I fully master them.
Well, today was the last day of the workshop where we shoot. We spent time working the flash and at times it was a challenge. Here is what I came up with.
Wow… WOW! There are so many awesome things happening at the workshop, it is hard to put it all into words. I looked at yesterday’s selects from everyone and was more blown away today then yesterday. So, on with today’s stuff… We were tasked with going into a chaotic situation and witness unique moments. We were tossed into a room of preschoolers, and man was it fun!
In the afternoon we went to Salt Creek and stayed until the sun was gone. We had some models and Jordan came along too. Here are some shots that HE took! He is getting to know the camera more and more each time he grabs it from me. He was shooting with the 85mm on a Canon 5D body. He shoots portraits, he does landscapes… he even does a self-portrait of his feet!
Here are the ones I took of him:
I am home now after a full day and dinner. Today we were challenged to use only one lens and take portraits of people we just met. I had fun, as did many. We spent the first assignment outside at about 11:30, and given that today was unusually warm we had some pretty hard direct light. Not to worry though, we are all professionals…. what am I say, it was a challenge. In the afternoon, we worked on using back lit, side lit and front lit light. Here is what I selected for my critique:
In addition, I felt like documenting the training, here are some random images from the day: