Perkes Photography

NEW BLOG and Mexico Wedding!!!

2011-01-04T18:41:00.009-07:00

**THIS BLOG HAS MOVED**CLICK HERE FOR NEW BLOG

I have been so excited to announce my new blog. I have been working feverishly with Andrew Childress at Shutterhive. He contacted me with some ideas after he saw me on the Jasmine Star/CreativeLIVE event and I told him I wasn't quite ready to create a new blog yet. About 1-2 weeks ago, I emailed Andrew and told him let's get things rolling. He started working on it right away and started the creating process.

Andrew as unbelievable to say the least. First off...I'm a bit picky (understatement). I'm honestly probably not a great graphic design client. I don't know how he put up with me constantly asking for things to be tweaked. He did a phenomenal job. He was able to take my vision and ideas and put them into the works in an incredibly timely manner. He helped me with all the things that I have no idea about, like CSS, and SEO and HTML code and jabberwockies and all those things that are seriously over my head. He made it possible for me to continue to work on Photography while he worked on my blog. My biggest fear before was that it would take me two months to create a new blog that I liked, and that my actual photography business would suffer because of it. Andrew let me focus on photography, and did all the things that would have taken me months to do (and I still wouldn't have got it all right).

So after countless emails, and chats, and screen shots, here we are. I hope you love my blog as much as I do. Have a look around. I've uploaded all of 2010's posts from my blogspot blog. Feel free to drop me a comment or message. I would love to hear from you!

As of now, this will be the LAST post on this blog (I'll still leave this old blog up), so without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the new blog of Nate Perkes Photography (click here). (and MEXICO WEDDING)

**PS...As if you can't tell, I have been so SO happy with Andrew Childress. He is currently accepting web design on a first come first serve basis. You can contact him directly at andrew@shutterhive.com

Life Thru the Macro: Traditions...

2011-01-03T09:08:00.005-07:00

The sweet man that married Nate and I gave us quite a wonderful list of marital advice; I wished that we could have written everything down. One thing in particular has stuck in my mind: he told us that now is the time for us to start writing our own "books"... with our own traditions, memories, mistakes, travels, friends, etc.

I thought that this was fantastic advice and Nate and I have had a blast making up our own traditions [pina coladas with Thanksgiving Dinner] and combining our favorite traditions from each of our families. One that has stuck, coming from Nate's side of the family, is to have what they call, the 'Jerusalem Dinner' Christmas Eve. Since Nate and I were in Mexico on Christmas Eve, we had our Jerusalem Dinner right when we got home. It consists of foods that we assume would have been eaten by those in the Middle East during Christ's life. Our favorite items include: Naan bread [or Pita], crackers with assorted cheeses [Havarti, Gouda, Goat], Humus, Olives, Tapinade, Dried Fruits, Figs, Dates, Nuts [Cashews, Pistachios, Almonds] and Grape Juice.

This is one of Nate's favorite meals of the year. It really helps us remember the meaning of Christmas. I LOVE traditions in general... they seem to help us define our family culture and bind us together in beliefs, customs and memories.

Dan+Tracy: New Hampshire Wedding

2010-12-28T17:41:00.004-07:00

A few months ago, my Mom, Jen Perkes called and asked if I wanted to be her assistant and second shoot a wedding with her in New Hampshire. I had never shot backup before and thought this could be a really great opportunity. Be sure to check out Jen's post of Dan and Tracy's wedding on her blog, as well as her website.

Dan and Tracy are one of those couples that you immediately take a liking to. Individually and as a couple. As soon as I met them for the first time the morning of the wedding, I knew it was going to be a wonderful day and that Dan and Tracy are some amazing people.

Dan and Tracy got ready a few blocks apart, both of which were very close to the church.

After the beautiful ceremony, they took the 1955 Bentley to a nearby park for a few pictures before heading to the Wentworth in New Castle for the reception.

The music that night was some of the best I've ever heard at a wedding, and it really set the stage for a wonderful evening full of dancing.

Jen and I stole Tracy away from the reception for a few minutes for some shots along this beautiful staircase. I'm so happy Tracy let us steal her away for a second!

Many thanks to Jen Perkes for allowing me to come and be her assistant and also to Dan and Tracy, one of the happiest, most perfect for each other couples I've ever had the privilege of meeting.

Life Thru the Macro: Home Sweet Home...

2010-12-27T11:42:00.004-07:00

As displayed above, Nate and I took this trip to Mexico FULL THROTTLE. Nate is shown in one of his classic photo 'poses' on the streets of Old Puerto Vallarta on one of our exploits of the city. It was vintage... it was classy... It was full of smells, sights, sounds ALL unique to this tiny corner of Mexico. We LOVED this little city. Both Nate and I are preparing to give a FULL accounting [both photographic and otherwise] of our holiday. So, stay tuned for more!

There is one thing to say about travelling, however: No matter where you have been or what you have experienced, coming home is oh, so SWEET.

Greetings from Guadalajara!

2010-12-22T10:33:00.002-07:00

It's been an amazing last few days. Luisa and I are in Guadalajara for a wedding shoot which was yesterday and it was amazing! Everyone has been so unbelievably generous. Today we're just relaxing a little bit, and then taking the trip out to Puerto Vallarta which we're very excited about. The night we got in (we're staying in downtown, or El Centro) we took a walk around the city. It was so beautiful and fun and full of life. We ate at this little restaurant called La Chata that was incredible. We've had such an amazing time so far.

Yesterday, after breakfast, I told Luisa I wanted to test some light in front of this really cool church cathedral connected to our hotel.

I loved the light and texture so much that I brought Dorys back to this door in her wedding gown right before we left for the church. Can't wait to share the images!

Have a great Wednesday!

Life Thru the Macro: Viva Mexico y Feliz Navidad!!

2010-12-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

As I speak, Nate and I are en route to spending our first Christmas together out of the country. It won't be the first time for either of us, but it is always strange to spend Christmas in a hot tropical paradise when we are both used to the WHITE of snow with carolers, hot apple cider and warm fleece pajamas. Instead we are trading all of that for the beach, sunshine, virgin pina coladas and the chance to shoot a gorgeous couple in love. Nate posted the engagement shoot of Dominic & Dorys a couple weeks ago, and it is for their wedding that we are heading to Guadalajara and then on to Puerto Vallarta. Normally, I am a very adept traveler but I'm a little nervous how this prego belly is going to affect my naps on the plane or our adventures when we get to our destination.

We will let you know!!

In the airport!

Brett+Julie: Seattle Engagement

2010-12-17T11:50:00.011-07:00

The first time I met Julie, we met downtown with her sister to discuss wedding photography for Brett and Julie's wedding next July. She brought along a few photo books that she and Brett had made, which I loved! The first things I noticed about Julie and Brett were that they loved to travel as much as possible together, that they are very much in love, and they have these cat-like jumping abilities!

Brett and Julie flew me out to Seattle where they live, work, school and play to photograph their engagement session. I've never met anyone that loved where they live as much as they do. They know Seattle, they know the history, the little hole in the wall restaurants, the best little shops, the greatest parts of town, the best views, the beautiful parks; they KNOW and LOVE their city, which made it so fun for me. I got to learn so much about Seattle and they even took me up the "Sneedle" to get a gorgeous view of the city.

Brett and Julie picked all the locations, many of which you might recognize if you've ever been to Seattle. They did a phenomenal job, if I may say so myself.

Our last location that they picked had the most beautiful view of the city. Well done!

Brett and Julie, you were both absolutely amazing. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for one of the funnest engagement shoots I've ever had, and for treating me to the best tour of Seattle. Can't wait for July!

Seattle Engagement Preview

2010-12-15T12:15:00.005-07:00

Last Friday, an amazing couple flew me out to Seattle to shoot their engagements. I flew to Seattle in the morning, did the shoot and was able to spend some awesome extra time with them, and then flew home that same night. It was wonderful! I'm excited to blog their full shoot (this Friday). So for now, as I'm culling and editing, I just wanted to give you a sneak peak.

Lots more to come.

Also, if you get a sec, check out these amazing photographers. I love looking at other photographers work, and being inspired by them. Always learning. So if you love photography, check out:

Ben Chrisman (unbelievable style. The first time I went to his site, I couldn't leave it. He has some images that blow me away. VERY journalistic style of shooting), Stacy Reeves (I LOVE her warm tones. If I had to pick someone today to shoot my wedding and money was no object, it would be a VERY hard choice, but Stacy would be near or at the top), and Susan Stripling (gorgeous tones as well. Very different than the others, has a beautiful unique style. I love the way she uses light! Seriously talented woman).

That's all folks! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Life Thru the Macro: Aroma Obsession...

2010-12-13T12:51:00.008-07:00

Nate could LIVE off the smell of coffee alone, which is completely odd since he doesn't even drink it. Featured here, we have Nate visiting Seattle to do a phenomenal engagement shoot [images to be revealed soon], and at the top of the Space Needle, he got this picture taken. It made me smile. He LOVES the smell of coffee, to the point that he even got a coffee scented body wash in Costa Rica once. When we go to the grocery store, he finds excuses to walk by that aisle more than once, deeply savoring every single whaff of the aroma. He even likes to stop in perfume shops and pretend to be shopping, but with the underlying intention of smelling their bowl of coffee beans, which they provide to clear the palate and sinuses.

When I saw this picture, I was surprised to see him "drinking" from the Starbucks cup, and not with his entire head below the lid and "inhaling" deeply.

Life Thru the Macro: BSU Broncos...

2010-12-06T07:00:00.004-07:00

Anyone who considers themselves even moderate followers of sports knows what went down a couple weeks ago with the game between the Boise State Bronco's and the University of Nevada. Even I, being the least devoted 'sports enthusiast' imaginable, felt the blow that night. Nate was in shock... speechless. After a 23 game winning streak, we lost the game in overtime by a missed field goal.

Despite the dark and depressing atmosphere, I was SO proud to hear from THE most invested and devoted BSU fanatic, these words: "We can't win 'em all... but we'll get 'em next year." When I began this 'column' I said that I would give you an insight into our lives, and BSU football has definitely become a VERY integral part of Nate's life.... he has even considered 'Bronco' as a baby name. But when talking about LIFE, our lives specifically, I found that idiom most appropriate:

"We can't win 'em all... but we'll get 'em next year."

50mm vs 200mm

2010-12-03T12:35:00.005-07:00

(In New Hampshire right now. This blog post was supposed to go up yesterday while on my flight form Boise to NH, but due to the worst flight I've ever had (more on this tomorrow...all my own fault), I was literally unable to post. Check back tomorrow for the story and photo of the week.)

I have been prepping and wanting to do this blog post for a very long time. When I first started my journey in photography, I tried to find a side by side comparison of shots taken with a 50mm next to shots of the same subject in the same composition taken with the 70-200 at or near 200mm. Problem was, I couldn't find any. So I set out to create my own, and to discover what happened when I shot a picture at 200mm as opposed to 50mm, or vice versa.

Big important note. This is Photography according to Nate. The difference between these two lenses is a total matter of opinion. I know TONS of photographers that the 50mm is their favorite lens. And there are TONS of photographers that wont hardly shoot a bride at less than 85mm, and even prefer to shoot them at 200mm. Here's the thing. It's all up t0 you and your style. Totally fine either way. My goal is to lay out the difference so people can see for themselves. To help people to know when to use a specific lens to get a specific look. The biggest thing I've learned from this: (according to me) No single lens can do it all, and get every different look. There are times when I love and crave the look I get from my 50mm. Then there are times when I love the look I get in a particular scenario from my 70-200mm.

But enough jibber-jabber, lets get down to the images. Some of them are far more obvious as to which shot was taken with what. Some are more subtle. Also note that ALL shots were taken at the same angle. I would take a picture with the 50mm, then put on my 70-200, and just back up to get the same composition.

First example from James and Shannon's Wedding:

50mm on the left, 70-200 on the right (at 200mm). First thing I notice with a longer focal length. It does amazing things to the background. It somehow magnifies the background and blows everything up, making the subject really pop and separate from the background. The 50mm on the other hand is obviously wider, and doesn't expand the background like the 200mm does. It also makes the subject more 3 demension, whereas at 200mm there is less depth to the subject, even though they pop off the background more. Which one do I like more? Here...probably the 200mm. But it's totally personal preference.

Second example from Larry and Katie's Engagement Session:

50mm:

200mm:

Here I probably prefer the 50. I like that it captures the alleyway and the light coming through. The 200 makes the background so big that you lose that sense of the alleyway. Again, these were taken at almost the exact same angle, just one further back from the other. notice again that the 50mm seams a bit more 3 dimensional, like there is some depth to the image.

Example three is what really blew me away. I was shooting Larry and Katie at 200mm and was loving what I was getting, but wanted to try my 50mm. Here's my shot at 200mm:

I pulled up close, with the same angle and composition and shot this with my 50mm (Larry and Katie did not move any further or closer to the tunnel):

Here, I prefer my 200mm. I love how it expands the background and creates this really dramatic backdrop. Notice how much bigger the tunnel is with the 200mm than with the 50mm. I feel like there is too much going on with the 50mm. Too distracting. They're both fun for their own reason, but I prefer the 200mm.

Fourth example is from Jeff and Blu's shoot:

50mm:

200mm:

Look at the size of the trees in the background, specifically the one right behind Jeff's head. Look at how the 200mm just magnifies the trees and creates this gorgeous background. LOVE it!

The next four example are all similar. The 50mm is always first (or on the left), followed by the 200mm.

Here are two example from the Wells Family Photo shoot:

I LOVE what the 200mm does to trees in the background. Look at how much bigger it makes them seem than with the 50mm.

Again, the 200mm on the right makes the trees so much bigger and dramatic.

Last example from my most recent shoot with Jaymie and her family:

50mm:

200mm:

I just love how the 200mm separates the subject from the background.

And there you have it! I feel like I could write enough to fill a book about this subject, so I'll try to refrain from doing so here on the blog. I have LOVED studying this. Luisa and I have a very fun game (at least I think so. I don't think she's as fond of it as I am). But I'll show her a picture and say, "50 or 200?". She's amazes me as she gets it right 99% of the time, so it's been fun to learn this together.

So here's the thing. I learned photography on a 50mm and became even obsessive over my 50mm. It took me a while to warm up to my 70-200mm, but now that I have I LOVE it too. I honestly couldn't pick a favorite. They both achieve a very different look at different times. I've been unfair to my 50mm in this post, making it seem like the 200mm wins every time hands down. Not so. There are so many pictures that I would only take with my 50mm, because I know it would out perform my 200mm in the situation. Anytime I want VERY shallow depth of field close up to the face, I put on my 50mm at 1.4. The important thing is to know when to use each lens (and this is only TWO lenses. I haven't even talked about wide angle, which I also love. Maybe the 85mm 1.4 is the magic sweet spot between the two lenses).

I have also learned a lot about bokeh. It seems everyone always talks about how bokeh is affected by your aperture. The lower the f/stop the shallower your depth of field. True. But it's only 1/3 of the equation. (Blog post on this in the future) But your depth of field is determined by a combination of your f/stop, your distance to the subject, and your focal length.

Anywho...this is turning into a book. Somebody stop me now! I hope you enjoyed. I'm going to finish with this last image:

And my question is, what lens do YOU think I took this with, nifty fifty, or 70-200? I would also love to hear what people's favorite lenses are. Have a great evening!

Black Friday Shoot

2010-12-01T17:17:00.003-07:00

Jaymie contacted me a few months ago asking me if I would do a family shoot on Black Friday. Of course! She lives in Alaska, and was coming to town for Thanksgiving to be with her two twin daughters, and her sister and niece. And of course Rosie the dog came along too.

Being with the five wonderful women was an absolute delight. This was the first time in 12 years that all of them had been together at the same time, and it was such a pleasure to capture their fun reunion.

Despite the crazy cold weather, we got a little tiny bit of sun for a few minutes. Wahoo!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Before and After #2

2010-11-30T09:24:00.003-07:00

Hi there! So yes, I was a bit neglectful of the blog last week. But hey, it was Thanksgiving. And it was AMAZING! I don't know if I've ever had a better Thanksgiving. Luisa and I even did some Black Friday shopping. We weren't those crazy people that got up at 4am to get in line. No thanks. We left the house around 1, and enjoyed the much shorter lines, less traffic, and surprisingly ALL the same deals! We loved it. I hope yours was wonderful as well.

But to make up for last week, I'm going to blog every day this week. There. I said it. Now I'm committed. But I have some really fun blog posts ready that I'm excited to share.

SO! To kick it off, I thought I would do another before and after post. If you missed the last one you can see it here. I've been experimenting with Totally Rad Actions for photoshop. They had a killer deal last black friday and my only regret is that I didn't buy both of their packs.

My first image is pretty subtle, but the next too are more drastic that anything I've ever posted. So without further ado...

SOOC (Straight out of camera) image:

Edited Image:

Quick note: All of these image were edited first in Aperture, and then in Photoshop with the TRA demo actions (I edited this shoot before I had bought the action pack). You can get these free right here! So with this image, you'll notice I burned the edges a bit, warmed up the skin tones with the Action Troy at 20%, and that's about it. Not too much going on here.

SOOC on left. Final edit on right:

Recipe:

Duplicated Layer in Photoshop, set blending mode to Multiply, and then with a mask, painted in the vignette and darkened corners.

Added a contrast layer, and also painted in the edges with layer mask.

TRA action Troy at 29%

Pioneer Woman Action (Both packs are free) "Seventies" at 10%

SOOC on left. Final edit on right:

Recipe:

Duplicated layer, set blending mode to Multiply and then paint in the burnt edges.

Troy at 23%

Seventies at 20%

And there you have it. Notice, I only used two actions, and also that in the future I'll probably back it down a little. I always notice that when I learn a new editing technique, I use it too much, and I need to back down the effect about half. But I'd love to hear your take on them. Have an amazing Tuesday and we'll see you tomorrow!

Life Thru the Macro: Beaters Made for Lickin'...

2010-11-29T09:15:00.004-07:00

My family has a tradition to go around the Thanksgiving Dinner table and say the things that we are most grateful for. MANY have accused that tradition of being 'tacky' and I must admit that in my youth I did my fair share of griping and groaning. But nonetheless, I am proud to say that due to the small amount of maturity that I have gained since leaving my parents home, I can now see the wisdom in my Mom's insistence of this tradition. As such, Nate and I wanted to share a few of the things that enrich our lives and for which we are truely grateful.

We are grateful for the unwavering support of our families.

We are grateful for a world SO BEAUTIFUL it is worth exploring.

We are grateful for modern technology and that it allows us to connect with YOU.

We are grateful for the world and culture of Photography- how it enriches our lives, provides for our family and that it lifts, challenges, intrigues and inspires Nate.

We are grateful for our little one... that he's healthy so far, that his heart is beating strong and that we love him so much already.

We are grateful for the free country in which we live that allows us the pursuit of our dreams and passions... that allows us the freedom of our faith.

We are grateful for the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and His mindfulness of every aspect of our lives.

We are grateful for the healthy bodies that both Nate and I take for granted, but that allow us to swim, ski, run, hug, work and dance.

We are grateful for the small things in life that awe us and make us smile: a warm breeze, a sunset, chocolate covered cherries, freshly fallen snow, dancing, laughter and music.

We are ETERNALLY grateful for each other; that we can be unconditionally loving as we witness each others lives.

And finally, we are grateful for beaters that are made for lickin'... that after cooking for hours and hours on Thanksgiving Day, that we could sit back and watch the enjoyment of our little niece Julia as she found delight in the 'sweetness' of life.

Life Thru the Macro: Photographing the Photographer...

2010-11-22T11:00:00.002-07:00

... is MUCH harder than you might think. Nate's Mom can firmly attest to the fact that she has been driven to tears on an occassion or two when trying to photograph her handsome, though VERY uncooperative sons. This is what I get when I attempt to photograph my handsome, though uncooperative husband:

Hopefully our son will not adopt his Daddy's antics with the camera! ; ) Shout out to Victoria de Martigny who inspired me to write this post... thanks for letting me steal YOUR idea!!

Dominic+Dorys Engagement Session

2010-11-19T09:48:00.009-07:00

Yes, I know today is Friday which means I'm supposed to post a photo of the week. But I had the greatest engagement session recently, and quite honestly, I can't wait till next week to post it.

So...first off, I love photographing people in love. For one, they're happy and it truly shows and that makes ALL the difference in the pictures. Actually it makes my job pretty easy. I just need to capture the love and happiness that's already there. Dominic and Dorys are very much like this. They're in love. They're happy. They photograph really well, because nothing is forced. All I have to do is let them be them...happy and in love. (Plus they're extra amazing because they're bringing me to Mexico to shoot their wedding in December. Seriously? Can't wait!)

You might recognize this first photo's location from my Photo of the Week blog post two weeks ago.

After being downtown, we headed up to the foothills, one of my favorite places to shoot.

I'll end with one of the last pictures we took that day. We had photographed well past the just before sunset light, and we could start to see the lights of Boise come on. As we were walking back to the cars, Dominic had the great suggestion to get the lights in the background. The lighting was still beautiful so we snapped a few right there on the road. Awesome suggestion Dominic! You guys are awesome!

Aruba Adventures

2010-11-17T13:42:00.003-07:00

I feel like I'm a pretty lucky guy. I get to do what I love (capture images), with the person I love (Luisa of course!), in really cool places that I love (New England, the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, West Coast etc.). I feel blessed. Life is good. I've been lucky enough to be able to have Luisa join me on most of my photo adventures, and I have to say traveling with her is a blast. Here's a little video we made of our last trip to Aruba to shoot a wedding (which can be seen here). So what if our travel plans weren't supurb: drive to SLC (5 hours), red eye to Georgia, early morning flight to Aruba. Coming back it was a late night flight to my personal favorite airport EVER (kidding) JFK...spend the night in New York, really early morning flight to SLC. Drive the 5 hours back to home sweet home in Boise. But we had an amazing time. Like, an unbelievable time. So we made a little video to showcase the trip. Hope you enjoy!

I think the words to the song say it perfectly. "Home is wherever I'm with you".

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Life Thru the Macro: Things NOT To Say about Your Pregnant Wife...

2010-11-15T12:55:00.006-07:00

"It's the craziest thing... but I swear EVERY single day now, she's just getting bigger and bigger."

We ALL had a good laugh at that one, especially me, because it's SO TRUE. Aside from that one verbal slip-up, Nate has been taking care of me fantastically. Last night he tucked me into bed with EVERY single pillow we own and gave me a foot rub. He even tried to brush my teeth for me [not recommended: I was laughing so hard we got toothpaste everywhere]. This little boy inside sure is lucky, if Nate is HALF the father to our kids as he is a husband to me.

*P.S. Nate JUST said this and we both laughed so hard that I had to add it: "No, no I was just kidding. Don't pick it up for me. That'd be like asking Goliath to touch his toes." ; )

Photo of the week: SURFING!

2010-11-12T14:07:00.004-07:00

I returned yesterday from meeting a client in Laguna Niguel, California. It was 35 and raining when I left Boise. California was 75 and GORGEOUS! It was so nice to visit, even though it was a short visit. I met with the client at the Ritz Carlton at Dana Point, and took some time before my flight yesterday to snap some shots of the surfers. Totally wish I had brought my swim-suit, Who goes to southern California without a swim-suit? Me. (I've only surfed twice, so I'm pretty much awful at it, but it looked like SO much fun). So here's this weeks photo of the week:

Jeff, Blu and Anna

2010-11-09T17:11:00.010-07:00

Meet Jeff, his wife Blu, and their adorable daughter Anna. Luisa and I have been friends with Jeff and Blu since we moved to Idaho, and I was excited at the opportunity to take their family pictures. I actually did a shoot of Anna last year, that you can see here on the blog...seems like FOREVER ago. It took Anna about, lets see...3 seconds to warm up to the camera.

Anna was such a natural in front of the camera. Here, Blu and I were telling her to open her eyes by saying, "Big eyes". She was awesome at opening her eyes, along with her mouth.

I LOVE this time of year in Boise. Gorgeous lighting, beautiful colors, great location and awesome family. Life is good!

So Anna is three, as you can see here, and can make about every expression in the book. She put my camera to the test as she'd literally second after second pull a new expression at the camera.

Here's just a FEW example of those expressions. Like, "What are you talking about?" or "Cool...whatever!" It was honestly hilarious and I had to do everything I could to stop from laughing as she pulled expression one after another.

And of course, we had to throw some leaves.

Hope you all enjoyed! Have a great day!

Life Thru the Macro: Insights into Our Kitchen...

2010-11-07T14:46:00.003-07:00

Aside from photography, Nate's other passion in life is food [except when he's alone]. To his tastebuds, EVERYTHING is "the most delicious thing" he has ever tasted. No matter if he burns his tongue on the first bite, he can't slow down enough to avoid burning himself on the second. Despite Nate's enthusiasm for my cooking, at times I've been tempted to take offense when he plainly states: "This isn't quite as good as my Mom's", but I know that with most 'Perkes Family' recipes, I'll never quite live up to that standard. I've accepted that fact, however, so: sorry Nate, but no matter what I do to them, I think my chicken enchiladas will forever be 'soggy'.

There is a particular recipe, however, that I have enjoyed attempting to 'perfect', although perfection is still just out of my reach. This is Nate's favorite cake in the world: The Ring of Coconut Chocolate Bundt Cake. I thought I might give you all an insight into our kitchen and every single one of Nate's birthdays:

He likes it so much, I can't even keep him out of the batter.

Here's to crispier enchiladas and many more 'rings of coconut' in the future!! You can find the recipe here.

Friday's Photo of the Week

2010-11-05T12:06:00.004-07:00

I'm starting a new little tradition here on the blog. Friday = Photo of the Week. Not necessarily the BEST or even my favorite photo from that week. Just one I feel like sharing to finish off the week. It's pretty simple. Two main rules:

1. It can only one photo.

2. It has to be a shot from that week.

I hope to learn and push myself from this. I absolutely love taking photos of people. Like no other. I LOVE shooting weddings and capturing raw emotion. I love looking down at my LCD screen and finding something that I love, some expression, light, or life that tells a story.

But sometimes I forget to just do. Just take pictures of things, places for no apparent reason other than to capture what I see. To express, to give, to create. To share for the sake of sharing.

So here's this weeks photo of the week. No people, but quite simply...a wall.

I even tried to think of what this photo "means" to me, and what it's saying. Truth is, I got nothin'...it's just a photo I really like, and wanted to share, and inspired me to start this new Photo of the Week tradition.

So hope you liked it! Enjoy your Friday, have a fun filled weekend, cheer for Boise State tomorrow, and we'll see you next week. : )

Faruk+Nicole: Aruba Destination Wedding

2010-11-03T12:43:00.010-07:00

I first met Nicole and Faruk on a shoot for Nicole's company in Costa Rica. Nicole had received a very amazing award in the company, and she, along with a few others, were treated to an amazing vacation in Costa Rica. I brought my wife with on the assignment and she and Nicole immediately became great friends. On the flight down, 30,000 feet in the air, Faruk proposed to Nicole over the intercom, and while in Costa Rica, I offered to shoot their engagements, which can be seen here.

I could not have been more happy and honored to photograph Nicole and Faruk's wedding in Aruba. It was a very small group, just close friends and family, which made it such a beautiful, personal and intimate wedding.

Luisa was with Nicole and her maid of honor, Jill.

While I was with Faruk and his guests.

The day was absolutely gorgeous, and being on the beach was simply wonderful. Here is Faruk with his Dad waiting for Nicole.

The lighting was absolutely amazing!

I'm so glad Luisa grabbed this shot of the entire ceremony.

After the ceremony, Nicole and Faruk went around and hugging and thanking all their dear friends and family. It was beautiful!

And of course, I snagged them away after for a few minutes to get some of these shots as the sun was setting.

I'll end with this picture of Nicole dancing with her Dad, who is quite the dancer I might add.

Nicole and Faruk, thank you so much for bringing Luisa and me to Aruba to photograph your wedding. You guys are such amazing people and friends and will make the most amazing husband and wife.

James+Shannon Slideshow

2010-11-02T13:11:00.002-07:00

Hey gang, just real quick I wanted to post James and Shannon's wedding slideshow. There's a link at the end (or if you pause it) that takes you to their wedding website that I created for them (more on that in future blog posts), so check it out. Anyways, hope you enjoy and have a great Tuesday!

Also, check back tomorrow for the Aruba wedding here on the blog!

Life Thru the Macro: All a Matter of Opinion...

2010-11-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

Sexy picture, I think, although I MOST definitely have a biased opinion. Some people LOVE that lumberjack, rugged look, and sometimes I do. Nate says it makes him feel more sophisticated. Personally, when I give him a kiss on the cheek, I prefer to ACTUALLY kiss his cheek as opposed to the prickly pear that his cheek becomes when he hasn't shaved in a few days. But, heck, it's all a matter of opinion.

Nate recently received a brutally critical comment from an observer that, in summary, accused Nate of 'being transparent'... among many other things. While taking MUCH more offense than Nate did to such an abrasive accusation, I later thought: 'That guy is absolutely correct.' Nate DOES wear his heart on his sleeve and he has nothing to hide. He IS transparent, thank goodness, because like ANY woman, I might be a bit more "cryptic" than I intend to be. With Nate, what you see is what you get, and what you get is enthusiasm, life, energy, laughter, ingenuity...

Whether "being transparent" is actually a criticism or a compliment, I don't know, but I think it's all just a matter of opinion.

Wells Family

2010-10-26T13:04:00.004-07:00

Luisa and I recently returned home from photographing a wedding in Aruba, and while travel is nice, and Aruba was MORE than wonderful, it is so great to come home. I love where I live, and I love the fall. The leaves for the past few weeks have been a gorgeous blend of colors. Right before leaving for Aruba, I had the chance to photograph this awesome family at Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise. Luisa and I have become really great friends with the Wells, and I can say that they are one amazing family.

Thanks so much Wells Family. You are all absolutely wonderful and have the most amazing and cutest family!

Life Thru the Macro: The Wind and the 'BAM'...

2010-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

My first introduction to using a 'reflector' was on our engagement shoot 3 years ago with Nate's Mom who ALSO happens to be an amazing photographer. It was a cold and cloudy day in February and we were on the beach in NH. In our family, this so-called 'reflector' had been christened with the name 'BAM' because of how it POPS wide open every time you take it out of its case. Nate's Dad was acting as 'assistant' that day and had us ROLLING with laughter at his antics with 'the bam', making it nearly impossible to get a good picture of us since we were cackling and guffawing so unabashedly, as featured here:

This past week, Nate and I spent some time in Aruba photographing the wedding of our dear friends, Nicole and Faruk. I found the situations similar [on the beach, windy, cloudy with tricky lighting] and yet reversed since THIS TIME I was the one with 'the BAM'. We were under a ridiculous time crunch, racing the sun before it set and so Nate was having me use the diffusor to get some images with the flash. Let me remind you, we were on the beach, and the wind was totally taking advantage of me as I tried to maneuver the flash and my 'sail' [a.k.a. the BAM]. Nate kept having to remind me to 'reposition', and 'hold my arms higher... and higher' and 'hold it steady' and 'keep the flash straight', and EVEN 'let's try pointing it at the couple'. My realization is that I need to work out my triceps.... and biceps... and shoulders... and probably my forearms as well. Perhaps I simply need to practice my ENTIRE Statue of Liberty pose; that should get me conditioned for the next 'windy' event.

*Stay tuned: Nate will be posting the rest of his amazing images about this amazing couple and location very soon. After viewing his post, you just might find yourself singing: "Aruba, Jamaica... oooohhh, I want to take ya!"

Larry+Katie Engagement Session

2010-10-19T08:54:00.003-07:00

I know it's been said many times before, but I truly love what I do. For three main reasons: First, taking pictures is just fun and amazing, and hard and challenging, and rewarding, and crazy exciting. I love it! Second, people trust me to document some of the most important events in their life, and I'm truly honored to do so. MANY times during a wedding, I'll look down at my camera at the images that I'm getting, and it'll hit me how important it is what I'm doing and how important these images are to the bride and groom. Maybe I'm not putting out fires, or performing an emergency surgery to save someones life, but I get to document love. To record it through my eyes. To tell a story...THEIR story. And to me, that's pretty dang important, as it is to my clients. And third: I get to learn everyday how to love and live better through the couples that I photograph. I love being granted an intimate window seat to a couple's love story and romance. And in capturing that, I learn...and love even more.

Larry and Katie are why I love what I do; their love, their laugh. I loved this shoot. They love each other so much. They're happy. Like really really happy together, and I love that.

I love how much they laugh together, and how easily Larry can make Katie laugh. We laughed A LOT!

And of course my blasted left eye. I'm right eyed. But for some odd reason I leave my left eye open when I'm shooting. My brain just kinda tunes it out, so I literally only see through my right eye. Minor problem...my other eye is left basically staring down whoever I'm shooting. No joke. It's bad! Lucky for me, Larry and Katie found it more humorous than deranged.

LOVE this shot. You two are AWESOME!

Larry and Katie, thanks for laughing and loving like you do. I love it! You guys rock! Thanks for letting me capture your love through my eyes.

Life Thru the Macro: Dream Together...

2010-10-18T07:00:00.001-07:00

In the depths of delectability, half way through my tub of 'Imagine Whirled Peace' Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, I found this:

Nate was sleeping at the moment [yes, that might have been a pregnant woman's confession to sneaking midnight delicacies], so as opposed to sharing that moment with him, I shared it with his D3S.

One of Nate's GREATEST talents in life is that... he dreams, and when he does, he dreams BIG and so enthusiastically that you can't help but dream WITH him.

So far, our life is greater than we could have ever dreamed or fabricated collectively OR individually. Who would have thought that such a realization would come in the form of 504 calories? Bliss is pricey, but that is what I experienced that night in that particular tub of "Whirled Peace".

Before&After

2010-10-15T10:58:00.008-07:00

For some reason, I always love seeing how other photographers edit their photos. What their image looks like straight out of the camera, and how they get to the final product. Today, I'd like to share a few of my own, and my editing process and very basic workflow. But first...a few notes:

First. I believe in editing evolution. Meaning, oh wow, my editing style/abilities have changed. Well, not changed, but evolved and grown and refined. Just as much as my shooting style and ability has done the same. I'll go back and look at edited photos of when I first started out, and it'll make me chuckle. The end goal? For me? One, not to be dated. Two, to be myself. Three, to shoot more and edit less. The more and more I shoot, the better I become. The better I get, the less editing I do and the more I realize I want my images to look natural, with still a polished and finished look.

Second. I use Aperture 3. So many photographers might think I'm totally bogus for using it, and not Lightroom 3. Fact is, I LOVE Aperture 3. And it works really well for my editing style and workflow. I have used Lightroom 3, and like it, but Aperture and I just kinda mold better together. Also, I rarely open up a photo in actual Photoshop. Aperture can do just about everything that I personally need, much like Lightroom can. As of right now, I don't use any actions, although I've got my eyes set on some Totally Rad Actions that I've heard great things about.

Enough talk...let's get to the pictures. Some of my photos I do VERY little editing to. They just seemed to look great right out of the box. Some I do a lot more editing to. So I'll try to showcase different scenarios.

First Image SOOC (straight out of camera).

After editing:

In this photo I used my very favorite tool (actually, I pretty much do this to all photos). It uses levels and your histogram. If you don't know how to read a histogram, let me know and one day I'll do a post about that. But here's a screenshot of the levels on this image:

I bump up the blacks, and the whites depending on the histogram. I basically take the little black slider and slide it just about to where the "hill" of the histogram starts. And then I do the same to the whites (see picture above). I find this adds a really nice amout of contrast, and makes the blacks black, and the whites white. This works wonders on just flat grayish images...ESPECIALLY black and whites. Love it.

Second image SOOC:

Edited:

I did a bit more with this one. But I started with the same technique above with levels. Bumped up blacks and white. Then decreased the exposure a bit, dodged (brighten) a bit of her face to make her stand out more, and burned (darken) a bit of the pavement because I found the bright spot distracting.

Third image SOOC:

Edited:

Again, I did a bit more with this one. And again, levels adjustment (side note: because I shoot portraits almost always wide open at 1.4, it gives my images a slight vignette that I really like. When I bump up the blacks and whites in Levels, this increases the contrast, which in turn gives a stronger vignette. I rarely add an actual vignette to the actual images, unless I'm not shooting at 1.4). I also bumped up the Luminance in the Reds...a VERY cool trick I learned from Gray Photography. They explain it WAY better than I could, so check out their blog post here on luminance. Very cool stuff. Don't overdue it though!

Last image SOOC:

Edited:

Not too much done with this image. I had great lighting, a gorgeous couple and a beautiful location. I upped the blacks in levels increasing the contrast a bit, added a slight vignette (not shot at 1.4), and lowered the exposure JUST a touch.

And that's all! I plan on doing other Before&After Posts here on the blog. I have one HUGE piece of advice, that I still need to listen to as well. When you learn a new editing technique, awesome...use it. But use it SPARINGLY! Use it till it looks good, and then back it down even more. I remember when I first learned how to vignette, all my pictures had BLACK perfectly rounded corners...yuck. Seriously Nate?

If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know! Thanks and enjoy!

James+Shannon Wedding

2010-10-12T14:14:00.005-07:00

When she was only 14, Shannon was the only girl of her age to attend Senior High Church Camp. Understandably, she was nervous about going alone, but really wanted to go...so she did. She got to the camp in McCall, and luckily found Rebecca, a friend she had not seen for a long time. She stuck VERY close to Rebecca, so close that Rebecca's boyfriend wasn't a fan, so he asked James to take Shannon away. James wasn't too excited about the idea...until he saw Shannon, and the two were inseparable for the rest of the week. Shannon came home all excited about her week at camp with James, and James went home and wrote in his journal that he was going to marry Shannon.

James and Shannon remained close friends for many years, keeping in contact from wherever they were, but they both felt the timing was never quite right. Until last year, James called and said that he had joined the Marines, and was going to be in Idaho before he deployed. The timing was right, and James and Shannon fell in love. While James was in Afghanistan, they talked as much as they could, and when James was able to come home, he proposed. Of course...she said yes.

I LOVED photographing this wedding. I loved even just being at this wedding. James and Shannon's love is so beautiful, and pure, and genuine, and REAL that you can see it just in the way they look at each other. I felt so lucky to be able to document their love, and their beautiful wedding day.

The wedding was held at Fox Canyon Vineyards just outside of Marsing, which looked out over the Snake River...it was a BEAUTIFUL day! Luisa got some BEAUTIFUL images of Shannon getting ready:

James and Shannon didn't want to see each other before the ceremony, so I first took James and his groomsmen out...

...and then Shannon and her bridesmaids.

Luisa grabbed this photo of Shannon that I LOVE...

The Ceremony was beautiful. As I got Shannon and her father coming down the step...

Luisa got James' reaction...

My view...

...and Luisa's

I love how much they just adore each other!

After the ceremony and family formals, James and Shannon let me steal them away for 20-30 minutes, which I LOVE, for a few of their own shots. The view was gorgeous!

While I was getting this shot:

Luisa got these two!

and this one...

Luisa got this gorgeous shot of them walking up on our way to photograph at the vineyard.

The vineyard was so beautiful, and James and Shannon were being so cute with each other.

Luisa's angle...

James...such a gentleman.

The toasts were both hilarious and beautiful.

James and Shannon, you guys are truly an amazing example to what love is really all about. Thank you SO much for letting Luisa and I there to document your incredibly beautiful day. You guys are amazing!

Life Thru the Macro: Take One for the Team...

2010-10-11T08:00:00.005-07:00

Much of my involvement in Nate's photography, until recently, has strictly been audience based. I observe and critique, with my very inexperienced eye, the work that he brings home everyday and strive to be the BEST cheerleader imaginable [even though I am not one for mini skirts or backflips]. While Nate was in Seattle with Jasmine Star doing the CreativeLive EVENT, I literally got to be in the audience to watch him every day, almost all day. At times I felt a little helpless, trapped on one end of the cyber universe, while he was on the other. There was ONE particular morning, when everyone had arrived early and was setting up the venue for the workshop. The cameras were live, but the class was not going to begin for another 45 mins. I thought I'd give him a little jingle to let him know I was there, cheering him on and wishing him luck [without ACTUALLY saying 'good luck', because according to Nate thats 'bad luck']. This little clip from Modern Family, our new favorite sitcom, pretty much sums up our phone call.

That's right. I definitely busted my husband screening my call on a LIVE internet broadcast!! More than being offended, it made me laugh... A LOT. I love him and I admire his talent and passion for photography. I would do anything to support him and I plan to do so.... even if I get put on the back burner every once in a while.

I'll take one for the team.

Ballard Farm

2010-10-08T11:06:00.007-07:00

The week after I bought my first DSLR, I headed out to photograph the texture and character of my Grandparents, and their farm in Benson UT. All I had was a borrowed 50mm 1.8 lens from my Mom, but it was images from this very first "shoot" that inspired me to start a photo blog. In fact, as embarrassing as it is, you can see my VERY first post right here, showcasing a few photos from my first photo journey in January of 2009.

I love Grandpa Ballard's farm; it is filled with texture, history, stories, experiences and memories, and BEAUTIFUL character...a lot like my Grandfather. What an intriguing and amazing man. I did a post on him a few days later that can be seen here.

Recently Luisa and I had the opportunity to visit Benson, and see my wonderful Grandparents shown below.

We took the opportunity to talk and laugh with these two amazing people and captured some of the history and beautiful textures of their farm.

It was wonderful to return once again and capture the rich history and details that inspired me almost two years ago, to embark on this photographic adventure.

Mr. Kelvin White Balance

2010-10-07T12:38:00.006-07:00

A few weeks ago, I did a gear post that you can see here. In this post I talked about shooting in Kelvin White Balance and received a few questions about how this works. So first off, this is the way that I shoot, and isn't necessarily the perfect solution for everyone. I know tons of amazing photographers that don't shoot on Kelvin, and still have gorgeous pictures. It's something I learned early on in a Mike Colon workshop, and it has stuck with me ever since.

Now I'm not going to pretend like I'm a genius and try to explain the science behind shooting in Kelvin WB, because...well, I'm not a genius. I understand it very simply. Also, I'm a Nikon shooter...which is a HUGE benefit when it comes to Kelvin. On Canon cameras it's one or two extra steps to reach your Kelvin Setting (correct me if I'm wrong), but on Nikon, you literally hold down a button, and rotate a dial at the same time. Uber quick. You can do it with your eyes closed...literally (or while looking through the viewfinder). To me speed is everything, because while shooting a wedding, if you're fumbling with your settings, then you've missed a moment.

On your camera, there will be a WB button...somewhere. I wish every camera and camera manufacturer would put the white balance button in the same spot, but they don't. On my D300, it's on the top left of the camera. On my D3s, it's on the bottom for my left thumb. If you hold down that button, and scroll (usually with your thumb command dial), you'll see the different options for white balance. They go (in this order): Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade and then Kelvin.

Simply put, when you have Kelvin selected, you have the option of setting your color temperature from 2500K all the way up to 10,000K (degrees Kelvin). This is how I understand it in my mind: 2500K is very VERY blue, or cool WB, and 10000K is very VERY warm. So if you're taking a picture outside in the sun, and you're shooting at 4300K, and the skin tones are too cool and blue, then bump up your white balance to 5000K or 5500K to warm things up. At the beginning for me, it was all about experimenting. But now I understand that certain circumstances fall within a certain Kelvin range. For example, I know that if it's cloudy, or just after sunset, I know that I should be somewhere between 6000K and 7500K. I know if it's nice and sunny, then I should be at around 5000K and 5880K. If I'm indoors, depending on the lighting, I'm anywhere from 2500K to about 4000K. It's all about experimenting and getting to know that "sweet spot" where your skin tones look nearly perfect, not too cool, not too warm.

Now lets look at a few example shots. In each, I'll show the same picture from 2500K, all the way up to 9500K, in 1000 degree increments.

First screen shot example is an AWESOME couple I shot in Costa Rica:

There's a lot of creative freedom for you to decide what looks "right" and where the sweet spot is, but for me I was going for as natural as possible. Here's the straight out of camera image that I shot at 5880K.

Example two is a super cute couple! At the very end of their wedding day right before the sun set, we decided to take a few shots in the beautiful field close by. Here's the screenshot from Apple Aperture:

Again, there's not a TON of difference once you get to the higher degrees Kelvin, but here is the shot SOOC at 6250K.

Last one, an indoor shot of the Groom's father at a recent wedding.

Notice how with indoor shots, or under Incandescent lighting, the sweet spot is right around 2500K-3000K depending on the lighting. Here's the SOOC shot at 2860K.

Here is a VERY generic rule of thumb for generally where you should be in different lighting circumstances:

Incandescent Lighting: 2500-3500

Fluorescent Lighting: 3500-4500

Daylight: 4800-5800

Shade/Cloudy: 6200-7500

And that's about it (unless you're using flash). Obviously these aren't set numbers. You can tweak as much as you'd like to find what looks natural to you. If you pick up your camera and you take a picture, and it's WAY to warm, or orange looking, then drop your degrees Kelvin. If you take a picture and it looks way to blueish, or cool, then increase your degrees Kelvin till it looks right. Pretty simple!

To me, there are two HUGE benefits to shooting in Kelvin:

1. You can get the EXACT color and skin tone that you want, straight out of the camera. If it's looking too cool, or too warm, you have complete control. On a shoot a few months ago, I thought I would try giving Auto WB a try. It lasted for about 15 shots. I like to get things straight out of the camera as close as possible to what I want my final image to look like. Because honestly, I don't LOVE sitting in front of a computer for hours on end trying to color correct. Not fun. I'd rather be shooting. When I learned this technique of white balance, it cut my editing time down TONS!

2. Consistency: To ME (again, not to everyone...I know many people who LOVE Auto WB), shooting on Auto WB is like shooting in full auto exposure mode on your camera. Your camera does the best it can, but in the end, you're bound to have under and over exposed shots because your camera was trying to do all the thinking. Same with shooting on Auto WB. When I personally have tried it in the past, some shots will be cool, some will be warm, some will be green, etc. They will ALL be very VERY close to great color, but CLOSE means I have to go in and color correct every image. For me, the auto WB rarely NAILED the color spot on. While on a shoot, once you find your sweet spot, you're ready to lock and load, or as Sachin Khona quoted, "Lock it, and rock it". All of your shots from that location and particular lighting condition will have beautiful and consistent color! LOVE IT!

This works for me, and for many other photographers (not EVERYONE), and if it works for you too, awesome! If not, no worries at all. Good luck, hope you enjoyed, and let me know if you have any questions!

Carlo+Amy Jo Slideshow

2010-10-06T12:05:00.005-07:00

Life has been crazy hectic lately. But I love it. Busy is good, right? And I LOVE this couple. They're absolutely awesome, and you've probably seen them here on the blog before, but I just wanted to post their slideshow of their engagement session.

Tomorrow I'll do my followup post on shooting in Kelvin White Balance! Have a great Wednesday!

Life Thru the Macro: 65+ Years from Now...

2010-10-04T13:21:00.005-07:00

More often than not, I don't know what I want... whether it be what to wear or what to order or what to watch; I can be very indecisive. But after a VERY stressful last week, I knew exactly what I wanted, and that was to spend all day yesterday in Benson, UT at Nate's grandparent's farm.

Nate and I spent the day being pampered by his adoring and adorable Grandmother. She fed us, wrapped us in blankets, encouraged us to nap and could divine our every need and wish. After we did take her up on a nap, we took a walk around the farm at sunset.... I collected a couple handfuls of fresh raspberries and Nate collected a beautiful assortment of images.

For dinner that evening, Grandma served us the epitome of "hometown cookin' ": roast beef and potatoes, corn on the cob from the garden and WARM ROLLS with homemade raspberry jam. No exaggeration, I think Nate ate a WHOLE dozen all by himself.

More often than not, I STILL don't know what I want, but in the quiet peace, contentment and tranquility of that afternoon, I knew EXACTLY what I will want 65+ years from now: to be hand in hand with Nate, serving him a dozen warm rolls, fresh from the oven, smothered with homemade raspberry jam.

Introducing: Life Thru the Macro...

2010-09-27T10:37:00.002-07:00

Throughout a young girls life, she receives more than enough advice, from reliable and unreliable sources alike, on who she should marry before she makes her final decision on 'the one'. While looking at a series of pictures that I found of Nate, a few pieces of that long forgotten advice came to mind:

'well grounded'...

'stable'...

'both feet on the ground'...

'down to earth'...

Grandma's favorite idiom might have been 'get your head out of the clouds,' but I prefer living my life with someone whose limits, dreams and goals well surpass the 'clouds' and even the stars.

It seems daily, I find myself MORE and MORE involved in the world of Nate's photography. For a long time now, Nate has been trying to get me to do a 'column', if you will, on his blog that would showcase a more intimate view of the details of our lives. Being his wife and best friend, I hope to show the side of Nate that I see on a daily basis. There is much more to him than can be seen strictly through the pictures that he takes. My view is the reverse of yours... I experience him first and his pictures second, while in juxtaposition, his blog uses his images as an expressionistic vehicle to represent himself, but that is not strictly who he is.

So here begins a Monday tradition: once a week I hope to create a link between what you see and what I see, even if my job is showing the gritty details. But honestly, sometimes only a Macro lens can make something as imperfect as our lives, look so beautiful.

My Gear!

2010-09-23T14:07:00.009-07:00

I've been debating on writing a Frequently Asked Questions post, and probably still will in the future. But since 90% of the questions that I receive on my blog or through email/twitter are about my gear, I decided to finally give in and do a gear post. I debating about writing this post, because, well...I just really don't have THAT much gear. I don't feel like I need a TON of gear, and I don't like to feel over-encumbered or weighed down, so it works perfectly...for me.

SO! My camera bodies. I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D300, a little less than 2 years ago, which now serves as my backup camera.

The lens you see isn't an AMAZING lens, and I rarely, if ever, use it on an actual shoot. BUT, it's a PERFECT travel lens if you want to go light. It's an 18-200mm 3.5-5.6.

My first lens was this little tiny 50mm 1.8. I rocked that thing for over a year before purchasing my next lens (18-200 above), and I fell in love with prime and fast lenses. I LOVED learning on this lens and HIGHLY recommend getting away from the kit lens, and playing with this one, or the 1.4 (further below). They're both super affordable.

I now shoot with a Nikon D3s as my primary camera, and I LOOOOVE it. I love shooting with only natural light, and this camera allows me to shoot in the craziest of dark circumstances without the need of a flash. LOVE IT!

Also shown is the 50mm 1.4, and the 70-200 2.8. Love both of those lens, but 95% of the time, the 50mm 1.4 is on my camera. I remember after I bought the 70-200, I took it with me on my an engagement shoot and wanted to use it so bad. I started with it, but kept switching back over to the little 50. Don't get me wrong though, the 70-200 is a ridiculously amazing lens. But for me and my style, I shoot with the 50mm the majority of the time.

On wedding day, I carry everything around in my Shootsac (shown above), which I'm a huge fan of, even though my brother calls it my man-purse. And that's honestly pretty much it. Crazy huh? I also have the SB-900 flash, and fire it off-camera wirelessly with the SU-800 mounted on my camera. My next lenses I'll buy later this year, are the 24mm 1.4, the 85mm 1.4, and probably the 105 2.8 macro. I'm a huge advocate of renting or trying out a lens before you buy it.

When I travel, I carry everything in a Pelican Case, and I know it seems like EVERYONE uses ThinkTank cases. But I loved the protection the Pelican Cases offered, and I've LOVED it. Again, for me, it's worked perfectly.

Here's a picture I grabbed with my iPhone of what it looks like when I travel, or on my way to a wedding (I'll leave the Pelican case either in the car close by, or a secured room with a few extras just in case I need them).

Here's a few other random facts about the way I shoot:

-I shoot about 50% of the time on Manuel, and 50% of the time on Aperture Priority.

-I shoot on 8 GB cards, and LOVE it. The D3s has two slots, so I can shoot 16 gigs before having to change cards (about 1300 raw images).

-I shoot in Raw.

-I edit in Aperture 3 and occasionally will open an image in Photoshop CS5.

-I don't really use reflectors (unless I'm using the diffusion panel part to shoot a flash through to soften the light...but even so, I don't do this too often).

-I also have a Westcott Umbrella that I like to experiment with for evening portraits, but agian, I rarely use it on an actual shoot.

-I shoot most everything at 1.4, unless I'm within 5-7 feet from my subject, then I'll bump it up to 2.0'ish to make sure it's sharp. (Obviously I don't shoot big group shots like family formals at 1.4. But most everything else I will)

-I use Kelvin white balance 100% of the time.

That's all I can think of for now, but please feel free to ask me questions through comments and I'll try to answer each one.

Lastly, I KNOW that there are many of you out there that totally disagree with me on many things. "I can't believe he uses Aperture...I can't believe he doesn't use the 70-200 more...that he doesn't use flash...that he shoots in RAW...or doesn't use Manuel 100%, or uses 8 gig cards...I would never shoot someone at 1.4...etc". I know! Everything above works wonderfully FOR ME, so take it with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own methods and things that jive well with their style, but this is how I shoot and what I've grown accustom to. That being said, I am ALWAYS seeking to learn new things and become better and better, so I'd love to hear how you shoot or any recommendations!

Carlo and Amy Jo - Round TWO!

2010-09-21T12:09:00.004-07:00

I seriously love this couple. I could photograph them week after week and never get bored. As long as they could put up with my dumb jokes, my WAY overexcitement over gorgeous lighting, and of course my "wandering" open left eye. That dang left eye. And you know what, they probably could, because they're just some pretty awesome people.

About a month ago, I was fortunate enough to photograph their engagements, which can be seen on this post. Minor problem...the shoot could only last for about 45-60 minutes because of some crazy scheduling. Carlo plays football for Boise State (woohoo!!), and was juggling multiple practices, team meetings and team dinners he had to attend. They had a few shots in mind of them in their Boise State gear that they wanted, so I promised them that we'd get together again soon, and finish their engagement session.

This session was so much fun! We started with the Boise State gear, and then worked in one other outfit as the light started to vanish.

HUGE thanks to Carlo and Amy Jo for putting up with me a second time around. They are getting married in May in this beautiful church and I couldn't be more happy for them. You guys rock!

Shooting with my wife.

2010-09-20T10:24:00.006-07:00

Alright!

I didn't want to dwell too much on this on my previous post, because I didn't want to take away from how amazing Natalie and Brian's day was, and how incredible they were, and are. It truly was their day, and their post. They did absolutely awesome.

But seriously, I feel like my wife rocked it. Hold on, let me back up. Ever since attending Jasmine Star's workshop, and meeting her husband JD, Luisa and I have played with the idea of shooting together. There are a lot of successful photographer husband and wife teams, like Chris+Lynn, Gavin Wade, Jasmine and JD. Seriously check these guys out. They're beyond awesome.

So Luisa and I thought we'd at least give it a shot. And I'll be honest, I was nervous, and so was she. Let me rewind again. I think the last time Luisa took pictures of something was last Christmas, up in the mountains, taking pictures of some hawks on our way up to a cabin.

I gave Luisa a little training pep talk a few nights before that went just about like this: "Okay, here's a 50 1.8. I want you on 'A' mode, at 2.8 pretty much the entire wedding. You see this button? This is the exposure compensation button. If you want your picture brighter, hold this and move the dial this way. If you want it darker, move it the opposite way. Got it? Good." Then I just told her to take a LOT of pictures, and try and experiment with every angle. And that's it. Off she went.

Long story short(er), she did amazing. At times it was hard, for sure. I think especially for her, not really knowing if I was going to like what she was getting. She felt like she didn't get anything good for me. Well...she was wrong. To be honest, some of my favorite images from the wedding...are hers. And I LOVE that.

For example, here is one of my favorite shots of the wedding. To me it shows true emotion and love, a couple privately holding hands and sharing their love together, just before the Priest performs their marriage. I LOVE it.

And just because I couldn't include every great shot of hers in my last post, here's a shot she got of the adorable ring bearer.

Now I don't know exactly where we'll go from here, nothing is in stone. I can teach her the camera mechanics and f stops and shutter speeds and ISO levels etc...she can learn that in time. But I do know that I LOVE her images, that she has an AWESOME eye, and that we love working together. With the many exciting new beginnings happening in our lives right now, here's one to add to the list. ; )

Brian+Natalie Wedding

2010-09-16T11:54:00.008-07:00

I had been looking forward to this wedding for quite a while. First, Brian and Natalie are some super cool people, and they have amazing families (that LOVE to dance). Second, they were getting married in the most beautiful church: St. John's Cathedral in downtown Boise. It was my first time shooting a wedding in this beautiful cathedral. And third, ever since attending the Jasmine Star workshop, my wife and I had played with the idea of her becoming my backup shooter. This wedding, was her FIRST wedding, and I think she did pretty dang amazing, but I'll let you judge for yourself.

The day started with Brian and his groomsmen getting ready at the Grove Hotel, while Natalie got ready at St. John's.

All the men were VERY lucky to have Brian's best friend and Best Man to be there. He was dressed within 15 minutes, and somehow ended up having to help everyone get ready. I think I have pictures of him helping each groomsman with either a bow tie, or cumber bun.

Brian and all the groomsman are from Boston, and have the accent to prove it. So when Brian's brother started to practice his reading for the ceremony, he didn't get much further than "Hark..." before everyone was laughing. "Hahk...!"

In the meantime, Luisa was capturing some gorgeous shots of Natalie getting ready with her Mom and Sister.

She then took Natalie into the cathedral to get a few of just her.

Natalie's sister was smiling at Natalie all day.

Brian decided to walk to the church from the Grove, along with his Groomsmen so we could get some shots along the way.

The guys wanted to go for an Abbey Road type picture. They even all tried to convince Brian to take off his shoes and be like Paul McCartney.

I was following the men entering the church, while Luisa was inside getting Natalie's best friend and Mom's reaction to the men arriving.

Another shot of Luisa's.

The Cathedral just before guest started to arrive.

Boutonnière time!

I LOVE this shot Luisa got of Natalie's Father.

Brian's Father was the nicest man. It was honesty such a pleasure to meet him.

Natalie and her Father going down the aisle.

Luisa's perspective:

I LOVED the Church.

A few of the Groomsmen watching from the side.

I love this picture of Natalie's sister, smiling at her.

Luisa grabbed these pictures from her angle.

My angle...

After the ceremony, we had a chance to take a few pictures of Brian and Natalie around the cathedral.

We then walked to their reception at the Hoff Building a few blocks away, taking a few pictures along the way.

And now the party begins!

First dances...

And I learned that these families know how to DANCE! Wow! I've never seen a wedding like this. It didn't take four or five songs, to get two or three people out on the dance floor. No, it took ONE song, to get EVERYONE out on the dance floor. The reception was honestly a riot. I was laughing and smiling the whole way through.

Thanks so much Brian and Natalie for letting my wife and I capture your incredibly amazing day. You guys are awesome!

Our New Adventure

2010-09-14T12:23:00.007-07:00

Growing up with four brothers, and two adventurous parents, people would call us Ken, Jen and the Adventure Men. Adventure stuck with me, and so Luisa and I LOVE adventure. We love exploring, going to new places, meeting new people, living like the locals when we travel. We have had some amazing adventures in our life, but yesterday, this new baby adventure really kicked in gear for us. Our future baby looked more like an actual baby, and less like a little "gummy bear". It was real, we could see the baby move, yawn, and clench its fist.

The Sonographer dimmed the lights, and started the ultra sound. Immediately Luisa and I saw exactly what we were looking for and started laughing. So as soon as the doctor said, "Do you want know what it is?" We both screamed out "IT'S A BOY!!!!" and started laughing and cheering. The sonographer was a little taken back by how excited we were, and asked if we had a bet going on or something. Nope. Just really really happy to begin this new adventure. Thankfully, everything looked incredibly healthy. We were so happy. A little boy. A baby boy. We couldn't be more proud and humbled at the same time. The new adventure begins.

Sitting on a fence

2010-09-13T09:55:00.010-07:00

Today, I'm sitting on a fence. I come from a family of all boys. Lots of them. 5 to be exact. Every time I tell someone that there are five boys and no girls in my family, their immediate response ALWAYS is, "Oh, your poor Mother, what a saint." And honestly, she is. I don't know how she did it. Boys will be boys, and boy, were we boys!

Today, Luisa and I woke up happy, excited, anxious and even a bit nervous. Today we go to the doctors, and find out whether we're having a boy or girl. We've always joked that we wanted boys. All boys. It seemed to work out fine in my family. No drama, no trying to balance between the difference between boys and girls. Just boys...give them their Tonka trucks, and they're happy. Usually. All boys would be nice...until just recently, we've talked about having a girl, and how wonderful that would be. Even this morning, Luisa woke me up and smiled at me, and said, "I would be so thrilled if we found out we're having a girl." And it's true.

Luisa and I were driving home one night, and she spotted turkeys, sitting on this fence. We laughed so hard, we had to pull over and take a picture. So here we are, sitting on a fence, not knowing quite what we'd prefer, boy or girl, as if our preference has any weight in the matter.

We've been thinking it's a boy all along, but in the end, who really knows? How about you! Any predictions!?

Natalie's Bridal Session

2010-09-09T14:47:00.006-07:00

Natalie and Brian are getting married this Saturday at St. John's Cathedral and I couldn't be more thrilled for them. On Tuesday, I shot Natalie's bridals at the Rose Room in Boise, and she looked absolutely stunning.

...her beautiful dress and wedding shoes.

The window lighting was GORGEOUS!

Love this shot!

Natalie! You rock! I'm so happy that we were able to get these and I'm so excited for the wedding this Saturday!

Zach+Kelsey Wedding

2010-09-08T13:53:00.008-07:00

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to photograph Zach and Kelsey's wedding. You might recognize them, as I shot Kelsey's bridal pictures which can be seen here and here, and their engagements which can be seen here. Zach and Kelsey are an awesome, fun couple who met while attending BYU Idaho. Zach is from the Boise area, and Kelsey and her family are all the way from Georgia. Both of their families were so incredible, some of the nicest most genuine people. It was such a pleasure to be able to be with everyone.

Now...wedding time!

Zach and Kelsey coming out of the Boise Temple.

After the family formals, I had the chance to photograph just Kelsey and Zach for about an hour which was wonderful!

A few with the Groomsmen and Bridesmaids.

Time for the reception...

Zach's adorable little nieces.

Kelsey's Mom was just wonderful! Here she is holding another one of Zach's nieces.

Cutting the cake...

Zach and Kelsey wanted a shot with both of their parents dipping and kissing at the same time. They had everyone laughing as they practiced their dips.

At the end of the night, Zach and Kelsey headed out to find their car quite decorated!

Today they are heading to Georgia, where they'll have another reception with most of Kelsey's family! Zach and Kelsey, thank you THANK YOU! You guys were wonderful, and you make the cutest couple. Congrats!

Happy Labor Day

2010-09-06T15:10:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago, I found myself in Vermont with my wife and her family. It was a perfectly timed, and much needed break in between photo jobs, and it was SO great to be in this incredibly green state again. Not joking there, the ENTIRE state is green. Rolling hills, beautiful forrest, gorgeous farms, and the cutest old New England towns with their little white churches and everything. It was beautiful.

We spent the weekend reading, playing games with the family, cozying up by the wood fire (not to be confused with the "flip-a-switch" fire), and canoeing and row boating (? is that a word) on Lake Champlaine. It was an incredible weekend!

I left Monday evening to catch my flight the next morning out to Seattle for the CreativeLIVE and Jasmine Star event. As I left Vergennes Vermont, the sun was setting, and there was an incredibly dark rainstorm in the mountains. The sun caught the rain and created one of the most spectacular double rainbows I've ever seen. I kept driving, blasting the only station I could pick up, "105.3 The Peak - World Class Rock", snagging a few photos with my iPhone here and there...nothing special. I finally decided to get out, ran in the rain into a very wet (and muddy) field in my shorts and flip flops with my D3s and fisheye. I started laughing out loud as I hopped around the farmers field getting soaked, thinking of the owner coming out waving a shotgun, yelling at me to get out of his property. Just one sec...snapped a few photos of the rainbow, then turned the camera around and snapped a few of me. I've been told that I always make faces into the camera. I don't know why I do it, I guess it's my way of feeling more comfortable in front of the lens. I'm quite happy to be in my normal spot, right behind the lens.

Happy Labor Day everyone. Enjoy your Monday!

Billy and Laura - Seattle Wedding

2010-09-03T12:25:00.016-07:00

The first time I "met" Laura and Billy, was from their video they submitted to be a part of the Jasmine Star and CreativeLIVE event. I immediately liked them, as they were fun, relaxed, REAL and so in love. They seemed to support and build off one another seamlessly. Meeting them in real life was even better.

Laura and Billy met in college in Oregon, and dated for only 2 months when Laura moved to California to pursue her education and passion in photography. Billy soon followed, realizing that, well...he'd be crazy not to. After seven years of being together, Billy popped the question, and the rest is, as they say...history.

Please PLEASE take a look at Jasmine Star's blog to learn more about Laura and Billy and their story, and to see their gorgeous wedding pictures. I'm SO ridiculously happy that I had the chance to shoot backup for Jasmine and JD, and to be a part of Billy and Laura's beautiful adventure.

I was able to shoot tag-team with 4 other amazing photographers, at two different times during the wedding. First, in the morning with Laura and all her bridesmaids getting ready. Second, during the first dances.

So...here we go.

Laura's beautiful wedding dress, by Priscilla of Boston.

Now...my favorite part. Laura and Billy decided to see each other before the wedding ceremony for a "first look", which was so powerful and incredible. Laura walked through the door of the Theo Chocolate Factory, where everything was taking place, and everyone and everything just fell completely silent. No one whispered or talked as everyone watch Laura come up to Billy and turn him around. They embraced, and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. Their love was clearly evident.

A few of the beautiful details.

And their first dance. They broke onto the dance floor and Billy immediately dipped Laura almost to the ground. Everyone smiled and laughed as Billy and Laura showed us their dance moves...

Laura's father watching Billy and his Mother dance.

Congratulations Laura and Billy. You were absolutely amazing, and I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of your incredible day.

Photography Top Ten

2010-09-01T12:09:00.010-07:00

On my flight home from Seattle I wrote out of list of things that blew me away, things that have changed the way I look at the photography business, and about photography in general. Yesterday I posted the business Top Ten list. Today, I post the top 10 things I learned from Jasmine and JD regarding photography. You'll see that a few overlap from yesterday's list, because, well...they apply to both.

So without further ado:

10. Take Care of Vendors - How? Showcase their work. Get amazing pictures of the venue, table settings, and flowers. Make them look good, and make sure they're happy, and FREELY share your images that showcase their work. Remember, more Don Kings!

9. Have Fun - It's pretty simple. If you're having fun, then they're having fun . If you're miserable, there's a pretty good chance that your clients will be too. If you're happy, and they're happy, you'll see it in the photos.

8. Don't Wait - Learned this one first hand through a mistake I made. Here's the thing, Jasmine talks about how it's not about the moments when they're posing for the picture, it's the moments in between, the true, unaltered, candid moments. SO...don't put your gun in your holster. Keep your camera ready at all times, even up at your eye even while your talking. Sure you'll look ridiculous, but that'll help with #9.

7. Stay In Control - BE CONFIDENT! If you lose control, or confidence, you're clients will never have confidence in your abilities. Stay in control of the situation, and be confident.

6. Good Light First - Many photographers (including myself MANY times) have found amazing locations, and then tried to make the light look good. 99% of the time, it doesn't work out. Find the good light first, and then you can make almost any location look beautiful.

5. Beautify - Yes I just said beautify. Meaning, give your brides the permission to be beautiful. Teach them to pose, SHOW them how. Be fun and confident, and react to their beauty. If they feel beautiful, chances are they'll see it in their photos. Help your clients FEEL beautiful.

4. Everyone Needs a JD - Jasmine and JD are an incredible combo, and I swear can read each others minds. It's amazing how they work together. They balance out each others strengths and weaknesses. JD showed me the value of an amazing 2nd shooter, and how important the 2nd shooter is.

3. Be Yourself - From the business and branding top 10 list, but applies here as well. Be yourself. Don't copy another photographer because you like their work. Not everyone's methods, even Jasmines are perfect for every single person. What may work for her, may not work for you or me. Always stay true to who you are. YOU are your greatest asset. Capitalize on that instead of trying to brand yourself like someone else.

2. Tell a Story - Wow...this also rocked my world. Total gold nugget here. It's all about the details. If you set out to take pretty pictures, you'll probably do just that. Tell a STORY with your photos. Jasmine is an AMAZING visual story teller. Again, learning here that photography is not ALL about the photos. It's about the story, the experience, and sharing and capturing that love and story.

1. 3 Words - I don't know how I missed this one yesterday. It was right there in my notes in BOLD. Evocative, intimate and romantic. Shoot for your three words. Have them embedded in your mind as you photograph. Every photograph should be a symbol of your brand, even as a logo would be. Everyones words are different and are even an appendage of who they are. I'm still a bit doughy on this one, still baking, and still growing, learning what my three words are.

That's it! I can remember taking a taxi to the airport after it all, feeling...exhausted but energized, sad to leave, but excited to head home, stronger but more aware of where I'm weak; like I was just given a giant golden nugget, and now it was up to me. The mix of emotions was crazy, but more than anything, I was happy. Really happy. Life is good...nope...wonderful! So much to be thankful for. I had a huge grin on my face, even laughing out loud to myself, as I headed towards the airport, because I knew that in just a few hours, I'd be getting off a plane and I'd be home, with my wife, and our little future baby.

Yes, it sure is good to be home.

Top Ten

2010-08-31T12:31:00.007-07:00

Home again, after one of the most influential and life changing weeks of my life. If you're just tuning in, I was fortunate enough to be one of five photographers that were chosen to attend a workshop hosted by CreativeLIVE and Jasmine Star. The workshop was 5 days long, and involved shooting a live wedding. The five days were, well...crazy. Absolutely crazy, intense, fun, life-changing, and amazing.

Many have asked what it was like to spend 5 days with Jasmine and JD. It honestly was one of the best experiences I've ever had. If you can, once they open up another workshop, GO. It will rock your world and change the way you see your brand and experience. They are two of the most giving and honest and genuine people I've ever met.

To try to put into words, what I've gained from this experience is not an easy task. I've come away lifted, liberated, and humbled. But to try to capsulate what I've learned, I've made my very own Top Ten Countdown, of things that have "rocked my world". As I listed my top ten, I found I had two lists, one primarily on the photography side of things, and then one on the business side of things. So today, I'll share my Top Ten things that I learned from Jasmine with regards to business and branding.

10. CREATE - Are we creatures to our circumstance or creators? Chase Jarvis quoted Owen at Viget.com, saying "It's easier to be inspired than it is to create". I have often found myself busy being inspired, but not creating. Create connections, be involved in the photography community, create experiences for your clients, create conversations, create BUZZ!

9. Be INTERESTED - Instead of trying to get 200 to be interested in you, become genuinely interested in 2 people. Pay it forward, help others, again...get INVOLVED, and it the return will always be greater.

8. Under Promise, Over Deliver - This one is pretty simple. If you are always delivering more than you promise, then everybody is happy. There are SO many ways this is possible. I feel like I've always been trying to promise the sun, moon and stars to make clients happy, and then trying so hard to accomplish that. Promise the sun, and then moon and stars are a happy bonus.

7. Create "Don Kings" - Don King promoted some of the best professional boxers including Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson. As you share with a bride and groom their wedding photos, they immediately become Don Kings for you. But what happens when you share a same day slideshow to 50+ people at their wedding?

6. 80/20 - A successful photography business is 20% photography, 80% business. This one is huge, as I'm learning that it's not ALL about the photos!! It's about the experience. A bride and groom should like their photos before they even see them. Great photographers don't take or make great photos, they create great branded experiences, and tell the story THROUGH their great photos.

5. Connect and Repel - This blew my mind. Connect with brides that relate to YOU, repel brides that may not be the best fit. More on this later...

4. Leverage Strengths, and Outsource Weaknesses - Now outsourcing isn't for everyone, but KNOW your strengths, and expand them. USE them, leverage them, and make them even stronger. What makes you different? Jasmine is one of the best at knowing her strengths, and knowing her weaknesses, and growing where she's strong, and getting help where she's weak. There is nothing wrong with having weaknesses, just know how to use them.

3. Branding - Wow. This could have it's own top ten list, but brand. Everything. A logo is not a brand, but a symbol of a brand. A brand is an experience, even a feeling. I have SO far to go with branding!

2. KIR! - Keep it real. Don't fake the funk. People are naturally attracted to people that are REAL. "Leave your ego at the door" and K.I.R...Keep It Real!

1. Be YOURSELF - My favorite. Why? Because I feel liberated in a sense that, if you keep it real, and BE YOURSELF, then people will love you for it. OR, they may hate you for it, but remember, connect and repel. The ones that hate you for it, probably wouldn't be a good fit to begin with. Before going to the Jasmine Star workshop, I felt like I already knew her. I'm sure she has received the comment "I feel like I KNOW you!" many, many times. She's real, she's herself, and so people relate to her.

Again, what an incredible experience. Not a workshop on photography, but on YOU, on me. Thank you Jasmine and JD and the CreatieLIVE team for an unforgettable week.

Photography Top Ten coming tomorrow!

The Missing Pants - Wedding Day

2010-08-28T11:31:00.003-07:00

Hi gang,

What an amazing day yesterday, right!? I hope that you all were able to tune in and see the wedding. Hats go off to Jasmine and JD, who did an INCREDIBLE job yesterday. And Laura and Billy, who looked absolutely fabulous. I'm so happy for them, that their wedding was such a huge success. They're the funnest and cutest couple, and I can't wait to write more about them when I post the wedding pictures.

I just wanted to write a few notes from yesterday and post just a few "behind the scenes" pictures, but first...the missing pants. Oooh, those missing pants, how I loath you.

So I always try to pack light. Really light, and if I know I'm going to be shooting a wedding, I'll only be there one day at the wedding, so I only bring one pair of dress pants. Thursday night I got home on the highest high of learning and excitement with everything that had happened that day. Absolutely amazing day. I finished my blog post at about 1:30 AM, and decided to get things set up for the wedding the next day: Clean my lenses, load my Shootsac, format all my memory cards, layout my shirt, tie, and pants. Pants...I swear they're around here somewhere. Nope. I begin frantically searching for my dress pants, tearing my room apart. Nada. Perfect, it's 2:00 AM, and I don't have pants for the next day's wedding. Freaking out...just a bit now. Turns out they're hanging up, ready to be packed in my suitcase...at home.

Next morning, wake up...it's GO time. Without pants. Dang it. I find the closest store that might have pants: Men's Warehouse. I get there when they're opening, and amazingly, they're able to find me pants, tailor them to me, and I was walking out the door 20 minutes later. PHEW! I'm just glad that I didn't wake up that morning, go to get dressed an hour before I'm supposed to leave, and THEN realize I don't have pants. Count your blessings right?

Now, moving on, here's how everything worked. Jasmine and the CreativeLIVE team were SO wonderfully respectful to Laura and Billy and wanted to remind everyone that this was still an actual wedding of a real bride and groom. This being said, they obviously didn't want Jasmine, JD, and 5 other photographers all shooting at once, not to mention the camera crew filming everything. So the 5 students were all a tag team. We each had 40-50 minutes to literally be the backup shooter for Jasmine and JD. It was intense, and fun, and crazy, and exciting, and busy, and INCREDIBLE! Honestly loved it. The 40-50 minutes went by way too fast. It was so incredible to watch Jasmine in action! Wow, she's so amazing and on top of things!

So some things that were very much reiterated in my mind today:

KEEP CONTROL! Jasmine was AMAZING at keeping control of the situation. Wow, did you see her work her magic!? It goes to say again, if you are not confident, you're bride and groom will never have confidence in you. If you are not in control, then you're in trouble.

EVERYONE needs a JD. He was amazing yesterday and it was incredible how JD and Jasmine can literally communicate without words. He showed me the value of a great and reliable second shooter.

BRANDING...again, those three words of Jasmine's: Fun, Fresh and Fabulous. I could tell Jasmine was thinking of her three words the entire day.

Also she solidified the thought of same day slideshows. Wow, what an amazing way to create same day "Don Kings"! Plus, it means, the first images the bride and groom see of their wedding, are YOUR images.

I'll talk more about the wedding when I post the images from the wedding day, but the two time segments I got to shoot, were some of the getting ready shots, and then the first dance pictures. Too much fun! I hope you tune in today here, we're going to do a Q&A with the students and the Wedding Designer, and then Jasmine will be in at 3:00 to show her images. It'll be a fun Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

"Epic Adventure" - Day 2

2010-08-26T22:35:00.008-07:00

Jasmine wasn't kidding when she said this would be one epic adventure. In fact, that's a HUGE understatement. Day one was incredible. Day two was unbelievable, quite literally. Like we (the other attendees and I) can't believe it. We were out to eat afterwards just trying to take it all in. The four others by the way, are the coolest ever. Learning new incredible things is extremely fun, but learning it alongside others is even better. So if you haven't checked out Sachin's, Audrey's, Victoria's or Stephanie's blog, you seriously should.

Right before we start. Funny how everyone here is on their laptop or phone.

I want to touch on a few of my favorite aspects of the day, show some behind the scenes pics, and talk about the greatest things that I'm learning. Kind of a giant recap of sorts. But again, first before anything...huge thanks to the CreativeLIVE team. And Jasmine and JD, you guys just continue to amaze me and I'm pretty sure everyone else. HUGE Thank you. You're so generous with your life, your love and your passion. I've had the time of my life so far.

Having fun out in the parking lot before we started.

Recap! If you missed part or all of today, then you're seriously crazy not to buy the workshop, even JUST for today.

Again, HUGE theme: Attract or repel. This is monumental to me, since I've always felt you have to try to appease everyone, which makes it REALLY hard to be yourself. If you are TRULY yourself, you will attract amazing brides, and repel the ones that might just not be the perfect fit. "My brides hire me to be ME." - Jasmine

Another theme: CREATE!! Create conversation, create connections, create BUZZ!

Organization. I am blown away by how organized Jasmine is, even down to the way she shoots.

80/20 rule. A thriving photography business is 80% business and only 20% photography. Interesting that most people (especially me) invest most of their time, energy and money into improving their photography without any investment into learning the business side of things.

KEEP CONTROL of the day. You lose control, then you lose confidence, and if you lose confidence, then your bride and groom lose confidence in you and their wedding pictures. If you are not confident in your shooting, you will NEVER get confidence from your clients.

Let your brides know that it's ok to feel and be beautiful. To even be gorgeous, stunning and even hot! Communicate with your brides! Show them, instruct them, LAUGH with them, and don't be afraid to be yourself and make a fool of yourself.

VIRAL MARKETING. Don't even get me started on this. What are your thoughts?

Same Day slideshows = same day evangelists. LOVE it! "Create Don Kings!"

And my three words. Jasmine asked us all to pick three words that described our brand, our experience we want brides to have when they look at their photos. I am still exploring with different words, but when asked on screen, I said Evocative, romantic and dramatic. Almost there. Needs a little fine tuning.

Chase getting ready to go live, and Jasmine and JD smiling for a picture.

These are honestly just a FEW things, maybe 3-5% of what we've been learning. There has been so much and I'm sorry that this blog post is so long. Actually, no. I'm not. Today has seriously be remarkable for everyone, and a few sentences here and there just wouldn't cut it. Honestly, if you haven't tuned it yet, you need to. Tomorrow is the wedding and will be broadcast live.

Now just a bit about the day. Two main words come to mind. Learning and laughing...a lot. Jasmine is so fun to work with and is seriously a fireball of energy. How she does it...no idea. But she does, and she OWNS it. Seeing her work in action is like magic.

LOVING window lighting. I'm just experimenting here with light.

As for the photos, you'll notice all the photos today on the blog are "behind the scenes" kind of photos. I don't want to post any pictures of Billy and Laura until Jasmine has posted her own images, but I was given 5 minutes to "work my mojo" in the spotlight. Good flippin' night was I scared. Terrified. I had a silhouette/rim lighting idea in my head that I wanted to run with, something that I haven't really done before which made it even more nerve racking. After watching it back, I made a ton of mistakes, and there are quite a few things I would do differently, but I'm still super excited about the shots I got, which I'll post as soon as Jasmine posts photos of the First Look.

Today was truly enlightening and inspiring. Billy and Laura were absolutely beautiful and were perfect. I can't wait to talk more about them when I post my pics. They're an incredible couple. Good night and hope you tune in tomorrow for the LIVE wedding here.

I think my favorite moments are right after the camera and live feed go off. Everyone relaxes and cheers and the laughs break out and everyone just mingles. Here's a shot of everyone just hanging out afterwards.

Jasmine Star - Day 1

2010-08-26T08:21:00.008-07:00

Hi there! If you don't already know, I was chosen to attend an INCREDIBLE 5 day workshop with Jasmine Star and the CreativeLIVE team that will be broadcast LIVE from http://www.creativelive.com/. You can check out a post all about it here. If you didn't tune in yesterday, I think they're running a "re-watch" until today's workshop starts, and if you haven't tuned yet, you're seriously missing out, because it's been incredible. Jasmine and her husband, JD...are absolute rockstars. They're absolutely amazing to be with. I have learned so much already and have about 9 pages of notes to go through.

First off, the team is amazing. The other 4 that were chosen to attend are so fun to be with and it's a blast to be able to experience it all together. Here we are the day before the workshop starts at Pike Place Market

Now here are the biggest things that I've learned so far:

First and foremost! BE YOURSELF! Jasmine is EXACTLY like she is on her blog in real life. Honestly, I felt like I knew her already before I came, and in a sense I did, because she keeps it real. Which is number 2. KIR...KEEP IT REAL!

Another HUGE point. Attract and repel. Don't try to please everyone, or you'll just end up being boring. Jasmine doesn't just get lucky with the coolest brides ever, she ATTRACTS those kinds of clients, and repels the ones that wouldn't be a good fit.

And then don't even get my started on branding. We'll talk a bit about this later. But all I can say right now for it is...holy cow, it's important.

Anyways, I need to leave to our second day of the workshop, so tune in right here: www.creativelive.com. Here's a picture of Jasmine and me at the end of the workshop...

...and one of Sachin and me from my iPhone, who can't believe that we're actually here. Crazy!

Happy Thursday! More pics and behind the scenes to come.

Catch up!

2010-08-24T11:06:00.005-07:00

Life has been crazy lately, and I've definitely neglected the blog. But great and amazing things are happening. For example, I'm sitting in the Las Vegas airport waiting for my connecting flight to Seattle to attend the Jasmine Star and CreativeLIVE workshop! I'll be posting every day this week bits of "catch up" and also pieces from the workshop.

So I guess I'll start with NYC. As you've seen in the previous post, I did a bridal shoot in NYC which was so much fun. I also took the opportunity to explore New York: walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, eat at fun hole in the wall restaurants, and even visited some of the touristy sites.

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but I liked these ones. The pano of the city was shot from about 12 vertical shots stitched together in CS5.

Anyways, happy Tuesday, and come back for more catch up and updates on the Jasmine Star and CreativeLIVE workshop. Can't wait!

Jess+Manhattan Bridal=Photographer's heaven!

2010-08-17T10:57:00.007-07:00

En route to Boston for a corporate photo shoot, I met my Mom, Jen Perkes, in NYC to do a Bridal shoot of Jess. The shoot was unbelievably fun; lots of laughing, lots of screaming because the light was so good, LOTS of staring onlookers, and lots of getting kicked out of buildings I guess you're not allowed to shoot in. Four to be exact. Who knew!?

We started at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side. There are some GORGEOUS buildings, and we were getting beautiful light bouncing off nearby buildings. It was like our own natural reflector. Perfecto! Lovin' it! And Jess was absolutely amazing. So fun to work with; sweetest thing ever, unless of course you're a security guard trying to kick her out from shooting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or Grand Central Station, or the Library. Don't mess with Jess...that's what I learned. : )

We even got kicked out of St. Bart's Church RIGHT while Jess and I were working on a shot. Jess was determined to get the shot, and went back in and told the lady we would only take ONE more picture if we could just have 3 minutes. I'm glad she did because we got this picture which is one of my favorites from the day.

It was an absolute blast working with Jess and my mom, Jen. She got some amazing shots that you can see here on her blog. Truly inspiring!

NYC!

2010-08-16T09:49:00.006-07:00

Been MIA for a bit. Don't have a ton of time right now to post but here's just a preview of what I've been up to: Manhattan+bridal shoot=boo ya! More to come...

Why shoot at f/1.4?

2010-08-10T16:01:00.001-07:00

Today I was finishing up my edits for Carlo and Amy Jo, when I came across these two photos, both almost the same, except one was shot at f/7.1 and the other was shot at f/1.4. We had just shot a few photos of her beautiful ring, which is why I had it set at 7.1. I wanted as much detail and crispness as I could get. I then shot this picture of them:

...and realized that I was still dialed in at f/7.1 So then I opened up my lens to f/1.4 and shot this:

Now in this particular example, the bokeh (blurry background) in the second images almost looks like it was done in photoshop. It wasn't! Both images are SOOC (straight out of camera). This is the benefit of shooting "wide open". In other words, put your camera in Aperture priority mode, dial that thing WAY down, or as far down as it goes, and enjoy the beautiful blurry backgrounds that really makes your subject stand out and pop. Also note the natural vignetting to the f/1.4 version. I love this! I recently bought a 70-200mm 2.8 lens, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE IT! It's unreal. The sharpness of the lens blows me away. But I'll be honest, I KEEP switching back to my little 50 mm 1.4 lens, so that I can open the lens all the way to 1.4. You lucky Canon users even get a lens that goes down to 1.2!

But I just wanted to post that small example. I plan on doing little tips and tricks every once in a while here on the blog. I will soon post a "What's in my Bag" post and talk about the equipment I use. Thanks and enjoy your day!

Jasmine Star Workshop

2010-08-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

If you've seen my "Favorites" section at the top, you'll have seen that Jasmine Star has been one of my favorite photographers for quite a while, among a few other photography "giants", that I look to for inspiration and motivation to continue working, and shooting, and improving. A few weeks ago, I saw this post, where Jasmine announced that Chase Jarvis (another featured favorite photographer) had come to her with an idea. And instead of explaining it myself, take a look at the video that Jasmine posted on her blog.

So I thought...I should try this. And sadly enough, that's all that happened. I thought about it. Thought it would be an amazing thing to try, thought that it would be a life changing event, and thought about finding time to make a video. Thinking that the deadline was only a few days away, I missed my opportunity to turn my thoughts into action. My Mother called me that Saturday to tell me that I HAD to apply and make a video, but I told her that the due date had already passed. She showed me that I actually had another whole week till the deadline, and so I still had time to make my video.

Long story short(er), my wife and I noodled over idea after idea and did three "takes" three days in a row. Every time I finished editing another take, I realized other things I wanted to say or do. So here was the final video that was submitted:

And guess what? She PICKED ME! You can see the other 5 photographers she picked on her post here. I couldn't believe it. I am going to be able to learn for 5 days from one of the greatest photographers, and be able to shoot a live wedding with her and 5 other great people from around the world.

Needless to say, I'm ridiculously excited about this incredible opportunity. I plan on keeping updates flowing on the blog during the workshop, as well as on twitter @nateperkes. Thanks so much to Luisa for being patient with me, and for returning each day for "take 2" and "take 3" when there was only supposed to be a "take 1". Also a big thanks to my family who all pitched in and had great ideas, especially my older brother Josh, who was visiting town on our "take 3" day, and had some really great input that helped a lot with the video. I had a blast making it. Hope you enjoyed it!

Carlo+Amy Jo

2010-08-07T14:22:00.007-07:00

It's been an amazing last few days. I got chosen as one of six photographers to attend a workshop with Jasmine Star (more on that later), I turned 24 (woohoo! Getting old), and I had the awesome opportunity to photograph this incredible couple's engagements.

Carlo and Amy Jo are getting married next May in a beautiful church that I posted pictures of a few weeks ago (seen here). What an amazing couple! They are so in love and so happy together, and just ridiculously fun to be around. Thanks so much for the amazing time!

Kelsey's Bridals

2010-08-03T13:51:00.004-07:00

Again, Kelsey was such a champ, so willing to experiment with different lighting, poses, locations etc. So we started at the Capitol Building downtown. Aparently there aren't too many places to change into a wedding dress close to the Capitol Building at 6:30. Luckily we met a wonderful security guard for the Capitol that after making a few "red leader to gold leader" calls on his radio, was allowed to literally escort us inside to the bathrooms to change.

After the Capitol, we headed out to the country to get some shots in a beautiful field.

And lastly, I just did a little experimenting with off camera flash!

Have a great day!

Kelsey's Bridals - Preview!

2010-08-02T12:28:00.003-07:00

Hi there! I just wanted to post a quick picture as I'm going through these photos of Kelsey. She was AMAZING! She was up for anything and super fun! More to come tomorrow.

Zach+Kelsey

2010-07-31T23:51:00.004-07:00

Helloooo! It's been too long. So I had a blast on Friday photographing Kelsey's Bridals (Zach and Kelsey are getting married in September!). Zach and his Mom came along and we did a mini engagement session just for a few pics of them together.

Super cute couple that were totally up for anything...and Kelsey's Bridal pics are soon to come! Enjoy the weekend!

First Baptist Church - Boise

2010-07-09T23:50:00.007-07:00

There are times when you turn around and see something beautiful and before you have a chance to think twice about it, it's gone. I got lucky with this one. Had my camera on, lens hood off...I came down some really steep ladder/stairs from the steeple of the First Baptist Church in Boise, and turned around and saw this beautiful lady in the light of the window, framed perfectly by a beam of light. I had only a split second of a chance before she started walking away, and luckily got this one shot. I was on location for a bride scouting out the church where the wedding ceremony will be. The wonderful ladies there that helped me were fabulous. Gave me the "grand tour", from basement to the steeple, which was so beautiful. There was a lower brick room, below the steeple balcony with circular windows (see below) and a very steep ladder that came up out a latched door in the ceiling to the steeple.

The church had these beautiful tall windows that let in gorgeous light.

I closed all but one to get this next shot of the pews.

What a beautiful church! I honestly had so much fun making new friends and being able to see such an incredible building. Have a great weekend!

Matt & Sarah - COLOR!

2010-06-30T14:00:00.003-07:00

I'm back again for the color images of Matt and Sarah's Wedding. Congratulations you two and thanks again for the great wedding!

Matt & Sarah's Wedding - Black and White

2010-06-29T10:39:00.005-07:00

SUPER fun couple! And what a great wedding. Matt and Sarah are AWESOME! I convinced them to come with me downtown between the luncheon and the reception to do a city photo shoot and we had a blast. They were such a great couple to photograph, and up for anything. Here are some of my favorite black and white images from the wedding.

We found some really fun spots downtown. We just parked the cars and walked through the city as cars continually drove by honking their horns and yelling out, "CONGRATULATIONS!!".

PS!!! This post marks the 100th post with my Photo Blog!

Also, make sure you see tomorrow's COLOR post of Matt and Sarah's Wedding.

Salt Lake City Temple

2010-06-20T20:55:00.004-07:00

While on our way down to our family reunion in Altamont UT, we stopped in Salt Lake City to photograph the LDS Temple. There was an incredible storm passing through Salt Lake that created the some amazing and dramatic light. The sun mixed with the storm cast this beautiful golden light, while also creating some incredibly dark blue skies. It was a beautiful evening. Hope you enjoy the photos!

I'M BACK!

2010-06-17T12:17:00.003-07:00

WOW! It's been a little more than two weeks since I've blogged. Much too long. So I've been up in McCall with some family, and then down in Altamont Utah, population somewhere around 43.5, for a family reunion. Luisa and I had so much fun with the family though. So today, I just wanted to post some pictures that I took while in McCall. Most of these are either in parks around the Payette Lake, or just there in the harbor of McCall.

My wife said that this one reminder her of a heart monitor, or a sound wave.

I got the photo idea below from my brother Buck, who came with me on this shoot. He was having a blast with the fisheye lens.

Coopers

2010-06-01T14:06:00.006-07:00

Had a really fun shoot yesterday at a beautiful house! The Coopers are great friends of ours and it was great to photograph their family. Kyle even surprised his family with a golden retriever puppy that was honestly adorable. My wife was hooked. These are just a few from the shoot...enjoy!

2010-05-28T14:20:00.004-07:00

The other evening as the sun was going down, the sky was beautiful, so I really wanted to do some more tests with my SB-900. After much begging (literally) I finally got Luisa to come outside and stand in front my camera. I had interrupted her during a good book, so this had to be quick.

Took about 10 shots, and really liked this one, straight out of camera.

Shot with a Nikon D3s on a 50 mm 1.4 lens, shot at ISO 640, f/6.3 and 1/30 of a second. Flash was high camera left shot through an umbrella with no gels on it.

Boise - Idaho State Capitol

2010-05-27T12:20:00.003-07:00

Here are some fun pictures I've taken recently of the State Capitol in downtown Boise. It was such an ugly day until the sun started to go down and light became perfect for some evening shots.

This one is a Panorama consisting of about 10 vertical shots.

...and this is from inside looking straight up toward the dome.

Below is a 25 second long exposure. You can see the cars that passed on either side of me.

Faruk and Nicole Video

2010-05-21T14:04:00.002-07:00

Here's a video that I made for Faruk and Nicole.

Jaco Cont'd

2010-05-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

As the night came to a close in the little town near Jaco, we spotted this tiny off-street with a few houses and some great people. This man and his wife had a very small house, but they took care of it amazingly. She swept all around the house, and he did all the harder manual labor.

There were kids that would run around on the dirt roads that were all adorable. Again, some amazing people.

Manuel

2010-05-18T15:43:00.006-07:00

While Luisa and I were driving north to San Jose, we passed by a town called Jaco. On the outside of Jaco, there was this small village/town. It was one of my first real chances that I had taken at photographing the people of Costa Rica. This man named Manuel was one of the first, and was very kind.

At first, as I got out of the car, and asked him if I could take his photo, he was a bit concerned and really wanted to know why. I looked back and Luisa in the car, looking for help and for a translation. She helped the man understand that I was just taking photos of the people of Costa Rica. He was wonderful! He just sat there and let me take photos. And as I can get carried away when I have a subject as amazing as this man, near the end, I think he just about cracked. In the middle of photographing his hands, out of no where, this man who had been very serious previous to this, busted up laughing, almost uncontrollably. He was literally rocking in his chair just laughing. The picture below I caught while I was on the ground taking photos of his hands. Great man!

Liberia

2010-05-14T11:56:00.008-07:00

Back to Costa Rica, Liberia is about a 4 hours drive to the North-West of San Jose. Luisa's flight was out of San Jose, and mine was out of Liberia later in the day. So when it came time to leave, I dropped Luisa off in San Jose, kissing my wife, travel buddy and translator goodbye (Luisa is fluent in Spanish. I, on the other hand, am barely fluent in English. I can understand a bit of Spanish, but speaking it is another thing).

The drive back was beautiful. It was around 6:00 am, and all the rivers had steam rising from them in the valleys. It was gorgeous. I passed through the cutest towns, and somehow didn't get lost. At every toll booth, I'd just point in the direction I was going and say, "Voy a liberia". Thankfully they'd nod, and give me directions in Spanish. I caught nothing, except the word "Directo" which means straight. So I continued going straight, and somehow ended up in Liberia.

Just outside of Liberia though, there was the cutest town, and I had some extra time and wanted take some last pictures before I left the country. I drove through the tiny and bumpy dirt roads, and eventually parked the car. I grabbed my camera, my 5omm lens, threw them over my shoulder and began to walk the dirt roads. It was amazing. Everyone seemed a bit apprehensive at first as to why this gringo was walking through the streets. I spotted this man, and said in my broken Spanish, "Puedo sacar a su foto por favor?". Can I please take your photo? Luisa had made sure I knew that phrase before I left her at the airport. It worked great until they would almost always ask, "why?". I would try to explain again, in probably awful and broken Spanglish that I was a Photographer, traveling in the country and getting pictures of the people.

Soon the news that a photographer was in this tiny town spread, and children and families were all out on their front porches watching this crazy gringo taking pictures.

I had an absolute blast. An hour and a half flew by like nothing, and I eventually had to get going to catch my flight. I tried to ask if any of them had access to a computer to receive emails. No go. So if I'm ever in Costa Rica again, I can't wait to bring them all their printed photos. The people, are what I remember most about Costa Rica. They're absolutely amazing.

Nicole and Faruk

2010-05-12T13:48:00.007-07:00

While in Costa Rica for a corporate photo shoot, I had the opportunity to photograph one of their employees engagement shots. The was BY FAR one of my favorite shoots. They were so fun to work with, and just a beautiful couple. Despite the crazy heat, we had a ton of fun on the beach. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

Ice and Lucy

2010-05-11T13:01:00.009-07:00

So a little intermission from the Costa Rican posts here. Had an incredibly fun shoot on Saturday. Ice and Lucy are great friends, and are here from China going to school. They wanted some portrait work done before they headed back to China. We had a lot of fun, and had wonderful lighting, and I explored some new places to shoot, that I REALLY loved, although we did have someone call the cops saying that we were spray painting the trains on the tracks. Hmm....riiiight.

And for those that like the tech specs, I did the entire shoot on my Nikon D3s, on the 50mm 1.4 lens. I shot almost everything wide open at f/1.4 but occasionally closed down to 2.8 to get a little deeper depth of field (when both Ice and Lucy were in the picture).

Blue

2010-05-10T12:43:00.004-07:00

Happy Monday! I just wanted to keep up with posting more about Costa Rica through my photos. Today I decided to focus on the color blue. I had lots of cool shots with palm tree's and blue skies but I wanted to showcase some of the fun texture that Costa Rica has. There's texture and life and things to take pictures of everywhere. I loved it!

Abyssnyah

2010-05-07T22:45:00.004-07:00

Luisa and I stopped at a little surf town called Jaco for some lunch on our way to San Jose near the end of our trip. I walked down to the beach and met this amazing man named Abyssnyah. He was from Venezuela and here in Costa Rica for the surf. I asked him if could take some pictures of him as he prepared to surf. He sat and waxed his board, and braided his dreadlocks. Here are a few from our impromptu shoot.

UPDATE!!

2010-05-06T11:16:00.005-07:00

Wow! I'm a failure. I made it through one day of posts in Costa Rica. But there's not exactly wifi spots in the middle of the Corcovado rain forrest. Check out Luisa's post here to read more about our adventures. We had a blast to say the least. And, We're ALIVE! We made it. We had some pretty crazy and fun experiences and I want to post lots of pictures. Rather than trying to post it all in one post, I'm just going to give little snippets here and there of what it was like to be there, and who we met, and what we did. But all through photographs, and in no particular order.

So today are these shots of Palm Tree's in the Corcovado Rain Forrest. It was gorgeous there, just beautiful. But to get into the heart of the forrest one had to hike 17 km to get to the base camp. When it wasn't monsoon'ing on us, I was able to take out my camera and snag a few palm tree shots. Hope you enjoy!

Costa Rica Day 1

2010-04-17T00:08:00.006-07:00

In Costa Rica...LOVING it. Right now, I'm laying in bed, I can hear the ocean....oh...just saw a gecko. He keeps peeking out from behind the tv stand. I've been hired by a great company to come down and take pictures of their staff while they vacation here. So they've put me up in a rather nice hotel on a beautiful peninsula in Costa Rica. Luisa is actually joining me tomorrow, and after we're done here, we're taking an extra week to see the country.

So I just wanted to post a few of my travel pictures. Spent the day on planes. Not fun. Except if anyone can make it fun, my wife can. I have a blast with her.

Houston Airport

Flew into Liberia, CR. On the way in, the pilot decided to "dodge" the lighting storms below. I saw the most spectacular natural light show. It was amazing. We also flew over an active volcano...beautiful.

Liberia was just wonderful. So small, and out there. The terminal, baggage claim and customs were all together in a big warehouse type building. I loved it.

Then there's the hotel. I guess I can't really say that I'm "roughing it" but Luisa and I are going to have our fair share of that after we finish up the photo job here. The hotel is beyond beautiful. Went down to the beach...forgot my tripod, but took some long exposures just for fun holding the camera on my lap.

Good day, beautiful place, and incredible people. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Rodeo Round TWO!

2010-04-13T23:07:00.005-07:00

Lots of fun at the rodeo this year! Had a blast taking pictures and videos!

Sub!

2010-04-11T23:19:00.004-07:00

I have a good friend here that is a teacher at a beautiful private art school here in Idaho. The school has only about 100 high school students, and the classes range from music, to dance, to photography, and even your general science, math, and english classes. It's an INCREDIBLE environment. I felt surrounded by gifted and amazing individuals.

Well my friend David asked me to substitute teach for him since he was going to be out of town for a wedding, and I was SUPER excited at the opportunity. Amongst some of his classes were two photography classes. We had an absolute blast (at least I think so). David wanted me to show the students a bit of my work and talk about why I wanted to be a photographer. I also thought it would be a great learning experience to bring in all my gear and do a sample photo shoot of one of the kids right there in the classroom, then run it through photoshop for the final edits...So kind of a beginning to end type of thing. Here are two of the students from different classes that "volunteered" (some needed a little persuasion) to be the models for the photos. And they both did amazing!

Both photos were taken inside the classroom with the lights off, and the blinds mostly shut. I shot with my flash through an umbrella. Some of the students asked about texture overlays, so here you see our experimenting with textures over the portraits.

It was honestly an amazing experience. I go back tomorrow (Monday) for my last day. Sad. But hopefully I'll be able to sub in the future. I was so inspired by these students. They all have some amazing work, and have an incredible eye for photography. Much of their work lined the walls of the room, and it was incredibly inspiring to see such great work from such young students.

Bogus...

2010-04-07T22:09:00.003-07:00

I went skiing a few days ago and decided to bring my camera. The conditions were BEAUTIFUL! Fresh powder, blue skies, it was wonderful. There are two decent sized jumps at Bogus Basin here in Idaho so I skied up to them, and took off my skis, and set up shop next to these jumps. At first there were only a few people that would come down and hit the jumps, but I could tell that as time went by, everyone wanted to come try and show off their moves for the camera.

Everyone was SUPER friendly and nice though. A few skiers and snowboarders came up to see their pictures and talk for a bit. One snowboarder had a knack for jumping over me (top picture). One snowboarder decided to spin as he came off the jump. Well I just happened to be in the wrong place, and he coated myself and my camera with a full coat of snow! But here are some of my favorite shots.

Off Camera Flash!

2010-04-02T12:16:00.013-07:00

I've been reading "The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light From Small Flashes" by Joe McNally, one of my all-time heros in the photography world. I consider him one of the kings of off camera flash. You can check out his website here, or his blog here. Joe is a journalist, a story teller, which is probably what makes him such an amazing photographer; each of his photos tells a dynamic story. But you'll notice his style is not typical. He's photographed for National Geographic, Time, Life, and much more...BUT, to stay on topic here, he's made me want to get my flash...off camera, triggered wirelessly.

So I ordered a few fun new gizmos and gadgets from B&H and waited patiently (not really) for my package to arrive, and it did on Tuesday! I had family in town staying with my brother and his wife that live close by...perfect! So I headed over there, "Hi, yeah, good to see you, come outside for a second and stand under my umbrella..." I had a blast. Seriously, too much fun. I set up my flash on a light stand shooting through a Westcott Umbrella, exposed for the sky, and let the flash do the rest.

I'm excited for this new world that has opened up to me, with the

ability to light my subjects with nice flattering soft light.

Hope you enjoy!

Portrait Portfolio!

2010-03-24T09:34:00.005-07:00

Hi there! So I've made a slideshow to sample some of my portrait work over the past year. Hope you enjoy!! Be sure to turn off the Blog's Music at the bottom before you press play!

Nice Light

2010-03-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Still Life

2010-03-10T13:45:00.005-07:00

Clouds...

2010-02-20T12:26:00.002-07:00

It's been overcast for the last 3 weeks at least. Finally the sun decided to show up! I figured I had to go take some pictures of the cool clouds. More to come...

Downtown Boise

2010-02-15T14:28:00.001-07:00

Kate Running

2010-01-18T16:41:00.001-07:00

A stark contrast

2010-01-14T14:34:00.002-07:00

Boise State

2010-01-13T11:12:00.002-07:00

On the way home...

2009-12-26T23:56:00.004-07:00

Luisa and I were forced to eventually head home from our wonderful little winter wonderland up in the mountains. We took the "elk" way home though, visiting a place near Donnelly where the elk come for the winter, being fed by the locals. We had a great drive home!

My poor wife...again.

2009-12-26T11:15:00.007-07:00

My sweet wife does VERY well with putting up with me, especially when I say something like, "OH, the light right there is gorgeous! Will you stand there a moment?". She's always willing and often replies with a look that say's I'm probably crazy. But here are a few shots that she's allowed me (kinda...ok well not really...well actually kinda with blatant disproval) to post on the blog.

Snowy Mountains!

2009-12-24T13:37:00.007-07:00

So this Christmas Luisa and I have decided to spend our Holiday up in the mountains of Donnelly Idaho near McCall! It's GORGEOUS up here, but it comes with some very cold temperatures. But what has been so fun has been our chance to try out my new camera. It's been a blast and the jump to a full frame sensor has been a fantastic one. Here are some pictures that I've taken while being up here in the beautiful country side. I really like the black and whites, but the colors are gorgeous as well.

On our way up along the road...

Our view from our lodge...the sky was amazing!

Stars off our balcony that night...

And some fun tree shots...

So far, I can not believe the dynamic range of the camera and the sharpness of a new fisheye lens. We're

having too much fun and I'll be sure to post some more pictures!

Barn

2009-12-02T15:16:00.005-07:00

Here is a fun HDR shot of a barn near Luisa's work.

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T19:27:00.007-07:00

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving! We spent the day with my brother and his wife and their family. I just wanted to post a few pictures that I had fun with while things were getting ready. What a great day!

Hicks Family

2009-11-23T17:56:00.002-07:00

Here are some quick shots from a shoot today. Fun fun!!!

My Support...

2009-11-23T14:24:00.004-07:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I am working on some photos right now but just wanted to post a picture of my sweet wife. She is by my side in whatever I'm doing, no matter what. Without her support, my photography would not be possible.

The Mason Family!

2009-10-23T08:32:00.003-07:00

What an amazing and fun family!!! We had a blast! We went to this new park that I had never been to, and planned on going to a bridge later in the day but we had so much fun in the park that we stayed there the whole evening. The fall colors were gorgeous, and there were quite a few photographers, but I don't think anyone was having as much fun as we were. This family was great, fun, relaxed and completely natural in front of the camera. Here are some favorites from the shoot.

The Campbell Family!

2009-10-19T12:23:00.004-07:00

What a great family! We had so much fun shooting at three different locations around Boise. Here are just a few samples of their shoot. The kids were adorable, and sometimes a bit hard to hold their attention. But they did amazing!