Brides Against Breast Cancer
Posted on March 23, 2009
Heidi of heidzillas just posted an announcement on her blog about the Brides Against Breast Cancer event happening in Cleveland on March 26th. For more information about the event, please go to her blog, and try to attend!! I’ve always been a big supporter of all things having to do with cancer awareness since my father’s passing from cancer in 2006, but this year I’m supporting the breast cancer awareness even more since someone close to me has recently been diagnosed and is fighting it.
Thanks!
WPPI 2009: Plus Class with Cliff Mautner
Posted on March 12, 2009
Last year was my first year attending the annual WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention in Las Vegas. I made many friends and learned so much that I was very eager to return this year. This year the convention was held in the middle of February and I attended for 8 looong days. Vegas is a fun city (that I’ve yet to see much of lol) but boy, 8 days wears you out!!! I learned so much and made more friends this year. I have to start this post with a shout out to my awesome roommates – Christine Tremoulet, Anne Ruthmann and Jillian Kay whom gave me many days (and nights) of laughter!
The first ‘agenda’ for WPPI was my Plus Class with Cliff Mautner which I signed up for with two good friends from last year, Kate McElwee and Zach Goodyear. I was going between who to take a class with and I’m glad that Kate and Zach helped me choose Cliff. His class was by far one of the best I have ever attended and I learned so much in two days it is unimaginable. The first day we focused on using available light, any time of the day and the second day we focused on flash and how to set up great shots during all parts of a typical wedding day. Cliff is a great teacher – probably one of the best that I have learned from – and has a great personality. So many things that always seemed beyond me just ‘clicked’ when he broke it down and explained it in layman’s terms. Any photographers out there thinking of taking a class with him should absolutely do it, he’s amazing!
The first day we got a lot of hands on experience so I’m going to show a few pics I took on Thursday. Friday we watched Cliff since there were a lot of issues with shooting indoors with the casino (boo on them!) so I don’t have much to show from that day but I promise I learned a lot 
Next post… Vegas Wedding Project!
Here we are using window light for bridal portraits similar to what we would do the day of a wedding for getting ready images at a hotel.
Recognize Andy? He was our model last year for my Plus Class with Mike Colon.
This is when we went into the courtyard (which is not pretty!) to use ‘ugly’ overhead bright sun to create good bride and groom portraits. I didn’t get a lot but I do love this shot!
A blend between rim lighting and a silhouette. I kind of like it
Hawaii Day Three: Kapaula Sights
Posted on January 23, 2009
The final day of shooting I not only loved shooting Rosanna and Jared but the class as well as the gorgeous scenery around me! We started off at the top of a hill with a field and row of trees and ended down at the beach where there were plenty of surfers enjoying the waves.
Rosanna, Mike Colon, Jared and Mike Mijangos head to the first spot for shooting for the day.
Natalie Norton goes into the fields for the perfect shot.
Scarlett Lillian showing off her perfect photography posture!
Mike Mijangos gets creative and uses a plaque to help steady the shot.
Just another day of shooting the gorgeous Rosanna and handsome Jared! (L to R) Mike Colon, Mike Mijangos, Sommer Holden, Erin Kline, Johanna Tano and Gavin Wade.
Natalie Norton has the craziest poses of anyone I know but she gets awesome shots for going the distance! She’s in the pic above but Mike Colon is blocking her in my shot.
It wasn’t easy getting a clear shot of Rosanna and Jared (as you can see from the shot above) so I looked up and loved the pattern of the branches of the tree and shot that instead. Kind of bizarre but I like it!
After the third or fourth car got us off the road with the trees, we decided to head down to the beach and continue shooting there. I am a beach girl so I had to take a few shots of the gorgeous landscape that my eyes beheld!!!
This is the first time I’ve ever seen serious surfers in action so I had to take a shot of someone hangin’ ten!
Mike borrowed my shorter lens to work with the off camera lighting so I got to play with his monster 200 2.0 lens for a bit. Again, I couldn’t get a clear shot of Rosanna and Jared so I went for Mike but he caught me!
Scarlett makes the BEST faces for the camera!!!! She’s too fun to shoot!
Scarlett getting her winning shot of the day of Rosanna and Jared on the beach after sunset. Mike Mijangos is assisting by holding the light off to the side of the frame.
Final shot of the gorgeous beach after sunset – again, I love moon shots over the ocean!!!
Hawaii Day Three: Rosanna and Jared
Posted on January 21, 2009
The final day of shooting was done with Rosanna and Jared in Kapalua near the Four Seasons hotel. We started up a bit from the beach on a hill with a field and trees and then ended up at sunset on the beach. This was by far my favorite of the three sessions! Again, a million thanks to Rosanna and Jared (are they not the most adorable couple), to Mike Colon for being such a wonderful teacher and the rest of the class for being there with me!
I believe Jared had licked her cheek!
Not the best technically but the sequence made me giggle, wonder what she told him???
This shot of Rosanna and Jared in the field won me one of the top pic choices of the day of the class! Scarlett Lillian won but gave up her spot since she’d won already (aww) so this is technically the runner up but it still made me giddy!
The other choice for the top pic after Scarlett’s two and the other one above! Made for a great ending to my week!
I love the look of this shot, reminds me of a cologne ad.
Shot with Mike Adrian’s one-light setup with pocket wizards.
Shot with onboard flash unit using settings that Mike Colon taught me while others were taking their turns with the off camera lighting setup. I really love this shot, probably due to the moon! I have a thing with moon shots over the ocean…
Hawaii Day Two: The Sights
Posted on January 19, 2009
First I want to mention that my blog will be undergoing some construction in the next couple weeks so if things look wonky at times, I apologize!
Now… the post! Day two of shooting in Maui – this time around the area where the house was located at where the workshop was held. The house was in Lahaina but in the foothills of the West Maui Mountain. There was an interesting forest behind it which made for some unique pictures and the skies were really interesting that day changing light constantly. Enjoy the shots!
View from the house towards the mountain.
The class heading to the shoot location.
Mike instructs Chris and Katie on what to do next.
(L to R) Rosanna, Sommer Holden, Joanna Tano, Scarlett Lillian, Gavin Wade, Mike Colon and Erin Kline.
Crazy Maui skies.
Luke Edmonson and his monster lens.
Mike shooting Chris and Katie.
Luke shows that photographers will get into some crazy positions to get the right shot!
Shot of the houses Mike & the gang were staying at. The workshop/photog house is the one with the white peak. SUCH a great house!!
Hawaii Day Two: Chris and Katie
Posted on January 16, 2009
Chris and Katie were such fun!! It was a rare (or so I’m told) overcast day in Hawaii and we shot around the amazing houses that Mike Colon and the rest of the class were staying in (I was down the street at the Hyatt Regency, more on that later!). They aren’t married or engaged but ARE a couple so making them kiss was so much fun! The forest area around the houses was neat but I felt awful for the classmates that managed to get caught in the thorns that seemed to come from EVERYWHERE! Those things are evil! I was smart and stayed on the paved road – however those that ventured in got some awesome shots. I also go to play with Mike’s 200 2.0 lens – whoa baby! I got to get one of those! Thanks for being such a great couple guys!!
Hawaii Day One: Downtown Lahaina
Posted on January 13, 2009
I have a bad habit at workshops I have found – I tend to shoot the photographers I’m with just as much as the couples – and I love it. In Hawaii I not only had some amazing couples to play with but some super fun photographers as well that never failed to strike fun poses (yes, I’m looking at you Scarlett!). I also couldn’t help but take some snaps of the gorgeous location we were in and one amazing guy we stumbled upon. So here are some pics from our first day of shooting of the photographers and the scenery.
(L to R) The awesome duo of Scarlett Lillian and Erin Kline of Gavin Wade Photographers taking some smokin’ shots of Rosanna and Jared.
The amazing and super sweet Natalie Norton getting into position for a shot of Rosanna and Jared.
Erin gets some advice from Mike Mijangos whom was so awesomely helpful during the workshop.
On our way down Front Street, the access to one of the beaches was being roped off with caution tape. I looked over the edge of the decking to see why and saw this amazing beauty. This is a Hawaiian Monk Seal which is an endangered species and only is seen in Hawaii. I was seriously STOKED. Don’t worry, this guy (or gal?) is fine. They just come to shore to chill out from time to time. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a few pics though so I had to take a pitstop while the others kept going to get a couple shots. I don’t regret it for a moment. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I’m such an animal lover
Close up of this awesome guy!!! All taken with a zoom from a respectful distance
Sunset from downtown Lahaina.
The adorable Natalie again. I LOVED her shirts. This lady has killer taste in clothing people! AND she warned me about the sea urchin down here I almost stepped on in my bare feet. YIKES! That would have outranked my cactus story I think, thankfully she saved me.
Rosanna and Jared sittin’ in a tree… first comes love, then comes a bunch of photographers!!!
(L to R) The Poker Queen Carla Jalbert, Scarlett Lillian and Natalie Norton.
No day is a bad day when it ends like this. Ahhhhh I miss Maui!
Hawaii Day One: Joelle and Andrew
Posted on January 12, 2009
Our other couple on our fist day of shooting in Hawaii was Joelle and Andrew. They are a real-life couple in Hawaii that arne’t quite engaged yet but the topic has came up often. They are such a young and fun couple that were perfectly happy roaming around downtown Lahaina with us and posing (and of course kissing!). Thanks for being such great troopers!!
Shoot with Beckstead
Posted on June 19, 2008
Last week I had the amazing expeience of taking a workshop with David Beckstead, one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the United States. He is just simply awesome. I learned SO much from him and he was the nicest person. Very friendly and easy to get along with. The workshop was hosted by Cat McKinley whom was just the best hostess ever. I can’t rave enough about this workshop, it was THAT good. By far the best money I’ve spent towards my education in photography. We went to some fantastic places in Akron and Cleveland with our model brides – the Akron Civic Theater, Stan Hywet and The Arcade in Cleveland. We also did a quick jaunt around downtown with our bride as well. The best of the best (IMHO) of what I shot is below. Beware it is very picture heavy!
Thanks so much to David for being such a wonderful teacher and Cat for setting everything up!
WPPI Plus Class with Mike Colón (and Ray Santana)
Posted on April 7, 2008
WPPI offers classes before the big convention starts called Plus Classes that are essentially workshops with various photographers. This year’s classes were made up of 8 of the top photographers in the field, with 20 students per class, focusing for two days on their personal expertise in photography. I chose Mike Colón because I adore his work, he shoots Nikon (which is what I shoot) and I felt that I could learn a lot from him. I felt that our shooting styles were very much similar when it comes to shooting so I really felt that I could learn a lot from this amazing photographer.
The classes bascially were about the basics of photography and learning how to find and shoot natural light correctly. Each day we had a morning session of learning the craft and the afternoons were spent with models implementing what we learned during the day. The first day we had Jen & Adam as our models and the second day we had Krystal & Adam (same guy, different gals) as our models. I feel that I learned a lot from Mike – especially when it comes to determing light sources! I also learned how to pay attention more to what is in the background that could be potentially distracting when shooting. He also had his assistant/friend/sidekick Ray Santana along with him for the class and I also learned a lot from Ray.
I felt bad for both guys though who were mystified with my manners. When it comes to fighting 20 people for a shot, I’m the first to bow out. I got elbowed in the head a few times and someone hit me with their lens (some of these lenses aren’t light! ow!). Photography isn’t a contact sport in my world so I chose to go for the odd angles and try and get what I can. Both Ray & Mike by the second day were trying to not be great teachers but were also shoving me in for the good shots and looking out for me. They were both fantastic. I can’t say enough things about them. Anyone that gets a chance to take Mike’s workshop absolutely should!!
Below are some shots I got during the two-day class!
