i may not be blogging for a few weeks while i'm on break...so i thought i'd write up a post saying MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

hope its filled with good people, good food and good music..

(like the Gloria Estefan Christmas CD).

that.is.all.

.love.

photo by: Kimberly Clark

getting ready

A few weeks ago my friend Kelley and I shot Ryan and Heather's wedding. Ceremony and reception pictures will be posted after the holiday break... until then, here's a few pictures of Heather and the girls getting ready:

:)

The other day my teacher, Peter Chilton, made a video with me and some of my classmates in it for a Nikon contest. Its suuuuper cute and if you don't smile after watching it then you are the Grinch.  

home depot fun

Today in Gregory Hesiler's class we played with lights that were under $100 from Home Depot. Honestly it was one of the most fun classes I have had yet (and thats saying a lot because 97% of my classes are fun). We had a long florescent light with a grid over it and a $12 carpenter bowl with a 60 watt light bulb in it. To the right of Lisa and Christine was a shower curtain. Ohhh yahh..

It was so fun to mess with such unintimidating gear and to experiment with radically warm and cool tones. Lastly, what was SO wonderful is to know I can create images I think are kinda cool that don't have to cost me thousands of dollars in lighting equipment. 

Christine:

Lisa:

Filming it up.

its been awhile since i've shot with film, SO if any film snobs are out there (& yes, you guys are the most snobby of all photo snobs), i would like to say that i acknowledge that these photos are fogged and yes, i know that the heads are cut in half. ok, ok... i'm rusty... but i will persevere! 

although they have their flaws, i think they're pretty interesting. its fun to take my sweet time with my new Diana and to experiment. next time i'll try out color and try loading the film in correctly :)

alright, enough defending my photos.. here we go:  

self-portrait, 

Mmm.

Did I mention I recently fell in love with the commercial studio? Here is this weeks product shot, shot with a small softbox next to the milk and a raw light on the background:

Oliver.

My my Oliver is super talented and super fun to photograph. More are coming shortly, stay tuned ya'll...

still-life

I remember the only thing I wasn't looking forward to doing at school was working in the commercial studio. Now, its one of my favorite places to be, although at times it can be pretty tedious. So far everything is pretty basic and technical, but soon we'll be kicking it up a few notches. Here is some of the stuff I've done so far: 

The Keller Wedding (part 1)

When my friend David Ducane asked me to be the second shooter at the wedding he was hired to photograph, I was ecstatic. Being obsessed with wedding photography and being someone who loves love, I had always wanted to shoot a couple’s big day.
Early Saturday morning last week, David, Dakota and I took a long and exhausting bus ride to New Jersey where we were met by David’s cutie-patootie girlfriend, Chelsea. The rest of the night we were loved on and fed by the lovely Ducane family. Although I did a fairly good job at hiding my nervousness, deep down I was stressed and feeling insecure. Without trying, the Ducane family calmed my nerves and soon I was excited to help document Laura and Justin’s wedding.
I woke up a couple hours earlier then the boys did to get pretty and to practice what I was most nervous about: the flash! A few hours later, with bellies full of chi tea and cinnamon rolls, we found ourselves at the house of the bride-to-be. We first shot the girls getting ready and some candid’s of the cute little kids. After that, we were off to the wedding ceremony (which flew by fast) followed by the reception where it got reeeally fun for us and where the guests let loose! Long story short it was an amazing experience and I'm so grateful I lost by wedding virginity to the Keller's! They are such a fun couple that are blessed to have an awesome family. If every wedding I shoot has a wild and entertaining family and group of friends like theirs, I will be one happy photographer!
Mostly I loved being on the dance floor with the guests and getting the chance to photograph with David and watch him shoot and interact with people. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to second shoot and can't wait for the next few weddings coming up. Although it's stressful and demanding, to witnessing and to photograph a couple in love and in their happiest moment is the most rewarding thing.
This is just the first batch.. more are to come. These are the pictures I took, to see the ones David too go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photofanatic_photography/ (he focused more on the bride and groom). Hope you enjoy!