One last post for the day
I wanted to share this image that I shot the other day while I was in Sandpoint, ID. As I was shooting a lifestyle session the sky decided to share its beauty to all who could see it!
2 comments July 28th, 2007
Archive for July, 2007
Two new lenses!
Yesterday was a good day! UPS delivered my package from B&H that I have been waiting for all week. I have been wanting these two new lenses since last year when Canon announced them. My biggest hesitation was the price and if these lenses were worth the LARGE set back financially. After numerous chats with my photog friends across the country and more recent situations where I wished I had a faster lens, I pulled out the American Express and went for it!
I purchased the 50mm f/1.2! This lens is amazing! I just picked up my camera this morning from the camera doctor (a little senser cleaning was in order) and threw these lenses on right away. I then called out the hottest blonde in town to come out back for aquick photo session. I’m not quite sure if she was into it because here expressions below arent to exciting. None the less I wanted to try out this 1.2 f stop to see how shallow the depth of field really is ( For all you non photogs out there, thats a little shop talk. If someone wants to know what depth of field is let me know and I can explain later.)! Well, look at the photo below of Madison. The only thing in focus is her eyes!
After that she just wanted to lay down and soak up the sun. I tried to get some expression but I think she knows I have a wedding all day and I wont be home. Therefore she decided not to cooperate. But I shot photos anyway. The ball in the foreground is her favorite one and I even tried to entice her with for a little expression…..but nothing.
The other purchase was a 85mm f/1.2. This is one serious lens! I love it and the weight and feel of it adds a nice balance to the camera. The front lens element is very impressive, the focus is a little slow compared to my zooms but the quality is unsurpassed. After our first shoot outside I brought Madison into the house. Once again she came in and layed down on the floor. There was no way she was going to cooperate so I just shot what I could. This image was shot at f/1.2 as well.
None of these images were photoshoped at all! Everything is straight out of the camera! Can’t wait to use these two lenses today!
1 comment July 28th, 2007
Amber + Darby
I will be shooting this fun couple the first weekend in August. The location is a private residence on Lake Pend Oreille. This should be an amazing wedding with over 350 attendants! Stay posted for wedding images!
2 comments July 27th, 2007
Shawna + Kevin
Ok everyone so I’m trying to catch up here with my blogging. By the way, my iPhone rocks! Anyways I shot the lifestyle session of Shawna & Kevin right after the 4th of July. I’m limiting these to about three photos for each post. I know some of you might want more but thats just the way it is!
P.S. Not sure if any of you are aware but at the bottom of each post is a comment link. Either knowone see’s it or maybe your just scared to say hello? I would love to hear everyones comments on my imagry. I mean I get about 30 – 50 people checking this blog daily (yes I do know my stats and I can even tell which IP address visits the most!). If you want to leave a comment that will last for eternity on the SWP blog please start doing so!
See you in a couple weeks Shawna & Kevin!
2 comments July 27th, 2007
My iPhone is here!
So far this little computer is amazing! I will give a little review on it in a week or so. That should give me enough time to give it a fair review of my likes and dislikes.
Add comment July 26th, 2007
An SWP update……..
I can’t believe its already the end of July! This summer has been a whirlwind of weddings and lifestyle sessions, on top of all my traveling. I figured it’s time to update my schedule that way everyone knows where I’m at and what I’m up to.
First off I need to let everyone know that I made the cover of Northwest Bride & Newlywed! Its on stands now and it is a great reasource for all your wedding needs from Seattle, Portland all the way over to Montana. So if your getting married anytime soon make sure you pick one up. Then give me a call so you can book me for your wedding!
The next big news is SWP is going to Maui! I was just commissioned for a wedding there for the 26th of September. I will be in Maui from Sept. 23rd through the 28th. It’s going to be a very small event with about 30 people for a sunset ceremony. Then we will take a short walk to the 4 season for the reception. This should be a great way to end my wedding season!
My schedule for the next 8 weeks is as follows….
July 28th Chelsea and Sams wedding at a private residence in Hayden Lake.
Aug. 2-3 I will be in Lewiston photographing some of the local pro riders
Aug. 4th I will be in Sandpoint photograph Amber and Darby’s wedding.
Aug 6-9th I will be all over the lakes in the Northwest shooting more local wakeboard pros. I would love to give you more information on this but I’m not a liberty to. So I will post some shots when I am able to.
August 10th I have Sarah & Terry’s wedding in Post Falls. This should be a great one with a lot of “alternative wedding images”. You will know what I mean when I get them posted. Should be a blast.
August 11th I have Shawna and Kevins wedding just outside of Spokane. This is a great couple with a gorgeous home location for the ceremony and reception.
August 12 through the 15th I will be in Sandpoint shooting wakeboarding. There should be a lot of pros from the Northwest showing up for this video and photo shoot. While I’m up there I’m also going to be shooting a lifestyle session. On the 15th I’m shooting a lifestyle session with the family of Buck Knives. I’m REALLY excited about this session. I’ve had a buck knife since I was 8 and to have the opertunity to photograph this family is a great honor!
August 16th – 19th I fly to San Diego California to photograph Cara & Brocks wedding.
Gust 20th through 24 is currently open and I’m hoping to stay home and get everything caught up.
August 25th Is Holly and Richards wedding in Hayden. this should be another great wedding for the SWP wedding year!
August 31 I have Geneva & Adams wedding at The Davenport Hotel!
September 1st I have another wedding in Sandpoint at Schweitzer Mountain resort. Beverly and Kimber seem like such an amazing couple and I can’t wait to hangout with them in the mountains!
September 7th I have Melissa and Chad’s wedding! Make sure to checkout there lifestyle session from June. This couple created some great images!
The weeks in between I will be preparing for my 4day photography workshop with David Beckstead. The dates for that are Sept 10th thru the 14th. We stil have some space available so call today to save your spot.
September 20 thru 23 I’m in California to shoot Alicia and Mikes in Corona Del Mar!
September 23 thru 28th I will be in Maui! YEAH!
So now you can see why I needed to hire a couple people. Without these new teammates there is no way I can pull this off!
One last thing……I get my new Iphone on Friday! So excited to play with this new toy!
2 comments July 25th, 2007
Heather + Mike 6-29-07
On Friday June 29th of this year, I was commissioned to photograph Heather and Mike’s wedding at the Coeur d Alene Resort Golf Course. This was a big honor to me since I first meet the brides family when I photographed their first daughters wedding a couple of years ago. When they decided to have the wedding at the CDA Resort, I was worried that I was not going to be able to photograph the event since Quicksilver Studios has exclusivity with all weddings at the resort. Luckily my reputation in the area enabled the resort to make an exception to allow me in for this one day! So thank you CDA Resort. Here are some getting ready shots in the room.
From the room we headed to the golf course to start shooting family pictures and some artistic B&G images. On the way there I noticed some really crazy clouds and heard there were 60-70 mph winds coming our way. I didn’t think much of it hoping wishful thinking was going to help us out. So I headed down to get some detailed images of the ceremony location. Below was the layout for this small and intimate ceremony location.
Then 5 minutes later……..
I couldnt believe it! I was shocked that this was happening one hour before the ceremony. Not only that but the reception was 70% setup and the wind even flipped tables, broke glasses and flipped center pieces! Jaime from Jaime Johnson Events decided the location needed to be moved ASAP. The resort cleared a conference room and that was going to be our new location for everything! We packed up what we could (and what was left to salvage) and headed back to the hotel. Two hours later the ceremony began and the wedding went without a hitch! Its times like this when you can take a step back and find the real importance of the wedding. I think a lot of people get over whelmed with details of their wedding and forget what this is all about.
Jaime did an amazing job as usual, not quite sure how she pulled this off but she did with flying colors. Here are a couple more images from the wedding.
Add comment July 24th, 2007
Whats new with SWP?
Hello everyone. Its Sunday and I’m on my way to shoot my second wedding of the weekend. As you can tell I have not posted anything new in quite awhile. Mainly because with my travels and workload I’m a little behind on my image processing. I guess you can say my business is growing and I have a sprained ankle right now (little analogy for business growing pains). So there is going to be some exciting news in the next week or two. I’m adding new teammates to the SWP crew!!!!!
First position is going to be an office manager. This person is going to be answering/ returning my phone calls, schedule appointments, invoicing and collecting payments, etc. The second teammate is going to be my digital asset work-flow leader (DAW). Basically I’m going to be teaching this person all of my secrets to my imagery (processing, retouching, effects, web, etc.). This person is also going to be assisting me on my new photography ventures that are in the horizon. I’m hoping that this will free up more of my time to focus on my photography and growing this empire I’ve created. I want to make sure my clients are getting the attention they deserve and the products I promise in a timely fashion. These new teammates will guarantee this for me and my customers.
With that said please be patient, I am working as hard as possible to get my new teammates up to speed as well as getting new weddings posted. The good thing to this long hiatus of blog postings is………. There is a lot to come!
Add comment July 22nd, 2007
Evan + Shelby + 7-7-07
I have been looking forward to this wedding since last May when Shelby and Evan hired me to shoot their wedding. At the time I ‘didn’t think much of the date, but as the year went on that’s all us wedding photographers would talk about. Are you booked for 7-7? Every Photographer that I know was shooting and some were even shooting 2 or 3 weddings that day.
I have been working with Shelby’s family going on 4 years now and I absolutely love them. They have always treated me as family and have been very loyal to me and my business. So to the Walsh family…..”Thank you for everything and I look forward to many more years with you guys!” I photographed their first daughters (Brittany) wedding 4 years ago and now on 7-7-07 it was Shelby’s turn. I don’t shoot to many weddings where I’m required to be there for 10 hours, but this was a real all day affair. Starting with the girls getting their makeup done and getting dressed. To the men putting on their tux’s and hanging in the men’s lounge (by the way this men’s lounge is every mans dream!). From there it was off to the church for the nuptials, then back to the house for the grand reception.
Jaime Johnson from Jaime Johnson Events was the wedding coordinator and all I can say is that she nailed it! There was a lot of coordination that needed to be done, tent rentals, bus’s for the guest back and forth, church set up, catering, the time line and the list goes on and on. I don’t know how Jaime does it but she is by far the best wedding coordinator that I have ever worked with! To any future brides reading this blog post…….Hire a wedding coordinator! They will make your life wonderful! In fact hire Jaime!
Now we can’t forget Carrissa Vera from the Art of Flowers. Her ideas and creativity with flowers really blows me away. Make sure to check out all the little details of the flowers and center pieces.
Now for some photos. I have not had time to go through them all but here are a couple quick selections…..
The men in the men’s lounge!
Yes, he is showing pocket Ace’s!
I love these flower balls that Carrissa makes!
Not sure why I’m into these shots but I have done a lot of them this year. I guess its because it’s something a little different and know one else is doing it in wedding photography. So what do you think?
Quick peek at the reception setup….
Last but not least the cake! This is by far the best cake I have ever photographed!
Thank you once again Evan & Shelby for having me last weekend. I hope you two are having a blast on your honeymoon!
Add comment July 10th, 2007
Bence + Tia
Its not very often that I show up at a wedding without seeing my clients. This approach always makes me a little nervous because I don’t know what to expect. Well, once I arrived I new that this was going to be an easy couple to photograph. They were both so laid back and very non chelaunt. Both Bence & Tia actually live in Europe but decided to get married where Tia grew up, Spokane, WA. The location chosen was the beautiful Davenport hotel. Everything was decorated to a tee and then you top it off with two beautiful souls getting married and you have a beautiful wedding day.
Below are a couple of my favorites from the day.
I love this image!
Add comment July 4th, 2007