Thompson Photography

Yellowstone

2010-09-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to go to yellowstone and shoot some photos for my stock portfolios. I got some really nice shots, and I wanted to share them here with you all. Let me know what you think, and which are your favorites. I love to get feedback on my photos.

Dustin and Morgans Wedding

2010-07-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to help out my good friend Nate Allred of Treasure Photography shoot a wedding in Utah. The bride was absolutely beautiful, and the couple was so excited to be getting married. Even the 100 degree plus weather didn't hamper the party.

The bride had a beautiful boquet.

The flowers on the arch over which they were married.

Beautiful floating flower arrangements in the pool.

The bride and groom enjoy their wedding cake.

The KISS!!!!

After the reception, the bride and groom as well as the rest of the bridal party ended up in the pool. Hope they get their deposits back on the tuxes.

Lincolns Birthday

2010-07-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to shoot a birthday party down in San Diego for a friend of mine from high school. It was his sons fourth birthday, and it was a superhero themed party. All the kids got to make their own super hero capes, and had a great time. Not a detail was overlooked, event he food had superhero names. I had a great time, and got some great shots. Let me know what you think of them.

Teen Identity Pledge

2010-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Teen Identity is a program put together by Atlanta Photo/Video team Tasra Wyatt Dawson and her husband/filmmaker Ron Dawson which is designed to give teen girls a positive, wholesome self image. It is best said in their words:

Our Mission: Provide teen girls with a positive magazine that is uplifting, empowering and encouraging. A magazine that believes beauty isn’t all about appearance and looking sexy, but instead celebrates the true beauty in every teen girl.
Our Goal: Unleash the true beauty in teen girls by equipping and empowering them to find their voice, expand their vision, and achieve their dreams.

Our company has taken the Teen Identity Photographers Pledge, promising to uphold the ethics and mission of this great organization.

TEEN IDENTITY PHOTOGRAPHERS PLEDGE

As a Teen Identity network photographer/filmmaker, I agree to uphold and promote these ideals:

I will provide a photo/video session experience with teen girl clients designed to elevate their self esteem, make them feel beautiful and empowered.
Any photos and videos I (or my studio) create portraying teen girls will be done without over-sexualizing the subject. Photos and videos will be created tastefully, preserving the “innocence” of youth, yet at the same time striving to reveal the true personalities of our subjects.
Each year I (or my studio) will donate whatever time I can afford towards a Teen Identity approved organization or project designed to raise self-esteem in teen girls, empower teen girls, or address some issue of social injustice facing teen girls. This may include, but is not limited to, pro bono photo sessions for teen girls in economically depressed neighborhoods; teaching photography and/or video workshops on behalf of Teen Identity; acting as a photography/video coach for teen girls in my local neighborhood.

This video was made by Ron Dawson, and illustrates a major problem which often goes unspoken in our society. It is a vivid and disturbing look at a grim reality. But hopefully by raising awareness we can bring an end to this.

Abram 45th Wedding Anniversary

2010-06-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had an absolute blast shooting the 45th anniversary of Richard and Velma Abram. The entire evening was a wonderfully fun party, and they graciously welcomed me into their family to share this most special occasion with them. We began the evening at their home shooting some family portraits. It had been such a long time since they had a family picture taken, that their youngest of nine children had not even been born. This was the first picture with the entire family. We then shot a three generation family picture with all the kids and grand kids. We then moved to the Country Club where the reception took place. Family and friends from across the country had gathered to share in this day with them, and it was a celebration not to be forgotten. There were songs, games, lots of laughs, and even a few tears shed.

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this celebration. It was a day I will not soon forget.

One of their beautiful granddaughters singing for them.

And there was dancing! Lots of dancing!

Even the little ones got out on the floor

A beautiful cake which tasted as good as it looks.

More of those wonderful grandkids.

Their son served as emcee for the evening. He was VERY entertaining.

What a handsome man,

and his beautiful bride.

California Senior Games

2010-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

For the past week I have been down in Carlsbad CA shooting the pickleball event for the California Senior Games. Now if you are like me, you are asking yourself "what is pickleball?" It is a game played with a wooden paddle and a wiffle ball, on a miniature tennis court. It is a fast paced and exciting game. I had never heard of it until I was asked to shoot it, but after spending the week shooting the tournament, I am inclined to get a couple of paddles for my wife and I, and find some local teams. I had a great time meeting the players, and spending the week in beautiful Carlsbad. On Tuesday night, Carrie came down and we went to dinner at the harbor in Oceanside. I had some fish and chips and watched a sea lion swimming beneath us in the harbor. It was a great week, and a fun event. Enjoy some of the photos from the event.

Jerry and Jackies Wedding Day

2010-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

I got a last minute call last Friday, to shoot a wedding in Norco the following Saturday. I had the day free, so I took the opportunity, and had an absolutely wonderful time. Jackie was absolutely beautiful, and a little nervous, before the ceremony, but once she came down the aisle, she was beaming. Jerry on the other hand was playing it cool the entire day, however I could tell he was as proud as can be to have Jackie as his wife. They had the ceremony in Jerrys uncles back yard, which was along side the golf course. It was a picture perfect location, and a perfect California spring day. It was a beautiful service by pastor Adrian Pressley of Campus Hill Church, followed by a wonderful Bar-B-Q dinner by Creative Events by Glenn . Once the sun set, the weather turned a little cold, but dancing on the patio and a delicious Caribbean rum cake made by Jerry's aunt helped warm everyone up. By the end of the day, my spirit was lifted, my belly was filled, and my heart was full of love from my new friends. Thank you Jerry and Jackie, for inviting me into your family to share this wonderful day with you.

The centerpiece vases, lit from behind by a strobe.

The beautiful bride.

This is the one and only picture of the cake topper. Seconds after being placed atop the cake, the wind blew it off, shattering it into pieces. Glad I was there when they put it on!

The beautiful centerpieces made by their family.

Orchids

2010-05-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

My wife got some orchids for Mothers day from her Grandma, and they have been sitting here in the house tempting me for long enough. Well, this evening I had a little spare time and decided to shoot them.

Here's how I shot them: I used a single 75watt flourescent (equal to 300 watts on a regular bulb) bare bulb light to camera left. The flowers were about 5 feet from a black backdrop. I shot it with a 70-200 f/2.8 lens zoomed out to 200mm, at f/11 and an exposure of 1 second. I then imported it into lightroom, turned it to a black and white, then used greyscale mix to get the right look. I then added a little vignette, sharpened, and adjusted contrast.

It is one of my personal favorites, and I hope you like it too.

One a day Challenge #34 and #35

2010-05-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

The first image here is part of a project I was shooting for my mom. She was needing some pictures of womens hands. I shot this one of my wifes grandmother. I wanted the contrasty black and white with grain, so I shot it at ISO 3200 and an aperture of f2.8 for a shallow depth of field.

The next one isn't very artistic, or even very interesting, but it has already made me money. I shot a series of these letters for stock work, I had them approved this morning, and already sold three of them. So there is obviously a market for these photos. There are lots of things out there people need a picture of, which aren't the classic portraits, or even very glamorous, but it provides a source of revenue for someone willing to shoot them.

One a day challenge #33 Happy Mothers Day.

2010-05-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a better photo for mothers day than a beautiful purple lilly. Although it looks like I may have photoshopped this image, the bokeh in the picture is straight out of camera. For the non photographers, bokeh is the soft out of focus background area.

I did bring it into adobe lightroom and increase the vibrance, and a little clarity, but other than that, it is straight out of camera like this.

My wife decorated the master bedroom in purple, so I shot this image to match. I am giving her a framed print to hang in the room. I hope she has a great mothers day. I got up and made her scrambled eggs, bacon, and my cajun hash browns for breakfast. Next we are headed to church with her mother, then dinner. I sent my mom a nice little something, but I am afraid the mail man didn't get it to her. Great!!! Maybe she can celebrate Mothers Day on Monday. I sent my son something to give to his mother, and it didn't arrive either. I guess you shouldn't expect too much for only 44¢ in postage.

Happy Mothers day to all the Mothers in my life!!!

One a day challenge, getting back to it.

2010-05-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

After a conversation with my friend and fellow photographer Nate Allred, ( http://treasurephoto.net ) I decided to get back onboard with my one photo a day challenge. I must admit, the challenge is much more difficult than I originally thought it would be, but I did love doing it, and it is a great way to sharpen my skills, and stay on top of my game. I was playing with my camera this afternoon, and noticed some interesting shadows caused by the window blinds on my 12 string guitar. I thought that would make a great black and white photo.

This next part gets a little technical for the non photographers, Sorry.

I wanted it to have a heavy grain texture to the print, something that looks like the old Kodak tri-X 1600 film, so I set my Nikon D60 to the ISO setting of Hi-1. This is an ISO equal to 3200. In a color photograph, this setting creates an unusable photograph because the noise levels are so increadibly high that the image looks nasty. However, in a black and white photo, instead of noise, it looks like film grain, which is at times beautiful in a photograph. Earlier this week, fellow photographer Scott Bourne said "grain is the brushstrokes of photography." And I couldn't agree more.
I wanted to maintain as little depth of field as possible, so with that high of an ISO, it required a shutter speed of 1/4000 sec and an aperture of f 7.1. After shooting it, I took it into lightroom and added a little contrast, otherwise it is right out of the camera like that. I do love shooting black and white. I have ever since I first printed my own pictures in a darkroom. I hope you enjoy this print. Please feel free to write a note below, and let me know what you think. I love to get feedback, good or bad.

PCJBR Rodeo

2010-05-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that it was about thirteen years ago that I entered the world of professional photography when I took a job shooting rodeos for my friend Mark Oakie's brother Alan. I enjoyed my weekends on the high school rodeo circuit shooting rodeos all across the state of Utah. I got the opportunity to push my skills and abilities as a photographer to their very limits every weekend. And this was back in the days of film, no LCD screen on the back of the camera to check and make sure you got the shot. You had to know your exposure and how to get the shot every time without being able to see the pictures until they got back from the lab a week later. I spent about two years shooting for Alan, and I loved it, but I had moved on to weddings and portraits, and left rodeos behind for a while.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to step back into the arena and shoot another rodeo. I must admit, I was a bit nervous. It had been a few years since I last shot a rodeo, and I was hoping I had not lost the knack. I was shooting the Pacific Coast Junior Bull Riders rodeo in Norco, Ca, which was part of the cities horse week festivities. Once I got behind the chute gates, it was as if I had never left. I felt right at home amongst the livestock and cowboys. Once the event started, I got back into my groove in no time at all. I ended up getting some good shots during the event, I did miss one calf rider due to my camera having a quick fit, and wouldn't you know it, he won his division, and his dad was interested in buying a print of his ride. Its frustrating, but those things do happen. In all, it went pretty good, and I hope to get the chance to shoot another of their events.

A young bullrider hangs on for one heck of a ride.

The bullfighter puts himself between the bull and the rider. Either nerves of steel or a little insane, you decide.

This young bullrider looses his seat and goes over the head.

Once again the bullfighter puts himself between the bull and the rider.

Golf Club Photo

2010-04-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

I have been working a lot lately on uploading new photos to my stock libraries, and I thought I would post one of my newest ones here. It is a simple shot of a golf club and a golf ball. I took it on a white background, all lit with florescent "cool lights". I like using these type of lights for product work where the subject doesn't move because you can see exactly what you are getting with the light, this makes it a little easier to use than strobes. The one down side to constant light, is you usually have longer exposures, so a moving subject doesn't work very well. With this photo, the exposure was 1 full second at f 22 at ISO 100. I used such a large aperture so that the entire club and ball would be sharp.

Heres a shot of my setup to photograph this.

Joshua Tree National Monument

2010-04-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Joshua Tree National Monument with a dozen of the best wedding photographers in southern California. We had a great time hiking around and photographing one of the most beautiful parks in California. I had the chance to socialize and send the day goofing off and doing what I enjoy with several photographers whom I truly admire and look up to. The weather was absolutely wonderful, however it did get a little cold in the evening and wouldn't you know it, I wore shorts and forgot a jacket. We all ended up having a great time exploring, and we didn't even have to call search and rescue. I ended up with a few photos which I think turned out pretty good. Take a look at these ones and let me know what you think of them. Feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you Joe for putting this together

This Photo is of some old mining equipment we came across.

A couple closeups of Joshua trees. Believe it or not, these were both shot in mid-day sun!

We found this old farm truck out on the desert. I guess he didn't have AAA Auto Club.

This is a shot looking up a wind mill with the water pump it drove in the foreground. It took a VERY small aperture of f22 to get this much depth of field.

A closeup of the spines at the end of the joshua trees leaves. Last time my friend Becker was here, he put one of these spines into his head drawing lots of blood. He survived yesterday injury free!

Most of the cacti were just beginning to bloom, but I did manage to find one full bloom. I am sure that by first of next week, the cacti should be in full bloom.

A portrait of world famous wedding photographer Joe Photo.

Sunset on the desert. A beautiful ending to a wonderful day.

New Website!!!

2010-03-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a new website. It is through a company called Showit which offers adobe flash based websites which are much easier to build than standard html sites. I will eventually have it linked to my regular domain, but for now you can find it here.

http://thompsonphotography.showitsite.com/

Please take a look at the new site and let me know what you think.

New Cards

2010-03-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have just finished a new 3.5" X 5" card to pass along to petential clients. I like this size card because it gives a lot more room to show some of your work, and it dosn't get lost as quickly as a business card. It is not as informative as a brochure, but much cheaper to print and gets clients to your website. I just have them printed at the local lab as a 3.5 X 5 glossy print, and on tuesdays and wednesdays, they are only 6 cents a print. Not bad. Let me know what you think of it.

Pamela and Vans Wedding at the Wayfarer Chapel

2010-03-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was able to check a big feat off of my to do list. I was able to shoot at the world famout Wayfarer Chapel in beautiful Palos Verdes California. I have known of this chapel for years, and it is a wonderful location to have a wedding. The couple were great fun to shoot, and we were able to get some wonderful shots for them. It is located on a hillside overlooking the pacific ocean, which makes for some beautiful shots. However once we arrived, an fog bank was moving in, and by the time the couple was ready for pictures, it had obscured our view of the ocean. Fortunately for us, right after the ceremony there was an opening in the fog, and we were able to get some great shots for them overlooking the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. I hope to be able to go back there and shoot another wedding at this beautiful location. If you would like more infromation on having a wedding at the Wayfarer Chapel, you can link to them here http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/ .

A day at the Los Angeles Zoo

2010-03-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to the Los Angeles zoo last monday to shoot some stock pictures. It was a great day at the zoo, and nice to get away for the day. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day.

Olivias Sweet 16 Party

2010-02-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot a sweet sixteen party in Redondo Beach CA for Olivia. We had a great time and got some great shots for her. Here are a couple of my favorites.

#29 Palms

2010-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

I know most of the country is shoveling out of a rather rough winter, so I thought I would take a picture which shows a traditional Southern California winter. The weather is a little cool today, only in the mid 70s for the day. But I can't complain.

f11 1/400 second ISO 400 Nikkor 18-135 lens at 38mm. Adjusted in Lightroom.

I thought just for fun I would post a different version of a similar picture. I played around with this one in Adobe Lightroom a bit and ended up with a cool dreamy infared looking black and white version. Comment below to let me know which you like better. Thanks.

#28 Disneyland

2010-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

Carrie and I spent the day Sunday at Disneyland. We had a great time with her friend Shelly, her fiancee Brad, and her family. Of course I drug my camera along and got a few pictures of the day. This is my favorite time to attend the park, the crouds are low, and its not too hot. By the end of the evening, my wife was freezing, and here I am walking around in shorts and flipflops. We topped off the evening at Cafe Orleans, where I enjoyed a cup of their wonderful Gumbo, a Monte Cristo sandwich, and the most wonderful Beignets I've had since I was in New Orleans. Not the most healthy of dinners, but it was wonderfully delicious. It was just a wonderful day, spent with a wonderful woman, and fortunately for me, she's my wife.

#27 Thistle

2010-01-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

I shot this picture of some thistle, and it just lacked any snap or flair. I imported it into lightroom and converted it to greyscale, then played with the colors, and the split tones, and ended up with a pretty cool picture if I do say so.

#26 Teamwork

2010-01-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

#26 Teamwork. Micheal and Brad found a new method to get to the fruit a little higher up on the three. I used lightroom to give this picture a inferred film look. I like the way it turned out.

Photo #25 Birds of Paradise

2010-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

I know I have been horrible keeping up to date with this, but I do love the challenge, so I am going to continue trying to post a new picture every day. This one, I shot while sitting in my car in a Stater Bros. parking lot. There were some nice birds of paradise in front of me, and all of a sudden this bird landed on top of one. I quickly grabbed my camera, switched to aperature priority and shot off five quick shots before he flew away. It was then that I realised the ISO was set for 1600. Much too high. So unfortunately it is a bit grainy. I tweeked it a bit in lightroom so it is not so noticable, and I am pleased how it turned out.

Crystal and Jays Wedding

2009-12-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity this weekend to shoot Crystal and Jays wedding in Norco California. They are a great couple, and the wedding was held in the beautiful Norco Village Banquet Hall reception center. The wedding went well, and the couple were absolutely glowing all night long.

This kid stole the show with his break dancing.

#23 Whip it.

2009-12-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

For todays picture I took a sugestion from my brother, and did a picture of a nice bright colored streamer. I wanted to add a little something than just a fly, so I added a spool of thread and a whip finisher tying it off.

1/60, f8, ISO 200. Lights 2-500w photofloods, 2-flourescent photofloods for background lights.

#22 Photo of the Day

2009-12-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

I know I have been terrible keeping this going, but I now have a new computer, and due to the economy, I now have more time to work on my photography. Today I am posting an abstract photograph I took of some LED Christmas lights. I shot the picture handheld, f 5.6, one second esposure. I soomed and moved the lens while shooting to get the great lines. I know its a little different, but I hope you enjoy it. Please post a comment and let me know what you think.

Poorman Wedding

2009-12-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

I had the priveledge of shooting the Poorman-Endicott wedding. Tashina and Anthony had a beautiful outdoor wedding at a wonderful spot in Menife California. It was a wonderful day, which turned out great.

Jay and Crystals engagement session

2009-11-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

Day 20 I had the honor of shooting a really great couples engagement session this afternoon. We had a great time, and got some really good shots. I am excited to be able to shoot their wedding in December. They are so much fun, and a great couple.

#19 Commercial Job

2009-11-08T23:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I admit that its not a really artistic piece, but the art pieces don't pay the bills. This is a picture I shot of some scanning equipment for a commercial equipment. The job was a challange, and I did learn from it, which was the intent of this project. It took some creativity to light it evenly, and a bit of photoshop to make it really work.

Photo lit with two 500 watt photoflood bulbs, exposure, f 8, 1/250 sec.

#18 Cherries, black and white

2009-11-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by a post on Scott Bournes blog to shoot a picture of some fruit. I wanted to do something a little different. We always expect cherries to be their bright red color, so I decided to do a black and white of cherries. It gives you a different look at a familiar object.

# 17 Health?

2009-11-06T00:31:00.000-08:00

This picture is another I took for the stock agencies I work with. I call it "Health?" because it asks if the methods we take to stay healthy, are really all that good for us. Healthcare is huge business and every day we are being told we need this pill, or that pill. Do we really?

ISO 100, f8, 1/30 sec. Lit by two 500 watt photoflood hotlights.

#16 Cookies for Santa

2009-11-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

I have been playing in the product studio for the last couple of days, shooting some shots for stock use. I had this idea a couple of days ago after commenting on a forum thread in the b school (an online photographers community) where someone asked some questions about food photogrpahy. I must admit, the best part was eating my subject when I was done!!!

ISO 100, f8, 1/30 sec Lit by two 500 watt photoflood hotlights.

# 15 Ferns and Clover

2009-11-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

I love the deep green colors here with the palm leaves against the clover groundcover behind it. This was shot in deep shade, so I got a wonderful soft light. I love how much depth of field I was able to get on this shot.

ISO 100 f 32 esposure 3 seconds, tripod mounted, sigma 28-80 macro lens. In photoshop I punched up saturation, contrast, adjusted hue, and brightness.

Image #14 Shoot the Moon

2009-11-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

One more astrophotography picture. Jessica Tincopa, a local photogrpaher, asked me a question yesterday about shooting the moon, and I wondered how many other people had that same question, so I posted a shot I took, and the simple formula for a good exposure of the moon.
The rule is the f8 rule. Set the camera aperture to f8, use shutterspeed nearest the reciporical of the ISO setting. For example, if the ISO setting is 100 use 1/100 sec if the ISO is 200 use 1/250 second 400 ISO use 1/500 etc... you will end up with a good exposure every time.

Hope this helps you to enjoy taking photos which include the moon in them.

#13 A try at astrophotography

2009-11-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, I am a nerd, and even worse, I am a science nerd. I have always been interested in astronomy and have been wanting to give astrophotography a try for some time. I noticed the clear sky and decided to give it a try. I set up the big 400mm lens on a tripod and had a go. I was lucky enough to catch this shot of Jupiter with four of her moons. How cool is it to look from your planet and see not only another planet, but its moons as well. Pretty cool.

400mm lens, f5.6, 1 sec exposure, tripod mounted ISO 3200 Color removed in photoshop to correct for chromatic abberation.

Photo #12 Holiday Preparations

2009-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

I had to do a holiday themed picture for this post. It brings back memories of childhood for me. I used to love cleaning the pumpkin "guts" out. Funny, when we grow up, it just seems a mess. Where does that creativity and joy of discovery go. Take some time this weekend to squish some pumpkin guts in your fingers and be a kid again.

ISO 200, 1/60 sec f5.6 lit by an sb28 strobe and umbrella, 7feet up, behind camera.

Picture #11

2009-10-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Picture #11 Today I just decided to use a simple portrait. I was shooting a bunch of these portraits, and really liked this one. I like the harsh side lighting and subdued color.

ISO 100 1/20 f2.8 28mm lens, natural light, handheld.

Photo #10

2009-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Photo #10 of my Challenge. For this one I wanted to do a still life, but not a bow of fruit kind of still life, something that reflected me and would be of interest to me. I decided to shoot film!!! I wanted to pay homage to the medium I learned on and all the hours and hours (and money) I spent shooting, developing, printing, and hunched over a light table looking at slides through a loupe. The setup was a white seamless background I have made from some bathboard I bought at lowes. I used two 500watt photoflood studio lights to light it. The first was placed to my left and behind the film. It was about a foot above the table. Its job was to light up the bakground, illuminate the slides, and give some nice shadow detail on the front. The second studio light was just to the right of the camera and back a couple of feet. It was about 8 feet high and shining down. I wanted this fill light to be less bright, but still give some detail to the front of the objects and bring some detail to the shadows. The camera settings were ISO 100, f16 and 1/8 second, tripod mounted, incandescent wb setting.

In photoshop I made a duplicate layer, removed color from the top layer, erased that layer from the slides revealing the color base layer below. I then bumped up contrast saturation, etc... to get the look I wanted.

Hope you enjoy the picture as much as I enjoyed making it.

#9 Semifore Flags

2009-10-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

I love the color of these flags against the dark blue sky. The breeze gave the flags a nice sense of motion as well. I used a circular polarizing filter to darken the sky, then punched up the saturation, and contrast in photoshop. I also cloned out a couple of additional cables which I found to be distracting. Overall I love the colors in this shot. ISO 100 f5.6, 1/500

Photo #8 Zebras Stripes

2009-10-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I love the pattern of the zebras stripes. I did a bit of touch up in photoshop with contrast, removed the color, burning in shiny spots, etc... great background I think.

Details ISO 100 1/60 sec, f2.8, lens at 200mm

Photo #7 Old tall ship

2009-10-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

We took a harbour cruise on an amphibious vehicle on Sunday. While out looking at the sealions and such we saw this tall ship coming into port. I have always loved sailing ships, and especially the old tall ships. When I shot this photo, I knew right away what I wanted to do with it in photoshop, I wanted to make it look like an old time photograph. I think it turned out well. Notice the sailors in the rigging along one of the top yard arms?

Details; ISO 100, Exp 1/1000, f5.6 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 200mm

Photo #6 Don't monkey with him

2009-10-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to San Diego zoo, and I found this wonderful male colubus monkey. I spent a good ten minutes waiting at his enclosure for this shot. He had been yawning, and every shot I got just wasn't right, until I got this one. It turned out great. Not such a cute cuddly little monkey now, is he???

Details; ISO 100 exp 1/200 sec f 2.8, lens at 200mm manual exposure.

Photo #5 Starry Night and Palm Tree

2009-10-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

I started this evening out shooting the lights along the bay, then the moon behind a palm tree, when I had an idea for this shot. Just as I was getting set up, Carrie came to the door and told me it was time to go, I only had time for one shot. This is a classic one shot challenge. It would not be easy working with long exposures and two very different lit areas. I did manage to get one shot, (and only one shot) and it turned out perfect. The palm tree was lit by our small porch light. Possibly one of my favorite pictures.

Details: ISO 400, Exp 30 seconds, f 3.5 lens at 18mm, all settings in manual. White balance incandescent.

Photo #4 Sleeping beauty Castle

2009-10-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

I had spent the day at Disneyland friday, and wanted a picture of the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. I shot this with my 18-135mm lens set at 24mm lens, used a Nikon circular polarizing filter, aperature of f4 exp of 1/4000 sec. ISO 200.

Photo #3 Pumpkins

2009-10-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

I thought since it is almost Halloween, I needed a pumpkin picture on my blog. I shot this one at the pumpkin patch here in Corona California. I used bounce flash off of the top of the tent. I had on my Nikkor 18-135 lens exp 1/25 at f 5.6 Flash on manual 1/4 power.

Photo #2 of my Challenge, Playing With Light

2009-10-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today I found myself in downtown Riverside California at night. This time over on University avenue at the Thunderbird Lodge. Those who know me, know I love shooting old travel lodges and motels, I find them fascinating and fun. Long before all the hotels and motels were the same, they had character and were unique. The neon sign at the thunderbird is one of my favorites, and I had been wanting to shoot it for some time. But I didn't just want a plane picture of the sign, so I started playing with the light. I used a 2 second exposure and while the image was exposing, I would zoom the lens out. This is what gives it the look it has.

ISO 200, exp 2 seconds, f 16, manual exposure Nikkor 18-135 lens soomed out durring exposure.

Photograph #1 in my Challenge.

2009-10-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first of 365 photos I will post over the next year in my personal challenge to develop my creativity and skills as a photographer. For my first shot, I decided to go to downtown Riverside California at 11:00 at night, and brave the weirdos to get a few shots of town by evening light. My first stop was the Chinese pavillion. I knew with the wonderful cloud cover, I wanted a long exposure to give the clouds some defenition and color. I used an off camera flash about fifteen feet to the right of the camera, about seven feet high, set off with a radio slave. ISO 200, Exp. 25 seconds, f11 28-105mm Sigma lens at 28mm. Manual exp, and focus.

One a Day Challenge.

2009-10-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

I have challenged myself to creat one new photograph per day that will challenge my creativity and develop personal growth in my photography. I will do this for one year straight. 365 photographs. I will share info here on my blog on how its going, and how I took each photograph. I hope to develop myself, my skills, and my creativity over the next year, and I hope you all enjoy the pictures I create. Please leave comments if you like (or dislike) certain photographs. Check back often to watch my skills develop (I hope).
Thank you for coming on this journey with me.
--Shane--

Jessica and Victor Trejo Wedding in Anaheim California.

2009-10-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

I had the honor of being hired as the wedding photographer for Victor and Jessica Trejos wedding this past Saturday at St. Michael's in Anaheim California. It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful old church. The bride was beautiful, and the groom was Suave and cool. After a beautiful ceremony, the party moved over to "The Place, salon para fiestas". There was wonderful live music, food, and fun for the entire wedding party.

I would like to thank Gabriel Mora, and Jenna Armstrong for Second shooting for me. They both did a wonderful job, and are extremely talented photographers which I was fortunate to have helping me out.

Thank you to Victor and Jessica for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful day and to help record their memories of their wedding day.

Trejo Wedding in Anaheim California this Saturday.

2009-10-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be shooting the Trejo wedding this Saturday in Anaheim california. They are a great couple, and this shall prove to be a big wonderful Mexican style wedding. Stay posted to the blog, I will post pictures from the event as soon as I can.

Compton Photoshoot.

2009-09-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

I have been going over my pictures from last nights album shoot in Compton, CA. I have posted a few of the shots from the shoot. This was my first time going to Compton, and I admit I was a little nervous with the reputation the city has, but all turned out well.

Portrait Photography with the Fantinos In Corona California

2009-09-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

I finished my shoot with the Fantinos. It went quite well and we ended up with some nice pictures for their 60th anniversary. They were quite a fun couple to shoot and we had a good morning in the park.

Wyatts Baptism

2009-09-07T19:48:00.001-07:00

I just returned today from Utah, where I had the privilege and honor of Baptizing my son Wyatt. It was an amazing weekend, I am so proud of the young man he is becoming and in his decision to get baptized. His mom threw a nice party for him afterward, and all his family from both sides were there to celebrate this special day with him. Afterward he came over to my parents house, where we celebrated his Birthday, and watched BYU upset Oklahoma. We gave him a nice suit to wear for his baptism (his first suit) so of course I had to take the opprotunity too take a few pictures of the day. Here is a sampling of some of the shots.

Photos of Corbin

2009-08-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

My little nephew Corbin has been staying with us for the weekend, and I couldn't resist shooting a few photos of him

An exciting evening.

2009-08-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, I had the opportunity to attend the Smug Mug photography get together in Orange County and the keynote speaker was [b]ecker, one of the best know wedding photographers in the world. I have been a fan of his for years. I have followed his blog and face book, and occasional leave comments for him too. Last night I got to meet him for the first time, and much to my surprise, he knew who I was!!! Not only that, but while he was speaking to this crowd of about 250 photographers, he pointed me out as someone who is taking an active part in the world of social networking. I was honored, and a bit embarrassed. I am still glowing a bit.

A Busy Summer

2009-08-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

Its been a good summer. Wyatt came down from Utah to spend some time with us while he was off school. We were able to go do Disneyland a few times, go to the beach, and just spend some time together. Here are a few photos of the summer.

Busy Weekend!!!!

2009-06-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

I have a full weekend planned. Saturday morning I am in Oceanside attending a lighting and posing workshop at Backdrop Outlet, then Sat evening we are meeting carries friend and her boyfriend in OC for dinner. Then I have to be up early on sunday. I have to be in Santa Monica beach by 7:00 AM. I am the official photographer for the Los Angeles Arthritis walk.

It should be a fun and busy weekend.

Shooting on the beach.

2009-06-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had the opprotunity to be at Balboa Pier on wednesday, and was lucky enough to see a California Sea Lion Pup. (Zalophus californianus) He was just under the pier playing in the surf. I was able to approach close enough to get some great shots using only my 70-200 f2.8 lens. I shot about 200 photos of him in the 15 minutes or so we spent together. It was truly a magical moment to be so close to such a beautiful animal, and be able to interact with him. It is a moment I will never forget. I have attached a couple of my favorite shots which I hope you all enjoy.