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On My Mind
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| I listen to club music when I edit photos...it's the Jersey in me.
I believe nobody loves me more than my dog. I usually order a slice of pizza and a large side of regret on Thursday evenings. I love my laptop...I call her my conjoined twin. More often than not my humor is inappropriate and this makes me smile. Email is my love language. I not-so-secretly think I'm my parents' favorite child. I wear too much jewelry. I believe my husband is attracted my version of crazy. I'm scared of the dark. I'm addicted to ordering books from Amazon.com. I sleep on flat pillows. I dance every day in my office. Every. Single. Day. I'd rather be the worst of the best than the best of the worst. I put on too much face lotion when I go to bed. One day I'll make a frittata or quiche and call myself Mrs. Fancy Pants. I bruise easily. I'm a little bit scared all of the time, which makes me think I'm doing something right. |
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The Workshop : June 2012
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J ust past 10pm on Tuesday night, I got into the car and JD turned me and asked how I was feeling. Lucky, I replied, so darn lucky. It was such a small way to express the gravity of what I felt after spending the day with 20 amazing photographers. A couple times a year, I host a photography workshop and it's an incredible opportunity to spend a full day with extraordinary people.
Last Tuesday's group of photographers left me inspired and hungry to do more in the photo community and I'm honored to call them friends...and know they're ready to change the industry. So what does The Workshop look like? Well, it starts at 9am with breakfast and mingling... |
| One of our favorite things is getting to know photographers on a personal level and JD is usually a popular conversationalist in the morning... |
| The Workshop focuses on The Eight Components of Building a Brand and I was incredibly honored to have an awesome $250 giveaway from Adorama (where I get all my camera gear) made for an extra exciting day! |
| We were incredibly fortunate to work with an adorable and lovely couple for the photoshoot and I'm so thankful for Erin and Brandon joining us for a lot of fun in front of our cameras... |
| The day was incredibly warm and we photographed during the brightest time of day in order to discuss how to approach harsh lighting and how to work in difficult situations... |
| Erin is a gorgeous girl, but Vivian Tran of All Made Up Team was the source of Erin's phenomenal hair and makeup...love her! |
| I was sooooo happy to work with Carissa of JL Designs for Erin's gorgeous bouquet filled with hues of orange, yellow, and cream...and who doesn't love a beautiful peony?! |
| Many thanks to JD for all the behind-the-scenes photos! ;) |
| Brandon is such a kind guy...totally liked everything about him and he makes Erin incredibly happy... |
| During The Workshop, I ask students to define their brand and then capture photos that embody those descriptions. Students who volunteer will pose the models and then I offer feedback on how to make the posing experience stronger and improve communication with the couple. Here the lovely Amy is doing a great job! :) |
| Love this couple...GORGE!!! |
| Like always, this is my favorite photo. Spending an entire day with such amazing, sweet, generous, and thoughtful people makes me feel like one of the luckiest photographers. Ever. I'm terribly excited to see how they'll change their business and lives to follow their dreams and making their passion a reality. My heart melts at their camaraderie and support of each other and love for the industry. |
| To attend a future workshop, be sure to sign up for the newsletter as I announce registration for The Workshop exclusively through it! |
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Kisses+Disses : Boardwalk + Pace Setters
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Y ou can't do that, I huffed as I ran to catch up with him. Then he sprinted again. Frustrated, I caught up to him. I told JD we didn't need a pace setter, we were just running. We weren't training for a marathon or part of a running club...it was just us, running on a dirt path in Orange County. And, no, Jillian Michaels was not going to jump out of a bush any time soon.
This led to an entire discussion about my competitive nature (JD asserted I wasn't able to follow his lead), to which I scoffed...and jogged a few paces ahead of him. After a few strides with me at his side, he turned to me and said, I bet you were the type of kid who toppled the Monopoly game if you didn't own Boardwalk... Internet, I married a man WHO CAN SEE INTO MY PAST. This leads me to another installment of Kisses and Disses... |
| This week's Disses go to...
*The bird poo on my newly washed car. *Every kid who owned Boardwalk before I had the chance to buy it. *My refrigerator breaking down...do you know how much frozen FAKEN (fake bacon) I had to throw away?! |
| This week's Kisses go to...
*Hot yoga. Remember when I said couldn't stand it? I lied. It's amazing and I love it...even if I'm still the only person to crawl out of class, wiping my eyes from the sweat (and tears). *Summer fruits. I'm sure I single-handedly keep California produce farmers in business. *Being a great pace setter (I kid, JD...I kid). Happy Wednesday! |
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Tech Tips : Wedding Reception Lighting
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A few months ago, I started an installment of Tech Tips, an opportunity for me to answer questions directly related to technical aspects of my photos. One of the questions I received the most after last week's wedding was dealing with the reception lighting, specifically what I use and how I do it. I've blogged about the photography gear I use as well as my off-camera lighting set up, so you can read about that more in detail if you'd like.
Last week Lyndal asked for lighting/flash tips during receptions and Inca followed with this question: did you use flash in the indoors section at all? Or is it all with the ambient light? I could not find sharp shadows, but the depth of field is wide enough to suggest you are not shooting with 2.8. Maybe then, high ISO with the new Mark III? The first thing I do when I walk into a reception is find a location I can place my off-camera light, as to not be noticed. Most of the time it's by the DJ's speakers, but the layout at my last wedding would've drawn too much attention to it, so I hid it in a corner of the ballroom (this ballroom had small niches/alcoves that served as multiple corners in the room as seen in the right photo below). |
| Left photo: 50mm f/2.0 1/60 640ISO (only off-camera flash used)
Right photo: 50mm f/2.5 1/100 640ISO (only off-camera flash used) I always place the light toward the dancefloor since that's where most of the evening's events take place and I don't move it for the rest of the evening. |
| 50mm f/2.5 1/60 640ISO (on-camera flash and off-camera flash)
In the photo below, the off-camera light is directly right of the bride and groom (you can see highlights on the bridesmaids' hair on the right side of the photo). I felt comfortable shooting with wide apertures during the First Dance because the couple is what I call hug-dancing. Part hug, part dance, all love. Because their faces are pressed next to each other, only one person will need to be in focus (because the back of the head of the opposing person needn't be tact sharp). I always ask in advance if there'll be a choreographed First Dance because that'll change how I approach the first dance (I usually stay away from shooting wide open and I ask where the couple will end the dance and facing which direction...this is so I'm ready to capture the inevitable Dip that comes at the end). |
| 24mm f/2.0 1/60 640ISO (on-camera and off camera flash)
Sidenote: I shoot almost exclusively with the white bounce card that comes in my Canon 550EX Flash...it really helps provide softer illumination. |
| 24mm f/2.8 1/60 640ISO (on-camera and off camera flash)
In the photo below, you'll see the niche I placed the off-camera flash. I love the light because it adds dimension to the room and provides the type of depth I prefer in my photos... |
| 24mm f/2.5 1/50 800ISO (on-camera and off camera flash)
So here's a moment when JD anticipated a moment and was ready...I seriously love that guy. The cake was rolled out, but was positioned in such a way I'd lose the off-camera light (due to distance and angle of the room). JD brought out a video light and illuminated what was a very dark portion of the room... |
| 35mm f/2.5 1/80 1000ISO (ambient light, no flash, just a video light JD held while simultaneously shooting...he's like a Hispanic Chuck Norris.)
I was given the option to shoot with a wide aperture because the bride was consistently looking at the groom, so my focal point was primarily on him. I've learned to anticipate the ebb and flow of a groom's speech, so when I thought he'd toast his bride, I rotated my focal point to her (to capture her reaction), while JD kept his focus on the groom. Whew, that was a doozey. I hope it made sense and if you have questions, leave them in the comment box and I'll try to respond tomorrow or if others care to join and help the conversation, that'd be awesome! Stay Fabulous, j* Edited to Add: Here are the answers to your questions!! @Dawn &Michael Mitchell: The light is roughly six feet tall on the tripod and the power setting for the off-camera flash is set at 1/16th power so it recycles quickly and proffers just an easy pop of light. @Orsi: The off-camera light is sitting in a soft box to diffuse the light. @Brenda Landrum: Yes, I'm pointing my flash straight toward the ceiling, but use the bounce card with the flash to reflect the light onto my subjects' faces. @JC: When working with Pocket Wizards to fire my flash, I've never had a problem being too far away. Considering a reception is usually in a ballroom, the trigger distance hasn't been an issue. @Sarah D: Yes, my flash is always pointed at the ceiling (with the bounce card) or I'm bouncing it from a nearby wall...I can't remember the last time I pointed my flash directly at someone. @Adam: My flash is set to ETTL. @Tony: I clean my camera every other month or so. @Debbie: This is the video light I use. @Tony Whitmore: I use my off-camera flash at every reception...in fact, I love it so much that if I couldn't use it, I might cry! ;) @Prema Buck: I change my lenses quite a bit and each swap takes me less than three or four seconds, so I'm not worried about missing a moment during the First Dance, especially since my second shooter is also shooting at the same time. @Evie Perez: Once I set up my off-camera light, I don't move it...so the detail images I posted were tables close enough to the light to pick up its effects. |
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Reveling. In the Moment.
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S he sat across the table from me--two empty bowls of oatmeal between us--and adjusted her ponytail. She glanced at her suitcases by the door and said she was going to visit her sports psychologist before training at the Olympic Training Center later that day. Brianna spent the night at my house after flying from her coach's track in Florida, but I wouldn't let her leave without oatmeal...maybe it was years of my mother's Puerto Rican guilt and insistence that it's the best breakfast a person could eat. And if someone is headed to the Olympic Center, then by all things holy I WILL STUFF OATMEAL DOWN HER THROAT.
We chatted after her appointment and Brianna sounded like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Ten years, she said, ten years I've been training for this moment and though every step has been a battle, I'm simply going to celebrate I made it this far. At the risk of sounding cliche, Bri is going to the Olympic Trials knowing it's about the journey, not the destination...each battle, not the war. |
| I couldn't help but apply the same principle to my life. How many times have I waited for a big moment to happen--to actually be in it--only to let the memories slip through my hand like sand because I was too worried about the outcome/performance/story/image. Far too many times I've looked back at my life and wished I allowed myself the permission to simply revel. Revel in the impossibilities, in the hard work, in the accomplishment simply for what it is. |
| Brianna has a long road ahead of her as she competes at the Olympic Trials this weekend in Eugene, Oregon. A small group of friends will be by her side cheering her on...but, most of all, insisting she revel in being the moment for which she worked so hard. Of course, we hope she earns a spot on the Olympic team headed to London, but for now, we'll simply cheer from the sidelines...and hope she revels. In the moment.
Before we left, I tried explaining to Brianna that if gold medals were given for dancing, I'd be the Michael Phelps of The Robot..so glad JD was on hand to capture me schooling her. |
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| © 2013 Jasmine Star Photography | Blog by infinet design |
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