Win a Spot To FIND .... MAUI

Ya... I know...

I'm freaking out.

I want this.

I NEED IT.

(but incase I don't win it, one of you should.)

Enter HERE::

Workshop Sweepstakes

Don't know what FIND is?

It is a workshop, of epic proportions.

You can read about my experience with the FIND workshop HERE.

Going to Visit Daddy at School

 

She walks now.

Can you believe it? SHE WALKS. 

Shooting these reiterates to me why I love teaching 101 photography classes.

Why I really believe everyone should know how to take a decent photo. 

This isn't a birthday, a vacation, she isn't walking for the first time in any of these photos, this moment... it is just a moment, no big deal, right? 

No way. These photos completely encompass a time for us and a life we won't ever have again.

We will look back at these and laugh, love and reminisce, 

"remember when we were super poor and Lus was SO little and we would have lunch together on campus just so we could see you for once during the day?" 

You can't have a professional photographer following you around all day capturing these moments that happen so frequently, that we often let go by without giving much thought too. 

But..... 

YOU can pick up a camera and 

YOU can learn to capture these moments, 

whether it's a simple point and shoot, a DSLR or a 35mm.

We have this incredible medium that allows us to create beauty and save memories for ourselves and others, and most of us know nothing to very little about how to use it! 

There are many opportunities to learn more, read up on photography on the internet (scanning a photographers website and blog doesn't count!), take a class, ask people you know for help, read your camera manual! One such opportunity exists April 9th. Once you learn the basics, Shoot shoot shoot.

Utah Children's Photography: Saturday Morning 2.0

 

More of this little bugger and his siblings (and new baby brother!) coming in the next 2 weeks.
Have a fabulous Saturday everyone! Make it a good one! 

For you photographers:
 (you probably will have NO idea what I'm talking about if your not one,... sorry)

This was shot with 400h film (fuji), oh I LOVE this film. I've been trying a new color film, Portra 400 (Kodak) lately and I just can't seem to nail it and love it like other photographers have been. So why change films? Portra 400 has a LOT of benefits? it comes in 220, 400h only comes in 35 and 120 (120 has half the amount of exposures as 220). Also, you can rate it at 400 and 800iso (not 200 or lower) meaning you can get 1 to 2.. if not 3 or 4... more stops of light! That is a HUGE difference, saving me tons of money in some cases as I don't need to pay the extra $ to have the film pushed in developing when needed (and its needed a lot.)
We'll see, maybe I just need to shoot it more and get used to it... I'll post some more from this session and  point out the Portra 400 from the 400H and you can see what you prefer. Come on Fuji... can't you just keep making 400H in 220?? COME ONE! 

Another Reason why Film Rocks: Lusi and detail retention

Say I would have shot this exact same shot in digital, same exposure, same lighting, same everything.

DOESN'T WORK. Why? Your highlights will be COMPLETELY blown out, there won't even be any information there for you pull to try to fix in photoshop, you will be left with a blinking black screen.

Take a look here, ya, it's bright but man alive!, you can still see every detail in this gorgeous girls face. EVERY DETAIL. Sure, you could totally adjust the setting on your camera and compensate your exposure to be more digital friendly but then... everything else would be too dark, and I wanted those eyes to POP! 

Shot with the usual equipment but with my new LED light. I know! It looks just like day light. 

I'll talk about that more later, ditching the flash and getting to know one of these bad boys. 

Film and PASSION.

October 7, 2009

"Tonight capped off my 3 workshop with Johnathan Canlas. The workshop was Film Is Not Dead put on in Park City. We had lectures every morning and the shooting time after lunch with models. It was me, 11 other photographers, Jon and his wife.

The workshop rocked my soul! Although he taught and I learned SO much about technique, film, posing, business, etc, the will help me immensely from here on out, that is not the reason why I left the workshop tonight in tears.

Jon is an amazing person. Her loves his wife, and kids, and work, his life... he has PASSION for it all. He is also incredibly giving, seems to always be donating his time, efforts, work, and knowledge towards something or someone that is deserving... or not. All of his love, passion, and generosity are so apparent in his work. Along with all of that, topped with his fine words of wisdom, sense of humor, wife, incredible food, and the other amazing 11 photographers have impacted significantly over the past 3 days.

One of the main things Jon emphasized finding your "vision" and although he was referring to photography for the most part, to me, it applied to life, art, and why I get up everyday and do what I do, whatever that might be. "Whatever that might be"... what i have been contemplating and searching for, forever now, but more so in the last 3 days.

I am scared to live with guts, passion, and purpose, and to full on all-0ver-unguarded LOVE. Mostly, I'm scared of the failure in trying and because of that, I don't even try, not really try. I'm better than I have been in the past but that past keeps following me and I allow it to define who I am. I have known this for some time but have yet to come to a solution and have just kept marching on.

Positively, I also have realized for some time that I have PASSION. It's this deep pressure in my chest that lights up and is released with art. Good meaningful, passionate, inspired art, be it music, theatre, movies, literature etc. I just haven't figured out what to do with it all. It's there, it needs to be shared and understood, but I am just so scared to jump off the edge of sharing myself and doing that.

But that IS MY VISION, my point, and that is what hit me today as I sat on the floor during our lecture in that condo talking, watching video clips and discussing purpose. Somehow, through art, I NEED to share this passion. With the purpose of helping others discover it within themselves and to realize it in others, because everyone has it. I really honestly believe that EVERYONE has it... and if EVERYONE knew we all had it... we would all think we were amazing. We would treat each other like we are supposed to be treated, we would treat each other like... like gods. THAT is my job, THAT is the whole point of be being here.

It was through Jons person and this amazing workshop that I was able to finally come to this realization. Because when he shoots, and when he talks about his work, and his family, I see more than just that, I hear more than just that. I see why and how he loves, and he does seem to see it in everyone. His life and world are love and happiness... and I want that.

To say the very least the workshop was incredible. I am very grateful for folks like Jon and his wife for and for my incredible husband who is incredibly supportive of me in ALL of my craziness. He loves me, even if he doesn't always understand me.

Today was a good day."

How I met Jon and heard of Film Is Not Dead is actually quite amazing in itself and I really think was more than coincidence. I was in college and had just gotten fired from my first photography gig, working for a snobby company as a back up shooter. I wasn't devastated, just really really mad and left the company thinking wedding and portrait photography was for a bunch of hacks that couldn't make it as "real" artists. I decided to take a 101 photography class from uvsc and Jon was my teacher. He actually wasn't even a teacher though. One of the professors had a leave of absence and Jon was filling in. I was blown away by his work and realized, you can make portrait and wedding photography art.

After taking his workshop and cleansing myself of digital I have come to love, embrace, and believe in Film. Film has made me a better photographer, like a WAY better photographer. I have to know my stuff when shooting. There is no guessing, no checking the screen to see if the light is right, my exposure is correct or the composition is down. I also have to be incredibly aware of my surroundings, the mood, the emotion and be ready to click the second I see what I am waiting for, because I can't put my finger on the shutter and fire away. One of my favorite aspects of film? I spend time behind the camera instead of the computer. I shoot, send my stuff off to the lab, they develop and scan (so I then have a digital file), I SOMETIMES do some quick color or contrast adjustments and then off to the client. I don't have to be a photoshop wiz, and I don't want to be. To me, film catches that emotion and those memories far better than digital.

I just connect with film, I FEEL it, something digital never did for me.

Film is real and tangible. Film has soul, depth, passion, saturation, contrast, and my favorite, that lovely lovely grain. l.

That is why I love and shoot film.

This is why I recommend shooting film to everyone.

Jon has just put together a stunning 96 page digital workbook with all the info you need to know on starting to shoot film. He sent me a copy to review and I'm telling you folks, it is a work of art in itself. It is visually stunning, and the information and insight that he offers is priceless. I'm telling you this, not because he gave me a copy, or because I get a few dollars when you purchase a workbook from my site, or even because Jon is my friend, I am telling you about this workbook because you will fall in love with it. Because it will change the way you shoot, and that will most definitely change the way you see the world.

Photography and Film is my passion. I love sharing it, please take a piece.

What is your passion?

Find it. Share it.

I record history, I don't alter it.

First and foremost:

GAH, she is gorgeous!

(turned the image black and white, it was a little green, and hit save)
(It is possible to get stunning photographs without using photoshop)

Secondly: 

to all Photographers and Mothers,

PLEASE stop photoshopping babies and children.

The whited eyes, (that sometimes have a star in them.. what??), and perfect porcelain skin are super creepy.

I mean, I hate photoshopping as far as "fixing" people and I'll just hold my tongue about it (for now) and just choose not to do that, but babies, kids... BABIES??

REALLY?

Those tiny zits

snotty nose
little dark bags under their eyes 

freckles
bruises
scratches

blotchy skin and

funky little mole

are what make them perfect

what makes them real

what make them unique

what make them a BABY

...

what make them yours.

... I don't get fed up with "industry" things very often (probably because I typically ignore them all together). And I try and stay away from commenting on other people photos (or even looking at them)

but really?

What are we teaching when we photoshop away our children's uniqueness, away their history?.
(What are we teaching them we photoshop away ours? )