Bouncing

I am a very bouncy sort of person. I bounce around the room when I am happy. I bounce around when I am worried. I bounce when I am upset. Right now I am not bouncing literally, but figuratively I've been bouncing for the last eight hours. Listen to my problem...

I have shot with Minolta equipment since I began and I really like it. I know the ins and outs, I know the menu like the back of my hand, and I'm confident and comfortable with it. Imagine my horror when Minolta announced they were no longer going to produce dSLR's. They had sold their technology to Sony.

Breathe.

Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad... Sony is a leader in technology. Or so I thought. The Sony Alpha 100 is a 10.2 megapixel dSLR with the same lens mount as the Minolta's. It was the obvious next camera for me. I bought it, and it has been wonderful and easy since I can change lenses between the two bodies (and flashes!) and the layout is pretty much the same. But it is a Sony and doesn't have a vertical grip or the amount of accessories that come with the more established manufacturers Nikon or Canon. So now I've been bouncing between these two choices:

1) Staying with Sony, hoping that they release their next dSLR soon and that the accessory options increase dramatically.

or

2) Selling all of my gear and starting over with Canon.

Now' let's address the pros and cons of each choice.

Option 1:
PROS:
* Currently have a good set of lenses and flash for Minolta/Sony
* Understand the system
* They are a young system and if they eventually start kicking their asses into gear, I could grow with them

CONS:
* If they never get their asses into gear
* Not as respected or well known as Canon/Nikon
* The camera itself is not quite on the same caliber as Canon/Sony

Option 2
PROS:
* Well known manufacturer
* Lots of equipment/accessories that are cheaper than Sony's

CONS:
* Starting all over again
* Learning curve for the equipment
* Not using Minolta/Sony

So there you have it. Bouncing all over the place. But in writing all of this, I think I've reached a little clarity. It's the photographer who makes the pictures, not the equipment. My sister suggested I shoot with the Sony gear (which is by no means bad) for the next year or so, and then make a total switch to Canon later on.So maybe that is what I will do. It seems like a sensible idea. Bouncing over. :)

Bridal Expo in Santa Cruz

Wow. I just attended the 2007 Bridal Expo in Santa Cruz with a good friend of mine. We wandered happily through the packed Cocoanut Grove, sampling cakes from The Buttery, chocolate fountains from caterers, and peeking at other photographer's work. It was a wonderful experience for me to take a look at how bridal shows are put together (not once when I was planning my wedding did I go to one! :) ), and just a lot of fun to hang out with my friend. I am always in awe of how much talent there is in the Bay Area when it comes to photography.

When I was going through the brochure I didn't see very many photographer's listed, but in the actual Expo, almost every other stand was a photographer. There was such a vast range, from teeny booths with a couple albums and prints, to huge framed portraits, five or six gorgeous albums and a plasma TV with slideshows. Next year I hope to be one of the teeny booths. :) Maybe I can beg or borrow a flast screen computer and have that going in the background too. But the plasma tv's are in my far and hazy future.

One thing that was really inspirational was talking to another photographer there. She started only four years ago, but her work is just incredible. I could have spent the entire afternoon going through her albums and just soaking it all in.

To all you brides out there, I strongly urge you to attend a bridal show if possible. A little overwhelming, and be sure to bring your groom to carry around all of the packets of info you will get, :) but it was a lot of fun and full of invaluable information.

Shauna and Peter

This past weekend was a busy one photography wise. I met with a couple to go over the final details for their wedding and sign a contract and then I had the pleasure of doing an engagement session with Shauna and Peter at Vasona Park. I've gotten to know Shauna better than most of my clients since I did not only her brother-in-law's wedding but also her family's portraits! This was one of the easiest, and funnest shoots I've done to date.

The day before the shoot Shauna and I exchanged a couple frantic emails about the impending downpour for the weekend. In the back of my mind I was already trying to figure out which date we could use as a substitute when Shauna suggested we meet an hour earlier. According to Peter who was surfing an aviation weather website, the inclement weather wasn't supposed to hit until 4. Our shoot was scheduled for 3, but after a brief discussion we decided to try for 1. As I drove over, blackened clouds were rolling in from the distance and I think both Shauna and I were bartering with God for a hold on the downpour as we pulled into the parking lot.

I had only met Peter once, but at the time that I first met him, he seemed quiet, almost shy. I was completely wrong. :) It didn't take Peter more than five minutes before he had me giggling into my sleeve. He kept both Shauna and I in stitches the entire shoot, between his 'coy' faces and his jokes, the shoot was one hilarious moment after the next. Something I noticed about Shauna the moment I met her was her incredible eyes. They are this gorgeous shade of blue. I wish I had blue eyes like her. :) I am looking forward so much to shooting their wedding in September, I've already met all of her brothers and sisters at the family shoot, and I did her cousin's family shoot as well. I know I will feel right at home with them. :)

The day started out with a little arm wrestling(I think Shauna's cheating...)



Without *any* prompting, they did this wonderful dip... I told you I love this couple!



Little cuddle time on the bridge



We're in front of a big arrow... what do we do?



When in doubt, kiss!



I loved Shauna's unique Claddagh ring- so many rings now are very cookie-cutter,
so it is always a pleasure to see something new and original.



The duck got a thorough work out...
there are a couple shots where Peter is horizontal with the ground



On the tracks...



Shauna doin' the supermodel stare!


The End :)

Jinny and Mike

I really had a fun time with Jinny and Mike. I can honestly say that they are the only couple I've ever had where I didn't have to tell them to do anything. With most couples I'll offer suggestions on positioning, etc., but with these two I just sat back and had them do their own thing. When I was editing these pictures I was just smiling the whole time. There is something about these two which is uniquely happy.



You can't go wrong with perfect sunlight.


This about sums it up. Playful. Fun. Easygoing.


Two pretty b&w shots


Playing on the very real, very much WORKING railroad tracks...


Relaxing in the sun




Little bit of sun flare :)


I love the way they are holding hands and doing what
they were doing the whole day- laughing. :)


They are one good looking couple! :)
One final sun-warmed shot

Jessica and Jay

LOL. The ink hasn't even dried but I am already posting another entry. See, if I just update it every few days with lots of information, maybe no one will notice that I don't post every single day. :)

Jessica and Jay were such a fun couple. The thing that I really loved about them was that they are genuine. They are genuine in that they love each other completely. They are totally comfortable with each other which made shooting them a breeze. When I asked where they wanted to do the shoot, instead of saying "Well, you choose..." Jessica emailed me back promptly and asked if we could do the shoot at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I loved the fact that they came up with such a cool unique location. We prowled around the outside of the Park for a while, and then noticed that one of the gates was open. We tiptoed inside.. When we got to the top, we skittered past the security guard who had his back turned and attempted to make a dash for freedom. Well, Jay and I did at least. :) Jessica walked right up to the security guard and asked him if we could take a couple pictures in the Park. He helpfully told us that the Park was open to the public every Saturday for an hour and we had just happened to be there at the right time. What luck! I think Jay and I both felt sheepish at our avoidance antics.



The Park.




Snuggling in Front Of (or is it behind?) the Willie Mays
statue (that was the correct name, right Jessica? :) )


The day before AT&T Park was home to the Monster
Truck Rally... which is the reason that the field has
smashed up cars all over. Kinda sucks because this
would have been an awesome shoot if there was less
bent metal everywhere. :)


Showing off the bling. :)


Would you believe they tried to tell me that they were unphotogenic??

New Blog Apparently

So today when I tried to sign onto my blog (it's been so long I almost forgot my password!), I was greeted by the fact that the server had changed and I apparently have a new blog. Which on second thought might be a good thing. :) Then you won't be able to see the embarressing lack of posts recently. I'm one of those people who always makes grandiose plans for New Years, feverishly keeps them for the first two weeks and then falls completely by the wayside. :) And my blog was one of those plans. LOL.

So I think that since I am now starting a "new" blog I should reintroduce myself. I am a photographer in the Bay Area. My emails (and now my blog) are always peppered with smiley faces, exclamation points, and random tangents. I love all of my clients, I've never met a couple, family or person that I didn't find something special about. I tend to be a bit of a spazz. I always arrive places half an hour (or more!) before I'm supposed too. I use my appendages (arms and legs) as a human tripod, don't be surprised if you see me hooking a foot around a fence and leaning back to get the perfect shot. I try to use as much natural light as possible. I run around carrying two big camera bags, various lenses, backup bodies and flashes. I forget to be tired or hungry when I'm shooting. I also shoot motorsport events. (weird I know- weddings and motorsports... yes, they go hand in hand!) :) I love what I do. Photography has become a focal subject in my life and I am pursuing it with all that I can. I love to learn new things, assist others, and have a wonderful happy time! :)