Willy’s third seizure on Christmas Day reminded us that pets don’t live forever. Love them as much as you can, while you can.

We drove 2,000 miles to make Willy’s Trip To The Ocean epic, I hired Anna Kuperberg to document the experience at Fort Funston near San Francisco (see her blog post here). I’ve admired her work for years and its a real treat knowing she was on the other side of the camera, grinning. I’m proud to call her my photo sensei.

Photographers, if you want to treat yourself and learn a lot, get your picture taken once a year by someone you admire. It’s a worthwhile opportunity.

I brought my easel and mirror to help for a personal project. The easel broke, but we used it any way.

Special thanks to our wedding coordinator and kindred spirit, Kevin Omura at Kuleana Design, for your friendship over the years and willingness to join us on this amazing adventure!

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ROYGBIV, swords, and a Red Rock Amphitheatre wedding of two cool, smart people…. yes, please!

I returned back to my Colorado stomping grounds and favorite concert venue just outside Denver to photograph Cat & Tim’s wedding at Red Rocks. One thing I love about weddings is connecting with brides and grooms who get excited about the art of photography and will do what it takes to get the shot, even if an inflatable air mattress is involved.

My good friend Matt Steaffens joined me as my second shooter. I love having him around. We had so much fun, exploring new parts of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, driving around with the bridal party, re-connecting with familiar faces, and getting to know Cat & Tim. I enjoyed working with coordinator Danielle Odil and TeNeil Hartly at Red Rocks. Erin Hornstein at Plum Sage Flowers does amazing work grinning ear to ear. During the ceremony, Keynes Chen played the violin and Christen Stephens created amazing music on the flute, echoing against walls of Red Rock. Ken Hiatt at Quality Mobile Sound kept guests on their toes. And I loved meeting VW enthusiast Richard Alan Blake who gave Cat & Tim a ride home in his Hippie Limo, a 1965 VW Microbus.

Thank you for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to be apart of your special day. I can’t wait to see where your future takes you.
I love my job, especially when there are sword fights!

We’ve all been there.

I can only imagine this song request kicked off the party!


Cat surprised Tim with an awesome wedding getaway vehicle, a 1965 VW Microbus. How cool!!!


Bond, James Bond.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW and ORDER PHOTOS HERE.

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What does rain, snow, wind mean on your wedding day? It shouldn’t mean much.

Brides (and grooms!)-to-be, I share a few things to consider before the whirlwind hits days before the wedding. While it’ll be even more fun than your first amusement park ride, yet it will go by faster than a National Geographic cheetah, in slow mo.

1. Prep 3 mental photos. 
While my camera is good for capturing most times, there will be special moments that I won’t be able to capture: like when you glance out during the ceremony see friends and family from both sides of the family. It won’t happen again. Cherish it. Snap a mental photo for yourself, times three.

2. No Worries.
So much will happen on your wedding day: good, bad, and awesome. Some you control, others you can’t, like the weather. The one thing you can control: your attitude. When my parents wed in 1975, my Mom almost cried when the wedding cake was chocolate, not vanilla. She laughs about it now.

3. Enjoy the moment. 
Rest at ease you will have at least one (or two) very good photographers following you around all day. We’ll take care of the Paparazzi, but keep your camera phone handy in case Elvis reappears. Otherwise, keep it charged for the honeymoon.

After all these months, you’ve been preparing for not just a wedding, but a marriage. And since you’ve already read my 25 tips for your best wedding photography, you’re prepared.

Enjoy your wedding day. And pray for snow (for cooler photos).

Here are some image from weddings I’ve photographed illustrating perfectly inclement wedding weather, an element you can’t control but makes for unique wedding memories.

Sarah & Eric tied the knot at Burning Man in 2010 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada in 100 degree heat and dust storms with a great attitude:

Rain turned into good luck at Lauren & Yong’s wedding on Oahu (wedding day rain means good luck in Hawaii). Everyone had such a wonderful time, despite a few rain drops. It even rained on our wedding day in Hawaii Kai, Oahu and I count that a good thing!

Jill & Brandon stayed classy when it rained on their September wedding in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Snow or rain, it doesn’t make a difference. It is all about attitude.

Jess & Josh’s rainy wedding in 2008 turned out to be perfect. I was excited to photograph their maternity session in Denver and Jess’s blog showcases their adventures.

Even if rain on your wedding day is a superstition, go create your own luck!
__________
You also might like :
How to Choose A Photographer to Fall in Love With
Cool Shwag for my Clients (forget CDs and DVDs)
Thoughts of Planning a Wedding (Through the Eyes of a Wedding Photographer)

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On a personal note, after 8 years of planning, I am now officially 100% a full-time wedding photographer. And I couldn’t be happier to kick things off with this blog post, while somewhat sappy, proves we played with fire.

I thought of Becca & Eric while reading C.C. Chapman’s book “Amazing Things Will Happen.” The book offers thoughts and inspirations on chasing your dreams and served as an inspiration for The Impossible Dream. Chapter 17, “Life Is Too Short for Bad Wine,” discusses the account of Ric Elias, a passenger on Flight 1549 that crash-landed in the Hudson River. I’m not going doom-and-gloom on you, but I recommend the inspiring TED talk, “3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed.” Elias talks about how he wishes to collect only bad wine, because if he is with friends he only wants to be drinking the good stuff.

We shared in the good stuff.

Sangria on a deck under stars, stories of places you see only in Patagonia catalogs, and our personal experiences at Burning Man. Eric, Becca, and I laughed at the small world of those who relish Burning Man where two degrees of separation connects us to Noah and Judy’s wedding in Hawaii last year. Willy, fresh from his trip to the ocean, savored the experience by meeting his first cat, a black cat, with instincts to run up trees just like neighborhood squirrels. Instincts didn’t bring them closer, unfortunately.

“Carpe diem // live life to the fullest // make the most of our time” … We’ve heard all this before.

Yet C.C. Chapman and Ric Elias remind us of the important questions: Why wouldn’t you open the bottle of red you’ve been saving for when your friends come over to dinner? Why settle for a job you are not happy at when you have a dream to be something else? What keeps you from doing one thing you’ve always wanted but have yet to do? While sometimes we have to slave away to take care of commitments, in long term, will this lead to our desired life?

While my brain wizzed and whirled reading these questions, I smiled, remembering my time with Eric and Becca in their slice of heaven called in Nevada City, CA. They get it.

I brought along the PhaseOne medium format rig paired with the Elinchrom 69” Rotalux Octa Softbox to create a few signature images robust in color and mood. I do love the amazing image quality from the Phase which simply can’t be appreciated from a web size photo (but pops in a massive print).

Yet the Nikon D700 paired with my 85mm f/1.4 remains a favorite combo I’ve relied upon for years and still produces images I’m proud to share:


You might recognize Becca from Burning Man Fire Conclave. She gives an awesome performance!

I share my secret sauce used to make this photo here.

CLICK HERE to view the slideshow from this Nevada City engagement photography session. CLICK HERE to view and order prints.

Thank you to Angie Johnson at Sapphire Celebrations for introducing me to such awesome clients. Who would have thought shooting family portraits at Burning Man would lead me to meet such wonderful people? I am looking forward to their mountain wedding at the Spruce Mountain Ranch in Larkspur, Colorado in September. I look forward to meeting their friends and family in peak Colorado foliage season. I look forward one day we might see each other on the playa or up on the slopes. Until then, I’ll savor these images of our rad memories.

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Introducing a favorite lightsaber gadget of choice, the Energizer LED Glow Stick Flashlight available for under $5 here.

Why?

1. They’re different. Why have the same stuff as the rest of the professional photographers? There’s no comparison. Not better or worse, just different.
2. They’re simple, cheap, and packable. The right side of my brain loves utilitarian spirit paired with MacGyver gusto. They are kid-friendly, too.
3. I like the colors. Red, blue, green are staples in a box of crayons. Those just happen to be the flavors of choice. Keep in mind, our taste in color changes as we age. Pair a 4-year-old’s chosen outfit with those you see exiting a cruise ship and you’ll see firsthand how special we really are. Make it work.
4. They make me think. Painters in the Pointillism era gave much thought about color juxtaposition. After all, they chose those pigments to go on the canvas using hands to make painstaking brushstrokes. Respect.
5. They make clients think (and smile). Whether you entertain a group of groomsman or a fresh engaged couple, they’ll appreciate the dog and pony show which they can walk home with the enthusiastic memories. And if you like many of my clients, there will at least be one or two amateur photographers in the mix that will ask the right technical questions. Bingo: Rapport!

Professional lighting equipment doesn’t have to expensive or have lots of fancy options and buttons in order to be useful. Light is light. And unless the laws of physics change in my lifetime, it should still serve the same use in the next century.

Pros

Little. Blue. Different. Seriously true.
Cheap. All gadgets shouldn’t break a $10 bill.
Kid-friendly. There’s even space to imagine a lightsaber battle, and a break-away lanyard to boot.

Cons

Suitable only in low-light situations.

How I use it

With a tripod, set your exposure to 20 seconds, about f/16, ISO as low as it goes. Play. If you want to incorporate subjects, you’ll need a flash powerful enough to exposure properly at f/16 given you distance to subject and preferred quality of light (I choose a huge octabank at full power on 1200 W/S). And don’t forget to play through the process of experimentation.

Final Words

Choosing creative tools relies on personal preference, aligned closely to style, patience, effort, and risk. And money can’t buy these things! Relish in simplicity, explore, and then share your own tricks and tips. And if you need a dose of inspiration, be sure to lighten your load by reading my 4 tips to reduce gear on a shoot.

Photographers: I encourage you to seek to create something different with your lighting style. Not sure how? I offer private lightpainting mentoring detailed here and share a ton of tips and tricks here. Drop a comment and I’m happy to help!

Go imagine and do the impossible.

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