It’s been quite a while since I blogged last, but i’m finally back to blogging. The last few weeks have been busy with weddings in Santa Barbara and Arizona as well as meetings and life in general. I’m going to share about the Arizona wedding next week so be looking for that, but for now I just wanted to tell you all about a few new things i’ve been working on recently that I think you will like.

+ Sites

The company that I use to design my website, Showit, rolled out a new feature a few months back called + Sites. This feature allows you to design custom websites for your clients to showcase their photos for their friends and family to see. Its something that people seem to really like and it was fun making one of these sites for the first time, too. I’ll put that up on facebook soon, which brings me to my next new thing.

Facebook fan page

I finally decided to create a facebook fan or “like” page so that people can keep up with and see new projects i’m working on. I’ll be posting galleries of projects i’m working on in the future and projects i’ve worked on. Also if you have any photography or business related questions you can post them on the discussion board and i’ll do my best to answer them. I’m not an expert, but i’ll share what I know and if others want to chime in too that would be great! If you’re not a fan yet head on over and check it out. If you are thanks and invite your friends, too.

Thats all for now. I’ll post more next week and be updating the facebook page often. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

I was thinking recently why it is that we blog. There are about 6 or 7 different blogs I will visit on an almost daily basis and it got me to thinking what it is I like about those blogs and why those individuals blog on a regular basis. I mean, there are tons of different reasons for people to blog, but I guess theres just a few reasons why i’ve chosen to do this blog.

The main reason is that i’ve wanted to document this journey of becoming a wedding photographer and the ups and downs that go with taking a leap of faith to start something new.

I’ve also wanted to share this experience with whoever is interested. Its great seeing that theres people who check out this blog on a regular basis and theres also those who just happen to stumble upon this.

Lastly, I blog so that people can get to know me. I’ll be honest when I first started blogging I didn’t really want to share a whole lot about my personal life, but the more I have the easier i’ve found it is to write these blog posts on a regular basis.

I love reading blogs because it gives me a window into a person’s life and a connection with the experiences they’re having. Its interesting how blogs become like our favorite magazine.

So, what are some of your favorite blogs? I’m always interested to hear about different blogs I might not have read before. Share a few of your favorites in the comments.

As we are in the midst of wedding season there is excitement, stress, and happiness for all those involved in the wedding industry. I’m excited, but for a slightly different reason. I’m getting ready to start with the weddings i’m assisting and shooting at this year and I never thought I would be doing this.

Growing up I didn’t dream of becoming a photographer one day, but here I am on this road to doing something I enjoy full-time. Going into this wedding season i’m excited, nervous, and thankful for the different people I have the opportunity to work with.

I’m grateful for where God has me right now and am expectant for where he is leading me and what he is doing.

Heres one of my favorite pictures i’ve taken from last summer

Have a great weekend!

Last week I mentioned 2 big dogs that I live with and thought I would share a little bit with you all. When I was growing up we had different pets like fish, rats, and even a cat at one point, but never a dog. Well I guess my brother decided to make up for lost time and got 2 dogs, but these aren’t just normal dogs.

My brother decided to get English Mastiffs. Now if you’ve never heard of English Mastiffs before google it and you’ll quickly get an idea of what they’re like. I remember the 1st time I had seen the dogs after a few years and had forgotten just how big they are.

Mastiffs are awesome dogs. They’re big, lovable, and basically great (except for the drool and shedding…that I could do without). Anyway here are a few pictures of the giants.

Doesn’t he look so excited to be having his picture taken!?

I thought for those of you who may be visiting the blog for the first time or who have just started reading the blog I would share a few random facts about myself so you know a little more about me.

- I love modern architecture, furniture, design, etc.

- I love to travel to new places (so far i’ve visited 4 different countries and hope to add more to that list next year)

- My favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia (even though I have never watched it all the way through in one sitting)

- I’m right handed

- I’m the first person in my immediate family to travel internationally (excluding Canada and Mexico)

- I live with 2 VERY big dogs (English Mastiffs..i’ll blog about them someday soon)

- I’ve lived in the same city for most of my life (Simi Valley)

Thats a bit about me. Kinda random, but if you liked it leave a comment i’d love to find out something random about my blog readers.

I just finished a book called Refractions by Makoto Fujimura and wanted to share it with you all. I had talked a little about it in an earlier blog, but wanted to share some thoughts now that i’m done with it.

This book was kind of different in that it is made up of a bunch of short essays. The book basically deals with the convergence of art and faith and how the two support and influence each other. This was of particular interest to me since I started talking about this with a friend of mine a few months back.

I really enjoyed this book and its one of those books i’ll read again and maybe even…again : ) It really influenced and changed the way I think about art and faith and even a bit of the thought process that goes into creating art. Makoto writes just as awesome as he paints. Its also probably one of the best looking books i’ve ever.

Definitely go over to amazon and pick up a copy if you’re at all interested.

Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!

I think summer is probably my favorite time of year. Even though I live in Southern California where its practically summer year round there’s just something about summer.

Weddings, friends, family, strawberries, the beach. All great things about summer. I especially love being a guest at and a part of weddings.

All around this is a great time of year.

What are some things you love about summer?

So, i’m always on the lookout for photographers (inside and outside the wedding industry) and things that inspire me and I thought I would share 2 photographers who are continuously a source of inspiration for me.

James Nachtwey

The first time I traveled overseas I had a friend who was watching a documentary called War Photographer one night and I caught part of it and was so taken with the images this photographer was creating from some of the worst situations imaginable. Well, a year or two back I finally was able to get a hold of a copy of this documentary and it is amazing. The stories behind the images he creates are just as amazing as the images he creates.

If you get the chance rent or pick up a copy of this documentary, you won’t regret it.

Joey L

A month or two back I was introduced to the work of Joey Lawrence. He’s a commercial photographer and has done some pretty cool work for some pretty big companies. The work he does that really interests me, though, is his personal travel work. He has traveled to India, Nepal, Ethiopia, and Indonesia and taken portraits of the people he has met there.

His Abbysinia series from his trip to Ethiopia is awesome and has given me some ideas for future projects. Go check it out if you’re interested in travel photography or looking to be inspired.

What photographers inspire you? Let me know in the comments section i’d love to hear who y’all like.

So, I thought I would do another installment of Things I like. Here are 2 things that i’ve come across in the past week that I really like…

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman

I’ve been hearing about this documentary for a while and finally had the opportunity to check it out. All I have to say is if you get the chance the rent it…do it! I really enjoyed this because of the fact that you get to hear a lot of the stories surrounding some really awesome architecture. Julius Shulman was an architectural photographer who brought the modern style to the general public. He has some great work and great stories to share.

The O.C. Supertones

The O.C. Supertones are back!! Last weekend one of my best friends took me to see the Supertones. They were one of my favorite bands in high school and I still love alot of their music. I have to admit that I was kind of excited leading up to them performing, but once they took the stage I was soo excited! My friend was giving me looks like, “you actually like this?” haha, but its cool. They did a great job and I couldn’t have been happier.

Thats all for now, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Not too long ago I heard about some weddings where the couples decided not to have a wedding photographer. I thought this was really interesting and seems to be something that is happening more due to the economy. So, I thought I would talk a little about why I think wedding photography is important.

1.) Memories

When we look back at photos from when we were growing up or a vacation, those photos bring back the memories from that event. Its the same with wedding photos, when you look back at these photos it will bring back the memories from that special day.

2.) The only thing that lasts…

After the wedding is done there is really only 1 thing that will last for years to come. That is your wedding pictures. A well made photo album will last for many years and you will be able to share the details and look back on your wedding day with friends and family.

Whatever your ultimate decision is regarding wedding photography I hope this helps in making that decision and gives you some things to talk about!