Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait as long for my next post! I am shooting a wedding tomorrow and should have it blogged by the end of next week. While you wait, here are a few videos I shot of Gideon at Disneyland earlier this week on two of his favorite rides. I can’t believe he is already 22 months!

Disneyland Tea Cups with the Canon EF 17-40L

Disneyland Tea Cups with the Canon EF 15mm Fisheye

Disneyland carousel with the Canon EF 17-40L

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I met this amazing couple through a mutual friend, Meg.  When Laura was planning her wedding, Meg stepped up and said “you don’t need to worry about finding a photographer, I know your guy!”  I am so glad Meg connected us and I was able to capture this special day.   

The amazing vendors from the day
Venue: Palos Verdes Country Club
Cake: Torrance Bakery
Flowers: Flower Art
Stationary & Invitations: Tulaloo
Videography: Jamison Luther
My amazing assistant:  Jason Sorge

I had so many favorites from Elliott and Laura’s wedding, so I’m sorry if this post took a little while to load due to the number of photos. I had trouble even narrowing it down to what you see here.

Laura getting ready for the day

I love that Laura sewed Elliott’s patch from the service into her wedding gown.

I love this next shot with Laura’s dad in the background.

Elliott getting the final touches.

The ceremony site at Palos Verdes Country Club.

The next two images are a series of, Luca, the ring bearer, just before Laura and her dad walk down the aisle. Cute little series.

Here comes the bride

A prayer before giving his daughter away

I love the way the light was hitting Laura’s veil.

This next image is so powerful to me. Elliott’s helmet was used to carry the rings down the aisle and then placed on the empty seat next to Laura’s dad, which would have held Laura’s mom. Even though Laura’s mom has passed on, her presence was felt many times in imagery and symbols.

The first kiss!

Just Married!!

The wedding party

Laura made a beautiful bride

Elliott cleaned up pretty well also.

Elliott & Laura

Elliott and Laura entering the reception

Laura’s brother led the entire party in a rendition of “That’s Amore!” I love this shot of Elliott and Laura belting it out.

Laura’s dad toasting the new couple

I love this moment I captured during the blessing for dinner.

A few from the first dance

Removing the garter

Hora!

Looks like they are having a good time.

The exit

Some details

The cake topper

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Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot.

I love these next 3!

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Here is the first of what will be several posts about the tools I typically use at a wedding and many of my film projects. I figured I would start off with my favorite lenses, my Canon L primes.

Shown from left to right are the 24mm 1.4L, 50mm 1.2L, 85mm 1.2L II, and 135mm 2.0L.

Fixed focal length lenses, or prime lenses, offer many advantages over zoom lenses. I think sharpness and a larger aperture are the biggest ones. Prime lenses are typically the sharpest lenses you can get. I shoot with my prime lenses so much that when I use one of my Canon L zoom lenses (post coming soon) the images almost look soft in comparison. The larger aperture allows me to shoot in lower light than I could with a zoom lens, it also allows me to get a shallower depth of field than I could get with a zoom.

Keep reading below for a few notes about each lens and a few favorite images I took with it.

Canon EF 24mm 1.4L Even though there are wider lenses, I think the 24L does pretty well. It gives you a nice wide view without as much distortion that you would get from a wider angle. I love using my 24L for many parts of the day. I most frequently use it while the bride is getting ready, but also for select portraits and details.

Canon EF 50mm 1.2L I most frequently use my 50L when the bride is getting ready, for select portraits, and details. The 50L focuses much fast than the 85L but I still think I prefer the compression and angle of view of the 85L compared to the 50L.

Canon EF 85mm 1.2L II The 85L is an amazing lens that requires much practice to master. The lens focuses really slow, due to the build and design used in this heavy lens yet allowing it to still stay relatively small. I tend to use my 85L most during portraits and the first dance, and details. If the room is big enough I also like to use it while the bride is getting ready. It also comes in handy in low light churches.

Canon 135mm 2.0L Honestly my 135L is one of my least used lenses in my bag. I had even considered selling it at one point. Most of the times I need to a lens longer than 85mm I am usually using my Canon 70-200 2.8L. I do love how fast the 135L focuses though, and it is nice to have the 135L in my bag as back-up for my 70-200. It was hard finding images I shot with the 135L. Here is one

I could nearly shoot a whole wedding just using the 24mm 1.4L, 50mm 1.2L, and 85mm 1.2L II. If fact if you ever see me working at a wedding or engagement shoot I probably am using one of those 3 lenses, since they are on my camera most of the day.

Stay tuned for a post about my Canon L zoom lenses.

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Before I ever dabbled in still photography I was making short films with my parent’s video camera. I would get a bunch of my friends together and we would decide on a plot and characters and shoot a short film. I would then try to edit the film using 2 VCRs and even try adding sound effects. It was always fun, and not a bad way to spend a summer day while on vacation from school. As my friends and I got older we met less and less to shoot our fun short films but I still had that love for storytelling.

In high school I discovered still photography. I loved going into the darkroom and seeing the magic of one of my images appearing right in front of me. I still wanted to work in film/video but was having a blast taking stills. In 2008 Canon released the revolutionary 5D Mark II. I immediately placed my order. The 5D2 is my main body I used to photograph my clients, but it also can act as a video camera capturing film-like video in HD at 24fps. The Canon 5D2 was even used to shoot the entire season finale of House this year. Just think the camera I use to photograph my clients is being used to shoot one of the top rated shows on TV. The mediums have converged.

I am adding a new blog category “film,” which will cover my work on “American Marriage”, the new film “Absentia,” and any other new film projects. In a little more than 3 weeks we start shooting “Absentia” on my 5D2. You can see the teaser trailer below that we shot recently to help raise funding. Check out or Kickstarter page for more details about “Absentia” and some fun PSAs from the cast and crew. Little did I know at the start of 2010 I would have 2 listings for cinematographer on IMDB.

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Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

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Justin & Melisa are new parents with 11 weeks old twins. I had fun talking to them about being a parent and shared the news of our new little one coming in November. Justin, along with being a respected DJ, is an amateur photographer so we had fun chatting about cameras and lenses. I had so much fun, we could have kept shooting long after the sun went down. Justin & Melisa are getting married this coming September in Palos Verdes.

There were so many great shots from our evening together, it was hard to choose what to blog. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

I love this next shot as a panoramic.

I also love it in the traditional 35mm ratio.

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We had our first visit with our mid-wife this past Friday and heard the heartbeat. Check out what Gideon thinks about the news.

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My friend Brian Hamilton of Suite M came to assist me for the day. It was such a blast working with him, I hope we can do it again soon. Not only did Brian assist me but he also connected me with this fun couple. Brian is the owner and main photographer at Suite M Photography. Among being an awesome photographer, he also is an all around great guy. He is the first person I recommend if I am already booked.

Here are just a few of  my favorites from Emily & David’s wedding.

Emily getting ready

The ceremony. Emily’s dad giving her away.

Just married!

I love this next shot of David, especially with the sepia toning.

Emily made a beautiful bride

The guys

The girls

Once again I am glad the clouds cleared up and the sun came out.

A few from the first dance

The reception was rocking

Some details.

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