jessica.

The beautiful Jessica Inman is on the blog today!  She is an amazing photographer at Kim Jew, and has been shooting there for about 6 years.  There is nothing more intimidating than photographing someone who photographs people for a living, especially when they are this dang beautiful.   Check out some of her work, here.  : )

I have been shooting so much lately and I absolutely love it.   If anyone has read the book Outliers,  I'm working on getting to my 10,000 hours mark.  (If you haven't read that book, you definitely should!)..... I'm probably only a 10th of my way there.  I have been noticing that my style has been changing the more comfortable I get behind the camera.  When I am shooting, I think to myself, "What kind of photograph am I going to be proud of, one, and what kind of photographs am I going to want to edit later, two?".  This really makes me  more conscience of my actions while behind the camera to always attempt to create something that represents who my subject is, but also attempting to create something that represents me as the photographer. Does that make sense?

Enjoy the fotos! Happy Wednesday!! 

P.S.  Two week countdown to my sister trip to Korea starts right... NOW. 

Doing something different.

Here are some images from my shoot with the most beautiful, QiaoQiao.  If anyone doesn't know her by now, she has been such an influential part of my business.  She's such an original and fantastic artist, and never ceases to be an inspiration to me with my photography.  Click on her name up there and check out some of her work.

You're definitely going to notice that something is new here.  It never hurts your art to try something new, and to explore different ideas to discover where your passions lie within it. It's about pushing yourself, whether that be changing your subject or your medium to produce work.

I really wanted to try to capture the 'real'.  I wanted these images to feel authentic.  I shot in film, and unlike much of my other work, they haven't been edited.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the editing process making my pictures 'look' a certain way-- as a photographer, I wanted to figure out how to do with that just my camera.. not my computer. Let me know what you think about them.  I'm kinda sorta excited with how they turned out.

Love you, Qiaoqiao! You did GOOD. :)

bella.

In the midst of all my editing and shooting, sometimes I get so lost that I forget that I'm a photographer.

That must just sound silly.

When you are spending two hours behind the camera, and 15 behind the computer screen it begins to make more sense. Every time I pick up my camera before a photo shoot I get really really nervous.  I mean reallllly nervous. Do I even know how to work this thing?  Am I going to know how to pose these people?  Are these people going to think I'm a freak? The latter statement generally ends up being true.

The funny thing is, from what I've come to realize, is that EVERY single time when I begin shooting a sense of relief comes over me.  I love it... and even though I just shot three days ago, I already forgot how much I love it.  I love the adrenaline I get during photo shoots.  I love the preemptive nerves that come over me before working with new clients.  I love the thrill of having to come up with ideas when approached with a completely new environment. Don't even get me started on the nerves that come along with shooting weddings.  More than anything, I LOVE seeing ideas that I've been dreaming up come to life.

Who ever thought being a photographer would be such a thrill-seeking profession? 

Annnywayssss, I have been trying more and more to do more personal work.  I need to be shooting even when I don't have to be shooting.  It's so so important to practice, and to push yourself when you are your only motivation.   One such example of this is a small little lifestyle shoot I had with Bella Robles.  She's a talented and b-e-a-uuutiful photographer in Albuquerque.  Working with other photographers is awesome.  You get to ask them to do totally weird things with absolutely no judgement attached ;)

kara, justin & august.

I love my family more than anything.

My brother Justin and my sister Kara are expecting two identical twin girls in the next couple weeks... or days?  We are so excited for these two to come into our family.  August, my sweet nephew, has been the biggest blessing on earth.  Over the past year and a half he has given us so much joy, and entertainment (especially at the dinner table).  It's hard for me to imagine what it's going to be like to have two more little ones running around, but I'm sure once they are here we won't be able imagine life without them.  That's how I feel about my new siblings, too.  Kara and my new brother-in-law, Jason, are such important parts of my life now, and I really couldn't imagine life without them.  

Kara and Justin's little (almost big) family is starting to mimic our own.  The oldest is a boy, the middle two are twin girls... all they need is a little Kaethe, and they'll be all set for life! ;)  Today is their seven year wedding anniversary, and I hope these pictures reflect all of the love and strength that's come out of these past seven years.

Love.



 



Okay, I know I can be biased, but this time I know I'm not.  Kara is THE most beautiful pregnant person with twins I've ever seen.