Grandfield Cheer and Pep Squad

I had a GREAT time photographing the Grandfield Elementary Cheerleaders and Pep Squad last weekend! We got together about 3:00.................with bright BRIGHT Sunshine!!! Every photographer's nightmare,huh?.......NOT ME!!!! Basically, All I did to create these shots was take a light reading for my background, took another reading for my subject, and took the average of the two readings and set my camera at that F-stop. Then,I put my off camera flash at that reading's distance! These girls ended up with nice exposure................no shadowy raccoon eyes here!
The equipment that I use is a SEKONIC L-758 DR light meter and a Lumedyne Signature Series Flash. Both of these products are essential in my everyday outdoor sessions.

Our football stadium is a little plain so we used the bus that Mr. Albert custom painted and designed for our school district as a background. You can see more of these little gals on the CLIENT PROOFING page on my site.
Cheers!

¡Tuve un GRAN tiempo tomando fotos de las porristas de Grandfield Elementary este sábado pasado. ¡Nos juntamos a las 3:00.................con el Sol tan BRILLANTE brillante!!! ¡Una pesadilla de todos los fotógrafos,eh?.......Pues, a mí no! !!! Todo lo que hice para crear estos fotos fue muy fácil. Tomé una lectura de luz de mi fondo, tomé otra lectura para mi sujeto, y sace el promedio de las dos lecturas y puse mi cámara en la F-stop apropiada. ¡Entonces, puse mi flash en la distancia de ese indicación! ¡Estas chicas acabaron con exposiciónes agradables. ...............¡no tienen ojos oscuros!
El equipo que uso es un SEKONIC L-758 DR fotómetro y una Lumedyne Signature Series Flash. Estos productos son esenciales en mis citas de afuera.
Nuestro estadio del fútbol norteamericano es un poco aburrido y pues usamos el autobús que costumbró el Sr. Albert. Lo pintó y diseñó para nuestro distrito de la escuela y lo usamos como un fondo. Usted puede ver más de éstas chicas en la página de CLIENT PROOFING en mi website.

Hey Guys!!!!!
Just wanted to remind you about the Halloween Canned Food Drive this Saturday. I am SUPER DUPER EXCITED and CAN'T wait to see all of the kiddos in their Halloween Costumes!!!

The drive is on Saturday because we have an out of town football game on Friday night. But nonetheless, bring the kids by the Grandfield Medical Clinic from 6 to 8pm on Saturday with a canned good and have their portrait taken in their costumes. It will be SOOOoooo much FUN!!!!
See you there!
V-

¡Hola! Nada más les quería recorder del evento de Halloween para escojar comida de bote. Estoy BASTANTE emocionada y casí no me puedo esperar par aver todos los niños en sus trajes de Halloween.

El evento es este sábado porque hay un partido del fútbol norteamericano el viernes. Pues, como quiera………..traigan los niños a la clinica de Grandfield por las horas de las 6-8 de la noche, el sábado con un bote de comida. Los niños se pueden retretar en sus trajes y van a recibir un 4x6 foto. Nos vamos a diverter TANTO!!!!! ¡Allí los miro!

Baby Mia

What a GREAT DAY today!!! The HIGHLIGHT was spending a few moments with my best friend's new baby.................MIA!!!
I hadn't seen her in 2 WHOLE weeks and the little stinker grew on me!!!

I am playing with some new photsohop actions right now. I will fill you in on these when I learn a little more about em!
Cheers!
¡Tuve un GRAN día hoy! ¡El mejor momento era cuando pasé unos minutos con la bebé de mi mejor amiga………….se llama Mia!
¡ ¡No la he visto desde dos semanas……..y creció tanto!!

Estoy jugando con unas acciónes de Photoshop. Les digo más cuando me conozco mejor con ellos.
¡Chao!

Introducing Kyle & Jill!!

Here are a couple of my favorite shots of Kyle and Jill. They are such an ADORABLE couple and they both have AMAZING families!! Kyle is CLEARLY in love with Jill. You see.............he is not much of a smiler...........he is a high school football coach after all!!! But on THIS DAY............He let us know VERY CLEARLY that he would smile for his bride ALL NIGHT LONG!!! She picked a "keeper"!!
Cheers!

Kyle & Jill's Wedding

WOW! My crew and I had SOooo much fun photographing Kyle & Jill's Wedding this last Saturday!! The wedding took place at the Lake Texoma country club. The scenery was beautiful.......It was a nice mix of fall and summer tones.....But it was not near as beautiful as the bride.
She looked stunning in her Casablanca dress. Here is our photographed version of the dress!
I spent most of today recuperating and backing up all of the wedding images. But stay tuned, I will start the editing process soon and give you a sneak preview of some of my favorite shots.
Cheers!

Mi equipo y yo tuvimos mucha diversión tomando fotos de la boda de Kyle & Jill este sábado pasado!! La boda sucedió en el club de campo del Lago Texoma. El paisaje era hermoso. ...... era una combinación agradable de tonos del otoño y el verano. ....pero no era tan hermoso como la novia. Ella se miraba hermosa en su vestido de Casablanca. ¡Aquí está nuestra versión fotografiada del vestido!
Gasté la mayor parte de hoy recuperandome y puse todas las imágenes de la boda en las computadoras externas. ¡Pero visítenme para atras, voy a comenzar el proceso de redacción pronto y les daré un anticipo de algunos de mis fotos favoritos!
-chao

Super Wedding Tomorrow!

I am SUPER EXCITED about tomorrow! I get to photograph a beautiful couple at Lake Texoma with my associates! I don't know what's "funner"............shooting the wedding or working with my gal pals!
Anyhow, This will be the dress my BEAUTIFUL client will be wearing tomorrow. I couldn't stand it.................had to show off the dress she will be wearing. This dress is from the Casablanca collection. I loved that the dress is available online so that I could look at it before the wedding and brainstorm with ideas for her big day!
You can go to www.casablancabridal.com to see more of their fabulous dresses.
Cheers!

¡Estoy SUPER ENTUSIASMADA de mañana! ¡Voy a fotografiar una hermosa pareja en el Lago de Texoma con mis colegas! ¡Yo no sé lo que es más "divertido" ............ fotografiando la boda o trabajando con mis amigas! De todos modos, este es el vestido que mi HERMOSA cliente va llevar mañana. No puse pararme. ...............les tenía que enseñar el vestido que ella va a llevar. Este vestido es de la colección de Casablanca. ¡Adoré que el vestido está disponible en línea para que yo lo pude mirar antes de la boda. Usted puede ir a www.casablancabridal.com para ver más de sus vestidos fabulosos.
¡Chao!

New Travel Camera/Computer Case

Since I find myself traveling a lot lately, I had to share my new investment with you......I hope this info helps you too.
I have learned that my aching bones can't handle my suitcases, laptop bag, and camera backpack at airports anymore. So, I picked up this new large wheeled camera/computer case at the SWPPA convention. This bag is made by PELICAN and is one of their RSV series bags.
The bag is water resistant and lined with PVC coated nylon for durability. I really like that the dividers are removable and there is enough room inside for several SLR cameras and plenty of lenses and accessories.
Now for the BIGGIE!!!!!!!!! My 17 inch laptop fits very nicely in the front pocket which is removable via zipper! So that means that when I get on a plane, I can unzip the front where my laptop fits, put the strap on it, use that portion as my purse, and use the actual case as my carry on which fits nicely in the stowing area!!
I can't WAIT to use it!!!! I probably won't use it until I go to Arizona for our National Convention in January though.
To get information on the bag, you can log onto www.bkaphoto.com. The bag retails for $399, but I picked it up from Midwest Camera for $219. I liked the black one most becasue it matches with EVERYTHING!!

SWPPA

WOW! The convention in Arlington, Texas was AMAZING this year! The Southwest Professional Photographers convention started off with "Hands-ON" classes with various well-known instructors from the photographic industry. The MAC group featured my mentors John Woodward and Hanson Fong. They also featured Tony Corbel and Doug Box. These guys demonstrated various techniques: lighting, compositional studies, posing, digital concepts, color management, and so much more! You can learn more from them at:
www.johnwoodwardphotography.com
www.Hansonfong.com
www.corbellproductions.com
www.dougbox.com

The convention went on to provide a very nice trade show with photographic vendors from all over the country. I got a new background for my Halloween event from Denny's manufacturing. I chose the PLM15 because of the warm tones. The nice thing about this background is that I can gel it effectively to create tonal matching or contrast with what my clients are wearing! Dennys only sells high quality backgrounds and they are very reasonably priced. What I really like about Dennys is that if you get on their mailing list, then they will send you all kinds of discounts and special offers. You can check them out at www.dennymfg.com

¡AH! ¡La convención en Arlington, Tejas era FANTASTICA este año! La convención de Southwest Professional Photographers empezó con
clases "Prácticas" con varios instructores muy conocidos de la industria fotográfica. El grupo de MAC representó mis mentores John Woodward y Hanson Fong. Ellos también representaron a Tony Corbell y Doug Box. ¡Estos señores demostraron varias técnicas: la luz, los estudios composicionales, colocando, los conceptos digitales, gestión de color, y tanto más! Usted puede aprender más de ellos en:
www.johnwoodwardphotography.com
www.Hansonfong.com
www.corbellproductions.com
www.dougbox.com

La convención continuo con una feria de muestras muy agradable con vendedores fotográficos de todas partes del país. Conseguí un nuevo fondo para mi evento de Halloween de la fabricación de Denny. Escogí el PLM15 porque me gustaron los tonos tibios. ¡La cosa suave de este fondo es que puedo gelificar efectivamente el fondo emparejar o contraste tonales con lo que mis clientes llevan! Dennys sólo vende los fondos de muy buen calidad y ellos tienen precios muy razonables. Lo qué me gusta más de Dennys es que si usted se pone en su lista de correo, entonces ellos les mandarán descuentos y especiales. Usted los puede averiguar en www.dennymfg.com

Hey there!
Just a quick reminder that I am still taking models for my baby campaign. I am all booked up for the rest of the year, but if you know of an expectant mommy for this upcoming January and February....then tell 'em to give me a call!

This image has an Ektalure look. I learned this technique from Don and Nancy Emmerich out of Ok City at East Coast Schools this last August.
KODAK EKTALURE was a single contrast, black and white, fiber-based paper with warm tones. It was perfect for portraiture and hand tinted portraits. I like my tones a little on the warmer side, which is the beauty of using Adobe Photoshop! Send me an e-mail or give me a call if you'd like to learn how to do this.
Cheers!

Fun Halloween Event!!

My good photo friends, the Gordons, have lived in their community for over 20 years. I've always admired them because they get involved in their community and have given back thousands and thousands of their business dollars through various projects and events.

Well this year..........I am SUPER excited because they have inspired me to give back to my community here in Grandfield. The Gordons gave me the idea to help teach kids about community service as well.

Here's the campaign: The Grandfield Medical clinic and I have partnered up to provide kids with a fun event. Every child who comes into the clinic on the night that we Trick-or-Treat with a canned good, will receive one 4x6 print in his or her Halloween costume. I will have a nice fall background and bring my studio lights and take a nice portrait. We will photograph children from 6-8pm. That's it! No catch...............no gimmic! Just lots of fun and community involvement! All of the food that we collect will stay in our community and be given to a local organization.

Portraits will arrive in two weeks and can be picked up at the clinic Monday - Friday from 9-5. As a courtesy, I will also post them on my "Client Proofing site". Anyone can come.....so tell all of your friends!!! We will have a BLAST!
Cheers!

Grandfield Elementary Football Festival

Wow!! I had a GREAT day today watching my two little ones participate in the Grandfield Elementary Football Festival. The tournament was in Tipton, Oklahoma and the kiddos were FANTASTIC! Here are some shots of my great day.....
cheers!

¡¡Caramba!! Tuve un GRAN día hoy mirando mis dos niños chiquitosjugando en el festival del fútbol norteamericano de la escuela de Grandield Elementary. ¡El partido estaba en Tipton, Oklahoma y los chicos eran FANTÁSTICOS! Aquí hay unos fotos de mi día……
¡Chao!

BUILT NY Laptop Slip Covers

I seem to be traveling A LOT lately!!! I go to photography schools, conventions, and am out on-location with clients quite frequently. Traveling with my 17 inch lap-top is a vital part of my business but can be quite a pain as well. It seems to be getting scratched, dinged, and banged around more often than I care for. I have a laptop bag now but am looking for something that will protect my investment a little more………..especially at the airport!

So I found these very cool laptop slip in covers. Their hour glass design stretches to a perfect fit with the machine and they even have shark gill grips. The material is made of a wetsuit grade neoprene and it is machine washable too!

The company that makes these laptop sleeves is BUILT NY. I’m getting ready to order mine through AMAZON.com. Just type in Built NY in the search bar and check out all of the cool colors, designs, and PRICES!!! I can’t believe how affordable these covers and bags are! By the way......these would make Senior Graduation gifts too!!! I think that I like the striped one the most.
Cheers!

Abby

Sure did enjoy photographing Abby! She is a spittin' image of her daddy!!! Anyhow, Have a GREAT BIRTHDAY Party this Saturday and Thanks Ashley and Brandon SOOO much for choosing me to take her 1 year portraits! It was an honor and she was FUN!!
Enjoy!
Cheers!
¡Me divertí mucho tomando fotos de Abby! ¡ ¡ ¡Se mira igualmente como su papá!!! Pues…………..Ten un GRAN fiesta de Cumpeaños este fin de semana y MUCHAS gracias Ashley y Brandon por escojiendo me para tomar sus fotos de su primer año. Era un honor y muy divertido!
¡Chao!

Expodisc Vs. CBL

A photo friend of mine and I recently got together for lunch. She wanted to know why I thought that my CBL was better than her Expodisc.

Well…………………..The Expodisc is a circular plastic device that is put at the end of a lens to shoot a custom white balance.

I told her that I thought that my CBL was more “accurate” because of the simple idea that the light that falls on my subjects is not always the same as the light that is hitting my lens. You see, when I use my CBL as a custom white balance, I hold it in front of my subjects, and so my camera takes the reading from that area to create more accurate results.

If I choose to use my CBL as a color target for Camera RAW instead, then I STILL hold it in front of my subjects and still get accurate results every time.

The interesting thing is, that when I speak with other photographers at conventions, there seems to be plenty of shooters out there who really don’t know how to use the Expodisc correctly. The CBL is SO SUPER DUPER easy to use and has been fail proof for me every time!

To order one, you can log on to www.amazon.com or look for it from Midwest Camera at the Southwest Convention in Arlington, Texas next month. I will be sure to be there so if you want me to pick one up for you, just send me an e-mail. By the way……it is extremely AFFORDABLE too!!!
CHEERS!

Una amiga mía de fotografía y yo nos juntamos para almorzar recientemente. Ella quiso saber por qué yo pienso que mi CBL es más mejor que su Expodisc.

Pues…..el Expodisc es un dispositivo de plastico que se pone enfrente de su lente para tomar un “Custom White Balance”.

Le dije que creo que mi CBL es más exacto porque la luz que se cae en mis sujetos no es siempre el mismo como la luz que se cae en mi lente. Cuando uso mi CBL como un “Custom White Balance”, yo lo tengo delante de mis sujetos, y mi cámara toma la lectura de esa área para crear los resultados más exactos.

Si uso mi CBL como un objetivo de color para “Camara RAW”, pues entonces TODAVIA lo pongo delante de mis sujetos y todavia consigo los resultados exactos cada vez.

La cosa interesante es, cuando hablo con otros fotógrafos en convenciones, se me parece que muchos de ellos no saben como usar el Expodisc correctamente. ¡El CBL es TAN fácil para usar y nunca se ha fallado para mí!

Para ordenar uno, puede ir a www.amazon.com o buscalo en Midwest Camera en la convención de Southwest en Arlington el proximo mes en Tejas. Voy a estar allí seguramente y si usted desea, les recojo un CBL. Mande me un correo electrónico. ¡Por la manera……es muy ECONOMICO también!!!
¡Chao!

model search update

Whew! I've been getting a nice flow of expectant mommies in for my model search!!!! I have been having SOOo MUCH fun with these glowing gals! This is Whitney and Dustin. They are expecting their first baby boy next week!!!! Stay tuned to see their brand new little guy on my blog within the next few weeks!
Cheers!
He consiguiendo bastantes mamas embarazadas para mi busqueda de modelos. Me he divertido MUCHO con estas senoras! Esta es Whitney y Dustin. Van a tener su primer hijo la proxima semana. Vengan para atras en tres semanas para ver fotos del.
Chao.

OKlahoma Convention

YEAY!!!!!!!!!! Just 9 more days til our Fall Convention!!!!! This year, the Professional Photographers of Oklahoma will meet in Tulsa on the 12th to the 15th of September. We have a GREAT line up this year............check out our speakers at www.ppok.org. I PERSONALLY invite anyone who is just getting started to attend. As a matter of fact, I extend that invitation to those of you who have been pro as well! The members in our organization are SOOOO SUPER DUPER FRIENDLY and we have some of the most amazing artists in the photographic industry. This year, I am hosting the Hospitality Suite, so I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to introduce you to our members. Send me an e-mail and we can make arrangements to meet!
Chao!

¡¡¡YEAY!!! Hay nada más 9 días para nuestro convención del otoño. Este año los fotógrafos profesionales de Oklahoma se van a juntar en Tulsa el día 12 de septiembre hasta el día 15. Tenemos habladores de fotografía tan excelente. Se puede ir a www.ppok.org para saber más infomación de ellos. Personalmente invito a ustedes que apénas estan empezando en la fotografía para asisitir. Pues,extendo la invitación a los que han estado professional también. Los miembros de nuestra organización son tan SIMPÁTICOS y tenemos unos artistas muy telentos en la industria de fotografía. Este año, soy la anfitriona de la hospilidad y me ENCANTARÍA presentarlos a nuestros miembros. Mandenme un correo electronico y podemos hacer armamentos.
¡Chao!

animoto videos

Hey guys! My friend Paaula told me about this video service. The guys that started this business came from the tv and movie industry. Animoto Productions makes high-impact videos using my favorite images on a wide-screen format. I Love these videos because every one I submitt is different and has the emotional impact of a movie trailer. Let me know what you think! Cheers!


¡Hola Amigos! Mi amiga Paula me dijo de este servicio de video. Los muchachos que empezaron este negocio vinieron de la industria de television y cinematográfica. Las Producciones de Animoto hacen videos tan suaves. Usan mis fotos para producir videos con mucho impacto y también usa una formata ancha en la pantalla. Adoro estos videos porque cada uno es diferente y tiene un impacto emocional como las películas. Diganme lo que piensan.
Chao.

Kool Kelsey

This is Kelsey and her baby Ariel! Kelsey was so FUN to photograph and is the SWEETEST girl!!!! She has the coolest parents too!!! I've never had parents come along for the session and pic-nic as we work! LOL! I liked this photograph of Kelsey very much because it portrays Kelsey's affection and was PERFECT for some of the new brushes that i picked up from Nancy Emmerich at East Coast School! Cheers!
¡Ésta es Kelsey y su bebé Ariel! ¡¡Kelsey era tan divertida para tomar fotos y también es MUY cariñosa!! ¡Sus padres también son tan suaves! ¡Nunca he tenido padres que han venido a la sita para tomar un pi-nic! Me gustó este foto de Kelsey porque enseña lo cariñoso de ella y también el foto es PERFECTO para usar los pinceles de Photoshop que compré de Nancy Emmerich en la escuela de East Coast!
¡ Chao!

What a TRIP!

Whew! Just got back from East Coast Schools in Raleigh, Durham on Saturday.
I had the honor of studying photography and photoshop with Don and Nancy Emmerich this year. They are from OK City and are some of the COOLEST and most talented artists in our industry! We learned everything from lighting, setting computer preferences, marketing, and of course............Photoshop techniques! I took some of my recent client images with me to apply some of the neat things that I learned.........Was doing GREAT........until I spilled soda on my laptop keyboard. I will post some samples later. You can log on to www.studioartphotography.com to learn more about Don and Nancy!
Cheers!

¡ Caramba! Apenas llegué de la escuela de East Coast en Raleigh, Durham el sábado.
Tuve el honor de estudiar fotografía y Photshop con el señor Don Emmerich y su esposa Nancy. Son de Oklahoma City y son gente tan suaves y también son aristas muy talentos en nuestra industria. Aprendimos todo desde la luz, las computadoras, la venta y photoshop. Lluevé unos photos de mis clients conmigo para usar las técnicas que aprendí. Todo estaba bien hasta que tiré soda en el teclado de mi computadora. Se puede ir a www.studioartphotography para leer de ellos.
¡Chao!

BUSY WEEK! But Can't Wait to Go!

Whew!!! It has been a very hectic last two weeks! We've been trying to get the kids ready to go back to school and getting my classroom ready for instruction too!! I am sooo very much looking forward to meeting my new students and getting my own kiddos back to their routines as well! I can't wait to watch them play sports and dance this fall!

In the mean time, I've been busy with my baby model search and have been having a BLAST building my portfolio and getting ready for my 1st edition book and baby program campaign. I've also been busy with some senior and family sessions too! I am anxiously awaiting your proof books!

The reason I'ts so hectic isn't because of trying to get everything taken care of before school starts but is actually because I will be leaving for North Carolina this Saturday. Raleigh North Carolina houses one of the BEST Photography Schools in the country.....East Coast Schools! This will be my second year attending this school and CAN'T WAIT to get back there and see my old friends and learn some new photographic techniques!!!! To learn more about this school, you can log on to www.eastcoastschool.com. Here are a few shots I did from last year. I took an AMAZING lighting class and this is where I really learned and grasped the concept of "OFF CAMERA FLASH".

I will post you later on some of the school's highlights and new things that I learn about later!

Cheers!