Yay, it's WINNER time! I got so many entries, it was hard to pick a winner, and I just had to share a few of my faves with you first.
Honorable Mention: This one is by Barbara Holland. I love it because the dog tag seems to be inscripted with my logo--it looks like she actually had it cut into the tag!! If this is a Photoshop effect, I have no idea how she did it. Awesome!
Honorable Mention: Dede Smith: Great mood and atmosphere! What better to watch on Christmas eve than a beautiful glowing tree and my logo?
Honorable Mention: Emily Clark--Emily, you almost got me with this cutie! I love the processing and the sentiment, she's absolutely delicious!
Honorable Mention: Joyce Dy! This obsessive-compulsive gem reminds me of my new favorite vice: the show Hoarders. This house looks clean, but WOW, that's a lot of ornaments and stuffed animals. This photo tells a story!
Joyce says:
This is my co-worker's mom who obviously loves Christmas. Growing up they didn't have much. Now, this is one of TWO Christmas trees at her house. She starts decorating before Thanksgiving. She has a garage full of paraphernalia and to me she captures true holiday spirit, borderline obsession. :) How can anyone resist that smile?!
Honorable Mention: Shutter Sam!! Sam sent us in this FANTASTIC, retro, polaroid and I absolutely love it. That's Sam and her son, her daughter took the photo. I also love the earring Sam :)
Honorable Mention: Myself
Here's an instax shot of my husband, Jeff, in his Christmas onesie feetie pajamas--one of the few gifts he actually requested. This is an iPhone snap of an instax print, thus the iffy photo quality.
Enjoy ladies!
AND THE WINNER IS....
Mary Beth Blankenship!!! This photo was chosen because it incorporated everything I was looking for in a fun, creative way. Great job, Mary Beth, email me your address so I can have your new INSTAX shipped!
Mary Beth says:
The photo was taken by me, Mary-Beth, and I am also the subject!:)
I like to take self portraits for fun sometimes, as models are hard to come by.
The camera is the Polaroid One Step Land Camera SX 70 with rainbow stripe.
I love collecting vintage polaroid cameras, and get so excited when I come by one at a thrift shop. The only problem is they are usually only used for my viewing pleasure, as the film is SO hard to come by. That's why I would LOVE to win the instax camera, so I could purchase film more easily and shoot with the little thing 'til my heart's content!:)
A Contest! Ooh ooh, a CONTEST!! Tue. December 22, 2009 gossip
One of the things I've always wanted to do was be better about taking and printing personal photos. I always have the latest and greatest point & shoot camera on hand, but the truth is that I rarely use it. Even when I do use it, I never seem to print and frame the photos, so they just sit there on my computer, forgotten.
All that changed when I picked up the handy dandy Instax Camera, that prints out a polaroid right then and there! I love it so much, and now when I use it, I instantly have a print! I have been having SO much fun with it, an now I have tons of personal photos to look at live and in person!
This year, I challenge YOU to start taking and printing out your personal photos! It's so much more fun, especially for the non-photographers in your life. Seeing images on the screen just doesn't compare to having that actual photo (just ask my mom!)
Also, I've been shooting the Instax on a job or two--check out this little set from Jill's shoot (more on that soon!)
And of course, some of the personal ones:
OOOH, A CONTEST!
I will be giving out one INSTAX camera to the person who emails me a photo NOT from a professional shoot that BEST captures any kind of holiday cheer (any holiday will do)!
Bonus points if your photo is a polaroid! Double bonus points if you can incorporate my logo into the photo somehow (I love when people incorporate my logo :) ) Email the photo to flamingo@shootsac.com and make it 850px on the longest side. You have until NOON PST on December 24th to enter.
I can't wait to see what you come up with, and Happy Holidays to you all!
Life is but a dream... Wed. December 16, 2009 i do
Yesterday I had the opportunity to team up with the ever-amazing Kate of Flower Wild and Rebecca of Duet Weddings for the most charming, dreamy shoot up in the Hollywood Hills!
This is just a sneak peek because I shot film for this particular project because we wanted everything to look more dreamy and fairy tale-like. I have to say though, that although I only shot a few photos on my trusty 5d, I do love these so much! I'll be showing you more just as soon as I get them back!
My little project: Film Sat. December 12, 2009 gossip
I've been a digital shooter all along. I had a D30, a D60, 10d, 20d, and finally, 5d.
But I did something kind of kooky early this year.
I bought a film camera.
A Contax 645.
I didn't buy it with the intention of ever shooting anything amazing--I'm not kidding when I tell you that I didn't even know how to use it on most of the jobs I've brought it on! It was always an experiment, a fun little game of, "what will I get if I do this?"
But it's fun!
I brought it to the cutest little re-wedding you'll ever see at the most unique chapel you'll ever see back in June (which I still need to blog):
The inside of the chapel--it is seriously crazy!
It was there when I photographed Nixon Sikes after his birth:
It was there with me at Kristen & Nick's wedding (also still need to blog):
The interior of Nick's car, isn't it awesome??
But it wasn't until I brought it to Mexico last month that I really started to love it. I walked around town to shoot some art stuff:
My personal favorite:
I shot the couple with it also--hey, why not!!
I do love what this camera does with the green colors:
Yum yum yum yum:
Love love love love:
I actually shot this last series of photos that happened ONLY in film. It absolutely KILLED me to not see these the same day I shot them, because I knew they were going to be so fun and interesting:
So full of energy:
So full of life:
I'm still not sure what the point of this experiment was. Maybe it's just to try something new, maybe it was to keep myself fresh and interested, but either way, I can't wait to start shooting more film for my personal jobs!
All in all, I have to say, although I do not think that film is better than digital (the photos are more grainy, it's easy for spots to show in processing, etc), it does have it's own specific look to it. There's something about the photos that makes them look deep and rich, and substantial. And...I think I like it!
I shot six rolls on the VW Bus shoot the other day, and I am practically chomping at the bit to get them back.
Carrie and Jayson's Wedding at San Ysidro Ranch Fri. December 11, 2009 i do
Yay! This wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty today so I can finally blog it!!
Oh, let me count the ways in which I loved this wedding.
1. San Ysidro Ranch is perfection, plain and simple. If you are planning a small wedding, this place is second to none and I dream of the day that I might be able to shoot there again. If you are getting married at San Ysidro, call me, and book me, please!! These photos are just a tiny sliver of the gorgeousness that abounds at San Ysidro:
2. The dress by Elizabeth Fillmore, purchased at The White Dress in Costa Mesa, same place where I got my dress, coincidentally! This dress was divine--flowy, original, and stunning:
3. The flowers. Oh, the FLOWERS! Kate Holt from Flower Wild is a flower goddess, which is why I am going to work with her as often as humanly possible. We're teaming up on a little project next week, AND...
(drumroll please)
She is designing my FEBRUARY 23 WORKSHOP! What February 23rd workshop? The one I released only to my mailing list, not on the blog, twitter, or facebook. Want to get on the list for the next one? **CLICK HERE** to add yourself.
In any case, the flowers! Yes, the flowers...
4. This wedding is where I met Stacey Craven with Smoke and Mirrors Makeup Spa. She is, in a word, incredible. Stacey has a true talent for bringing out the best in a face, and travels the whole area from San Diego to Santa Barbara and beyond:
5. Carrie and Jayson. Every now and then you get a couple that just plain "gets it", and you know the wedding will be amazing. I knew it with Carrie and Jay from day one, and I was not surprised that they pulled off something so effortlessly graceful and beautiful. Plus, they're gorgeous in that relaxed, not trying too hard way that I just adore:
6. They did a first look. This is just such a nice way to start off your day. It's such a special moment, and I love when couples decide to see one another prior to the ceremony. It lets us shoot before the chaos starts so the mood is so much more relaxed and fun, and there's no rush or stress afterwards chasing down the fading light!
7. Carrie and Jayson are in love, and it was easy to see. Enough said:
8. Maverick. Isn't Maverick a rad name? Maverick is Carrie's son and SUCH a little ham! The guy has tons of personality and is a pleasure to be around. He's a ball of energy, but at the same time so mature. And cute!
9. A relaxed mood: I can't tell you how much of a difference it makes to have a couple who is relaxed on their wedding day. I think this partially had to do with the wedding being so small, but a couple that is wiling to stay relaxed and just enjoy their day goes a LONG way!
10. I can put flowers twice, right?
11. An outdoor ceremony. I know that being in California I am lucky enough to get to shoot outdoors more than my fair share, but I never ever get sick of it. Shooting outside is one of the reasons I moved to California in the first place, and I fully take advantage of it!
12. Carrie and Jayson did things their own way. Traditions are great, but creating your own traditions is just so personal. Carrie had Maverick walk her down the aisle and I thought that was just so sweet. I love love love this photo:1
13: Emotion. Weddings with a little emotion to them let me do what I do best--capture something real and beautiful on your wedding day:
(they "tied the knot"--another tradition!)
15. I just love LOVE. Isn't it lovely?
17. Light. I don't have to point this out, I'm sure, but the light was A.MA.ZING.
19. The fields at San Ysidro Ranch are to die for:
20. Coordinator Alexandra K. Because of Alexandra's attention to detail, we had a golf cart waiting right after the ceremony, enough time to shoot all the photos we wanted, and just generally a perfect day.
21. Living Cinema Video. These guys actually chose this spot--I didn't see it but I sure do love this photo! There are times that it is difficult for photographers and videographers to work together, but this day was NOT one of those times. Curtis and Laura work as a team, and they also work as a team with the photographer to make sure that we can both do the best we can actually do. Props to them, and take a look at their site, they are wonderful!
22. Details. I love me some details. I know that the ceremony and portraits and reception are super important, but I just adore shooting details--it's a passion of mine! When couples take the time to really make a day that is special, fun, bright, interesting, and full of details, it really shows. The details are the thing that guests really remember--my cousin Kabrel always says, "The devil is in the details"! That was the motto for my own wedding too :)
23. Deliciousness. I love cake. I eat cake at every wedding I shoot. If I shoot your wedding, I will eat your cake too. If there is extra, you might even catch me sneaking a piece into my camera bag to take home to eat in the tub as your images are downloading. I'm not ashamed!!
24. Happiness. Carrie and Jay are happy and that infused every single thing that they did and every moment of their wedding. That kind of joy is contageous in the best possible way, and a pleasure to capture on camera.
All in all, this was my kind of wedding. I hope to shoot many more like this one next year!!
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