Marc and Cynthia are some of Metimages original wedding clients from 2001, back when I was operating as Rachael Silvers Photography. They were married in June and while I had photographed a handful of weddings and special events in the years prior, their wedding was particularly special since they had been good friends of ours for a few years and I knew a lot of the cast of characters through other photographic projects. Fast forward a year and a half later and Marc and Cynthia were two parts of the brass quintet that played during my own outdoor wedding ceremony. Funny how life happens, jobs change, people move, families grow and it’s often a full circle. Marc and Cynthia moved from Illinois to Southern California in 2004, and my husband helped them drive a huge moving truck across the country. Now since our migration to Orange County, California earlier this year, we are only about an hour and a half apart from Marc and Cynthia rather than half a continent! I met up with them at La Jolla Cove last weekend for some fun family portraits and of course loads of goofing off and fun portraits of their darling daughters. Some say there is no place like home. I say there is no place like being near friends.
Maddox is one of my 2011 Milestone babies and her family joined me at Disney for her 6-month portrait session! Maddox’s mom and dad are avid Disney fans and I am sure Maddox is following in their footsteps. We met up at the Grand Californian and started with Maddox posing in their room. Then we headed out onto the lush grounds and had ample time of a happy baby for some family shots as well. Grandma and Grandpa recently celebrated 50 years of marriage in the area and were able to tag along for the session. Little Maddox sits up like a champ and is in love with a silver baby rattle that her grandma gave her. And of course, what teething babe doesn’t love having a Sophie around during portraits?
Check out these two cutie- patooties! Maddie and Lanie were such troopers during our very hot and humid portrait session! I, for one, felt the trickle of sweat dripping down my back as we trekked around the gorgeous grounds of Cantigny. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing both Maddie and Lanie as newborns and then again for a couple sessions in-between. The girls are so much fun and do so well in front of my camera! Mom and Dad requested a few shots of the two of them, something they haven’t done since their wedding!
Although I was hired to photograph the Wanderlust Yoga In The City, YITC, event in Santa Monica at the Third Street Promenade, I walked away from a full day of working outside while carrying a loaded camera bag and standing (kneeling, crawling, climbing) for hours on end, and I am still OMing and in my happy place. Maybe next year I’ll be able to grab a mat and strike a few poses!
YITC had an amazing line-up of talented and inspirational Yogis, Kia Mille + Tommy Rosen, Shiva Rea with live background music by Steve Gold, and Hala Khouri, who carried the crowd through three classes over the course of the afternoon. While each class had a distinctive vibe, it was an incredible scene to watch hundreds of folks pose and dissolve into their own meditational zone right in the heart of the Promenade. This is what YITC is all about!
It’s been a long time since I have had something new to share. I’m not talking about new photos or a new blog post but rather a new project. One of my current cameras has an added feature of HD video. I have been using this camera for a couple years and still hadn’t figured out how to use the camera to it’s full potential, in a way that would work for both myself and my clients.
Last fall I attended my very first photography related conference, Foundation Conference. After sitting through multiple sessions of incredibly talented wedding photographer presentations I was introduced firsthand to Fusion – the blending of still photography and video into finished productions. These pieces really spoke to me and I had my “A HA!” moment. I knew THIS was the way to use my tool. THIS was something I could offer my clients. THIS was something different and new and fresh.
Here’s a photo my buddy, Gian Carlo, took during one of the sessions at the conference . . . of my notes and my “A Ha!” moment.
My first venture into Fusion was our Holiday Greeting from last December. I came up with the idea, drafted a mock storyboard, begged and pleaded Victor to be a part of it, and finally on December 23rd when it stopped raining in the desert outside Yuma, we were able to head out and shoot the footage (all still photos!) Then, with 2 days to go before Christmas, Victor kindly edited it all together into a finished piece. Here it is again, in case you missed viewing it the first time – Victor and Rachael 2010 Holiday Greeting.
Now, the question is how does Fusion relate to Metropolitan Imageworks clients? For starters here is my very first Fusion project that I produced, from start to finish (with only tutorials from Victor, while I did the actual nitty gritty editing and learned new software.)
This type of project will work well for creative Save The Dates, Engagement Portrait Sessions, Children and Family Sessions a la A Day In The Life, Anniversary and Wear The Dress Sessions, Weddings and of course in a multitude of ways for our corporate clients. The possibilities are endless!
This little two-year old is a bundle of energy with the brightest smile and affection for everyone he meets! Our portrait session last weekend was a blast and I am still trying to find a way to bottle and market CJ’s energy. I would be able to retire a very rich woman. Though I am sure a bit of CJ’s excitement and antics had something to do with the two scoops of ice-cream his grandma dished out!
Way back in the mid 1990′s when I was a photojournalism student at Columbia College Chicago one of my favorite PJ teachers ingrained in me the mantra, “It’s the kids, pets and old people that make a photograph.” I have to agree, Indy totally stole the show during yesterday’s shoot. These teasers are only a very small sampling of what’s to come from the half day I spent with Nancy, Christian and Indy. Stay tuned!
There are times, as a professional photographer, when I find myself humbled. And awed. Usually it has to do with viewing inspiring images that placed in competitions. The winning images from the Winter 2010 International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers contest were announced this week and I must say I am very moved, motivated, honored and of course humbled by the winning images.
I feel the winter competition is one of the most competitive and intense since hundreds of photographers have an entire year’s worth of images to pull from and submit. I don’t envy the judges that have to go through thousands of images and judge them on content and quality.
Please take the time to have a look and get a sense of the visual experience of the best of the best in wedding photography around the world. ISPWP Winter 2010 Contest.
I received the email notification that the entries had been judged and the link to the winning images was online. I held my breathe as I scrolled through the winning images in each category – pausing to take in the beauty of each one. Finally I uttered a simple sigh of relief as I came across one of my images that placed.
ISPWP Winter 2010 The Wedding Dress Category – 20th Place
Here are some of my images that have placed in previous ISPWP Competitions:
Summer 2010 ISPWP Contest
Spring 2010 ISPWP Contest
Winter 2009 ISPWP Contest
Summer 2009 ISPWP Contest
Spring 2009 ISPWP Contest
The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers is a unique organization in that they have strict criteria for the membership – you have be a professional photographer with experience, talent and professionalism and have a peer review before being granted acceptance.
One of the perks of traveling the country in our RV is meeting up with family. We decided at the last minute to head to California to spend Thanksgiving with some of my West Coast cousins, since I had to be out there to help a friend shoot a wedding that weekend anyways. True to form I try and pack as much into the schedule as possible and finished my Scottsdale, Arizona portrait session at 7 pm on Wednesday and my awesome husband drove all night so we could be in Redondo Beach, California the following morning. We arrived at 3 am after battling horrid traffic out of Phoenix and I caught a few hours of shut-eye before heading out to meet my cousin David, his wife Emily and their two daughters, Julia and Leila for a nearby Turkey Trot in Torrance. I am not ashamed to admit that my six year old cousin, Julia, beat my 5k time by two minutes.
It’s been a few years since I have seen Julia and Leila and now they are little people and not just babies. I am in awe watching them interact and their playful spirits. Their new puppy, Ruby, is five and a half months old and the perfect place for her to run around an expend all that energy is the dog beach! Plus it also meant taking our own pooch, Mater, to see the ocean! We also saw a few dolphins and a seal and Victor got some neat photos of the wildlife.
In all a great day, if I do say so myself.
Photos by Victor:
Mater – 1, Seaweed – 0
Careful, that wave might get ya wet!
Love the airborn girls in this next set . . .
Here’s the seal in the middle of the frame, spying back at us.
See the dolphin fin in the middle?
Close up of the above.
Photos by Rachael:
David and Emily. David’s grandma was my grandpa’s sister.
Julia
Leila making a sand castle
Beach dog
Leila
Mater contemplates.
Cutie Ruby!
Better run faster, Mater!
Leila, Julia, Vic and I along with some Mater-butt!
