Melanie and Robert's Wedding

Less than 2 weeks ago, I photographed Melanie and Robert's Wedding in Diamond Bar, California. Weddings are an adrenaline rush to capture so I'll just get into what I want to blog about. I did several things to make photographing this wedding a success.

Mel and Rob had a HUGE bridal party, like the photo below demonstrates. The lens I had attached at the time was not wide enough to fit them all in. Therefore, I took two separate frames and stitched them together in Photoshop later. Tip #1: stay on your toes and think quickly! Be aware of what can be done to make capturing a moment easy. Even if I did not make a panorama, my assistant, Chad, had a 10mm wide angle lens and was standing behind me for backup. Tip #2: it helps to have an assistant.

Alright, moving on to the reception. Tip #3; be aware of emotion and expressions! When photographing people, look for those emotional moments because they can tell a million stories. The maid of honor broke down in tears as she was giving her speech and I set myself up behind the bride to add a layering effect to the photo. My other assistant, Peter, was using a wide angle lens and was set in a different part of the hall. Tip #4; it doesn't hurt to have a 2nd assistant.

In the second photo, she composed herself and finished her speech. For this photo, I placed the groom and bride in between her for a triangle effect. Anyone can take a photo, this is true, yet you have to think of angles and how to make an "ok" photo turn into a great photo. This is where an amateur photographer is separated from a professional. Tip #5: go with your gut instinct on what will work. For example, for this photo, I could have used a wide angle lens and dun dun dun! wait for it...FLASH! I personally am not a big fan of flash unless it's done just right. I utilized my 50mm f/1.4 lens to use the indoor lighting to set up my photo. The ISO and white balance was also changed to make the photo work. This one photo can demonstrate how complicated photography can be to someone who thinks photography is as easy as pressing a button. Going back to tip #5, some people would have used flash and made the photo work, yet I carried on with my personal preferences.

The outdoor bridal party photos can be tricky. Here, Mel was photographed with her mum with the sun behind them for backlight. You can see how it glows and highlights their skin, it's beautiful. So what happens when the sun is the backlight? The front will be full of shadow, unless, you use fill flash. I used a wide angle lens, and my Canon Speedlite 580EXII tilted upwards. I didn't use direct flash because that would make their skin shine with artificial light. Tip #6: practice fill flash! I also use reflectors but wouldn't in such a "fast paced get great photos in a short amount of time" shoot.

During the ceremony, I used a standard zoom lens and a 50mm. Tip #7-and this is just a personal tip-don't use flash during the ceremony. The last thing I wanted was three separate flash heads situated in different parts of the hall to be going off. If you know what you're doing, you'll find a way to make indoor photos work. Chad, Peter, and myself were all capturing the ceremony from different angles.

The black and white photo below is also one of my favorites. Rob and Mel are hugging Rob's grandparents and you can just see how happy they all are. Capturing these kinds of expressions and emotions is no easy feat.

The last photo in this blog entry was taken by Peter using a telephoto lens. After 6 hours of shooting, we left and had dinner at a nearby restaurant. Tip #8: HAVE FUN! weddings are great to be a guest in, it's loads better when you're in charge of capturing it all. It's not work when you're doing what you love.

See ya

Jake

Graduating Seniors

Less than 2 weeks ago, the seniors I worked with for a school year graduated from Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy. Congrats kids!

The Principal asked me to take their senior portraits, true to it being the last week of school, it was crazy! I was told a day before that I would be taking their photographs and on the day of, the school held a dodgeball tournament so the seniors looked anything but ready to have their photo taken. Much less their SENIOR PORTRAITS!

Nonetheless, we made it happen. I set up one softbox strobe in the school auditorium and used the already provided curtains as a backdrop. I asked the students to look toward the softbox to get a pensive photo. I took two frames per student; one looking away, and a front facing portrait. It took me one and a half hours to photograph all the seniors and was tired at the end. It was also my last day of work and I'm glad I went out the way I came in, with a photoshoot!

Good luck and best wishes on your future endeavors graduates.

Mr. Coronel

Colorado School of Mines @ Tiger

A few weeks ago, I was hired to photograph The Colorado School of Mines at Tiger Energy Services. The undergraduate students made a visit to the Tiger workplace to get a feel for what an engineering plants looks and functions like. I'm sure it wasn't their first trip to one, but probably a first that they had a photographer follow them around like paparazzi.

This took place very early in the morning and I had to be in Signal Hill before I started my other full-time job. I took over 200 photos and relied on my 50mm f/1.4 lens since I was indoors under low light. I also used my wide angle lens to capture how vast the plant really is. I shot in color and changed a few photos to black and white in post-production. Black and white gives the photos a "rough" feel and since I wasn't in a mall, I didn't feel as if color was necessary since there's not much color to steel bars anyway.

The students were jotting down notes as they went from station to station and honestly, I had no idea what any of their instructors were telling them. I guess I'd understand if they were talking about f/stops and depth of field. Anyway, overall, this was a 'walk in the park' job. I was looking for facial expressions since the main focus was people. You also have to remember to use the correct lens and exposures. Low light obviously means open aperture and an average shutter speed of 1/80. Don't forget about your ISO either!

That's all for this shoot. Here are the students being interested in...who knows what.

See ya!

Jake

Baby Mason!

I photographed my nephew's 1st birthday party yesterday. What else can I say, birthday parties are fun!

I'd like to congratulate Heathere and Ben Bosworth for having an adorable little kid, and thanks for inviting me!

It's always fun to photograph family gatherings because these are the photos that will literally last a lifetime. I can already picture baby Mason showing his kids photos of his first birthday.

Anyway, I used several lenses to photograph the special day. I used a wide angle, standard zoom, a portrait and a telephoto lens. I didn't hit any speedbumps; everything rolled along smoothly.

There were also other babies there with their parents and I took the opportunity to photograph them as well. It was a great day overall and I'm excited to watch baby Mason grow up and for me to be there and capture it all.

This is my favorite photo from the entire day.

See ya

Jake

The Mayor is in town!

This past week, Stella Middle Charter Academy had important visits from city and country officials. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswoman Karen Bass and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson visited. I was asked to photograph the visit for my schools (SMCA/BSSCA). It was probably the most significant event I've photographed to date.

(Congresswoman Karen Bass)

I utilized everything I learned in photojournalism class. I thought as a photojournalist as if my photos would be seen in the paper the next day. I took over 300 photos. My finger never left the shutter really. When you're photographing people, you have to be quick on your feet and look for moments other people would not see. Facial expressions are invaluable and call tell a million stories.

Lisa P. Jackson is seen here discussing classroom subjects with an SMCA student. The officials interacted with the children for over an hour and had a question/answer session. Public officials want to be seen in a good light, and it is the photographers job to look for that one special "moment".

This was a great opportunity I am grateful to have been a part of. A few days later, I received a phone call from the offices of Karen Bass and was asked to email some photos of her that will run in their newsletter to be delivered to 80,000 households in Los Angeles.

Thanks for reading.

See ya

Jake

Los Angeles Marathon

A couple weeks ago I photographed runners at the L.A. Marathon. Several of my students and sister were participants in the grueling 26.2 mile run. Rain was expected that day but it turned into something else. It was literally pouring buckets. Nonetheless, the runners showed up with nothing to dampen their spirits.

My family and I arrived at Fairfax and Sunset, at the 13 mile mark. We were there to show our support and hand out water, bananas, and oranges to the runners. My sister hired me several months before and I promised her I would be there to support and take photos. As the race began, cyclists zoomed past us first. It was exhilarating and inspiring. These people were completely wet from head to toe and raced as if the elements were not present.

The challenges I faced as a photographer were extreme cold and wetness. I too was completed hosed down and was freezing. There was a point in the day where I could no longer feel my fingers or my legs. I took over 300 photos, shot in Manual with a high ISO and only used my telephoto lens. It was a crazy, motivational, cold, and inspiring day.

This is my sister. I am exceedingly proud of her. She finished the race in 4 hours and 16 minutes. She recorded the best time among her students and fellow teachers. I love you sis!

See ya

Jake

Exposition Park

(my favorite photo from the day)

Yesterday I went to Exposition Park in South Los Angeles. I wanted to get out and shoot some photos and decided to stop by the park. I used to go there often as a child with my parents and I still remember when the park was full of roses.

It's a whole different feeling when I drive myself, spend my own money, and carry my expensive equipment. Different from when I was 6 years old.

Anyway, I carried 3 lenses with me only; 50mm, 10-24mm, and 18-55mm. As soon as I arrived, I started taking photos and used equivalences. I shot with an open aperture and a fast shutter, vice versa. I spent about an hour in the park and took over 100 photos. I think I only chose 7. I didn't face any obstacles on this impromptu shoot. The park had great architecture to offer and I felt the shoot tested how well I can capture architecture; since I'm not known as an architecture photographer.

Overall, I felt relaxed and at home. I went by myself (which is a odd since I usually prefer to shoot with another photographer). I liked the feeling of being by myself and taking my time to walk around and photograph anything I found interesting. Afterwards, I bought myself an orange juice and attempted to edit photos at a nearby Starbucks. I left instead because there were no seats available. Thanks for reading.

See ya

Jake