20th
July
2010
Anyone who knows my work can guess one of my favorite location or settings to shoot would be on the bed. The bigger the better, but apparently there are California Kings, Super Kings, and then there’s Grand King mattresses. I’d like to find a place with a Grand King and see how many ladies can fit (just kidding). I prefer to spoil one lucky woman and give the whole estate to her.
There’s not a better ice breaker than to share a soft, warm, plushy surface you both have to crawl around to get the right angles and shots. It’s comfortable, it’s relaxing, it’s intimate, and it’s affordable! No permits required and no public eyes gazing in. If it’s their own bed, they are even more familiar and comfortable, and it opens up all new possibilities.
Whether it’s a large window with natural light or just a night stand lamp, I almost always use the Canon 50mm 1.4 USM. Shooting at f/1.8 allows plenty of ambient light to soak in to the frame. Most people are too caught up on specs and rules, minimum shutter speed and aperture, must use telephoto for portraits, etc. Instead, I concentrate first on getting as much light into the frame as possible, the sharpness and depth of field are secondary to me compared to the mood and the colors.
I remember practicing photography in college using only what I had available, the tungsten lamps. While very limited in control or brightness, it offers a simple understanding of how light and shadow works, since it is a constant light source. Ironically, years later having much experience with all types of lighting, I will still go back to using the lamps to create an intimate and real scene. Don’t forget the model also needs to be in the appropriate mood to express emotions you want to capture.
Next time you have a subject willing to be captured, don’t be afraid to ask to use his or her bed. I will save my favorite shooting and modeling positions in bed for another post.
posted in Models |
1st
July
2010
I went back to Mexico within a month for another wedding, but this time I headed to Mazatlan which isn’t too far from Los Cabos. Instead of the usual point and shoot photos, I decided to document my sightings with the ShakeItPhoto iPhone app. Apparently everybody loves the photos and I didn’t have to do any work!
posted in El Bob, Weddings |
9th
June
2010
Every photographer loves a fun and goofy couple. If you don’t know what to do in front of a camera, just be silly and the photos will create itself, the personalities will reveal naturally. As Samuel L. Jackson said in Pulp Fiction, “personality goes a long way.”
posted in Engagements |
4th
June
2010
El Bob visits Mexico for the first time for a very intimate wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico. Of all the places in Mexico El Bob wanted to visit, being on the tip of the Baja peninsula was definitely on the top of the list. Hopefully some day El Bob can witness the Baja 1000 race as well.
El Bob loves doors made to fit him exactly.
El Bob prefers steps over elevators, even though it takes him a long, long, long time.
El Bob must use his whole body to change a light bulb.
El Bob’s first taco in Mexico.
El Bob’s second taco in Mexico, chicken this time.
El Bob tries a Mexican breakfast. Basically anything with refried beans and tortillas is Mexican.
El Bob finds his big brudda, Muneco.
Muneco is a hardcore fútbol fan.
El Bob chillaxes with a Sol cerveza.
El Bob finds his way to the Baja desert.
El Bob does a dance with the cactus.
El Bob finds some shade to cool off.
El Bob promotes feeding wildlife recycled items.
El Bob thinks he is a bird sometimes.
El Bob is surprisingly a good climber.
El Bob can even part rocks wherever he goes.
El Bob enjoys a cool breeze from the Pacific ocean.
El Bob loves the turquoise water.
El Bob performs resuscitation on a cute victim, although she didn’t even go into the water.
El Bob’s bacon must be sweating like a pig in this sun.
El Bob follows his nose and finds an amazing local taco stand.
El Bob loves fresh toppings on his tacos.
They don’t have lemonade stands in Mexico. They have corn stands.
El Bob wanders deep into the local towns until he hits a dead end dirt road, and faces miles and miles of cacti.
El Bob has never seen his shadow so long before.
El Bob thinks there should be a calle named after him.
El Bob loves even those who aren’t loved anymore.
El Bob enjoys a desert sunset, very uncliche.
El Bob sometimes feels ethereal.
Does El Bob transform when the sun goes down?
El Bob travels the rough oceans to visit more friends.
Nothing stops El Bob, not even narrow treacherous ocean caves.
El Bob rawrs at the seals lounging on the rocks.
posted in El Bob |
27th
May
2010
There are some weddings where I capture the getting-dressed-mayhem or intimate-dressing-moments, but more often than not, I am waiting outside the door until it’s time for the zipper shot. It may be the fact that I am male, it may be the fact that they don’t care for such photos, but I want to encourage future brides to at least consider it. I think most brides haven not tickled with the idea of getting-dressed shots thoroughly enough and end up leaving the photographer out of the action – or worse yet – letting the bridesmaids decide.
Yes, I said leaving the photographer out of the action. When they close the door and leave me waiting outside, I usually hear screams of laughter and cat calls, long conversations, all while I, the hired photographer, yawn outside the door with only my own feet to take pictures of. I believe some of the funniest, intimate, and memorable shots are during the dress up. I say again, it’s not for everyone, but at least consider it and plan it out if you do want such memories to be captured – maybe even surprise your husband a little.
Bridesmaids please, if the bride has decided to let me in to photograph her getting dressed, don’t second guess her decision, especially in front of me.
I will now let the photos speak for themselves.
posted in Weddings |
