Shaelynn (Shae) Padilla - Female Guitarist Age 16 Has recently played with Flyleaf, opened for the Go Go's, and is currently part of a new all girl rock band Disney Records is putting together. I'll be able to say I know you when.

Is there anything more wonderful then expecting your first child? Maternity portraiture is a special way to remember those months of antiscipation while a life was formed within you.

Portrait Session for Known Author

I was recently invited to photograph renowned author Mekeisha Lee for her upcoming sequel to "Why Black Women Can't Lose Weight." The first edition addresses the underlying problems behind obesity in the African American women. Her sequel will pick up where the original left off, but will also shed light on updated medical research on the problem of obesity in America as a whole and medical conditions contributing to it's rise.

Thanks, Mekeisha you were a great Model!

Edgy Senior Portrait Session

My Wedding Photography Approach

There are as many different approaches to Wedding photography as there are photographers, but nowadays photographers are taking a harder stand for what type of photography they brand themselves by. You have the Traditional Photographer who will photograph the ceremony, posed formals and the usual first dance, cake cutting and bouquet toss, etc. These type of images are beautiful though staged every step of the way. Then you have what in the last ten years has gained enormous popularity, the Wedding Photojournalist. This type of photographic style is less intrusive, the images are more natural, spontaneous and journalistic.

While many photographers state that their style is "Photo journalistic," their work many times betray the statement. If I had to state my style I think I would have to say that I become what I need to become in order to make my clients happy, that I shouldn't' t control the events but complement them by allowing them to happen organically. In the same breath I would also have to add that I'm a hopeless romantic and if I see a potential spot or setting that has potential, I have no problem with pointing my clients in that direction. I'm there to make the day as memorable as possible. I use my creative eye to enhance the feel and look of my photographs. I want my couples to look as good as they can and at the same to capture that interaction and love that transpires between the two.

I want my clients to remember me, remember my service and the little things that I do to enhance their experience. I strive to create the most beautiful album possible for my customers and I walk them through the process step by step. The best advertising is word of mouth, and so I want the only words coming out of the mouths of my customers to be how great our photographer was.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is an amazing foundation that helps parents who will lose the life of their unborn baby not long after birth. They do this by providing a service that parents may not have thought about, photographs of the pregnancy and images of the new born. These images serve as a testament to the life of their child and of their undying love that will endure forever. NBC's today show ran a piece on the foundation and what it does. Visit it at this address http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23481435#23481435. As the father of six children and grand father of two it is my honor to be a part of this non-profit organization.

The Wonderful World of Children

Children have always been a favorite subject of mine. I’m always amazed at the range and purity of the emotions of children. Our family has expanded by leaps and bounds over the last three years. Not long after my oldest son married there was a bun in the oven. Our first grandson, Hayden Christopher would be born almost a year to the day of Chris and Katie’s wedding. Our in laws other two daughters seemed to catch the baby making virus about the same time and soon after Hayden arrived, cousins were born, Mattie & Chloe.
One evening I invited the family over and we did this shoot, inspired by Jill Greenberg but without the tears. This was a two light set up: one grided light for the background – one light behind the backdrop point towards the back of the models and two silver reflectors to redirect light into the babies faces. By using fill light for their faces they weren’t being blinded or scared by strobes popping in their eyes.

A Future Golden Opportunity

I think having been a landscape photographer gives me an edge when it comes to dramatic wedding and bridal photography. I have trained my eye over the last decade to see beyond the usual or typical cute sunset photograph. One day I imagine a bride and groom standing on this location for an astoundingly beautiful image, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding so when the time comes we will see if Scott can put his money where his mouth is. The funny thing about this photo is that my wife was with me sitting up on a bluff. She had been waiting for about an hour and was starting to get figgety, so she started throwing rocks into my picture. Needless to say when I got home and examined the images, at first I thought my lens was scratched, or there was something on my image sensor, then it hit me - my wife had left her mark!

A Dramatic Eye for Portraiture

Now-a-days technology has made it possible for anyone to take a good picture. Click, view, share, it truly has become that simple. The instant feed back tells the photographer if it's a keeper or if it ends up in the digital trash can. And while the monitor on the back of you camera can tell you if your image is technically sound, it can't tell you what to do to make it better - that you'll have to figure out all on your own.

As a portrait photographer we are often times challenged by our own lack of creativity. We at times fall into ruts from which we are hard pressed to dig ourselves out of. But dig out we must if we are going to make a name for ourselves and maintain our credibility. How do we do this? We search books, magazines, websites and blogs looking for inspiration, the spark that takes us to the next level. Perhaps we add a piece of equipment to our arsenal that helps us see differently, or we study the creative works of those whom we aspire to be like. It's what the late landscape photographer Galen Rowell called "cognitive recogition." We fill our brians with images that we can draw from when see something similar and then we build on it.

Before taking the image above I had been viewing the amazing works of Greg Norman. I left his sight feeling inspired - if not driven - to convert my new found wealth of cognitive imagery to artistic reality. So I called my brother, who's quite the ham, and told him of my idea. We set up in his room against a heavily plastered wall and started firing away. As the shoot progressed I introduced a plant into the setup with one main light shooting through it in order to cast the shadows on the wall. When my brother began to see the results he excitedly ran into his closet and began pulling different shirts, hats, and vests out. (He likes to travel and collect such things) The vest he was wearing looked cool but it needed something more, so we grabbed one of his wifes scarfs and wrapped it around his neck much like a cowboy would. The shot was really coming together at this point but I felt that we needed just a little bit more, that something that would give us a Han Soloish feel. We tryed some sunglasses but they just were'nt cutting it. Then he showed me the goggle style sun glasses he had. Every thing just fell into place at that point and after a little PS work this was the final product. Of all the pictures I've seen of my brother, this one truly captures his personallity - Adventurer/World Traveler.

Tech Data: Canon EOS 5D, 24-70 2.8L, 1 - 500ws Travelite with barn doors, 1 leafy plant.

Strobist Style Lighting Experiment

This was my first real experiment with using my 580 EX II's

The lighting set up is simple. Three strobes

One to either camera left or rigt and two

on left and right slightly behind model

The biggest problem I found with the set up is

consistency. The strobes would not all fire consistently

using the ST-E2 Transmitter

The above photo was my favorite of the shoot,

although I'm not particulary happy with hand

placement

I'm confident with Pocket Wizards and external battery packs this set up would prove quite adequate