Chicago Destination Wedding Photographer - Creative Artistic Photojournalism » Events + Workshops

Helping out Dodge Renaissance Academy with their end of the year celebration!

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:01:20 +0000

As a former educator myself, I am thankful for the great teachers we have in our schools today. The Chicago Public School district has been working to better their school system and the Dodge Renaissance Academy is an example of a cutting edge urban school. They are provide solid instruction for children as well as future educators.

One of my first wedding couples, Natasha & Shomari, were helping out with the end of the year celebration and they asked if I would come out to join them. It was a great time to let loose after another school year…a fair complete with games, tickets and snow cones!

***More photos can be found on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see all 20+ images there***

Contact – Portfolio – Facebook – Twitter

Painting with light in Italy? Amalfi – Atrani – Ravello

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:28:02 +0000

It’s past midnight and I am pretty exhausted but I wanted to share these photos with you from Ravello, Atrani and some painting with light shots in Amalfi-

I definitely loving my time here in Italy!

And here are some images from our painting with light photoshoot-

Amalfi Paper Mill + Engagement Photoshoot in Italy!

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:15:36 +0000

For some crazy reason Kenny Kim, Matt Savage and I woke up early to attempt to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy out and we didn’t get what we were hoping for…but the morning wasn’t a complete loss…I was able to grab a couple nice photos

Amalfi is famous for their cotton fiber paper. We went to visit an old paper mill that allowed us to see how paper was made back in the 14th century. Amalfi has a river running under it and they used it to power their water mills. The water mills then ran all the machines required to make paper!

In the afternoon we had some fun taking photos of each other and had two couples to shoot as an engagement session. The rain made shooting a bit challenging- but nonetheless, a great time was had by all!

More Italy fun! Stroncone – Assisi – Narni – Pompeii

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:25:52 +0000

My photoventure continues! Here are some photos from Stroncone, Assisi, Narni and Pompeii. I am continually being amazed by the beauty that is found in the ancient artifacts and ruins found here.

We stayed a couple nights in Stroncone, a small castle village that is in amazing condition. Walking the streets really takes you back a couple hundred years.

A Stroncone building

Another photos of a Stroncone street

A pretty awesome doorknocker

We then headed to Narni to check out an old church that was discovered underground. Narni Sotteranea is the name of this location.

They also found a rare room used during the inquisition. They ‘tortured’ people who violated the different rules set forth by the Catholic Church at that time in history. This photo is of the ankle bindings on a table made to hold down the violators.

There is also a small prisoner room where there is a TON of writing on the walls. It was pretty surreal to be in a room where people held awaiting torture or just after being tortured.

Afterwards we headed out to Assisi, the site of Saint Francis of Assisi’s tomb. I’ve always been a fan of St Francis as he has a quote that is so often quoted by Christians and Catholics alike:

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

I really wanted to take a moment and reflect in this beautiful church. Photo are forbidden in the Church, but my friend Matt happened to grab this shot of me praying-

Just within walking distance is the oldest church in Assisi – Santo Santo Church. This place is pretty phenomenal.

The view from atop of Assisi

Pompeii is another amazing place. I’ve read about Pompeii in social studies and have seen a couple pictures. But none of this prepared me for what I saw when I was walking around. Pompeii is huge! It is unbelievable what has been excavated and found.

Here you can see the blue and red plaster that covered the brick walls in Pompeii

The plaster mold that shows just how this person died the moment the volcano erupted with hot ash and gas.

Pompeii had an awesome sauna and hot tub-

My friend Matt needed some lip gloss put on-

A kitchen in Pompeii

A wealthy man’s house with a kickin courtyard

The smaller of the two amphitheaters in Pompeii

More to come tomorrow!

Ciao!

Portfolio + Workshop II – The Biltmore – Coral Gables, FL

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:01:29 +0000

I had a phenomenal time at the first Portfolio + Workshop put on my good friends Kenny Kim and Ray Santana. The first workshop had a couple awesome guest speakers in The [b]ecker and Lawerence (tofurious). The attendees learned a lot and came away with some amazing images to help their portfolio.

For the second time around Ray and Kenny called in their good friend, award winning photographer & Boda bag inventor, Jim Garner and Photoshop guru, Dave Cross. I was excited to meet Jim as I not only love his imagery and artistry, I’ve also always loved his creation: The Boda bag. I’ve used mine ever since it was first invented. I use it at EVERY wedding and EVERY engagement session to carry my lenses, cards, batteries, and a flash. I highly recommend it for anyone who may be interested. I was also excited to hear Dave Cross speak as I know my photoshop skills and workflow can always be improved. Dave is one of the guys at NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals)- and he definitely knows his stuff!

***More photos are one my facebook page! Feel free to friend me if you can’t see all 50+ images on my page!***

Ray Santana is regular contributer to Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine and was recently named Blu Domain‘s Guy Photographer of the Year in 2009. He was sharing all kinds of tips and practical advice during his session-

Kenny Kim share a little from his career and some of the ways he has been able network within the wedding community.

Dave Cross shared a lot of helpful stuff for us wedding photographers. A lot of short cuts that will help save me a lot of time!

Jim Garner was sharing a little bit about his story telling method of photography-

And then we headed out to photograph the models wearing dresses made by the talented Ines Di Santo!

Jim took the initiative to show the model how it’s done- =)

And yes…The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables is AMAZING. period.

One of my old college roommates has since spent some time in the modeling field. He flew out to Miami to help us out for the workshop- Thanks Ken!

Ray was working it with his Nikon D3s and the new 70-200 VRII-

Kenny Kim showing everyone how it’s done using a 200 2.0 lens-

Kenny took a moment to get on one knee- did she say yes?

As the sun started to set, Jim broke out his video lights to show us how we could light a bride in the absence of ambient light-

Thanks to all the attendees for a great workshop! I can’t wait to see all the images you guys came up with! (unfortunately, I am not in the image as I was the one taking the group photo)

The guys responsible for some major goodtimes! =)

Another awesome Portfolio Plus Workshop completed!
For more info: www.portfolioplusworkshop.com

Biltmore Hotel in Miami – The Portfolio Plus Workshop

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:15:40 +0000

For some reason Chicago decided to go from summer to winter…totally skipping my favorite season, fall. And like most Chicagoans, we long for the days of summer that seemed to pass so quickly.

This past week I was able to escape the Chicago weather to head down to the Biltmore Hotel in the Miami for the Portfolio + Workshop put on by my friends Kenny Kim, Ray Santana, Becker, and Lawrence Chan (tofurious). I was helping out by taking some photos that captured the moments from the workshop.

The morning was filled with a ton of info from the seminars given by each of the speakers. The pens were scribbling furiously and I hope no brain cells were fried out- Afterwards we had a phenomenal…phenomenal photoshoot at the Biltmore Hotel. The lighting was amazing…the models were gorgeous and Kenny, Ray, & Becker provided awesome hands on instruction. My job was to document the day…but honestly the photoshoot was so phenomenal that I was COMPELLED to shoot. I don’t know the last time I had this much fun shooting.

This morning the guys finished the workshop with a couple hours chatting over coffee and answering any questions.

All in all, everyone had a great time learning, networking and capturing some amazing portfolio pieces.

Here are some images from the day-

Ray printed out some photos on his Epson printer-

Teaching the class- he’s really a funny guy, but when it came time for instruction- he was giving some serious information-

Kenny sharing helpful lessons-

Becker sharing some really practical tips just like he does at the [B] School.

This was the second time I heard Lawrence speak in the past month- He is one smart guy- especially when it comes to SEO. Be sure to check out his site for some more info on what he has to offer.

And onto our shoot! The models were amazing to work with! We started in this Spanish style church and finished shooting on the grounds of the Biltmore Hotel.

The crew of the Portfolio Plus Workshop- Great job guys!

ONE Conference 2009 – Jeff & Julia Woods

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:03:06 +0000

I’m taking a quick break from wedding related posts to blog about a photographer’s conference I just returned from. There are soooo many workshops and conventions out there and I have attended a number of them myself….

But the ONE conference is unlike any other. It is run by Jeff & Julia Woods and focuses on marriage and business. As small business owners, the line between the personal and business can often be intermingled. ONE seeks to strengthen that which is more important than money…the love relationship.

I packed my camera gear and traveled down to Washington, IL to help Jeff & Julia with capturing a few of the memorable moments from their conference. If you are a photographer and your spouse helps with your business…I strongly recommend considering ONE next year.

To get more info: http://sidebyside247.com/

And just like last year, the speakers were amazing. Steve & Jen Bebb (affectionately known as “The Bebbs”), Dave & Quin Cheung (of DQ Studios), Kent & Sarah Smith, and Andy & Kia (of Senior Portrait Artists – which I am definitely going to check out).

Each of couple was an open book, not just sharing information, but sharing their lives…as they desired to see couples strengthen their bonds of marriage.

It was great to see the Bebbs again, as I attended their Chicago Bebbinar in June of 08- Their workshop was just what I needed at that point in my career and definitely exceeded my expectations. And they just announced a few more Bebbinar’s coming this fall!

I also enjoyed seeing Dave & Quin in action for the first time. I’ll be honest….I can’t edit without my Quikeys (purchased back in March). It has helped me in so many ways. My time in Lightroom is cut down by 50-75% EASILY. And I can create the albums I want to create and not be stuck into templates. Watch the tutorials to get an idea of what it’s capable of. It’s definitely an investment, but there is no doubt in my mind that it was totally worthwhile.

The PhotoVision crew was working at the conference as well. Ed Pierce had so many of us ‘lusting’ after his gear =) …if you are a photographer looking for some education…photovision videos on DVD is definitely ALOT of bang for your buck- I have two years worth on my shelf.

To all who attended ONE 2009: I hope these images bring you back to those moments…those moments of laughter, tears, and love.

***There are more that 100+ images on my facebook page – (compared the to 49 here on the blog) feel free to ‘friend’ me if you want leave comments***

WPPI – Wedding Photography Convention…

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:43:22 +0000

So yea…I am WAY behind on my blogging. March was one intense month. I think I have finally recovered. Enough to begin posting about it at least.

WPPI…the largest wedding photography conference in the world. It also marks the beginning of my journey into wedding photography. I always tell hat his blog post about WPPI 2007 was integral to my growth as a photographer. From there I surfed my way over the Mike Colon and Becker’s websites. From Becker’s WPPI blog post…I was introduced to so many great photographers whose blogs I would then subscribe to.

Needless to say, I was uber excited to go to WPPI 2008. Though I could not stay for the whole convention, I got way more than I ever bargained for in my limited time there.

Special thanks to Kenny Kim for guiding me through the craziness of WPPI. Here’s a shot of him getting to know his new ‘baby’…his Mark III. This was right after Bob Davis gave him some suggestions on his camera settings. I also got to talk to Dawn Davis for little bit…such and encouraging and awesome couple!

Kenny Kim also got to be the official photographer for the ‘Young Guns’ opening ceremony panel. Here’s a shot of him doing his thing photographing Jim Garner (creator of the Boda Bag) during an interview before the panel started.

Here’s a shot of David Jay, who’s Open Source Photo forums have been a great resource for me this past year. Though I was standing next to him so many times, I never did get to talk with him, as he is quite the popular guy. Something to look forward to next year.

And perhaps the next most influential person (after Kenny Kim) in my photographic endeavors is Mike Colon. Hrmmm…let’s see…I have a D3. I use Lexar cards. I have an epson P-5000. I have a Sony video light. But more than the technical side of photography…I love how he stays real to family, friends, and beliefs.

Here’s a shot of him at the Lexar booth.

I also got to meet Ray Santana. Just before WPPI I happened to pick up my first copy of Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine. Mike and Ray were all over this issue- good stuff too.

Here’s a shot Ray took with my D3-

So I asked Kenny Kim to grab a shot of Ray and I…Ray definitely caught me off guard in this shot.

Another shot off of Kenny’s blog. A bunch of us after eating at the Bellagio buffet. Also…a quick shout out to Anna Santana, and Julie Colon as well!

David Escalante grabbed this shot of the three of us- David is known to have Jedi mac powers.

I got to hang with these guys quite a bit…Back row: David Burke, Geoff Johnson, Erin Melenbacker, Kenny Kim, Joey Bowles, Front row: myself, Shane Melenbacker, Julie Morris,

It was an awesome time…I can’t wait til next year!

OIL 2008 Montrose, PA

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 06:00:10 +0000

Last week, I was able to return to Montrose, PA for my first OIL retreat in a long time. Something like 800 college & young adults in attendance. It was a blessing time, and a chance for me to worship and pray with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am also thankful to have been apart of the media team this year. Working with Kenny Kim, Duncan, Chris, Dan, and HK was such a privilege. You can see more photos from Kenny Kim’s website.

Through these images, I hope you can catch a glimpse of what OIL was like in 2008. I believe God challenged and worked in the hearts of each person. Praise the Lord! For information…head out to www.winteroil.org

This powerpoint slide caught us off guard!

For this last picture…if you’ve ever been to OIL…you know what this is. Not sure? I’ll give you a clue…we didn’t have a fog machine =)

Here’s to a great 2008! God bless!