Cheers from LONDON!

And boy, does it feel good to be back! After a "mostly" smooth flight from DC I arrived bright... I mean, just plain early into London, Heathrow. Getting settled into my parents flat it was time to keep myself awake!

My "mum" and I headed out to Sloane Square for a little look around some shops, grabbed some lunch, headed back home, then after a small nap went to the grocery. London truly has become a second home for me and it's very good to be back!

As my dad works during the day my mother and I decided yesterday to go out to Wimbledon for the day. We hopped onto the tube and took it to the end of the line... Wimbledon, for a day of what any girl wants to do in Europe... SHOPPING! This was actually my first time to Wimbledon and I really want to go back and explore it more. My parents have already decided that if they ever leave their flat in Kensington, Wimbledon it is! They are calling for some 60 degree weather this week, perhaps if that becomes a reality we'll go back on a nice day.

Some interesting points so far?
-I was very surprised by the gentleman I met on the plane. As it turns out, he's a organic chemistry (which wasn't my favorite course in University) professor at a school in Saudi Arabia! He was in the States for his fathers unfortunate passing, however who would have thought that he was from the same area, in eastern Ohio, I went to school! Not many people know where Steubenville is, let alone the fact that not many people grow up there!

- The election is in full press here! The British are VERY, very intrigued by our politics and everyone asks me about the state of the election process, for my thoughts, any predictions, any news, anything they can get out of me! If only we Americans were so concerned about who gets elected.

- The dollar is a bit stronger right now... the conversion is only 1.91! We'll take what we can get... :-)

- It's 10am, stores are opening, time to fight the hustle of Oxford Street!

I'll try and get some pics soon for you! To view the latest wedding pics from Jason and Julies Valentines wedding visit this blog posting http://capturedforlife.blogspot.com/2008/02/jason-and-julie.html

Ionic Dezign - Action Paving

A few weeks ago I stopped by Action Paving for Ionic Dezign, here in Virginia Beach. This particular office had Ionic Dezign do their lobby and conference room... and of course Eugene and the gang did an outstanding job making the office come together. One of the cool things I shot that I'm actually not including in this mini post is that the receptionists desk is actually made of concrete!




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Want to see me in action?

I just found myself in a clip from the Ukrops Christmas Parade in Richmond. At about 1:16 into it... do you see a girl in jeans and a white jacket with a rather large "black thing" in front of her face.... That's me!



There's my 5 seconds of fame! You can find the Original Post and view pictures target="_blank">HERE!

Also, do you ever travel or stay in a hotel... this is a must see if you answered yes to either of those questions.

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Julie and Chris' Engagement Session

One great thing about my busienss, is that it has given me an opportunity to reconect with old friends. Julie and I were in Youth Group together during High School at our Parish in The Woodlands, Tx. While they are getting married on their campus in NY, she now lives in Virginia! They came over to Virginia Beach on saturday for their engagement pictures, and it was so great to see Julie again! I'm really looking forward to shooting their wedding in upstate NY on 8/8/08!

Here's a quick preview of a few I pulled from yesterday's session. I hope you enjoy!









They got engaged last fall, so we had been waiting till this fall for the pictures. Unfortunately, across Virginia it's still VERY green, I found this ONE leaf so here's their fall picture!

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Regent University Homecoming

Last Friday Regent University celebrated their homecoming with the crowning of Intramural Football Champs, the King and Queen, and games. It was a day I was glad to not be shooting a wedding as it rained most of the event... I love shooting in the rain, but only for the right situations... and a football game (not wedding) is one of them.

Here's a few from the day. It was warm and rainy at the event, but has finally turned to fall here. 7 months till the wet suits can be put away again!

Enjoy!




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Knuckleheads Roadhouse

As some of you may know, I started getting into photography with architecture and landscapes. Every once in a while I work with a local design company, Ionic Dezign, in helping them document their latest projects.

One in-particular was the coolest biker bar I've ever seen! And I'm not exactly "biker bar material!" They did the coolest things and really integrated details into the bar, which as a photographer, I LOVE! For instance, take this hook under the bar for your purse or "leather jacket perhaps?"


I also bumped into a patron who had a very friendly bulldog named Monty. Not exactly "fearsome" more like "handsome."



Back in September one of my favorite Christian Artists came to Williamsburg for the Adore 2097 conference. Matt Maher isn't known widely in "mainstream" CCM however, you may know some of his songs done by others. Most recently, "Your grace is enough" as performed by Chris Tomlin on his arriving CD.

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Becky's "trash the dress"

A new trend in Wedding Photography is to "trash your dress." The dress isn't actually trashed, but before trying to spend $$$ to stick it in a box and put it in storage, brides are using their photographer to capture the dress again... without worrying if some dirt get's on it... this is after the wedding of course.

I wanted to get some examples for my brides to see so my sorority sister Becky (who is getting married in Dec!) was gracious enough to be my model. I found the dress on Craigslist.com. Here's the result of a fun shoot with a great friend!

Alan's 30th Birthday Surprise

Today was Alan’s 30th birthday and all his friends got together for a surprise birthday party. It was a great pool party, helping us to cool off from an incredibly hot summer day. A couple crazy dogs, adorable kids, a grill, and friends made for a wonderful birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Alan!

A "Kit Lens" vs. a "Fast Lens"

Not to digress from actual photos, here's a post a wrote today for a Wedding Photography group I am a part of... but if you read to the end I promise a photo from the other night...

Kit Lenses vs "Fast" Lenses

Let me begin by saying, I'm a consumer, not expert on the lens market. This is merely the information that I have gathered in my career and learned from personal experience. I am also a Nikon shooter and therefore, more familiar with Nikkor Glass.

I imagine that the majority if not all of us own(ed) a "kit" lens. These lenses most typically come bundled with a SLR body. These lenses by design are made of cheaper materials... and are purposefully made for the everyday family photographer. (Get our product into everyone's hands, good strategy ;-) These lenses do their job and still are able to, in capable hands, produce quality photographs.

When a photographer speaks of a "fast" lens they are referring to the aperture on the lens. This is not just highly beneficial for wedding photography, it is most CRUCIAL! Let's first look at the effect aperture has on your photography... You are shooting a wedding and it's the brides childhood dream. There she is, in her church she grew up in, standing with her groom, the soft flicker of candlelight illuminating her face, and that of her beloved... Weddings are not about making our conditions favorable, they almost never will be for a Wedding Photographer, so we need to know how to work with horrible lighting. With people there is no option of a timed exposure... their first kiss as man and wife will bring you into a courtroom... By utilizing a fast lens and ISO you are able to reduce the amount of ISO (giving you less grain) and use a faster shutter speed so you are able to capture the moment. Another benefit of shooting "wide open" is that you are able to produce a greater depth of field, commonly known as DoF. DoF allows for a specific part (distance) of your image to be in focus while the others distances are burred, aka, bokeh and means less time post processing the image in PS to produce a selective blur, which IMO, does not even compare to the bokeh a wide open lens produces.

While there may be some debate about it, glass is mainly considered to be more important than the camera body. When you invest in your glass you are making a long term investment. When you are investing in a camera body, you are investing in technology that will need to be upgraded just like your computer or laptop. Both Canon and Nikon are known for, and excellent at producing superior quality glass. Other companies such as Tamron and Sigma have "budget" friendly glass however there is debate as to quality that is lost with these brands.

If "Kit" lenses are able to still produce quality images why should you invest in "fast" lenses? As I mentioned above, Kit lenses are typically made of a cheaper, plastic material. Fast, quality lenses are often made of metal. They are more rugged and durable. This enables them to better withstand the demands of wedding photography... which includes a very high amount of shutter actuations, changing lenses quickly, etc. The last thing you need to do is break the mount on your lens during a wedding shoot. Once again, it also allows for you to better utilize your lighting conditions, keeping your clients happy and saves you time. Not to mention that when you discover the joys of DoF I predict you will never look back on your investment.

When looking for a fast lens...
It's all about aperture. For a wedding photographer I recommend f/2.8 or less. As I am a Nikon shooter I shoot all Nikkor glass. Nikon "standard" wedding photography glass would be lenses such as
17-55mm f/2.8
70-200mm f/2.8 VR
50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 (The f/1.8 is UNDER $100USD! No excuses! ;-)
85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4

For equipment on a budget, see this thread


Back-up equipment.
You should never go into a once in the lifetime event unprepared for the worst case scenario, which includes your camera, lens, flash, memory, all of which can malfunction... You don't need to order 2 17-55mm f/2.8 lenses, but at least have a few fast lenses and make sure you are still able to cover different focal lengths, should the ring bearer sneak into your bag and "drop" a lens...

So can you shoot a wedding with your Kit lens? If you can utilize it to the best of it's abilities, sure. However, the best of it's abilities will still limit you. So begin to invest. If you are serious about starting a business then you need to be serious about that business. ALL businesses take investments... Should you go into debt and take a second mortgage to do so? I would advise not. However, if you are not ready to put in the investment for wedding photography begin your business doing seniors/children/families. You can schedule the shoot to allow for your lens limitations and save your money made to invest in your business. This also helps you to become more familiar with the quirks of humanity and provides invaluable experience... besides... would McDonald's open without buns?

Best of luck in your Photographic endeavors.

And... here's the photo!

The other night I had an itching to watch the sunset... I grabbed Thad and my camera/tri-pod.... here's the result.

Back to Regent

I'm almost done processing my wedding with Kate and Mike on 7/7/07 but today I got asked to do a gig at Regent University last min. Regent has such a great mission statement and reminds me a lot of my own alma mater... they also have consistently been one of my best clients and I'm always more than happy to put them into my schedule. I went to the reception tonight and as I'm sure you can tell below, I was quite impressed with the cheese tray! I'm a big cheese fan... And then there was the cheesecake and dinner...



Speaking of sweet... I hope you're not hungry!!!
Click to see larger




God Bless,
Kelly