Monday, May 9, 2011

Redondo Beach Wedding :: Jenny & Jordan

I had the pleasure of documenting Jennifer and Jordan's wedding day on an overcast and breezy day in Redondo Beach. I have to admit, the overcast made me a bit giddy. Can you say giant softbox in the sky? ;o)

They had a nice intimate wedding ceremony and reception, and even being there as a vendor, I could feel the support of their family and friends on this special occassion. A huge congratulations to Jennifer and Jordan and all the best for your new life together!

Here are some of my faves:


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Loved the pop of green of the bridesmaids' flowers against their black and white dresses!

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Moments before the ceremony...

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Husband and wife! :o)

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radiant...

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Thanks again Jennifer and Jordan for letting us be a part of your day! :o)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Photography :: Santa Barbara, CA

Some snaps from one of my favorite places. :o)Enjoy!

Okay, I lied...a few snaps from Ventura first!

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Now on to Santa Barbara!

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BEST bbq chicken pizza EVER!!!

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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Gear Review :: Bag Lady

Hi, my name is Soupy, and I have an addiction to camera bags. The following are the bags that I have owned (and retired) and ones I currently own. I'll say a little bit about each one to give you an idea of how and when I use each bag...because YES, in case you were wondering, I do need all these bags!!!

This is the Jill-e small bag. I thought it was cute, but eventually the boxy rectangular structure of it just wasn't comfortable. I might've taken it out 2 or 3 times because of this reason. I liked the idea of the bag, but it just wasn't functional enough for me.

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This is the Lowepro holster. It was functional, but I realized that when I used it, all I did was detach the strap that came with it, and stuff it inside one of my purses. It didn't allow me to carry all my other items (wallet, make-up, keys, etc) along with my DSLR. I eventually sold it on ebay.

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This is the Tamrac velocity 7x. I bought this for a trip to New York City. It worked great, but it was kind of small for all my stuff. I didn't want a huge bag, and I wanted it to be hands-free. I found that whenever I'd reach for something, I had to almost pry it out of the bag. Perhaps I should've bought the next size up, the 8x. I sold this one on ebay also.

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These are bags I currently own and use. This one's my gear bag. It's the Jill-e. rolling case. I love the way it looks, and I love that there's a compartment for a laptop that's padded well. When I take short trips, I'll use this bag for my clothes and toiletries as well. I use half of it for clothes, and the other half I keep configured to hold my camera gear. My laptop goes in the back along with any magazines, and I'm good to go! Definitely recommend this bag for cuteness factor and versatility. :o) Jill-e. Bags

285/365 - jill-e goodness!

This was one of the first camera gear bags I bought when I got into photography. I still use this bag for hikes, or day long phototrips where I want to shoot without worrying about my gear slipping around my side. The Tamrac expedition (I think it's the 6 or 8) is a great small backpack, especially for shorter people like me. :o)

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This is the Lowepro messenger bag. This bag costs about $30, and it is a great value for the money. I use it for casual shooting days. It's not really padded well, which means it won't weigh you down. However, if you need your gear to be really protected, this isn't the right bag for that. But for $30, and the ability to keep your camera in it with the lens attached, it's pure awesome!

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I bought this bag recently. It's the Lowepro sling. I saw a video on it on Amazon and wanted it right away. It has a removable (great feature!) padded compartment that your camera(with lens attached) can fit into, along with an extra lens. You can also store extra gear on the side of the bag, as well as in the outside pockets. There are two small accessory pockets inside as well. I love that the padded part is removable. I can use this bag for a day trip shopping and put all the stuff in there that I want because...BECAUSE...it's expandable by 30%. What a genius idea! :o)It comes in black, olive, and blue.

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I use the Shootsac mainly when I do portraits or weddings. It's not really functional for a photo trip because sometimes you want to put your camera away and not carry it. Since I am using the camera constantly when shooting, it's a great shooting bag that allows you to change lenses very quickly. I love the compartments that let you store accessories and miscellaneous items, as well as the option to change the cover. I have a nice little collection of covers to go with some outfits which is a great selling point. Shootsac Lens Bags

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Low and behold!!! My latest bag addiction. This is my new *emera bag. It's so cute, isn't it? A friend gave me the link to this, and I stalked this bag for a good week or so before I finally gave in. So far I love this bag. It functions great as a regular purse, a laptop bag, and/or a camera bag. It holds EVERYTHING. There are a lot of bags out there made of "fake leather", but this one feels like real leather. I really want the canvas one they sell as well...but for now, this is keeping me happy. :o) Emera Camera Bags

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Hermosa Beach Engagement :: Jennifer + Jordan

This past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting this gorgeous couple in Hermosa Beach, CA. Actually, it didn't start out that way...because, well, I went to the wrong beach hehehe. Yep, my worst nightmare. We had planned for a shoot right before sunset, so naturally I was worried about running out of natural light, which is my preference for shooting. Luckily, Hermosa Beach was right up the street from Redondo Beach (where I had been scoping out places to shoot). I quickly found parking and was greeted cheerfully by Jennifer and Jordan. They looked awesome to boot! Jennifer is about to embark on her new career as an RN, and Jordan is an engineer working with rockets. Yes, I said rockets. The inner straight A student in me was quite impressed. Let's just say I saw "October Sky" one too many times ;o) Hehehe...Here are some of my faves from their session!

What did I tell ya? They looked awesome!

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Such a pretty ring...

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Loved this blue wall!

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