Family Portrait Month Coming Up!

I often think how lucky I am to be doing something I love so much as a career. I also think very often about how I can use my craft to benefit the lives of others.

I belong to a number of great trade organizations and it seems that as a group, photographers are extremely giving. One of these organizations is Professional Photographers of America (PPA). They are instrumental in making a better life and business for their members and also enabling us to help and give to others.

They are so dedicated, in fact, that they have created PPA Charities to help us help others even more.

We have participated in Family Portrait Month in the past and are super excited to do it again!

Family Portrait Month is a national promotion during October, allowing professional photographers and families to raise money together for children in need of smiles.

In 2005, PPA Charities Trustees invited Operation Smile to become its Charitable Partner. As such, Operation Smile, a highly respected worldwide organization, became the recipient of all contributions (made by PPA-member studios throughout the country) during PPA Charities’ annual Family Portrait MonthIf you haven't heard of Operation Smile.


Operation Smile Mission from their homepage:

Throughout the world, Operation Smile volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families. Together, we create smiles, change lives, heal humanity.
Please call the studio soon (will get very busy in October- 714-992-5400) to participate in this amazing program. We will not donate the suggested $25 per session- we're going to double that and give $50 per session directly to PPA Charities for Operation Smile.

In years past I learned that each operation costs $241 (could've changed) so that means for every five shoots we do one child will receive this much needed procedure!!

Most Americans think that this is a cosmetic operation but in other countries some kids are not able to go to school because of this condition.

Thanks PPA and Operation Smile- lovin' you guys!

Featured on The Knot

I was approached for images of gay weddings a couple months ago by The Knot. They started a new site for gay weddings exclusively: www.gayweddingsbytheknot.com.

Sebastian and Gentry had a super nice wedding at the Muckenthaler Mansion and Cultural Center here in Fullerton. Collette's Catering did a fantastic job once again and The Urban Gardener in Newport Coast did the flowers- so cool!

Check out the article HERE.

Chicago!

Tracy and Jason were one of the most fun couples I've ever shot. They were so into photo, they were so not afraid to goof around and they were super creative.

One of Tracy's Bridesmaids was a sister to one of my past clients- she saw the slideshow at the reception and told Tracy she had to hire me! ...even if they had to take me to Chicago. I was a little hesitant at first because I had to miss the 4th of July with my family (we can see a huge show at Fullerton College right from our front yard:) but I was so excited to shoot in Chicago I just gave my babies a little more love to make up for it...

I was so glad I went- what an awesome place to shoot!!

The church the day before: Exploring downtown the night before- scouting shoot locations:

The Wedding Day!!:
Tracy was sooo fun to shoot!
Amazing old church in River Forest





After the church we drove into the city for a few shots...
SUCH a cool bridge!


Then off to the forest preserve out by the reception...

Amazing room at European Crystal Banquets with full draping and uplighting- loved the painted ceilings!




Another satisfied customer:)


Check out more photos on their SLIDESHOW!

Sammy Sue!!

I have been wanting to shoot little Samantha for a long time- you'd think I wouldn't have to wait too long considering she's my niece:) I have taken many shots of her since she was born but I really wanted to shoot her in the studio:
Created a custom Lightroom Preset just for this shoot. I love the high-contrast-but-still-kinda-vintage look. What do you think?


My favorite for last, this one's getting printed big for the studio!!
Thanks for the shoot Sammy-Sue. Just as I thought, super cute!!

Shooting Sammy for these great shots is just come full circle: her big brother was one of my first subjects when he was a baby- I got a first place in the first annual 'Zone One Student Exhibition' with a shot of him during my last semester at Orange Coast College- but I shot him with film and printed it in the darkroom!

Cade: in-studio

Cade was one of the toughest kids I've shot- he is so full of energy he just charged around oblivious to the fact that we were in the middle of a shoot!! How disrespectful! :)

He actually reminded me of myself and my brothers when we were little- yes, three boys, 4.5 years apart total.

Now keep in mind that this was our first real child shoot at the studio. It is so much different than shooting at someone's house! With studio lights the distance of the subject (Cade in this case) from the lights is crucial so when he's moving and walking and scooting and rolling to-and-fro, it's so hard to get the right exposure! On the flipside, it's so cool to be able to control the lights and make them do what you want.

I was running and jumping; on my feet, then knees, then feet again.... a bootcamp workout!

Now, all this said; It was totally worth all the work! This guy had some of the funniest expressions and him ignoring me made it easy to get his real personality to show through.
Is there anything better than a child's open-mouth laugh??



The couch in the next few was a prop Jeni found- love shooting over the back of it!!


That's the chair I'm sitting in right now:)
Billy Idol at one year old:
I created a new Lightroom Preset while working on this image- l think I'll be using it a lot in the future.

Cade: Thanks buddy- you broke me and the studio in right!!

Greg and Tonya- Vineyard Sunset

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Chicago resting up for my wedding tomorrow. I scoped out the area: the mom's house, the church, downtown for some portraits, and the reception site... it's gonna be a good day:0

Thought I'd catch up on the last few weddings:

A year or two ago I shot a wedding at the Falkner Winery in Temecula- the owners loved my shots and put a link to my slideshow on their site... that's how Tonya and Greg found me. I'm so glad they did because they are two very cool, very fun, and just great to work with!

Did I say stylish too??? ...With her Choo shoe's and his Zegna suit.
Getting ready is one of my favorite times of the day. The girl's room was buzzing with flower-in-the-hair issues, champagne corks flyin' and lots of laughter!



love this- full, high sun.. who'd of thought??

Gotta love the D3 (my Nikon), just dial up the ISO and you can shoot in the darkest stairway in the vineyard.



Had to turn and run up this hill during the ceremony- good thing I got a little training at Nikki and Matt's wedding the week prior!!:)

Don't you just love them!?


Now, are you seeing the killer sun I was referring to?
Sniper through the vines.
More of that sun!
Sun went down, and booted up the lights!
Looks like the sun's still out, huh? That's just my handy dandy flash:)


So much laughter that night! It may have been the result of the 'drinking gloves'. Yes, drinking gloves! The wedding party went to University of Wisconsin and were big die hard Badger fans... the drinking gloves are from their favorite dive bar called "the KK" (Kollege Klub). I guess whenever you are serious about something and you really don't want to let go, you wear gloves- like when I'm mountain biking or riding the motorcycle.

Drinking gloves, really? So funny!!
I love being able to shoot the D3 with no flash- love these natural moments without the obtrusive flash.

I was falling asleep driving to this wedding after traveling home from Cabo the night before but I got as fired up as I always do and adrenaline kept me going 100% all day... 'till I had to drive an hour home...

Check the slideshow: www.empslideshows.com, enter 'gregtonya'.