Fujifilm X-Pro1

Plenty of other people and websites have reviewed this camera, but it was Zack Arias’s post about it which pushed me over the edge on making the purchase. I’ve been looking for a good travel/backpacking/street photography camera for a while. Much as I love the 5d Mk 2 and 3, carrying around that and a couple of lenses can be hell on your back after a while. I needed something I can throw into a bag to carry around, and I wanted a less intimidating camera for photographing people on the street.

So, I’ve been shooting with the X-Pro1 for a month or so now, and my love affair with this camera has only begun. Fuji recently announced their upcoming lens roadmap and the future looks bright. Currently I only have the 35mm 1.4 lens, but am already planning to expand my kit for this camera and plan to start using it at weddings.

More sample images below the jump Continue reading “Fujifilm X-Pro1”

San Francisco Commitment, a Handfasting in Stern Grove

I’m an enormous fan of the Offbeat Bride blog, and was so thrilled to see one of my shots from this small but very beautiful commitment ceremony show up in this week’s Monday Montage. So, if you’ve found me via Offbeat Bride, welcome! I love to shoot commitments of all kinds, especially alternative ceremonies. This was my first handfasting ceremony, while researching the meaning and origin of the practice, I found this – “Handfasting was originally practiced by the Greeks and Romans. The Romans created a garland made of magnolia, elder and roses. It was then wrapped around the couple’s wrists to signify love and fidelity. In ancient legends, lovers were united together as they “tied the knot” in the tradition of Celtic handfasting.” Such a cool ritual.

Lilith and Michael planned a small ceremony with some of their closest friends witnessing and participating. We met on a perfect bay area day near Stern Grove, surrounded by redwood and eucalyptus trees, while a family of hawks hunted overhead. Michael told me later that he timed the event to coincide with golden hour – which as you can see worked out very, very well.

More below the cut! Continue reading “San Francisco Commitment, a Handfasting in Stern Grove”

Street Photography

Over Pride weekend I participated in an street photography workshop with the extraordinarily talented Emilio Bañuelos of Black Books Ink. We were challenged to choose one camera and one lens, hit the streets and break out of our comfort zone. Doing this workshop was a birthday present to myself to deliberately force away from my usual style and to work towards being a more versatile and confident photographer.

All artists are our own worst critics. Until you go into a critique and other people start giving you constructive feedback. That this point you realize that other people are seeing flaws in your work you missed. Ha! An essential skill all creative people need to learn is to take feedback on what we make – while staying positive and excited about what we’re doing. With that in mind, Emilio, if you read this, know that I am still hearing your voice in my head whenever I compose along the same horizon line!

Here’s a few of my more successful shots from the weekend. I had a great time meeting some very talented photographers and I highly recommend participating in one of Black Book’s workshops if you have the chance.

All photos shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide-Angle Autofocus Lens. Processing done in Lightroom.

Wedding Photography, Nicole and Tim

I’ve been insanely, incredibly busy lately. Which is great, right? I do owe y’all a full post of this wedding, but here’s a couple of portraits of the happy couple in the meantime. How radiant does Nicole look? I love her dress, and the red sash was the perfect match to her flowers. We had a blast shooting portraits all around the striking property of Taliesin West in Arizona as the sun slowly set across the desert.