Tag Archives: Photo

United Santa Barbara 2013

How often do we wish we could pick the brain of our favorite expert in a field?  How often do we get to watch and learn from the best?  With how busy our lives are I can tell you it is almost never.  On a whim I was able to spend 4 days in Santa Barbara with 200 amazing photographers, designers and business experts.

We were there to learn more about our art, business and ourselves (as it turned out).  I met some amazing people and had an amazing time.  I am going to post about the trip and show some photos from this gathering in the coming weeks.

One of my favorite shoots was hosted by Tammy Nguyen Le of Tammy Nguyen Le Photography.  Tammy is an expert at making women feel sexy then photographing that feeling.  She is an expert in posing, creating scenes and settings where women can feel hot and sexy.

I have had several of my brides ask me about this type of photography.  While not an expert I get the draw to these types of photos.  They aren’t about being provocative they are about feeling beautiful.

I joked with many of the photographers at United that the reason why I became a photographer was because I hate having my picture taken.  What better way to not be in pictures than to always be taking the picture that everyone wants.  Tammy brought an amazing set down to the beach took one of the photographers there that day and just let her be sexy.  She wasn’t a model but just someone that Tammy helped to feel her best.

I was able to see how to pose a woman that will make her feel comfortable about her body.  Below are the results of this session.  I think these images speak for themselves but I would love to know what you think.

Lightroom 3 by Adobe systems is out.  Being a digital photographer this is a must have tool for me.  Having been part of the Lightroom 3 Beta I have fallen in love with this program all over again.  This is a program that I think everyone who takes a lot of pictures should be using.  With this new version I am so excited about a couple of great features, though there are more than I can list out here.  My first favorite feature is the new tethered feature.  This means that when I am doing portraits or a product shoot I can see things on the laptop as I am capturing pictures.

My other favorite feature is the new vignette feature.  Instead of just simply painting black to darken the edges of a photo and draw the attention of the viewer to center.  Adobe has made the vignettes sensitive to highlights and color.  It makes for a much better effect and it looks so much better.  I will try putting up a sample of the new vignettes later in the week.

If you want to learn more about Lightroom or Photoshop I can’t recommend Kelby Training or Photoshop User Magazine enough.  If you want to watch Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski show off some of the other new features check out the Lightroom 3 Learning Center.  I love their stuff and they always do a great job explaining the new features of the latest Adobe products.  Lightroom is one of those tools as a photographer that I just couldn’t live without.  Have questions drop me an email at Luminary Photo or hit up my contact page at LuminaryPhoto.com.

An Inspired Wedding

Wedding Photo at Lost CanyonsAs a photographer I get to find inspiration everywhere when taking photos.  As a good photographer it is what you do.  You capture a simple moment with beauty and grace.  Often that inspiration comes from me.  Noticing the way light falls across someone’s face or a beautiful vista, or capturing a child in a pure moment, those are what get the juices flowing.

When I am hired to shoot someone’s wedding or event or even portrait, I have to be inspired (it is my job).  Much like my last entry, a connection with this person is critical.  Inspiration is contagious as are many emotions.  Many of my best wedding photos are not me being inspired but capturing the bride, groom and family’s inspiration of the day.   Not surprisingly, that inspires me all over again.

I find that most people inspire me when they love what they are doing.  Seldom do I see photos that are great when people are nervous or worried.  Now I am not talking about the worried you are when you are contemplating the rest of your life.  I am talking about the worried if the head table is missing a particular flower or a glass is dirty, or Dad forgot his cummerbund.

I see brides often forget what is important about their wedding day (grooms too).  I see them fretting over the way the cake sits on the table.  I think that you should forget about the small stuff.  You have planned your wedding for a year or 6 months.  You have all the people there that you love and you are ready to begin the important journey of being a family.  You did all the heavy lifting months ago, time to enjoy your day and forget the rest.

If you want GREAT wedding photos, be inspired by the love, life and family you are creating.  Your photos will show it and your guests will know it.  Forget about the flowers showing up 2 minutes late.  In the grand scheme of themes you will have far more important things to worry about later, your wedding day shouldn’t be one of them, just enjoy!!!

If you want to see how Luminary Photo can help you capture your wedding in this care free sort of way and capture you inspiring everyone at your wedding contact us Dave Alton at Luminary Photo.

Make a Connection

Love is BlueYour Photographer performs a multitude of roles at your wedding or event.  We play event planners, time keppers, smile makers and a whole host of other things.  In my many years of business I have turned down many brides.  It wasn’t always because there was a scheduling conflict, but there wasn’t a connection.  Over the years I can honestly say that most of my brides and grooms are still friends.  We aren’t best friends or anything but we enjoy interacting socially and have a good time when we talk.

As a photographer it is immensely important to have a connection with the bride and groom and vice versa.  Without that connection good photos are difficult and great photos are impossible.  When you meet with your photographer make sure you are comfortable with them.  Do they have a personality that you can work with?  Is it someone who you feel like yeah I would like to sit down at dinner and just talk to them?

We at Luminary Photo would love to sit down with you and find out if we have a connection so that we can make the pictures of your wedding great.  Contact us at Luminary Photo.