Filed in: Podcasts

gavin-seim-square-dance-callerGood morning from an “I ate too much last night at dinner” Huntington Beach, California. After a crazy day yesterday, last night Katherine & I celebrated her dad’s BDay at the Orange County Mining Company and let’s just say – whoa, they have a LOT of really good food there.

So fast forward to today & I got a note from Kerry that the podcast we did with Gavin Seim went live last night on Camera Dojo when I was at dinner. In this conversation, we chatted about various sales techniques that he learned about at the Wall Portrait Conference he recently attended. He totally shared some fantastic ideas with us about how to approach educating our clients with large prints and canvas wraps.

He shared his thoughts on thinking of photography more as art and like a piece of furniture that will compliment their homes, instead of just some snap shots that you stick into a cheap plastic frame. And, not only that, but how he uses a projector to show his clients how their portraits will look on their walls. Cool!

You can stream the podcast on Camera Dojo or if you would like, you can subscribe to it and all the others that we have done on iTunes as well by clicking the button below.

There was also a big announcement in the podcast too. I’ll be taking a step back from the podcast and allowing for more guest “co-hosts” to come on & share their perspectives too.

I hope everyone had a great West Coast Wednesday yesterday & here’s to a great Baby Friday today – cheers!

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Filed in: West Coast Wednesday

Good morning from a sleepy Huntington Beach, California everyone!  The wierdest thing happened last night at 3:30 a.m., just a couple of hours after I crashed out.  We had a fire/smoke alarm go off in our place, but the crazy thing is – was the sound was more like the Emergency Broadcast System alert & not our fire/smoke alarm.

But!  Here’s the cool part…  So after falling back asleep again a few hours ago, I awoke with a really cool song in my head.  I know, you’re probably thinking it’s something from Duran Duran… and if you are – you’re right.  Imagine that!

So without further ado, sit back in your chair for 6 1/2 minutes & enjoy the Night Version of “My Own Way” by Duran Duran and have a super West Coast Wednesday – cheers!

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Filed in: Weddings

Good Evening Everyone!  I just got in from an amazing day deep behind the “Orange Curtain.”  As I was driving back to my little slice of Huntington Beach tonight, I kept thinking about how blessed I am having been able to spend time with such a great family and their incredible friends.

Melissa & Geoff’s wedding was held at Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California and if you’ve never been there or considered having your wedding there – you really should.  It’s drop dead beautiful there with lush gardens, beautiful rolling hills, and a perfectly manicured property.  And, with Barb over-seeing Melissa & Geoffrey’s wedding day – it was flawless.

It was so awesome that Melissa had planned enough time for me to capture some fun candids while she was getting ready.  Which was great, because I had an opportunity to get check out her beautiful dress by Pronovias & get to know the ladies a bit too as we all were cracking jokes.  Plus!  Geoffrey & the guys had a mini-keg of Heineken in the fridge to chillax with before the ceremony.  Totally cool all the way.

The wedding was timed perfectly for the light as the sun was on everyone’s backs as everyone faced the bridal party overlooking the lake that is on the property.  Then afterwards, we headed down to the lake for some classic and traditional portraits with the family & wedding party.  But once those were done – that’s when the romance kicked in for Melilssa & Geoffrey’s portraits on the bridge over the pond and up the hill by the “tree of life” – as it looked like.

Sugah Daddy Swing Band was rocking the night away for their reception that was held on the patio with twinkle lights and lamps that surrounded everything with a pond in the middle.  Like I was mentioning, if you’re ever considering a location to give you the splendour and beauty of a natural surrounding – this is so totally it.

I hope you enjoyed the video sample of some of my favourites from their wedding day & check out the ring photo, I was able to incorporate Melissa’s grandmother’s rosary into it – cheers!

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Filed in: Testimonials

0011Happy Friday Everyone! I hope you’re having as great of day in your home town as I am having behind the Orange Curtain in Huntington Beach, California.

I recently did a very special and intimate Portrait Photo Shoot for a very incredible client of mine; Kim (who over all the time that we’ve known each other has become a great friend as well) that was a gift for her fiancé’s birthday. When not too much longer after I shared her photo shoot, Kim posted a powerful and moving testimonial about her portrait shoot with me  Words can’t begin to tell you how touched I am by the poetry that she shared.

I hope you’re as moved by her words and portraits as I am & have a terrific weekend – cheers!

“Say the word “Camera” to most people and you’ll see them break into a cold sweat and run for cover; I know, I used to feel the same way. It’s always been hard to accept the fact that I don’t look like your average super model! I mean, my nose is too flat, my tummy is well, a tummy and some parts of my body just don’t have the same indifference to gravity as they did when I was 17. However, that being said, once I found the freedom to open up this whole other side of me I haven’t looked back since.

It is quite rare to be able to find a photographer that you and their ideas can blend, innovate and construct such stunning pictures. So much so that these “pictures” cease to be something flat and dull and transform into brilliant pieces of art.

When I chatted with David about doing this boudoir shoot, I gave him my permission to do the shoot in whatever manner his heart desired.. My trust in his artistic abilities being absolutely intrinsic. We met at 5:30pm Monday night. After five hours of shooting, countless prop and set changes and with my back and neck on fire we wrapped for the evening.

The end result of this fast dash of planning and coordinating, even with the little mishap at the location was more then I could have ever imagined. After a few days of David making me wait impatiently I was rewarded Wednesday morning with a DVD of the final product. Sitting in my living room we went over all 46 final pieces, discussing how the light in this shot was amazing, how the framing in that shot was stunning and how the power cord really made my favorite picture into the piece de resistance.

The comfort level that I felt shooting with David is apparent within the pictures. It is not an easy task to expose yourself (literally and figuratively!) and have the camera pick apart your insecurities. Under these circumstance though, no matter the angle of the shot, the twisted positions I was directed to take, or the fact that I was standing with only the light covering my body I was very much at ease. Actually, let me rephrase that last word. I wasn’t at “ease” I was feeling beautiful, sexy, glamorous and all those things that cameras aren’t supposed to make you feel.

I have but one person to thank for all this, David.”

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