Olivia the Great

This amazing session was with Miss Olivia, however, she decided to be Amelia Bedelia while we were taking pictures. Olivia is a confident, care free, beautiful girl! She is not defined at all by the growing standards that sadly dictate most girls’ lives at a surprisingly young age. Confident, strong, and carefree; she inspires me.

Brotherly Love

The other day I had the privilege of taking a few shots of my cousins. It was great getting to see them…if I knew wouldn’t get in trouble with them, I would show you some of the outtakes; they made the evening.

Raiders of the Lost Art

Digital V Film…You Decide

I am frequently asked questions much like these: why do you shoot film? and Isn’t digital better? Given these questions I thought it would be good to take some time to not only tell you about the differences, pro’s and con’s, what have you; but to also show you.

For starters, why do I shoot film? Well I believe in quality and in quality products. Film is just that, the colors are amazing, skin tones look absolutely stunning and no matter how many megapixels a digital camera has, it will never have the look that film does. I love shooting film because I get to be a photographer, not a computer guru.

With film, I shoot it, send it to the lab, they process and scan it (so I have it in digital form) and then I look at the images and then they are on to my client. I don’t spend countless hours at a desk behind a computer color correcting and editing; film does not require it. One thing about film though, you actually have to know your stuff, its not a trigger happy session and then take time to ‘delete/edit the bad ones'. When each click costs between 4-10 dollars (depending on the film and processing) you do not over shoot, and you actually have to take the time to literally see with your eyes and take the time to do it correctly in camera, not in Photoshop

Film is unique in every situation and does not require the countless Photoshop actions to make it look presentable. I encourage you to take a look and decide for your self which one you think is better.

These are images from an engagement session that I did a few months back, I think that you can clearly see a difference. I have paired a film image next to a similar digital image, this is a HUGE “no no”. I have been told by photographers that I have worked for in the past that shoot both film and digital to never put them next to each other, because then the client could see the difference…in this case…Maybe the client should see the difference.

p.s. film images are on the left

I would love your feedback or if you have questions about film, or finding a film photographer in your area let me know, I just might be able to point you in the right direction.

It's about being present, slowing down, and really making every image your best image. Photography is a beautiful form of art, expression, and documentation; however, if we continue on the path we are on it will soon be a lost art form.

There are great photographers out there and great labs that take care of them. Here are a few that are definitely worth your time.

Photographers: Labs:

Jose Villa Richard Photo Lab

Elizabeth Messina Image Source

Jonathan Canlas

Crazy Horse

A beautiful day for a beautiful family; I was truly blessed photographing them. Thanks to Papa Amyx, Olivia and Kavanaugh have had great experiences with horses and are learning the ins and outs of riding. The horse, Cowboy, was great and even I took a turn and got to ride him, he follows well and steered easily. All in all I think it was a great outing! Thanks for a wonderful session and beautiful ride!

Lunar Eclipse

The stars aligned one evening not to long ago and the center for alignment was the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion. This was the Lunar Eclipse and it was celebrated by the best of the best in Santa Barbara. Pure Joy Catering of Santa Barbara Celebrated it’s 10^th year in business, its owner, Lynette La Mere, celebrated her birthday as well as her son’s 21^st birthday too. Thank you Lynette and Pure Joy! I had a great time!

You should also check out :

Suzie Q from Cirque Berzerk, she was fabulous on her feathered stilts!

Orlando Napier provided rocked away the night with awesome music!

The Le Petite Aeriel Dancers were fantastic too!

LBPS Events Shed some beautiful light on the night!

And Of course, Pure Joy Catering for all of your parties and events!