I will be blogging the photographs later when they are ready for publishing. In the meantime I figured I would share the two family photographs.

The first photograph features the family portrait from the Salt Lake wedding. My brother Jonathan (the youngest of 7 kids) married Kelli Jo in the Salt Lake City Temple.

Jonathan and Kelli Jo were married in December at the Salt Lake Temple

My brother Joel married Carissa 2 weeks later at the Snowflake Arizona Temple. My brother Paul wasn’t able to make it out for that wedding so I will be adding him with the power of Photoshop.

Joel and Carissa were married in January at the Snowflake Arizona Temple

Our family is very excited for our new sister-in-laws! They are awesome and they have really meshed well with our family. Most importantly they enjoy our family’s sense of humor – which is important

Now if we can find someone for my sister…

I will admit I love humor that borderline offensive – as long as it is designed to poke fun at everything and everyone. South Park, Simpsons, and Family guy are my heroes.

Maybe I should plan a trip to California so I can see some other Broadway shows – like Wicked. Roadtrip?

My ticket to Avenue Q

I received a roll of film back from the lab (they forgot to make prints) and they had the developed film scanned to disk. I’ll pick up the prints tomorrow. And I am really enjoying the photographs that are created with my imperfect film camera. Yes, right now it is a toy – but it is camp, it is old fashioned, and it has it’s own character.

You can even seen that the camera has developed some light leaks – there is some red light that is getting through on the top left and there is some white light on the top right. I might have to seal the camera up with tape to minimize the light leaks – but I also like them. If I wanted perfection I would be shooting digital.

Salt Lake County Building

I think I need to have a spin with my medium format camera next – I haven’t shot with the Bronica for a few weeks and I don’t want to get rusty. Maybe after the Sundance film festival – cause I won’t have much time photographing while Sundance is in full swing.

It was a happy family reunion even if it was delayed by an hour and a half as planes had to battle for one runway to land. My brother Joel and I both had our cameras there on hand – I even tried a few photographs with my Holga camera while using an Nikon SB-800 in the Holga’s hotshoe. We will see if that worked.

But here are a few photograph

Welcome home Elder Daniels

Mom watches at the plane's arrival is delayed, again

Sister Melanie Bush is a bit more up beat

Henry was looking for candy while waiting for his Uncle Jonathan

Elder Jonathan Daniels decends the escalator to cheers

Mom kisses her son on the cheek

Daniels Family and Bush Family

Elder Daniels' name tag

These film photographs look amazing printed out – I really love the black and white photography that my film camera creates. Can I do better with digital? Probably. But the film does have a unique vibe that I can’t describe. And I didn’t have to do any photoshop work on these photos. It just cost $20 to process the film, get prints and have the film scanned to a disk.

Salt Lake City Temple as captured on black and white film

I am going to be practicing some people photography soon with my film camera. Since it is manual focus it’ll require a little patience but I think it’ll be fun. Maybe I can have an all black and white photo shoot with a victim – I mean volunteer.

Downtown Salt Lake City

I photograph details like the wedding rings with my macro lens – there really is no other way to properly photograph wedding rings. You want to get close and then get closer. You can only do that with a macro lens (maybe if you use a bellows or double up on lenses).

Finding wedding rings hidden in the wedding bouquet

And to photograph this close with a macro lens you have to master off camera flash. I usually shoot through and umbrella – although I just picked up a small softbox that I will use a ton in the future. And I think I will always photograph the rings set on the flowers and florals.

There were so many people – it was rather fun. I was photographing with two camera (and my flip mino video camera). Most of my photographs I created were with my film camera. And then a few photographs were created with my Nikon D300. Such as the photograph below – this photograph is of the Nativity scene in front of the Salt Lake Temple. It was also stitched together from multiple exposures using Photomatix Pro software. When I fill up the film I will get that developed and post some of those photographs – even if they didn’t turn out – I will at least run a comparision.

Christmas Nativity set at Temple Square in HDR

I will be bringing two cameras (at least). I will be shooting digital and film tonight. With digital I will be photographing some HDR photographs. And on film I will shoot in both black and white and color. I want to see how both compare in to each other. It’ll be a lot of fun!

Salt Lake Temple at night during Christmas

So if you are a photographer we are meeting at the Salt Lake Library at 7pm. There is a lowlight clinic first – and then we will board Trax and head downtown. Rich Legg will be teaching his secrets on tripods, ISO, cable releases, and much more. Even if you are a beginner – you are more than welcome to join in on the fun.

Christmas lights on Main Street's walk way on Temple Square

Assembly Hall at Temple Square during Christmas

I want to use the photographs on my website and my blog to help promote my business. And if you are already married your photography will be free in exchange for your time. If you are shopping for a wedding photographer let me know – I am looking for bridals and weddings to photograph.

Angelina's bridal photography - taken after her wedding

So I grabbed a prop – I had a photography magazine that I had the bride read as I created this photograph. I thought it was a lot of fun – and figured I would share it with you. Yes there is a danger that gimmicks or some props may look too over the top – but that is why if something doesn’t work – I just delete the photo. But it can be a lot of fun to think outside the box and try something different.

Stand out – be different.

I had the model bride read one of my photography magazines

It is pretty simple – you try to capture the wedding like a fly on the wall. Or a ninja on the wall – I think ninjas are much more cool than flies. And this photograph was taken at La Caille – the bride and groom were listening to the traditional wedding toasts and they were picture perfect.

A casual pose at a La Caille wedding

It is a lot of fun being a ninja wedding photographer – and it feels like I struck gold with this photograph. A little Photoshop to turn it into a classic black and white and yay!

So I am looking forward to spring. I am enjoying the holiday season – and I am enjoying the “slow time” of the year. Time goes by so quickly. I was looking through some photographs I took this past summer and found this one photograph taken in Log Haven in Millcreek Canyon. I was a second shooter for this wedding and it was a blast.

Spring & Summer Weddings

This morning I wore two winter coats and gloves – I realize – I love to be warm. But I can’t wait for a good snow storm – and then a trip to Starbucks. Mmmmmm. Their egg nog lattes are to die for.

Tom and Kristi both serve in the military. They have dated for about a year and a half and there is a very likely chance that Tom was going to be transferred soon. And they had planned on getting married – and with the chance of moving they had to get married almost immediately. It was faster than eloping.

So they were married without family, friends, wedding reception or big wedding bash. So I was selected to photograph them after the fact. So these photographs count as their engagements, wedding photographs, and more importantly – photographs to be sent to their families so the families can see the new bride and groom together.

You can see all their engagement photographs on my SmugMug gallery.

Tom & Kristi both serve in the Air Force

We started in front of the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. And we walked around the block finding cool locations and backdrops for the photographs. These area is really photogenic. And even in late November the weather was perfect! And the photographs turned out perfect as well. ( I am not beyond boasting )

Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City

Most of these photographs were taken with one lens – I can do a lot of amazing photographs with a 50mm lens. I get the artistic blurry backgrounds – which really brings the focus on our couple. And I don’t have to stand 30 feet away to achieve the same effect with a 70-200mm lens.

Brick texture backgrounds

And here are some photographs that feature the wedding rings. Kristi’s wedding ring had a gorgeous setting – and was surrounded by other diamonds.

Displaying the wedding rings

Wedding rings

And I love it when the wedded couple get all cuddly – sometimes I have to encourage people to break the rules of PDA ( Public Displays of Affection ). And in the case of photography there are no rules so don’t be afraid to hold hands, kiss, whisper sweet nothings in the ear.

Hooray for public displays of affection - for engagement photography that is allowed

Kissing always works on camera.

The Kiss

As well as the whispering sweet nothings into each others ears.

Whisper something

We were lucky to find one tree that still had yellow and red autumn leaves. So we were able to snap a few photographs with the leaves as a background.

Autumn leaves

Stealing a kiss

Black and white photograph

The following photograph I created with the concept of 1930′s New York. I am imitating Kodak Tri-X film which is a contrasty black and white film. It reminds me of the New York photographs of skyscrapers.

Imitating old fashioned black and white - imitating New York

Holding hands

Staircases

Closeness

Main Street in Salt Lake City

I love this pose

You gotta be close for engagement photos

Another view of the wedding rings

And a close to an excellent photo shoot

Thanks for check out my blog – I loved creating these photographs and can’t wait to photograph the next engaged couple.

Sharing a kiss

Ok, these photographs are not of a newly engaged couple. Jaala and Harrison have been married for 5 years. Five years! And they are an awesome couple. In fact right after this photoshoot they drove to Las Vegas to start a new chapter in their lives. I guess Salt Lake City was too boring, lol.

Their last set of photos were taken for their wedding – that was 5 years ago. Remember, you should get photographs taken regularly. The day you get married should not be the last day you are married. And I am more than happy to photograph you for years afterwards!

I photoshopped out the softbox for a cool special effect

These photographs were taken in the spirit of an engagement session. We started off in Salt Lake City’s Exchange Place – which is very popular among photographers. We finished the photoshoot out by the Great Salt Lake – because I love to photograph there while the sun is setting. I brought along my large softbox to act as a key light for the photographs. I think this may become a signature look for me.

Building columns frame our lovely couple

And to be honest a good photographer can photograph anywhere and anytime. We make it work. However, there are some locations that are just cool. Some textures such as brick, columns and such that make photographs just look cool. And Exchange Place has all of those textures in one place.

Exchange Place is a popular location for photographers

And the golden doors – I don’t know how often these have been photographed by other Utah photographers. But I will be hunting other locations cause variety is the spice of life.

The famous golden doors of Exchange Place

Jaala and Harrison are also aspiring photographers. They photograph with a Nikon D40 and they are learning, a lot. At times I even get to play a mentor – which is awesome. I love sharing everything I know about photography. So when Jaala asked me to take their photographs I felt the bar was raised for me and that I had the extra challenge to really step it up and create some amazing works of art. I even gave them the original RAW files so they could experiment and edit the photographs themselves. And perhaps there is no better way to learn photography than to imitate and learn from others.

Off camera flash helps the couple pop in this photograph

And for this photoshoot I used several lighting systems. I used the small Nikon speedlights at Exchange place because I wanted to have the wide open apertures. When we went out to the Great Salt Lake I switched over to the Alien Bee softbox. The softbox gives me so much power – I could light up a lot more than with simple speedlights.

The challenge always comes down to balancing the natural light we are given and the artificial light that I can add.

Golden light - enhanced in Photoshop

Black and White photographs look more timeless

I think that for most of the black and white photographs I create I will be creating them in Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro. Instead of running an action I am taking more time into customizing each black and white photograph so they are unique. It is a little more time consuming but I think it is something that will make my black and white photography stand out. I can control the grain, the type of film that is being emulated, tone, vignette and more. And it helps to be selective in which photographs are turned into black and white.

And sometimes - color is the only way to go

And for every black and white photograph that is created I am sure there are 10 people wondering what happened to the color. In the “old” days of photography – when black and white was the ONLY option people would always ask what happened to the color. People expect color. And so when you find a bright red door – you are going to photograph it in color.

Texture can be enhanced in Photoshop

And I am going to guess the mother’s out there are going to wonder why I cut off the upper torsos of the husband and wife. Why? To be artsy. And of course I take photographs where I do show their heads. The nice thing with digital is a I can show both photographs.

Sometimes showing only part of the subject creates mystery

Black & White photographed created using Nik Software

And to quote Joe McNalley, “Light is the language of photography.” And photographers should learn to speak it well. I love to mix natural light with artificial light. And sometimes I will use just natural light or just artifical light. There are so many tools and techniques. It is fun to create something new and unique.

Photography begins and ends with light

And this trolley is famous. And when we are in the area we might as well use the trolley for a photograph or two.

The abandoned trolley out by Saltair

Graffiti rocks

For photographers – one rule is to get close and then get closer. That works for the couple as well – get close and get closer! Hold on to her like she might get away – it makes the photos better.

Sunsets provide for awesome photographs

Hold hands!

I love! this photograph

Jumping. It isn’t for everyone. I helped photograph a wedding and the groom was not about to jump. And that is totally cool. Jaala and Harrison on the other hand loved the idea. In fact they jumped at the chance. Ha ha ha, ugh. Ok, sorry about that aweful pun. But ultimately photographs have to reflect the couple. If you like the idea or don’t let me know.

Jump! And jumping isn't for everyone.

The sun was almost gone, and who needs shoes?!