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There is nothing like photographing newlyweds. They are so in love and up for anything. Maria and Miguel celebrated their one year anniversary with this anniversary session at UCLA.
Miguel is a Mariachi for UCLA, so he brought his guitar along to serenade Maria as he did when they first met. It was pretty awesome!
Little Rocco is getting big. I first shot him when he was in his mommy's belly. I then photographed him at two weeks and now I had the pleasure of photographing him at 6 months.
Rocco was born right after my son, Andres, was born and even though I have been through it before with my two daughters, it never seizes to amazing me how fast they grow.
Rocco has gone from belly to six months all in a blink of an eye. August will be his nine month birthday session culminating with a big one year birthday session. Maybe he'll crunch some cake! :)
I had a fantastic time photographing Evelin and Cesar for their engagement. Cesar has a way of making Evelin laugh and Evelin has a look that can hypnotize Cesar. It's no wonder they are getting hitched.
Evelin and Cesar, I enjoy the images and we'll see you at the wedding!
best, Andres
Family portraits can either be a bunch of fun or a terrible experience. Consider these tips the next time you pull out your camera for family pictures.
Less Posing, More Interaction: Some of the most compelling and heart felt family portraits are those where you capture the family interaction. Some posing is necessary, but then let them interact. Let the kids act silly and let your teen roll their eyes because at the end its about true moments, not manufactured perfection.
Vary the Levels: While we have been used to lining people up from tallest to shortest or vise versa, a good rule is to vary the heights of the family members. This will be more pleasing to the eye and will make the image feel less posed.
Fill the Frame: At all possible times, I instruct people to fill the frame with the family or kids they are photographing. By simply stepping forward and filling the frame or display with our subjects, you will eliminate the clutter or visual distractions around the family that only serve to distract our eyes from the main subjects.
Avoid direct sunlight: When we think bright sunny days, people tend to think that those are idea picture weather. This is true late in the day when the sun is setting, but during the mid-day sun, this could add terrible shadows that will steal the details of the picture. If you are shooting around noon, there are two things you can do to guarantee getting some nice pictures. 1) Look for a nice shade and use that as a way to get even diffused light. This will make colors pop and eliminate shadows that could ruin your pictures. 2) Shoot with the light at your subjects back and use your flash to fill in shadows. This will create a nice rim light around them and the flash pop will give you the details hidden in the shadows.
Nap “n’ Snacks: Kids do their best when they are well fed and well rested. Trying to photograph them when they are not, will only give you heart ache and frustration. Plus their reluctance to smile or stay put will show in the images. The best thing a parent or photographer do is to make sure that the kids are at their feeling good. This session has to be about fun, otherwise it will be a terrible experience, which will become a common problem the next time you try to take family pictures again.
Consider Color, but Don't be Matchy: When considering color, it is not necessary that everyone where the same color or the same shirt or pants. The goal in considering color is to choose colors that work together. Same shade group is ok, same color, not so good. You could be creative by choosing vibrant and eclectic colors pop and help to tell a story.
Background work: The larger your party, the more likely you won’t be able to completely eliminate your background. In this case you can choose a solid color wall or a green belt that would serve to make the subject pop. You could also change the shooting angle, either shooting down at the subjects or up to contain the background a little more. Another thing to consider is texture as it can add a nice element of design to your images.
There is something simple yet complex about photographing an infant. Simple because the less props you use, the more they pop and stay the center of focus. Complex because their schedule and behaviors are hard to predict. However, with some patience and understanding, you can capture some amazing photographs that are emotional and stunning.
So as with all my clients, I am extremely blessed to have been able to photograph Little Rocco at 11 days old. He was a trooper!
Enjoy.
Andres capture.
So for sometime Sienna has been an avid reader. Without fail she carries a book with her wherever we go. Sometimes she brings one to a restaurant or a store and always when we go for a ride in the car. She loves reading/looking at the pictures.
Early reading is such a strong predictor of future academic success, so one of our goals was to get our kids reading early in life. Vanessa and I have been reading to them since they were infants and and with the help of all the great books that family and friends have given them, it's no surprise that Sienna loves it so much.
The other day I caught Sienna reading her Colors book to Vanessa. Needless to say, she put Vanessa to sleep. Some books just do that to a parent.
So remember, read to your kids because when you get old, they will read to you. :)
It's amazing what you can do with two unruly girls, a white seamless backdrop and a whole lot of of patience.
I set this shoot up to photograph Baby Andres and while I got some great images of him, I think the priceless shots are of the girls. The girls just kept going on the backdrop, while I was shooting and I was getting a little ticked, so I finally just let them have at it and it turned to be a fun game. Only then was able to snap a few shots that are now priceless in my book.
These are 7 out of 14 shots. Sometimes you don't need 16GB to capture the best moments. :)
Take a look and enjoy.
So here are three images from a group shoot we did for this new group. They are still in the midst of building an identity as a group, so all I can say is that they were ready for the shoot.
We went for something edgy with harsh light to add drama and I think we accomplished that. It is amazing what one can do with three hotshoe flashes and a monopod.
Let me know what you think.
Andres
I must be one of the luckiest Dad's out there. Not only do I love what I do for a living, but I also get the chance to stay at home with my kids during the day and hang out with them at places like Travel Town in Griffith Park.
Here are some pictures from our last adventure. Travel Town during the week is the best. You have the entire park to yourself and that means the kids get to run around like crazy... just look at the pictures!
Next time you are close to Griffith Park, stop by Travel Town your kids will thank you. Plus they have chocolate milk, which is the best way to top of a good day of running and having a good time.
Enjoy!
Andres
www.organizedlight.net
This weekend we held a great Halloween portrait event at Twinkle Twinkle Little Store in Monrovia. It is always a pleasure to meet new parents and kids, but it's truly a pleasure to see past clients.
It was a blast and at the end of the day, the kids that had the best time, were those that were well slept, well fed and well compensated for their hard work! Dum Dum Lolipop's were a hit!
Here are just a few of the kids that we had a great time with.
I chose that title for the simple fact that those words express how I feel about sharing my talent of creating images that they will cherish for a lifetime. When I drive back home after a shoot I always smile because I think of how blessed I am to finally do what I love to do for the people I love.
This shoot was all about that. I was shooting the first month of my nephews life for my sister Margarita and her husband Orlando. I feel great about the images because I think they capture the awe they feel for Emilio.
I remember when our girls were born and I know that stary eye look that Margarita and Orlando had when they look at him. There is something awesome about being able to capture that look in an image because while that look is forever, those images will serve to show Emilio how mom and dad felt about him when he was born.
The best part of these images is that when Emilio has his own children and is stary eyed as well... he will have these images to show him that life does come full circle and that love is universal.
Margarita and Orlando, I hope you really love your images.
-Andres
