"Do you like what you see?"

This is the latest video slideshow we created as a compilation of the bridal shoots I've done over the past couple years. I absolutely love the song which has a sultry, sensual feel to it. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a Jason Lanier Bride this should give you some idea. I hope you enjoy it!

CLICK TO VIEW!

Pocatello Bridals in an abandoned gas station

Recently I was in Pocatello Idaho and had the opportunity to do a great shoot while there with Melissa Frederickson. We located an abandoned gas station, brought out the video lights and started shooting. It was a very fun and interesting shoot because it was raining and for some reason cop cars kept passing like we were some place in Los Angeles. I hope yo enjoy the shots!

Taking time to cool off-using a fast shutter camera

I figured since the last post was about the California wildfires...I might as well show some shots that can cool us all off a little. The shots below can only be captured with a fast shutter camera like the D3. Canon has a very fast 10mp camera as well that could do this. The D3 and comparable cameras that should around 10fps (frames per second) are instrumental in capturing the vivid details you see in the shots below. Many times I feel the speed of the camera is overlooked when photographers choose their camera...and so many focus on the mp only.

I believe of course the best cameras have both high quality and fast speed. There are Nikon's and Canon's that have cameras that shoot at 20mp or higher but you lose the speed. The fast cameras are mostly used by sports photographers but I couldn't do without the speed for my wedding business. I utilize the speed for bracketing, HDR, and for capturing the fast never to repeat moments like a crazy bouquet toss. Brides always get a kick out of seeing the trajectory of their bouquet in flight when they see their wedding images. I love high resolution...my only recommendation is to also place a lot of emphasis on speed...it does matter and makes a huge difference.

California on Fire- life changes quickly

It's amazing how fast things can change in life. This shoot that I did two weeks ago in the Angeles Crest forest is now engulfed in flames in the annual wildfire disasters we have here in California. As I drove yesterday on the 10 freeway through downtown LA I looked over to the mountains and couldn't help but wonder how much of this will be left after the fires have had their way.

It's surreal to work on these pictures while I'm doing the editing and to imagine this whole place of peace and water filled with flames and fire. Thanks to California's conservation efforts we are pretty much a sitting tinder box...so much forestation that hasn't burned for 30-50 years so when it does get lit it burns and creates the disasters we have today. Being a nature lover I can't help but think that anyone who commits arson should have some serious consequences....say like...dangling them over the fire with a helicopter to teach them a lesson? I hope you enjoy the shots and that I'll have the chance to shoot here again if it isn't all gone...

Bathing Bride-Part 2

So we continued our shoot in the water and Jamie did a fantastic job. The key I've found to getting great shots is having brides or models that can go with your imagination. If they can follow your train of thought and imagine with you...you just need to be ready to snap the picture when the magic happens. As I mentioned in an earlier post if I had tried to pose these with Jamie and just told her to stop and stand still...the pictures wouldn't have turned out. I gave her direction and then waited to take the shots. I hope you enjoy!

The Bathing Bride

One of my favorite things to do is make brides do things that make no sense. Why would a bride be bathing in a wedding gown and veil in a creek? Truth is she wouldn't. Any person wouldn't bathe with clothes on...but where's the fun in shooting that?

I find things are much more seductive and beautiful when there is a lot left to the imagination. I asked Jamie to get into the water and pretend to bathe. Again, while it makes no sense that a bride would be doing that....I thought it made for some pretty cool shots. I'm still editing some more shots of this shoot that I really love but that's for sharing tomorrow!

Los Angeles Wilderness Bridal Shoot- shooting tutorials

I already shared the first picture from our shoot in an earlier blog post but these shots below are some more from our shoot on the couch. From a photographic standpoint I love putting a rectangular couch that has straight lines in it in front of a huge wilderness backdrop that has everything but straight lines. Then when you throw a bride on top of the couch and completely change the lines by the positioning her in all different ways it can complete the shot to give you something you'll love.

We actually shot video of this session and I've had a lot of people asking me to start putting out tutorials in the hopes it could help them. I've been shooting video on all of my shoots recently to start developing a library that we can turn into shooting tutorials and guides in the hope they can help others. I'll be shooting video while doing the shoots I have in Spain for this same reason. I hope you enjoy!

Bride in waiting-on a couch

I had the great opportunity to do a bridal shoot with Ms. Colorado from the Ms. America Pageant, the beautiful Jamie Dukehart-Conti. I found a location north of Los Angeles and we just shot away. This was literally the 1st image I took through the camera when we started the shoot, but it did require some prep time to make it happen. The thing I like most about this shot are the position of her legs. The positioning in my opinion shows the legs as feminine, modest, and sexy all at the same the time. I love it when shots do that. We did a huge shoot that lasted for hours that included a beautiful stream and pond, the forest, and a 1950's dump truck. I'm headed off to Idaho with the family but I'll be editing and posting more. I hope you enjoy!

Banyan Trees- ending the shoot with a bang

We ended this shoot in the middle of the Banyan trees that are all over Hawaii. This trees are so massive and the roots so tall that can make for some very dynamic shots. Our shoot was ended abruptly by a police officer which didn't make me very happy because when he pulled up in his car I looked up and was startled which made me drop my video light and it broke on the bottom. That's $800 that Hawaii should owe me...but I'll never see it.

Even though I had a permit allowing me to shoot in all open and accessible places, I guess he deemed the tree as not being open and accessible. We left and I missed out on a shot against an old fence overlooking the ocean that I wanted to get but I'll leave that for the next time I go back to Hawaii....Thanks Christine for an amazing shoot!!!

Broken down- using natural props in a bridal shoot

I just love abandoned buildings because they give you so much to work with....you never need to bring props...all you need is a bride, a dress, and your camera. This building was adjacent to the building where we shot the smoking break and it ended up giving us some great shots. I love the lines in this building, and with the roof being worn out the sunlight was coming through the top which gave us some great light. I also love how the left side and top of the building was circular and the right side was straight...

We found this chair just laying on the ground and thought that the broken chair with a bride in the middle mixed with all the lines of the structure would make for some dynamic shots. Being in Hawaii I was amazed there weren't more bugs...although we did encounter a wasp nest in the other building that we had to run away from...I think the smoke made them angry! I hope you enjoy the shots!

Smoking Hot- Portraits of a bride smoking a cigarette

Ever seen a picture of a bride smoking a cigarette? Ever think it could look hot? Well...I had to give it a try..

Disclaimer- I don't condone smoking and I think it's a very addictive habit that gets a hold on smokers. Please don't smoke!

That being said, Christine is in the process of quitting smoking...and during our bridal shoot she took a smoking break. We had already moved into this warehouse to do the shoot and when she lit up I had to throw her against this natural light pouring in from above. The first picture below is my favorite because I love the smoke that is going all the way up to the top of the picture. We took some more shots with the cigarette that I will share later...but I have to admit I ended up loving these because they are so unique...it's the first time I've ever shot a bride smoking....pretty hot.

Fallen Angel- portraits of a bride-using lines in photography

When we could no longer stand the heat in the sugar cane we left the beautiful Sugar Cane Road and went down to a historic, abandoned High School that was built over 100 years ago. We immediately noticed the wonderful architecture and the lines that the building was yielding were magnificent. We got Christine up in this old window sill and I loved the fact that through the window I was able to see the lines from another building driving perpendicular through the window making for a much more dramatic shot.

The wind was blowing so hard that we didn't have to do any special effects to capture the veil as we did in the pictures below. I love the first shot because the veil looks like wings. I don't think I could duplicate the shot again because it was sheer patience and luck that the veil flowed in the outline of wings. The wind was blowing so hard that it actually flew out of her hair no less than 5 times...and when it flew it literally flew away and I had to go and get it. One time it actually flew backwards through the window and into the building you see in the background and I had to climb in and get it which wasn't easy.

When shooting photography the best pictures have symmetry and asymmetry at the same time. That's why I especially love the shot in the middle. There are so many lines that work with and against each other....making for a much more dramatic picture. That's also why I love to use the brides legs because sometimes the dress can overpower, and using the legs in images draws the contrast. In the first and last shots below I purposely had her legs showing and positioned in the direction of the building behind her to add more symmetry. Same thing as when I used the sugar cane....it's like they are fighting with each other but still come together enough to make a fantastic image as a whole. I hope you enjoy!

Trashing the dress- resting after a long shoot....

So we worked hard...and then took a rest. It was so relaxing just there on the beach in Maui watching the sunset go down...it was hard to leave. But we were both very wet from being in the ocean so that feeling kind of wore off and it was time to get back to the car. This was the second of three shoots that I was in Hawaii to do....and I can't wait to show you the next shoot which was smoking...literally...but that's for another day. Thanks Jackie for everything and for such a great shoot!!!

Camlyn Part 2- Poison

When we first walked into this abandoned sugar cane building I noticed this room in the corner and it was all dark and dirty. I couldn't have had a better backdrop if I'd painted it myself. We went to this room (I inspected it first to make sure it was safe) and then with the use of two video lights we lit the room up. I loved the verbiage on the walls that made it fun to work with. I was able to shoot at 2500 ISO, with a 20mm lens at 1.8 at 1/80 sec for my shutter speed.

When I shoot with interns or other photographers and they ask me about the most important pieces of equipment to buy I tell them to first get a camera that has good ISO sensitivity (like my D3), but even more importantly is to buy a prime lens (low aperture, high speed) to really drive the results you seek. Shooting with a prime lens also gives you great depth of field and if you put your focal point on the subject's eyes, the result will be a picture that has great focus on their eyes and can add a soft blur (pre-photoshop) that will really make your pictures look great. I hope you enjoy!