WEDDING PHOTOBOOTH: RHODA AND CORY

the old saying goes, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime..."

Rhoda and Cory: just married

in wedding photography, "give guests a photobooth and you get some fun images. teach guests to enjoy a photobooth and you get really entertaining images..."

i've done the wedding reception photobooth a couple of times now and each time it has been one of the highlights of the day.  along with the bride and groom, the guests become a part of the event and have memories of the evening whether they are sober or not.  the photobooth experience provided by my studio is meant to be fun and given the right set of props and atmosphere, guests really come out of their shell to embrace the innocent playfulness it is intended to be.  

all we do is set up studio lights and a fixed backdrop, mark a spot on the floor and let the shutter fly. that's about it.  no need to get technical or worry about composition or perfect lighting.  guests decorate themselves, pose any way they want and let the image speak for themselves.

as promised to all the guests at Rhoda and Cory's wedding, the photobooth images are available on my website on a password protected client page.  click here to access my main site and please go to "clients".  from there, enter the following information:

username: rhodacoryphotobooth

password: (cory's last name)

here is a sample of what you will find in the album.  thanks to you all for embracing the experience and really having fun with it.  images are only as fun as you make them to be and you certainly did a wonderful job at that.  please enjoy!

  

    

    

   

de jesus - taking the "boo" out of photobooth.  out.

RECENT AWARDS

at a wedding shoot this past weekend, an adorable middle aged woman asked me where they could see my work.  naturally i directed them towards my website and then she asked me if i had won any awards for my photography.  odd question i thought, "honestly..." i said,  "not for my wedding work, but i have been fortunate enough to win a couple of awards for my personal work."  i have never submitted anything for my wedding work, largely because i'm still searching for that perfect image that i know represents my voice but i do on occasion submit images from my personal work.  i've always liked competition and i've always enjoyed my work being reviewed by professionals in the industry who have a trained eye and know what to look for.  often times their honest critiques have made me a better photographer and allowed me to explore abilities outside of my comfort zone.

photography is truly a subjective art much like paintings and poetry, but there is always something in each image that can connect with an audience.  something that allows it to stand on its own and sometimes stand up above others.   i would love to be able to capture images that fit this criteria all the time, but sometimes images are made in the moment, you just happen to have a camera in hand when it appears.  other times, it's a carefully constructed composition which balances the elements of light, shutter and aperture to create the mood the way it was intended in the photographer's eye. heavyweights of the industry like Peter Lik, Ansel Adams or Walter Iooss know how to achieve both and ultimately has made them successful in connecting with their fans through their work.

as an amateur photographer, i'm always happy to get a couple of memorable images i know that not only mean something to me, but to others as well.  the validation is not essential, but it is nice to know that these accomplished experts connect with your work and would honor you with an award amongst the thousands of amazing entries that get submitted.  so for that charming lady who asked if i had won any awards and for the few hundred people who follow me, here are a couple of recent awards i have been fortunate to receive from the good people at the Worldwide WOW Photo Competition, based out of calgary.

2014 contest - "eager to learn"

2015 contest - "downtown mosaic"

as per submission requirements there is a short description for each photo, but i can certainly elaborate more in a future "from the vault" post.  stay tuned...i think you will enjoy the story behind each photo.

i still feel photography isn't meant to be judged but rather appreciated.  the old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" really does ring true, but if judges can appreciate and connect with an image when they see one, i'm not one to stop them from letting people know about it.  semi-colon closed bracket.

de jesus.  still searching for the superbowl-oscar-grammy-stanley cup-gold medal photo. out.

FROM THE VAULT: THE SETUP

tool of the trade

in the last few months, i've noticed that i spend a lot of time consuming content - that is, watching, reading and liking various things on social media and the internet.  we are a generation that has access to information at our fingertips at all times of the day.  inspiring, sad, funny, time-wasting, and at times even thought-provoking, the information we have readily available allows us to entertain ourselves anytime, anywhere, anyplace.

but in this phase of consuming content, i realize that i probably spend too much time consuming it rather than creating it.  as many of you know, i have a passion for photography and i do create images on a regular basis. i post mainly on instagram but those are only the snapshots i've taken with my iphone.  the posts i have shared on my blog are mostly work i have been commissioned to do and share with current and future clients.  i know i have the ability to create content but until now, i've kept a lot of it closely guarded for reasons i won't get into right now.

after a computer incident that almost wiped out some of my images forever, i realized that i want to share my photography and in doing so contributing to the creation of content - be a part of the community that inspires and entertains people (like me) who like to consume said content. thankfully, i have been able to recover most of my photos and have been ale to revisit some really amazing times in my life by looking back at some of the images.

and with that, i would like to announce a new feature on this blog which will hopefully be a regular staple that many of you might take interest in.  i will be calling it "FROM THE VAULT" (aka FTV) and will essentially be submissions of my photography (both personal and client work) that will feature an image from my collection of tens of thousands of images that has had some sort of impact on me.  i will share a story about the image which might provide some insight how my mind works (faults and all) and may detail some technical aspects as well.  it'll be free form and unstructured, with the chosen image as the central figure.  don't expect all the images to be nat geo-vanity fair type photography - this is strictly a personal project that lets me relive my past and journal the experiences (both good and bad) that have led me to this point.

i've always believed that images are intended to tell a story.  they are a snapshot of time frozen forever and have a story leading up to it and a fallout after it.  that is what has always fascinated me about photography ever since i was a kid and even more so today.  in looking through my libraries of images, i can honestly say i have thousands of stories to tell and sharing them with you brings them to life again.  i'm just a guy with a camera and words...and these are the things that help remind me that i've lived on this world and not just existed.

de jesus. here to share, not to scare.