MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Hey everyone! We are still here and going strong...more pictures and adventures to be posted soon!!! Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!

Brian and Arturo

Congratulations to Brian and Arturo on their recent wedding at the Hotel Del! The day was beautiful and family and friends surrounded the couple as they said their vows. What a fun wedding to shoot. Thanks, you guys, for inviting Spark Photography to document the day!

Updates

Hi everyone!

I am in the process of updating my website with some new and recent photos. The new stuff should be up by the end of the week. I have several portrait sessions coming up and another couple of weddings in August. Life is good, and doing what I love is the best!! Here is one pic that didn't make the website cut, but I thought I would add it to the blog for your enjoyment. 

(I really dig that metal ring box!)

Happy creating!

Lori

Social Networking!

All right, the latest and greatest is that Spark Photography now has a presence on both Facebook and MySpace! You can find my MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/sparkpix and my Facebook page you will just have to search for because linking it doesn't work. =) 

Check it out and add me as a friend!

Keep the creative flame burining!

Lori

Happy 4th of July!

Another photographer and I headed down to San Diego Bay last night to try and photograph the various fireworks displays. It was great weather, but due to wind direction we got mixed results. The smoke from the fireworks to the south drifted right in front of the ones that were exploding! This is a shot looking north, where the smoke wasn't such a factor. Happy 4th to all!

Ignite the fire of your creativity!!

West Coast School and more...

Hey there!

What a summer it has been. The third week of June was spent attending a class at West Coast School of Photography. My instructor was famous wedding and portrait photographer Hanson Fong. Hanson's excellent presentation and attention to detail were amazing. I learned a ton about posing, customer service and lighting...more to a

dd to the growing repertoire! 

Tonight, I am off to a seminar with the Sallee's. They are a married couple who run their photography business together. Their work is edgy and I really like their style. Stay tuned for the results of what I have learned!

Ignite the fire, think creatively, and never stop learning!

Jill, Kevin and Brendan

I got some great shots of Jill, Kevin and Brendan when I got back from the WPPI conference. Such a cute baby boy! We are going to do portraits of Brendan at 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos. and 1 year, so stay posted and watch Brendan grow! "Baby's First Year" portrait sessions have become popular in the photography industry and some studios are also doing "Bellies to Bundles" programs that include maternity portraits as well. 

On a side note, there was a falcon living on the condo construction project next door to Jill's mom's home...I also had fun photographing the bird with my 70-200mm lens.

WPPI Road Trip Pictures

Here are just a few of the pictures I captured on the road to the WPPI convention and in Vegas. 

The first one is of some wheels I found in Calico (an old mining "ghost town" just off the 15 freeway). I liked the color and texture of the old metal and the contrast adds weight to the photo. 

             

Next is a close up of the "bottle house", also in Calico. I played with depth of field and abstraction and liked this one best. Right below it

it is the gate to the Calico cemetery at sunset.

Finally, we have a butterfly (or moth, I guess) at the Bellagio gardens in Las Vegas. They had many varieties and we had fun photographing them, even though it was through glass.

These were just a few of the fun photos from that trip. The "real" work can be found at http://www.sparkpix.com. Hope you enjoyed this entry!

Ignite the fire!

Lori

WPPI 2008!

Wow! Just got back on Thursday night from the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention and trade show. What a great experience. I am still recovering from the total exhaustion that follows 8 days packed with education, networking and fun. Here are a few highlights:

btw...click on the white links to learn more about these people!

1) I spent 2 days studying with one of the best wedding photographers in the world, Yervant. We focused on lighting, posing with movement, how to see and plan unique shots that will set you apart from the competition, and some post-production magic. Additionally, we got a sneak preview of his new workspace in Melbourne. He is an amazing photographer with such a giving personality--how fun is that?

2) I attended the Business Institute. I can't believe how much business advice and support they packed into a one-day seminar. We heard from talents like Jerry Ghionis, Mitche Graf, and Kevin Kubota who filled us in on how to make our businesses the best they can be.

3) I did tons of networking and met some really wonderful people. Bruce Mayhill, Albert Lewis and Terry Michael were all in Yervant's class with me. Sean Capshaw, Lori Brueseke and Tom Phillips were my San Diego crew who made it a very adventurous road trip!

4) Beyond that, there were a HUGE number of vendors in the trade show and several more days of platfom speakers and master classes...I could go on and on.

Needless to say, my head is still spinning and it will take me a while to process it all, but it is all a huge part of giving my clients the best photographic experience I can. Never stop growing, and always strive to be the best! In my next post I will share some photos from the trip and also a few from the shoot I did when I returned home...

Ignite the fire!

Lori