Jason Lanier Photography Blog

Active D Lighting Tutorial

2012-01-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Active D-Lighting turned to high, meaning it does everything it can to compensate for the darkness of the image.

Active D-Lighting turned off, meaning there is no compensation made by the camera to increase the dark areas in the image. I purposely shot a dark image to show the difference that Active D-Lighting can make.

I was asked recently to comment on the difference that Active D-Lighting can make with your images. Active D-Lighting is a term used by Nikon, the equivalent for Canon is called Highlight Tone Priority. Nikon describes Active D-Lighting as follows:

"Active D-Lighting optimizes high contrast images to restore the shadow and highlight details that are often lost when strong lighting increases the contrast between bright and dark areas of an image. It can be set to operate automatically or manually, and it's also possible to bracket pictures to get one with Active D-Lighting and one without."

In easier terms it means that the camera will help you adjust the exposure levels when you take a picture where you have a big difference between the dark areas and the light areas in the image. This is done automatically by the camera if you turn on the Active D function. The camera is defaulted with it, "off" so if you want it on you have to turn it on through the menu in the back of the camera under shooting.

So I left my D3 and D700 at home and took out my D7000 around the local lake to take some shots to show you what it does. I chose to use the D7000 because I wanted to use a camera that is more likely to be used by many more people as it's in the $1,000 range. Below is a rundown of the images and the different settings I used to get the shots. All of the images were shot in manual mode and all of them have been completely unedited. I had to use Screenshots from my Lightroom tab because the pictures will actually change once they are imported into Lightroom. Why? Because Active D-Lighting only applies to jpegs because the information must be baked in by the camera. So in essence this is the camera's way of editing the shot in the camera rather than afterwards. And the only way the camera can edit and save the image is if it's shot as a jpeg. So, if you are the kind of person that wants immediate gratification without having to edit afterwards, Active D-Lighting is great for you, otherwise stick to Raw and enjoy yourself!

The only possible workaround to this issue is if you use your Camera's software to import the images, otherwise it won't work with Adobe.

New Orleans Two Day Photography and Editing Workshop by Jason Lanier

2012-01-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Come join ME in the incomparable New Orleans, Louisiana February 28th and 29th 2012! I am offering all of the sessions either individually or as package bundles. You will save significantly when you buy them as package bundles as I believe these allow you the best opportunity to enhance your photography knowledge and skills. Please see below to see everything that is available:

*Tuesday February 28, 2012 9am-11am: Mini Prep Session- this mini session is meant to help prepare newer photographers for our Group Session shoot. If you are uncomfortable or don't know how to shoot in manual mode, meaning you don't know how to set your own shutter, aperture, and ISO to get the shots you want. This mini session is 2 hours of training together where I will help you grow comfortable with setting the exposure on your camera which will help you kick some major butt on our group session later that day. Great photography is about consisent practice, so doing this session right before the group session will help you reinforce everything in the group session, meaning you are really going to learn. You can purchase this session individually for $199, or you can save $150 and come for only $50 when you purchase it as part of one of our package bundle deals. So if you are looking for that major kick start to get you understanding your camera like a professional photographer, this session is for you!!

*Tuesday February 28, 2012 11am-6pm: Group Shoot: if you've ever attended another workshop where they just go around and take shots, this isn't that workshop. We go to REAL LOCATIONS with REAL MODELS, which means you will get REAL RESULTS. We meet in the hotel lobby and where we will then carpool to our locations to shoot. Travel time can vary between 30-60 minutes which gives us plenty of time to get to know each other and discuss our various needs prior to us shooting. I always keep my workshops flexible but below is a rough outline of the items that we will cover:

11am- Meet as a group in the hotel lobby- don't be late as we will be leaving promptly at 11:15am.
11:15-noon- travel and set up time for our shoot.
12pm-2pm- Location #1: Posing using natural light and reflectors: start shooting where we will cover the following points of photography; quick review on shooting in manual mode. This will be a short review as we provide this training in the mini prep session prior to the group session. We will then review in depth the fundamentals of posing during this session using hands feet, creating space, posing with motion, etc. Posing is very difficult for many photographers and this first part of the group session will be completely dedicated to posing to really bring you up to speed on how to make your images with people look fantastic.
2pm-3pm- Lunch break with Q&A session. We will find a quick place to eat (nothing fancy) that allows us the time to speak about the sesion we just completed and discuss what we're going to do next. Bring around $15-$20 to be able to eat!
3pm-5:30pm- Location #2: Composition and Alternative Lighting- using what we learned in the session on posing, we will then incorporate our model and posing into creating great composition and will start using alternative lighting. This session we will work on how to compose the shot, what goes into making great compostion and the factors that are key to creating a killer shot. With the day starting to grow to a close, we will have the opportunity to shoot during the "magic hour" right before sunset which will be amazing. We will end the shoot at sunset which will allow us the chance to use external flashes, video lights, and some off camera flash to create some stunning results. Also make sure to bring your tripod as we will use it if the conditions are right.
5:30pm-6pm- Travel back to our original location where we met to take you back. This time will allow us to have another Q&A in the car and review our shooting from the day.

**Weather concerns: Should the weather turn bad we will have other indoor locations we can shoot in. Weather is a constant friend or foe to photographers so learning to adapt to it is critical for your learning curve. Regardless of the weather we will find a way to shoot and make it amazing. Some of my most amazing images have come during rain, snow, cold, or extreme heat when I had to find a way to get it done. Regardless we will find great places and create beautiful imagery. Please also note that we will always make sure everyone has the opportunity to stay comfortable.

*Wednesday February 29, 2012 9am-4pm: Classroom/Editing Session- get ready to make some magic! In the classroom session we will take the images you took from the group shoot session and help you understand how to improve your workflow, and edit them the way you want! Below is an outline of the items we will cover:

9am-9:15am: Review of the shooting session from the group shoot the day before. This will help you to cement some of your learnings from the day before, as well as answer any lingering questions.
9:15am-9:45am- Gear Review: I wil cover everything that I use and give you my recommendations for what works and doesn't work. This will help you to save the time and money that I wasted when I started my career. I will answer individual questions from the group that helps everyone understand what they need depending on their interests. I'm not sponsored by any gear providers so my recommendations will be completely unbiased, and I won't try and sell you anything either!
9:45am-10:30am- Business Tips: In this part of the session we will review the business tips that made me a success. Sometimes the best way to become successful is to find out how someone else did it and do what they did! We will cover how to make it in many different areas of photography built around my experience. Tips for pricing, finding customers, getting referrals, and making a great living will all be covered!
10:30am-12:30pm- Lightroom: During this part of the class we will cover importing images, using external hard drives, creating separate catalogs for each shoot, using presets, creating presets, using the fundamental tools available in Lightroom, using a rating system, editing in Photoshop through Lightroom, and exporting your final catalog.
12:30-1:30pm- Lunch: We will find a quick place to find a bite to eat as a group where we can discuss what we learned in the first part of the session. Make sure to bring $15-$20 for lunch.
1:30-3:45pm- Photoshop: This will be where we start creating some magic! The most fundamental thing for photographers to learn and use are layers and masks as it changes your ability and opens up all possibilities. This session will also cover using my favorite filters, cloning the right way, and dodging and burning. It's impossible to teach everything about Photoshop, especially in two hours...but we will get you headed in the right direction!
3:45-4pm- Final Q&A session: This will be your last chance to ask any and all questions you have before we have to say goodbye until next time.

*Please let us know if you will not have your own transportation so we can help you make carpool arrangements.

*Please make sure to wear comfortable clothing on all shoots and use your best judgment to make sure you bring appropriate clothing to factor in the time of day you will be shooting. You might want to bring an extra pair of sandles/shoes as I have been known to get feet wet quite frequently.

*Please bring snacks and bottled water as many of the places we go will not have any services available for food and beverage. We also highly recommend to use the restroom prior to our group shoot. We will always make sure to get to a restroom location during the middle of the shoot to give everyone a break when we go for lunch.

*Please bring all the gear you have including monopods, tripods, reflectors, flashes, etc. and plenty of batteries. Also make sure to charge all of your gear 100% prior to the shoot so you don't end up running out. Make sure to clear your memory cards and have at least 12gb available to shoot with. We personally recommend even more if you can. We will really encourage you to shoot in RAW so having the appropriate amount of memory is very important.

We can't wait to see you in New Orleans and look forward to an amazing time together!!!! For any questions please email us at info@jlpros.com, or give us a call at 213-494-7744 or 909-260-3332.

Thanks!

Jason Lanier Photography

Las Vegas Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier all around WPPI 2012

2012-01-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

Come join us for 4 amazing days of workshop instruction in exciting Las Vegas, Nevada all around the WPPI photographers annual convention. This is NOT a shootout, where you just watch a photographer shoot. This is a true workshop where there is actual instruction. Many photographers who never teach workshops offer shootouts around WPPI to make a few extra bucks, I teach workshops all across the United States and have done so for years. This experience is truly for learning and we are going to do some AMAZING stuff! The schedule for the 4 days is as follows:

*Monday February 20, 2012 5-7pm: 1 on 1 Training Session- this is for 1 person only, it's 1 on 1 training where the 2-hour session is customized to precisely what you want or need to learn. We do a quick review of your portfolio, discuss what you need the most help with, and start teaching! The session is built around you and your preferences. So if you'd like to learn more about posing and shooting people we will get a model, a killer location and shoot! If you are more of a landscape photographer we find a beautiful place to shoot and start shooting! The bottom line is that this is personalized training where you can ask a million questions and get a million answers. This is your chance to get over the hump and get that edge you are looking for. These sessions are first come, first serve, so sign up today!

*Tuesday February 21, 2012 5-7pm: 1 on 1 Training Session- this is for 1 person only, it's 1 on 1 training where the 2-hour session is customized to precisely what you want or need to learn. We do a quick review of your portfolio, discuss what you need the most help with, and start teaching! The session is built around you and your preferences. So if you'd like to learn more about posing and shooting people we will get a model, a killer location and shoot! If you are more of a landscape photographer we find a beautiful place to shoot and start shooting! The bottom line is that this is personalized training where you can ask a million questions and get a million answers. This is your chance to get over the hump and get that edge you are looking for. These sessions are first come, first serve, so sign up today!

*Wednesday February 22, 2012 5-10pm: Group Night Session- this is the first of our two group sessions in Vegas. This group shoot will take place right smack down the middle of the Las Vegas Strip with models. We will meet at the entrance to the MGM Grand Conference Center at 5pm. This will be an amazing shoot where we go over some really essential stuff as well as some really fun and crazy styles including shooting with flash, video lights, off-camera flash, posing, and using natural light in a night-time environment to deliver some astounding results. This is not a session where you follow me around and just watch me shoot. I set up the shoot, and then help all of the other photographers in making sure they are getting amazing results as well. We have small class sizes and will have myself and another one of my lead shooters with me so everyone can get the attention they need. Come join us for an amazing shoot in Vegas! We purposely set up the time of the shoot between 5-10 when there are no platform classes at WPPI, so you won't miss anything! You can either pay $250 for this shoot individually or sign up for both shoots (Wednesday and Thursday for a total price of $450, a savings of $75!

**Please plan on us grabbing a snack towards the end of our shoot somewhere on the strip...nothing fancy but you should bring a little money as we will sit down as a group and discuss some of the things we did that made the shoot so much fun. Reviewing what we did is key to your learning process so you can remember what we did and how we did it. It also gives you a great opportunity to ask questions!

*Thursday February 23, 2012 10am-6pm: Group Say/Sunset Session- this is the second of our two group shoots in Vegas. On this shoot we are meeting at the entrance to the MGM Conference Center at 10am and then carpooling over to the Salt Flats about 45 minutes away. We are going to do a really cool shoot with models on the salt flats which will be a great opportunity to learn more about posing, shooting in the middle of the day, using reflectors, how to properly expose in bright conditions, and incorporating props into your shots. This is a must for anyone who shoots weddings as we typically struggle with these issues on the day of the wedding. We will then pack up our gear and head another 30 minutes east to a beautiful town that is remaining a secret location so we make sure there aren't other photographer shooting there. It has antique cars, old barns, old buildings, trucks, etc. It has been used for countless movies, TV shows, and music videos and it will be the backdrop for our shoot! Here we will incorporate all the amazing scenery and props available as the light turns into the golden hour, and we will continue shooting until the sun sets. Once the sun starts to go down we will again incorporate more video lights and off camera flash which will really raise the bar for creating amazing imagery. The cost for this session is $275, but if you register for both Wednesday and Thursday sessions you get both for only $450, a savings of $75! Come join us for an amazing time in Vegas!!!

Get WPPI Full Registration and Tradeshow included with your workshop! Limited to 3 tickets only, this option allows you to book both days of workshop classes with Jason Lanier AND get into WPPI for only $150 as one of his guests! That's a savings of hundreds of dollars. This is the ultimate experience to learn and grow with Jason and attend the WPPI Convention..the largest in the world!

*Please let us know if you will not have your own transportation so we can help you make carpool arrangements.

*Please make sure to wear comfortable clothing on all shoots and use your best judgment to make sure you bring appropriate clothing to factor in the time of day you will be shooting.

*Please bring snacks and bottled water as many of the places we go will not have any services available for food and beverage. We also highly recommend to use the restroom prior to our shoot at the Salt Flats. Once we get to our second location we will have a bathroom available.

We can't wait to see you in Vegas and look forward to an amazing time together!!!! For any questions please email us at info@jlpros.com, or give us a call at 213-494-7744 (Jason) or 909-260-3332 (Don).

Thanks!

Jason Lanier Photography

Lightroom Presets= receive a free set of Lightroom Presets when you book a workshop with Jason Lanier!

2011-12-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve Special! Book a workshop with me and receive a FREE set of my Lightroom Presets, the same ones that I use to edit all of my photos! This special applies to anyone who books a workshop or is currently registered for a 2012 workshop. The special ends on January 10th so don't delay!!

Creating Motion Blur in Wedding Images

2011-12-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Creating motion blur in wedding images- this shot was taken at my wedding for David and Elaine last month down in La Jolla, California. The key to creating a shot like this is to use a neutral density filter and a tripod which enables you to slow down your shutter and shoot on a tripod during the middle of a very sunny day like this one. You have to get the bride and groom to hold still which they did a great job of on this shot. The goal in this image was to get the water to appear as if it's continually moving, which makes it fun because the rocks and wedding couple are completely still. This is a trick that landscape photographers use, and since I am a landscape photographer I know how to do it! Camera settings: Nikon D3, 1/4 sec at f/22, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Taken at 1:01pm on November 26, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

New Orleans Louisiana Workshop with Jason Lanier!

2011-12-02T11:00:00.001-08:00

Come join us on February 28th and 29th 2012 for an amazing 2-days in New Orleans, Louisiana for a workshop with Jason Lanier that will make you not only change you as a photographer but also as a person. Tuition includes 2-days of training that encompass a full day of shooting and editing.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW!!

Jason Lanier is a world traveled award winning photographer who specializes in weddings and landscape photography. He brings a unique blend of both of these worlds to take you to the next level as a photographer. Just in 2011 alone, Jason Lanier shot in Africa, Ireland, Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska, and all over the United States, had his July wedding for Christina and Ransen featured by Disney Weddings, and won numerous Accolades of Excellence from WPPI, the largest print competition in the world.

Tuition is only $485 for both days and is the BEST money you can invest on your photography education. Jason's workshops are very hands on, and class size is limited to 20 participants so you get the attention you need to improve. Jason believes very strongly in breaking the mold of the traditional workshop which means:

Shoots- You are going to shoot in real locations...not just around a hotel like some other workshops
Selling stuff- Jason will not spend an hour trying to sell you on buying more of his stuff. All Jason has to offer is available to view on his website. Your time with him is precious and paid for, so he won't waste it trying to make more money off of you.
Editing- Jason will give you the tools you need for success. He isn't afraid to share his "secrets" as he believes that if the entire industry improves we will all benefit. Nothing is out of bounds.

WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS? CLICK HERE!

Attendees will need to being a laptop with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop (trial versions ok) prior to coming to the workshop. Final location details will be provided to all attendees 14-days prior to the workshop. For any questions please visit our website at www.jasonlanier.com and click on "Workshops". For any questions please contact us at WORKSHOPS@JLPROS.COM today!

Las Vegas, Nevada Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier

2011-12-02T10:41:00.001-08:00

Come join us on February 23rd and 24th 2012 for an amazing 2-days in Las Vegas, Nevada for a workshop with Jason Lanier that will make you not only change you as a photographer but also as a person. Tuition includes 2-days of training that encompass a full day of shooting and editing.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW!!

Shoots- You are going to shoot in real locations...not just around a hotel like some other workshops
Selling stuff- Jason will not spend an hour trying to sell you on buying more of his stuff. All Jason has to offer is available to view on his website. Your time with him is precious and paid for, so he won't waste it trying to make more money off of you.
Editing- Jason will give you the tools you need for success. He isn't afraid to share his "secrets" as he believes that if the entire industry improves we will all benefit. Nothing is out of bounds.

WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS? CLICK HERE!

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

2011-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Come join us on January 24th and 25th 2012 for an amazing 2-days in Los Angeles, California for a workshop with Jason Lanier that will make you not only change you as a photographer but also as a person. Tuition includes 2-days of training that encompass a full day of shooting and editing.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW!!

Shoots- You are going to shoot in real locations...not just around a hotel like some other workshops
Selling stuff- Jason will not spend an hour trying to sell you on buying more of his stuff. All Jason has to offer is available to view on his website. Your time with him is precious and paid for, so he won't waste it trying to make more money off of you.
Editing- Jason will give you the tools you need for success. He isn't afraid to share his "secrets" as he believes that if the entire industry improves we will all benefit. Nothing is out of bounds.

WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS? CLICK HERE!

Phoenix, Arizona Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier

2011-12-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Come join us on January 17th and 18th 2012 for an amazing 2-days in Phoenix, Arizona for a workshop with Jason Lanier that will make you not only change you as a photographer but also as a person. Tuition includes 2-days of training that encompass a full day of shooting and editing.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW!!

Shoots- You are going to shoot in real locations...not just around a hotel like some other workshops
Selling stuff- Jason will not spend an hour trying to sell you on buying more of his stuff. All Jason has to offer is available to view on his website. Your time with him is precious and paid for, so he won't waste it trying to make more money off of you.
Editing- Jason will give you the tools you need for success. He isn't afraid to share his "secrets" as he believes that if the entire industry improves we will all benefit. Nothing is out of bounds.

WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS? CLICK HERE!

Shooting (Photographing) a Jewish Horah Wedding by Jason Lanier

2011-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Shooting a Jewish Horah is the one of the funnest things to shoot for a wedding photographer. Why? Because they are fun, loud, and always unpredictable. I have shot Horah's where people fell off of chairs (none were hurt), people were launched clear off the chairs, and just in general it's a heck of a way to kick off a new marriage.

First the bride and groom are lifted onto the chairs followed by the parents of the bride. The bride and groom hold a cloth in between them and hold on for dear life. As a photographer the best and only way to truly capture the essence of this moment is by getting into the action. It can be a little intimidating at first because there are a ton of people and you can't really even know where you will end up because you are too busy taking the pictures. But once you get the rhythm down, and you just decide to have fun with it, it can be a very rewarding experience.

In order to maximize the picture opportunity for your clients you need to make sure to set proper lighting, and you will need to make sure to use either a video light, an external flash, or both to get the best shots. You also need to make sure to keep your shutter speed fast enough because there is a lot of movement going on! For these shots below which were all shot on manual mode, the settings were: Nikon D700, 1/100 sec at f/4.0, 16mm at ISO 3200, flash fired.

Trash the Dress Composite Shot

2011-11-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Trash the Dress, watch it all happen in 1 photograph- this image was taken last week during my bridal trash the dress session with Randi, my bride from my Catalina wedding in August of this year. For this image I set my tripod up in a spot where I knew I could capture the full spectrum of everything happening within the frame. I then had Randi go from start to finish, getting her dress caught, and then we would cut with scissors. Each shot of her is a different picture, which were all stitched together in photoshop.

In photography it's so difficult to show a progression of something like a trash the dress session in only 1 picture. So, if you want to try and accomplish something like this, you pretty much have to do what I've done here. This is a lengthy process in shooting and editing, but the results are REALLY FUN! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/80 sec at f/4.0, 16mm at ISO 200, flash did not fire. Shot at 5:47pm on October 27, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

Should Photographers Add Fake Skies to their Pictures?

2011-11-05T18:27:00.001-07:00

To Add or not to Add, that is the question. Since photographers learned how to add skies and other elements to their images, this is a question that has stayed in the industry since Photoshop taught us how to do it. Personally I don't like adding other elements to my imagery, I want them to be real. That being said, many times I find myself going to a location one time, and if the weather doesn't cooperate, I walk away with no shots to use.

FOR THE RECORD: If I were to ever use a "fake sky" I would certainly state that the image is a composite. I NEVER misrepresent my work..:)

I pride myself on my work and the skies that are present in my images and like any other self respecting landscape photographer I will wait many times/days/weeks for that perfect shot. This image was taken during my workshop in West Virginia at Blackwater Falls. It's a situation where I only had 1 hour to get the shot and then we moved to another location. So either I use a sky from another shot, or I really don't have a shot to share. Thoughts?

Photoshop Tip- How to Add Rain to your image

2011-11-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of many Friday Fotoshop Fun Facts that I am going to start posting weekly. Check back on the blog to see these updates, and don't forget to follow my Facebook Fan Page as well as Twitter: @jlanierphoto.

For today's topic I wanted to show a very simple technique for adding a "rain" look to your image. This is all done in Photoshop CS4. The idea is to take a simple picture that doesn't have any rain and make it look like it does. The image below is a shot I took in Morgantown, West Virginia in October of 2011. Here's how to do it!

1. Open your image in Photoshop...

2. Create a duplicate layer by pressing Command J (Macs) Control J (PC)

3. Click on "Filter", "Render", and then choose, "Fibers"

4. The selection screen for Fibers will pop up. I chose to use 16 as my Variance and 4 as my Strength. Play around with it and choose what works best for your look!

5. This is what your screen will look like, don't panic, it's supposed to look like this...

6. Click on the layer mask button on the bottom of your layers palette as shown in red. This will create a mask for you to wipe away the rain and bring in the background image.

7. Click on "B" to select your brush tool as shown in red.

8. The brush toolbar will then show at the top of your screen. Select a large sized brush as I did here, "900 or higher" so you can wipe away big chunks of the fibers (fake rain). Select an Opacity of about 88% (so it wipes away a lot but still leaves some to be seen). Don't worry about the Flow...

9. Start wiping away the fake rain! This is what it looked like when I wiped away half of the screen.

10. This is what it looked like after I had wiped away all the fake rain at 88% Opacity. So in essence it left 12% of the rain in the image.

11. I then chose to turn my Opacity to 100% and wipe the fibers "fake rain" away completely in select areas of the image. In this image I wiped it all away in the grass areas.

And this is what it looked like when it was done! There are certainly a million ways to do a million things like "fake rain" in an image, but I choose to do tutorials on the most streamlined and already built into Photoshop way to do it. I hope this helps! Please let me know what topics in Photoshop you'd like me to address for topics on upcoming weeks. Thanks and stay tuned!

Jason Lanier Photography on Twitter

2011-11-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! After starting a great Fan Page on Facebook I am finally getting around to launching our Twitter Page! So if you'd like hints, tips, and more updates from Jason Lanier Photography, Twitter is the place to go! Just go to @jlanierphoto and check out what we're doing!

http://twitter.com/#/jlanierphoto

Bridezillas

2011-11-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

Creativity- Don't ever be afraid to become a kid again when you are shooting. I think it's so funny that adults pretend that say they aren't creative. Creativity is a grown up word for "playing make believe." If more people stopped worrying about what other people thought about what they did, and just channeled their inner 5-year old and started "make believing" they would make amazing imagery. SO GO BE A 5-YEAR OLD AGAIN!!!!

Bridezillas- this image was taken during my workshop in West Virginia last month. We found this abandoned little house that was nestled in between overgrown weeds and a corn field. It was the kind of thing that's almost impossible to find in California which is one reason why I love shooting in areas like West Virginia. We had two models a house, and an idea….they were both in love with the same man and he was inside the house, all they had to do was fight and to the victor would go the spoils. Both girls took turns being the aggressor and I have a ton of great shots from this shoot. Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/500 sec at f/5.6, 19mm at ISO 100. Shot at 3:23pm on October 11, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

Long Exposure Photography- getting the right look!

2011-11-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Long Exposure Photography- this is an image taken earlier this year in Maui, Hawaii near the lava rocks by Waimea/Kihei area. The trick to long exposure photography is to set it up on a tripod, frame the shot the right way, keep your ISO low (that sounds crazy with low light, but if there is enough available light, you want LOW ISO because it gives you much more ability to work with in post production. With the long exposure time it will add a movement type look to the image like you see here with the water. If you haven't tried long exposure photography, give it a try today! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 30 sec at f/4.0, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 7:33pm in Maui, Hawaii by Jason Lanier on August 31, 2011.

2011-11-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Basking in the Hawaiian Sun- this image was taken while I was in Maui back in August of this year. We were shooting some tutorial videos and we had this amazing back drop, beautiful woman, and the golden sun. This was shot with natural light. If you shoot at the right time it will look like you are applying special effects because it just looks so good. If possible, shoot during the "magic hours" of 2 hours before and after sunset and sunrise...this was taken about 20 minutes before sunset. Hope you like it! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/400 sec at f/5.6, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 6:12pm on August 30, 2011 in Maui, Hawaii by Jason Lanier.

Bridal Portraits West Virginia

2011-11-02T18:05:00.001-07:00

Almost Heaven, West Virginia- this image was taken during my 1 on 1 with Stephanie Stiles back in August of this year in Morgantown, West Virginia. This was such a fun shoot, and I just loved the rolling green hills, it is just beautiful out there. I also want photographers to know that you don't have to or shouldn't always put your subjects in the middle of the frame...it's boring if it's on all your shots...so make it more dynamic and change things up a little! Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/320 sec at f/9.0, 16mm at ISO 100, flash did not fire. Shot at 5:26pm on August 20, 2011 by Jason Lanier.

2-day Photography Workshop in Pensacola, Florida

2011-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

2-day Workshop this week on June 23rd and June 24th! Come join us for two exciting days this Thursday and Friday in Pensacola, both sessions running from 8am to 3pm. Attend 1 session for $250, or both sessions for only $450! Attendees of previous workshops can attend for $200 for 1 session or $400 for BOTH!

Thursday is a full shooting session as the group scouts, shoots, and has a tremendous time making MAGIC happen!

Friday is a full classroom session as we review our shots from the shooting session, and I show you the nuts and bolts of developing your images for success. We also cover business techniques, tricks of the trade, and tips for success.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #3 of 3

2011-05-17T00:43:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 3 of 3

11. Who or what has been your greatest inspiration in your life? Explain.

My parents. My Mom is very musically inclined and is an unbelievable composer and pianist and she taught me to play/compose music as well. I can't edit images without music playing, it's part of my creative process. My Father was a photography enthusiast which is where I first learned what a Nikon camera could do at the age of 5, and since then I've been hooked. My Dad was also the best Father in the world who has now passed on. While I know he would always say he's proud of me (because he's the kind of guy who always made their kids feel great), I don't feel like I will live up to who he was. So I'm inspired to try and be like him. When I die if people know me as a famous photographer that would be neat. But I'd much rather prefer they know me as a decent and good Father and Husband. No success in this life can compensate for failure in the home. Believe me when I say that there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family. If photography ever got in the way of being a good Father or Husband, I would give it up.

12. What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?

I keep myself motivated by trying whatever sounds fun. I don't place any limits (other than moral/ethical stuff) on myself. I figure if I want to shoot it, no matter the genre I will shoot it. That's what's so funny about my website/Facebook page, etc. One day you will see an engagement photo, the next day an elephant. When you are open to doing anything, you very rarely ever find yourself painted into a corner that can lead to boredom and shut down your creativity.

13. If you could interview a creative person (past or present), who would that person be? Please explain your choice.

You may be expecting me to say someone famous. But if I could interview anyone tomorrow for example, it would be my Dad. I would ask him his life story, and record every second of it. For those who still have your loved ones around, take the opportunity to get to know their life story before they are gone. Believe me, I had a great relationship with my Dad before he died and was there when he passed away, so I don't have any regrets and I know I will see him when I die. But if I could interview someone from the past or present, it would be my Dad without hesitation. He is my hero and along with my Mom and family is the creative force and influence for who I am today.

14. How many foreign languages do you speak? What are these languages?

I speak 3 languages, English, Spanish, and Korean.

15. How did you acquire your language skills? Did you awaken your creativity to study foreign languages? Please share your secrets and tools!

I learned English from my parents, especially my Mom and Grandma who were English majors. I learned Spanish through my Dad who went on a 2-year mission to Chile and upon coming home spent the next 25 + years teaching Spanish and in fact had my wife Kara in his Spanish class in high school. I learned Korean while serving for two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Pusan Mission from the ages of 19-21 years old. It was the absolute best experience of my life. It's also what influenced me to adopt our three boys (triplets) that we have now. While on my mission we would visit the orphanages twice/week. I made a promise to God that if I ever had the means and opportunity I would adopt children into my home. A little over 7 years ago my wife and I were able to do that. It was the absolute best thing I have done on this earth. Raising those boys is my (our) mission now.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #2 of 3

2011-05-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 2 of 3

6. Do the opinions of other people influence or change what you create?

NO. When I first started other people's opinions affected me greatly as I was so eager to please as many artists are...after all we do want people to like our stuff right? About 1 year into my photography journey I grew tired of hearing everybody's advice so I gently told friends and family to keep their opinions to themselves. I don't shoot for anyone else other than me. My pictures are exactly the way I want them to look like. I don't cater my imagery for another person's taste or desire because then it wouldn't be my imagery, it would be theirs! When I do have a project and I'm working with an art director for example I will of course collaborate on the theme, concepts, etc. But that shoot will still have my look on it. Once artists stop seeking the approval of others they are truly free. Some people think it's arrogance, I think it's confidence. It takes a lot of guts to put your stuff out there for the whole world to see. Be confident in what you do and if you aren't happy with the way it looks than you need to seek to improve yourself....but do it for yourself, not for the approval of others. The funny thing is that you will find that there are others who love what you do, whatever the genre might be. So if you keep plugging away you will stay true to yourself and find a very loyal following of people who love your work.

7. If you have experienced creative blocks, how have you overcome them?

The best way to overcome a creative block is to bust right through it. If you are a creator you are inspired by different elements in your life. When I'm shooting if I've had a very short creative block it's been overcome by continuing to shoot until I found my inspiration. Another technique is to go shoot something entirely different than what you normally do. People think it's funny that I can be shooting a wedding one week and lions in Africa the next. Me changing stuff up is honestly one reason why I can say I've never had a block in my career.

8. What distinguishes you from other creative people in your genre?

I think what distinguishes me is that fact that I combine so many different elements of photography into what I do. Whether it's weddings, portraits, landscapes, or wildlife I combine these elements into all the work. People have often described my wedding work as landscapes with weddings in them. That's because I am at heart a landscape photographer who tried wedding photography after I was volunteered by my wife to shoot a wedding for a family friend and ended up really liking it! I would just say that some photographers say their work is "different and unique" when truly it isn't. What they don't realize is that saying you're unique when you aren't actually hurts your brand. My photography has also been described as painting like which is true to what I like. The biggest compliment is when someone tells me they go through a gallery of images (like at a competition) and can tell it's one of my images without even looking at the names. I love the fact that people can recognize my imagery for it's look and feel.

9. Is there a certain place you go for inspiration? Please describe.

God, my family, wife and kids. I often tell my wedding clients that the reason I love shooting weddings is because I love my wife so much. When I shoot nature and wildlife I feel a true connection with God and feel honored to show the world what He has created, to people all over the world. When I'm particularly down I get outdoors and find something beautiful that God has created for me and all of us. Within a little while I'm starting to feel better and inspired.

10. Do you have any special rituals that you do in order to achieve your creative goals?

Preparation. Lack of preparation can kill creativity. That doesn't mean that creativity can't be spontaneous because it can. But as a professional photographer when you have deadlines and other people you are meeting and shooting if you aren't prepared you will be in trouble. My best shoots occur when I leave plenty of time available for the shoot, when I've scouted the location the day before to find the optimal lighting situations, and when I've had great pre-shoot phone calls with the models/clients prior to the shoot to go over expectations. If I do a good job at these things than the creativity just flows. For example when I was shooting wildlife in Africa I would map out at night where I was going to shoot the sunrise in the morning. That way I wasn't running around like crazy in the morning trying to find the right spot while the light was changing and I was missing something. Preparation breeds creativity.

Interview with Jason Lanier Part #1 of 3

2011-05-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked by a University in Europe to answer some questions for a class project they were doing on photographers for an article they are writing. I have split the questions into 3 sections and will be displaying them on the blog and Facebook in the hopes that these answers can help anyone else who might have questions...hope you enjoy!!!

Part 1 of 3

1. What environmental factors do you consider to be helpful (or limiting) to your creative process?

The word environment can having many meanings but for the purpose of this question I will refer to the outdoor environment of nature. Being that I shoot outdoors so much I can't help but think of myself as an amateur meteorologist. I love clouds, either dark or bright, as they lend tremendous depth and contrast to the sky. The worst thing in the world for shooting is a sky without clouds...makes it very boring, bland, and stale. Lighting of course is the primary element for consideration for all photographers and choosing light during the "magic" hours near sunrise or sunset is optimal.

2. Please describe your state of mind when you are creating something.

When I'm in the middle of creating something I open my mind to all possibilities and try to not say, "No," to anything. If you were inside my mind during the creative process you would find it a place full of excitement and fun. I'm not the kind of artist that needs to go to a "dark place" to create. I truly love life and love portraying it's beauty. I'm not scared at all about not knowing what to do in a situation. I figure I just try something crazy until it works!

3. What are your reasons for sharing your work with others via the World Wide Web?

I share my work over the web for many reasons. First, it's the absolute best way to get your name out there so you can become a profitable business and make it a full time career. Secondly I love sharing beauty. The world can sometimes have so much darkness and cruelty to it, and I want to do my small part to balance the scales and show how amazing and beautiful it can be. Third, I realize that I have been extremely blessed to be able to travel the world and there are many people who can't. I love bringing my imagery to the world via the web and hope that it can in some small way help others to go there with me to that place if they aren't able to go there themselves.

4. Do you have to be in a certain mood in order to create?

I have to be happy. I've shot before when I'm upset and the images take on a decidedly different look. When I'm preoccupied with a problem it will inhibit my creativity because my mind isn't free. I've always been good at compartmentalizing so if I do have something going on I can usually find my "happy place" pretty quickly.

5. When you begin to create, do you have a finished product in your mind?

Yes. As I've shot more and gained more experience I've learned that having a finished product in mind is the clearest way to achieving your desired result. The hardest thing for me when I began was having the vision but lacking the know how to make it happen. As a creator that was extremely frustrating. In the middle of a shoot I am like a schizophrenic (constantly talking to myself) because I remind myself of my goal and what I'm trying to achieve. It seems to help me get there.

Part 2 and 3 of this interview will appear in the blog and on Facebook over the next two posts....

1 on 1 Session San Francisco

2011-05-09T01:41:00.001-07:00

San Francisco- shooting in San Francisco/Napa this week and having a great time. If you are interested in doing a 1 on 1 I have 1 spot left so please let me know! It is going to be an amazing shoot trying some very cool concepts that you might want to try! I will be here until Wednesday until I take off for Utah next week. If interested please send me an email at INFO@JLPROS.COM.

Mount Vernon by Jason Lanier

2011-05-06T15:30:00.001-07:00

These images were taken this week during my visit to Mount Vernon (George Washington's home and final resting place) which is located in Mount Vernon, Virginia. I've always loved coming to this place as it is so peaceful and beautiful. The back of the home opens up to one of the most beautiful views you've ever seen of the Potomac River. The two images on the bottom show this view, and the really wide one (which is a 5-shot panoramic) shows it the best. For more information please check out our Facebook page as well where some of these images are posted and contain the camera settings for those photographers out there....

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

2011-05-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Come join me for an amazing 2-day workshop in Orem, Utah on Tuesday May 17th and Wednesday May 18th, both sessions starting at 8am. It will be a very hands-on instructional 2 days as we spend an entire day shooting followed by a day of editing, business, and motivational skills you need to be a success in the photography industry. You can attend the 2-day workshop for $450 or come to only one of the days for $275!

1 on 1 sessions are also available where you go out with me for 3 hours and get the personal attention you need and can all the questions you ever wanted to ask without the embarrassment of asking them in front of a group of our peers! 1 on 1 Sessions are available for $199.

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

2011-05-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Utah Photography Workshop by Jason Lanier May 17 and May 18, 2011

2011-05-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

INFO@JLPROS.COM!

Photography Internship Program with Jason Lanier Photography

2011-04-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Internship Program! Want to become an intern for Jason Lanier Photography? This is your chance to be able to learn from us and become an excellent photographer. We offer both a 6-month an 1-year internship program. The 6-month program is great for those who are starting out and want to learn more that they can take to start their own careers. The 1-year program is meant for those that want to eventually become a certified Jason Lanier Photographer and shoot for my company for pay! I am opening up 5 slots for interns.

We need: 4 photography related interns and 1 office staff intern

All skill levels are welcome to apply. If interested please send me an email to jason@jlpros.com with the following information:

*Name, current city you live in (must be in Southern California).

*Current level of ability- send me a link to any online images you have up if you have a blog, website, etc. If you don't, just tell me you don't!

*Schedule Flexibility- those who have the most flexibility will be given additional consideration. We really need those available on Saturdays (for the 4 photography slots) and weekdays (for the 1 office slot).

*Picture- I'm a visual person as you know so please attach a small picture of yourself so I can know who I'm talking to when we explore your candidacy for the position.

*Age- 18+ (not because of any adult related material) We need those who are adults simply for liability reasons.

I look forward to your responses.

Thanks!

Jason

Pensacola Photography Workshop- Jason Lanier Photography

2011-04-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

Pensacola Workshop- This is a calling to all Pensacola Photographers! Want to learn how to do fun and crazy stuff like this? Then come to my workshop on Saturday April 23, 2011 starting at 10am at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front. Send us an email at INFO@JLPROS.COM. Cost is $100 and can be paid via credit or debit card. Workshop is 2 hours in the classroom and 2 hours on a shoot like this one...what are you waiting for? One-on-One training sessions also available for only $175 where you get to go out with me on a shoot for 3 hours by yourself. I can't wait to see all of you there!!

Southern California Photography Workshop May 14, 2011

2011-04-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

Southern California Workshop Announced! My team thinks I'm crazy but I'm announcing a workshop for Southern California for next month on Saturday May 14, 2011! The workshop location will be centrally located in Southern California so it is accessible to as many people as possible.

To register for the workshop please send an email to INFO@JLPROS.COM. Workshop will be 2 hours of classroom instruction followed by 2 hours of on shoot training. Cost is $100. We would love to see you there so please register now!

Pensacola Photography Workshop with Jason Lanier!

2011-04-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

PENSACOLA PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP! We will have our Pensacola Photography Workshop on SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2011 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front for all those who would like to come.

To register please send an email to INFO@JLPROS.COM. Registration is $100 per attendee and includes 2 hours of classroom instruction followed by areal shoot with Jason Lanier at an outdoor location. We don't sit around the hotel and do a boring shoot...it is very interactive where I help with everything from camera settings, posing, lighting techniques, and general shooting questions as well. We would love to see you there and spacing is limited so register today!

One on one Photography Training

2011-03-31T15:43:00.001-07:00

Chance to shoot and learn alone with Jason Lanier- I've done private tutoring sessions for photographers, enthusiasts, and beginners for quite some time. I was asked if I could do something when I came out to Shreveport, Louisiana on a one-on-one basis and the answer is, "Yes!" I will be doing 3 fashion type shoots where I combine my landscape and fashion photography experience into one shoot to create something amazing. I have 3 spots available for anyone that might want to come along for the shoot, shoot along side with me, ask me any questions they have, and then receive instruction on how to shoot and why. After the shoot we can grab some dinner and review the results together! I'm offering the shoot for only $175 for those who attend my workshop on Saturday, and $275 for those who don't. If interested please send an email to info@jlpros.com. It will be first come-first serve so don't delay!

FREE photography workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana!

2011-03-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

FREE photography workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana!! I've had such an amazing time with my photography career that I am always grateful to give back when I can. I am going to be opening up my workshops for FREE so anyone that wants to attend can do so. The first two hours of instruction are for free, we take a short break, and then the second two hours where we go for a model shoot is reserved for those who pay the $100 tuition fee. I have to pay the models so I can't make that portion free. I can tell you that anyone looking to learn will benefit from all portions of this workshop. Those looking to get hands-on training will benefit SIGNIFICANTLY by the 2-hour model shoot. Regardless of the type of photography you shoot (everyone knows I like a few different types myself), the model shoot will benefit anyone looking to learn and improve. I hope to see all of you there!

My Amazing African Safari- Day 2- Johannesburg and more

2011-03-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

Having spent the night in Johannesburg I woke up ready to head to the airport to get a GPS and wireless card for internet access for my laptop while out and about in the country. I headed out towards the airport and upon trying to rent my GPS from Thrifty, the Bank of America credit card was BLOCKED again. For those who read the first post you know that this just happened 8 hours earlier when I rented the car. This was the third time in less than 24 hours I had this problem.

So I called B of A and in short the guy apologized but told me the card block wouldn't be released for another 3 hours as they were down for maintenance. This meant I had to wait until noon to rent or buy anything and worse yet I couldn't start on my way to Kruger which is a good 5-6 hours from Johannesburg.

So with no GPS, money, or working card, I decided to spend my 3 hours that I had before the card started working and headed to downtown Johannesburg hoping I could make it back to the airport without incident. There's about a 20 minute drive from the airport to downtown and following the signs got me downtown without too much of a problem. Being that it was the weekend there wasn't much business activity down there but there was a lot of people just having fun.

Let me tell you they drive crazy in South Africa, especially downtown. No regard for street lights, other cars, or other people for that matter. The funniest thing was while driving a taxi driver pulled up to me and said, "Hey man, if you're going to drive here you have to drive like we do. Otherwise you are going to get bounced around like a ball and end up in the gutter." I took his advice and switched to crazy out of America mode and started driving like they do...and it worked, it was actually safer.

It took some advice from some strangers to get back to the airport and after a little difficulty I made it back there. Well, the card was finally working, so I went to the ATM and got cash, and then to the Vodafone store to rent a GPS and wireless card. They couldn't guarantee that the wireless card would work on a Mac, so I had to take the chance that I could get it to work.

After leaving the airport I plugged the directions in for Kruger and set off. The only problem was that the power cord to the GPS would only work if the car wasn't moving. Exasperated beyond belief while sitting at the side of the freeway I just couldn't bring myself to go back to the airport. I decided to just risk it and hope it would work.

At this point I was so far behind schedule I just was hoping to make it close to the entrance gates to Kruger. I took off and was on the toll road towards Kruger which was about 450km away. One of the first things I noticed was all of the people walking on the side of the road (freeway) just hitchhiking. The toll road was pretty smooth and I was trying to make it to Kruger before the gates closed at 6pm.

I headed for the Numbi gate and by the time I got there it was well nearing 7pm. On the roads I was so surprised at how dark they were which was dangerous because so many people are walking on the roads and can be hit. I was also very surprised to see all the roadside fires, and kids just playing in the fires, no adults around or caring. I pulled over to the side of the road and captured some shots of the fires and kids.

In South Africa you are going to be hard pressed to find a gas station that takes a debit or credit card, so it's very important to carry as much cash with you as can. I filled up with gas and found lodging at the Numbi Lodge which was very simple but accommodating. The only bummer was that my Samsonite travel adaptor didn't work in the hotel but I figured that it must be a problem at the hotel. The cost of the hotel was around 500 Rand. The easiest way to figure out the exchange ratio is to assume that the USD cost is 15% of whatever the Rand cost is....so the hotel cost about $55 dollars.

I prepared myself for the next day to finally enter the Park planning to be there at 5:30am when the gates opened. Even though it had been a rough start to the trip I was beyond excited to be able to finally get inside of this amazing place. A dream come true was about to happen..and I couldn't wait!

My Amazing African Safari- Day 1 "Getting There"

2011-03-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

In March of 2011 I had the amazing opportunity to spend two weeks in South Africa on my first of many African photography safaris. Traveling to Africa has always been one of the biggest dreams of my life as photography is my passion and my career. Africa has so much to offer and is one of the last places on earth to truly see wildlife in their natural habitat in the backdrop of some of the most amazing landscape you will ever see. I will chronicle my journey to Africa and everything that it entailed here on my blog for anyone that might share my interest in Africa, photography, and what it takes to get there, have a great time, stay out of trouble, and just have the time of your life. I hope you enjoy......

Day One- "Getting There"

If you live in the United States, and especially on the west coast you can plan on it taking a very long time to get to Africa. I left my home at 3:30am to get down to San Diego International Airport for my flight leaving through Delta. I arrived at the airport and after dragging my three bags (one computer, one camera, and the other (my clothes/food/medical supplies) I made it to the check in counter at Delta. Being a Platinum Medallion Member I am used to having heavy bags checked at no cost, and believe me with the way my wife packed my bag I could have survived the apocalypse.

When asked to put my bag on the scale I was amazed at just how heavy it was.....110 pounds. Typically I get 70 pounds for free with Delta, but what I didn't know was that they won't accept anything over 70 pounds....at all. Frantic that I will miss the flight I ask the ticket agent for any recommendations. She says, "Well, we can put it in a spare box if we can find one and hope it makes it." Realizing I had no other options I said, "Great, let's do it." So she found a box that was way too big for my stuff but it was all we had. I opened my suitcase leaving it on the scale and starting throwing my supplies into the cardboard box and kept going until the scale read 70 pounds for the suitcase. She then proceeded to take security tape and wrap up the box like a mom wraps a baby in a blanket. After she finished with the box she asked me for my visa to South Africa and I responded by saying I didn't need one. She said, "I hope you're right." Now, I had checked over and over again and was sure I didn't need one, but now I was second guessing myself. She said, "You could get there and be turned back if you're wrong. But it's your decision if you want to risk it." I said, "I'm going."

I managed to grab this image with my blackberry....

This box was so flimsy it was either I risked it and got to Africa or missed the flight. I said a quick prayer asking that it would have some angel assistance in making it and headed to security. The delay with the box got me to my plane about 5 minutes before takeoff. Once on the plane they wanted to check my computer and camera bags which of course I refused which they didn't like. Typically I get on the plane first with Medallion members so I don't have an issue with overhead space. Since I was late that wasn't an option. A very kind man sitting behind me took pity on me (probably because my face was half swollen from an injury two days earlier), and offered to put one of my bags in his foot rest area. FINALLY, I was on the plane and headed there....already a small miracle.

My first flight took me from San Diego to New York JFK airport. I arrived at JFK and had a layover, got some food, bought a Samsonite universal travel electricity adaptor kit, arrived at my gate, and was ready to go. I even called Bank of America to remind them of my travel notification so they didn't block my card as they are infamous for doing. They assured me I would have no problems while traveling. I was happy and ready to take my next flight.

Well, that was before Delta did a gate change and didn't announce it. I was actually waiting in line to speak with the gate agent about my seat assignment when he said, "Sir, this isn't your gate, it's changed and our PA system isn't working for us to make an announcement. You're going to miss your flight because it's in an entirely different terminal that requires you to take a shuttle over the tarmac. You will have to stay the night here in NY and try again tomorrow."

I wasn't prepared for this and refused to believe I couldn't make it. So I ran with my bags to the shuttle and waited 10 excruciating minutes for it to arrive. It's amazing when you're in a hurry and you see other moving so slowly how it can just drive you crazy isn't it? So the shuttle took us over to the other terminal, and my flight was now supposed to be leaving in 5 minutes. I ran up the escalator to hear, "Last call for Amsterdam, doors are closing!" I yelled, "I'm coming, you better not close those doors!!" As I made it to the gate they took my ticket and I started walking through the jetway towards the plane. A gate agent said, "Sir, you need to hurry, the plane is leaving." I replied, "So stop talking to me about it, grab one of my bags and help me make it." He gave a look of dissatisfaction but did grab a bag and I made it on the plane.

I flew for 9 hours to Amsterdam on KLM (partner with Delta) and it was an enjoyable flight albeit the food wasn't very good. When arriving in Amsterdam I didn't want any further issues so I immediately went to my next gate and waited. I pulled up my computer, Skyped with my wife (kids were in bed), and waited. Well, in Amsterdam I wasn't aware that they do an entirely new security screening AT THE GATE. So, I got in line, went through security at my gate (that's a new one for me) and did make it onto the plane without incident.

I flew for another 11 hours to Johannesburg, South Africa. By the time I landed there total travel time was over 30 hours and it was around 11pm. My stomach turned as I went through passport control still nervous about the visa. The customs agent took my passport, asked me what I was there to do, and just stamped me in....easy as pie.

For the first time in my 30+ hours of traveling I had a HUGE smile on my face. I was actually IN SOUTH AFRICA!!! I grabbed a cart (trolley outside of the US) and looked for my luggage. When the entire plane full of passengers had retrieved their luggage and I was still standing there I became just a tad concerned. At this point it was past midnight and not much help available. An employee told me if I had anything fragile I had to check another carousel about 10 minutes away for my luggage. When I went over there I found my crappy cardboard box sitting there, still together, but clearly showed the wear and tear of travel with items hanging out the openings on the box only sticking to the security tape. I grabbed my box very relieved to find it, but still no suitcase. I went back to my original carousel and found a man who had grabbed my bag thinking it was part of a group. I was able to prove it was mine and off I was to customs.

With it being so late at night there weren't many people there and the customs agents were just joking around with each other. I was concerned they would look at my hideous box and have a problem with it. So as I passed them I did a little whistle to myself and they didn't even ask me to stop. SWEET! Off to my rental car!!

I had a reservation through Thrifty and everything was smooth until it came time to pay. Bank of America declined my card and of course they aren't open 24 hours a day. So using the phone at Thrifty I called the fraud line (which they tell you not to do unless your card is stolen, but it's the only 24-hour line offered by B of A). Something I love to do is make the banking agent stay on the phone until my charge is approved. I figure they have inconvenienced me enough so the least they can do is spend another 5 minutes on the phone so I don't have to call back. Once the charge went through I was at last relieved. The agent then asked what kind of coverage I wanted on the car. I told her the standard was fine but she said I should do the "SUPER" coverage. When I asked why she said, "Well, if you do the standard coverage it costs you less than the super, but we take a security deposit 5 times larger than if you do the super coverage. The deposit can take awhile to come off your card." I replied, "So you make it punitive for someone to choose the standard coverage so you can make more money with the super?" She actually smiled when I said that, almost admitting that was the case. I was reminded at this moment of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry was renting a car and got screwed. So when he was asked if he wanted the coverage he replied, "Yes I do, because I'm going to beat the ## out of this car." Thinking of this as I was talking to this young lady I smiled and said, "Yes, I will take the super coverage."

Well, Thrifty then told me they ran out of GPS units and they wouldn't have any until the next day. I showed her on my blackberry where it said I had one reserved and she replied, "I know, it happens all the time. When you make a reservation on Thrifty.com we don't get the GPS reservation requests on our end even though it shows on your end. We've told corporate and they can't fix it."

Flummoxed beyond all belief and exhausted I asked, "How am I supposed to find my hotel at 1am in a place I've never been?" She offered to write me directions which was nice and I proceeded to go to my car with a belief in myself that somehow I would find the hotel. I picked up my "Full size car" a Nissan Tilda which is a compact for US standards. I asked about an MP3 jack which all rental cars have in the US and was told that only the Mercedez Benz' had the MP3 jack available in South Africa. At that point I just needed to get to the hotel and sleep.

I left the airport driving on the left side of the road and after about 15 minutes of driving around found my hotel, The Airport Grand Hotel. I hadn't chosen a very ritzy place because I only intended on sleeping there for about 6 hours before leaving for Kruger in the morning. What I didn't know was that I'd be passing some "interesting" areas getting to the hotel with a bunch of teenagers wreaking havoc in the streets. I passed through the security of the hotel, had my luggage taken to my room, skyped my family real quick and went to sleep....

In all I left my home out of San Diego on Friday at 3:30am and didn't get to my hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa until Sunday at 2am. A very long journey even when you take into account the 10 hour time difference, with S. Africa 10 hours ahead of California.

Press Release- Jason Lanier Photography wins Three Accolades of Excellence at the 2011 WPPI International Photography Competition

2011-03-21T06:54:00.001-07:00

Top 8 Tips to Improving Lightning Photography-Part 2

2011-01-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote a blog about the Top 8 Tips to Improving Lightning Photography that included the first 4 tips. Below is the complete list of 8 tips that I hope will help all Lightning chasers everywhere! All the shots below were from a shoot I did while on a Carnival Cruise ship in the Caribbean from 1:30am to 5am. More shots from this shoot can be found on the previous blog posting.

Find a way to stabilize your camera (tripod is the best option....but it's also a lightning rod)! You can either be a little crazy like me and assume that when it's your time to die it's going to happen no matter what, or you can set it on a tripod, turn on your self-timer or intervalometer and reduce your chances of getting hit by lightning by walking away from your camera.
Set your exposure for when the lightning hits, otherwise when it does hit your shots will be severely overexposed if you are exposing for the night sky without taking into account the immense amount of light the lightning shines into the sky. You will have to experiment for probably 10 minutes in shooting to get this right. How do you do it? You mount your camera, open the shutter up for at least 4 seconds and wait for lightning to hit in the frame of your shot during the shutter being open for 4 seconds. Start adjusting your settings to get the right exposure.
SLIGHTLY underexpose the image. It's much easier to raise the exposure in Lightroom, Aperture, etc. than it is to try and fix an overexposed shot. PLUS, when you do get that shot where there is a lot of lightning you run the risk of overexposing that shot if you aren't slightly underexposing. 1 or 2 stops under should do the trick.
Manual Focus- don't even try auto focus for these shots. You will miss it every time because the camera will have try to focus each and every time you press the trigger. And the worst part is it won't be able to focus because you are pointing at a big dark sky. What you need to do is auto focus your lens on something else around you (like the light from a lightpole), then change your focus to manual on your camera. No light poles around you? Use your car lights, flashlight, anything to shine light on an object that's not too close to you to be able to get your focus correct.
Aperture- don't go with a wide aperture, it will be even more difficult to focus and there is a large chance that elements in your image will be out of focus as a result. If you leave your shutter open long enough you won't need a wide aperture.
Wide lens- use a wide lens if possible. For the shots I took this evening I used a Nikkor 24mm lens. For a few shots I used a Nikkor 50mm but didn't use it for very long. Why? Because a wide lens is much better to create a bigger "canvas" for God to paint with lightning. Simply put, you have a much better chance capturing lightning with a wider lens.
Low(er) ISO- I shoot with the D3 which is famous for it's amazing ISO sensitivity. Despite that when I shoot lightning I really don't need a high ISO because I am using the long shutter (usually 5 seconds or more) to allow the amount of light I need in. I lower the aperture because I know with night shots I want as little noise as possible in the shot for post processing purposes. Using a D3, a low aperture for me is anything under 2000. For other cameras I highly recommend keeping it under 1000.
Patience- you might get lucky and get the shot of the century after 15 minutes....chances are you won't. That is due in large part because you are at the mercy of where the lightning strikes, fortunate that your shutter is open when it strikes, and it takes time to get your settings correct to account for a subject matter (lightning bolts) that aren't in the frame when you are making your settings.

Shooting Lightning Photography- Top 8 Tips to improving lightning photography Part 1

2011-01-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

So I was on a big Carnival Cruise ship this week in the Caribbean and at about 1am I look out my window and see big flashes of light filling the sky. I immediately thought, "That has to be lightning," so I decided to see what I could capture. I have had some great shoots with lightning over the years but this was truly unique. Why? Because I've never had a lightning storm hit while I was on a ship in the middle of the ocean...and we were heading straight for the storm.

I grabbed my Nikon D3 and my monopod. I left my tripod at home for the trip and had to figure out a way to be able to shoot lightning on a moving ship, in a storm, with lots of wind and rain, and virtually no way to keep the camera still to get the shots I needed. So using my monopod I "Jimmy-rigged" the camera and monopod to the railing of the ship using my camera strap to secure it. I have included some pics to show you what I did. I get a lot of questions regarding how to shoot lightning photography. So to help I have created The Top 8 Tips for Taking Lightning Photography:

Find a way to stabilize your camera (tripod is the best option....but it's also a lightning rod)! You can either be a little crazy like me and assume that when it's your time to die it's going to happen no matter what, or you can set it on a tripod, turn on your self-timer or intervalometer and reduce your chances of getting hit by lightning by walking away from your camera.
Set your exposure for when the lightning hits, otherwise when it does hit your shots will be severely overexposed if you are exposing for the night sky without taking into account the immense amount of light the lightning shines into the sky. You will have to experiment for probably 10 minutes in shooting to get this right. How do you do it? You mount your camera, open the shutter up for at least 4 seconds and wait for lightning to hit in the frame of your shot during the shutter being open for 4 seconds. Start adjusting your settings to get the right exposure.
SLIGHTLY underexpose the image. It's much easier to raise the exposure in Lightroom, Aperture, etc. than it is to try and fix an overexposed shot. PLUS, when you do get that shot where there is a lot of lightning you run the risk of overexposing that shot if you aren't slightly underexposing. 1 or 2 stops under should do the trick.
Manual Focus- don't even try auto focus for these shots. You will miss it every time because the camera will have try to focus each and every time you press the trigger. And the worst part is it won't be able to focus because you are pointing at a big dark sky. What you need to do is auto focus your lens on something else around you (like the light from a lightpole), then change your focus to manual on your camera. No light poles around you? Use your car lights, flashlight, anything to shine light on an object that's not too close to you to be able to get your focus correct.

Full list of the Top 8 Tips for Improving Lightning Photography including tips 5 thru 8 are coming next as well as many more shots from this shoot!!

The best thing for you to do is simply look at this like a fireworks show from the heavens and fully take it in. For this shoot in the Caribbean I shot for 3.5 hours. Many times I truly just marveled, yelled, "WOW!" and instead of getting frustrated (which is easy to do), I just enjoyed something truly remarkable. Hope this helps anyone trying to capture lightning bolts or strikes during a lightning storm. If you haven't done it before give it a try and you will LOVE it.

Nikon D3, 5 seconds at f/13.0, ISO 1250 at 24mm.

Nikon D3, 5 seconds at f/7.1, ISO 2500 at 24mm.

I didn't have a tripod with me so I improvised by tying my monopod to the ships railing...

Jason Lanier Photography Workshops- Questions and Answers

2011-01-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Workshop Questions: I was asked some questions regarding the workshops we offer and I thought I'd post the questions and answers in case other have the same questions.

1. Q: When we register do we pay the $100 registration fee at this time? A: Yes, the $100 is required to register for the course and you are sent a link to pay with credit/debit card. The link is active for 7 days to make payment, if you don't pay within 7 days your registration won't be valid. So make sure to pay so we can see you there!

2. Q: Are there limited spots available, if so how many? The workshop size is determined by the amount of attendees we have signed up 1 month before the workshop, that way we can choose the appropriate venue to hold the workshop. It is recommended to sign up ASAP in case we do find a venue that we REALLY want and the space might be limited.

3. Q: I have a point and shoot camera. Do I need to have a DSLR for your workshop to be beneficial? A: You DO NOT need to have a DSLR prior to the workshop as the time we spend together might actually help you determine what is best for you depending on your needs. My workshops will show you the tools I use like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Nikon cameras, different lenses, etc. Having your camera for the model shoot will make that part extra fun but you will learn a lot regardless of whether you have your gear before or after the workshop.

4: Q: What skill level does that apply to? A: Truth is I have had people from all skill levels come to my workshops and from what they've told me that have all benefited from the information given. I take lots of questions so that gives a lot of different people the opportunity to get the info they need. I really do structure it so people who are just hobbyists to full time photographers can benefit from our time together.

Any more questions please let me know!

Fashion Shoot in Maui

2011-01-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Rollerskating in Paia, Hawaii- this image was taken last year at a shoot I did in the little city of Paia which is located on the island on Maui. This was such a fun shoot because with my busy schedule I don't get to do a lot of fashion shoots but this was one I just couldn't pass up. The model wore pigtails with a total vintage rollerskates and the outfit to boot.

We had a location planned but the original location had to be moved because there was actually a fire in the dried out sugar cane blocking the road to the location where we were going to shoot. So needing to find a new location we drove down the road and found this little rustic laundromat that was just perfect.

When we went to the laundromat there was a man there holding his dog and we asked if we could use it in the shoot. The model wasn't used to using rollerskates, so once we put the leash in her hand and the dog starting moving, so did the model. The picture as seen is a true capture of her losing her balance and falling down after the dog changed directions. There are some things you can't create on your own, and capturing someone falling is something that you can't fake. At the same time a pedestrian walked by and witnessed the fall which I also loved in the shot.

I had to stand in the middle of the road to get it but it was totally worth it. The model wasn't harmed at all in the making of this picture. I hope you like it!

Camera settings: Nikon D3, shutter 1/500 at f/9.0, ISO 640 at 28mm. Flash did not fire.

Wedding Photojournalism and Posing- Can They Co-Exist?

2011-01-26T06:14:00.000-08:00

I often get asked, "So, you don't do any wedding photojournalism, do you?" I always chuckle a little at this question but I understand why people ask me. They see my photography and assume it's all posing, grand landscapes, etc. My response is always very simple, "Of course I do wedding photojournalistic photography, in fact 80% of the images from my weddings are photojournalistic."

Why? Well, it's very simple. With the way a wedding is constructed if you tried to to do anything more than 20% posing, you would interfere with the natural flow of a wedding and truly screw up the wedding for the clients, guests, etc. I find the photographers that can do BOTH a photojournalistic approach AND have the talent and ability to be able to be able to pose and create are the most sought after photographers on the market.

I have had clients request for 100% photojournalistic wedding photography, and you might be surprised that I have very happily accepted and honored those requests. They are choosing me for the style in which I shoot the photos, even though they are done in a journalistic way. I still add my creativity and own style to the wedding, the difference is that it's completely 100% unposed.

Conversely I have a lot of weddings where the client wants a lot of my posing and "signature" look where of course I'm very happy to oblige. In my opinion posing is more difficult than photojournalism because YOU as the photographer are responsible for making the shot correct, and if you don't get it right the client will indeed hold you responsible. With photojournalism the pressure is to get the shot right as it happens, because there are no "go backs." You can't say to the client, "Hey, would you mind having that incredibly emotional moment again? My camera settings were wrong and I screwed up the shot."

When I have consultations with my clients and they say they want completely photojournalistic photography I qualify their statement by asking:

Do you want group photos?
Do you want photos of you two looking at the camera?
Do you want pictures in front of anything in particular?
Do you want to make sure I get shots of you WITH anyone in particular?

99% of the time they answer, "Yes" to at least 2 of these questions at which point I explain that I will have to have some interaction at the wedding to make these things happen. In this day and age I have found that the majority of wedding couples just don't want BORING wedding photography like from the 1970's and 80's where some of the images were truly horrific. They feel they have to ask for photo-journalism wedding photography because they are scared if they don't that their pictures will turn out like their parents.

The answer is that wedding photojournalism and posing not only can co-exist, but they must co-exist. The vast majority of clients in the wedding market require it for their wedding. Having both gives the wedding clients the most comprehensive coverage they can possibly ask for, giving them something they will remember and love forever.

Camera Settings: Nikon D700, 1/320 at f/5.6, ISO 800 at 200mm. Shot at a wedding in Maui, HI, January 8, 2011 by Jason Lanier Photography.

Wedding Detail Shots- getting the stuff they will forget

2011-01-25T06:01:00.000-08:00

I always tell my clients that they spend SO much time planning, preparing, spending, stressing, and finally getting married that it's my job to make sure I capture all of that so they will never forget it. I was married almost 11 years ago to the most amazing woman in the world. I have a pretty good memory but I can honestly tell you I can't remember the food served (I think it was Mexican food or something), I can remember about 3 of the songs the DJ played, and the decorations are a total blur.

If I didn't have the pictures that I have from my wedding I would remember even less. Due to my personal experience me and my team of photographers take great patience and time in getting the shots of all the things that you have worked so hard to create. My favorite comment from my clients is after the wedding when they see the images they say, "Wow, I didn't even know that happened, or I didn't remember we did that!"

For this shot in particular this is a bouquet that sat in the window at the Keawali Church in Maui for the wedding I shot there in January 2011. The sunlight was coming in and I just loved the contrast of the beautiful flowers against the window, and I made sure to frame it inside of the window frame and walls. It's a simple shot, but I love it. As the experts say, the quality is in the details, and wedding photography is no exception....

Camera settings: Nikon D700, 1/160 sec at f/3.8, ISO 1000 at 28mm. Flash did not fire.

Learn To Take Better Pictures Workshop coming to Pensacola, FL!!

2011-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

New Workshop Announcement- Saturday April 23, 2011 in Pensacola, Florida! We are very excited to announce our newest workshop coming up in three months in beautiful Pensacola, FL where I have shot many weddings and have some truly great friends. Our workshop will be from 10am-2pm, 2 hours in the classroom and 2 hours on a model shoot where we can put our newly acquired tools to test.

Cost of the workshop is $100 per attendee and can be paid via debit/credit card and also by check. There are two things I can guarantee you from our workshops...you will leave with knowledge you didn't have before that you can use in your shooting, and you will have a ton of FUN! To register send an email to info@jlpros.com!

Taking (not making) great pictures

2011-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

More and more I'm going to be posting images from my weddings and shoots that contain the before and after shots to give a better understanding on some of my photo techniques and to show that you must "take" great photographs, you can't "make" great photographs.

I always say that you can't make a good photograph great, you can only make a great photograph a little better. We're not talking about full on graphic design where you bring in fake skies, different backgrounds, etc...because that's not photography, that's just graphic design. Many times I'm asked where I get my backgrounds. I NEVER use backgrounds in my imagery, truthfully I take a lot of time to make the NATURAL background look great and shoot it properly. For that reason I'm sharing this image from a wedding I shot in Maui, HI in January 2011.

In order to make this image the way I wanted it I had to make sure to shoot it at the right time of day, use the sun the naturally light the bride, and remove any debris from around the bride. I hate spending extra time in PS cloning out things I naturally should have taken care of BEFORE I took the shot. Do I use photoshop to fix acne for example on a brides face that will be the cover of the album? Of course I do. But that's something that's unavoidable. My biggest point in writing this is that photoshop needs to be saved for the unavoidable things, and that any thing a photographer can do before taking the shot is their responsibility to get right.

Any questions please let me know!

2011-01-21T10:58:00.001-08:00

Sydney Opera House Breakdown "Cinderella"- this is an image of a wedding I shot in Sydney Australia in May 2009 that I get a lot questions about so I thought I would do something a little different and show a before and after. At a recent wedding one of my photographers asked me if I had the "guts" to show a picture before it was photoshopped. I love "dares" and I thought for this picture it would be instructional so I'm showing the before and after so you can see the difference.

I always tell my photogs that good images can't be made great, only great images can be made a little better. In this day and age of photoshop SO many photographers make the mistake of saying, "Oh well, I'll fix it in photoshop." When I first started I was very dumb and said the same thing. If you want to become a great photographer than you need to hone your skills and not use PS as a crutch. It's a great tool but you have to get the shooting part right. Become a professional photographer than a professional editor, THEN you are DANGEROUS. Enough with my rant.

I used a tripod to capture this image, my video guy to shine light on the bride and groom, put a video light next to her shoe to illuminate it, cropped the image a little, used some dodge and burn, and blurred the sky some. Settings: Nikon D3, shutter 1/80 at f/1.8, ISO 6400, 20mm. Hope this is helpful!

Photography Workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana

2011-01-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that we have scheduled another "Learn to Take Better Pictures" workshop in Shreveport Louisiana on April 9, 2011. Photography workshops are such an important part to learning photography as they present an opportunity to learn inside and outside of the classroom. I have tried to fashion my workshops from what I think will be of greatest benefit to my students. I base the itinerary, topics, and the way I present the information from the many workshops I have attended, trying to take out all the things that I didn't find very helpful, and amping up the things that I found to be awesome.

One thing is for sure. My workshops are fun, I allow lots of questions, and I focus on making it very real and tangible. I don't give out information that I don't think will be very helpful. I also don't have a problem sharing what I know because I believe that there are so many clients out there, and so many weddings to shoot that there is no reason to be guarded with what I know.

Perhaps the best thing about the workshop is the fact that we do a hands-on photoshoot. Many times I've been on workshops where there is a model and you kind of stand there and just watch what the instructor is doing. During my workshops I go to great lengths to explain what I am doing. I give opportunities to those that want it to practice on the models and I give tips that will help that photographer to improve their technique.

Come to have fun, come with a lot of questions, and learn to improve your skills! If you're interested in a workshop in your area please email me at jason@jlpros.com and we can come to your area next!!

Great Alaskan Adventure Day Four

2010-11-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Our Great Alaskan Adventure continued as we picked up our camp at Savage River and left the campground and headed back to Riley Creek to pack up on supplies as we would be without utilities etc. for three days once we started camping at Teklanika. The rule with Teklanika is that once you've passed from the paved area (you go through a Forest Ranger Checkpoint) you can't go back in. You have to have what's called a Tek Pass which is something you have to pay for and it's a three night minimum.

So on the road back to Riley Creek I stopped on the side of the road and captured this three shot panoramic called, "Road to Denali" that is just breathtaking. Once we had all our supplies and a hot shower we headed back up the road and towards Teklanika (Tek for short). The cool thing about having restricted access to Tek is that there are so few cars, mostly only a small amount of tour buses and other campers so the wildlife is more abundant and you are able to get out and take pictures as you'd like.

On one stop where I was taking pictures of a caribou the boys got out and were checking out their Denali Junior Forest Ranger Guide. The other funny thing is that the Caribou will just walk in the middle of the road as you can see below!

We got the Tek campground, found our spot and headed out to the Teklanika River which is a beautiful braided river alongside the campground. We took a nature walk (they warned of bears and wolves) and had an amazing time. Some of the boys decided to draw pictures as I took them while Kara was in a silly dancing kind of a mood. The other really cute thing was that we bought all the boys small digital cameras for the trip and I caught a picture of Michael taking a picture of me!

We headed back to the campground and at last fulfilled one of the boys biggest requests which was a good old fashioned campfire. We had dinner inside the RV earlier so the campfire was all about hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows over the campfire. My son Kevin then grabbed my camera and took some family pictures of us which was awesome. All in all a wonderful day in a truly amazing place. I don't think it got dark until close to midnight! If you haven't been to Alaska, you need to go!!

Wedding Photography Tips- #1 Finding the Right Photographer

2010-10-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

Top ten tips for bettering your wedding photography experience

Tip #1- Finding the right photographer

Having shot weddings all over the world from Rancho Cucamonga, California to Sydney, Australia and a lot of places in between I have seen and experienced a lot. We have shot weddings that only included the bride and groom (no guests) to weddings well over 600 people. We’ve done weddings that lasted a total of only 30 minutes to weddings that have lasted three days. The advice I give below would apply to all the different wedding types that I’ve ever done. I publish this article that will be done in a 10-part series for the sake of all wedding brides and grooms out there in the hopes that it will improve their wedding photography experience.

Finding the right photographer- fall in love with the photographer, not their packages. While it’s undeniable that finding a photographer that fits your budget and gives you what you’re looking for in regards to deliverables is very important it’s not as important as finding a photographer that fits your style and passion. I always tell all of the brides and grooms that I meet in a photo consultation, “You only leave your wedding with two things, your spouse and your wedding photography. Make sure that you have made the right decision on both before saying, ‘I do.’”

Remember that hiring your wedding photographer isn’t the same as buying a car. You can’t sell it if it doesn’t work out to your satisfaction, there are no lemon laws, and you will not have multiple chances in your life to find the right wedding photography for you. Almost all of us have bought a car we regret buying. But after you’ve sold it and it’s gone it usually turns into a funny story of the “bad” car you bought once upon a time. Talk to any bride who’s hired a “bad” wedding photographer. There is no laughing, usually only tears. The moral of this story, take the time to find the right one for you.

Good photographers including us at Jason Lanier Photography do what we do because we truly love it. When we find clients that sincerely love our work we will almost do anything we can to be able to provide the opportunity to shoot their wedding. Flattery goes a long way and as long as we can make the numbers work for both of us, we will find a way to shoot your wedding.

I know I’ve found the right bride and groom when I ask them, “If we can make the financial part work, would you like us to shoot your wedding?” If the answer is, “Yes,” then I know that the vast majority of the time we will find a way to make it work for both of us.

Good photographers should also make sure they are a good match for the wedding couple as this will lead to a much more successful photography experience. I always tell my prospective clients, “You will spend more time with your wedding photographer than anyone else on your wedding day. So make sure you like them before signing on the dotted line.”

Last but not least is certainly the package portion of the conversation. Item #2 on the “Top Ten Tip for Bettering your Wedding Photography Experience,” will speak at length about packages and determining the deliverables that work for you. But the only thing I want to mention about the pricing and package portion in this article is that if your photographer is more concerned with how much money you have and hasn’t even asked you the name of your fiancé for example….you’ve found the wrong one. Photographers should be just as focused and dedicated to finding the right clients as all wedding couples should be at finding the right photographer.

While this advice might seem simple it is also unbelievably true. Being a wedding photographer I can’t help but use marriage metaphors when I speak and write. But finding the right photographer is truly like finding the right spouse. Once you’ve found each other you both know, and saying yes just seems so easy.

For any questions or comments please feel free to email me directly at Jason@jlpros.com.

Item #2- Understanding Wedding Photography Packages and finding what’s best for you will come out later on my blog in October 2010.

Sincerely,

Jason Lanier

Join us for our Test Drive on October 30th at the Hotel Menage!!

2010-10-09T10:41:00.001-07:00

Please join Jason Lanier Photography and a host of other wonderful wedding professionals for our Test Drive event on Saturday October 30th 2010 at the beautiful Hotel Menage in Anaheim California right next to Disneyland! Registration is FREE and is open to those couples looking for a wedding photographer for their big day.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!!

Our Test Drive events are very popular and have filled up to capacity every time we have done one. So if you are interested please register now and don't delay. To learn more about our Test Drive events and the specials we are offering please visit our website dedicated specifically to these events by clicking below:

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR TEST DRIVE WEBSITE!

Hotel Menage

Tony and Jen- Gershon Bachus Winery

2010-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Jason Lanier Photography is excited to release the wedding sneak peek of Tony and Jennifer married September 18, 2010 at the Gershon Bachus Winery in Temecula, California. The wedding was absolutely beautiful as these two tied the knot in front of friends and family with just perfect weather. The Gershon Bachus Winery is a gorgeous venue that offers amazing picture opportunities inside and out....they even allowed us to pick grapes from their vineyards for some cool pics! The wedding was shot by myself with my assistant Shannan Elliott. A musical slideshow presentation is at the bottom of this post!

Website Preview - Bride and Groom

2010-09-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

Today's website preview shows off our beautiful couples. Click on the link below to see how we captured their special moments on their wedding day! Thanks again for visiting!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/bride-and-groom-image-gallery/

Take a Test Drive Event with Jason Lanier Photography at the Fallbrook Hacienda!

2010-09-13T00:36:00.001-07:00

I wanted to send a big "THANK YOU" to all the couples that showed up yesterday at our "Take a Test Drive" with Jason Lanier Photography at the Fallbrook Hacienda on September 11, 2010! We had a wonderful time shooting so many gorgeous couples who were all SO in love! We also ended up booking so many great weddings for next year and are so grateful to our couples for making the event such a success!

Our next Test Drive event is next Saturday September 18, 2010 at the Christmas House in Rancho Cucamonga. If you are an engaged couple looking for a photographer for your wedding and would like to "Test Drive" Jason Lanier Photography please contact us today!!!

Priscilla and Angel

Lindsay and Garrett

Korie and Levi

Patricia and Josh

Melissa and Josh

Deron and Sophia

Rodney and Jessica

Vanessa and Rodney

Press Release- Take a Free Engagement "Test Drive" with Jason Lanier Photography today!

2010-09-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Choosing a photographer is a very challenging choice. Do they do good work? Are they nice? Are they a good match with me and my fiance? Are they professional? These are some of the questions brides and grooms ask themselves in bridal fairs, at home looking at photography websites on their computer, or when meeting with a photographer. It's hard to choose, especially when there are so many choices and photography is a substantial investment.

Jason Lanier Photography is proud to announce our new "Take a Test Drive with Jason Lanier Photography" program. Launched in September 2010, the "Take a Test Drive" program allows our potential clients the opportunity to meet us and have a 20-minute engagement session with us.....for FREE! During these events the couples also have the opportunity to take advantage of Jason Lanier Photography discounts and specials up to 30% off that are only offered on the day of the event.

Couples who attend the event also are afforded the ability to book their wedding date for only 10% of the package price. We also accept credit cards and offer 4-step payment plans making it easy for our clients to manage their finances before a wedding which we know can be tough.

How does it work? We schedule the "Take a Test Drive" events on certain weekend days at venues throughout the year. During the event we will have several Jason Lanier photographers shooting from our company, each couple receiving their own shoot and photographer. Each couple is scheduled for a 30-minute time slot, 20 minutes for shooting and 10 minutes to review our specials and ask us any questions they have.

After the shoot the images are uploaded to Pictage where each couple has their own gallery to view the images. Couples who book with us on the day of the event receive ALL the images from the shoot, whereas couples who choose not to book with us will receive 5 images from the shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions:

*Is this program open to everyone? Yes and no. We offer this for couples who are sincerely looking for a photographer. Please don't book a time slot if you already have a photographer or are not getting married.

*Do I HAVE to buy anything? No, each couple receives 5 high resolution images from the shoot regardless of whether or not they buy anything from us.

*What's the catch? This seems too good to be true. There is no catch, we simply feel that you will book us after you have had the opportunity to work with us....it's that simple!

*Can I do a "Test Drive" on another date if I'm not available for the day of the event? Yes, but only on a date for another "Test Drive" event. We cannot provide this service on a one-on-one basis. If you would like to do our standard 2-hour engagement shoot we would need to book you for that separately. If you aren't available on the event date don't worry, we usually schedule one per month.

*Do I have a license to use the images from the shoot, are they high resolution? Yes, you have a license to print, copy, and share the images from the shoot that you receive, and they are high resolution.

*Are the specials available after the event? What if I need time to decide but I'm not ready to make a decision on the day of the event? We will provide a list of specials to each of the couples that are scheduled for the upcoming "Test Drive" event BEFORE the event so they know the prices and the specials that we offer on the day of the event. This is kind of like the specials available to customers the day after Thanksgiving...they are only available during the day of the event. Clients do however have the option to call us and book the specials after they leave as long as they do it on the date of the event.

*Will you still like me if I don't book you guys? We don't get this question a lot because we book so many of the couples that come. But for those that decide to not book we give a sincere hug and thank them for coming....no hard feelings at all!

For more information please visit our website at www.jasonlanierproductions.com or call us at 213-494-7744.

We look forward to you taking us on a "Test Drive" soon!!!!

Website Preview - Wedding Day

2010-09-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these fantastic pictures from our Wedding Day Gallery. Click on the link below to see how much fun we had!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/wedding-day-image-gallery/

Press Release- Jason Lanier Photography now offering Apple Ipad Wedding Albums!

2010-09-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jason Lanier Photography is excited to announce that we are one of the first wedding photography companies to offer the Apple Ipad for our wedding photography clients. In this day and age it only makes sense for our industry to evolve so that we can suit the needs of our clients. Today's brides and grooms are asking more and more about how we can help them integrate their beautiful digital images from their wedding into their everyday lives.

The Apple Ipad Wedding Album offered by Jason Lanier Photography allows our clients to share their images from their wedding within weeks (not months like traditional albums), with all of their friends and family. Our couples love being able to take their images and the slideshow we give each of our clients and share with co-workers as well. Our couples also enjoy the fact that their Apple Ipad Wedding Album also serves as a regular Ipad, meaning they can enjoy all the fun and exciting things that Ipad's do everyday for millions of people around the world.

While there will always be a need to provide (as we do) albums such as flush mount, coffee table, and other traditional album types, digital photo albums are the way of the future and are here to stay.

The Apple Ipad Wedding Album by Jason Lanier Photography comes complete with:

All the developed images that are included in our client's package.
Beautiful slideshow set to music and movement of the wedding day.
All shoots conducted for the wedding client including engagement, fantasy shoots, bridal, and groom portrait shoots.

All Apple Ipad albums are brand new, in the box 16-gb wifi Apple Ipads.

We are honored to serve each and every one of our our clients and can say that the response to our Apple Ipad Wedding Albums has been overwhelming. We look forward to continue to find ways to lead the wedding photography industry as we strive to provide the best experience for our treasured brides and grooms.

Sincerely,

Jason Lanier

Website Preview - Hyatt Maui Wedding

2010-09-06T21:12:00.001-07:00

We traveled to the beautiful island of Maui to shoot this wedding. Click on the link below to see one of our featured weddings in this gorgeous location!

http://hyattmauiweddings.jasonlanierproductions.com/

Website Preview - Nature

2010-09-03T22:03:00.001-07:00

Some of the most amazing shots are those taken of our natural surroundings. There are so many beautiful places all over the world - click the link below to see how we captured some of these amazing places. Thanks again for visiting!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/nature/

Website Preview - Grand Tradition Estate Wedding

2010-09-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today's website preview is the beautiful wedding from the Grand Tradition Estate in Fallbrook, CA. The gorgeous grounds make this one wedding you need to check out! Click on the link below to see the gallery.

http://www.grandtraditions.jasonlanierproductions.com/

Great Alaskan Adventure Day Three- Our First Bear Experience

2010-09-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Day Three- we woke up in the morning at the Riley Creek Campground (which is very nice), to freezing cold weather inside the RV from BNBRV (BNB RV). The heater stopped working after only being on for 40 minutes, and that's after running the generator as we should have.

We got up and went to the Denali Park Visitor's Center and found out about their awesome Dog Sled Dogs and tour. Denali is the only National Park that uses the dog sleds for real purposes, and they've done so for nearly 100 years. We got to pet the dogs, and then the Park Ranger did a demonstration by running a 5-team dogsled around the grounds on dirt (the sled had wheels). The most awesome thing was how all the dogs (around 4o dogs) yelped and begged to be chosen as the 5 dogs for the demonstration, they really love running. Our boys got pictures with the sled and then we took off to spend the night at the Savage River campground further inside the Denali Park.

While driving inside the park towards the campground we passed a marsh and got out to hike and take pictures. When we got back inside the RV we drove up the road a mile and got our first great look at true wildlife. There was a big moose literally on the side of the road, and traffic stopped both ways to take pictures. I got out of the RV and grabbed some shots as shown below of the moose grazing in the wild...it was awesome to see something like that (and not in a zoo), but in real life.

We made our way to the Savage River campground, got everything situated, ate dinner, and at 8pm (still light outside for hours to come) then the boys and I went on one of the most awesome hikes of our lives. We went down to the river and for about 20 minutes I tried to keep everyone dry, especially because it was cold outside. When I determined that we weren't going to be able to go where we wanted to go and stay dry, I told the boys to forget about and we were going to go wherever we wanted to do whatever we wanted to do...which as you can imagine they absolutely loved.

The sky outside was absolutely magical, full of clouds and pastel colors. We passed through the braided river many times in different places and then started hiking up a bluff to get a better perspective on everything. While stopping to take a picture of the boys I heard a sound I will never forget, the huffing breathing sound of a bear! We knew we were in bear country and I had some bear pepper spray that we'd bought in Alaska, and all the advice we'd been given was to make a lot of noise and not surprise or startle a bear. If we managed to keep some distance and let the bear know we were there, the high probability would be that we would have no problems.

The boys froze and said, "What do we do?" Even though it was a little scary I felt like we couldn't get a good view of where we were (and the bear) if we didn't continue to head up the bluff. So I told the boys to keep saying loudly, "Hello, Bear!" We slowly but surely hiked up the bluff with our eyes peeled for anything that moved. When we got to the top of the bluff there was nothing there, the bear had left. I was glad that it happened though because it was a good experience for the boys to practice some bear safety.

At this point it was after 9pm and we were about 2 miles from the camp. We started heading back and this time we took even less care in crossing the river as we all got soaked. The boys even got their shoes stuck in the mud which was hilarious. As we neared the end of the hike around 10pm we were treated to the most wonderful sunset of deep magenta reds and pinks in the sky. The pictures below weren't enhanced at all regarding the color...I'd never seen that in a sunset before and it was the only color! We got back to the campground around 10:30pm and got ready for bed. It was literally one of those kinds of days that I will never forget as a Father....absolutely wonderful. When my boys are all grown and gone some day....I will always reflect upon this great day......

Great Alaskan Adventure Day Two- BNB RV SCAM

2010-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

We woke up in the morning cold but determined to start our Great Alaskan Adventure without delay. I got up with the boys and went to meet the guy from BNBRV, Bob, the only guy working there to get things straightened out. When I mentioned the issues as shown below of broken cabinets, the refrigerator cabinet bulging out, the refrigerator stinking, the blinds being bent and broken, the table where we eat and convert to a sleeping bed was busted, the upholstery was filthy, there were springs sticking out of the bed, the shower was dirty and walls were peeling, the vehicle had 121,000 miles on it, and that the vehicle wasn't even one of theirs (found the registration), his response was, "Well, we don't have any other vehicles, so you are stuck."

Realizing I didn't have many options available to me because I had already prepaid I asked him, "What about what was said on the website of 'Hand picked, self contained, clean, late model class "C" motorhomes with memory foam beds and LCD/DVD Flat Screen TV's' where is the RV I paid for?" His response was, "Don't have it." I told him I wanted a refund or discount if I wasn't able to find another RV. He said that would be fine but I'd have to talk to the owner of BNB RV Pete Harkovitch. I asked where Pete was and he said, "Out of the country." I then said, "I have triplet boys and we are going to be driving a lot of miles...I needed that TV/DVD." He responded by handing me three Coby portable DVD players that are cheaper than the toy ones you'd buy as a joke for someone.

He then proceeded to ask me for a credit card to cover the damage waiver. I gave him my American Express and he said, "Do you have anything else? They charge so much that we hate to use them." I responded, "It's a damage waiver, you shouldn't charge anything unless there is damage." He responded, "Well, you never know." At this point I was convinced that he planned on charging the card but I knew AMEX would tell him to stick it so I let him authorize, not charge the card. I stepped out of the office and called a few other RV places, but on short notice there was nothing available, so I was stuck.

Determined not to let these idiots at B&BRV ruin my vacation I reluctantly took the "Majestic" (the name alone for this piece of crap still makes me laugh), we grabbed sleeping bags, and some pots and pans, and we left. We went to every RV's favorite store, Walmart, and stocked up for the two weeks ahead. I even had to buy a power inverter and power switch just so I could plug in the boys TV's...what a joke. After I had a 4-alarm heart attack (we spent $1,100 in Walmart) we took off to the beautiful Denali National Park which was about a 6-hour drive away. The drive was beautiful as we passed Mt. McKinley and headed to Riley Creek campground which was at the base of the Denali National Park. The campground was a dry campground, meaning no hook-ups, but we had an RV...what could go wrong, right? Bob assured me we had enough propane to last us the trip and the heater would work through the night. So we went to sleep dreaming of our first real day exploring Alaska in Denali...we couldn't wait....

This is what their own website says about the RV's they rent.

This is what we were supposed to get!!! The picture's even on their website...what we got was below...

Busted cabinets..

Refrigerator cabinet bulging out...

Blinds bent and broken...

Table busted...we couldn't put any weight on it...couldn't eat on it..

Upholstery was filthy, not fit to sit or sleep on...needed extra sheets to cover the grime...

Got cut on my arm on this spring during the middle of the night...

Shower walls peeling and dirty..

Power inverter I bought just to run the boys' DVD players.

Car had over 121,000 miles on it!!

Wasn't even a registered vehicle to BNB RV, probably borrowed it from their uncle.

Our Great Alaskan Adventure Day One- BNB RV Bait and Switch

2010-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

So we headed to the airport for our 6pm flight on Delta (best airline in the world!!) heading out of LAX to Anchorage. With a layover and a long flight we (myself, wife, and boys) finally landed in Anchorage around 1am. We contracted with a rental agency called BNBRV in Anchorage Alaska for a 2008 30ft. Winnebago Chalet Motor Home so we could truly enjoy the nature of Alaska and go anywhere we wanted to go.

We had prepaid $3,052 and they required it in advance for the 11 days we would be there, so about $300/day....not cheap but necessary for my landscape photography project that I'm doing. We got a taxi ($20) and arrived at BNB RV at 1:30am where they had arranged to leave the RV with the lights on and heater running with our name on the RV window. When we arrived we saw an old 2001 Majestic RV with our name on it....only 1 other RV was in the lot and it looked worse than the one we had.

Exhausted and a little cold we climbed into the RV only to find that the lights worked but the heater didn't....and they didn't leave any blankets or sleeping bags in the RV like they were supposed to. It was also missing any TV and many things were broken on it. The upholstery was filthy and it smelt like a Moose had died in it. With no other choice, we bundled up the best that we could, locked the doors, and made it through the night assuming that this must be a temporary set up for the night until our 2008 Winnebago Chalet arrived in the morning. We were frustrated the heater didn't work and there were no sleeping linens or blankets....but we were so excited about being in Alaska that we hoped for the best and assumed everything would be worked out in the morning....a cold but exciting start to our Great Alaskan Adventure!

Go ahead and click on their website to see what BNBRV claims to offer!

Website Preview - Bridals

2010-08-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today's featured gallery shows off all our beautiful brides. Here they are in their stunning dresses and gorgeous locations. Click on the link below to check them out!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/bridal-image-gallery/

Website Preview - Montage Wedding

2010-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous setting for a wedding! Click on the link below to see the pictures from this beautiful wedding at the Montage in Laguna Beach, CA.

http://montageresortweddings.jasonlanierproductions.com/

Website Preview - Ocean Gallery

2010-08-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

Today's website preview takes you to the wonders of the world's oceans. Click on the link below to see the beauty these deep waters and their gorgeous surroundings have to offer! Thanks for visiting!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/oceans/

Website Preview - Engagements

2010-08-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Check out these beautiful couples in today's website preview. Engagements are such fun shoots as we capture the couple's spark and excitement before their wedding! Click on the link below to see why we love shooting these so much.

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/engagement-image-gallery/

Website Preview - Four Seasons Wedding

2010-08-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today we wanted to feature this amazing wedding at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village, CA. The couple was gorgeous and so fun to work with and the grounds were perfect for fantastic pictures. Please click on the link below to view this beautiful wedding! Thanks for visiting!

http://www.fourseasonswestlakevillage.jasonlanierproductions.com/

Website Preview - Tropical Gallery

2010-08-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Check out today's website feature...our Tropical Gallery. These gorgeous photos of paradise are the best of our tropical landscape shots taken from around the world!

Please click on the link below to view our new Tropical Gallery! Thanks for visiting!

http://www.jasonlanierproductions.com/#/tropical/

WPPI 2010 Winner Press Release- Jason Lanier Photography

2010-03-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that we were honored with an "Accolade of Excellence" in the WPPI 2010 16x20 print competition, the largest print competition in the world. We entered a number of prints and scored well on all of them. I featured this print below taken of my bride Christine Holcombe in North Carolina, because it was our highest scoring print.

I'm especially proud of this print because I took it in an abandoned house that I found buried by the railroad tracks in a very rural area of North Carolina. The slanted walls, broken glass, etc. are all real, no photoshopping. While I used photoshop to enhance the image, I didn't add to what you see below. I actually have a video on my website of this shoot that I did on my own with just the bride, click below to view! Hope you enjoy!!

CLICK TO SEE VIDEO

Brady- the anatomy of a Groom Portrait Session

2010-03-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Below are images taken during our Groom Portrait Session with Brady Bluhm just last week. Something I find fun and challenging is creating something out of nothing. For these shots we actually set up in Brady's small bedroom during the middle of the day with a small backdrop, card table, a deck of cards, and some dice. We used blankets and blinds to block out the light, and used video lights and flash to light Brady.

When I printed some 16x20's at our local lab they asked how we photoshopped the cards into the picture! I told them there was no photoshopping of the cards or the dice, we simply had to be patient. We literally sat there and had Brady throw cards at me for an hour. We had to wait to get the cards to come out the way we wanted, the same as the dice. We shoot Groom and Bridal Portraits for almost all of our wedding clients as we create a portrait session for them that they will remember the rest of their lives. I hope you enjoy!

"Jesus took me to the beach?"

2010-03-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today while getting the boys ready my son Kevin poked my chest and looked at me and said, "Daddy, I wish I had this." I looked down at my chest and asked, "Wish you had what?" He looked at me and said, "I wish I had skin like you and Mommy." (For those of you who don't know my wife and I are white, and our triplet boys who we adopted are half white/half Mexican and have beautiful light brown skin).

I asked Kevin, "Why do you want skin like me and Mommy?" He replied, "Because I want to be like you." I knew that when we adopted children that didn't look like us that we would someday get these questions from our boys. I knelt down and looked into his little brown eyes and said, "Kevin, you know we've always spoken about all skin colors being beautiful. The only difference between you and me is that Heavenly Father gave you a tan before he sent you down to earth."

Kevin thought for a moment and then a big smile came over his face. He gently grabbed my face and asked, "So....Jesus took me to the beach before sending me to you?" It was so sweet and innocent, and he said it with so much sincerity that I grabbed him, gave him a hug, and laughed. I replied back, "Yes, you went to the beach with Jesus."

As Kevin started imagining all the things he and his brothers did with Jesus on the beach I thought about how life could be a little better if we were all just happy with the way we look, and always find ways to find the beauty in others......

Getting back to my blog

2010-03-09T00:29:00.000-08:00

After a long overdue absence, mainly due to the fact that I've been posting so much more to Facebook recently, I am dedicating myself to getting back to my blog. I apologize for the absence and will make sure to post consistently with content that will help to inspire, make you laugh, and maybe sometimes make you cry. I hope you will enjoy the new blog as I will be revising some of the look, feel, and message of the blog. Thanks!

Jason

Puerto Rico- Day 3...shooting all day long

2009-12-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

Today was the day of shooting. We woke up early (for us), and got out of the hotel by 8am. We met out first model Anne at the hotel and traveled 1.5 hours out to the Yunque rainforest to the abandoned house in the middle of the rainforest that seemed to be custom made for a photo shoot. While driving there it rained on and off very heavily. We got to the house and set up for the shoot. The shots below are taken by Michael...and the one in particular of me at the house is a shot that Michael got while I was showing the model what I wanted her to do.

While shooting it started to rain very heavy and we were able to grab some great shots of the model with the rain and the house. Two hours and 20gb later we left the house and thanked Anne for doing such a fantastic job. There are many more shots from the shoot but I will have to post them later. I truly enjoyed the lines and lighting of the house which were just perfect for a photo shoot.

We left the house and traveled back to the city to the heart of old San Juan. We got stuck in the traffic that was just horrible. Trying to get through the old streets of San Juan with all the other traffic, especially on a Saturday was an absolute nightmare. We were trying to get to what the locals call the "Totem Pole," which is a monument in the city near the famous castle of El Morro. After 2 hours we found a parking spot, and met up with the lovely Ilka Tamar for her shoot.

The shoot was planned for El Morro which is a castle that was built by the Spaniards back in the 1500's. The castle is one of the primary locations for the new upcoming movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean 4." We entered the castle and have access to the entire place....and let me tell you it was nothing short of AMAZING! The castle was so large and offered so many options that it turned me into a kid in a candy store. I have never shot at one location for 4 straight hours, but this place was truly remarkable. It was so windy up there that the veil kept flying off of Ilka. Michael was kind enough to retrieve it which got him the nickname of "Veil Boy," by Ilka...and the name stuck. The most awesome thing about shooting there was that there were no regulations...we were able to climb anywhere we wanted and to shoot what we wanted which was something we don't find very often.

The most awesome part was shooting on the side of the edge of the castle which you can see on the shots below. You wouldn't know it but the edge was only 5 feet away, and was about a 300 foot drop. Michael and I grabbed shots of each other shooting which was really fun....We ended the shoot outside of the castle using HDR on the massive lawn in front of the castle. Sometimes I swear I am shooting and I can't believe what I'm shooting. That was exactly what this experience was for us today. We planned on meeting Ilka for dinner after the shoot but honestly we got lust in the traffic and never got hooked up again. We ended up back at the hotel and grabbed dinner in the restaurant. I shot a total of about 55 gb today...and all of them were so much fun I can't even describe how much I enjoyed it.

Puerto Rico- Day 2 Pictures in the rainforest....

2009-12-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

These are some of the shots taken during our time in Puerto Rico, day two in the Yunque Rainforest. It really was this beautiful and was an absolute ton of fun. Michael grabbed some shots of me shooting in the rainforest...and then I turned the camera on him. Michael climbed on top of the SUV and started a professional photo shoot which included the infamous Betty Boop shot where he displayed his backside while kissing is fingers to his lips. I laughed so hard after the shot was taken that I'm sure I woke up the entire forest.....more shots and stories to come later...hope you enjoy!

Car Accident delight with a side of theft of a laptop!

2009-12-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a very trying day to say the least. I was in a car accident yesterday that left me in bad shape....I had to go to the hospital via ambulance so I never got to get any of my belongings out of the car. The car was towed at the order of the CHP by HP Tow to their towyard in Walnut Park near downtown LA. I called HP Tow this morning so I could make arrangements for my wife to pick up my belongings and they told me we weren't allowed to do so. Being that I bought the car 2.5 weeks ago the registration process wasn't completed by the dealer, even though the temporary registration on the windshield showed the car was registered to me! I actually had to call the CHP and speak with Sergeant Hawkins and tell him about my situation. He told me I had every right to get my belongings and had to personally call HP Tow to instruct them to do so.

My wife wasn't with me when I bought the car so she wasn't on the registration...so I was forced to go down there which was important considering my laptop, GPS, tripod, images, and luggage were still in my car.....with most of it in my trunk which was sprung open! Kara loaded me up on painkillers and we went down there...and believe me my neck, back, and right leg/hip and left knee were throbbing so I wasn't happy about having to go down there but I also wasn't comfortable about my belongings being out there for public consumption.

We went down there and the first thing I asked about was my laptop. They acknowledged that the paperwork filled out by the CHP noted that a laptop was in the car. As my items were being removed from my car and my laptop was nowhere to be found I kept asking, "Where is my laptop?" They started getting nervous. When my car was emptied completely I asked again, "Where is my laptop?!" They responded, "It must be in the office." Well, they looked in the office for over an hour and surprisingly couldn't find the laptop! I asked the dispatcher what the next step was and she said to fill out a claim form. I thought that was insufficient so I again called the CHP. Luckily the CHP cared a lot more about the situation and I got through to a Sergeant Helms who helped me tremendously. I now have to go down to the CHP office to on Monday to file charges against the towyard. He even called the officer who was on the scene yesterday and he verified that my laptop was in the trunk as noted on the report. By the end of it all it was a miserable day because my laptop was stolen by a CHP authorized towyard and I had to deal with all this with a very sore body....the guy at the towyard even asked me why I was limping so bad and I told him the accident just happened yesterday.....worst of all now I'm without a laptop....I have to say that I really hate thieves.....

In regards to the condition of the car it looks totaled. The whole back is smashed, the side rear doors won't close straight, the seat I was sitting in is busted and I'm sure the insurance will just total it which really sucks considering I just bought it a little over two weeks ago.....

Key lessons learned:

If you are taken in an ambulance from the scene of an accident and you are conscious, demand that all items of value are taken with you in the ambulance.
Never, ever trust a towyard.
Always get your items out of your car ASAP.
Call the cops when the towyard lies to you.

Billie Jean by Lindsay and Clayton Rue-click the link to view the video!

2009-12-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

This is a quick slideshow of the pictures taken during the song to Billie Jean at the wedding reception for Clayton and Lindsay Rue. They did an awesome dance to Billie Jean that was so much fun to capture. I hope you enjoy!

Puerto Rico- Day 2

2009-12-15T16:16:00.001-08:00

Well....we planned on waking up early...try 11am. We left the hotel and I immediately broke the "No fast food" rule by going to Burger King. It's not that I don't like a good meal...I do! But we had a lot to see and I didn't want to waste time eating when I could be photographing something. Michael really wanted to go to a place on the side of the road to eat so we could experience real Puerto Rican dining. I mentioned that I had done so the world over and more times than not the food is either awesome or an invitation to Montezuma's Revenge. So I affectionately labeled the road side places as, "Diarrhea Joints." So as the day progressed as we would pass these places I would ask Michael if he would like to partake and he would give me a dirty look as he insisted they weren't diarrhea joints.

Our plan for the day was to go to the famous Yunque Rainforest. We plugged it into the GPS (my Garmin from the US worked there without the need for additional maps which was awesome) and we went on our way. Once out of the city of San Juan the beauty of the island was really able to display itself as the traffic cleared somewhat...at least on the highways. We traveled quite a bit and needed some lunch. I didn't say we couldn't eat at a diarrhea joint...but I didn't make it easy for Michael to eat there either I must say. We got off the expressway and headed into a shopping center that had a KFC. I speak a good deal of Spanish and ordered everything in Spanish except for the name of the meal which was listed in English. Ordering through the drive thru the conversation went like this (translated into English except for the name of the item):

Me, "Yes, Id like to order two Big Crunch Combo Meals."

Drive thru speaker, "Two what?"

Me, "Two Big Crunches."

Drive thru speaker, "What?!"

Me, "I'd like two Big Crunches please."

Drive thru speaker, "I don't understand you."

Me, "Two Big Crunches," said with a little more gusto....

Drive thru speaker, "Oh, two Beeg Crunchees!"

Michael and I started to laugh and then pulled up to pay. The lady told me my Spanish was good but my pronunciation of the meal was wrong.....all I could do was laugh. It took us 45 minutes to get out of the shopping center because the traffic was so bad. We got back onto the expressway and found our way to Yunque Rainforest....well we found the Southern road which we found out was blocked off and didn't go through the rainforest like the maps suggest. No explanation as to why it was blocked off.

We did find this amazing house that was only half finished that was in the rainforest and the walls were all missing on the outside....we saved it on the GPS to come back and do a shoot there. We took some awesome shots and just marveled in the beauty of the place which was actually the Yunque city (tiny), not the actual rainforest because the road was blocked.

At this point we realized that Michael's window wasn't rolling up which sucked because it was raining off and on. To show solidarity with Michael I also kept my window down during all the rain storms so he knew I was feeling his pain. We plotted a course to the northern road of Yunque and had to circle around to get there because of the road closure. We got to the rainforest and only had 1 hour to look at everything because it was getting close to 6pm and was closing. There is only one paved road in the park but we managed to find a dirt road that was closed and of course we drove around the cones and went down it! That was where it got awesome. It reminded me of the rainforests in Australia. We went until it ended and did a fun photo shoot where we were certain the Chupacabra monster was hiding.

We left the rainforest and headed back to the southern road to get some shots of the city during the moonlight. Only problem is that the moon never came out. So we were driving in total darkness in a small city where all the locals were coming out to party. I was driving about 40 mph in our Expedition when I hit a major pothole...the car veered to the right and headed straight towards three Puerto Rican men who were walking on the side of the road. They started screaming, "Ay, ay ay!" and we started screaming, "Crap!" I turned the car away from them at the last moment and they started screaming bad words....we sat stunned for a moment and after driving for about 25 seconds we started laughing uncontrollably. It was one of those laughs that you do to release some anxiety.....I felt horrible for scaring the men but I was certain if we went back to apologize there might be some fisticuffs happening....so we decided to keep driving.

We called the rental car company "Target" and told him the problem. He told us to bring the car back. We drove back to the car agency and told the guy we wanted a discount for having to bring the car all the way back. The guy looked at us cross eyed and told us, "No discount." He told us he didn't believe that we had to drive all the way back from the rainforest....so it wasn't a big deal. We swapped cars and left knowing we wouldn't rent from them again.

We drove back to the hotel and while doing so passed through hooker alley. We stopped at a red light and we were propositioned by one....unfortunately it wasn't a woman...but it looked like one. We realized it wasn't a woman when we heard him talk....we laughed again. We got back to the hotel and then walked to Los Binos for dinner.

We got back to the hotel and I caught the Laker game on TV. This was the game where Kobe hit the unbelievable 3-pointer as time expired for the win. I yelled and screamed so loud I woke up the hotel and Michael came out of the bathroom with his pants half down wondering what was wrong with me.....it was 2:30am over there.....it was a wonderful day with many memories....Puerto Rico is awesome!!!

Puerto Rico- Day 1

2009-12-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Left on the red eye at 10pm from LAX headed to Puerto Rico with a layover in New York of all places. Landed in NY and went to the Delta Sky Club Lounge which was heavenly as I was able to shower, eat and sleep during my 2.5 hour layover. Boarded the plane to Puerto Rico and I was off! Landed successfully and immediately upon stepping off the plane I noticed the warmth of the Caribbean air.

My brother in law Michael was joining me on the trip so I waited for him to land, we jumped in the rental car shuttle van and headed to Target Rent a Car. I rented through Target because they were the only ones that had a "Premium" full size SUV available....we got into our Ford Expedition and they told us that this was the same one that Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony rented when they came to the island.....not sure if it was true but we decided to have fun with it.

Upon driving away we immediately noticed two things....there was a distinct odor in the car that smelt like kids yogurt...but old. We determined that J'lo's kids must have spilt nasty yogurt in the car. Good thing was that since Puerto Rico is a US territory my GPS worked there...so that helped. After leaving Target we passed a hooker walking in the middle of the street.

We drove around and found ourselves in the worst traffic known to mankind in old town San Juan. On top of everything else we were exhausted having both flown red eyes and getting very little sleep on the airplanes over. PR is 4 hours ahead of California, so even though it was earlier for us we were wiped out. We didn't have a hotel as we had decided before coming to let PR take us wherever we found ourselves. Initial observations included the large of amount of police...and we found it funny that they kept their lights on no matter what.....just all the time period. Mike declared a rule of, "No Fast Food," for the trip which was admirable but I broke within 1 hour because I needed to eat.

We drove up to the Yunque Rainforest...but by the time we got there the road was closed. We grabbed some shots and just listened to the sounds of the rainforest which was truly amazing....so loud and so beautiful.

By this point it was only 6pm, but we really needed some sleep. We found Luquillo Beach which was very nice. We parked next to the water for a quick nap....and fell fast asleep. It was very dark when we fell asleep as there was no moon. I woke up 90 minutes later and looked out over the ocean and saw one of the most amazing moon rises I have ever seen. There is a distinct gap in time between the sun setting and moon rising in PR, and this was a sight to behold.

Mike was still wiped out so I went out onto the beach and grabbed some shots. I always like to get a shot of me looking at what I'm shooting which is what I did here...because it reminds me best of that moment where I took in the view. I went down to the water, walked past the coconuts, and got pretty wet getting shots of the waves. Went back to the car and we finally determined to stay at the Marriott in San Juan. Still pretty exhausted Mike went to the room while I grabbed a quick burger in the hotel restaurant....and then we went to bed.....an exhausting but great start to our quick vacation.....

The proposal of Brady and Abbie

2009-11-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

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My chief photographer Don Atherton had the opportunity to be there for the proposal of Brady Bluhm to Abbie Hampton at Victoria Gardens last Friday. Photographing the proposal is quickly becoming one of the hot ticket items for photographers like myself as couples want to start the chronicling of their union from the very start. I have to admit it is a special thing to be able to create an album that includes the proposal, engagements, bridals, and the wedding.

It's truly a once in a lifetime event and our clients are quickly realize that they want us along for their ride. So if you're thinking of proposing...give us a call so we can capture it for you forever....

Bridal Shoot in Nelson, NV- Part 1

2009-11-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

While I was in Vegas during the Photoshop World Convention I had the great opportunity to do a bridal shoot with the beautiful Kristen in Nelson, NV. We found this location that is a secret for movie studios and everything is real....which is what makes it so cool. From a photographer's perspective it was amazing because we were able to use the amazing lines in this building with the available light coming in. I especially loved the Coca Cola bottle dispenser and I couldn't have personally ordered a set that would have worked out better than this. Part 2 of the Bridal shoot we went outside where there was an antique gas station that was just awesome!

"Do you like what you see?"

2009-11-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

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!

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