In-Home Newborn Session

I could feel the difference as I stepped inside Travis and Kaitlin’s home.  The different feeling that comes from being invited into someone’s home after the birth of a child.  As I ask who has been in the home since Harbor had been born, Kaitlin responded, “just our parents, and now, you.”


Carlsbad Marathon in Black and White

A couple years ago it would have been a stretch, a lie, to say that I enjoy running.  Ask me if I enjoy long distance running and I would have said, “nope!  But my wife is a great runner”.

Since then, I’ve ran a half-marathon and a full-marathon.  The craziest part is that I enjoyed it.  The training, the race - I enjoyed the full process.  It was difficult and worth it.

The Carlsbad Half Marathon was my first official race and even though I registered I did not end up running due to a high ankle sprain (I still love basketball).  It was the perfect chance to try out the Acros Film Simulation on the Fujifilm x-pro2.

All pictures shot with Acros, Strong Grain Effect and on the 35mm f/2.


Sold my Canon Gear

This past weekend, I sold most of my Canon gear and will be transitioning this year to 100% Fujifilm.  The only technical reason for the switch is the low light capabilities of my 5D Mark ii were outdated and there’s way better camera sensors on the market now.  My photography has gotten a little darker as well, and I need a camera that will help me capture that.

Emotionally, the Canon gear had become more of a crutch than a motivator to shoot - the weight, the bad auto-focus, the price tag of new Canon equipment.  The brand of Canon is phenomenal but it’s never been an amazing relationship between their cameras and myself.  I would relate it to driving a Toyota sedan - safe, predictable, not the cheapest - but never going to amaze you or inspire you.

Also, I need a spark in my work, something to fuel the fire while at the same time allowing me to shoot the way I want and edit the way I want.  Fuji is doing this for me and giving me confidence to create what I truly want to create.  Their cameras allows me to chase good light, expose for that good light and create a satisfying image while removing all of the barriers that Canon put in front of me.

The image is of my wife, Leigha, shot on a Fujiflim X-T10, edited in Lightroom.  This was a SOOC jpeg with the classic chrome in-camera profile and then I tweaked with the tone curve and the RBG color curves in Lightroom.  To me, these are the types of images that make me proud and inspire me to keep going, keep creating.  

Location was Bernardo Mountain/Lake Hodges in Escondido.


Favorite Photo of 2016 - nominee

Here’s one of my picks for my “photo of the year”.  I’m doing these posts to be self-critical and also motivate myself.  

Photos that have a back story attached to them are obviously going to mean more and have a better chance of being a top pick.  David and Kate are super close friends of ours.  We don’t get to see them all that often because they live up north a bit and David is going to be an incredible Doctor one day so he’s putting in the time now.  They still do an incredible job staying connected with us and we appreciate them so much.

Most people are really unsure if they want maternity photos.  Honestly, my wife and I even talk about it.  We don’t have kids yet but we ask ourselves if we will do one, with an unclear answer.  We might hike to the top of a hill with just the two of us and my camera gear, then snap away.  

Maybe that’s why Maternity Photo Sessions aren’t always popular - because they feel very private.  

So this was shot with my Canon 5D Mark ii and my Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Settings were at 1/640 sec at f/1.6, ISO 200.  I think the tones kill it and make the image what it is.  With the golden hour light, a bit of cloud cover and the green in the background, the image has a nice, balanced feel to it.  We hiked up a hill by Lake Hodges, in Escondido, CA, a few days after it rained which helped with the colors behind them.


San Diego Urban Wedding (in the rain!)

When I saw that it was going to rain, I was excited.  Call me crazy, but shouldn’t a photographer “freak out” when the responsibility of a photo shoot is in his hands and it’s going to pour?

The calming answer is found in the right type of client.  Shea and Anthony are calm and collected, while their wedding was a perfect reflection of themselves and how they care for others.

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