A few weeks ago, while I was in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; I was interviewed by journalism students at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais TV. I was a little nervous because I had not been interviewed like that before, it was a very interesting experience. They asked me a lot of questions about my approach to wedding photography, how I started, why I love it, etc. etc. I was not going to blog it, but an upcoming bride urged me to do it (thank you Ngoc). Here is the You Tube video, I hope you like it. :-)
Category Archives: Personal
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The President’s Photographer is a delightful, and unprecedented, documentary film that I recently watched on PBS; you can watch the whole episode online (shortcut below). There is also a companion book that I am planning to purchase.
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The documentary focuses mainly on the work of Pete Souza, who is currently the official president’s photographer. In this documentary, the cameras go everywhere Pete goes and we also get to hear him talk about his job and how he feels while doing it.
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I have always had a fascination with photojournalism and with presidential photographers; I think the pressure that they work under is astounding. Listening to Pete Souza was great because he said how happy he is doing what he does; he feels honored to have the responsibility to document history in the making. All his photos become part of the national archives.
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Watching this documentary and many of the images captured throughout the years by previous photographers inspired me so much and made me think about how I approach my own job. When I arrive on the wedding day, the bride becomes my president and I become the president’s photographer. She becomes the most important person in the world for me, having the most important day, and my job is to document the story and that all the important details are captured along with all her dear family and friends. And of course, her first lady too, the groom :-).
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I feel absolutely delighted and honored to be the official photographer at weddings, it makes me very happy and I always feel motivated to capture great images; important images. Pete Souza’s images get published everyday on the White House’s website and all over the world. My wedding images are seen by my clients and their families and friends. We both go to work knowing the important responsibility bestowed on us and we both do it because we absolutely love it. The photos that inspired me the most were the ones that he took of little happenings with his daughters; it truly motivates me to work as hard has Pete to end the night with those type of photos in my camera.
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The Presidents Photographer
Episode: Full Program
This program follows the President’s photographer inside the Obama White House.
Watch the full episode. See more The Presidents Photographer.
I am very happy that Walter Van Dusen has invited me to speak at Mystic Seminars next January. I have always admired this seminar series because Walter has a way of keeping it real.
I love having opportunities to share some of what I know with other photographers; but this time, I am extra super excited because I will be meeting (hopefully) the absolute wedding photography Master of all time, Yervant. I am going to try very hard to get a picture with him :-). I know he is a super nice guy, so maybe he will not shoo me away.
It is a great opportunity to learn a lot in a very short time. Plus Walter told me that Connecticut is absolutely gorgeous in January.
For information on Mystic Seminars, check out this link: http://www.mysticseminars.com/
Over the years I have had the chance to attend a few workshops to make me a better photographer; some of them surprised me by making me a better person. I also thank a few of them for giving me friends for life. This is a short list of the three workshops that have been my favorites since I became a wedding photographer. These workshops are tailored for experienced wedding photographers and are not intended to teach photography basics; there are other workshops for that.
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FOUNDATION WORKSHOP
Back in 2006 I attended the Foundation Workshop 4 and it changed my life as a photographer. Thanks to this workshop I learned how not to just take photos of what people are doing; but to try and capture what they are feeling, thinking, dreaming, fearing and enjoying. No other workshop out there has the staff/student ratio that Foundation offers. Since I attended as a student in 2006, I have been invited every year to be part of the staff. I love being there teaching and learning; and I look forward to FW9. This workshop fills up very quickly; so if you are interested in attending, do not delay.
Huy Nguyen is the founder of this workshop and the loudest voice in my head every time I press the shutter.
http://www.fwforum.com/blog/fw9/
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YIN YANG WORKSHOP
Dave and Quin Chung of DQ Studios along with Huy Nguyen are the founders of this amazing workshop. Dave and Quin, in addition to being two of the most talented wedding photographers in the world, are also geniuses at making their clients feel they are the most important people in the universe. Huy, Quin and Dave teach students how to take their images to the next level; but what I got most out of YinYang was the knowledge to please my clients with advanced customer service before, during and after the wedding. I learned how to create an amazing experience for my brides and grooms that results in clients for life!
http://www.yinyangworkshop.com/
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ONE LIGHT WORKSHOP
I used to think that I knew how to use my flash; until I attended this workshop a couple of years ago. Zack Arias is a one of a kind photographer that is able to demystify strobe lighting; helping the student take control of their flashes. His workshop is a model of how practical workshops should be conducted; he made every student practice with the equipment instead of just letting them follow him around with a camera. This workshop was so awesome that I even decided to buy the One Light DVD; if you can not make it to one of his workshops, buy the DVD now!! The DVD is extremely well produced, highly worth it and it has tons of extra information.
http://www.onelightworkshop.com/
