I had to do some Christmas/School pics of my kids so I turned my garage into a makeshift studio.  Yeah I know, “and your just now uploading them way to keep the blog up to date”.  Anyway, I brought out a couple popup backdrops and set up my studio lights.  I even rigid a Canon 580EX flash with a snoot and set it up overhead as a hair light.  All in all I think they came out pretty well.  I wouldn’t be able to do large groups of families or anything in there, but if I had to do individual head shots, pinups, maternities, or children I now know I have a place to do them indoors.  What do you think?

I have a high school senior who is working as an intern at my Radio and Television studio this year.  We got together and went out and did a senior session recently.  As with all my sessions we had a lot of fun.  If you know her make sure to ask her about Beyonce.  I tried some different lighting with a couple of her shots and I think they came out well.  Here are a few from the session.

Well I came across a deal I just could not pass up last week.  I have wanted a Mini Cooper for ages, but they are just too small to fit anyone in.  Well in 2008 Mini came out with the Clubman version with a suicide door on the passenger side and a little over nine inches in extra length.  I never had a chance to really look at one until I saw a used one for sale recently.  Just for curiosity sake I called about it and took a look.  I took Devin with me because that is the main issue, fitting him in the seat behind me.  Much to my surprise he fit back there with plenty of room.  She is a 2008 model and was a great deal with only 11K miles on it.  She is pretty much loaded with everything Mini has to offer; Hot Chocolate exterior paint, “S” version with sports suspension, Sun roof, Premium Stereo, heated seats/mirrors, Bluetooth/USB, Hot Chocolate upgraded interior, Xenon headlights, Fog Laps, and the list goes on.  I am sure you are thinking, all that is nice but how is the drive?

She is like a little rocket.  The car pulls away in every gear, and just grips the road through the turns.  Mini says it is like driving a go cart and I have to agree.  It makes me feel like I am back racing the streets of So. Cal. again.  Agreed it is not the most practical car in the world, but wow it was a great deal and it is going to be so much fun to drive I just couldn’t pass it up.  If I lay one of the 50/50 split seats down in the back it will fit all my photo equipment or golf clubs in with no issues and that’s all that matters right?  Besides the gas mileage is phenomenal in it, so far tracking around 28 MPG in the city, so that makes it a little more practical.  I can convince myself of anything.  I have attached a few photos of it below.  After a couple weeks of driving I will do another post with more details about the cars performance.

I photographed Chelsey for her senior session a while back.  She was fun to work with and we got some really nice shots.  I love going on location to do photo shoots.  Shooting in a studio is great, but I like the different scenery and lighting challenges when shooting outside.  I feel like your subject can be more relaxed and a little looser during the shoot as well.  If you have the right equipment and experience you can even make shots look like they were taken in the studio.  We did her cap and gown shot outdoors and I think it came out rather well.  Below are some shots from the session. 

Well we had our first snow of the year this weekend.  It was a pretty good dosing as well.  We do not get a lot of it here at Aviano.  We are at the base of the Alps so we have plenty on the mountain right behind my house, but it usually doesn’t reach down here.  That is one of the things I love around here.  I love to ski, but being a Southern California boy I am not a big fan of living in the snow.  This place is perfect because I can drive 30 minutes up the mountain to our local ski resort and be back home at my nice dry and warm house that night; can’t beat it.  Here are a few shots of my children playing in the snow and some shots from around the area.  A couple of them were taken at the Chrome Dome church just a few minutes from my house.  They have a path in the woods below the church and as you walk the path you will find a few mosaics along the way.  I am not sure about the religious significance of them, but they look pretty cool. 

Well as everyone knows we are here in Italy.  It is wonderful getting the chance to live in another country.  We get to do things on a weekend that most people save up for years to try and squeeze in during a week or so visit.  One of my favorite spots is Verona, Italy.  It is a great town about two hours from where I live.  They have an old Roman coliseum in the center of town.  It has been around for centuries and is still in use today for concerts and plays.  The town is also thought to be the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet.  They even have a Juliet balcony and a statue that is supposed to be good luck if you rub her boob.  There are also a lot of great Churches and they have a huge amusement park just like you would find in the states.  If you ever have a chance to come over here I recommend you check it out.         

It has taken me a little while to write a post on this.  Two weeks ago I lost one of the airmen under my command here at Aviano.  Airman First Class Lauren Lagudi passed away in Pordenone, Italy after returning home from a weekend in Rome.  She was an extremely talented broadcaster; in fact she was named the Air Forces 2008 Outstanding New Broadcaster of the Year, but more importantly though she was a great person.  She was always happy and truly cared about people.  I have never met someone that could always be so positive.  She loved the saying; “Live, Love, and Laugh”.  Lauren loved her job and loved being here in Italy.  She was my morning DJ and she was the first person I would see everyday when I came into work.  She is an immense loss to our unit, the Air Force, and frankly the world. 

I had the honor of escorting her home to her family last week.  I know they may never read this, but I want to thank all the aircrews along the way that helped us out and paid such great honor to her.  Please keep Laurens family in your thoughts and prayers.  They are an incredible family and are strong beyond belief, but any thoughts that can be with them to help them through I am sure will be greatly appreciated.  I have placed a link below to a story written on her memorial we held at Aviano recently.  I also added a link to a foundation that has been established in her honor to aid schools with broadcaster equipment to help future generations find their calling.  I finally placed a couple photos of her I took for a story we wrote when she won the outstanding new broadcaster of the year award.  Please keep her in your hearts and remember to, “Live, Love, and, Laugh”.     

http://www.laurenlagudifoundation.org/

http://www.aviano.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123174585

One of the hot things in wedding photography the past couple years has been the Trash the Dress sessions.  I am fortunate enough to be very close friends with the creator of these sessions, John Michael Cooper of Altf Photography.  I was stoked to see John getting recognized for his creation during a Today show segment this week.  The Today show had John and Lynn Michelle on to do a special about the Trash the Dress phenomenon.  You can see the segment here, http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33190828#33190828.  I cannot be happier for John and all Altf’s success.  Dalisa, his wonderful wife, and John are two of the greatest people you could ever hope to meet.  He is not just a photographer he is an artist.  His Trash the Dress sessions are not just about getting the dress dirty they are all concepts that he comes up with in his head.  He taught me so much about wedding and portrait photography and I can’t thank him enough.  As a photojournalist I I was not as adept at creating situations and devleoping portrait concepts.  After a few shoots with John I was able to get a small glimpse of his creativity and how he looked at things.  It helped me immensely start to develop my own style and flair for portraits and wedding day formals. 

That is what John is all about passing on and helping others out.  If you are looking for a photographer that will be outside the box and give you a wedding photography experience you can’t get anywhere else look up John and Dalisa with Altf Photography.  You will not be sorry you did.  Of course of you are getting married in Northern Italy and are looking for a photojournalist photographer with a little portrait flair I am always available.

More images from the Trash the Dress segment.    http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33135926/from/ET/?beginSlide=1#       

I recently had the chance to do another family session.  As they say timing is everything.  The day before was beautiful, the morning was very nice, and as soon as we were done shooting it was nice as well.  However, as soon as we started shooting in came the rain.  The oldest was getting ready to fly back to the states so we couldn’t reschedule.  Everyone was troopers through it though.  We did have some breaks were it slowed down and we could get out from under the trees.  We had a lot of fun with it, and everyone had a great time.  The children were a little tired of things by the time the sun popped out permanently though, do you blame them.  Heck even I was ready for a nap.

Well I have to head back to the states for a few days.  It should be a good time.  We are having a big conference about American Forces Network, AFN, operations.  Besides it gives me a chance to get some good BBQ and Mexican food.  I love Italian food but it will be nice to have something different.  I will try to post something on the road.