Robert & Kristal Trash the Dress - Linden Wedding Photographers

Posted by Melody
Last weekend, we had the pleasure of shooting this wonderfully hilarious couple's trash the dress session. The family owns an orchard in Linden, and cherry blossom season was at its height, making for some deliciously dreamy shots. Their sense of fun was contagious, too, with them bringing out a friend's Harley for the shoot... heck, Krissi even climbed a tree for the occasion! I have to say, working with such a fun and playful pair of newlyweds was wonderful!

Here's a small sampling of the proofs from the day....

Edit by David: I've re-uploaded some of the shots from this shoot so that they are properly sized and edited. Also, what Melody didn't mention was that Linden is my home town. We've got lots of great friends out there with plenty of beautiful old farms available for us to shoot on, Bob's being one of them. And don't think for one minute I'm not taking you up on that offer, Bob. 

Bernice - Quinceañera Photography Turlock

Posted by Melody
A couple months back, my former student Lyzette (who seems to be involved in every other post here) contacted me about her cousin's upcoming quince. They had a photographer all lined up... they thought. Apparently, a young woman who was working for a mall photography studio was planning on setting up her own business and had agreed to shoot the quince; however, when Bernice's mom went back to solidify details, she had quit the job at the studio... and had left no way to contact her! And so, with very little time left, Lyzette wanted to know if we might be free that day. As it happened, we had a wedding to attend that day, but offered to arrive early enough to take some pictures while she was getting ready, some portraits, and some group shots, as well as to cover the church ceremony.  They were happy we could be a part of that part of the day at least, and we were happy to share in Bernice's special day! Happy birthday, Bernice - we hope your day was magical!

Here's my gratuitous Lyzette shot :)

Beginnings & Endings - Maternity and Senior Portraiture

It has been entirely too long since we have updated. It has largely been the result of looming yearbook deadlines for Melody & a general overload of construction work for David (for those of you not "in the know", David is a Jack-of-All-Trades, so to speak, and has been busily constructing a new garage for us... which is more likely to turn in to our studio in the near future.

Here are a couple of my favorite recent sessions, though.  I suppose I should work chronologically, but it just hasn't happened. So here are some from a beginning....

Melissa and her husband Mike were expecting their first little girl, Keira, back in January. We postponed one time in late December as rain was threatening. Our reschedule - only 5 days before Keira's due date! - looked like it might be a wash, too, as the forecast predicted a 94% chance of rain at the time we had scheduled. About an hour and a half before the scheduled time, Melissa called to see if there was any chance we could work them in early in the hope of getting the shots before the rain began to fall. We enthusiastically asked them to hurry on over. Here are a few from that sitting.

The last picture I will share from our set of Beginnings photos features a coat that Michael particularly likes... and Melissa does not. I thought it produced some lovely results!

And now for out Endings set. I should not think of this set as an end... yet. Heather has been one of my students this year in my AP English Language & Composition course, as well on my yearbook staff. She is a tireless worker and a very giving individual... and she is testing out to leave high school early! Selfishly, I am sad that she will not be around school next year, but I know that she is heading out to do much bigger and better things... including doing some work as our assistant in the upcoming busy summer months! Since she is leaving school early, this is her "senior portrait session" even though she is not really one yet.

When the day of our shoot with Heather arrived, th sky was filled with clouds and rain. As we approached her family's orchard, the clouds seemingly parted from directly above our heads and the sun came out, even as rain fell just miles away. Here are a handful of shots, including some with her boyfriend Justin.

And then the rain started falling. Luckily, Heather was a good sport - even going barefoot in the rain!

For which she was rewarded... with a rainbow!

Some have said that Heather is the Hermione Granger of Gustine - she actually shares the character's initials. I can see from some of these portraits a reason for the comparison. (By the way, the rings on her hand were given to her by Justin. I love all things Celtic!)

So, here is to beginnings - Keira was born right on schedule to two extremely happy parents.
And to endings - Heather leaving GHS.
And to new beginnings, with wherever the future takes her!

~Melody

The Perrieras: Gustine Family Portraits

  So, as we've said before, we have a lot of catching up to do. I'll (David) be posting an update with all the haps going on with Melody and David Photography. It has meant many a sleepless night, but we're making huge progress via leaps and bounds. Now let's look back to November and take a look at the Perriera family portraits. 

  Ah, the Perrieras. These guys were a hoot, especially mom. The eldest daughter is a senior at Melody's high school. I believe we shot this one over Thanksgiving break. The high school was out for break but the college was still in session, taking midterms. That made it one of those lucky times when we could get over to the college during the week while they had the water turned on at all of their fountains.

  This is also when I first played with something that I told Melody was "magic water." It's a beautiful effect that lets the water all blend together as it rushes down. Without it, you get something more like this. 

  Note the almost murkiness of the water. Basically the shutter speed is set so fast that it is freezing the action in place. In the above example the shutter speed has been dialed down to 1/8 of a second. In order to catch it you have to have a tripod or a really steady hand. Luckily, I have a really steady hand. 

  As another example of how well Melody and I work together as a team, we've since decided that I get to take the "magic water" shots when we set up for portraits because I can hold the camera steadier than she can. Of course without her there to help pose, I'd be lost, so we combine our efforts and come up with some great shots. 

  We were also out there to take a few senior portrait shots of the eldest. I know it might not look it from the above photo, but the young lady is actually years older than the "little" brother. I can relate to this since I call my brother my "big" little bro. We scrawny people have to stick together. 

  While you get a hint of it in the background of some of the group shots, what you're not seeing yet is just how gorgeous the ginkos at the college were. Melody and I wanted so badly to get back out here before the leaves all fell to the ground. We even sent out a message on Facebook asking if anyone wanted pictures for free (no takers). We did get a booking with the Hills though, which I'll be posting soon, though it was a bit more chilly that day than on this one. 

  

  And then we ended the day on something new and fun for the season . . . A LEAF FIGHT!!!

  All and all, this was a great shoot. The funloving nature of the Perrieras got us to try some cool things that we've since worked in to our repertoire. I'm still a bit dismayed that we couldn't get the eldest into a tree, even with her brothers help :o) but we had a great time none-the-less. 

  Thanks to the Perrieras for a memorable shoot.