Lapsley Photography Blog

NEW BlogSite!

2009-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

I finally have my new BlogSite up and running! I will no longer be posting to this blog so be sure to update your RSS feed or e-mail subscription by subscribing on the new BlogSite. I'll see you over there!!

Check it out at: lapsleyphoto.com

Kaitlin '09

2009-03-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

I've been a real fan of shooting downtown lately so Kaitlin and I decided to rock it like it's hot. You know what's so good about shooting downtown... I always end up running into new crazy people walking around. If you havn't been able to visit your local back alley yet, I recommend it for educational purposes, haha. Enjoy!

Ambeer '09

2009-03-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

...and here is my beautiful cousin Ambeer graduating from Clovis High this year. We also took advantage of the beautiful orchards last weekend! They sure do make fore some great pics, don't they? Please enjoy!

I couldn't help but take a pic of my Uncle Gene and his Corvette when we were there. I thought I would share. It was s fun ride back home :)

Jerry and Alysha

2009-03-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

Now I present to you the best man and bridesmaid in our wedding, Jerry and Alysha Jones. They decided that it was time to take advantage of the beautiful blossoming trees right now and I couldn't agree more. We even managed to get a few with their little pup Sheldon before he went all buck wild crazy puppy as he usually does. They tell me he's not that hyper all the time but I'm not soo sure that I believe them :)

Alexandra '09

2009-03-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Alex, her mom Lori and I met up at the gorgeous Belmont Country Club to shoot her senior pictures. We got to drive around in a golf cart and take pictures wherever we wanted. We almost lost Lori a few times after Alex hit the pedal before she got on... woops! May you know that no squirrels nor golfers were harmed in the making of these images. I was absolutely loving the light yesterday evening so I shot almost everything with the sun in my face which made me half blind 3/4 the way through the shoot, haha. I was definately seeing sun spots. She'll be moving on to my Alma Mater Fresno State (Go Dogs!) this fall and I wish her the best of luck! Rock on Alex, you were a natural!

Snowboard Collaboration Video

2009-03-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

Alright so here is the video that my cousin Jared and I put together from the snowboard/ski shoot a few weeks back. It gives a kind of behind the scenes look at how the shoot went down up in Shaver Lake. I think it turned out pretty sweet for the first time ever doing something like this. You should see it on DVD, it's POPS! ...but for now I guess you have to watch it from YouTube :) Let me know what you think.

Shaver Lake - Ride

2009-02-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday I met up with a few local boarders in our very own Shaver Lake to get some great action shots. It's been something that I have wanted to do for sometime now and the time finally came around to doing it. My cousin Jared came along with me and shot some video for a kind of behind the scenes look on how it all went down. We are going to incorporate his footage with my still images to hopefully make a great clip. I'll be sure to let you know in a future post when that gets done so you can check it out. Until then, here was just a few of the gnarly shots I got!

Looking down at Fresno on the trip home.

AMGEN Tour of California

2009-02-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't heard by now, you're too late! The AMGEN Tour of California found their finish line here in old town Clovis. I have never been to any type of cycling event in my life and it was pretty intense around the last few corners. Michele and I found a spot 300 meters before the finish line to enjoy the show. All I can say is... those guys haul some serious ass on those straight away's!! I was kind of leaning through the railing a little to try and snap a few pictures of them coming down and they came soo quick I almost got anhialated. A few seconds later it was all over. I managed to recompose and get a few different shots before they were all at the finish line. Here's what I came up with. If you get a chance to go to something like this, do it! Very cool indeed.

Enjoy :)

Whitney

2009-02-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

You might remember Whitney from a shoot we did about a year ago that I blogged HERE. Well we hooked up for a reunion yesterday and did what we could to make some more great images to add to her collection. Mr. weather caster man said it was supposed to rain... he was wrong like the usual 80% of the time. But the cloud cover made for some great light wherever we went. I absolutely love shooting on almost rainy or really cloudy/overcast days. The whole mood and skies really just get me going. She has such a great complexion to start with it make my job a little easier :)

I hope you enjoy!

I love the Fresno winter skies!

Our e-session

2009-01-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

So Jasen came up to my parents place today with Michele and I to shoot our engagement session. What a great time!! Many stories from our adventurous day... too many to share. Here's a few pics from the session that he uploaded to his blog. You can check out even more pictures at jmasterphoto.com/blog.

Thanks again man your the best!

Cody

2009-01-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

Michele's brother, Cody, left for his army training in Georgia this morning and will not return for another 8 months. He has signed on to become an Airborne Ranger Medic and I'm sure is going to be a damn good one. He will be back just in time to be able to stand beside me at our wedding and I will be proud to call him my brother in law and now officially family.

Cody, I wish you all the luck in your new found journey and can't wait to have you back. We'll see you soon!

An Ode to the American Soldier

Noemi Pina

An ode to all of our brave men and women
Serving our country.
Fighting for justice; fighting for us to remain free,
Proudly defending America, our very precious
Lady Liberty.

Our American soldiers left for the Middle East,
To fight terrorism - the man consuming beast.

And behind their families they left
Their friends, teachers, children - all of them, they left behind
But they keep them in their hearts - and
Even this, death cannot unbind.

Patiently, their loved ones await for their return
As they pray and yearn;
Their flame of hope in their hearts brightly burns,
With every passing day of news they learn.

An ode to our brave men and women,
Giving their all, giving their whole,
For a single great cause.
An ode to them our American soldiers!

Brodie's Surgery

2009-01-12T21:30:00.001-08:00

Well Brodie had surgery today to help correct his severe hip dysplasia. I got a few pictures of his gnarly scar (about an 8" incision/8 staples) but since it was oozing a little, I thought I would bare you squeamish out there the images. Poor guy he is so out of it right now. He should be good as new in about 4 weeks :) ...hopefully!

Ben's Proposal

2009-01-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

So my good friend Ben from high school (...that I never seemed to be able to beat back in the wrestling days) proposed to his girlfriend Chase yesterday and I got to shoot every little moment. OK, so here's what went down:

1. Ben calls me about taking some pics when he pops the big questions
2. We scope the spot out a few days before and devise a plan to capture the moment
3. The big day arrives
4. I pose as some random dude about 20 yards away behind a bush taking pictures of the "sunset" with a monster zoom lens
5. Ben rocks his guitar and asks the question on a 100 ft. ledge ( I guess it was a backup plan if she happened to say no...)
6. She says YES
7. It is revealed I was a photo sniper on the hunt

Awesomeness!

What-what, check out the bling!

In the next two pictures it almost look like they are overlooking the ocean or something but it's actually the cloud cover in the central valley. Totally awesome view above the clouds, nasty weather below! You can even see the coastal range far in the background of the pictures. Gorgeous!!

I wish you both the best in all your future adventures and can't wait to see you guys again!

Coonce Family

2009-01-04T15:40:00.001-08:00

The Coonce family are great friends of my family and I. Mike and Doylene have been around to watch me grow into the person I am today. When we finally got around to deciding a location, Mike had a hook-up at a local wrecking yard thought it might be cool to do them there. I was like a kid in a candy store with possible shooting locations and ideas when we showed up. It was totally worth it and we all had a blast exploring the site and checking out all the old rusted up cars. Maybe one day I will be able to go back and try to do another shoot there if I'm lucky enough.

Hope you all enjoy...

Sunset Silhouette

2009-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

On the way back down from another day trip to Shaver, Michele and I stopped at a secret location that overlooked the entire valley for a few sunset pics with the dogs. I had my mini tripod and my camera and after seeing the following silhouette picture in the viewfinder I wished I would have brought my flash strobes to give us a little pop! I guess that means another trip to the mountains... bummer :)

Window Cleaning

2008-12-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

How do you wash your windows?

Snow Day

2008-12-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

We decided to tag along with my Cousin Serena, her Husband Mark, and their dog Copper for a day trip of fun up to Shaver lake with the dogs. This was the first time that they had ever seen the white stuff and it was hilarious to watch them walk in it for the first time. After awhile they warmed up to it and then we couldn't get them to calm down for a minute.

What a gorgeous day!

Brodie kept putting his head down under the snow looking for something. We couldn't figure out what he was doing actually but it was pretty damn funny! I tried to get one of his with his head under the snow but it was pretty tough to get one with a point and shoot camera. You have to try and time it just right. They just don't have the response time to a DSLR :)

Christmas '08

2008-12-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has already come and gone this year and it's seems to come and go much faster with each year I get older. It's one of those things that your parents tell you comes with age and they couldn't be more right! It never lasts as long as you would hope for :(

My grandpa got be an entire box full of some antique cameras that he has collected to add to my personal collection! It was probably the coolest gift of all coming from him. There were a few that even had the original box, instruction manuals, cases, straps, extra flash bulbs and everything. Super cool to a photo nerd like me! I've always wondered with old cameras just what exactly was shot through those lenses and the history of how they ended up in my hands. The fact that I am holding something that has created a snapshot in time many years before I was born and that someone out there may still have that picture... crazy to think about it in those terms.

Bear and Brodie were playing ALL DAY running around in the rain and I happened to get this shot of Bear before he jumped all over me. I just missed the focus but I liked it too much not to share.

The sky was just awesome the entire day. It's ever changing and always brings something new that you have never seen before and will never see again.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and was able to spend it with their family and friends or if you don't like your family and friends that's cool too, just buy yourself presents and you'll never have to worry about returning a gift because you don't like it :)

Merry Christmas

Steve and Ben

2008-12-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

Steve contacted me awhile back about wanting to setup a shoot for the California Waterfowl Association. So about a month later we set out to the Kings River for a little fun. Other than freezing... I had a blast capturing them interacting together. Ben was so excited to be hunting with his daddy, there wasn't one thing that Steve did that he didn't copy. On the way home it wasn't a few minutes and both boys (Ben and Bear) were passed out in the truck from a hard days work, haha. Here's a few moments I happened to capture...

Kelley Family

2008-12-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

What an awesome and cold day up at Bass Lake last weekend! There was even a little snow left over from the storm that rolled through... not quite enough to make any snowmen though :( It's such a gorgeous place and what better than to spend some time up there with Chris, Amy and their family. We took a few shots inside to warm up next to the fire place then out we went for a little while then we hurried back in to warm up. We got the best of both worlds I think!

Lang Fmaily

2008-12-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! I'm surprised I made it our alive from this shoot... (totally kidding Matt and Allie!)

It looks like the leaves have finally fallen at this special shooting spot but the light it produces still ceases to amaze me. I had the pleasure to be introduced to the Lang family when I met Michele and they are truly a fun bunch to be around. Kenton (the oldest) is a total goof ball and Landon (the younger) is such a ham when he wants to be (...key word on "wants"). Poor little dude woke up at 5am so it was way past nap time when we had our shoot. I managed to sneak out a few good pics in between the tears though.

Enjoy.

Kenton's got the Rock and Roll face going on and Landon has a little tear strolling down his cheek :(

...this one makes me laugh!

Syuzanna

2008-12-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

Syuzanna and I have had a shoot planned for some time now and what does she do the day of the shoot... forget about me :( haha, It's ok because she hopped in her car from visiting family in Visalia and headed straight to Fresno to meet me! I'm really glad she did because she was great in front of the camera and I think your gonna like 'em!

...enjoy.

Spencer Family

2008-12-08T21:48:00.001-08:00

I had such a good time getting to know these 4 a little better shooting on what turned out to be a pretty darn cold day. That's OK though because the girls stuck it out with smiles and all their cuteness... What an awesome family!!

Mark and CJ

2008-12-07T23:31:00.001-08:00

...and now I present two of my very good friends, Mark and CJ.

haha, I thought this one was funny!

Freddy and Kandace

2008-11-22T18:47:00.001-08:00

So I got to hang out with a super cool couple, Freddy and Kandace, and their adorable little pup named Bentley this afternoon. We had a great time and I couldn't wait to post a few of my favorites!

...what a camera hog!

My personal favorite of the entire session!

This shot took a few tries but definately worth it!

Great light!

JMP - Irma and Darden

2008-11-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

So here is the last wedding of the 2008 season and what a beautiful day to shoot and a great couple to end on! I can't wait until next year!!

Enjoy...

This crazy looking wooden hand is a seat that was in Irma's hotel room! What the...?!?!

HAHA, Jasen I got you!!

We're Engaged!

2008-11-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's official... she said YES!! Now we are off to celebrate but I couldn't wait to share with everybody!

:)

Ashleigh '09

2008-11-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

My first 2009 senior shoot!

I had a great time with Ashleigh and her mom Lynda walking around downtown this afternoon. It was quite the adventure actually... with a few run-in's from the homeless, a drunk guy near a bar, a chef, a quinceanera or something like that, and a security guard telling us we couldn't take pictures on the property (twice), haha! It was good times for sure, you never know what's going to happen. The weather was awesome as a storm was preparing to roll in so it made for some great deep clouds and awesome light.

Here are my favorites, enjoy!

Halloween '08

2008-11-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Our first Halloween in the new house and it was a blast! My entire family and friends came over to celebrate, do some trick or treating and eat some good grub. It was a 6am 10-31-08 until 4am 11-1-08 celebration. Needless to say, I was hangin' big time this morning, haha. Gotta love that extra strength Tylenol :)

...can you believe I went to work like that!!

Michele looking super cute as a ladybug.

Pumpkins

2008-10-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Michele and I carved our pumpkins last night and are currently in the process of making some pumpkin seeds to eat up, mmmm. Well... she is making some pumpkin seeds while I'm posting this blog :)

Can you guess who's is who's?

...I'm a sucker for cuteness!

2008-10-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Brodie got a new brother yesterday. We have decided on calling him "Bear". He's only 10 weeks and a whopping 18 lbs! Mr. Brodie thinks that he is king of the castle right now, but not for long. Here is a few pictures of the little rascal.

JC and Cassandra

2008-10-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Guess what? ...another wedding with Michele as a bridesmaid and another lucky photographer getting to shoot it! Yep, that's back to back weekends for Michele and I. Cassandra and JC got married at Wolf Lakes on probably the best weather day possible, maybe mid 70's with slight breeze... awesome!! I didn't even break a sweat! Here are a few of my favorites!

Mat and Kai

2008-10-05T23:11:00.001-07:00

So I had the pleasure of shooting Mat and Kai’s wedding on Saturday, both of which are good friends of both Michele and I. So I had the pleasure of shooting Mat and Kai’s wedding on Saturday, both of which are good friends of both Michele and I. Michele was actually one of the bridesmaids! The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, simple and down to earth. The weather cleared up a few hours before the ceremony and there was not a sprinkle that fell from the sky the entire afternoon. It was such a kick-back and fun day of shooting. Here are a few of my favorite pics throughout the day.

Enjoy!

I found some old gardening tools behind a shed in the back yard and I couldn't just let them go to waste. TA-DA, American Gothic.

...off to the reception!

The guys had a beefed up golf cart and had discovered that with enough weight in back they could pop a wheelie. Great idea, but not executed quite like planned as one of the groomsmen, Matt, slipped off the back of the cart and got some pretty gnarly road rash with a big hole in his pants, broken sandal, and asphalt scuffs on the jacket... I hope he took out the insurance policy on that rental!! It did make for some hilarious pictures though.

Later that night I was rewarded from the hard day’s work with a keg stand… yeah I said a keg stand, but not after some very persuasive groomsmen talked me into it :) Ahh, good times!

JMP - Alyssa and Don

2008-09-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Another crazy beautiful wedding with Jasen. ...this time in the gorgeous town of Cambria!!

Enjoy.

Mt. Whitney

2008-09-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

What an amazing trip! The two pictures below were taken the night before we hit the trail. Mt. Whitney it the third peak from the left... and a long long way to go!

That bright burst in the middle, that's not a sunrise or a sunset, but rather the moon. We lucked out to have a full moon for the entire trip! After a few pictures and a quick walk to the Whitney Portal store it's off the tent for a terrible night of sleep without a pillow. I really, really missed my pillow :(

...and we're off!! Here is the group at the trail head, Whitney Portal, way too early in the morning. It was the start of a quite challenging, both mentally and physically, adventure. Pictured from left: Jasen, Jason, Bryan, Jack, Steve, Me.

Mt. Whitney is not actually in this picture but this was the last sign of any tree life we were going to see for the rest of the hike until the way down. There was nothing but granite boulders beneath our feet from here on. The sky's were just amazing the entire day.

After we finally made it up to the camp and got our tents up, it wasn't much longer the wind picked up and it started snowing. It got REALLY cold that night! A lot colder than anybody was expecting from the weather reports.

After probably the worst night of sleep I have ever had we woke up, had a little breakfast and started our final journey to the top. The moon was ridiculous bright and with the clouds and reflections off the rocks and mountains it was something not many people get to see in their lifetime. Quite beautiful to say the least!

The sun gave off a warm glow shortly after sunrise on the rocks and I happened to get a quick shot of Jasen and Jason before they booked it to the top.

Finally reaching trail crest we could see as far West as the clouds would let us. It sure made for an awesome picture opportunity!

The backside of the trail was pretty gnarly with one side practically a sheer face of granite boulders. The summit is now within reach in the far background!

Finally we made it to the top! It was freezing cold combined with the clouds and wind so we didn't stay long but it was an amazing 360 degree view as far as your eye could see.

Mt. Whitney... conquered!

Here is a 3-image panoramic picture from the peak looking East toward the town of Lone Pine and trail camp. The clouds cleared just a few minutes for us at the top to get a few good pictures so we lucked out. You can actually see the clouds on the top left and top right of the picture starting to roll back in as I got the shot.

Jasen posted an AWESOME video blog on his experience of the trip and is definately worth a watch. It's a little over 20 minutes long so sit back and enjoy! So what's next... I'm not sure but I'll keep you informed of my next big adventure!

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! - John Muir

I'm off...

2008-09-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

...to conquer Mt. Whitney! I'll give you an update on how the trip went when I get back! Wish us luck!

Keriroze

2008-09-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

I would have to say that for Roze being REALLY camera shy and for this being her first time in front of the lens EVER, that these came out pretty awesome! The location turned out to be everything I was hoping and really incorporated into the shoot well.

I talked with the owner of the property earlier that day to get permission to shoot there and when I asked how long she had lived there, she replied over 98 yrs! ...did I mention she was out in the 100+ degree heat picking up trash off the side of the road!!!! Yeah, no joke. Anyways I though that was really cool and I would share.

Enjoy!

Brodie and Taz

2008-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Taz and Brodie have become quite good friends since we adopted him. IUsually when I break the camera out they stop playing and attack me but I actually got some action shots! I thought they were pretty funny so I will share. He's over 20 lbs now!! ...he's getting soo big already!! Enjoy.

Clouds Rest Hike

2008-08-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know and some of you may not that I am planning to hike Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states at 14,497' mid September with Jasen and a few work colleagues, I can't wait!! In preparation, I thought it would be time to have a few warm up hikes before the big show. Jasen actually did this hike a few weeks back and posted a pic on his blog. This hike was nothing short of some amazing views! I'll give you a guided tour...

The picture below was taken just before the trail head. Clouds Rest peak is the tallest peak in the picture on the left side of the image, just right on the tree. AWESOME!

The picture below is of a huge, gorgeous meadow just as you enter the trail.

About a mile and a half or so in we hit the switchbacks that seemed to last FOREVER! They were pretty intense for sure and pictures cannot tell how steep this climb was. I definitely was glad when those were over.

We saw a few deer along the way and I got the camera out just fast enough to get one as she crossed the trail. No bucks though :(

About half way in we came across a small lake.

Near the peak we stopped for a short break before the last assent to the crest and with the big clouds and scenery I couldn't help but take a picture. The tree's were starting to thin as we were approaching 9000' elevation which made it a lot easier to get some BIG pictures as well.

Almost there!! The last few hundred feet to the top!

YAY! Finally made it to the top!!! It seriously felt like we could touch the clouds with 360 degree views and gorgeous scenery. By far on of the best landscapes I have ever seen before!!

With half dome BELOW us and the valley floor far in the distance, it was well worth the climb.

...just having a little fun at the crest!

From left: Me, Bryan, Sean

At just over 14 miles and 3000' vertical elevation gain I would definately do it again and I can't wait to go back. Maybe take the long way to the top from the valley... maybe, haha.

Dawn and Kayla

2008-08-17T10:27:00.001-07:00

Dawn contacted me awhile back and said her sister was coming into town from Oregon and they just HAD to get some pictures done of the two of them. I shot Dawn and her family awhile back in this post so I knew being able to shoot with her again was going to be a blast. Her and Kayla were both full of energy and well kind of goofy when they get together, haha! As you can tell from the pictures we had a great time and a lot of fun strolling around downtown Fresno. Enjoy!

NGP - Nichole and Oskar

2008-08-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

This wedding was a blast! We shot in a SUPER dark church for the ceremony and afterwards headed to the Downtown Club for the reception where we got some great pictures. I couldn't wait to get these done for you all to see just how beautiful of a day it turned out to be. Don't forget to check Jasen's blog for some more great pics over at New Generations Photography. Please Enjoy!!!

NGP - Allison and Joe

2008-08-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Another awesome wedding with New Generations Photography and a GREAT couple! Check out Jasen's BLOG post for some other great pics of the night!!

More Brodie!

2008-08-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Just picked up the wedding pics from Jasen that we shot a couple weekends back so I will be posting a few pics soon, but for now you get to see how much bigger Brodie has gotten already! Soo cute I know :)

NGP - Lauren and Brandon

2008-07-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here was a total awesome Hawiian themed wedding here in Fresno. We actually got to shoot the wedding in shorts :) That probably won't happen again for awhile! Check out Jasen's Blog over at New Generations Photography for some more great pics!

Off to Santa Cruz!

2008-07-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

After work tomorrow I am heading to Santa Cruz to meet Michele and her parents over there for a weekend of camping and relaxing on the beach. I'll be posting when I get back a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. Until then, Take Care!!

YAY, I can't wait!!

Good Times

2008-07-15T20:45:00.001-07:00

What a stud muffin!

Taz (Michele's cat) was getting a little jealous that he wasn't getting any Blog time so I told him I would include him in my next post. He's such a bad-ass, haha! MEEEOOOOOWW

Brodie is such a licker! As we were posing for the pic he decided to attack Michele with some kisses...

NGP - Dara and Johnny

2008-07-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Another AWESOME wedding with New Generations Photography. Check out a few of my favorite pics!

We've adopted...

2008-07-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

...a freakin' cute little puppy!! After visiting the multiple animal shelters in Fresno, Michele and I found this little guy. He will now be known as Brodie :) Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Emilee!

2008-07-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

I would just like to give a late Happy 9th Birthday to my cousin Emilee!

Class of 2009

2008-07-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

I want to get some sweet senior pics in this year. Not your average senior pictures though, so if you or somebody that you know is graduating this year and is looking for something different to do with their senior pics get in contact with my and I'll be sure to hook you up!!

Hernandez Family and Friends

2008-07-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

So Ruben (The madman with the sword below) and I have been planning a photo shoot with him and his daughter now for awhile and we finally got together to make it happen. His daughter Vivian brought her boyfriend Mike (…who made a great human light stand by the way!) and Ruben brought his girlfriend Tina. So we had a great time just hanging out and chasing the sunset around the location. Ruben couldn’t have picked a better day to do the shoot because it was one of the best sunsets in Fresno that I have seen in a long time and I’m glad that I got to capture it in such color. It absolutely POPS in the pictures!! Anyways, enough blabbering and check out the new pics finally!! I will have some wedding pics coming up sometime soon as soon as I can get the images from Jasen. So come back soon!

Iowa Flooding

2008-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Michele's brother Cody has volunteered to fly out to Iowa for a months stay as a volunteer EMT to help with the recent flooding out there. I think it is awesome what he is doing for others and my hats off to him with all my respect. I found a few pictures online if you havent heard or read about it on the news so you can check it out.

Photo: USA Today

All photos below: The Gazette

Sheri's Roadhouse - 2008 Car and Bike Show

2008-06-11T23:12:00.001-07:00

So last Saturday was the annual car and bike show at Sheri's Roadhouse. It was another great event this year with some awesome rides, great people and good beer! There were a ridiculous amount of bike there as you can see from on of the pictures below. The entire parking lot was full so the bikes started to line up in the bike (bicycle) lane of the main road. This is my second year shooting this event and it seemed to double compared to last year. Here were a few of my favorite pictures I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Mr. and Mrs. Jones

2008-06-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

So my best friend got married last Sunday and I was the best man and I had a blast. I can't believe he is married! He couldn't have chosen a better girl though and I am soo happy for the both of them. I love them both! Jasen shot the pictures and they turned out freakin' awesome!! Check out a few of them below. I stole them from his blog so be sure to stop by there to see the rest!

Greg, Cherie, and Gabby

2008-06-10T23:09:00.001-07:00

Cheri and Greg were great people and their dog Gabby had such a personality and energy for how old she is. I don’t remember exactly how old she was, but she acted like a puppy! Here were a few of my favorite pictures from our session.

I'm Back!!

2008-06-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

WOW, it has been awhile since I've been on here. I am finally starting to get settled into the new house and just got my internet installed this afternoon so I thought I would get back to updating my blog, MySpace, and website. A lot has happened since I’ve been gone. I’ve had a couple of shoots, my sisters 21st birthday, my best friend’s wedding, my cousin’s graduation, work-work-work, and lots of unpacking of course!! I’ll probably be posting a blog for each of those here shortly. For now, I’m glad to be back in action!

Country Fun

2008-05-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

So I don’t know what you did with your holiday weekend but mine was filled with some great country fun! I took a trip up to the mountains with my dad on Thursday in his Jeep for a camping weekend getaway. We go to the Hang ‘em High 4-wheel drive run every year Memorial weekend and it’s such a blast. It didn’t start until Saturday so we had a few days to hit the trails in the Jeep and just relax around the campfire playing guitar. Michele and my mom met us up there Friday afternoon before the poker run on Saturday. It rained a little bit, but just enough to keep the dust down. All in all I couldn’t have asked for a better time to spend with my family and friends. Here is a pic from my camera phone that my dad took! …if you have ever been on a four wheel run before, you know that pictures will never do you justice on the intensity of these rocks. They were definitely gnarly for sure!!

I have some other great news… The house that my dad and I have invested in is officially going to close this Thursday!! I will officially be a home owner :) I am super stoked and can’t wait to move in. When Michele and I get everything settled in you are all invited to come and check it out. If you can’t make it, I will be sure to post pictures to keep you updated. So in other words, I might not be posting anything for awhile because I will be in the processing of moving everything that I own, haha.

Like a monkey, ready to be shot into space. Space monkey! Ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. - Fight Club

NO MORE HOMEWORK!!

2008-05-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve done it!! I have finally graduated from California State University, Fresno!! Actually me and my girlfriend Michele have. I graduated from the college of Engineering with a BS in Civil Engineering and Michele graduated in the college of Health and Human Services with a BS in Environmental Health Science.

It is such a relief to finish all my projects, never take another collegiate exam and never complete one more homework assignment. I want to say thank you to everybody, my family, my friends, my professors, and anyone who has helped me through my path. There has been a lot of long hours put in and a lot of hard work to get where I am today and I have to say that I am pretty proud of Michele and myself. A special thank you to my parents for supporting me, pushing me to better myself and strive for nothing but the best of what you can do. They always told me that you can achieve anything you set your mind to with hard work and dedication and I couldn’t have done it without them. I love you guys! Here are a few pics from graduation. Enjoy...

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.” Dr. Seuss

e-Session: Mat and Kai

2008-05-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

So I went out with my good friends Mat and Kai for their engagement session last Saturday and we had such a great time! There are the perfect compliment for one another. We started Downtown, worked our way through Tower and then out to some vineyard near Clovis. Of course we stopped by Bobby Salazars for a quesidilla, tacos, and a few GOOD beers first chance we got! We had no idea where we were going so we drove around town and jumped out at a few spots we thought might be cool. The entire shoot turned out great and was a blast! Check out the pics below and let me know what you think :)

HA-HA These pictures are classic! What a bunch of goof balls...

Check out these SWEET panoramic images! I just had to incorporate this awesome artwork into the shoot and wanted to include the entire wall. I have posted these images in a higher resolution than I usually do just so you can see the entire picture. The bottom picture is a blending of 13 individual pictures!!! Click on them and check them out in a higher resolution!

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would say Happy Mothers Day to every mom out there that deserves a big thank you for everything that you do! And a very big thank you to my mother for always being there for everything I have ever accomplished... or not accomplished. It is because of you and dad that helped shape the person I am today. I Love You!

Happy Mother Day!

Ahhh... Baseball

2008-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

I headed out to a Bullard High baseball game yesterday in hope that I would be able to see my buddy Garrett Heinz play. He actually didn't get to see the mound that game but I got some pretty cool pics of his friend Nathan so I thought I might share.

I have to go get fitted for a tux today for my best friend Jerry's wedding in June and then I'm off to an engagement shoot! Be sure to stay tuned tomorrow for an update with some new pics!

Senior Project Almost Done!!

2008-05-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

So my senior project is coming to an end with the semester. We had our final presentations last Monday and we did awesome. I am so very proud of our group and am really proud of our final product. I am proud to say that I was presented with a $100 gift card for the title of presenter of the semester!! I totally wasn’t expecting this and felt so honored. The other groups that presented were great so it made me feel pretty special :) I figured I would let you in on where all of my time has been going all semester. I attached a picture of my FABOLOUS group, Annette, Tarra, Chan, Darren, and Ilda! I also posted some pictures of our project drawings for you to check out. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to give the answers.

P.S. I graduate next Friday!!!!! YAY

NGP - Natalie and Ryan

2008-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

So I had another amazing weekend shooting Natalie and Ryan’s wedding with New Generations Photography. It was a perfect day out at Fort Washington Country Club, not too hot, a nice breeze, beautiful scene and an amazing couple, it doesn’t get much better than that! Here were a few of my favorite from the day and be sure to check out Jasen’s blog for a few more pictures.

Michele

2008-04-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

…and now introducing my beautiful girlfriend Michele. She is graduating this year from Fresno State and wanted some new pictures to go along with her graduation announcements and she just happens to know a photographer. We actually took them at the elementary school that she attended back in the day, I thought it was a cool little fact you might want to know. Anyways, enjoy the pictures and I will hopefully be back soon with some more updates on what’s been going on in my life.

Bachelor Weekend

2008-04-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

So this weekend is my best friend Jerry's' bachelor party and I can't wait! We leave in about 3.5hrs and counting to a cabin near Shaver Lake for 3 days. The cabin has a shuffleboard table :) In fact, that's pretty much the only reason that we booked the cabin that we did. Anyways, so that means that I will have nothing to do with my senior project all weekend and my 80% presentation in on Monday! I'm not sweatin' it, our group did a lot of hard work this week to prepare so we should be good to go. I guess we will find out when Monday comes.

I have another wedding with NGP coming up next weekend that I am totally stoked about! I can't wait to be done with school so I can shoot more and start putting more into photography. I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I get them.

P.S. My parents, Michele and I have been house hunting around town for the last few weeks and I'm getting really excited about one in particular. I cant give any details just yet but good things are to come.

Quote of the Blog: OK gang, you know the rules, no humping, no licking, no sniffing hineys. - Dumb and Dumber

Miscellaneous Tuesday

2008-04-08T19:17:00.001-07:00

So I haven't posted anything in almost a week so I thought I would give you all a heads up about whats been going on in my life lately. School is near complete and I am itching to graduate, total senioridous!! My senior project is coming together. Oh, my senior project if you dont already know is the complete design of a 5-level parking structure (4 stories tall and one underground level), including the re-design of a major intersection on CSU campus. We have a design group of 6 students including myself as the project leader. Its been a real challenge but cant wait to finish.

I take my FS (fundamentals of surveying) exam this weekend that I am totally not as prepared for as I would like due to the lack of time from senior project and other things going on. I already have my FE (fundamentals of engineering) certification which I received last year so I'm not stressing out too much over it. I just picked a bad time to take the exam right in the middle of my last semester. Wish me luck!

I just found out that Jared (my cousin in the previous post) is a pretty talented actor/videographer/writer. He has this video below on youtube that he just posted with his latest short movie. He directed, acted, shot the movie, and edited everything in about 8 hours. I think he can definitely go places if he puts his mind to it. Very talented! Take a few minutes and check it out.

Jared - Class of '08

2008-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

My cousin Jared is graduating from Sierra High School this year and I can’t believe it! It makes me feel old, haha. He’s a great kid with a big heart and a big brain and sure to go far in life. We went ahead and did his shoot at Sierra High and going back a lot has changed already since I graduated. …ahh the memories! Enjoy for now.

Happy Late Easter!

2008-03-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

I hope everybody had a great Easter this past weekend as I did. On Saturday I spent the day with Michele and her family. They had a bunch of little kids running around like wild animals, haha. I almost forgot about these pics but I got a couple cute pictures so I thought I might share some of the cuteness with you! On Sunday I spent the day with my family up at my parents place and had a great time playing mush ball, crochet, and just hanging out in the beautiful weather. I couldn't ask for a better family then the one I have been given. Take Care until next time!!

NGP Wedding - Katie and Shawn

2008-03-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

Here are a few images from the first wedding of the season with Katie and Shawn. I had a great time, they were awesome people and it was a great way to kick off the season. Here are a few of my favorite pics and Jasen has a few more over at his BLOG so be sure to check ‘em out! Enjoy

*All images were taken under New Generations Photography

Ensenada Cruise

2008-03-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from the cruise to Ensenada yesterday afternoon and I had a blast! I don’t know where to start so I will just show you some of the pics from the trip and put a little explanation underneath to tell you a little about it. It’s going to take too many words to explain the trip and who’s really going to read it anyways :)

This first picture is from when we first got there. Michele and I did a little exploring throughout the ship and took a moment before all the passengers got on to take a picture. We were still at the port and hadn’t yet got all checked in.

When we did go down to see our room it was so small, but who cares! We shared a room with my sister and her boyfriend so it was little tight, but we hardly spent any time in there except for sleepy time and the occasional shower, ha-ha.

So after a long night of partying, we went to bed that morning and woke up again that morning and TA-DA we are in Mexico! I got myself a cup of coffee and went for a little morning walk around the ship to check out the scenery. The weather was awesome and we couldn’t have asked for a better day!

We took a 45 minute tour to the market thing where they sold a bunch of useless crap to all the tourists like us but it was fun. Michele and my sister both got some rings and fancy purses so it as worth the trip there. We even had time to take a group shot! Pictured from left to right: Me, Michele (My Love), Ray (Lisa’s b/f), Lisa (Sister), Dave (Dad), Gene (Uncle), Mickey (Aunt), Rick (Uncle), Suzy (Mom), Bill (Rick’s Cousin)

My Dad and I had to put the Mariachi hats on for a picture. Damn we’re sexy, ha-ha! If you look to the left in the picture, there were like a million of these wrestling/Nacho Libre masks. They were kind of weird crazy into their wrestling.

We stopped at Habana Cabana for a few drinks and tacos and a photo op. of course!

After a few hours at the market we went downtown to check out a few more of the tourist places. We pretty much walked up and down the downtown streets stopping at each bar that looked cool and had a beer and a taco. I had to try all the tacos from different places, they were delicious! This was taken at one of the bars, couldn’t tell you what it was called though.

We made it to Papas and Beer before we left and by the time this picture was taken I was feeling pretty good …from the tacos of course!

Later that night was the formal night which was probably the best night of the trip, so good that were going to have to skip to the last day on the boat for pictures. So trying to recover from the night before… I though rock climbing was the best solution. My Mom even climbed it all the way up to the top! Good times.

The last day was really windy with 18-20 knots of headwind during the day and 35-40 knots of headwind the night before with 15ft swales throughout the morning. If you don’t know how windy that is, it’s REALLY friggin’ windy trust me!! So we had to take a picture of the windy-ness. It was really cold, so no bikini weather :(

...goin' on a cruise!

2008-03-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I’m about to take off on my very first cruise tomorrow morning, YAY! My parents, Michele, Uncle Rick, and my sister and her boyfriend are going so it should be a good time. We are going on the Royal Caribbean to Ensenada, Mexico. It will also be my first time in Mexico so I’m super stoked. I’m going to take my hand dandy little Digital Rebel XT to hopefully get some good shots of the adventure. I REALLY want to take my 5D but it’s my baby and I can’t risk something happening to it if I have a wee too much to drink… not that it’s going to happen ;) Anyways, I will keep hopefully be posting a blog sometime early next week with a few pictures and how everything went.

Also, the wedding with Jasen and Jennifer went great last week and as soon as I can get my hands on the images from him I’ll get a few edited and posted for your viewing pleasure, haha. For now, you can check out his blog for a few of his great images until I get mine posted.

Until next time… good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

Tomorrow's Friday!

2008-03-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

So Jasen, Jennifer and I have our first wedding of the season this Saturday and I’m totally stoked to shoot a wedding again. It’s supposed to be a pretty kick back day from what I hear and I can’t wait to test out the new equipment that I got and ideas that have been piling up over the last few months. I’m finally feel like I am starting to get to know my camera pretty well and am feeling a little more comfortable behind the lens with each shoot. I still have A LOT of growing to do as a photographer and so much more to learn!!

I saw a video on Mike Larson the other day on Cut Frame TV (kind of a YouTube for photographers) and it totally blew my mind. This guy is either crazy or he has a lot of backup cameras just in case! I'm not so sure I would attempt this, but I am very tempted to try :) You’ll know what I mean when you see the video. The part I am talking about is about 1:00 min into the clip so CHECK IT OUT!

In other news, my Civil Engineering senior project class is kicking my A$ and I can’t wait to finish. This one class alone is taking almost 20 hrs. per week of out of class work for just 2 units of credit, WHAT!! The semester is flying by though and it will all be over before I know it when I graduate in May :)

Oh and Jasen and Jennifer took their boy “Mini Mac” (Michael) to UCLA today for a consultation about a possible surgery and I hope that everything went well with nothing but good news! You can check out his BLOG for a little more info and probably an update within the next day or so about how that went.

…that’s it for today, Take Care!

The Barker and Kelley Family

2008-03-02T20:49:00.001-08:00

I had a great time with Kenny, Dawn, Chris, and Amy and their girls this weekend. What a handful the girls are together, SUPER CUTE but a handful for sure! Afterwards we had a few beers and some Bill’s pizza (the best pizza ever baked!!) then played a few games of darts. I had a great time and think the pictures portray what welcoming people they really are.

I am also going to try and stay updated a little more on the blog, hopefully a couple times a week depending on what I got going on with work and school. Posts could be new pics from shoots or maybe just an update on what I got going on in my life so stay tuned!!

Montana de Oro Camping Trip

2008-02-27T16:05:00.001-08:00

So Michele and I took off to the coast about a week ago just to get out of Fresno for a little while. We didn’t decide where we were going until we actually got to the coast, haha. We had a bed, BBQ, drinks and our bikes so we were just wingin’ it. We ended up in Montana de Oro State Park in Los Osos, just south of Morrow Bay. It turned out to be a GREAT place! The camp site was clean and spacious with a small secluded beach maybe 500 ft walking distance and tons of hiking and biking trails! …definitely recommended if you get a chance to go. Here are a few pics from Michele’s new camera I got her for Christmas that we took along for the ride. The 5D got the weekend off; we missed each other though :(

I'm pretty good at the "10s timer, press the shutter, run behind the camera, smile, and then check the composition" pictures don't you think? haha

Beautiful Sunrise

...and Sunset!

WHAAT!! There was a little baby rock inside the mommy rock. How the heck did that get inside there? A rock inside a rock? ...and they were different types of rocks! Blew my mind :)

Probably one of the best kite flyers on the West Coast.

Bad Ass bikers!

Robert and Bessalee

2008-02-13T10:07:00.001-08:00

I have known Bessalee since High School and when she told me that her boyfriend Robert was headed to Afghanistan, I jumped at the chance to take some pictures of them before he left. They were great to work with and overall the shoot was a blast! Great looking couple, perfect day, great setting and I couldn’t ask for more. I have been looking forward to this shoot since the day we booked and glad to finally see some results. I wish them all the luck in the world and hope that Robert returns safely from serving our country so we can continue to do what we do back here at home. Thank you for what you do is an understatement but… Thank You and hope to see you soon!

Whitney

2008-02-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

So I have probably been to the muddiest place I have ever shot before but it was totally worth it. I had a total blast shooting with Whitney and the location turned out to be AWESOME! The sunset was perfect; just check it out for yourself. Thanks again Whitney, hope you had a good time and a lot of fun. There was a lawnmower in the house… just in case the grass gets too tall in the living room I guess, haha. Ok I’ll stop blabbering and here’s a few of my fav’s, Enjoy!

e-session: Sarah and Scott

2008-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

I got the chance to shoot an engagement in the snow, YAY!! It threw me off a little when it actually started to snow on my equipment :-( but luckily after about a half hour it held off just long enough for us to get some great shots. Sarah and Scott were awesome through it all and kept their smiles on the whole time. Here are just a few of my favorite pics that I thought I might share. Enjoy!

Toyota's Sick and Twisted Rail Jam @ Sierra Summit

2008-01-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

I had an awesome time up at SIERRA SUMMIT this last Saturday shooting their Toyota sponsored Sick and Twisted Rail Jam Competition. Saturday turned out to be an amazing day with some great powder runs and soft packed powder groomed runs on the slopes. I stayed in Lakeshore that night and tried to do a little snowmobiling Sunday but the massive storm that hit that morning kinda told us otherwise so we had to make a trip home a little early. I had such an awesome time I’m actually at the start of getting sick… UGHHH THIS SUCKS! Anyway, enjoy some of my favorite pictures for now and I’ll be back before you know it for my next post if I survive this sickness!

New Logo

2008-01-24T23:06:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted anything in awhile and thought it would be a good time to update my blog. I haven't had any new shoots recently due to the crazy weather (...love this weather!!) so I went through some old pictures of last year when my sister and I went to the Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a once in a lifetime experience for sure and we had an amazing time! I picked a few pictures I thought you might like and thought I would share. I also created a new logo that is MUCH easier to read and I think is overall an improvement so let me know what you think. I can never make up my mind anyways on what I want. I can't wait to step behind the lens this wedding season, it's going to be epic so stay tuned! ...until next time, take care.

Drink Coca-Cola!

Atlanta had some AMAZING subways.

...yeah the basketball games were fun too.

Gold teeth in three hours!! I totally should have got some.

Bri

2008-01-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is my first ever modeling shoot. I had asked Bri to have a shoot with me for a little experimental lighting and shooting style and she agreed. She ended up being the perfect model for what I was looking for and the images turned out great!

We took them at an old abandoned house out in the country that was kinda creepy inside. I have to admit when I was scouting locations I was a little freaked out to walk in there by myself because with all the windows and doors boarded up, it was pitch black! Ghosts and I don’t get along very well, but they let us go unharmed :)

More Ryan and Jess...

2008-01-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I would add a few more of my favorites... Enjoy!

Ryan and Jess

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Alright, so Jasen’s father in law Mike had access to the abandoned Hotel Fresno built in 1913 and got us a few hours access to do a shoot. He was also used as our main lighting guy, (we actually made him work quite a bit for him doing US a favor, haha) THANKS MIKE FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Ryan and Jess were awesome for putting up with Jasen and I and turned out to be the perfect couple for the shoot …not to mention they got some awesome pictures out of it!

Go check out Jasen’s blog for his amazing pictures.

We kinda just traded off back and forth shooting, collaborating on new ideas on both composition and lighting. I can’t wait to apply some of this style into the upcoming weddings of the year with New Generations Photography. It’s going to be EPIC for sure!

Hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I did taking them!

New Things are a Brewin'

2008-01-04T17:25:00.000-08:00

In-between getting Michele’s room ready to paint (…purple if you were wondering), Guitar Hero III, and returning e-mails, I found a little time to do some experimenting with textures in Photoshop inspired by fine art photographer Jesh de Rox.

I have been so pumped up these last few weeks to get things rolling in the new year so Jasen and I are teaming up this weekend before wedding season for a creative couple’s session to try out some new ideas and it’s going to be an amazing shoot with a hot couple at a “TOP SECRET” location. Be ready for updates coming soon with the images that we create because you don’t want to miss it!

Landon's 1st Birthday

2007-12-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

I haven’t had any new shoots lately because of Christmas coming up and finals (that are now officially over!!), and I totally forgot about these pictures from my girlfriends nephue’s 1^st birthday party a few weeks ago. They had a miniature horse stop by which was hilarious and the place was decked out western, inside and out! I didn’t take a bunch of pictures, but these were my favorites of the set so I thought I would share.

Enjoy!

Yosemite National Park

2007-12-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

OK, So I just got back from my trip to Yosemite National Park and need I say… AMAZING!! The weather was perfect and I couldn’t ask for a more enjoyable time. I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. I must say that pictures will never serve this place justice, it is truly BEAUTIFUL!!

Tonja and Jake

2007-12-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

These guys were awesome to work with, not to mention great people! I love shooting "on location" type of stuff like this, I get soo stoked! Let me know what you think!?!?

Red Bull - Behind the Scenes

2007-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a little behind the scenes action that I compiled with my photo’s using pictures taken from my buddy Ian Cline who got to tag along. I got a kick out of them, thought it was cool seeing different angles of the same shot.

Red Bull - Fresno Mini Skate Tour

2007-11-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

Check out the new pics of Thursday's Red Bull sponsored Fresno Mini Skate Tour. We hit up a few local spots with our limo escort followed by the Red Bull mini and had an amazing time! Check out the pics and let me know what you think. This is the first time ever for me shooting skateboarding so critique is welcome!

Rail Jam at The Boardroom

2007-11-11T22:58:00.000-08:00

If you missed the rail jam at Herb’s on Saturday, you missed out! Here are some pics from the event. I had a blast so Enjoy!

Serena and Mark

2007-11-10T22:53:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of my cousin Serena and her fiancé Mark. They turned out pretty cute for a quick little shoot up in the mountains after dusk by an old barn! Let me know what you think!!

Rebecca and Devon

2007-10-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and Devon were awesome to work with. Devon was a handful, but he listened for the most part if I had to do any instructing. It was just a fun shoot at Sierra Elementary in Tollhouse!