Beth & Ben's Wedding

Yesterday I shot my first REAL wedding! Ive shot for friends in the past but this was sooo much better :)My bro came down from Oregon to second shoot and we had a BLAST....! I was kinda nervous because it was my first 'client' and I have never really shot a full wedding by myself but the bride was so fun and laid back and the weather was PERFECT so it was a really easy wedding...Plus she was BEAUTIFUL!! The only drama was when we were trying to downlaod the cards and one card was completley blank!! AAAHHH!!! Thankfully the amazing Tim Halberg came to the rescue and recovered all my images :) So now we are just kickin' back in Santa Barbara still high on such a fun wedding!
Here are some of my favorites from yesterday... :)

I'm a REAL photographer now!

Yippee! I finally got my camera! I went all around town looking for this silly thing but EVERY camera store in the Portland area was sold out and back ordered! I wanted to buy it in Oregon because there is no sales tax. (Even the online companies are back ordered.) One store found a sister store that had ONE left in stock on the westside.. so I drove ALL the way out there because I am ridiculous and couldnt wait for delivery :)
So, now I can call myself a real photographer because I have my own camera (no more renting from the unfriendly folks @ my neighborhood camera store!!)
I'm such a dork, I spent more time taking pictures OF my camera than taking pics WITH my camera last night (the one above was my favorite, just dont tell Nikon it was shot with a Canon ;)... I'll just say I was practicing the whole "product photography" thing)
Today is a different story though, I have been reading every page of that stinkin manual and customizing it out the wa-zoo!
So in case you cant tell...I am really excited! :)

Portland PUG

Last night was the launch of the Portland PUG meeting hosted by TJ Cameron and Kevin Meyers....and of course the wonderful Sara France was in town to kick it off. Sara did a wonderful job and I left the meeting so excited to start a business and include Pictage in the process! I have definately been exposed to Pictage but I had no idea of everything they have to offer! After hearing the pitch its hard to understand why a photographer WOULDNT want to join because it just makes everything a whole lot easier!
After the meeting they got together for a group picture and I offered to take it since I dont live here and wont be attending thier group. Anyway, Sara handed me her Mark II (which is completley foreign to me since I am used to shooting Nikon) and I began taking pictures but for some reason they were ALL out of focus...Sara looked at it and shot some test shots and they were great...she went back to the group, everyone smiled and they were out of focus again!!! We couldnt figure out what was going on! I think it was because it sensed I shoot Nikon and was rebelling!! ;)
Sara said it was because it only behaved for its mommy....which proved true when other people tried to shoot and there was the same problem :)
The group then went out to Hubers for a few hours and we saw this really cool bartender who came to our table and made these drinks light on fire!! Soooo awesome!
(The fire in those glasses was not photoshoped!! )



Here is the great Sara France...



And here is where I get to play Matchmaker!! I told Kev I wouldnt make him a match.com profile but since I have alot of girlfriends from school, I would solicite him on my blog to try to get him a date...
SWM seeking Blonde hair blue eyed female...


Full Name: Kevin Fletcher Meyers
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Lt. Brown
Height: 6 ft somethin' (come on girls...you know you like tall men!)
Ethnicity: Russian!
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Hobbies: Computer Genius, Photographer, was a cheerleader in Highschool ;)
Kevin enjoys long walks on the beach, and taking pictures of pretty ladies.
If this sounds like the man for you, please visit www.kevinmeyers.net to arrange an interview ;)....haha



Anyway, Thanks Sara, TJ, and Kevin for sharing all your wisdom and fun! :)

Laughter

One of my favorist things to do, is to be around people who make me laugh. Yesterday I spent time with two of the MOST HILARIOUS people I know. First of all I was driving ALL around downtown Portland trying to find a specific camera but EVERY place was on back order...So, I was standing outside a camera shop and across the street I see my friend JR who I havent seen in months!. He is a security guard at a bank tower and he just happened to be making his street rounds. Anyway, I basically grew up with this guy. He is my brothers best friend and the one who taught me how to drive a stick! We used to go to car shows together, jet skiing, and camping on the river (just to name a few)... but whatever the occasion he always had everyone laughing!
Sooo, we chatted for a bit and then he offered to take me up to the top of the tower! It was an Awesome view, but the best part was just spending time with my friend!





Then there is Joe...
Joe and I interned together at our church right out of HighSchool and then went to the same college so I feel like I've grown up with him also. The thing about Joe is that he is the craziest psycho person you'll ever meet but after a few minutes in his presence your abs will hurt from laughter! We went out to dessert last night with Joe and his wife at my favorite lil' restaurant in the Pearl District on NW 23rd called Papa Haydens...hmmmm yummmm....
This sequence gives you a pretty good idea of our night (and his personality) ;)



All this to say, I laughed so much yesterday and I really enjoyed it! I am so thankful to have such great friends!

H.E.T.O.R strikes back!

This time last year we took a trip down to San Pedro Sula & Tegucigalpa, Honduras to do some work in an orphanage. Our mission was to build some bathroom facilities and help create a drainage system so that the children's room weren't constantly flooded from the heavy rains. In addition, our team ended up helping with a well for clean water and repairing a faulty electrical system.
Well..., our team in charge of the electrical wiring were called "H.E.T.O.R" meaning Hounduras Electrical Team Of Retards. You see, because of the existing faulty system our team encountered a few 'problems' along the way. Lets just say that only one person was electrocuted but at least everything was fixed by the time we left ;) (and yes he is OK!)
Anyway, today the HETOR team was reunited! This time, however, we were wiring the sound system throughout the house before they sheet rock the walls. Nobody was electrocuted or even hurt during this project but we sure did have A LOT of fun :) While we goofed off a lot, we still managed to get a lot of work done!
Did I mention I LOVE power tools??

How many licks does it take?

This is what occurs when I am couped up in a car for 16 hours! While I didnt keep track of how many licks it takes, I did run a timer to see how long it would take to finish the jawbreaker...4 hours and 9 minutes! Just in case you ever wondered...:)

We taught them well! ;)

My family have been such a HUGE support in my persuit of photography and they often encourage me through not only words but actions too! For instance buying me my first camera and accessories because they believed in me and then framing and matting thier favorite photos to display as art work around the house...every step of the way they have pushed me to persue my dream... My brother is breaking into photography as well and they do the same for him. Through our persuit,however, it seems THEY have learned a thing or two along the way....so now its my turn to brag on them. First of all they spent nearly three weeks touring France, came home and turned right around to drive down to graduation...such troopers! But then I get home and I am going through thier Europe pictures only to be shocked and very proud of our lil' ol' parents and what they did armed only with an SD550. Check out a few shots that I picked out... I am thinking my dad should abandon the whole 'mortgage business' and go into photography with me! :)

Graduation!!

So, the day began bright and early with breakfast with my family ( who came down from the Northwest!) and then it was to the venue for rehearsal...Once I arrived and was getting out of my car, a big gust of wind came and my finger got smashed in the door Now its all bruised on one side and numb on the other... (at least its not my shutter finger!)...then my tassel fell of my hat somewhere between carrying my regalia from the car to the venue but luckily they had extras! Next we were herded like cattle into an upper room where there was no air conditioning and we were all sweating underneath our gowns...YUCK! Two hours later the ceremony started, but some of us were fighting not to fall asleep because it was so warm and we had to sit and listen to the speaker for what seemed like ages! Then they conferred our degrees and since they told us we werent allowed to throw our hats because of people getting thier eyes poked out, some of us split stacks of cards(we smuggled them in under our sleeves) and threw them along with popping Party Poppers...
We all congregated outside and took a gazillion pictures and said our goodbyes to friends who are moving away... then, It just so happened that an ice cream truck drove by and you should have seen all of us standing out in the street ordering icecream like giddy lil school girls!
Later that evening we all congregated at my Dad's place for a lil' fun and relaxation. We played tennis, ping-pong, pool, soccer, air hockey and some people swam or hot-tubbed. Overall it was a very relaxing evening and I really enjoyed spending time with the friends and family :)
IN honor of Mothers day we took mom to a Laguna Beach Cafe and soaked in the sun.
Now, I am sitting in a hotel room somewhere in B.F.E amidst a road trip home to Oregon and Washington to go see friends and family for a week or so. I have slept in the car most of the day catching up on the lack of sleep I have had this past week, so now I am wide awake :)


It is just now setting in that I am done...completley finished! Its a great feeling...but sad at the same time because a chapter in my life has ended. And while it may have been rough at times, it was a wonderful experience. The speaker at graduation mentioned that only 1% of the population has the opportunity to attend college, and it hit me how truly lucky we are to live in a land abounding with opportunities!
So in retrospect I am overall thankful...for opportunity, family, and friends...
Thanks everyone for such an amazing weekend!

Yippee Skippy!

Im done with finals!!!

....thats all, I'm just excited! Only 3 more days until Graduation!

I am officially a Santa Barbara junkie...

Friday was the fabulous Amy Nave's Birthday so I cruised on up to spend some time with the crew, and I simply couldnt have asked for more fun! I was surrounded by the most amazing people who all brought a unique flavor that made for an amazingly great experience!

Saturday: Dinner at Chad's... with [b], Keats, Dane, Kristin ,DJ, Aims, Gary, and Melissa followed by a run to Coldstone and then a rendevouz back at DJ's place where Gary sernaded us all evening with his masterpiece 'Ode de Flatulence' while Deej and [b] talked juicy gossip....ok, so they talked business but you should have seen them, the ardency with which they chatted made it obvious of their passion for business! I was rapidly jotting down mental notes while "looking at a magazine" in hopes not to show how eagerly I was hanging on their every word. Great business minds facinate me and so this opportunity was invaluable! ( the only problem is that between this weekend, and then cramming for my final today, my brain is on overlaod...TOO MUCH INPUT..."No disassemble Johnny 5")
Anyway, DJ's place is right in the heart of downtown so our visits were accompanied by loud Mexican Music played on the street in celebration of Cinco De Mayo... An entirely different tune than that played by Gary but equally as entertaining!

Sunday: Church at Reality Carp with Deej, & Aims!...Then the BIKE! Haha! A 9 passenger bike that barely fit 8 of us was put in motion by the 6 different pedlers who all had differnet distance perceptions...
1/2mi+ 7mi+ 15mi = 2 blocks (yeah, the math doesnt add up does it? ;)) Well, what's even better is that we broke it!!! Hahahaha...yeah we totally snapped the axle! I dont know it its because we went careening off a 1ft-ish curb or riding lil'Gary around in the infant seat on the front??? Oh well it made for wonderful memories!
Anyway, after dessert on the pier we again headed back to DJ's abode and learned some valuable lessons from Master Fong Himself.... I am amazed at his heart for people. Being as sucessful as he is has not hardened him to others and that is very admirable! One thing he stressed last night that is worth its weight in gold???...... SAVE SAVE SAVE your $$$, a simple principle that doesnt take a financial degree to learn...simply discipline and hard work! Laziness gets you nowhere...the life you have always wanted is in your OWN hands!

Ok, so since I didnt take a camera (CRAZY, I know...you can repremand me later) I had to resort to being a blog thief...these pictures are all swiped from Gary's blog but I just wanted you to see how much fun we had... :)

The crew...



Oops...

Since we dont have a shot with EVERYONE in it...I drew one :)

Cinco De Mayo

The title can be a little misleading because I really didn't celebrate any Cinco de Mayo fesivities but we did celebrate Mikes Birthday! Happy 3-one Master Colon!
So, here are a few pics to recap the evening... First of all I was stuck in traffic trying to get to dinner so I decide to take pics while I was driving... Pics of RANDOM things... such as... this here coffee cup fom Starbucks. I really thought the quote by Jason Mraz was good so I took a picture...




How about a radom pic of a can of hairspray?

Hehe... This kebler truck kept cutting me off but thats ok, I liked the signage...

Well, and hour later I arrived at Koji's and learned all about Shamba Shamba! I thought Julie made it up, but it actually means 'swish swish' in Japanese. It involves raw meat that you cook in you own personal pot of boiling water...

Yummy! Caterpillar rolls...It looked so cute I didnt want to eat it...

Gee Regis, lay off the smoking! *Cough Cough*...;)

Pinkies up!

Uh..yeah I dont have an explanation except its [b]...enough said!

Happy Birthday Mikey!!!

I spent most of the evening hangin out with Keats but unfortunately all my pics with her were blurry :(...

Rebekah White (cont...)

Here are a few more pics of Bekah that I pulled from the pile...
These were some that were a bit soft but I like the actual pictures so I played with them anyway :)

Angels vs. A's

After some forceful convincing from a few persistant friends of mine, I finally said 'yes' and we spent the evening at the ballgame! I have never been to a pro baseball game but what better way to experience it than with a bunch of friends...right?? Apparently the Angels and the A's are rivals and what colored the evening quite brightly was that half our group were Angels fans and the other half were A's fans...then there was me who wore a bunch of different colors just to prove I was neutral! (wink wink)
The A's won 1-0 so you can probablly guess the game was pretty uneventful... All I wanted to see were fireworks!!! Was that too much to ask? :( hehe..
We gorged ourselves on Peanuts, M&M's. churros, sunflower seeds, and chips and I feel so sick *Yuck*! Apparently it was all apart of the 'experience'.
I am curious though...why does a team called the 'Angels' have a monkey as a mascot??? What is the relation??
And why does every player's picture look like a mug shot?? I would volunteer to re-do their pics just to give the audience something better to look at...HaHa!
I think my favorite part if the evening though was watching the "kiss cam"... it was so cute seeing couples suprised by the camera and then planting one on eachother...awww so adorable!
So a recap...uneventful game, belly ache, bad player photos, and cute kissy couples made for a fun evening!

I'll post pics later but now I gotta go to sleep...I have to meet Mike at the studio at 6:30am! ugh...

OH, I almost forgot... I pulled a 'Liana' and walked into the mens restroom....OOPS ;)