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Portraiture

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OJ

There is something special about shooting couples.  Just a few days before graduation, I was asked to do a quick session for Oliva and Josh. This encounter took place a few days after a previous mind-numbing shoot with Josh, Matt, and Tony that I will never forget.

The Field

I took my camera bag to work and drove straight to campus around 5:30 p.m. Josh and Olivia found their way behind me as we headed to the WOW-O-Rama fields. Thankfully, the air didn't smell like cow dung as it normally does in the spring.  We chatted a little after exiting our cars and started walking.

Our first stop was the baseball field; Josh's home turf. Olivia and Josh wore matching long sleeve tees. Josh had brought a baseball glove and baseball, but had forgotten a baseball bat and a guitar. Tsk tsk. We started off fairly confused and unorganized. However, we got our footing after a short while. Josh and Oliva were good sports and kept up conversation and told many stories throughout the duration of the shoot. THEY'RE SO CUTE. CUT. CU. Copper.

After playing around a little on the field, we stopped at the "dugout". I don't know if it's really a dugout. It was just a bench behind a fence. You could call it a "fench". Olivia and Josh are amazing individuals, and an equally lovely couple. Josh just walked on Saturday and will be receiving his B.S. in Mathematics. Olivia also just recently graduated from Cal Poly with a B.A. in Graphic Design. I'm excited to see them again after the summer as both have a few more months before (probably?) moving out of SLO. Perhaps we'll go on a double date; Josh and I with Olivia and Jocelyn. Ha!

The Garden

After the baseball field, we ventured off into the wilderness otherwise known as the Leaning Pine Arboretum. One of them wondered if I had heard of the "Kool-Aid" story. I hadn't, so they went on to explain one of the first events that lead up to their relationship. Let's just say this one dealt with grape flavored Kool-Aid, Olivia's general dislike of Kool-Aid and pure sugar drinks, and Josh drinking a lot of sugar-water.

Overall, it has been a really cool experience seeing Josh and Olivia's relationship develop. A long time ago, a few of the other guys would troll Josh for liking Olivia. I am sure he was prodded and poked by many... but all in good favor. Then, after a long while and (I am sure) much consideration, many heard some good news :). All relationships are dynamic. It will be interesting to see the factors they will have to overcome as they proceed into the post-graduate stage of life.  I wish nothing but the best for both of these spectacular individuals.

I've had a good handful of in-depth conversations with Josh. As such, I've always left them wishing we had more time to converse. Our conversations are always genuine... one aspect I admire about his unique personality. He very much has his heart set on God and the people around him, and has definitely positively impacted my life and the many others whom he comes in contact with. Sadly, I've never truly talked with Olivia except on occasion where our paths cross. However, I've heard many tales and stories about the love she has for other people, what she does, and of course, God. In truth, I believe them by the way Olivia carries herself.

Congratulations to Olivia and Josh on their graduation and academic achievement. Your friendship(s) in SLO will be sorely missed (after Fall quarter, of course). Thank you for all the work you've put in to develop the community around you. And with that, I must bid you adieu and farewell. God speed. (Well, see you in a couple months.)

What Was Learned

  • Couples can carry conversations
  • Tell subjects to "laugh". They'll laugh awkwardly, then probably actually laugh. Trigger fingers get to work then.
  • Olivia can carry Josh, and Josh can carry Olivia, but Josh probably can't squat Olivia (should work on that)
  • The Kool-Aid man breaks down walls. Figuratively.
  • Sunflares are fun to work with, when the sun is less than 30 degrees above the horizon

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LJC

Luke, James, and Chris asked me to do some of their graduation photos.

I wrote a blog post about them last night, but technology went whack and the post was deleted. :'(. Therefore, this one will feature less words and more pictures since I don't have a lot of time today and want to push them out. We have a lot of food tonight at our house, so come on over if you want to celebrate the end of the year :]. No, I'm not putting the address up here.

The Really Big Sign

Our first stop was the gigantanormous California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo sign right off of Grand and Slack. We parked not too far away, thankfully, all the while dodging students driving riskily on the way to take their last finals of the year.

Passerbys in their fancy motorized vehicles (think, Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf) whistled and yelled in congratulations to these three men. We laughed and cheered back. A woman and, I think, her daughter drove up next to us and took a picture with the sign. No, the guys didn't take a picture with her/them. We didn't mind as we were not in a hurry. I think one of them was wearing pink...

Afterwards, we moved on to the Business Building... the Orfalea College of Business. Pronounced, "or-fail-yah". Just kidding.

OCOB

The Rose Garden, Again. Part 3. Sigh.

Chris recreated his drivers license photo, albeit with much higher quality. He should tell CalDMV to this photo instead of his old one when renewing his license in a few years. Haha... I crack no one up.

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In ending, I'll definitely miss these guys next year. This past year would not have been the same without them (as cliché as it is). I'm looking forward to hearing about the experiences that they'll be going through over the next couple of months, and beyond. Best wishes, friends.

What Was Learned

  • I'm sad.
  • REMEMBER TO SAVE FREQUENTLY
    • This especially applies to things you don't save frequently

 

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MJT

My current streak of capturing grad photos continues... Josh, Matt, and Tony wanted some photos done Tuesday evening. After a long day of work, we arranged to meet at my house and drove out to Grover Beach around 5:30 p.m. for a two-hour photo adventure. As everyone arrived, we piled into a single car and took the 101 northbound. However, as we neared Pismo Beach we noticed a thick blanket of marine layer rolling in for the night. As we drove into the gloom, we decided to jump ship and head back south to Avila Beach/Pier.

Avila Beach

When we arrived at Avila Beach I was slightly concerned about the number of people on the beach. Currently, it is summer time. School is out for most students (think, K-12), and many families and their children were wandering around the beach in board shorts carrying blue foam body boards. The three guys prepped their dress shirts, ties, tassels, and sashes on a nearby concrete block on the pier as I stood around... people watching. In the moments I spent with these fine young men on the pier and the next few hours, I started to think about the time I had spent with them over the past four years. I've seen them come in as young, promising freshmen to Cal Poly, and now I'll be around watching them take another small step into the early adult stage of life.

It is remarkable to see how far they've developed not only as friends, intellectuals, or brothers; but also in their ability to lead as men of God. These three fine young fellows have come a long way since I first met them four years ago. I started to think of the times I've spent with them: grabbing from The Avenue  lunch and eating atop the University Union patio, making breakfast burritos, hanging out and delving into each other's lives... all as my fingers moved along the camera body to capture their camaraderie. Meanwhile, the three joked and laughed about a matter I clearly was not paying attention to... my mind elsewhere.

After a short while, we moved on from the pier to a nearby set of concrete stairs/steps. We took a few individual shots here, but I realized the directional light from the sun was starting to intensify at the end of the day and about 3/4 of the shots we took didn't suit my liking. However, changing positions worked all for the better. Shooting into the light (with some variation in approach) has its perks, as I'm learning. I was able to capture more of their features and even some of the finer features in the concrete steps. Passerbys looked at us with interest; mostly families, some older folks. Someone was playing a guitar or another instrument in the background. Actually, I don't even remember what instrument they were playing... but they were definitely bumping up the ambiance.

We finished up at the stairs and trudged through the sand to reach some play swings. Real talk: We displaced two families and took over the swings. No shame. Josh, Tony, and Matt gladly hopped on the swings and did their thing. I'm not sure who had more fun: them swinging around like the children of the family before us, or me photographing three grown men whose hips couldn't properly fit in the swing seats. The following photos are the results. These guys are some cool cats.

Tony was the only engineer out of the three. In fact, he is graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in just three (or so) days!

Pirates Cove

After a half an hour or so of swinging around, the guys decided to move on to their final destination at Pirates Cove. I dare say, that was an experience by itself. Won't tell you why, though. Heh. After driving the short distance from Avila Beach to Pirates Cove, the guys decided to change from their dress attire to more casual attire: long sleeves shirts, jeans, belts (classy), and sandals (borderline classy). We walked the short distance to Pirates Cove, all the while complaining of the inclement weather.

The marine layer continued its path and had rolled in from Pismo Beach towards Avila Beach. Some of it had started to cover most of Pirate's Beach. However, we reached the Cove just in time... maybe thirty minutes before the marine layer enveloped the cove.  They had brought along their graduation caps. We watched as an entire flock of sea birds circled the ocean maybe half a mile out to feed. Some families were also climbing atop Pirates Cove to watch the sunset, and most had climbed down and headed back to their cars by the time we were done. A small group of them waited inside the cave to wait their turn as I finished up some of Tony, Josh, and Matt's photos.

Best wishes to Tony, Matt, and Josh as they enter another stage in their lives!

What Was Learned

  • Beaches are crowded, but the Heal tool in Lightroom works wonders
  • Shooting into the light is okay, sometimes
  • The Rib Line sometimes runs out of tri-tip meat
  • Utilize the environment to make subjects smile
  • Reflections on clean, tinted windows provide great opportunities
  • Marine layers put damper on plans, be flexible when shooting oceanside

 

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TJJK

Earlier last week, Jocelyn asked if I was available for a quick photoshoot of her roommates/apartment-mates sometime during the coming weekend... Of course, I said yes :).

Over the course of the week we planned for a mid-afternoon shoot with her, Tracy, Joyce, and Karina on Sunday.  Tracy will be departing from San Luis Obispo as she is graduating this weekend with a B.S. in Accounting. She is quite a talented individual and I know that she'll do well post-grad.  The other three will remain in SLO for at least another year to finish their respective undergraduate studies.

As I left my house and headed over to their apartment, I was still undecided of where to take the girls to shoot.  It was a clear, cloudless, sunny day in San Luis Obispo.  One of the few thoughts that raced through my head as I drove onto the 101-N was, "Man, it's gonna be a hot day." I parked a little ways down the street from their apartment, which is particularly difficult to park near because of its immediate location next to a hospital.  A few moments later I entered the TJJK residence.

The girls were upstairs finishing their final touches, or whatever they were doing. I don't even know what they were doing. So, I loitered around downstairs and prepared my camera bag. Lately, I've been depending highly upon my 24-70mm for shoots. I've been itching to get my hands on a 70-200mm just for kicks, but I'll need to save up a couple paychecks before that can happen. Jocelyn came down and talked with me for a little bit and apologized for running a little late. We were supposed to start at 1:30 p.m., but in reality, we didn't start til around 1:50 p.m. It's okay. I'm used to "Hawaiian Time."

When the girls were about finished, I ventured back to my car and brought it around front so they wouldn't have to walk as far.  All four were waiting outside as I parked near their doorway, and they jumped in, and we took off.  The first stop, we had decided, was Cal Poly's business building (Orfalea College of Business) to take some of Tracy's grad photos.

It was a difficult situation; not the people involved, but rather the light intensity.  At 3:00 p.m., the sun was approximately at an altitude of 67°.  My number one fear was washed out backgrounds and other surfaces.  The photos turned out better than I expected.  It's a lot easier to manipulate lighting on backgrounds than a person's face, as I've been learning.

We stuck to the shade, for the most part. Karina and the other girls made sure Tracy looked great.  Between every couple of major shots, one of the three would go up and fix some part of Tracy's attire: hair, sash, dress, gown, cap, tassel, and so on.  I joked with Jocelyn that it was so much easier to work with men than women in this sense, but the extra effort was worth it.

After finishing some of Tracy's grad photos, we ventured over to the nearby Rose Garden for a short group session.  This is where Siby and Chad took some of their grad photos the previous weekend.  Honestly, this was a great location for a group photo, aside from the obtrusive Cal Poly score board in the background. I guess the green added a nice touch.  The trellis walls add some nice texture and color.

Afterwards, we wandered back to the car parked on the other side of Spanos Stadium and ran into the Epic SLO's Class of 2015 gathering to take their grad photos.  We chatted a bit and then left to the next location: the Mission (well, the creek) in downtown SLO. Of course, the world wouldn't be the same without that trademark brick-wall and high-contrasting dress photo.  This was taken outside of the Ah Louis store.

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Note to others: the Mission is fairly crowded on Sunday afternoons when SLO's weather is beautiful (which is never rare). We wandered down to the creek side and took some photos there.  However, the overall result weren't up to par with most of the other photos so I haven't spent much time editing.  Some of the issues were due to inconsistent shading from the overhead trees, a kid falling into the stream and his siblings laughing at him, and overall a cramped setting.  Afterwards, we headed out of the creek and found a quaint wooden bridge. The girls became really good at opening and closing their ranks to let other pedestrians walk over the bridge.

In the end, I had a few minutes to reflect on the time I've spent with these fine ladies. And I mean that in the most sincere way possible. Jocelyn and I have been dating for just about a year and a half now,. Through our relationship (via the time I've spent at her apartment cooking, chatting, watching movies, etc) I've also witnessed small glimpses of how Tracy, Joyce, and Karina have developed into the people they are today over the past three-or-so years.  It's hard to think that they'll be 4th years (or graduate) after this year and are taking another step into what we call "the real world." ... hopefully the world is ready for them.

Be prepared for great things.

What Was Learned

  • Shooting into the light isn't so bad
  • Coordinating groups of people is hard
  • Making people laugh is equally, if not harder
  • 24mm is pretty darn wide
  • Properly exposing a face is more important than the background. Some photos can be salvaged by converting to B&W
  • Area lights are pests
  • Contrast backgrounds with subject clothing


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