I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted.  Nothing has really happened in this off season except for meetings with potential clients and esessions.  This year is definitely going to be a fun one.  I’ve currently booked 26 weddings already and I’m starting to worry that it’s going to overwhelm me.  Finding balance with God, family, and work is going to be a tough task.  But God is good and I know his strength is sufficient to take care of all this. 

I also had a revamping of some of my equipment.  Transitioning to the new 5d mark II cameras instead of the older 5d’s.  I sold my 5d and some lenses to make room for the new bodies.  The stuff this camera produces just blows my mind.  Shooting in darker rooms will never be the same. I’m really excited about that for this year.  So I’ll be dual-yielding 5dmkII’s on a CameraSlinger for most of the wedding season.  I think it’s going to help me by keeping the work consistent and stress free.  Shooting with two of the same cameras should help b/c of the similar camera settings, lighting setups.. etc.  Last year, I felt like I had wasted a lot of time setting up the 5d and 1dmkIIn for a given situation to produce consistent results.  This way, shooting with two 5dmkII’s will take all that guessing work out and allow me to focus on composing and capturing quick, intimate moments while using two different lenses.

So in the gear bag this season…I’m going to try shooting a lot more with primes this year.  I LOVE the 85/1.2 and that thing is gonna stay glued to one of the cameras.  The other one will probably be a wider 24L or 35L.. haven’t decided yet.  For time being, I’ll still use the 16-35L for wides.. and the 70-200 IS for compression but that’s about it.  I’ll be bringing a 15fisheye, 100macro, and 50L with me for some quick shots.

I’ve also been blessed this year with a couple of domestic destination weddings.  That should be exciting.   I’ve never done it before and I’m praying that everything will be ok.  Right now, I’m already preparing how I pack my gear, what to bring and how to bring it.  It’s just nuts!!  I’m so used to throwing everything in the trunk of my car and enjoying the comforts of staging all of my gear from my car… picking out only what I need for the house, ceremony, reception.. etc.  Flying to another city for a wedding really makes you think about packing light but at the same time, packing without sacrificing the quality of the work.   If you have experience in this area, I’d love to pick your brain about it.  I think I already have a good headstart b/c I’ll be using some of the Thinktank products to travel with.  All of my gear should fit in the Thinktank International Roller and a Shapeshifter backpack, both which I’ll carry on.  I guess I’ll just check in my normal luggage.  For those of you who use light stands for off camera lighting, how do you carry those?  My first wedding of the year will be in a couple of weeks in New Orleans/Mobile, AL.   I’m SOOO excited about the trip.  I’ve never been to that area so I booked my trip a little earlier to enjoy some of the sites before I actually get to work.   I’ll be shooting Andre & Tahirah’s wedding down there… one of my best friends from Kenwood back in the day.  I felt so honored when he asked me.  Anyways I’ll be updating on my twitter so feel free to follow my adventures in Mardi Gras land: http://www.twitter.com/secondprint.

This past month, I enjoyed a meet and greet hosted by Misha Media. I also learned new ways to pose a bride and also how to use the given lighting.  That was a ton of fun.  Mike Fan and I always joke about hosting a hands-on workshop about shooting pictures between 7pm-8pm on Chicago downtown bridges.  Such a specific niche workshop hahaha.   Maybe this past meet will spur those dreams again.  Anyways,  here are some of the images from that meet and greet. 


off camera flash:


we also hired some birds for the photoshoot:




our model was such a pro!



having a moment with the dress




stay tuned for an awesome 2009 year!