IT'S ALIVE!!!!!

That's right, the NEW BLOG IS UP!!!!! CHECK IT OUT HERE!!!!

Packing Up, Moving Out....

That's right, dear blog readers. Moving day is upon us! Yes, this is the big "project" that I have been working on.

Sometime later today, I will be unveiling the link to my NEW BLOG!!!!!

I am very excited to share it with you! Check back later today!

Foto Friday #10- Get Carded

FOTO FRIDAY #10- Get Carded For the past few weeks, I have been laboring on many projects. Life has been full (and thoroughly enjoyable) and thus the past couple weeks of the Foto Friday blog series have been neglected.

The project that I would like to share with you today is the new business cards that I have! I am super excited about them! My friends Peter and Jessica Ross of P and 2M Design did them and I couldn't be more pleased! I love the way that they are simple and I love the texture and feel of the card in my hand. Basically, I would say that they are classy. And fun, perhaps?

There are more things that I working on for photography and am excited about and I will be sharing them with you soon!

Have a great weekend!

Tyler's Birthday

I have a nephew. His name is Tyler. Tyler Turned Three last weekend! Cory and I swooped down to South County for some Birthday festivities and it was really fun!

My brother Ben, who had staked out a spot near the Spinach Artichoke dip, was in attendance.

As was my mom.

Tyler, wondering where the presents are....

We got Tyler these really cool foam swords that we found in the $1 bin at Target!!!

I think he kind of liked them....

There was much swordfighting for the rest of the party.

Uncle Ben lost a hand during the battle...

Mental note for the next time we give swords as gifts- bring sheaths to go with them.

He also received a Rhino. There was much rejoicing over the Rhino and many Rhino faces made by all.

I love this picture. Happy Birthday Tyler!!!

Nick and Christie

Blogging has sparse as of late! There are many reasons, some of which have to do with big things upcoming for Bill Blakey Photography that I will be making you aware of soon. But for now, let's get back to the things that hopefully make this blog a place worth visiting- the photographs.

This weekend, we went out with Nick and Christie to their engagement session! They are tying the knot in Idaho in May. We had a great time with you guys! I have known Nick for a while and have really enjoyed him as a person and his outlook on life and so it was really fun to get to know Christie a bit as well and getting to spend time with them as a couple.

Thanks again, Nick and Christie!

The Homecoming of Emma Blakey!

I'm an Uncle. Again! Yesterday morning, my older brother's wife Christa had their second child, Emma Jane Blakey! We got to hang with them and meet her and she is really cool. She is so little and so awesome, like a bundle of cool. It was really fun to be able to photograph her at just over a day old at my brothers house! Bob and Christa, it was great to hang with you guys and to meet Emma!

The Photo above warrants some explanation. Tyler (the original cuteness himself) when he got to the hospital, quickly noticed that while Mom and Dad and Emma had all gotten really cool wristbands, he had not received his. He mentioned that to the nurse and a few moments later he was presented with his own Big Brother wristband! Here are Bobby and Tyler sporting their wristbands...

Foto Friday...errrr Saturday #9- Be Inspired

Once again, my apologies for my tardiness in the Foto Friday post!

I started to write this post but then decided to change it up a bit, so here it is.

The above image was taken out in Palm Springs where Cory and I took our vacation in December. There was a golf course at the hotel where we were staying (I'm pretty sure that ALL hotels in Palm Springs have golf courses attached. I think the Motel 6 is next to the miniature golf course). We took a late afternoon stroll alongside the course and strolled out to take a few photos when there was nobody coming and it was really quite enjoyable.

I was perusing back through these images while thinking of this post (I just got my camera back from the shop yesterday so I haven't had anything fresh to post) and it made me think of golf. Golf has been a big part of my life, even from the time when I was six and was kicked off the golf-course for making divots in the green with my five iron. Golfing has been a Blakey family tradition (at least for the boys) for many years and as I was editing this image (just for fun) I was thinking of my dad.

My folks were out for dinner this evening (Wood Ranch es muy bueno) and I guess that's why I thought of him. But I think I also thought of him because in the area of golf I have been continually inspired by my Dad. My dad is, as members of the football team in college would say, "Just a guy," but if you've been with him for 18 holes, you'd know he's anything but "just a guy" at golf.

When my dad steps up to the tee, he has to radio air traffic control because when he hits a drive, the ball literally takes off. Many a time in recent years have I stepped up to the tee and felt like I absolutely crushed one, only to see my dad, with a nice, smooth, swing outdrive me by a good 30 yards. Playing a round of golf with my dad is usually downright inspirational.

I can remember many times as a younger lad watching my dad on the practice range and trying to swing like him. While I never was quite able to swing exactly like him, I think it really helped me develop a rhythm to my swing and improved my game.

Photography is very similar to golf in this respect. Seeing the work of the other photographers who are more experienced or in some cases- more talented than you, can really help your photography to improve. Seeing great photographs, studying them, and in some ways trying to emulate them is one of the best ways to develop your "eye" as a photographer. Some say that it is wrong to try to "copy" other photographers work, but I say that it is actually kind of impossible to do so. You may try and try to swing like another photographer, but you'll never quite be able to duplicate their swing. However, in the process of trying to swing like them, you'll develop your own swing.

THIS WEEK'S TIP- BE INSPIRED. I have photographers whose work inspires me and whose handle on the business of photography I aspire to. Someday I might share the list, but I don't think that's the point of this evening's post. The point is to encourage you to find other photographers whose work you really enjoy and be inspired by them.

Thanks for those of you who have written in with other questions to be answered by future Foto Fridays. I'm looking forward to tackling them soon!

Foto Friday #8- The need to Succeed

Welcome to Friday. I am excited today as I am leaving in a little over an hour to spend a weekend up on the mountain at a Winter Camp with the Junior High Students I work with at my church. I am really hoping that this weekend will be a weekend of change and growth for the students and that we will have a great time.

But on to FOTO FRIDAY! This weeks tip is related to questions that I have received from a few different photographers, and it relates to weddings (I love weddings.)

Weddings are awesome things to photograph. Everyone is looking their best, the details have been planned for month and people are, well, happy. I never get tired of photographing weddings because every one is unique and the interactions between each couple and their family and friends are genuine and special.

However, Weddings are also intense to photograph. There are no-reshoots. Moments only happen once and you can't always control them like you could on a produced shoot.

So, from one photographer who is continually honing his craft to others, here's todays tip- BE SUCCESSFUL AT YOUR WEDDINGS!!!

Just remember your S's (pronounced essssessss) to photograph a wedding successfully.

#1- Settings. There's just no way around it. If you haven't mastered your camera and made it your slave to do your will, weddings will be very difficult. You can't recreate a moment because you were shooting in Aperture mode and didn't get your light reading correctly (Kristin- jk, some are pros at shooting in Aperture mode). When you have your time with the Bride and Groom, you can't be wasting it while they are away from their guests for you to putz around with your settings.

This takes practice. I recommend that any photographers wanting to get into weddings volunteer to second shoot for an established photographer to practice. Nothing like snapping 1500 frames in one day to help your speed and use of your camera improve. Keep shooting.

#2- Scheduling. Weddings run on a schedule, and often run behind it. Giving yourself time to be creative so neither you or the couple or the bridal party are feeling rushed will go a long way to helping you grab the awesome shots you want to get. Work with the Bride and the wedding planner before the wedding to make sure that you have enough time to get great photos. I usually like 45 minutes at least with just the bride and groom and additional time for Bridal party photos/family photos. Try to build in some cushion if you are planning photos beforehand as people (even the guys) tend to be late.

#3- Scouting, of a few different kinds.

First- the location. You need to find areas around your venue that have got great light and pleasing backgrounds to shoot. For the photos in this post, the wedding was held in Pasadena and so I arrived about a half an hour before we started shooting to be able to walk around the neighberhood and we ended up finding some pretty cool places to shoot within a block from the church when the area around the church wasn't the most pleasing to work with. I think we got some great shots!

Second-the people. As a photographer, you must be a student of your couple and their family. Learn to anticipate moments, and you'll be there to capture them. Pay attention to what is happening even around the couple and it will help you to anticipate what will happen next. With the cake cutting, for example, see where the couple is choosing to stand and get yourself in postion at the right angle to take the photos. Anticipate interaction between the couple and be ready for it.

Third- the shots you want to get. Have ideas. Not necessarily of specific poses you want them to use (although it is handy to have a few of those in the bag for each wedding to work from). But scout the interactions you want to photograph, the emotions you want to capture and the feel you want your photography to convey.

That's it for this Foto Friday. I've got to run! Have a great weekend and I'll return e-mails on Monday! Bill