After Mondays wedding class, I got a wild hair and asked Cheech
-my gorgeous sister, if she could dress up as a bride and let me practice shooting her. She used my wedding dress and a bouquet that my mom made in her floral class the night before, so it worked out perfect! Thanks Mama! At this point I have lil to no experience shooting or posing brides and this is my first try in natural light, I’ve only watched my instructor so this was my test to see if I was any good. I already had negative thoughts in my mind because I’ve been reading professional photographer’s blogs and notice that their lenses and cameras are far more professional than mine. (Not to sound ungrateful at all, because I Love my Camera) I just thought I could never get a professional looking photo like theirs, with the gear that I have. So this was a test of my posing & interacting skills (which was a tad easier since she’s my sister, but she’s pretty picky so it was still a challenge), my camera & lenses skills, and the use of natural light. I so badly want to be good at this whole wedding photojournalist thang. We walked out into the cold streets around 2pm so the sun was pretty bright. While I was looking for shady spots to put her in she was practicing her smile. Once I took a few shots she was pretty stiff & self conscious of her smile and poses, which was stressing me out because I was self conscious of my metering and poses. Then after some odd shots we finally started getting comfortable and having fun with it. She reminded me that if you’re silent behind the camera it makes them even more uncomfortable, I needed to reassure her that they were coming out good so she would relax more. That’s Hot! Give it to me! Give it to me! She began to crack up, loosen up, & started to love them! We shot until the sun went down -literally, thanks to day light savings it went down at 4:30pm. We both were freezing but having way too much fun to go inside! Thanks Cheech for letting me shoot you! I had so much fun! You make a gorgeous Bride!!! Hope you all enjoy! Toodles...
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While everyone was cuddling by the fire watching movies with
their families enjoying the beautiful rainy Sunday; I was at a Photoshop Workshop with the successful Photographer Ramiro Gaytan -All day! And boy it was totally worth it. My instructor taught us so much tips & techniques on how to improve your photos in half the time. He even bought donuts for breakfast and pizza for lunch, which is always a plus! (I'm like a man -the way to my heart is through my belly -Jack learned that real quickly.) Anyway after the 9 hour workshop, I got to enjoy the final hours of the rainy night by the fire, cuddling with my Jackz, watching good ol Aladdin, and fell asleep to the sound of the rain. I Love the time change!So below is one of the many things that I learned how to do from the workshop.... I took a photo and added a texture (a handwritten letter) over it. Hope you likey... Do you ever have to tell yourself to Simmer Down Now? I do... I realized that I have to pump my brakes a little. it might take me a little longer to reach my $10,000 wedding package goal. You’ve been glued to that Computer! Is what I’ve been told lately by my family so I need to learn how to manage my time. I thought I was doing pretty good, but I guess not! To make up for it I took my lil man to the park for a picnic and to play baseball (well Tee ball to be exact). He loved it and we both had a blast! We have a family filled weekend planned and on Sunday I’m going to a Photoshop Seminar. I’m ready to step up my game! All I need to do is build up the courage to ask a couple to let me practice shooting them. I’m hoping I’m a pro at my camera by the end of this year and I can fit in a FREE engagement photo-shoot. I’ll be posting some information on that soon. We have a family filled weekend planned and on Sunday I’m going to a Photoshop Seminar. I’m ready to step up my game! All I need to do is build up the courage to ask a couple to let me practice shooting them. I’m hoping I’m a pro at my camera by the end of this year and I can fit in a FREE engagement photo-shoot. I’ll be posting some information on that soon. My baby boy did a photoshoot for Petunia Pickle BottomFall catalogue (not only do they have a cool name, they also have beautiful bags.) They sent us a complimentary bag and I’m using this to carry around my camera. Its perfect... it has slots for me to hold my lenses too.. While I was lying in bed one morning staring around my room, I thought if I was shooting a bride getting dressed in my room where would I photograph the important details. It was cool to force myself to be creative. This is the most creative I could get lol (pretty sad I know) but these are the “pretend brides” shoes hanging against my headboard... Do you believe in jinxes? I usually only talk about things once they’ve already happen because I’m afraid if I speak too soon then ill jinx it. But that doesn’t work too well with my impatientness (yes I made up this word), it’s a battle within me! So I got this awesome opportunity from Jacks Aunt April, who is also the President of Heart of a Horse (helping horses in need), to go along with her to different states for tradeshows and model for her new clothing line. It’s so cool on so many levels… 1- I get to travel (I’ve only been to Mexico, Arizona, & Nevada) 2- It supports a great cause 3- It’ll be a pretty cool opportunity to be her model ( I just hope I don’t screw it up somehow) & 4- I’ll be speaking to strangers about her foundation and that’s good practice for my future photography business.
After these 2 months of school I’ve realized that I want to focus more on engagements and weddings. Not only are they money makers, they seem to be really fun! Of course they’re probably super stressful but I’m in Love with Love and I think it would be so rewarding to be able to capture the unforgettable moments. Coming from a new bride, I feel like I had first-hand experience of how important a good professional wedding photographer is. They capture the moments that your mind sometimes forget. I would totally love to be an International Wedding Photographer. I know that today it seems pretty far-fetched and I’ve never really wanted a job that makes me travel, but this is so different. I hope that I can become as awesome as the great ones out there and charge $10,000 for my wedding sessions. It would be awesome if I could train my Husband to be my second shooter and we could travel the world together and fall in love over and over again. (There’s something about Weddings that makes you fall in Love with your spouse all over again because it makes you appreciate what you have.) So Jack hold onto your calzones because I’m going to be entering the world of ObsessedMuch, in order to reach my goal before our next baby. There’s something in the cold air on Halloween night that brings the kid out of me. It can be the smell of the fireplaces burning, or the cool breeze that sends chills down my spine, or the chuckling of children, but it’s a once a year feeling. As I painted my son’s eyes black and placed his batman mask on, tears were filling my eyes, I was tripping out how fast he’s grown. Last Halloween he had no idea what was going on and this year we’re practicing the “Trick or Treat” song and he’s cracking up at the part wear it says Trick or Treat, Smell my feet... As soon I put his mask on he was in character. He no longer answers to Jack Jordan, its Batman from then on.
We had a potluck at our Best Friend’s new home and it was a night of eating, treating, and laughing. There were times that I would ask my son to make a batman pose and he would put his basketball candy basket down and get in a fighting stance. He was cracking people up left and right, I was so proud! Later that night he told me I had fun mommy! That’s all that mattered to me… job well done! |
I'M JANELLE MARINA
Wife, Mama Shark, + Photographer. Most days, you'll find me in mismatched socks and a top knot, working behind my computer with a smile on my face, listening to Zac Brown Band and R&B --or, dancing in the kitchen with my 3 littles and hunka husband, seeing who could come up with the coolest dance moves. I'm a wedding photographer, West Elm lover, aspiring advocate for our buddies with special needs, and a Certified Dreamer since 1986. We live in a cozy city in Southern California and are always up for a good adventure. I enjoy telling stories with my camera, grubbing on spicy food, and solving the latest Dateline case.
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December 2019
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