February 2016 In Review - Adventure Time!

Alright, so Yeah Field Trip got its own 4-part post, but it's time for the rest of February to have its time in the sun, too. Let's kick it off, eh?

I had a nice picnic trip to the beach with unseasonally-warm weather with my bear, enjoying the gorgeousness that Newport always has to offer!

home-from-yeahfieldtrip2016-and-i-dont-wanna-be-trying-to-take-a-nap-but-first---lets-get-caught-up-on-my-one-a-day-posts-ya-heres-a-flash-back-to-my-valentines-picnic-in-newport-i-love-being-serenaded-by-my-bear-dontkickjimmy-sunset-gu_251899637.jpg

thanks-sunset-in-newport-beach-for-the-perfect-pantone-2016-coloroftheyear-palette-rosequartz-serenity-bike-beachcruiser-pink-40365_24690919313_o.jpg

ok-ok-last-one-of-the-epic-sunset-adventure-for-valentinesday-at-newport-newportbeach-beach-41366-that-cottoncandy-clouds-sky-though-pantone-rosequartz-serenity_25259708441_o.jpg

I got to take a friend horseback riding! My pony was named Apache--she was super sweet but had a big case of the munchies the whole way! I got to nab a few shots with my Photojojo Iris lenses:

I stared quite longingly at the pool, waiting for actually-warmer days... soon enough!

peaceful-mornings-sunrise-dawnpatrol-crystalbluepersuasion-palm-home-42366-oh-and-happyleapday--leapday-yay_25395431685_o.jpg

Anyone need a spare sewer? It has since been reduced in price to $150!

sewer-forsale-get-your-sewage-here-over-50-off-haha-the-things-you-find-at-vintage-boutiques-35366_24764028929_o.jpg

My friend Stephanie and I had a sweet little photographer's lunch and played around shooting in the back alleys of Pasadena. Here are some highlights (Steph's eyes!! Like crystal ice magic.) I had just gotten the Petzval 58, and took it for a spin (har har) but ultimately decided it was harder to work with than the Petzval 85 (the aperture plates fall right out of the 58 for some reason).

So, I also played around a bit with the new Petzval in the backyard. Here are my dogs, and some plants. Ha! Enjoy that gorgeous, swirly bokeh.

Later that month, I also got a new 35mm for my full-frame. It's only a 1.8, but it's still pretty amazing! I made the mistake of buying a 35mm DX (cropped sensor)--I got real tired of the excessive vignetting real fast. Ha! So, here's a portrait of my new lemon tree and my jade plants in early bloom with some bumble friends.

And there you have it! February 2016 is complete. xoxo

Yeah Field Trip! Days 3-5 (Part 1) - February 2016

Alrighty, friends! This post is a continuation of the last two posts about Field Trip. For a blurb about what it is, check out part 1. Or just check out part 2 while you're at it for some pretty sights.

This post is definitely NSFW. Be aware if you are at work, or easily offended by the female figure. While I would hope none of my readers would take offense to this post, if you are that type--that's ok! Just click "back" and go to another blog post. :) This is a sunrise boudoir session on the beach, and while the models have clothing covering all of the bits, some of the clothing is a bit see-through.

Here's a party gnome to guide your eyes back to safety.

In case you missed it, here's my video. I worked hard on it! I know it's long, but it's satisfying for all the feels, whether you've been to Field Trip or daydream about it.

Yahoo! Here's a (rather long, sorry) video documenting my journey at Field Trip 2016, held in the El Capitan hillsides of Santa Barbara, CA. Blog post is to follow, but essentially Field Trip is a kumbaya of an event, spanning the length of 5-ish days, where photographic and other related creatives coalesce to shoot, learn, network, dance, and broaden their horizons. This year, I concentrated more on participating in photoshoots and taking some video classes. While video has been a big learning curve, it was great learning from some mad geniuses! I hope you take the 8 minutes out of your day and view the full thing. *Side note-- I participated in some boudoir shoots, so there are a few images that are semi NSFW, beware!* Not sure what the quality is going to be, since I had to resize down for Vimeo... At any rate, song credits to Phantogram (Don't Move) and Odesza (Say My Name ft. Zyra) Enjoy!

Long story short on this sunrise session: I was so exhausted by this point due to miles and miles of trudging and lack of sleep. On two wings and a few prayers, I got out of bed. I got dressed. I glanced at the clock. Ugh. So early. I'll never make it down there on time.... So, not one to cave in and accept FOMO, I decided to go for it. I figured I'd rather have 15 minutes of shooting than none at all. So what happened? I magically caught a golf cart headed down yonder mile(s) to the beach. Boom. We get down there and the class had started late. The lecture portion was just wrapping. I had the full time to shoot. And the following is the beautiful, muse-y fruit of that leap of faith:

Ash was fierce. Those vintage camera tats! Those piercing eyes. I had fun playing around with some lens toys. And then... Sometimes, you get to a shoot, and some place, thing, or person becomes your muse. This is that person, this is that place, and that outfit(!!) is that thing. Click. Sarah killed it. It was my Victoria's Secret model photographer moment.

If you've made it this far... You can pick your jaws up off the floor now. ;)
A HUGE-MONGOUS thank you to the models! You gals put up with a lot with all of us clicking away. I know exactly what you went through. haha! xo

Yeah Field Trip! Days 1 + 2 (Part 2) - February, 2016

Hello again! This here is a continuation of Days 1 + 2, Part 1

So let's get to it, eh? The end of day two included a grand 'ole adventure down to the rocky shore of El Capitan Canyon, Santa Barbara, for a sunset/night boudoir shoot. Yes! New things for me. Of course I lugged a tripod around all day long, and no flash, didn't need a tripod, needed a flash. Life. Anyway, this boudoir set is pretty PG to PG-13, but you probably shouldn't be viewing at work, unless you have a sneaky screen shade thing or if your screen faces away from the foot traffic... !

I was so impressed with our models this evening. All three of them gorgeous gals killed it! So fierce, and confident, and all three brought something exciting to the beach. Extra mad props to miss Cheyenne (nude/maroon lace)--she is on some other planetary level of self love and body positivity. All of us (men included!) can learn a thing or two from her. And Hailley Howard, our fearless leader!

And that concludes the photography for night one! We had a guest lecturer at dinner, but I have since lost track of his name. He was from Ireland or something of that nature, and he was hilarious. It was like having a live podcast while you feasted.

Alright, folks, be on the lookout for the post(s) on days 3-5, coming soon! Those days will have a sunrise boudoir session, more wolfies, another mini-boudoir sunset session, and some other explorations and antics.