We've Moved! Now Serving the Sierra Nevada Foothills and Lake Tahoe!

Life is a journey, and sometimes the road you're traveling on takes an unexpected left turn into a great new experience.  Recently, my life took one of those turns, and Josh and I had the opportunity to move to the Sierra Nevada foothill and fulfill our dream of living in the mountains.  We couldn't love it more, but the move means a few changes for Wedded Bliss Images, including new photography packages and, of course, a new coverage area!  Don't worry, Bay Area, I've still got you covered, but I'll also be shooting more frequently around Gold Country, Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe.  So, if you're planning your wedding in any of those areas and want heartfelt, fun photography to capture your memories, give me a shout over email or by phone!

Happy Monday!

Shoot First, Focus Later

Every morning, Josh reads the New York Times online, and sends me links to interesting articles.  It's a pretty sweet deal in that he basically creates a customized newspaper just for me, and I love it.  Yesterday's find was an article about a new camera from a start-up company called Lytro.  Now, I know that there are bunches of companies out there making point-and-shoot cameras, but Lytro's camera is unique in that it allows you to decide which part of the image you want to focus on after you've taken the photo.  The camera has an array of sensors that capture light from a variety of angles, and integrated software then recreates the image with the chosen focal point.  Just think-- no more of those images that you love the feeling and composition of, but just missed the focus on your subject.  Pretty cool, huh?

The camera is scheduled to hit the consumer market later this year in a point-and-shoot format, and could be the next big thing in camera technology.  So, Lytro, if you need more testing done, I'm just on the other edge of Silicon Valley, and would love to try one out!

Happy Thursday!

Toy Lenses

Some time ago, in building my quiver of lenses (yes, I have enough lenses to call it a "quiver"), I picked up a LensBaby Muse.  The Muse is what's commonly referred to as a "toy lens."  It's relatively inexpensive, doesn't have a focusing motor (you adjust the focus by squeezing the lens with your fingertips), and produces selective-focus images, which are very, very cool.  When I first bought it, I loved it, and used it every chance I could, but then things got busy, and I haven't loaded it up lately.  Till now.  I pulled out the Muse to take some photos of the flowers my totally awesome Grandma sent me for my birthday, and I'm in love all over again.  My goal is shoot with it more often, like once a week or so, so we'll see how that goes.  In the meantime, enjoy a few more flowers!

Happy Wednesday!

Birthday Flowers

Each and every year, my wonderful Grandma, who lives back in Michigan, sends me flowers on my birthday, and each and every year I look forward to a solid week of shooting flowers in various states of bloom.  I love to pull out the macro lens, and focus on capturing the details of each flower.  On the first day or two, I usually manage to leave the flowers in place in their arrangement, but by the third day, I just can't help myself, and I end up pulling the flowers in full bloom out to be photographed on a solid background.  (Don't worry, Grandma, I put them back after!)  This year, as I was shooting away with my macro lens, I thought I'd have a little fun, and halfway through, I switched to my LensBaby Muse.  For those of you who don't know (ok, pretty much everyone outside the Wonderful World of Photography), LensBaby makes selective-focus "toy" lenses.  They're a ton of fun, and create some really neat effects in your images.

So, without further ado, here are the photos!

These first two were taken with my macro lens.

And here are a few more with the Muse....

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed shooting with the Muse, so I think just may start myself a little personal project... More to come soon!

The best camera...

...Is the one you have with you.  Many people have heard this saying, and it's one that's gaining popularity lately.  It's a great idea, encouraging you to capture the moment with whatever camera you have handy, instead of missing it completely because you don't have the "right" gear with you.  If something catches your eye, and all you've got is your iPhone, go to town!

I carry the Adventure Camera on all of our expeditions, but there are a few places that I drive or bike by almost every day, and keep saying to myself, "I'll come back later with my big camera," rather than just grabbing the shot with what I've got on me.  So, yesterday, I decided to change all that while out on my bike.  The storm rolling in over the pastures caught my eye, and I stopped on the shoulder of the road, whipped out my Blackberry, and got the shot, all while another cyclist rode past looking at me like I was on glue.  (Is it really crazy to appreciate beauty wherever you happen to be?  I think not!)  Now, I generally hate shooting with my phone-- the delay between pressing the shutter and it taking the shot, the lack of any sort of exposure control, the darn trackball that always jumps to the wrong button at the last second-- it all drives me nuts.  But I'm glad I stopped, because not I have this moment to share.

By the way, I don't in any way condone talking/texting/web surfing on your phone while riding your bike.  It's dangerous, especially when you're on the road.  I ride some rather deserted roads and always take my phone in case of emergency (or photo ops!).

Happy hump day!