Sneak Peek Photoshoot with Adeline. February 18, 2011

What a week its been. I feel like I got a lot done, yet also so little (check out my list). Today was my bank day – I finally went in & changed my last name on my bank account & cards, and was able to deposit my first check with the name Jillian Tree on it! It felt good :)

Yesterday morning, my friend Adeline came over & we did a little fun photoshoot. The pictures will be coming sometime soon..I’m trying to focus on the second wedding’s photos more, just takes longer cuz there are just soooo many photos! (over 3,500 vs. 1,500 on my first wedding, to go through).

Please be patient with me. I’m just learning & not great at workflow, yet. :)

 

For now, here’s the teaser:

Enjoy your weekend! :]

Leesa + Matt. January 22, 2011

So, the workshop! It was amazing. Such a good, friendly group of photographers. And we all just sat & tried to absorb as much of what Ray Santana & Kenny Kim were telling us, and not miss a bit. I learned so many awesome tips! After, we went out to apply what we’d learned in a model shoot of a bride & groom. Other than the one I already put up in my previous post, following are my favorite pictures.

Meet Leesa & Matt. Models, not really getting married. They were so much fun though together!

We were at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel in Miami.

One of my favorites:

Meet Leesa: so fierce!

Meet Matt:

Okay, I gotta put up more of Leesa…too beautiful!

Another of my favorites:

So, as we were taking the pictures, we would check out each others, and I felt kinda unhappy with what I was getting. It seemed like all the other photographers in the group had better gear: a better camera body & awesome lenses. The photos on their screens looked better than what I was getting.

It also didn’t help that I had the wrong type of lens for the shoot.

I am a bit happier with my photos now…though still far from being pro photographs! :) But I would really, really like to get some better gear! Okay, sorry, I won’t put you through anymore of my pining for amazing yet expensive lenses (#hinttohubby #bdayscomingup). Moving on.

Feel free to leave comments about the photos, whether ya hate or love them, constructive criticism to help me improve, etc. I appreciate it! :)

A New Jersey weekend. January 18, 2011

Today I feel like writing something filled with happiness.

David & I went to New Jersey to visit my family. A ‘second’ Christmas. And we most definitely had fun. It was my husband’s first time ever seeing snow…and he for sure got that facewash! Saturday we went skiing/snowboarding, my third time ever snowboarding. Even after an hour of group lessons, this is how I spent a good chunk of the day…

Yep, on my butt.

As well as a good twenty percent of the time was spent running into David, my family, and random people. And apologizing profusely.

My favorite part though by far, was getting off the lifts with my husband. Being a first-time skiier, and nervous about how to get on & off lifts…he took the majority of the landing pad up when getting off. In fact, the second or third time we did this, he got off a couple seconds before me, and I found my path quite blocked by a ski pole that was, unfortunately, tied around Davids wrist. Had I continued trying to get off, I would’ve ran over the pole, most like pulling it in some direction that wouldn’t have turned out well for David, being attached to it. So I waited another second…and then the lift started the fast dangerous u-turn to head around, with me still on it, and my choices became: bail off a quickly moving lift hoping to land in softish snow, or head on another ride, with everyone on the chair lifts headed up thinking I had wimped out; my knees weren’t too happy with me at my decision. David finally managed to stop (something he hadn’t quite picked up on yet, as apparently the instructor of the lessons only taught them how to turn) a good twenty feet away, turn around to see me half-sprawled on the ground way off course, and ask me innocently what had happened. Happy Jillian was not the one doing the explaining.

Unfortunately the following picture isn’t of the specific incident, but another attempt. Notice David’s wide armspread (and cute concentrated look!), please.

We also went tobogganing at the end of the day. My mom took this picture (as well as all the pictures):

And the next day & reason I took so many day to blog again (beyond this book I started reading & could hardly put down)? Well, that was spent taking care of a very sick David. Somehow he got something like the 24-hour flu. It was my first time taking care of him (other than a common cold)…he said I did a great job holding the bucket. I just felt so useless and bad for him as he was dry-heaving, his whole head & neck going beet-red, and it just looked like he was chocking. After a whole day in bed though, and another day of rest, as well as time to get over the sore muscles from skiing, he’s feeling a lot better!

We also got to have some good, deep, hard talks over the weekend. Marriage, with all that comes with it, with being close to another person, giving & trusting them with your heart, is scary and good, & such a blessing!!

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So for the exciting news in this blog post: Tomorrow I am attending a photography workshop, with Kenny Kim & Ray Santana, in Miami! Tonight there is a social mixer for it as well. So stoked to start learning more & more!!

I’m sure there’ll be pictures to come. ;)

Wedding video. January 13, 2011

So on account of receiving our wedding video yesterday, I decided to start a blog.

Not really, actually, the times just coincided.

I’ve been wanting to start a blog for the past while, but have been very tentative. There are several blogs over the past months that I’ve read almost daily, and they inspire yet scare me. They are written so well, and are so entertaining…and when I look back at my own writing and journals I kept when I was younger, well…let’s just say they’re not worth mentioning (and should be burnt; I’m working on that one still, since we don’t have a fireplace.)

But as I’ve been learning more & more about becoming a photographer, I’ve heard countless times how important a blog is. So here I am, starting one. My random thoughts, my favorite pictures, my love for my husband, my daily life, my attempts at witty writing, my deep thoughts…on the internet, for anyone to read. Or no one. Or my mom, or some random person halfway across the world that somehow comes across my blog.

I can just imagine in a year or two, looking back on the beginning of my blog, cringing, “what was I thinking, writing that?”

We shall see.

And so we have my first blog post, about my wedding video. You see, I’d been checking the mail everyday for the past week (or two…okay yes, three!). Yesterday I even checked it twice, once around noon and the second time when I got home after my husband (which is rare). Disappointed the mailbox was empty, I headed into the house. I was hugged by a husband with a Wii remote and nunchuk in his hand, who turned back to the TV and innocently proclaimed ‘hey, why did the tv switch screens on me?!’ …..to our wedding video menu! There was no screaming and jumping involved over the following twenty seconds. Really, absolutely none.

So I’d like to thank Radtke Studios (Chris Radtke & Mark Hiebert, now Paperback Films) for such an amazing, amazing video. They completely captured our day. From the getting ready time, to our special first kiss, to the reception, to all the small details that would be otherwise forgotten over time. I am so so so SO glad I went with them…originally I didn’t  think I really needed a videographer (I must’ve been crazy), and I know I would’ve very much regretted not having the very best wedding videographers, especially now – seeing how they made our special day into such a beautiful work of art, that I could literally watch over & over again!

Here is the link to the short music video of our wedding day:

http://www.vimeo.com/17659264

So a big thank you To Chris & Mark…as well as a big congratulations on merging & rebranding your business! You guys really do bring videography to a whole new incredible level. Check them out at: www.paperbackfilms.ca

Tonight David & I are headed to New Jersey to visit my family. Ready to have some fun, a second Christmas, as well as for David to see snow for the very first time…

*facewash coming his way* [shhhh]