I <3 ben

I <3 Ben.

Not that he needs the blog love or anything (he is well loved), but say hi to ben chrisman. Before you click the link, a warning: his blog is highly addictive!

It is very hard for me to put into words what I feel when I look at his work, but I’m going to try. These are just a few thoughts about how I would describe ben chrisman’s work.

Dramatic, elegant, romantic, even haunting at times. Jaw-dropping, OMG how-did-he-do-that?!?!?!?! Achingly beautiful, poetic images that make your heart swoon and your tear ducts overflow with love…… almost like a transcendental experience.

And yet, to say all that would be an understatement at best.

Oh, did I mention that he was recently named WPJA Photographer of The Year and one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine? Yeah, that too :-)

Look at ben’s work and you will see a true visual artist pushing the boundaries of excellence in our craft. It is Wedding Photojournalism at its finest. Enjoy!

Shandra and Mike's wedding at La Jolla Woman's Club

Shandra and Mike were married at La Jolla Woman's Club on March 15, 2008. I shot this wedding with John. You can also read more about this wedding on John's blog!

On the way to the beach for pictures, I was kneeling down in the giant limo to shoot..... the limo went one way, I went the other..... Not a fall, it was more of a slow roll...... So I was given the nickname "Weeble," as in "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down." It actually reminded of that scene in Animal House where John Belushi, as Bluto, is assigning names to the fraternity pledges, including one he named "Flounder." I digress...
So we're on this overlook by the beach, and the guys are really getting into it, just having a great time....... we're almost done, and as I look through my viewfinder, I see the guys suddenly going absolutely nuts, and I have no idea what is going on, because the action is happening behind me. So after I've nailed their reaction shots, I get them to explain what happened: they (well, we, I guess), had been flashed by a very attractive young lady on the 3rd floor balcony of a condo overlooking the beach.

Then it was on to the Hard Rock Cafe for a few drinks/rendezvous with some guests before heading over to the ceremony and reception site.

It was windy at the venue, and as Shandra's veil was fluttering around, I was able to get it gracefully shaping her tattoo, which she loves, btw. In fact, if I remember correctly, the owner of the shop where she had it done was a guest.

I'll be adding some more.

This was a super-fun wedding :-) I love my job :-)

Me and the guys at Shandra and Mike's wedding

Sometimes it's hard to get a pic of myself working at a wedding, so I ducked down in a window reflection and shot this with Mike and his groomsmen. I'll have a few more posted from that shoot in another entry. They were TONS of fun!!The funny thing is I didn't pose this--it happened totally organically: we were on the way to the ceremony site, and as we walked across these mirrored panels on a building in La Jolla, they were like "Hey, check us out! We look really good together." They sure did. I was in the right place at the right time. That's my job. My name is Joe Friday. I'm a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. (You know, as I look back at that show, it comes off as total propaganda, but that's just way off topic......)
BTW, this is the first post where I have finally figured out how to post an image BIG on Blogger. Congratulate me :-) Bigger on Blogger is Better!

More pics and info on Salton Sea Trash The Dress

Chris Austin was the organizer of this whole Trash The Dress Session at the Salton Sea (yes, he's the guilty instigator of all of this!). He's put up a separate page here for the project. On it you can find links to lots links to galleries from more than a dozen talented photographers! If you want to see some good TTD pics, check this out.

There is also the Trash The Dress Blog, and some of our work is showing up on there as well. As Mark Eric says on the TTD blog, it's about creation, not destruction. There is also this vid by Matt Adcock and Sol Tamargo (now husband and wife:-)) of a TTD session in the Mayan Riviera. It's awesome. The bride looks like a mermaid, just beautiful.

I think people do it for different reasons. You'll notice in many of my pics (and some of the other photographers as well), the husbands were involved, which I think is fantastic.

You can see I was into lens flares and lots of backlight for this shoot :-)

Trash The Dress session at Salton Sea, round 2

I'm still trying to describe what this project is about. I guess the meaning is different for different people. I think it's a fun way to make unique photographs of something special to you. In thie mean time, these pics are from the latest batch that I have edited.

Trash The Dress session at Salton Sea

These are the first images I've edited from a group Trash The Dress shoot at The Salton Sea. I'll be adding more, with more info and explanations of "You did WHAT with your wedding dress?!?!?!?!" Click on an image for a larger size view.

Family portraits in Elfin Forest near Morrow Bay

Some pictures of my niece, Michaela, and nephew, Ian from Christmas. We celebrate Hanuka and Christmas. And that's my mini-poodle Bailey in the pic with Ian and the robot :-)