I’ve been waiting for Patty and Alex to return from their destination wedding in Mexico to share the photos from their engagement session that I photographed back in April. I’m glad that we were on the same page when planning our shoot  and timed the session perfectly for the cherry blossoms season in Branch Brook Park. We couldn’t have picked a more romantic backdrop for this session. I very much enjoyed  the blooms, the gorgeous light, their dog Benji who came a long for the ride and most of all, spending the afternoon with this beautiful (now happily married!) couple! A few of my favorites…

AnakinBrahm 

Born May 16, 2013 at 1:42PM
7lbs 13oz  •  20.5 inches

If you told me that I would do a styled shoot featuring polka dots, zebra print, lime green, red heart shaped sunglasses and that I would absolutely love it, I’d call you crazy. Well, my friends…here’s the proof! This fun set was photographed at the Cabana Lounge of the Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest, NJ. We are so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to shoot at this historic landmark, known for it’s “Doo Wop” architecture and fun, retro decor. It’s a piece of Americana and the perfect backdrop for this summer’s styled session.

Photography: Mad Hearts Photography
Hair + Makeup: Cindy Laurie
Model: Ashley P.
Location: Caribbean Motel

These photos were captured in the same location, shot with the exact same lens and  settings only seconds apart. They were edited the exact same way as well. So why do they look so different? It’s all about the light – in the case, the quantity of light.  In the first image, I asked Basia to position herself directly behind the sun. I positioned myself at eye level and allowed the light behind her to flood my lens. This created the soft, hazy look you see in this image below.

Even though I do like this type of effect for certain scenarios, I tend to favor images that pop. So we made some few changes to add more contrast and clarity to our next shot. This time I had Basia turn another 45 degrees away from the sun ( I used a reflector to bounce more light on to her face). I also took advantage of my trusty step stool to shoot at an angle slightly above her eye level to avoid flooding my lens with light this time. You can still see the glow and warmth of the backlighting, but my subject clearly pops in this image. This shot is definitely more my speed, but there’s no right or wrong way to do things.  It’s all a matter of preference. However, it never hurts to try something new. The more you learn how to manipulate light (whether it be natural or off camera), the better photographer you’ll be!

Lens: 24-70mm • ISO: 100 • Aperture: f/2.8 • Shutter: 1/400

This month’s Creativity Project theme is street photography.  According to Wikipedia, street photography features subjects in candid situations within public places and does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. It can also be devoid of people entirely.  This type of photography is always a challenge for me. But when I’m on vacation, it’s a different story! I think it’s the “tourist” mentality that allows me to relax and capture my surroundings with more ease. Here’s a few “street style” photos from my most recent travels – places both near and far. To continue the circle, visit Scarlett at House of Emery for her take on this month’s theme.

Even though I shoot my own weddings as half of Kiss Me, Kiss Me Studios, I had the pleasure of second shooting a wedding at the request of my friend Gerald Paguio – an extremely talented photographer who’s work I’ve come to admire. The wedding was held in Long Beach Island, New Jersey at The Stateroom – a gorgeous venue right at the entrance of LBI.  It’s been a while since I’ve second shot a wedding, but I thought this would be a fun change of pace and a great opportunity to experience a wedding through the eyes of a second shooter. I’m not going to lie – it was a challenge! Absolutely nothing to do with Gerald or his awesome intern Michael. To the contrary: Gerald was super encouraging and let me input my style into the posing/ location choices throughout the day. I had a wonderful time working as part of his team. The problem is that I think like a primary shooter. I shoot like a primary shooter. It’s hard to break out of that frame of mind. But I had a job to do and I was not going to let my friend down. In turn, he was kind enough to let me share some of the images I took from this beautiful wedding we had the pleasure of  photographing together. Primary shooter or not, I take pride in the work I produce – and this wedding was no different. Beautiful wedding. Beautiful couple. Some images from the day…

I was supposed to have a Communal Global post ready for today, but instead I got distracted by some photos uploading from my latest shoot. It was a modeling portfolio session.  I spent a few hours playing fashion photographer – and I absolutely loved it! More soon…

Step aside, nifty fifty…there’s a new lens in town! I’ve had the 35mm for at least two months now, but I wanted to “really” test it out before I posted my thoughts on it. I rarely shoot closeups nor do I shoot wide open. But now I do thanks to this lens! I  saved up for this purchase for a very long time and when I finally did, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and test it out.  The verdict is in: I’m in love with this lens! Though it’s on the pricey side, the quality is top notch! I wouldn’t consider it a portrait lens per se (it’s better for photojournalistic photos), but it does a beautiful job especially at it’s lowest aperture, regardless of the subject matter. My 50mm never yields such tack sharp results at 1.4. And in low light, it’s an absolute dream. For the types of things I shoot and for my overall style, this lens works great for me.  All the images below were shot with my 35mm at f/1.4.

* You can find the 35mm lens here.

I am a firm believer of getting things right in camera, but sometimes a happy accident can spark creativity. The original image is WAY overexposed.  It was the first shot I took after shooting in an indoor setting and my ISO was cranked up high.  Once I realized the problem, I quickly changed my settings to something more appropriate for the bright outdoors. But there was just something about this image of the groom and his groomsmen standing around waiting for further instructions that appealed to me.  It looked cool – the way the were positioned so casually. So I didn’t delete it right then to see how I could save it in Photoshop. Here’s the before and after:

OriginalMy Photoshop “Save” Edit

I had the pleasure of photographing my parents this month. Since I started doing photography, I’ve never done an “official” session for them, so I treated this like I would any other session. It was a great experience because not only did I get to spend the afternoon with my parents and observe them in a whole new light, they got to see me in my element. Even though I’ve been in business for two years, I think they still viewed this whole “photography thing” as more of a hobby than a legitimate career path.  I’m glad that their opinion changed after having their very own Mad Hearts experience and seeing the end result of our sunny afternoon together. I think they finally “get it” and I couldn’t be happier knowing that I have their support in pursuing this dream of mine.