Blank Canvas Studios

We're moving on....

2007-02-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't already heard, I've changed blogs. My new address is: http:// www.blankcanvasstudios.wordpress.com

Make sure to update your bookmarks!

Spokane, Washington Wedding... Coming Soon (11/11/06)

2006-10-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

So I'm in the process of getting ready for a wedding on November 11th with Chris and Lynn Jaksa in Spokane, Washington...

I just checked out the hotel where the reception will be an it is absolutely beautiful!!!

Note: I "DID NOT" take these photos.... They are taken from the Davenport Hotel Website... [www.thedavenporthotel.com]

Designer's Block.....

2006-10-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I am also a graphic designer as well as getting into photography. I have had my new logo mocked up as I said in my last post, but I am having trouble finding a typeface to go along with it...

For a closer look, here is my logo:

So if any of you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear from you...

Logos, and laptops, and photoshoots... (Oh My!)

2006-10-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I know it has been awhile since I last posted, but I have had good reason... I've gotten my new logo for Blank Canvas Studios now designed in Adobe Illustrator thanks to my good friend Joel Messner at Jam Designs... If you need any design work done I highly reccommend this guy... He came to me at my time of need when my computer crashed and I no longer could find my copy of Illustrator. He's got skills... Check him out!

Well since my PC died a firey death (Yes... The hard drive actually caught on FIRE!!!) I had to get a new computer and I can now tell you that I am now the proud owner of a new Apple MacBook... I was going to wait and get the pro, but I needed one sooner than I could get that with all the other plans I have in the works... So I am having fun on my new Mac and getting ready for a great new wedding season next year... (I will tell you more about it as soon as plans are hash out)

Saturday, I had the pleasure of working with a local musician named Drew Strong who is working on his debut full length album.. He's put out an EP on his own and I see real promise in working with him... Here are a few photos from the shoot Saturday... (Oh and check out my new logo at the bottom of the photos!) I will most likely be working with him on design work also (hopefully including CD covers, and a website!) But for now, you can check out his myspace.

Fun in Denver....

2006-08-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I went down to Denver to see my friend DJ speak at the Denevr Pictage User Group which was a lot of fun... but the best part of the night had to be after when we went to dinner at Fox and the Hound with a bit of the group and I got to meet Wes, Daniel, Adam, Josh, and Bill (along with hanging with the ever cool Jesen Sutta). The cool thing was we got a lot of time to talk as a small group and I relly enjoyed it because I found out we we are Christians! Which was a godsend to me because I had been praying to find a group of local people to share struggles with, fellowship with, and just have good times together. I'm really looking forward to getting to know these guys!

Here's a photo that Katie took at the PUG Metting of the group.

Fun with The Nudds...

2006-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago now I had the chance to hang out with some of my favorite photographers Garrett and Joy Nudd from Orlando, FL. Along with Matt and Jenna Walker and Mark Neuman we all went together to dinner at Pasquini's and had a great time chatting and talking shop... Here's a photo from that night.

Here's a new photo....

2006-07-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here's my friends Beth (The one with the red hair standing next to the bride) and Natalie (the bride).. This is pretty much the only picture I was able to get off because I was doing video, but it's a new photo all the same.

Sooooo Busy...

2006-07-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Seems as though I haven't stopped much since Thursday at the get together with all the D-Town photographers and Crystal Goss. I had a great time meeting Matt & Jenna Walker as well as few other people. Got along really well with Matt and I know we will have to hang out a bit more since we are both all about music photography.

Lately work has been kicking my butt because I've been running all over the place with the restaurant, doin web design, and working for my parents when they were short handed over the long holiday weekend. I'm gonna still be busting things out so I can get the macbook pro I was talking about in the last post. Hopefully by the end of the month it will be in my hot little hands.

Other than that I've been looking for some second shooter opportunities and just hanging out... Til next time!

Crystal's Comin to Town

2006-06-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I get to meet another amazing photographer because of OSP, Crystal Goss. She one of a select group of people that I really want to meet.

We're getting a group of the D-Town photographers together to have a little welcoming party at Platte River Bar and Grille. I'm lookin forward to hangin out with Katie again and meeting some new faces (Patrica Ann, Jenna Walker, and a few others).

Lately I'm up to my neck in work tryin to get myself a new MacBook Pro!!! Yes, that's right folks... I'm switching over to Mac which I am toally excited about! Gonna be probably a few months away, but I will be getting one soon nonetheless.

Other than that... photo has been slow. I'm hoping to get some good shoots in this weekend and maybe see if I can tag along on a few weddings in the near future with a couple of the photographers that I'm meeting at the get together on Thursday.

See you all soon!

Spokane came and went...

2006-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

So I had a great time in Spokane with Beth and Frankie.. hard to believe that I've been home almost two weeks already... Didn't have much time to shoot at the wedding (since I ended up videotaping the ceremony and reception for Matt and Natalie). I didn't really get out my camera that much either... just had a good time relaxing with friends...

I'm gonna be going back either in August or September to go to Seattle with Frankie when he takes his state boards to get his barbers liscence.

Got a bunch of things coming up... Hopefully a shoot with Drew Strong a local musician, dinner with David Jay, an OSP D-Town meetup, and a few other things lined up in the near future...

Talk to you all soon!

Spokane is finally here!!!

2006-05-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I'm packing tonight to leave for Spokane, Washington to shoot my friends Matt and Natalie's wedding... Should be a lot of fun to see them again, as well as Frankie and Beth and their adorable children, Daisy and Lindsey.

I'll have to sit on a greyhound bus for 30 hours!!!! Man I wish I had a airline hookup like my buddy Tim! But I'll be sure to take some photos in every little podunk town I stop in.. Should be a fun little photo expedition.

I will leave Thursday afternoon at noon and arrive on Friday at 4:30 PM.. Wish I had someone to keep me company! Well, I'll be reading a lot of books while I'm on the bus, I'm sure. I'm gonna run a couple of errands tomorrow and will probably be picking up a few of Brian McLaren's books (A New Kind Of Christian, The Story We Find Ourselves In, and The Last Word & The Word After That) as well as DJ's pick of Creating Customer Evangelists... Reading is enlightening!!!

So I should be able to post up some photos from the trip while I'm there... so I will hope to hear from all you guys!

IKEA.... WHY AREN'T YOU IN DENVER!!!!

2006-05-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know... I've bought quite a few things from IKEA... Moving to Denver I was suprised because they didn't have one here... So I've been searching around for some place like it... We have a chain out here called American Furniture Warehouse, but it's not quite as hip. So I've thought about going through the catalog and just ordering some furniture... but with big furniture you can sometimes pay a premium in shipping charges. Anyone bought any furniture and had it shipped from IKEA?

The closest store to me is in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I don't know if it is worth the almost 14 hour drive to the Twin Cities just for furniture... I'd probably pay just as much in gas getting back and forth as I would in shipping. Maybe I should just go with American Furniture Warehouse and save myself the headache.

Reading a lot....

2006-05-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been housesitting so I have a lot of alone time. So I've picked up and started readin Kevin Kubota's Digital Photography Bootcamp... Also finished a book called "Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts"... Good read but mostly talks about music and writing, not so much visual art.

Getting excited for my trip to Spokane at the end of the month... Then I come back and all hell breaks loose for me... I can't believe what a packed month June and July are going to be!

So I'm gonna be on the plane a lot. Anyone got any books I should pick up before my trip?

Amy and Matt...

2006-05-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

So Amy and Matt's wedding was my first wedding ever!! Shot on March 4th, 2006 in Evergreen, Colorado... I look at these images and know I still have a lot more to learn!!!

Proof I hung out with M.C.

2006-05-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

So these are photos from Vegas.... Not taken by me, but my Mike Colon and my good friend Jefferson Todd. I'm getting some of my photos online tomorrow. I promise.

This is an image looking down from a glass floor on the 55th floor of the Palms Resort and Casino at at bar called Ghost Bar...

Proof I hung out with Mike Colon... (From left: me, Jason, Shyla, JT, Kristin, Kevin, and Mike smack dab in the middle! Photo taken by none other than the master himself, Mike Colon!)

Spokane is coming soon!!!

2006-05-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to going out to Spokane at the end of May to see my good friends Frankie and Beth and their two wonderful children, Lindsey and Daisy. I'll be out there to go to a wedding (and hopefully get some shots since I am not shooting) and then do some fashion and hairstyling shots for Beth (she's an awesome hairstylist). I'm very much looking forward to going out to Washington since I haven't had much time to shoot with my 9-5 taking over my life... and here's to taking a lot of photos!!

Finally a photo!!!

2006-05-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is Becca... the flowergirl at my most recent wedding in March that I did for Matt and Amy. I'm gonna be posting some of my Vegas pics still haven't gotten them downloaded after I've bought 3 new compact flash cards!

So you'll be seeing more from me soon!

A Look Back....

2006-04-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ok... So Vegas is over and I'm now back in Denver. And looking back I had a blast. I got to meet a bunch of friends from Open Source Photo and party down with them all week long.

I think my head is still swimming from all I have learned, but I got a lot out of all the seminars that I did including ones by two of my favorite photographers Mike Colon and Kevin Kubota. I also got to hang out with Mike in Vegas for a while an I must say he is an amazing guy as a photographer and just and ordinary guy.

Had a great time hanging out with Tim Halberg, David Jay, Shyla, Liana, Lori, Alisha, and everyone from OSP.

I didn't take a lot of pictures cuz I didn't want to lug around my SLR all day with different lenses... but I did get a few... (Not to self: make sure I bring a point and shoot digital camera to Vegas next year) be on the look out for those in the next couple of days...

The excitement is building!!!!!

2006-03-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Vegas is a little over a week away and I can't wait!!! I'm super excited to meet everyone and get the ball rollling with my photography business.

I'm very excited for the Pictage/OSP party where I will be able to meet Liana Lehman and Nathan and Amber Holritz. Liana, mostly becuase she is doing exactly what I want to do with fashion... I definitely want to talk with her more and talk to her about some ideas for my fashion shoots.

And as for Nathan and Amber, what can I say... they have had an influential part in my struggle to get my first digital camera and I want to say a big thank you to them. They kept me going when I thought it was just better for me to give up and keep my job in the restaurant industry.

So all in all I am very excited about going and just being able to meet a lot of great photographers and learn a lot of new and exciting things. I porobably won't be on again until after Vegas... So talk to you all soon!!!

Just for fun....

2006-02-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

I saw this posted on my friend Zack's blog (www.killthefill.com) and thought I would take a little bit of liberty of doin this little questionare myself...

4 jobs I have held:
1) Bag Boy
2) Barista
3) Computer Chip Tester
4) Graphic Designer

4 movies I can watch over and over:
1) Fight Club
2) One Hour Photo
3) Oceans 11
4) Office Space

4 places I have lived:
1) San Jose
2) Los Angeles
3) San Antonio
4) San Dimas

4 TV shows I love to watch:
1) Miami Ink
2) The Great Biker Build Off
3) Monster Garage
4) Boy Meets Grill

4 places I've been on vacation:
1) Vegas
2) Phoenix
3) Boston
4) Rhode Island

4 favorite dishes:
1) Babaganoosh (sp??)
2) Carne Asada Tacos
3) Sushi
4) Chicken Tortas

4 websites I visit daily:
1) Myspace
2) Open Source Photo
3) Simple Photo Life
4) Kill the Fill

4 places I would rather be right now:
1) Newport Beach - At the Mike Colon seminar schmoozing it up with all the other OSP people and learning tons!!!
2) Los Angeles --- Sitting at Kid Robot and oogling over all the dunnies I could add to my collection!
3) Ireland - drinking beer and well... drinking beer.
4) Sydeny - For surfing of course!

LA is off... VEGAS HERE I COME!!!!

2006-02-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

Ok.... So I have decided to take the trip to Vegas instead of to LA. I feel that the Vegas trip would be more beneficial to me right now in what I want to do with my career. It looks like I will be leaving on the 8th of April sometime in the early afternoon and getting into Vegas and raging it up with all my friends from opensourcephoto.com!!!

I'm hopin to go out to some church Sunday morning... we'll see if any of the group wants to go.

Then I wanna try and go out to Bobby Flay's restaurant one night... Can't remember which hotel it is at... and then if the group is up for it maybe do a shoot with Last American Buffalo in the desert?

I am super stoked to go on this trip and know I will come back with tons of new ideas to implement in my business!!! April 8th can't come soon enough!

Planning a trip....

2006-02-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

So I'm planning a trip out to Los Angeles sometime around my birthday, which is April 18th... I'm gonna go out and see my brother and his wife and hopefully meet up with a couple of the OSP crew... At least some of you guys better be here this time!

I'm also tryin to decided if I should go out to WPPI in Vegas that next week... The networking would be great... even if I don't go to the actual conference. Or maybe I should just come out to LA a few days before and see if I can hitch a ride with one of the LA OSP peeps drivin out.

Hmmmm... decisions, decisions.

Excited to assist

2006-02-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

So I've been talking online a long time with my friend Zack who is a photographer out of Atlanta, Georgia. Apparently he is going to be coming out to shoot The Freddy Jones Band ( you can check out their site at http://www.thefreddyjonesband.com ) in Aspen for a promotional shoot and a concert in Snowmass on March 16th. He'll be in for a few days and wanted to know if I wanted to help assist on the shoot... of course I said YES!

He's one of my favorite photographers and an amazing guy... Check out his stuff on www.usedfilm.com

So ready for this!

Stepping into the 21st Century

2006-02-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

So yes... I have finally made myself a blog.

And after all the support I've had over at http://www.opensourcephoto.net I figured I owed it to them to give them a little sneak peek into my life as a budding photographer.

Lately I've gotten myself booked a few portrait shoots... One is with my friend Rosalie, who I haven't really seen since I left LA... She and her husband Austin and their adorable daughter Chloe have moved to Colorado and I'm so glad they did! I'm gonna be working on a few fashion based shoots with Rosalie (and hopefully I'll get to shoot stuff of little Chloe too).

And in other news I have finally booked myself my first wedding! I had a call from one of my friends the other day frantic that she would have a wedding photographer as the one she had booked with threw out his back. So I am officially shooting the wedding of my friend Amy and her fiance Matt on March 4th, 2006. I'll be meeting with her tomorrow to find out about the wedding and see exactly what they want...

All in all it's been fantastic last couple of weeks.

So be on the lookout for more updates!