PHOTOGRAPHY: EVOLVING + CHANGE

Heellooo blogger friends, first of all I want to say THANK you to all of those who left comments. It is very encouraging to know my mom is not the only one reading my blog. Anyway, I am really excited about next year, there are many changes coming up. Peter & I have been busy reinventing ourselves, how can we be better both personally and professionally. We came up with a new Senior Rep program, thinking of a partnership with another awesome local photographer, fine tuning our branding, and a lot more surprises. We are brainstorming and working on different projects as we speak.  It is a time for us to reflect on what we have accomplished in the past year and also look forward to everything we could do. We always want to evolve and move forward. We want to be the best we can possibly be.

Of course the details of it all are still pending. So stay tuned for the new changes and join us in our new adventure.

K~B

Medford & Ashland Oregon Wedding & High School Senior Photographers

image borrowed from getentrepreneurial.com

PERSONAL: EXPOSED

Today is one of those days; I’m sitting in front of my computer looking out the window into the grey sky, the naked tree branches sway from one side to the other and I’m feeling rather uninspired. I glance at my computer screen only to find the blank word document that I opened half an hour ago staring back. I had hoped that some how it was filled with a wonderful blog post for today, but it’s not. Instead it reminds me that I better get to work if I want to have this ready for today. I reluctantly reach for the keyboard wondering if anybody really cares weather I blog or not. Does this blog even get read?  

In retrospective it started as a medium to document our quest as we follow our dream, to document raw emotions: such as fears, doubts and joy. This blog stands as a reminder that it is ok to fall, as long as you get up again, and that passion can fuel a fire. So I guess whether it gets read or not should not be so important to me, but it is. I feel like when you are opening your heart to someone and they are quiet, no sign of what they might be thinking, no acknowledging nods, nothing.  Suddenly you feel exposed and start to wonder if you should stop talking, are they listening? Do they even care?  

That’s the way I feel sometimes about this blog. I’m putting myself out there and it makes me feel exposed. I wonder what people think, are they listening? Do they care? Do they understand me?  So if you are reading this blog give me a hint that you are out there. Leave a comment or a smiley face, anything to let me know I’m not talking to an empty room. I would sure appreciate to know that at least someone cares.

K~B

Southern Oregon & Portland wedding photographer

Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass wedding photographer

Kisses & Disses: SPELL PROOF + INFOMERCIALS

Peter, make sure you spell proof my blog post before you go, I need to post it, I told Peter as I walked out of the office. I should have known better than to trust him. A few minutes later he was on his way out. Did you spell proof it?  I asked. Yeah it’s ready, he answered already out the door.  So I posted the blog, only to realize his spelling is as bad as mine (ok maybe not quite as bad). At least I have an excuse, English is my second language. Peter not so much.  Needless to say I was mortified when someone pointed it out.  Which lead to a round of Kisses and Disses. Next time you see me spell something wrong, know it is probably Peter’s fault.

This Week’s DISSES go to:

* Husbands that can’t spell proof

* Laundry, I hate all that folding

* Unfriendly cashiers

This week’s KISSES go to:

* Chinese food, love that four season restaurant

* Boots, they make me look so stylish and keep me so warm

* Infomercials, they can be quite entertaining

Southern Oregon & Grants Pass Wedding Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHY: TIME TRAVEL + WEDDING PHOTOS

I find it rather odd that wedding photographers are among the last vendors a bride will hire. I can’t help but to wonder, because photography is such an important part of my life. It is hard to imaging not having photos to remember precious moments by. The real value of photographs is much more than what money can ever buy. I think of my childhood photos, and the old, yellow and decaying photos of my grandfather and I get a bit nostalgic.  He passed away a few years ago and it was like a piece of me died with him. He was my hero. When I look at his pictures I’m taken back in time and I feel like I could almost touch him. Memories flood my mind and I can hear his deep and tired voice as if he was talking to me.  If I ever lost those pictures I would be heartbroken.  And if somebody told me they could bring them back for a certain amount of money, I would pay it with out giving it a second thought. Yet sometimes we are reluctant to pay someone to create those images that we will treasure forever…for example, our wedding pictures.

 I look through our album quite often. Every time, it takes me back to that day. The excitement, the nervousness and the happiness I felt are recorded in those images. They tell my wedding story over and over again, yet every time I look at them it’s as if it has just happened. I just fall in love with my husband all over again and I’m overtaken by joy. I say this at the risk of sound dumb, cliché or wishy-washy but it’s truly how I feel. Again, if I lost these pictures due to some unfortunate event I would be devastated. If I could buy them back I would in heart beat.

So if you are a bride out there, a wedding photographer should be one of the top priorities. I’m saying this because before being a photographer I too was a bride. A bride with a budget… I know you want your day to be perfect, from the flowers, to the cake, and the dress.  But just think, what will you have left when the flowers wither, the cake is gone and the dress is tucked away in a closet? What will you have to show?  Isn’t it your wedding photos?

I didn’t mean to make this post so long, but when I’m passionate abut something words just flow. Thank you for bearing with me. Best wishes on your wedding planning adventure.

K~B

Southern Oregon and Grants Pass Wedding Photographer

PERSONAL: A MILLION QUESTIONS + LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

So here we go, my first blog post since we started blogging (I should say since Kenya started blogging).  So there we were, relaxing on the sofa looking through some old photo albums from my bachelor days when Kenya asked me, "What is it with you and landscape photography? Why do you like it so much?" Which of course brought forth a plethora of more questions. I think Kenya could beat a 5-year old in a question asking contest (:

Anyways, back to the story. As I stopped to think of the reason, memories of all my "adventures" came flooding back to me, the reasons I started taking pictures in the first place. A good friend of mine and I loved the outdoors- hiking, mountain biking, back packing, rock climbing, and he always brought along his old Canon Rebel G film camera to record it (which he still has!). After seeing some of the first photos of our "adventures" come back from the lab I knew I had to try my hand at this photography thing too. The rest is history.

So what makes me crazy enough to carry twenty pounds of metal and glass (expensive glass too, I might add) to unreachable places? It is reinvigorating and refreshing. Not lugging all that equipment around, but being out there and taking in all the creative beauty. I don't believe that we were made to live in a concrete landscape, I mean, why else are we so attracted to greenery and nature? Although words can't fully describe it, it is the sense of clarity and peace, and when I look through my old albums I am transported back to that very moment. Every time it makes me smile with fondness as I relive the "adventures" and the stunning scenery that accompanied them. Oh yeah, I'm kind of a gear-geek and fiddling with all that equipment to get "the shot" is kinda cool too (; 

        But the story doesn't end there, so tune in next week (if I don't forget to blog) for part two....

P~B

Grants Pass & Southern Oregon Wedding Photographer

PERSONAL: MAKING MYSELF HEARD + SORE THROAT

Peter tells me I’m too loud, he says I yell when I talk. I don’t believe him, maybe because I’m Mexican and it’s just what we do. I grew up surrounded by three sisters, 4 cats and a dog, 31 cousins, 11 aunts and uncles and way too many second cousins to count. It was madness. We all talked at the same time and the only way to be heard was simply to be the loudest.  Believe it or not I wasn’t always the winner.

So I guess I had never realized how loud I really am until a couple days ago when Peter said I’m right next to you why are you yelling? I figured Peter being an only child made him develop super sonic ears. So I was quick to reply, but when I opened my mouth my throat was sore. You know like when you are at a concert and you sing and scream all night and it feels like you just might loose your voice? Yeah, that’s exactly what it felt like.

And then I proceeded to blame my mom for my boisterous way of speaking…

K~B

Ashland and Medford High School Senior Photographer

NORTH MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: VIVI

 Put simply Vivi is Fabulous. She didn’t mind we had to change the day of her session due to the weather. She didn’t seem to mind we changed locations either. Peter and I had a plan for her session; hit all the cools spots in Lithia Park, but once there we changed our mind. I guess that’s what happens when you arrive early and have time to explore before the session. 

We found some cool buildings and bridges around town and we knew Vivi would totally rock them out. Because, really, we have the best Clients ever!

Thank you so much Vivi for making our day… Here is a little teaser.

Grants Pass & Southern Oregon High School Senior Photographers