Cool Breeze Photography

Orlando wedding - antebellum style

2008-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

We just returned from photographing Kathlene and Dave's wedding in Orlando - yes, we did go to Disneyworld, too. The wedding was scheduled to be held outdoors at Henry Leu Gardens, a gorgeous tropical botanical garden just a few minutes north of Orlando. Here is a shot of the bride and groom on the day of the rehearsal.

However, the weather did not cooperate on the day of the wedding - it was pouring rain - and it had to be moved inside. It was disappointing not to be able to shoot outside among the magnolias and Spanish moss, but the inside of the venue was an excellent Plan B and I just love this shot of the bride and groom on the stairway. The dress was just incredible and had the longest train I have ever seen.

Katie and Dave are currently honeymooning on a cruise in the western Caribbean.

Alyssa - Senior from Riverview

2008-10-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Alyssa was a joy to photograph as she was so comfortable in front of the camera. Bonus - she loved the art shots!

She is using this last photo for the cover of her Senior project.

Senior guys

2008-10-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

I guess I should probably give the guys equal time here. Senior boys can sometimes be a challenge to photograph. They often aren't that interested in getting their portrait done in the first place and then they have the added burden of thinking they need to appear strong, fierce, macho in every shot ~ whatever it is that makes high school boys tick. And then there are kids like Sean. Relaxed, confident and secure in who they are.

Meagan's senior portraits

2008-10-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

I had a great time photographing Meagan. I was especially pleased when her family chose the posterized version of one of the shots. I love playing around in Photoshop and its very satisfying when one of my art shots makes the final cut.

More seniors

2008-10-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Photographing Lauren was a real blast. High energy girl with a lot of different looks. I especially like the skater kid look. Way too much fun!

Senior Photo - Joe H from Pasco High

2008-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have been so negligent at blogging this summer. So I will try to do a little catching up by posting some shots of the things that have been keeping me so busy. Here are a couple of shots of Joe from Pasco High School. We had a great time doing the Urban Funk look. Joe is a rapper and also a really smart guy. He hopes to attend MIT next year to study electrobiological engineering. Wow, I don't even know what that is! Artificial intelligence? Good luck, Joe!

Rachel & Matt's wedding

2008-07-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great time shooting Rachel & Matt's wedding. What a gorgeous couple! I did their engagement session last year out at Hedges Winery.

I love this shot of the guys recreating the Capt. Morgan pose

It was fun posing Rachel on the piano in the church, all the while keeping an eye out for the ever watchful church wedding coordinators.

It doesn't get much better than this

This was pretty amazing. I didn't even notice the mirror in the limo ceiling until I was editing these photos. Too cool!

Senior portrait season

2008-06-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Senior portrait season is underway. Here are a few shots of my spokesmodels from Kamiakin High School, Catie & Paige. They were fun to work with and real naturals when it came to posing. We had a blast practicing the "fierce" look a la Tyra Banks. Fierce became our word of the day

Skydiving in Moab, Utah

2008-05-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Kelsey and I went to Moab, Utah over Spring break. The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our skydiving adventure. I finally figured out how to convert the video and get it online. Here is the most important part - me actually launching from 10,000 ft.

I kept telling myself to just keep moving forward, one step at a time, crossing each bridge as it came up. It all hinges on trusting the instructor and the gear. He had made over 5000 jumps, so I knew I was in good hands.

The free fall was the most exhilarating 30 seconds of my whole life! It was terrifying stepping out the door of that small plane, but sooner or later we should all face our fears. That which does not kill you makes you stronger.

After the first couple of seconds of free fall, I was actually able to relax and enjoy it. It feels more like floating than falling. I would definitely do it again and highly recommend it to anyone who loves the adrenaline rush.

Rock on!

Senior Portraits

2008-05-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the outgoing Class of '08 and welcome Class of '09.

I had a great session last week with Jordan from Southridge High School. Hard to believe this lovely young lady is a little camera shy. Below are a few of her images.

PPW Competition results

2008-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

I ended up submitting a different mix of prints than I indicated in my last post, but am glad I did. Here are the ones I submitted.

I was out of town during the conference, but am happy to report that all four prints that I submitted were selected for exhibition. That is a first for me! Usually I hang three out of four.

Thanks to all the beautiful brides (and one groom) ~ Crystal, Kendy, Rachelle (and Joel), and Kara. You made me look great! Without people like you, there is no Cool Breeze Photography.

I may submit to the national conference and see how that goes. It will be held in Phoenix next year in January, but prints have to be submitted by June this year. I'll need to think about this one a bit and may submit a completely different set of prints. We'll see!

Professional Photographers of Washington Competition Prints

2008-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am getting some prints ready to submit for competition at the Spring Conference of the PPW the first week of April. It is in Wenatchee this year, but I won't be attending as it coincides with Spring break and I already have plans to take my youngest daughter Kelsey on a road trip to Moab, Utah, as well as photographing the horse races that weekend. More about that in a later post.

Here are the prints I am considering entering.

I have attended the annual conference the last three years and sat in on the judging. There are a lot of really good photographers in the room and the judges are all nationally known photographers themselves - la creme de la creme. It is really nerve wracking to sit there and wait for your prints to come up and then be judged. Especially since the judging takes two days and you never know when yours will come up, so you have to sweat it out, usually for both days.

So this year I will have the prints judged without actually being in the room to hear the critique or the comments. I don't know if I like that idea or not. I will probably be on the phone with someone at the conference as soon as the judging is done to get the scores. Or maybe I won't and will just wait 'til I get home and look at the little tag on the back to get the scores.

Anyway, I need to pick four from the above and I can't use more than one with the same subject, so I need to pick 1 of the first 2, and 1 of the last three. After I finally choose I still need to do the retouching, and get them printed and mounted. Feel free to comment.

Horse Racing at Sun Downs 2008

2008-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I just found out the other day I will be photographing the horse races again this year. It’s Saturday and Sunday afternoons the whole month of April and the first weekend in May. I did it last year for the first time and really had a blast. My job will be to photograph the winner at the finish line and then the winners’ circle shot of the horse, the owner and his posse.

I don’t have to worry about the official photo finish shot, as that is done automatically from up on top of the grandstands. Besides, it would be impossible to capture the official photo finish by hand, the horses are just moving too fast. I tried shooting a continuous burst of shots when I was practicing for this job last year and even at 1/1000 of a second if I began the burst just one post before the finish line, the second shot would catch the lead horse already past the finish line.

The ideal shot is to catch the winner just as his nose crosses the finish line. Like this…

Capturing this shot is not as easy as you might think, especially the quarter horses from down on the track. Even shooting at 1/1000 of a second, I only catch their nose right at the finish line about 20% of the time. The rest are usually about a half a length too soon or too late. No, I am not going to post those.

Spring

2008-02-26T17:43:00.001-08:00

I am so excited. It has been really warm recently - mid 50's - and I have been spending more time outdoors than usual. You know, walking the dog, raking leaves, pruning. Today I noticed the first blooming crocus, which is a delight for me as it means Spring is right around the corner and I absolutely love Spring. It is the only season really deserving of a capital letter. In fact, I am declaring today the first official day of Spring, no matter what the calendar says. In honor, I am posting a picture of the crocuses, along with one of my favorite poems by my favorite poet - e.e.cummings.

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and
the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

e.e. cummings

Senior marketing update

2008-01-29T13:17:00.001-08:00

I spoke with the marketing representative from Marathon press again a few days ago, and she told me which card they would be using for their upcoming promotion (see blog entry below). It will be the first one. This was my largest card last year at 6 x 9 inches. I am so excited! I can't wait to see their ad.

Note: I am still in the hunt for senior emissaries for the class of 2009. If you know of any candidates who are outgoing and would enthusiastically promote Cool Breeze Photography, have them call us. We are offering free photo sessions, cash and merchandise to the emissaries and discounts to the people they recruit. It's a good deal for everyone involved. And who knows, their picture could end up on one of our nationally recognized post cards.

Senior success

2008-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am stoked. As many of you know, I send out postcards every year encouraging seniors to use us for their senior portraits. We have these designed and printed by Marathon Press. They are the premier supplier of marketing materials for photographers in the country. We give them a general idea of how we want the postcards to look, upload our images for inclusion and they propose a design. Last year we told them we wanted an edgier look, and I think we are going to continue in that direction this year. We generally ask for a few minor design changes before going to press and they always do a fantastic job. We especially liked the cards last year and apparently so did they, because I got a call today from one of their marketing people asking if they could feature OUR card on one of THEIR marketing pieces (promoting senior marketing, of course).
And while I love their design work, I also believe that it is the quality of the images that counts the most. I have always been very proud of our work and to be recognized by an industry leader is a real honor. Especially considering that they produce materials for tens of thousands of photographers nationwide. And they chose our images to help promote their products... to other photographers! I am not sure yet exactly which card they chose to use, but I will post it as soon as I know!

Thanks to all of our gorgeous and handsome Seniors from the Class of '07 whose images graced the front of our cards last year. And I can't wait to see the designs made possible by the equally photogenic Class of '08. Seniors rock!

Leavenworth Christmas Lighting Ceremony

2008-01-11T15:35:00.001-08:00

OK, once again I have fallen behind on this blog, so I will attempt to do some catching up. This year I did something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. I've been to Leavenworth many times but never for the Christmas lighting ceremony. So after checking the weather forecast and determining that the weather would be fair, I decided to make a day of it and headed north. When I got to Leavenworth, the weather couldn't have been better. I also found parking relatively close, so I didn't have to walk far in the cold. And yes it was pretty cold, but luckily, no wind. While wandering around town, I bumped into Father Christmas. This is the European version of Santa Claus. And since I spent most of junior high school and elementary school in England, this is how I remember him. The red suit and Santa hat are all Americanized contemporary versions of this old guy.
I also met the town crier. She's an interesting woman who actually had to audition for this role. There are only a handful of town criers in the whole country, so it's quite an honor to hold this position. She's a great ambassador for Leavenworth, and really seemed to enjoy her job. I saw her later dancing in the street with some children to Polka music.
But of course the big event is the lighting ceremony. After lots of fanfare, with real Alpenhorns, the arrival of Santa, and more hoopla, the switch is finally thrown and the streets are illuminated with a multitude of colored lights. It's quite a sight to see.
But I think my favorite were the colored lights on the gazebo. There is a small snow-covered hill to the side of the gazebo and all the kids were sledding down. It was like something straight out of a Courier and Ives print. I ended up using this image for our Christmas card. It was well worth the trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a winter getaway. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Ho, ho, ho......

More Calendar Pets

2007-12-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

OK, as promised, here are more of my favorites from the rest of the finalists for the Pet Calendar fundraiser for the NIE Project. The Herald provides over $50,000 worth of newspapers per year to the local area schools and this calendar will help defray the costs. It will be available Friday Dec 7th at the Kennewick Ranch and Home, and also at the Herald offices. I have not seen the calendar yet, so these may not be the images they used.

I must say I had a real blast photographing every one of these dogs. They each had a distinct personality and some were more challenging than others, but they were all fun. And it was extremely evident that each held a very special place in their owners hearts. Congratulations to each and every one of the contestants.

Pet Calendar

2007-11-29T17:47:00.001-08:00

We are currently working with the Tri-City Herald on their Pet Calendar. It is a fundraiser to help support the NIE Project (Newspapers in Education). Here are a couple shots from todays sessions. We are having so much fun doing this. The first dog is Jodee, a Wire-haired German Pointer. She is Miss March, a real sweet heart with lots of tricks.. The Husky is Josie, Miss November. She is the largest Husky I have ever seen, and again a real sweetheart. I will post more as we do more sessions. We have two more tonight, six tomorrow and two on Sunday.

Something to think about

2007-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

A son and his father were walking in the mountains.
Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating,
somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO,
but really this is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

- Author Unknown

Christmas Pet Photos

2007-11-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at Coleman's Animal Health Care Center yesterday doing Pet Christmas photos. We donated part of the proceeds from every package sold to the Mid Columbia Needy Pet Fund and after all the numbers were crunched, we were able to contribute $225. We also made lots of new pet friends and coaxed great images from a few shy pooches. It was such a success that we are going to do it again on Saturday, December 1st, 10 am to 3pm. Basic packages start at 2 5x7's for $25. So come on out, get your pets' photo made and help support a worthy cause. Here are a few images from the session, including one of me handing the check to Julie Coleman.

Dreamer, Princesse and Carly

Kerrie and Diesel

Reese

Julie Coleman and me

Pet Photos Benefit Local Charity

2007-10-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Now playing: Byrds - Eight Miles High
via FoxyTunes

Smile, Finn, Smile

Currently we are working with Julie and Chuck Coleman at Coleman Animal Health Center to raise money for the Mid Columbia Needy Pet Fund. We will be photographing pets from 10am-3pm on Saturday, November 3rd at their facility on Sandifer Road between Road 68 and Road 100 in Pasco.

$25 gets you a mini photo session and 2 5x7 prints in folders. Half the proceeds will be donated to the Mid Columbia Needy Pet Fund. So come on out and support this worthy cause and get a great image of your pet in the bargain. Yes, this is an image of our pooch, Finn the Ferocious Love Bug.

Let's Get Trashed

2007-09-25T16:51:00.001-07:00

Wow, amazing, here I am blogging two days in a row. Better be careful or this will become a habit.

Yay, I got some takers for my free "Let's Get Trashed" session. Kamiakin Cheerleaders rock! It was really a blast and the ladies were way into it. They call it their "splashy" pictures. Thanks Ann and Emily. I have just begun to edit it, but I wanted to share a few of the images.

An Officer & a Gentleman

2007-09-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

Had a great time photographing Faith and Brent's wedding this weekend. He is an Air Force fighter pilot and she is ... well... beautiful.

The whole wedding party was lots of fun. I have had bridesmaids jump before, but never in front of the altar.

It was a gorgeous ceremony and they were gracious enough to take some time beforehand to go with us to Canyon Lakes golf course for some relaxed and fun outdoor portraits.

And then their parents surprised them with the limo. Yay, parents!

Art images from the Fair

2007-09-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

OK, OK, I know I have once again fallen behind on posting. But I did manage to get to the Fair last week to stalk the elusive night motion shots. It was a blast as usual. I also saw The Guess Who and they were fantastic. Much better than their records "back in the day".

So here are some of the images I captured. The first three are from the Benton Franklin Fair this year and the last two are from the fair in Yakima last year. And by the way, these are straight out of the camera, no adjustment or manipulation of any kind.

Am I bad

2007-08-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention that I have been extremely remiss in posting to this blog, so I will take a few minutes to catch my breath and recap the past couple of weeks.

I have been extremely busy photographing weddings and seniors. It's that time of year. It has been a lot of fun so far, especially the kids who bring props or choose a cool location. Or brides who go for the gusto and take a walk down at the beach. So far I have had two guys bring cars - Tyler with his uncle's cherry RoadRunner at the golf course and Josh with his '69 El Camino. Also have photographed kids with their instruments recently - Taylor brought his drum set to an outdoor warehouse location and Kim brought her saxophone to wade in the creek.

So I will TRY to post at least one image a day here to give you a little peek at what's currently going on at Cool Breeze Photography. I am going to the Fair tonight on my annual quest for fun images of the rides at night. Here is a shot from a couple years ago.

Senior dude

2007-08-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

I photographed Aaron's brother Nate (now a Jr. at Gonzaga) a couple of years ago and also did their family portrait. I'll have to wait a few more years to photograph their younger brother Jason. A great family to work with.

Upcoming wedding

2007-08-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

I did Rachelle and Joel's engagement session and the wedding is this Saturday. So here is the image they chose for their signature mat. It's funny how things like this happen, but as it turns out, I could actually walk to the wedding, as they are having it at her parent's house and they only live about six blocks away.

Sax girl

2007-08-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love seniors who are interesting and are into bringing props that reflect who they are. Kim brought her saxophone and we had fun playing around in the studio and on location. As a result, the images turned out great. Here are a few of my favorites, one straight forward and a couple of art prints.

Janson's Senior Portraits

2007-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from a shoot I did a few days ago. They were taken on the grounds of the Cathedral of Joy; Janson's grandpa is the pastor there.

Hall Family

2007-07-27T21:12:00.001-07:00

I did a family session for this family a few weeks ago and delivered their prints today. I have done the senior photos for all the girls (my, they grow up fast). Here are a couple they chose.

Ms. Marilyn senior session

2007-07-24T22:38:00.001-07:00

Did a fun senior session yesterday. Here are a few of my favorite images.

Sunset engagement session

2007-07-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

I did a fun engagement session Wednesday evening up at Hedges Winery. We had the cooperation of an outrageous sunset and a gorgeous couple. An unbeatable combination! Here are a few images from the session. I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding next June.

Pet portraits

2007-07-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

I also do pet portraits as part of the business. Here is a shot from a recent session that is just irresistable. I don't know which are cuter, the girls or the puppy!

7/7/07

2007-07-07T07:19:00.001-07:00

Supposedly this is the biggest wedding day of the year. Lucky number 7 or some such thing. Eva Longhoria is getting married today and so is Wolfgang Puck. We are also shooting a wedding, the happy couple are Genette & Shane. This is their favorite photo from their engagement session. I am glad they are having a morning wedding as it is supposed to be over 100 degrees today! I will post more photos from the wedding soon.