JUSTINELEMENT PRODUCTIONS BLOG

So much on my mind! Well to start off this blog i have a couple points of realization, i probably knew this all before but now i’d like to really emphasize some points of photographer lifestyle that i need to stress to every half serious photographer out there!

1. Shoot, Upload, and EDIT quickly, yes yes people say going back or taking a break after taking photos is great, i agree i agree, but if you edit the photos you JUST took, you’ll know exactly what you want and what you were looking for, even a day or two wait before editting some of your favorite pictures will cause you to forget or lose that exact idea or sense of style you had orginally, plus editting right away means the passion and flame of that shoot is still inside of you, so edit edit edit right away and you’ll have that fiery connection still to the photographs, without having to look at everything to remind you again how it is. “looking at a photograph brings back all the old feelings you had when you first took it, but it will never compare to how you felt when you pressed the shutter in the first place” <– yea thats me i’m lame ahaha :)

2. Be comfortable with your equipment and software (make sure your mouse sensitivity is how you like it, the brightness of your monitor, your keyboard, maybe wireless, your mouse, your pen and tablet if you have one, know your photoshop tools and lightroom gadgets) research learn, and be on top of your pictures, don’t let your pictures own you.

3. And finally, Take pictures of what you like. The worst photographs come from the shots that you don’t have an emotional connection with. Every art school will tell you not to have that attachment to your work, why? because when your work is not good enough, you dont want to hurt yourself. Well as much as i agree with that, i believe that work that your connected to, that you feel, that you have an emotional, psychological attachment too, is the best work you do. When you love what your shooting, when you love why your shooting, your pictures have that much more edge to it, find your passion and stick to it, whatever it is.

I love shooting couples and i plan to shoot couples for the rest of my life. Its crazy for me to say something like that, not about couples, but to know what i want to do for the rest of my life. I just have something confident and calming about setting up moments and direction that’ll make great photos, and when i’m working with two people in love, its just easier. I’ll shoot lifestyle, i’ll shoot kids, i’ll shoot families, but when i shoot couples, i know how to bring out extra Umph out. So for all of you whether its couples, families, kids, products, journalism, commercial, art, or whatever it is: The best photographs are the ones your heart makes (sounds like something walt disney would say!) and yes i’m a disney fanatic – so with that being said, shoot what you love

and taking off from there, thats why I am posting the shoot i did today, two of my best friends Evan and Ivy asked me to shoot their graduation portraits a LONGGG time ago, and wanted to do it together as a couple. Ofcourse i was happy to be part of it. We shot at Ivy’s school which is very close by to my studio, Chapman College in the city of Orange. Evan and Ivy came by, we carpooled to Chapman, did our stuff, and then came home and immediately picked the shots for print. I threw in a lot more just for the blog because i thought some of these photos were too good to miss. Why? because i LOVED shooting my best friends in love, and got to be with them one last time before they became degree holders… actually this is Ivy’s second degree as now i should call her Ivy Nguyen M.A because she has a Masters in Education now and Evan who compared to him i have NOTHING in work ethic, has been working full time 5 days a week and went to four classes a week at night from 7pm – 10pm! yea, Evan pulled off being a full time student with a full time job and still managed to graduate in only 1 more year then it took me! I gotta say that i’m really proud of what they have accomplished and i’m really glad that i was able to grow up with these 2.

p.s thanks gaby agaaaiin for being my lighting assistant, as always, we did not use the powerstick today for everyone who thinks the powerstick is the only source of a good picture :) hehe

Everyone always has friendship stories that may echo across the nations
I may not know their favorite colors or their pet peeves anymore, but i know our bonds will span across the generations

there goes my haiku for you two (ahaha ok just a regular rhyme), but congratulations! see you at your wedding ;)