Julia's Photo Blog

A year ago I posted about the joyous celebration of my grandfather’s 100th birthday. Today, this photograph is my reminder of that wonderful time with him and much of my extended family.

Abraham Rodríguez passed away early this morning, two months shy of his next birthday. He lived and loved a long and eventful life–the kind many people only write stories about. He fought in wars, worked as a jailer, served as mayor, fathered many and gained the respect and admiration of even more. For me, he was a man of strength, honor and good-heartedness. I think of him today with awe and with pride.

En paz descanses, Papá Abraham.

I’m off to Mexico for a brief vacation. My trips to Mexico aren’t margarita-swirling dance fests.  No, they’re visits to my grandparents’ house and it’s been that way for as long as anyone can remember.  This year is extra special because every child, grandchild and great-grandchild will be there to celebrate my grandfather’s 100th year on this earth.  The photo above was taken the year World War II ended, a.k.a. the year of my father’s birth and my grandfather was in his late thirties then. He may have thought he’d already lived quite the life, but there were actually many more ‘lives’ in him than he ever dreamed.

I’m packing up my gear right now, as I plan to take a formal portrait to commemorate the occasion.  I want to capture him as he is now–so wise, so tired, so amazing.

This past Saturday afternoon we went shopping in Orange County and took the opportunity to stop by the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.  It’s a very popular place for runners, walkers, bird-watchers and photographers alike.  I got some pretty good shots.

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For the past few months I’ve been working with my cousin Saul on his headshots and website.  We both have full time jobs, so it’s been a slow process. Scheduling conflicts aside, we have managed to put a gallery together and I’ve learned quite a lot about outdoor posing and studio work.

For our first session we planned for three to four wardrobe changes in two different locations–Downtown Riverside and my home studio.  This seemed like a good start for both of us.  The shots around the downtown area were fairly straightforward. Areas like that are really nice because you get an infinite variety of backdrops for no money. The day was clear and fairly sunny, so we stayed in the shadows in order to avoid squinting.  In retrospect, I do wish we’d gone in the late afternoon to catch a bit of that light just before sunset.

Back in my studio we set up in the late afternoon, but because it’s a home studio there were some problems with light streaming through windows and casting shadows.  Luckily, Saul was patient and in about half an hour the sun was low enough to let me work. Overall, I was able to get some good studio shots.

You can view a sample gallery up at www.saultejeda.com.  The site and the gallery are both in progress, so check back for updates.  We hope to have his resume, bio and some performance videos up very soon.

Jessica allowed me to be her holiday photographer yet again this year. I strongly believe it’s because she has fallen in love with the quality of work and not because I’ve been her personal photographer since birth.

This year I learned a lot more about dealing with a toddler in a portable studio. Equipment used during this in-home shoot included my Canon EOS 5D, Speedlight flash unit, a tripod, a tungsten light, some background fabrics and some stands.  All of this is important because you have to keep track of all of these items a lot more intensely when there’s a toddler scurrying about. Kids will be cooperative for about 20 to 30 minutes tops.  Beyond that the session becomes a game of patience and control.  Luckily Jessica’s parents and uncle were around to help and were able to provide some entertainment for a while.  Of course, when that wasn’t enough we did resort to letting her wriggle her fingers in some feeder fish.  Sound gross?  Maybe, but it was great for some giggles and that made for some nice shots.

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On July 19th I had my first Quinceañera client. I was excited and nervous because I accepted to take it on alone.

Ruby is a very dear cousin’s daughter and I made sure to plan for everything.  All my gear was checked and charged, I took a ladder for some of the outdoors shots and I made sure to have cold water and snacks on hand. I learned how to deal with large groups of people that day.  I posed them and ordered them around and was a bit more assertive than usual.  I was the only official shooter, but my assistants helped me out with extra cameras all over the place and in the end I ended up with over 1800 photographs.  Yikes! It was great to have every angle covered, but it was a tremendous amount of work to try to get through.  I don’t recommend anyone do this at every event, but if you want insurance, grab some capable assistants and GET THAT SHOT! Also, you have the benefit of having some pictures taken of you in action.

To see more shots of the day, visit the gallery on the main site.

On the morning of the 5th I drove over to orange county to take team picture for the O.C. Impact girls’ softball team.  They were a fantastic group.  I took this fun team photo that they plan to put on their banner at Nationals.

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Sitting at the water's edge.

We went on a photo outing for Memorial Day, this time to Big Bear Lake.  it was slightly overcast when we set out, but cleared up beautifully by the time we got up the mountain.  After a wonderful afternoon snapping photos, I couldn’t help but feel revitalized and refreshed. Here are some of my favorite shots of the day.

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My friend Mark Lopez asked that I be his second photographer at a beach wedding. Of course, I jumped at the chance and the challenge.

The day started out quite a bit overcast, but for photographers it’s ideal–there are no harsh shadows to deal with. It makes shooting a lot faster and I feel like I can get a bit more creative without having to make constant adjustments. Weddings on the beach are beautiful, but there certain challenges to shooting on a location without readily available to climb. Mark thought ahead and brought a ladder for just this purpose and boy did it help. We were able to get shots of the seating area with it was used for some larger group shots. However, one thing to consider, especially on location is the need for an assistant. I had none this time, but I know at my next big event I won’t be caught without one.

To see more shots of the day, visit the gallery on the main site.

A few weeks ago, my friend David Lee asked for some help on an Engagement Shoot. David was one of my assistants at Tom & Ashley’s wedding, so I didn’t hesitate to offer my services

We met at The Mission Inn in Downtown Riverside. To the best of my knowledge, The Mission Inn charges a fee to use their location for photography, so I wondered if David had gotten permission to shoot there. Well, he hadn’t. However, we were presently surprised to see that there was a bridal show there, so we were able to wonder about for quite some time without being detected. In fact, no one approached us until we tried taking photos along a walkway outside. When they asked us to leave and did so immediately, so it was no big deal. Luckily, the area just outside along the mall is really nice. There are some antique shops with cute facades, benches, statues, water fountains, etc. That served as a perfect background for our shots.

I really enjoyed the experience and I heard from David that the couple was pleased with all of their photos

To see more shots of the day, visit the gallery on the main site.