Benj Photo

I'm outta here!

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:12:00 +0000

I've moved to http://www.BenjPhoto.com (no separate blog - the webpage is the blog) and I'll be shutting down the comments on these posts (they just attract spam). I'll probably move the content over a little at a time. The post "Why Photography Is Important" is already there.

Thanks and we'll see y'all over there.

Intimate Wedding At Lon's

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sat, 24 May 2008 18:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of being the photographer for a very intimate wedding at Lon's at the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, AZ. The entire wedding, guests and all, was a group that is smaller than many bridal parties. Parents, brothers, sisters and closest friends..... oh, and a couple of photographers to share the day and capture it for them.

The venue was one I hadn't been to before, but absolutely perfect for this wedding. Lon's and the Hermosa Inn is an older property with mature landscaping and an interesting history (check the link above). Off the beaten path, it lies just west of Camelback mountain, nestled among some of the older homes in the Paradise Valley area. As we drove through the neighborhood to get there the beauty of the area just made me want to move in.

The photo above captures something I'd never seen before at a wedding - a "ring warming". I thought this was a wonderful idea and was particularly suited to such a close knit gathering. The rings are passed from hand to hand, from one guest to the next as their body heat warmed the metal bands, a sort of blessing of the union with each one present giving warmth to the couple. That's Christine's father passing the rings across the aisle to Jameson's family and friends.

Unlike many outdoor weddings in the Phoenix area that are held in the glaring sun, this one was fully shaded on a small patio between the rows of low casitas. The combination of warm light from the sun and cooler shadows from the canopy of leaves overhead made for some interesting lighting. I decided to match the sunlight with warming gels on my flashes. This threw the background into a deeper shade of blue. On some photos I corrected the background and sandwiched the two together, but I rather liked the effect of the cooler shades in the background. In the photo below there was no flash, just a shaft of golden sunlight filtering through the trees.

As noted before, Lon's is located just West of Camelback mountain (seen in the background below). The parking lot is just over this low wall and we'd wait for cars to pass by and grab shots whenever there was an opportunity. I still ended up getting several shots of vehicles pulling into the drive straight behind them.

Many of the doors had such great character, including this one. When I met Jameson and Christine at Lon's a few weeks ahead of the wedding we saw this door within a door and planned to get a shot of them looking through. The door was quite old and only hanging on one hinge. I had to slip something small into the crack in the smaller door to keep it from swinging closed due to the angle. My assistant for the day - Darren - held a flash on the other side of the wall to light them while I lit the door with a hand-held flash.

All in all, a beautiful wedding at a great venue. I want to thank both Christine and Jameson for choosing me to be a part of their day. I had a great time.

Why Photography Is Important

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:05:00 +0000

The following is something I shared with a group of friends, fellow wedding photographers, on a wedding photography forum yesterday. It was so well received that I decided to post it here as well.

I was shooting an e-session this past weekend at the Mesa Arts Center with my pastor's daughter, Christine and her fiance, Christian. The place has this fabulous blue wall that I love to use as a background element and all kinds of nifty water features.

We were taking these shots at one of the water features when I glimpse some movement coming into frame right (albeit out of focus).

The movement was this little guy. He dropped in with lunch and just wanted a drink, so I snap a shot with him as the center of attention.

...and then the bird flies away.

It's at this point that I think, "That's why I do this...... To catch fleeting moments that will never be just so again. These two people; this place and time of day; this little bird......"

How often you hear stories about loved ones who've died and what comfort the photos bring to the family, or sadder still when they pass on and the thought is, "We were going to get some photos done....." I'd been talking with someone about getting a shot of the various members of their family for some time and one day one of them was, like this bird, no longer there. Gone......

Have you ever seen a movie where someone suffers the loss of a loved one and they interact with a photo on the nightstand, drawing it close and examining the features, tracing them with a finger and then embracing it? Sure you have. Maybe some of you have actually interacted with photos in that way.

It's not just the passing of loved ones that may trigger this emotional connection to our art. Moms might sit on the side of the bed holding a photo of a son or daughter who's left home for college or a job in a distant place. Parents look back at photos of their children when they were younger and you see a trace of a smile at the corners of their mouth and a faint twinkle in the eye.

There's a reason why we hear about people dragging the family photos out of a burning or flooding home - sometimes even risking their lives. I can't picture someone racing back into a burning house to rescue the frozen wedding cake or tearfully tracing the edges of the caterer's menu.

This may sound maudlin or sappy or even self-serving, but as important as they may be to the whole experience, I just don't see the other things folks spend money on to make their wedding day "special" being able to have the same impact over time as our images and albums.

That's why I think that what we do as photographers is important.

I don't mean to take away from Christian and Christine, but this was just something I've been mulling over since the shoot. I'll put up some more photos in a blog post that's actually about the couple in a few days.

Sue Ellen And Todd

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:12:00 +0000

Sunday I met up with Sue Ellen and Todd for some engagement photos. Their wedding is just two weeks away and I'm on a time crunch to get their e-session photos edited and create a guest book before the wedding. I'm a bit ahead on time so I thought I'd share some of the photos from the session.

We started out at an old cattle chute (for a new photo shoot) just outside of Prescott, AZ. Well, actually we started in a park in Chino Valley, but it was way too windy and Sue Ellen would have had to fight her hair the whole time. The chute and corral was in a little valley, so the wind wasn't nearly as bad, and the structure added a little more wind-break. Todd was the one who knew about this chute and he liked the weathered wood. I must say the look of the wood was pretty nice (although not too sturdy to stand on, which is what I was doing to get this angle). But that was only the beginning of our adventures.

From there we headed over toward the Granite Dells. There's a riparian habitat and hiking trails nearby and we headed down to a felled cottonwood tree. This thing was wider than I was tall. We took shots of the two of them standing next to the trunk and even though they were standing on the stump the trunk was taller than they were. This shot peeks through a cut section of the trunk and you can see the water way behind them.

I won't tell you what happened at the end of that portion of the shoot, but I will say that logs aren't much of a cushion for your head when you fall in the woods. Todd and Sue Ellen had to kind of ignore my persistent bleeding while we went up into the Dells above Watson Lake for the remainder of the shoot. I don't want you to think that they weren't concerned, because I had to keep assuring them that I was perfectly alright. They felt really bad about it.

Once we were in position above the lake, I set up one of my flashes with a CTO gel. This gives the light a warm appearance (like a sunset) and when I use my white balance settings it makes the water go really blue. I love this look.

I think Sue Ellen and Todd were a little concerned because I was climbing all these boulders and jumping around like a mountain goat...... or maybe just an old goat. I was OK though. I told them we don't have trees in Phoenix and I'm used to jumping around on boulders. It's the darn trees that trip me up....... literally!

This spot at the Dells is beautiful and with the sun just kissing the tops of the boulders across the lake and with the additional boulders sticking up from the water the scene was perfect. Just add cute couple and you're good to go.

While we were at the lake I realized that I'd lost my glasses and my pen when I fell. After we finished shooting these shots we went back to the previous spot and Todd went to look for my things while I showed a sample Graphi Studio wedding album to Sue Ellen. It was starting to get dark and with all the debris scattered on the ground around the big cottonwood I really didn't think Todd would find anything. I was pretty happy when he showed back up with both items.

So, thanks guys for the fun (if a bit too exciting) day, and a special thanks to Todd for finding my specs and my pen! I'm really looking forward to the wedding in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I won't need a helmet..........

Carrie and George

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:07:00 +0000

I had a great time last Saturday shooting a graduation set with Carrie and George, the wonder dog......

I think George was diggin' all the attention. It wasn't enough that he was getting his portrait taken, nearly everyone who passed by on a nearby hiking trail had to comment on how beautiful he was. George was soakin' it all in.......

We went out to the desert at the base of Superstition mountain and shot among the Saguaro, Ocotillo and Mesquite. We hoped to find fields of Mexican Golden Poppies, but the best we could do was a small group of 4. That's OK. There was plenty of other vegetation after our very wet winter. Even without poppies I think we got some good shots.

While we were out there, Carrie's mom lost her cell phone. They went back through the brush to look for it (apparently George isn't a good tracking dog) while I packed up and then joined them. They hadn't found the phone, but Carrie found my bluetooth headset laying on the ground. I'd never have found it (especially since I didn't even know it was gone).

We went back down to pick up my gear and head to the cars. I mentioned I'd looked at the area where some of their things had been laid down but hadn't seen the phone. Carrie walked right over and looked in the same spot and guess what she found...... That's right. The phone I didn't even see. Next time I lose something, I'm calling Carrie to help me look for it.

Later that day I went by Usery Mountain Pass and got to shoot mountain bikers free-riding on a jump course. There were a group of us that got together to shoot the bikers just for material for our portfolios. At dusk I set up a group shot and got one of the bikers to allow me to attach a flash to his handlebars. I triggered the camera as he flew over the jump.

All in all...... a fun day.

Heartbreak In S.E. Mesa

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:07:00 +0000

I had just finished my dinner at one of the Valley's finest dining establishments tonight (those who know me will recognize this as Chipotle...... Mmmmmmmm) when I saw a thick column of black smoke rising from the neighborhood to the east. I headed that way and got to the location on South Longspur about the same time as the first fire trucks.

It seems a family's van had caught fire either in the driveway or in the garage and had then been pushed into the drive.

When I pulled up the van was fully engulfed in the driveway and the Fire Dept. was just rolling out the hoses.

In quick order they were both hosing the van and house and shortly thereafter laid a protective foam layer on the neighboring house. By that time the flames from the van had ignited the eaves right above it and the flames were drawn up under the roof tiles.

Before long the roof was ablaze with flames shooting into the night sky.

There was a unit positioned on the cross street just to the north with a ladder or lift from which the firefighters had an overhead view of the fire. I think they had to wait until the roof fire was under a bit more control as I didn't see any spray from the overhead position until the flames had been subdued.

Here are some more shots:

The old saying is true that says, "If you set a house afire people will gather to watch it burn."

A view from down the block to the South.

At one point the smoke really thickened at ground level and you couldn't even see the men working the blaze.

Those of you who are inclined to pray might intercede on behalf of this family. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Thankfully, to my knowlege, and that of the officer I spoke to at the scene, no one was injured in the blaze.

MLK Basketball Classic

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:48:00 +0000

This past weekend I had the privilege to shoot the MLK Basketball Classic at Mesa Community College and ASU with my associate, Jim. Now, I'm not a sports shooter and don't make any claims as such, but I am an event shooter and I'm always looking for ways to expand my horizons photographically.

Jim and I were shooting for the event organizers and wanted to capture a sense of the event itself and not just the players. Between quarters they had shootoff's at each end of the court with two young spectators chosen from the crowd to shoot free throws and layups. There were cheerleaders at the High School games as well as dance troupes and spirit squads at both venues.

We arrived at noon both days to set up. Jim and I were the only ones using remote flash units to help light the floor. There were media folks from newspaper, magazine and television outlets represented. The High School event not only attracted the media but there were a number of college coaches on hand to scout the talent.

It was a great opportunity to stretch and develop my skills. Basketball players move a bit faster and in different directions than your average wedding party. Nobody in a wedding photo jumps unless I direct them to. At the games I'd get a player all framed perfectly and suddenly he or she would jump and I'd get a shot of their body and feet but no head..... kinda like some of the snapshots some of my relatives take....... c'mon..... you've got an aunt or uncle like that too..... In fact, they often distract the folks I'm taking photos of and I get a shot of half the group looking at aunt Mabel and her instamatic instead of at my camera. I hope aunt Mabel got a good shot but I'm guessing some of you are missing heads........ But that's a subject for another post.

The spirit squads were just as difficult. You'd get a whole pack of them framed and all of a sudden they'd launch some little girl twenty feet in the air! I've got a couple of shots with a cluster of girls on the floor and a pair of white shoes barely in the top of the frame.

Once some of the basic differences were accounted for I was able to get into a groove and shoot from various vantage points. Like other events you just have to anticipate the action and be ready. You may have to be ready a bit quicker, but that's part of the game.

You can see more of the shots from this event (both mine and Jim's) at Jim's Desert Graphix site. You can view the Juco event as well as the High School event. Photos you're sure to flip over!

......Sorry. Couldn't resist........

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:06:00 +0000

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you I've had opportunity to work with over the past year. I've made many new friends and look forward to forging new relationships in the coming year.

And now, for the photo part of the BenjPhoto "photoblog":

A few nights ago I enjoyed shooting a community outreach event with our church. I had some help from an elf and some guy in a fuzzy red suit....... Hmmmmm.

Well, there's our elf, but where's the big guy? We were nearly in a panic when someone said, "There he is and pointed to the chair.

There was one pretender to the throne . . .

. . . after another.

Well, the big man finally made it, but I think the poor guy was really tired....... or this little girl had a very looooong list.

All in all, it was a good evening. Although it was pretty taxing on the big guy. He had to leave early. I think the elf sent him home to rest.

And now I'll leave you with a Christmas memory: A little boy my wife used to take care of was left with me while she ran to do an errand. That's OK. I think kids are great. The little guy looked around for my wife and couldn't find her, so he came to the great oracle..... me.

"Mary? ......... go.......... car?", he asked.

"No."

"Mary? ......... go.......... truck?", he tried again.

"Nope."

"Mary?", he thought hard......, "Mary? .................... Christmas?"

What more can I say?

You can find more shots from the event at: http://photos.benjphoto.com/Events/431283

"Casino Royale" At the Biltmore

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 18:16:00 +0000

Update: Link to photos at the bottom

Last weekend we shot a corporate party at the Arizona Biltmore. We set up a "photo booth" (manned by my associate, Jim) for formal portraits and shot candids of the party goers as they mingled, danced and gathered at the tables for some Casino Royale styled fun (cue James Bond theme music now).

As most of the folks arrived they were greeted by polished servers offering beverages and appetizers as well as tables laden with a mouth watering display of seafood and other goodies.

Tables were decorated with giant martini glasses and flickering "ice dice".

Along the back wall was an array of tables set up for various games of chance.

The opening band (yes, there was more than one....) was a cool little jazz quartet. I don't have any more information than that (I'll try to get it from my contact for this gig and will post it later) because I didn't want to interrupt the set and they got away before I realized it. They set the Casino Royale mood from the top as the folks arrived and kept it up for the early part of the evening.

After most of the folks had eaten and the gaming tables started attracting a crowd, the second band started cranking up. Shirley's Temple is a rock cover band that amped up the house for the remainder of the night and offered an alternative to those who'd rather dance the night away than throw down at the tables.

All in all, it was a fun night. Jim and I enjoyed shooting it and I hope everyone likes the results of our efforts as much as they enjoyed the celebration.

I've already had some inquiries about the full range of photos but I'm getting a new e-commerce site that was supposed to be ready for me to start posting, but it's not. I certainly hope the provider gets things going before the weekend is out and I can get the photos up before family starts coming in (yours as well as mine) for Christmas. Check back tomorrow for links to the photos, and my sincerest apologies for the delay.

___

Update (Sunday, Dec. 23): Still no word from the vendor turning the new site over to me. Once it's turned over I'll have to do some setup of my own and then I'll be able to post the photos. If I don't hear from them today I'll find another place to upload the photos on Monday and post the links here. I am very sorry for those of you who've come looking for your photos. To help soften the disappointment I'll offer some discounted pricing for any shots you want to purchase.
___

Update (Monday, Dec. 24): They're up. I had to go to plan "B" in order to do it. The vendor I'd initially chosen to host my new e-commerce page didn't come through for me. I've had a portfolio page hosted by another vendor for several years and decided to upgrade to their e-commerce package instead. Please let me know how the experience goes - either positive or negative. And thank you for your patience (I nearly lost all of mine.....).

You can see the various galleries at: http://photos.benjphoto.com/Events/430982

All That Jazz......

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:29:00 +0000

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot part of the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, sponsored by the Arizona Classic Jazz Society held at the San Marcos Golf Resort in Chandler, Arizona. If I could sum it up in just two words -- Great Fun!

The whole experience was fantastic! Live bands played Jazz standards while young and old alike jammed the dance floor to trot out some East Coast and West Coast Swing as well as some Lindy Hop. I was there at the invitation of the Arizona Swing Network to take photos of the dancers (well, the trumpet player in me insisted on getting some shots of the musicians too).

You know that commercial where the janitor spills his coffee on the control room panel and blacks out a major city? He saves the day by hitting a button and the Energizer Bunny is plugged into the grid and all the lights come back on. Let me tell you, the bunny has nothing in terms of energy production on this crowd. They wore me out just watching. Or maybe I wore myself out running around the dance floor and stage holding a heavy camera over my head with one hand and a flash in the other. Either way, there was a lot of energy being expended and it was definitely not limited to my battery packs.

Some of the bands I was able to hear (and shoot) included: Wally's Warehouse Waifs; Pieter Meijers Quartet; and The 51st Eight who closed out the night. As their set drew to an end the band kept growing as musicians from the other bands sat in, either replacing or doubling with the existing members. We had multiple trumpets, clarinets, saxaphones, guitars and even four hands on the piano. Sweet!

Posters around the main ballroom (yeah, this thing was going on in multiple venues at the San Marcos) were supplied by cartoonist Bill Keane, a Scottsdale resident and the creator of The Family Circus. I think I read somewhere that he's a big jazz fan, but I saw him once and he didn't look all that big to me......

I would really love to do this again. What I'd like to do between now and then is shoot the dancers in a more controlled setting. There was one couple doing aerials but they were across the dance floor and other couples were getting in between them and my camera. What would really be great is to do a shoot with everyone in period costumes. That'd be the cat's pajamas..........

Just click the links to see more photos of the musicians and dancers.

Anyone wanting prints or larger files can use the contact link on BenjPhoto.com to send me an email.

Fashion or Art?

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:05:00 +0000

Last weekend I had the privilege of working with a small herd of photographers and a few models up in Jerome, AZ. Jerome is a cool little town with an interesting history. If you have an opportunity to go, I'd encourage you to do it.

Both the models and photographers were a mix of folks having a great deal of experience and some who had little to no experience but wanted to learn. I was excited to have an opportunity to shoot with some fellow photographers whose work I have admired and was surprised to find myself in the company of some people I really didn't know but now have a deep respect for their skills and abilities. I think that's called "Networking".

I had a couple of simple goals for the day: Get one or two really good portfolio shots; Learn something new; Spend time working with people whose skills I admire. I exceeded all goals. Maybe I just set the bar too low....... Actually, there was a synergy in working with all these creative folks that got my own creative juices flowing. The morning started off a bit chaotic, but as the day progressed we saw things begin to gel.

At times I'm sure we looked like a nomadic production company.

As the day progressed, momentum seemed to take over and ideas went from merely having the models strike a pose to having them tell a story. Once we all converged on the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town with all it's myriad props at our fingertips, things just took off. Some of the shots had been pre-visualized since we knew a bit about the places we'd visit, while others just happened because of found props and venues.

In short, I did get some good portfolio shots, but the crowning achievement for me that day was this shot of model, April Knapp, taken in the blacksmith's shop at the Gold King Ghost Town.

When I discovered the blacksmith's shop it was already being used as a backdrop for April and they were lighting her with a single flash shot through a translucent umbrella with additional, soft light coming in from openings in the building. The exception was the back of the building where the forge is located. It was all dark.

After watching for a moment and a brief discussion, I took one of my Sunpak lights and placed it behind the forge (and the model) with a gel on it to simulate firelight. The quality of the shots immediately ramped up.

The final ingredient was to coach April into positioning her body in a way that would allow the light to rake across her back and bring the hammer up for a dramatic "scene" to unfold rather than a simple pose. I must say that April was up to the task as she follows direction very well.

The result? Well, I went to get a couple of good shots for my portfolio, and wound up with one that I think borders on great. There are still a few things I need to do in post production, but this is pretty much the shot as taken with some color balancing. I'll probably end up doing a little bit of burn and dodge here and there and will be getting rid of the blower that is just behind her.

Anyway, that's the scoop from last week's shooting schedule. Hopefully I can update this blog more frequently as my health continues to improve. Last weekend wore me out! We're planning another outing in Bisbee this spring........ Can't wait.

Getting Back In The Groove........

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Bobbie called me yesterday. She wanted to know if we could do a photo shoot soon. It seems she was talking to her "Pappa" and he asked her for a recent photo. Then she said, "Since you're the only one who takes good pictures of me I need to set something up." Gee, you can't get a better assessment than that! That got me to thinking. If I've done your wedding or family shots or photos of your children and you want to let everyone know how pleased you are with the results, send me an email with your comments. I think I'll include excerpts in the slideshows and maybe add a page to the website for customer comments. Even if you weren't pleased, let me know about that too. I'd like to do whatever I can to make sure your experience with BenjPhoto is a positive one.

Back to Bobbie....... I mentioned in the last post that I'm recovering from medical treatments right now, so I told her that I'd love to do the shoot but we'd have to put it off for at least a couple of weeks. Since there were too many variables affecting the length of treatment my calendar is wide open until well into October. Looks like Bobbie will be the first thing I schedule since the fashion session with Aubrey is a bit more taxing and will have to wait a few weeks longer.

I dug up a shot we did a couple of years ago with Bobbie. Looking at it I'm wondering how anybody could not take a great picture of this girl. Hey, as long as I'm the only one who can, I'm looking forward to feeling better so that we can go out and do something fresh for Bobbie's Pappa.......

It's Been Awfully Quiet In Here

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 01:30:00 +0000

If anyone's been wondering why I haven't posted in awhile, I've been going through some medical treatments and haven't felt up to posting. In fact, I haven't been doing much photographically at all. Not even editing or working on albums. You can read about it on my family blog if you're inclined.

Yesterday though I dragged a chair out and my wife and son set up the lights and backdrops for a maternity shoot. I shot everything either lying down or sitting. Sitting was actually easier.

The shot above was the toughest as my muscles are too weak to hold my head up for very long. I'd take a shot and lay my head back down. Take a shot and lay my head back down. Kinda like being a sniper or something.

This is my oldest son and his wife. If it hadn't been for that and the nearness of the due date I doubt I would have taken this on. It wasn't too bad though. I normally stop frequently to let mom-to-be rest a bit, but yesterday we stopped much more frequently to let the photographer rest a bit.

This was a planned outage, so I hadn't taken on any additional weddings or other assignments for a couple of months, but that brings up a question brides may want to ask, and that is, "What if something happens and you aren't able to take the photos for my wedding?" The right answer would be that the photographer isn't just the Lone Ranger but belongs to a professional group and/or has developed partnerships or relationships with other photographers in the area who are capable of delivering great images.

As far as "great images" go, I haven't done much to these and they're pretty much right out of the camera. I'll do my usual editing as I feel better and replace these. But I felt well enough that I might take on a few small jobs (no location stuff though) as long as it can be done from a kitchen chair.

Bridal Fashion Shoot!

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:01:00 +0000

Or, "What To Do With The Dress Besides Zip It Up In A Bag And Forget About It For Twenty Five Years Or More?"

I've been talking to brides, prospective brides and former brides about a Post Wedding Bridal Portrait Session. Basically, it's a portrait session where a bride gets to put on the dress and go play for a day. You don't have to worry about keeping the dress clean for the wedding and that opens up all kinds of possibilities for creative shots and venues. In some cases the photo shoot takes the bride in all her finery into grungy locales and the dress gets a bit...... ummmm...... dusty....... or even muddy. They may climb a tree, drag the dress through dirt or even go swimming in it. This has led some folks to call these shoots a "Trash The Dress" session and there are even web sites devoted strictly to "Trashing" wedding dresses......

Shocking!

Well, before you get into a big panic, unless you specifically set out to shred the fabric the dress is no worse for the wear after a trip to the local cleaners. That red filling from the wedding cake stands a greater chance of ruining it than a dip in the river. But you should see the images! They look like the bride stepped into a magazine ad. More importantly, they also look like a whole lot of fun.

At any rate, I was batting well below 1,000 in my attempts to find someone willing to take the plunge..... literally..... into a post wedding bridal session. Here are the basic reactions:

I want my daughter to wear it when she gets married.

Um, yeah. Just like you wore your mother's dress.... Let's face it, by the time your daughter gets married fashion will have moved on. While many people hold on to their wedding dresses for just this reason, how many brides do you know who actually wore their mom's gown? I mean this century.... Besides, I've already mentioned that a trip to the cleaners (which you need to do anyway so that they can apply all the chemicals needed to keep it white until your daughter is grown) will take care of the soiled appearance.

The dress is..... well, it's almost sacred!

More sacred than your vows? Think of it as a way to say, "I'm madly in love with the man I married and I'll never need to wear this again." Although you could since it will likely be as good as new after a trip to the cleaners, but we're talking about a symbolic statement here.

It cost too much to ruin.

It cost too much to store in a bag.

It cost too much to only wear once.

At least this way you get a set of photos or even a magazine style book full of stylish images of the session that you'll put on display or keep out on the coffee table for enjoyment that goes beyond the single day spent in the dress for your wedding.

Oh, and did I mention that it'll probably look just fine after a trip to the cleaners?

I did? Oh, Okay.

My clever rebuttals notwithstanding I wasn't getting any takers. That is until I spoke with Aubrey who was having me shoot her adorable son Joel's six month portraits (That's him on the right). Aubs is a lot of fun as you can tell from the shots from her wedding a year and a half ago (she's the bride featured on the home page of BenjPhoto.com (......did I mention that my new website is up?)).

Aubrey's face immediately brightened when I explained what a session might entail. Then she jumped through the above arguments (It was at this point that Joel yelled, "I'm not wearin' anybody's dress at my wedding!" and I snapped the photo at right). Once I explained that a trip to the cleaners...... (are you detecting a pattern here yet?)..... would restore it to a condition that any self respecting daughter with 20 year old fashion sense would be happy to wear...... well, she brightened again and said, "Let's do it!"

That's the girl!

I'm all pumped to do the shoot, but we'll all have to wait for cooler weather. Arizona in summer is hot enough that the lakes and rivers might scald anyone foolish enough to jump in. Alright, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I want to do some shots around town before going to the lake and clambering around on the rocks near the spot I have in mind would be pretty hot too. I don't want her looking like she needs to jump in the water. So, we're waiting for September...... sigh.......

The Website Is Coming Along Nicely.....

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:38:00 +0000

Perhaps you've heard that BenjPhoto.com is live now. The contact page is still broken but they tell me they're working on that.

Currently there's a Portfolio section that features a slideshow with plenty of examples from the various portfolios that will be coming online one by one. The only one that is currently up is the Wedding portfolio, but that will change soon. I haven't been able to work on it much this week because I'm off in semi-sunny California for some training.

And Now For Something Completely Different.....

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:36:00 +0000

. . . or not.

Here's the same video on Google Video. Let me know what you think about the comparative quality between the two.

********* edit ************
OK. Don't bother to compare the two because I took the YouTube version down. The Google version is ever so slightly better in terms of resolution, but the big YouTube logo obscured too much of the image. Since the previous post was only about the slide show as a YouTube video, I removed the entire post. As a rule, that won't be happening. If there had been some comment on that post I likely would have kept the post and just removed the video.

###### Post Script to the edit ######
In deleting the other post I inadvertantly got rid of the link to Andy McKee's site. In case you don't watch the video all the way through to the end credits, Andy's the guy playing the music. If you like what you hear, I encourage you to go check him out.

Kickin' it off.....

noreply@blogger.com (carlos benjamin - benjphoto.com) — Sun, 27 May 2007 06:34:00 +0000

So, I've decided to start a photo blog and this is the first entry. Those of you who've been anxiously awaiting this moment are no doubt thrilled........

I decided to start the blog as an adjunct to my new web presence at BenjPhoto.com. The web page will house galleries, pricing info and all the businessy (is that a word?) stuff that goes along with operating a successful photography business. The style over here at the blog will be much more casual and breezy (and with an Arizona summer upon us, breezy should be very welcome).

I'll be writing about the latest things going on with BenjPhoto and with me personally. Not too personal (besides, it wouldn't be that interesting).

If you're new here (and who isn't at this point?) and would like to know more about me, cruise on over to my profile. You'll thrill to read the exploits of great daring and brave heroics and wonder at the tenacity and strength that enables a dedicated photographer to hang from a razor-thin cliff edge by his toenails and still take rock-steady photographs of rarely seen wonders. Actually, modesty prevents me from writing about those things (or was it honesty preventing me..... I get those two so confused).

At any rate, if I already know you, I'm glad you're here. If we've not been introduced, I hope to make your acquaintance soon enough. Go to BenjPhoto.com and check out the galleries, slideshows and other goodies. Let me know what you think.