Catalina Island, 4th of July Weekend 2009

One year ago.

Last May, Mr. Masters and I went to NYC to attend a wedding (as well as other festivities) for Rob and Kathy. We were in town for just over a week and felt very spoiled that we were able to spend so much time with the two of them. Rob is an amazing designer, and Kathy works in P.R., and they both enjoy participating in ANYTHING art related. Needless to say, there was no lack of creativity at their wedding. I’ll explain more as you scroll through this post.

Rob & Kathy took DIY to a whole new level. In addition to the homemade place cards, they made these paintings to correspond with their color scheme. The location iCi (a restaurant in Brooklyn), is a blank palette with PLENTY of soft light.

Custom glass “etching” with their monogram:

Waiting for his bride…

“I promise, I’ll take good care of her”…

Kathy made the piece in her hair. I loved the button! (It’s slightly hidden, see it?)

In addition to exchanging vows, a few of the guests did some readings:

Mr. Masters was another participant in the reading portion of the ceremony. Sadly, I have no images of Dave in action since I was sitting right next to him. I shot the ceremony from my seat and there was no way I was going to stand up and ruin the moment to get my shot.

Kathy pledging her vows to Rob, this is where I completely lost it…

“Hand over the bling and nobody gets hurt”

Happy tears are the best kind to capture…

Robs brother, Danny led all the guests to cocktail hour

We were seated at the “Sketching” table. Later in the evening, the paper pad would be used to write notes and draw pictures for our pals

Rob and Kathy made each of these ceramic vases BY HAND. Each one was unique and had their monogram on it.

Danny giving his speech, my favorite part had a line about how the one who wins an argument in a marriage is the first person to admit they’re wrong.

During dinner, Adam, (another high school pal and a New Yorker these days) played and sang “I can’t fight this feeling” by Journey. Everyone joined him and happily sang along.

I still remember the food like it was yesterday. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, EAT AT iCi!

After dinner, the room was cleared and the couple entertained us with their choreographed dance to Elvis.

And then we all had a dance-off. This sassy lady you see gettin’ down on it is Rob and Danny’s Grandma.

Yeah, this shot is blown out. I actually like it just the way it is!

During the reception somewhere in between shakin’ my tookus and eating cake, Rob & Kathy showed us a video they made. I guarantee that you will never see a homemade movie as awesome as this one, WATCH IT HERE!

The following day, we met up again and cruised around DUMBO. We stopped by the gallery where Rob met Kathy, Spring. They also sell his Grandfather Clock. As an added bonus, we got to peep a piece that they had made together and their New York Times announcement. After that, we cruised around and played with the timer on my camera.

I can’t wait to return to NYC in just a few short weeks. Everything about the city just inspires me, including my East-side friends, and especially Rob & Kathy.

I’ll reserve my review of WPPI for some other time. For now, I just want to share with you my favorite new piece of art. I get to wear it every single day. Thank you to Texas Bob of Atomic City Tattoo, and Lindsey & Peter for taking the time to partake in this epic adventure with cameras in hand.

I should note that my favorite aperture will always be f8.0. Yeah, fast, prime lenses that shoot at f1.2 are great and all, but I’m just a lil different. Shallow depth of field may come and go, but a PERFECT portrait will always start at f8. =P

(Only slightly exhausted from our jam-packed 4 day schedule)

Ready to go!

We had quite a few laughs. Texas Bob’s Dad is an avid collector of old Nikon film cameras. The connection was appreciated.

This is my game face. It didn’t hurt, but I was waaay into it.

Almost done, and yet, ready for more.

The finished product:

I shot this with my left hand. Not too difficult, but more so than usual. Good to know I can do it if the moment calls for it. =P

F8.0 for life.

I’m a lagger, but only when it comes to this blog. The way I figure it, as long as my clients/friends are receiving their photos on time, it’s okay to skip out on blogging to catch up in other facets of life once in a while. In my case, my focus has been spending time with my Husband, getting in shape, and hanging out with people who inspire me…people like my friend Anne.

When I got married, certain life situations happened in the months before our wedding outside of me and Dave’s relationship that caused me to eat my way through the emotional stress. The day of our wedding was lovely because we were surrounded by the people we love, but putting on my gown was a different story. I had gained over 20 pounds in 3 months.

A year and a half later, I’m happy to announce that I’ve turned my life around and I’m stronger than ever, physically and emotionally.

One day, I pulled my wedding gown out of the preservation box and put it on. Yes, I even tightened my own corset (although it was pretty heinous looking). Much to my own shock, the gown was pretty large. I called Anne up and begged her to shoot a session with Dave and I. I wanted to put my gown on once more before it was more than 3 sizes too large!

So that’s what we did this afternoon. Anne will reveal more at a later date, but I can almost guarantee you’ve never seen a trash the dress session quite like this one….

A couple that skates together, stays together!

These images are straight out of the camera, with no retouching or special effects. I have to mention this because I’m absolutely thrilled and thankful that Anne would give us a sneak preview within ONE HOUR after the end of our session. Anne, you never cease to amaze me!

This next shot is for my sister, Bubba. No, that’s not her real name but I’ve been calling her that for so long it may as well be. She was an amazing gymnast when she was younger (she’s all growns up now) and I kept thinking about her throughout the day whenever I wanted to laugh (outside of Anne or Dave initiating it!) or give Anne a smile that only my little sister could draw out of me. Bubba played such an integral role in helping me turn a new leaf and she was so supportive every step of the way. In the face of adversity, our relationship grew stronger than ever. Sisterhood is a powerful thing. I felt it appropriate to honor her, and push myself to try something I couldn’t do when I was feeling unhealthy. Not my most graceful moment, but I know she’ll love it.

p.s. Bubba, I landed it!

*All images copyright Anne K. of The Paper Stylist, don’t copy them!

About a year ago, I started offering my “portrait” booth as an alternative to the classic photo booth setups that I had seen at many events. At the time, I offered unlimited shooting and 4×6 color or black and white prints on demand, custom backgrounds up to 20 feet wide, custom logo’s and banners on the prints, and free clear bags, glassine envelopes, or custom enclosures.

But wait! Now there’s more!

A couple weeks ago when Anne helped coordinate Oscar & Tanya’s booth, we did so in less than 3 days. Tanya & Oscars friends scoured Party City and picked up a gigantic box of various props, and Tanya chose a plain white background because she knew there would be no lack of color based on her wedding decor and attire.

The night before the booth was ready to rock and roll. It occurred to me that Anne had all of the design files for Tanya’s invitation suite. I gave my buddy a call and begged her to make me some custom labels for the clear bags that were going to be used to hold the prints. Without hesitation, she hung up the phone and got to work.

Anne arrived to set up with a package full of these labels in her hot little hands:

I knew the second I spoke to Tanya for the first time that her booth was going to be fun because her friends were putting a lot of effort into the props. Since that was the focus (in addition to having a good time), I knew that surprising her with these labels would be a great way to give her guests the information without adding any distracting elements to the photos.

As an added bonus, Anne also made me these labels to use on the back of prints, on bags, and to hand out to little kids. Not quite as cool as getting a sticker from a Sheriff, or the Dentist…but not bad for a handout from a random Photographer at a wedding, right? =)

I’ve found that sometimes guests haven’t had a proper family portrait taken in years, and when they arrive to an event and see my setup sometimes they want to make the most of it and get a few shots for their homes and offices. In this case, it’s nice that I can offer them a print without a custom banner so that it will fit nicely in a frame without distractions. Plus, they have the option of getting an enlargement. Since I use a portrait studio lighting setup, it’s easy to grab a few family portraits after guests are done having fun for a few frames.

That’s where the custom label option comes in handy. So many folks are taking the time to work with Designers like Anne, that by the time they contract my services they typically have access to the creative elements they’ve developed to make their own event unique.

I do receive a lot of questions about my booth via email. Because there are few limitations to what I can do with my setup, I’ve found the best way to give interested parties access to specific information is to send out an information packet via email or snail mail after we’ve discussed all of the tiny little details during a consultation in person or over the phone (if you’re out of town).

I can tell you that the most common questions I receive are about cost, prints and about how many photos to expect in a 3 hour block. On average, the portrait booth costs about half as much as a portable classic style booth, depending on the level of customization. The 4×6 photos take about 30-60 seconds to print, and we keep them displayed in any way our client sees fit until their guests are ready to pick them up. Typically, we can do anywhere between 200-300 images in a 3 hour block (our most common package) which varies depending on how long guests spend putting on props and taking breaks to participate in other activities during the event. The booth is really only limited by your imagination, and thanks to my creative pals like Anne, it’s pretty easy to create just about anything you need to put your own twist on it.

Interested in booking the booth for your event? Email me at pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com

Oh, and big ups to Anne. I’m on a mission to learn a hundred different ways to say “Thank you” because of your continuous hard work, support, and friendship.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be unveiling a few changes around these parts. As for now, you’re probably noticing that my blog received a facelift. This is just one small piece of a rather large collaboration between Anne K. and myself, with the help of my techie husband, Mr. Masters.

If you happen to be waiting to receive information, images, or other products in the mail, it looks like you’ll be getting a sneak peak at my new packaging and stationary suite. In the meantime, everyone else will just have to wait for photos.

Do you have a Sunday morning ritual? Dave and I enjoy cooking together, but I especially love letting him kick back while I whip up some breakfast.

Pamcakes anyone?

Always splurge for the good syrup. Jemima is the evil Aunt (you know, the one that squeezed your cheeks too hard and humiliated you during puberty?) and she has never been invited to Sunday breakfast in this household.

Mr. Masters is easy to please. All it takes is a few minutes in the kitchen and a short stack!

When it comes to keeping your Hubs happy, sometimes ya gotta take advantage of the easy wins. It’s all about the low hanging fruit..err..carbs!

Jenn over at Hostess With The Mostess has blogged several of my photos from the Hip Hostess LA Event. They can be seen here. Also, check out Hostess With The Mostess for fabulous entertaining ideas!

Hip Hostess was held at The SLS Beverly Hills in the ballroom. The hotel is gorgeous and their staff is top notch! I hope I can shoot another event there someday soon! The tablescapes, Chambord cocktails, passed hors d’ vores’, photo booth, and tutorials were AMAZING.

I had so much fun at Hip Hostess, I can’t wait to attend another one!