::: BLOG TIME ::: LAPID PHOTOGRAPHY :::

ella

2009-11-11T21:13:00.007-05:00

i have had the pleasure of photographing ella since she was 2 weeks old. i always look forward to her photo shoot and each image always makes me smile when i'm editing. we've had so many unique backdrops for her including the atlanta history center, ansley park, atlanta botanical gardens, and the lawn her parents were married on. here we are at piedmont park on one beautiful september sunday afternoon..

Rocky Point, Mexico

2009-11-06T10:15:00.001-05:00

brin & barton

2009-09-23T12:15:00.005-04:00

valley view was a perfect wedding canvas with a beautiful antebellum house, rolling hills, boxwood garden, and great family and friends. brin and barton's wedding had creative little touches throughout such as boiled peanuts, photos from africa, a candy station, and firing a canon to top the night off! congratulations to the bride and groom!! more to come...

a short film about art and life

2009-08-25T12:49:00.004-04:00

something any artist can relate to-- if you're not in the industry, just get past the introduction before turning it off..

LAPID Photographers

2009-08-23T18:54:00.002-04:00

We are proud to have Associate Photographer Russell Dreyer be a part of our creative team. Russell enjoys life to the fullest and is passionate about people and art. His enthusiasm and keen sense of vision is founded from a background in wedding photography and zest for portraiture work. He has an eye for line and form and captures fun and natural images of life that will be treasured for generations. Russell has the instinctive ability to make his subjects comfortable in front of the camera. His outgoing personality, true talent, professionalism, and incredible charisma makes him a LAPID photographer.

Come visit us on our associate's page by clicking the following image:

Leslie & Adam

2009-08-23T13:35:00.005-04:00

What a cool couple. Leslie and Adam's E-session was taken in the quaint neighborhood of Candler Park in Atlanta. My associate and I photographed them beginning with coffee at a local favorite spot, Dr. Bombay's, then continued on the streets of Candler Park. Their wedding is set at one of the most unique places in Atlanta, Paris on Ponce. It's going to be an amazing night!

.:Niway & Raul :: Athens, GA:.

2009-07-09T15:49:00.005-04:00

Niway and Raul are one of the sweetest and most in love couples I know. We had a great time on north campus, downtown Athens, the UGA Chapel and State Botanical Gardens Conservatory. I think everybody was up dancing the night away in bare feet, and the dynamic of the close-knit families was simply beautiful. I'm so happy for you and your families--- Congratulations, Niway & Raul! And a warm thank you to my A-team assistants and second shooters.

Botanical Gardens Shoot

2009-06-28T23:24:00.002-04:00

2009-06-15T12:41:00.001-04:00

Legacy of Art

2009-06-09T16:51:00.005-04:00

I am honored to be selected as one of the artists of this show and have donated a gelatin-silver fiber piece. It benefits Legacy World Missions, an Atlanta nonprofit dedicated to caring for kids orphaned by AIDS and war in Uganda. Attached is the invitation and press release. It is from 7-11 pm this Friday, June 12, 2009 at Rose Squared Gallery in downtown Decatur. It is a catered event and a silent art auction. Come enjoy a night of great company, wine, and art!

the farmhouse inn

2009-06-08T17:27:00.007-04:00

I had so much creative fun photographing leigh and jason's wedding at the farmhouse inn at lake oconee. we had an old barn to work with, farm animals, a tire swing tree, some rainbows.. and what a stunning couple. congrats, and more photos to come!

my best friend

2009-06-08T14:11:00.003-04:00

the other morning before i left for a shoot, i received a birthday gift in the mail. it put a huge grin on my face, and of course i knew who it was from by seeing the box from a distance. i have yet to open it because i loved the box so much. the polaroid photos on the sides are from memories brought back to life from over 8 years ago. love you jenn

Modern Sustainable Residential Design

2009-06-06T00:51:00.013-04:00

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Congratulations to Bill Carpenter on his newly released book, Modern Sustainable Residential Design. Bill is an incredibly talented architect and equally as amazing of a person. He is the owner of Lightroom, an architect and graphic design firm in downtown Decatur. Check out his website and innovative work. I had the pleasure of taking his portrait for the book. Congrats Bill and much continued success!
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commercial shoot in atlanta

2009-05-02T17:45:00.015-04:00

I had a great time working on this set in March. Most of the crew was from New York and Boston, and the people filmed and photographed were simply amazing people. Here are some of my favorite portraits, behind the scenes, and b-roll lifestyle images..

Home of the Brave

2009-04-21T17:33:00.004-04:00

Here are the scans of stories that I spoke about a couple of posts ago... I hope you read them.

messing around on the top of stone mountain

2009-04-16T15:17:00.004-04:00

Random Thoughts 1-3

2009-03-31T16:36:00.006-04:00

random thought #1: As a business owner and individual I suppose, you have to complete all the online profiles like Linkedin, Plaxo, Facebook, and I can't even think of all the others right now. I have finally finished these three, and I don't think it will ever end! Then of course you have to constantly update... kind of like a website and blog. Thinking about it, my online presence is company website, blog, facebook, linkedin, and plaxo -- oh and myspace which I think I will take down. My goodness! How this defines our state of technology and our state of being.

random thought #2: I went home this past weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday and have a little vacation (home is always a vacation). While there I happen to read an entire Reader's Digest. I love that magazine. The stories in it are very engaging. One in particular which I want to share with you-- although, I'll have to wait to get the magazine to scan the pages. It is titled, "Home of the Brave" and is a portrait of 7 peoples lives who came to this country. The one thing I'll say about it now is that we take our freedom for granted. Absolutely. Unless you have come from a circumstance from another country which most of us probably have not, we need to re-check ourselves and think about what freedom means and what it would NOT mean. Words from my father, America is the land of opportunity. We have every means to succeed.

random thought #3: I wish I could get in the shower and it would dress me.

Sun setting during the full moon rise, March 10, 2008

2009-03-12T19:26:00.009-04:00

One of the most beautiful adventures I've taken in a while was hiking a 500mm lens to the top of Stone Mountain. And to this day the magnitude of what I saw still takes my breath away. The trek started out a little late so nonetheless my comrades and I had to hike fast. I was amazed at how busy the mountain was, but it was an astounding almost spring day. We looked like a film crew hiking up the mountain, me with at least 25 pounds of gear, and who knows how much my friend and talented colleague, Sherman, was hiking up. He was hilarious-- video really requires some equipment. Regardless, we were both happy about getting the extra workout :)-- weird, I know.

I remember at one point hiking amongst full figured women, and one in which I was following who had a hand-held tuner tuned to the radio or something. I don't remember what was playing, but all of us hikers in that clump was listening and following.

Getting to the top took us about 40 minutes I think. As we went over the ridge, the wind picked up and started drying our sweat -- so if you ever go, don't forget to bring a hoodie. We got up there in time to unzip our bags, eat a light snack, scout, and set up tripods and cameras and lenses. We made sure everything was kept tidy so that packing up in the dark would be easy.

At the very peak of the mountain, the wind was whipping away, and when you shoot with a super duper long lens, that makes a difference. You have to be extra conscious of your shutter speed and even your trigger finger.

We had decided to go further down the east side of the mountain to block the wind, but before we did, luckily we stayed for the sunset over the city. It was re-donk-u-lous (aka, absolutely amazingly beautiful). And I'm probably mostly describing what I could see through the lens. With my naked eye, it was of course beautiful, but I just could not believe everything else I could see inside my lens. I think that is the first time I've ever enjoyed something more through the lens. As a photographer, the one thing that gets me is that I have to witness a lot of beauty through the lens, when all I really want to do is watch with my eyes. I've had to learn to (after taking my photos) take it all in-- and this is usually accompanied with a huge breath.

I never anticipated how fast the sun sets or the moon rises, but with an especially long lens, that sucker moves. That just adds to the beauty. I wanted to let my friends look but I didn't have a whole lot of time to spare as the sun dipped towards the horizon. As a lover of the sky and documenting the sky, I can't wait to go back.

My entire purpose of the trip was to shoot the full moon. And to shoot the full moon when it was orange. I was a little concerned before the trip because the moon was to rise at 7:33 pm and the sun set at 7:42 pm. I knew the moon was only that gorgeous orange after it rises when it is close to the horizon. So my concern was it still being light outside. Did you know that a full moon always rises around sunset? It was light outside, but there was also cloud coverage towards the eastern sky. Particles in the air is also what makes the moon go orange, so I needed particles too.

By the time the we could see the moon through the clouds, it was higher than I wanted it to be in the sky. Nonetheless, I didn't get the moon shots I wanted, but I sure did get other killer shots. And I will go back; I think I may start studying the sky from up there. Photo class trips anyone? Only stipulation is that we hike.

In summary, I'd describe what I saw that evening as "pretty sick". Both the sun and the moon, just shear beauty. And when it was all done, I took a moment to close my eyes, take at least 3 deep and full breaths, and on the last exhale slowly open my eyes. If you've never tried it, it will change your life as to me it is always an awakening-- an awakening to my overwhelming passion and my love for this abundant life. A special thanks to my comrades: Sherman for coming last minute and filming me and inspiring me further with the next project, Ryan for being a number one supporter and assistant and getting me the shots of me (woohoo finally), and Robby and Dawn for their love of the outdoors and the things I do.

I hope you enjoy these photos, and please, drop me a line..

taken during the hike up. City through Wires

Robby and Dawn

Yours truly

the sun is about to set

oh my-- first glance of the sun

Ryan steadying my setup

Robby and Dawn's happy arrival

yep, that's right

and again

the start of the series of sun going down over the city shots

that's me lost in the lens

pretty sick

lol. this is Robby and Dawn when I shout to them, "give me a good silhouette!"

another photographer in the distance. i love this shot

that's all of us minus ryan who is taking the photo

there goes the sun.. and our feeling of wow

me with now what appears to be a tiny lens; though most of you know that lens is a honker

Sherman breaking down the tripod during our move to shoot the moon with wind blockage

Dawn's more creative silhouette. you go girl! and robby, love your tripod :)

my abstract moon shot---subtracting to design elements

love this, especially the emotion from the woman

first site of the moon

this shot requires a conversation

exposed for the clouds and sky instead

Sherman and I about mid-mountain

:) -- oh I forgot the tags ;)-- love you Sherman

snow day 2009

2009-03-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

YMCA show & campaign

2009-02-27T17:42:00.016-05:00

I had the privilege of working on an exciting photo project with the YMCA. It's the beginning of a long ad campaign to help raise awareness with my local Decatur-Dekalb YMCA. We photographed people from the community along w/ staff and the leaders of many programs at this Y. Each photograph has a story that goes with it. We printed them 2'x 3'. I'm proud and have received so many great compliments, but to me the best part about it all is meeting so many new and kind-hearted people. Thank you everyone, and with special thanks to the community!

love

2009-02-19T18:59:00.006-05:00

I had a delicious Valentine's Day this year and had my favorite, lobster. We celebrated at Rathbun's Steak, and if you haven't been, go! It's on Krog Street. I think in our lives we are meant to cross paths with the people that we do, and sometimes something someone says sticks in your mind. One of the most unique things I've heard lately and something that made me think was from a full spirited gentleman we sat next to.

"Love is a verb."

It means love is a moving thing. It's not something that you just hold. It is not a noun. It is something that you work on everyday. It's about the act of uniting and relating and loving and inspiring and embracing and growing. Love is a verb. As soon as he said this, Ryan and I told him we look it in this sense,

YinYang

If you would like to read what the wikipedia says about yinyang, click here.

Measure

2009-01-20T23:35:00.008-05:00

Measure was a word that kept ringing in my ears today, and one that I heard used a lot. It was during President Obama's inaugural speech when it caught my ears, "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

I took these pictures to show our kids (one day) exactly the way we witnessed a part of history. I'm sure by then everything in this photo will be really dated. I also figured the photograph represented many americans and non-americans around the globe, as we all stared at our television screen in awe.

Behind the Scenes at Ryan Graham's HGTV's "Designed to Sell" listing

2009-01-19T23:12:00.013-05:00

I had a great time shooting behind the scenes for Ryan's listing. The film crew and producer were really great people. Thanks again guys! It was especially neat to see how they put it all together after watching the show so many times on TV. I'm a big enthusiast of watching the 'special features' after every movie. And it's a big plus when a gag reel is included. You gotta have a gag reel. Anyhow, not sure yet when this "Designed to Sell" show will air on TV, but here are the behind the scenes in action.

To and From the Sears Tower in 12 Hours

2008-12-04T15:28:00.006-05:00

Ryan and I went to Chicago for the day recently for a Celebration of Life party. It was truly celebrating one's life, and we all thought that we should have one of those while we are still alive. It seems as though the times when all your family and friends come together are at the saddest times. Perhaps that and a wedding.

I brought my camera and two lenses with me, and here is what I saw..

Sears Tower in the background.

View from the 66th floor of the Sears Tower facing northeast.

View from first class.

Highway to the windy city.

On our way to the L Train.

Taken from the train.

A lucky shot with sunlight hitting only Ryan's face.

This is our stop. View of the train station.

i love this shot. Sears Tower and Wing.

The Sears Tower on a cloudy day.

From where I was sitting. I had a split half a second to get this shot.

Train that picked up those people in the first photo above. Also did moving shots.

I love Chicago's train stations. I could do a million photoshoots with the textures in them. Anyone up for Marta?

Ryan's humor about a boy.

Another view while doing a u-turn and landing.

This is my Holga effect from my Mark II.

Both trains moving. I think I'll get back into black and white.

Chandelier.

View from 66th floor of Sears Tower facing north.

Grayson and Tyler

2008-11-16T11:01:00.005-05:00

I had the pleasure of photographing beautiful baby twins yesterday! I love twins! It was amazing and delightful to see and capture the dynamic of twins...