Okay I really meant to say there's a kink in my new blog which the company is now trying to fix. Apparently it works when viewing in Firefox and Safari but it doesn't work when viewing in Internet Explorer. Bah-humbug!....I am so bummed right now.
Below is a link to the new blog.
http://nerinna.myfotojournal.com/
Changing the blog name soon to http://www.nerinnavalera.com
As for the new site, I had a few kinks that weren't working so hopefully hopefully by end of this week it'll be up. Please be patient. Thank you. I promise only good things from the site.
Sometimes you have to make changes. In less than three days you'll see a new site and blog from me. I realized my site just wasn't doing it for me anymore. So I've been spending a lot of my time revamping my site AND my blog. The new stuff is coming this weekend.
I believe I'm a bonafide sap. I truly am. And I always knew love has multitude ways of showing itself. With Linda and Andrew it was apparent....apparent in the way they goofed around, held each other, and how he adorably said things that made your heart laugh. I mean adorable as in something to the tune of..."Hey babe, you wanna head out for a double mcburger sandwich big mac grilled cheese with fries and a coke?" I know I probably didn't do his words justice nor does it sound comical but if you were there and you heard it, spoken his way, it's comical.... And no wonder Linda was laughing!
So, when I created this slideshow, it may have been the song, the images, possibly the thought of how kind and loving they are, or maybe even the fact that I'm bummed I'm not available to document their event. Whatever the reason, watching this slideshow made my heart wrench.
I was recommended to Linda by another bride/friend. I liked them instantly and I thought I was available to shoot their wedding and I was so ready to draft their contract. But when I doublechecked my books, I realized I was already booked. Talk about bummer! That was not a good feeling....I mean seriously.....BIG bummer!
Luckily though we set up an engagement session with the charming town of Saratoga as our backdrop. Luckier even is I got a chance to hang out and have a wonderful session with a beautiful couple. Even Travis remarked "what a good looking couple." I had to explain it wasn't the outside I was referring to. Travis smiled knowing what I love most in couples...beauty within.
It's always a treat when you meet a couple as playful and easy to work with as Zohra and Ron. With just the first few frames and a little direction, we captured beautiful images. Our playground was the Presidio and the Palace of Fine Arts. I'm indebted to these two because we really had a tough time finding a spot to photograph. Japanese Tea Garden was our first destination but unfortunately the place was swarming with tourists. So, we opted to meet at Crissy Field and start in the Presidio and from there, it was heaven.
FYI to those who wonder if images are Photoshopped.....no. None of the images in current slideshows are Photoshopped, including Zohra and Ron's. People often comment that the slideshows are great Photoshop work but seriously, if I photoshopped every single image into a slideshow, the time to create it would be endless and my clients wouldn't see it for three, maybe six months. I was taught back in the dark ages of using film (think 90's here) to get the exposure right from the get go. I reserve Photoshop work for enhancements that usually go in albums and other presentations.
For all beautiful Facebook junkies and the like, please join me on my Facebook photography fan page by clicking the link below:
Nerinna Photography Fan Galorama
Posting recent work and stuff I find relevant to photo buffs.
Do you ever imagine a scenario that everytime you board a plane that it'll be the last one you board and that someone is standing on the wings looking at you saying he needs to take you...you're not sure where....but he's implying your life is about to end. I know it sounds morbid and I'm not sure why I imagine that scenario everytime I board a plane but it happens and what I end up saying is "Not now...not yet...I have more to do" and the imaginary person vanishes. This happened last on my flight home from Vegas.
Yes I imagine this scenario every time my flight is about to take off but luckily my statement afterwards gets me in a better mood because it's true...there really is a lot more I'd like to do before "you know what."
Below are a few:
1. Swim from the rock...I'm talking about Alcatraz. A few years ago I participated in a half-ironman in Santa Cruz (Big Kahuna Triathlon). It was difficult and my goal wasn't to race. It was mainly to finish. I was at the tail end of the finishers that day but after it was done, the next goal I set for myself was to swim from the rock. That was three years ago and I haven't yet accomplished the rock goal. I'm hoping before I turn 50 it'll happen. In the meantime I better start swimming again.
2. Establish lasting friendships with my clients. There's no doubt I love what I'm doing and luckily I have a business that allows me to do what I love most. I realized though that the most important thing about this business isn't photography. It's the relationship you have with your client that's significant.
3. Encourage clients to plan green. The wedding industry is a huge business. I've said this in a previous post but it's true and the amount of waste is enormous. If I could encourage a few if not all of my clients to go green it'll be better than swimming from the rock.
4. Keep family first and foremost. The work has been coming in and I've been grateful but first and foremost family comes first. Luckily I have Travis and a loving family to keep me sane.
5. The last goal I'll write is significant to this blog because it's about posting. My goal is to post at least once or twice a week on my blog, every other day if not every day on Twitter, and whenever possible on Facebook.
6. Nonstop education....need I say more???
May I now be blessed on my goals...
Was it the laughter or maybe wine during dinner? Or could it have been Pugsy's incessant need to explore Fort Funston that gave us the juice to keep going throughout the day with laughter accompanying every turn. Whatever the reason, I'm lovin' the images from Geraldine and James' engagement session. They made it easy for me to click my shutter button and to love again what I do for a living. I'm really looking forward to photographing their day in March because I'll know it will be as gorgeous as the time we already spent together.
It's Day 6 of WPPI and I haven't yet left my room. I've got one session that's set today but there's so much more I want to attend. It's hard choosing which one is most benefical because they're all interesting and informative. Canon and GraphiStudio seem to have the best platforms in terms of speaking and each of their speakers are fantastic.
In the meantime, here's a photo from Geraldine and James' engagement session. I love these two. They made it so fun and easy to photograph and I so enjoyed my time with them. We shot their session in San Francisco at Fort Funston, Golden Gate Park, and North Beach. It was a long session which included a delicious dinner at a family owned Italian restaurant at North Beach. The image below is part of an album I'm building. More images to come later.
I'm leaving for Vegas this evening for one of the biggest photo conferences...EVAH! For two days I'm studying with a man who's work I've kept an eye on for the past few years. When wedding photography switched from traditional to documentary/fashion, this guy was at the forefront. He's an Aussie who lead the helm towards a different kind of photography (from my perspective, the Australians were the first to bring wedding photography to a different realm but that's another story). And, I'm lucky to learn from him. Yervant. Remember that name. Yervant. Let me repeat....Yervant. I love this guy's work. His photos are incredibly fun and vibrant....JUST LIKE MINE! HAH! And yes....I know how incredibly humble I am... ;-)
Education is essential in this business and that's why I'm going. My take is you can never stop learning. And, I should be excited about learning from him...really excited. Just a month ago I was excited for this opportunity that I wished I was going sooner. But, starting just a few days ago, I started feeling different. It's hard to explain but I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay home. When I was younger (talking 26 here), I wanted to see the world. I wanted to see things with my own eyes instead of looking at picture books. And it was easy to get up and go. And so I traveled, traveled mostly on my own, around Europe, anywhere from boarding in the French Alps and near Granada to attending a drawing course in the south of France, walking through Venice, red light district in Amsterdam, blah blah blah. It was incredibly exciting! I still have that travel bug but something's different. I'm not going far this time. I mean it's just Vegas. And it is a HUGE opportunity but honestly, I have this longing. Even as I write this, I wish I wasn't going. My home is where my world is or better yet, my world is my home....with Travis, Hanna, our dogs. And it's hard to shug off this feeling. Travis told me last night something was different about me. I couldn't explain well what I was feeling. For an entire week I'll be gone. A week! Way too long!
There's been a minor setback for my new website. Minor as in computer crashing again. Talk about double Ughs! Considering the work I lost, I'm surprised I'm not yet looney. I have to laugh just to keep from crying. So, for anyone checking, my new site has been pushed back to the end of this month.
Travis has been watching me work like mad and has remarked a few times he's worried about me. To tell the truth, I'm worried about me. This past weekend I stayed up 38 hours to finish a 70 page album along with shooting an engagement session. Even I couldn't believe I stayed up. Insane! It's done but I don't have any plans of repeating that session. In retrospect, it was necessary but it wasn't a smart idea. I do love what I'm doing and the art of photography motivates and inspires my creativity. Sleep usually rejuvenates it. Lack of sleep turns it into rotten fish.
With the PC crashing, it made matters worse BUT, with Travis' latest news, my world brightened. I've told a few people but to the rest of the world, I can't say enough how LUCKY I am. Ravin' LUCKY because for my 40th birthday, Travis bought me something I've been dreaming of for years....no kidding! Think Mac! As in SOOPER DOOPER MAC WITH TONS OF TERABYTES, SUPER DOOPER DUAL PROCESSORS, TWO 24 INCH MONITORS, AND TWENTY TONS OF COMPUTER LOVE. This one will not be crashing any time soon. I'm sure I'll still use my PC laptop for traveling but one more system crash and it hits the dumpster.
Travis: Thank you for supporting me. I am SERIOUSLY lucky and I love you.
Okay, two posts for today is rare for me but just wanted to give a heads up that I'm working on my new site and it should be up by next week. So please check back for a brand spanking new site.
It's a lot to put a site together so I'm personally patting myself on the back. Okay, I actually didn't build the site nor put the coding like I use to in the past. It's a template you choose by the ever fabulous BIGFOLIO. I did choose the colors, designed the logo, uploaded all the images, named the tabs and subtabs, wrote the wording, oh, and yeah, shot the photos! That would be horrible btw if I had a site showing someone else's photos. That's stealing! Unfortunately people do it! It's horrible but they do. So here's a word of warning to photo thieves in cyberland....YOU WILL BE CAUGHT AND WHEN YOU ARE CAUGHT IT'S NOT GONNA BE PRETTY! Word of warning No. 2: BEWARE OF NERINNA'S WRATH!...LOL
I was working in my office one weekend and stepped out to get something from the garage. When I opened the door, bubbles were bubbling everywhere and Hanna was jumping on her trampoline, smiling and laughing in the thick of it. She set up a bubble machine to continually spew out these fantastic bubbles that enveloped her. It was an immediate flashback to being a kid again and I LOVED it! I grabbed my cam and quickly took shots. I asked if we could go outside to take more and she agreed. From this quick 10-15 minute shoot, a slideshow was born.
Hanna reminded me of a HUGE lesson I learned long ago....NEVER stop having fun...even if you're by yourself. So here's to Hanna, my bubble queen...I love you sweetie.
WARNING: There's one word in this song I'm not happy about but Travis and I decided it would be okay for this one time.
What does it mean to be a green company? Beyond recyling, composting, and using recycled materials, what does it really mean?
I've been reading "The Green Bride Guide." It's a book packed with info about planning a green wedding. So it's not actually about becoming a green company but it keeps reminding me why I should always opt for green. And I know what you're thinking...it's hard enough planning a wedding but now green???
My take is if you're planning a green wedding, it can only be a win-win situation. It's not hard, it's easier than you think, AND you can do it on any budget. And you may not be able to choose green options for everything but at least you're trying.
If you're still teeter-tottering about the issue, keep in mind the wedding industry. It's a 70 billion dollar a year industry and the waste that evolves from it is massive. I think about the Pacific Ocean and the plastic zone we've created. There's literally an area two times the size of Texas in the Pacific that is littered with plastic. And it's our plastic, the stuff we've discarded. Check it out on youtube.
And then I think about disposable cameras that are used at weddings and the plastic that contains them and how they're often discarded afterwards with many unusable photos.
Or what about diamonds? Or more correctly...blood diamonds? If you're buying a diamond wedding ring, check the source. Make sure you know where it came from. Was it mined using child/slave labor or was it mined from an area that's devastating the environment? There are several celebrities now who refuse to wear diamonds such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie because of these issues.
Maybe consider other ring options like heirlooms, rubies, other gems. My friend who's a walking wikipedia told me recently that diamonds became famous because of the marketing behind it, especially with Marilyn Monroe singing the tune "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and the movie "Breakfast at Tiffanys." It didn't use to be the stone of choice. And it's NOT the rarest gem.
I'm still learning btw, learning to be a better company, learning how to move forward positively towards being a greener company. I'm not an expert in the "green" field but reading this book helped me to understand. If you're a bride or groom, this is one the best books you can purchase to plan your wedding. And when you do opt to plan green, it'll showcase not only your style but your values as well.
On another note, I'm passing these books out to one individual every thirty minutes at an upcoming wedding tradeshow. It's in San Ramon, February 21st from 11-4pm. Please pass by my booth.
I've been working on a logo since yesterday. I'm tired and I look haggard as a result. But, good thing is it's looking snazzy. And, I'm pretty sure I'm done but knowing me I'll probably get up in the middle of the night, turn on the computer, open the file, and see if there's something else I could do to spice it up. I'm already thinking I could establish a ring of words around the tree that's three dimensional with something important to convey, maybe even monumental....kidding about the monumental. Honestly, I really think it's done.
It's my personal logo for my new website, cards, blah blah blah. I was trying to incorporate growth, artistry, creativity, something fun, while keeping "green" in mind. Travis has been my main man, giving me his suggestions. The first run was too feminine...too much pink. And he was right....WAY too pink. Next run, I can't remember what he said but I changed it again. Several more runs again but I think with this last one I got it right. Travis looked at it and he said his eyes go to the blue section. I'm actually liking that comment considering there's content that needs to be read in the blue section.
Anyway, I'm really loving Illustrator considering it's the program I used to build this logo. I don't know a lot about the program but I know it enough to put something together. Below is my new logo....I think...pretty sure this is it....umm...yeah....pretty sure.....
