Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Falling for Your Sweetheart Over and Over Again - Albuquerque Photography



This young couple has been married for 3 years, but together for many more.  When I first met them, I thought I'd be shooting an engagement session for their announcements, and was surprised to learn they were already hitched.  The trees behind the waterfall and the pond were just starting to turn and made a romantic background for this gorgeous couple.  They made the photoshoot fun and easy, but narrowing down the photos was very hard!






Thursday, December 16, 2010

My Best Friend's Wedding - Wedding Photography

Labor day is a VERY popular weekend for weddings!  My two best friends got married on the same weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.  Two days, two states, and two best friends taking the next step into the rest of their lives.  I impromptu photographed both of them, here are some of my favorites of Jaynie's wedding (James' still to come).

Chief, Jaynie's pup was their ring bearer at the Corvallis Rose Garden.  They had their reception at Strega.  It's unfortunate that the restaurant closed down, but still awesome that you can rent it out!!!  They had their first dance just as the sun set over the mountains.






Dancing in the Land of Enchantment - Albuquerque Dance Photography

As much as I miss dancing in San Diego, Albuquerque is bursting at the seams with latin flavor and plenty of ballrooms.  Ynette invited me to photograph her and her husband/dance partner down at Enchantment Dance Studio.  Their instructor Nick was with us every step of the way to help them stike a pose.  It was  quite a challenging photoshoot as the main ballroom was being remodeled, so we used the smaller ballroom that was surrounded in mirrors.  There were only a few angles to avoid reflections of the lights (or worse me!) in the photos.  We started with some traditional poses, then some lifts. At the end, they just danced and I chased them around.    Here are some of my favorites.





Thursday, December 9, 2010

Step Parents in ABQ have really Stepped Up! - Albuquerque Family Photography

I have been blown away by the step parents in this town.  I have photographed several family portraits in Albuquerque with step parents and step children recently. Each of these families just blows me away.  We've all seen Cinderella and other fairy tales where step children don't get along and step parents favor their own children.  But let me tell you, both of these families are more like the Brady Bunch, integrated with love and camaraderie.  To be honest, I couldn't tell who was the biological and who was the step parent.

I met Katy through Groupon, and as soon as she suggested the Copper Street Trails for her family photo session location, I knew we'd get along well.  Dayne, her husband, blazed the trail for us and we ended up at the kids favorite picnic spot, the dried up waterfall at the top of the Copper Street Trail.  Fresh air, sunshine, and three children that didn't complain once hiking up to the top.  It was my first little hike up at a mile high, and it was perfect.  The only thing missing was the family pup (whom I met after the shoot).

Here are some of my favorites.







I met up with the Daltons at the Uptown Shopping Mall in Central Albuquerque.  We dodged the early Christmas Shoppers and found some cool little places to snap some shots.  There was even a HUGE Christmas tree in the middle of the plaza to get some holiday themed portraits.  Their little boy was adorable.  He was only in town for a few days over Thanksgiving, so we had a tight schedule.  It was quite the blustery day, so I couldn't bring my normal lighting setup or I would have gone the way of Marry Poppins. After some creative setups, we got some awesome shots.







Thursday, November 11, 2010

Cutest Little Family at the Heritage Farm in the Botanical Gardens - Albuquerque Family Photography

Photographing families can be tough, especially with young children who are just starting to develop their own ideas and opinions about the world.  This little rambunctious one had the energy of a two year old puppy and a smile that could melt your heart.  However he (like many other 2 year olds) had a very strong opinion that he didn't want his picture taken.  We ditched the traditional family photo idea and decided to just play.  He loved to be tossed and twirled and anything that involved him being upside down. It's too bad Albuquerque doesn't have a circus school because in San Diego, I'd know just where to send him!  In the end we got some really cute shots that reflect the love this family has and how tender their relationships are with each other. 









Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Physician to Cosmo Cover Girl in 60 minutes - Albuquerque Professional Headshots

I am continually impressed on how professional clients that come in for "traditional headshots" blossom, until a whole other persona soon emerges on camera.  You would think that shooting for a CPA, an engineer, and a physician would be pretty bland, but I will have you know otherwise!  They have been some of the most fun shoots.  Sometimes I don't want them to end.

Today I did a photoshoot for Beth, a physician locally here in Albuquerque.  When she arrived I was already immediately impressed.  She had great skin and was tall and very in shape.  She couldn't make it any easier for me.  We popped on some music and started shooting in the studio.  It didn't take long for her to loosen up and look like she did this as a second job.

Classic Headhsot for the Hospital:


As she went to change into something more fun, she shared a request for Madonna, and I knew instantly we could be friends.  Something about 80's dance music just seems to brighten up the day and put a pop in your step!  Add a little beauty lighting and Voila!


Once we switched to the silver background, it was like switching to the silver screen.  This little glamour girl emerged.  Watch out Danika, this one's coming up quick behind you!

Thanks Beth for an awesome shoot today!  Can't wait to see you and the hubby back for the Holidays!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

What will you do with your Groupon?


Good Morning Albuquerque! My name is Kira and I’m sponsoring today’s Ell Photography Groupon. I just moved here from San Diego and am excited to finally open my doors in ABQ! I have a very contemporary style and love to capture families at play or help small businesses and bands get good quality photographs to launch their websites. If you’re looking to go to a studio and sit in front of a backdrop, this is not the place. Although I do have a studio, I do most of my photography on location, outdoors or in your home and bring any lighting (if needed) with me. I welcome creative ideas and concept projects as well as traditional family portraits for Holiday cards. If you have any ideas or questions, send me an email at elltography@gmail.com!

Feel free to browse my blog or some of the galleries on Facebook (under Ell Photography).

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Urban Yoga - Commercial Photography

Oreste teaches at Infinite Yoga in Little Italy, San Diego.  He discovered Ashtanga Vinyasa in 2000 when recovering from a back injury. In just 3 weeks the pain, which hadn't responded to 2 months of medication, completely disappeared. Oreste has studied extensively with Indu Bala Bhardwaj and many other prestigious teachers and is a certified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.

Oreste wanted to shoot his portraits in an urban environment and add a twist of his own personality into the images.  We traveled on location to UCSD in La Jolla, where he also teaches photography, and setup portable strobes to compliment the architecture and natural light.  The poses may come from classical yoga, but these are definitely contemporary portraits.  Here's just a taste of tonight's photo shoot.  More to come soon!

Update: In Jan 2011, Oreste went to study for one month with Desikachars at the Krshnamacharya Yoga in the Viniyoga.  He had many trials, tribulations, and epiphanies that changed his way of life (and thinking) forever.  You can check out his blog, "From India, With Love" to laugh, cry, and be thankful he's home safe at: http://india-with-love.blogspot.com/







Monday, August 23, 2010

Now Offering Real Estate Photography - Albuquerque Real Estate Photography

Professional Real Estate Photography- Starting at $99.99

Professional lighting and a wide angle photo can make any room look larger and more inviting.  The first thing you need these days is for online browsing home-buyers to say, "WOW! Show me that one."  Not only do you want to show each room, but you also want well-lit photos showing off accent pieces and landscaping that makes your house special.
  
Research done by Tim Ellis at Redfin concluded that listings with professional photography:
  • Receive an average of 61% more views than their peers across all price tiers.
  • Have a 47% higher asking price per square foot.
  • Have an increased likelihood of selling for homes priced above $300,000.


 Email elltoraphy@gmail.com for a quote based on square footage, number of rooms and accent pieces, and asking price.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

18 days to go! - Maternity Photography

Michelle had her baby shower last week, and we did a few more maternity shots showing off her motherly curves.  Somehow she still has the glow!  I can't wait to see little baby!  Here are some cute and classic photos from our photoshoot.

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Michelle_8mo_Bamboo_Ell Photography_5940_web

Circus Fund Summer Camp - Event Photography

This week I blew off all adult responsibilities and went to Circus Camp with my little sister at Kit Carson Park with Circus Fund in Escondido.  Technically, the camp is for kids ages 7-17, but I snuck in there, and surprisingly I fit in a little too well.  They have one more camp at the end of August.  I HIGHLY reccommend it! 

Here are a few snapshots from the show on the last day.  First up, Emily learning silks.

Emily Learning Silks_web

Little Callie is a rising star with so much potential. Here she was standing on the bar, then dropped into an ankle hang.  It takes a lot of guts to huck yourself off of a perfectly good trapeze bar.

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Michael was also a stud.  He even came prepared to came complete with a mohawk!  Here he did a plange (which you have to be very strong for) and the dropped into the catcher's hands.
Michael_Chaulk Dust_Plange_Catching_Ell Photography_Circus Fund_6223web

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