Happy March!

What a year 2017 has been already! It has certainly been the Golden Year of the Rooster for Jimmy Fu-tography.

In 2 months in this young year, I've already shot and processed over 1,600 photos, gone to at least 17 separate photo outings, completed 5 paid projects, and several family, school and church events.  What a way to get going on Year Two of my personal journey in becoming a full time photographer. My love for photography just gets more intense, as my daily ritual is still very intact: S.E.L.L. something everyday - Share, Edit, Learn, and Light (shoot). Everyday I try to get better at the two main skills of photography - lighting and composition, or the Technical and the Artistry. Right now I am just pushing myself to maximize the tools that I have in my bag and in my eyes; can't wait for the day that I realize I've optimized both and the upgrade in equipment will really matter.

If you like my landscape photography, I've added 6 new albums on the website, in the Fine Arts Portfolio, 2017 Photo Series.

If you like my commercial photography, I've added an album for Temecula Wineries, and another for Food. And it's so rewarding to see the folks at Cheflavor and Bean Coffee using the images I've photographed for them on their social media to drive traffic.

So far, this is my favorite shot of the year (water fountain in front of Temecula City Hall, featuring a killer sunset, long exposure of the water, and starbursts of Old Town):

City Hall

One more thing: on March 10, at the Merc (Community Theater in Old Town Temecula), my work will be featured in the lobby. I will have more than 10 photographs on the wall. The reception is 6-7pm. Please mark your calendar and come visit me that night. More detail to come...

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Went on an impromptu photography meet-up yesterday with 2 of my bro-tographers Russell Cronberg and John Moya. Finally caught up with a SPECTACULAR sunset at the Vernal Pool @ the Santa Rosa Plateau, a beloved spot in Murrieta where a lot of my fellow photography club members call "home court advantage". At any given day, chances are you'll bump into a photographer or two, or three...

The colors of the sunset were on full display in the sky, and especially in the water. There's just something about a sunset reflected in the ripples of the water. Every ripple tells a story, and the blend of yellow and orange glow of the sun and black shadows of the deep water serve up a beautiful yang to the ying of the sky. This never gets old. A lot of landscape photographers - myself included - love to play with long exposure photography in sunsets like this. When the water is exposed for 20-30 seconds, it presents a smooth and buttery texture that is just so soothing to look at. Here's my shot of the Vernal Pool exposed for 30 seconds...

Santa Rosa Plateau Vernal Pool

Compare the same shot that is exposed 1/30 of a second, and you get an alternative shot that focuses on the ripples and presents an entirely different mood:

Santa Rosa Plateau Vernal Pool

SaveIsn't it interesting how the exact same shot can be interpreted differently with just the turn of the exposure dial? Tell me what you think...your comments are welcome!

This past week I was fortunate enough to attend the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photography International) in Sin City, with my good friend Dawn Malone (http://www.dawnmalone.com) and Genia Veglia-Poole (@TreasuresPhotographybygeniapoole on Facebook). Since I don't do weddings and only dabble in portraits, my initial reaction was "why". But Dawn talked me into it and I'm so thankful that she did! As a "baby" in the photography industry, everything I laid my eyes on were brand new to me, and for a guy who likes tech, I really did feel like a kid in a candy shop. What a blast!

I got to sit in on presentations by some industry "rock stars"...Charleston Churchil talked about the EXPERIENCE of adventure weddings; Peter Hurle worked that stage and showed why he doesn't need a lesson in charisma; Joe Buissink rocked out his signature wedding portraits and a side of J.Lo we've never seen before; and the highlight for me was sitting through a live photo shoot w/ Lindsay Adler and telling her that she's one of my personal heroes! In between walking and browsing hundreds of vendors at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I also got a one-on-one portfolio review by one of the speakers Matthew Jordan Smith, a website consultation with Zenfolio (my website designer), picked up some cool gadgets (just because gadgets speak to me), and got a chance to try out a 85mm Nikon glass at the B&H Shooting Bay, where I photographed 4 sets of models and got to feel like a fashion photographer. That was so much fun!

Outside the convention center, we went alternative Las Vegas and shot an amazing sunset in front of the Cleveland Clinic of Las Vegas, AKA the Crumbled Metallic Kleenex Box thought up by the same architect who made the Disney Concert Hall in LA (Frank Gehry), crazy Fremont Street that can only exist in Sin City, Downtown Art District, and Container Park. Since we were on a pretty tight schedule and exhausted at the end of days, I didn't really do anything too "Vegas-y" besides donating some funds to the Flamingo Roulette Upgrade Foundation every night. :)

Now that I'm no longer a photography convention virgin, WPPI is surely on my annual budget and I hope to make this a regular visit. Road-trip, anyone?