![[icon]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/18972374/798467) |
Ian's Green Journal
|
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
I’m totally an electronics person, so it’s kind of nice that buying cameras and computers can be part of my job…or at least it gives me an excuse sometimes. Anyway, people have been pretty split over this Apple iPad thing, and my take is it could be a really great tool for us photographers. I don’t have a Blackberry or iPhone, so staying connected when I’m out and about on road trips is a bit of a problem. Especially when going out into the middle of nowhere. Most of the time I have a cell phone signal, so being able to have a pretty large screen that I can whip out and write back to clients could be really nice [especially when I don't have to squint really tight]. I’ve been thinking about picking up the 3G 16gb version and the $30 a month for wireless internet isn’t the worst thing ever. Maybe I can justify to Tanya that if I’m ever out in the desert and break down it could save my life, so that alone would pay for itself.
What are your thoughts?
PS: So far the only place I’ve seen you can preorder an iPad is at J&R in New York [which I order from all the time anyway]. Grab one while you can!
UPDATE: Not so fast! Joe at J&R told us it’s not quite ready for a pre-order…as soon as it gets the FCC approval, we’ll be good to go. |   |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. Since Tanya is the writer in the family, I put her in charge of keeping a travelogue of our little honeymoon roadtrip through New Zealand. Over the next couple months I should be posting up images from our adventures and her tidbits from over there. Enjoy the pics, we ended up with over 10 gigs worth of images which got whittled down to around 1,200 final photos that I spent a month going through. Enjoy!
Leaving Los Angeles [Dec. 19]
The cab driver comes ten minutes early, which means we don’t have enough time for proper pet goodbyes. A kiss on the head for the dog, cat, rabbit and we are at the door. The air on the way to the airport tastes like the regret of unfinished business, but mostly of adventures to come. We take off late at night so falling asleep comes easier, but we’re still in a vessel of canned air trained at 38,000 feet. Sleep comes but it doesn’t stay.
First dinner arrives, prepackaged reheated meals that burn my fingers as I lift the aluminum lids on each compartment. The options were Mahi Mahi which sounded like ‘marbles’ in the mouth of the New Zealand flight attendant and yet so quaint, but there’s something off about eating fish when you’re so high in the air. And chicken. ‘It’s ten hours to the next meal’ the flight attendant tells the passenger one row up who turns down the hot food.
After a few bites of the chicken I turn down any more, unroll my blanket and get back to the business of sleeping. Up in the air they turn down the lights and then turn them back on again when they want you to wake. I sleep, Ian in and out of consciousness on my shoulder and the window. Muscles freeze into a tired stupor and later I find I can’t turn my neck to the right. Ian’s on my left, so none of that matters anyway.
Later, a child a few rows back lifts his shade. Sunshine pierces through the artificial dark. The whole cabin floods with light.
Read the rest of this entry » | | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. David and Vanessa’s wedding had all of the elements that we love: a warm-hearted, fun-loving couple, beautiful details and a fantastic wedding location. David and Vanessa brought us all the way out to Punta Gorda, Florida [it's on the Gulf Coast] to join the party, and from the second we arrived everything was a blast. Tanya and I drove up to the hotel the night before the wedding to find the guests celebrating on the Wyvern rooftop with a pre-wedding toast. In the morning we joined Vanessa at the Bisous Salon and shortly after hair and makeup were underway, the annual parade came down the street like Vanessa’s personal cheering squad. Vanessa was a glowing bride – she was just so happy she made everyone else around her share the emotion.
After their church ceremony we drove to the reception where our jaws dropped. The reception was held at a private residence which sits on the waterfront of Port Charlotte, FL. Not only is the house stunning, they were able to convert the side yard into a huge tented dance floor.
One of the biggest testimonies to how big the hearts of this couple are is the amazing group of people who came together to celebrate them. One of Vanessa’s bridesmaids was Veronica, whose wedding we shot with her husband Brian in the Bahamas. It was great to catch up with them at the rooftop after-party which was held at the Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda. All in all, an amazing time. You can see more of our wedding photography favorites at distinctphoto.com.
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. We had such a blast shooting Katie and Patrick’s wedding last year that we were thrilled when they told us they would be welcoming their first child. Madeline Jane was born just before we headed to New Zealand and we got to meet her when we returned. What a treat! Madeline is one of the most expressive babies I have ever seen – from her hand gestures all the way to her eyes. She fits in perfectly with Katie and Patrick’s warm and loving family, and at only three weeks old she’s already a daddy’s girl. Congrats Katie and Patrick – you’re going to have your hands full!
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. Here are a couple jam-packed exciting videos from our little excursion to New Zealand. It was really nice to finally have a honeymoon of our own, though as per the usual we had our share of interesting things happen. Things like my poor Harinezumi camera getting committed to the wilds of NZ [ie: going lost], getting our hotel room taken over by bees on Christmas [right after said camera getting lost], speeding ticket in the middle of nowhere, and constant bird attacks. It was like we had a massive attack target painted on us. Nothing too traumatic on this trip thankfully, and there were plenty of cliffs to fall off, glaciers to freeze to, and rapids to get caught up in.
Tanya wrote a fantastic travelogue, so hopefully we can pull that together once I’m done editing these photos. I shot around 2,900 images [100 gigs] and I got it down to about 1,300 picks. Now I just have to edit these and make them look pretty, which shouldn’t be too hard. In the mean time, here are a few videos starting with birds attacking us. Sorry for the swear [cover the kids ears], as you can probably tell it was going for the eyes.
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. Hi everyone! Tanya and I are currently sitting on the west coast of the south island of New Zealand enjoying our nice honeymoon! It’s summer here, so things are about exactly the same as they are in LA- maybe a bit warmer, more pleasant, air easier to breathe, and sun is out till around 9pm. We spent the first couple days in Abel Tasman National Park up on the top of the south island after taking a little propeller plane down there from Auckland. We did a random 8 mile hike for some reason and then took a boat back to the beginning. The water there is perfectly clear blue and looks a little too nice. That’s because it’s horribly cold and it dashed my great plans of going swimming all day and not hiking.
The theme of our trip so far has been bird attacks as for some reason we’re making them very angry by just being alive. I have this great video of us getting stormed by this especially angry type of bird while Tanya runs away screaming ‘protect me Ian!!!’. It’s par for the course for an Ian and Tanya trip. Anyway, no major car breakdowns yet, so we’re doing well [oh and they didn't lose our luggage this time]. | | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
This my friends has been my favorite new purchase as of late. It’s called the Digital Harinezumi camera and it’s about as cheap as it gets. The camera sports pretty much plastic everything, a joke viewfinder, and looks like an old 110 camera. That’s where the fun comes in, this company called SuperHeadz which is based out of Japan designed this camera to shoot video that looks like your grandfathers 8mm film. It shoots 25fps, so it automatically has a distinct film roughness and it also doesn’t shoot any audio. SuperHeadz also color timed it so it looks a little purple, and has super vibrant colors at times. Focus is questionable, it has horrible lens flares, and vignettes like nobody’s business. Basically it’s the exact opposite of my beautiful 5DM2.
So with that, it’s going to be documenting our New Zealand honeymoon coming up. When our future offspring see our memories, they’re going to think we grew up in the 40’s before the advent of clear vision! I’m doing some good testing with it right now and actually bought a makeshift underwater housing for it the other day. FYI: They just released a new version 2.0 camera which does record audio and B&W video. Lots of exciting things to come! See a test video with it below with our favorite neglected pets.
http://www.vimeo.com/8183328
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. A new goal for 2010 [it's coming up!] is to expand a bit more into newborns! Weddings, headshots, and newborns! All the fun things in life! One of Tanya’s good friends just had a baby the other day, so we went and visited the hospital to sneak a peek and get a few photos!
As you can tell Tanya is in love- we’re not quite ready to have kids ourselves, so we can have our fun taking photos.
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. Pretty much, we loved everything about Jesse and Miranda’s San Francisco area wedding. As soon as we walked into their hotel, the Sofitel San Francisco Bay, we knew the wedding would be beautiful. The couple had chosen the venue for its modern styling and endless locations for photo ops. Jesse and Miranda even extended their style with a modern themed engagement session that we shot for them at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Their wedding ceremony was held outside, looking over a lake, and the reception was held inside the hotel, complete with Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert. During their wedding weekend, a whole soccer team of thirteen year old girls was running around the hotel, and when they saw the bride and groom in their wedding-day atire, they couldn’t help but squealing. Jesse and Miranda looked just that good.
To see more of our portfolio please visit: www.distinctphoto.com
Miranda wore a wonderful vintage wedding dress with old style lace. Probably one of my favorite dresses of the year.
Miranda and the girls spent the morning getting dolled up at the Lookin’ Good Hair Salon in San Carlos.
As a photographer, my favorite type of people to photograph are ones that are expressive. Miranda’s whole family is like that and don’t hide away their feelings. Her dad was so proud and once she got her dress on, he beamed from ear to ear!
Jesse and Miranda are so bubbly when they’re together, some people are perfect fits for each other and these two are a such a great match. Even during their engagement session we knew their wedding was going to be a blast to shoot.
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
Tanya and I worked especially hard on this year’s holiday postcard and had a great time destroying our living room and buying tacky holiday garb [which I might add was available on *cough* Halloween @ Target]. This year we upped it from 100 cards to 250 so we don’t run out like last year. Hope everyone enjoys, and stay tuned for next year’s! [If you're new to the site check out previous year's cards 2006 - 2007 - 2008] | | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
I’m posting this so when I inevitably lose my luggage/maps I can always look back here.
Dec. 19th – Fly from LAX > Auckland
Dec. 21st-22nd – Arrive Auckland / Leave a couple hours later on propeller plane Auckland [north island] > Nelson [top of south island]. Go kayaing in Abel Tasman NP, sleep there. Go to seal island and deliver message from Los Angeles seal island. [2hr]
Dec. 23rd – Drive from Nelson down to near Gremouth. Sleep on beach / Look for penguins. [5hr]
Dec. 24th-25th – Drive from Greymouth to Franz Josef/Fox Glacier, see glaciers/look for lost hikers [3hr]
Dec. 26th-27th – Drive from Franz Josef to Mount Cook NP, look for more lost hikers buried in glaciers. See icebergs. [6hr]
Dec. 28th-29th – Drive from Mount Cook to Te Anau, see seals/Milford + Doubtful Sound and tourists [hr]
Dec. 30th – Fly from Queenstown > Auckland on propeller plane, spend the night there
Dec. 31st – Fly from Auckland > LAX | | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. We see a lot of wedding venues every year, and after everything is said and done Firestone Winery is still one of our favorite venues to travel to. Jany and David first saw our work from Joe and Kelly’s fantastic wedding last year, and like most people who discover Firestone, instantly knew it was their ideal destination wedding location [Joe and Kelly even wrote a huge Firestone review they were so pleased]. Jany and David flew in from Ohio and brought their closest family members along for a wonderful sunset ceremony under Firestone’s new Vineyard Mesa tree, right near their Crossroads Estate location.
Joy Proctor, who is a wonderful Santa Barbara wedding planner brought us along again and put together some wonderful details. One of the highlights of the new Firestone location is the ability to use their rustic barrel room, which was gorgeously lit by candle light.
To see more of our work please visit our wedding portfolio at distinctphoto.com.
| | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
It seems like every year or so I outgrow whatever portfolio site I have and then have to do this massive upgrade to a new system and it forces me to go through the multi tens of thousands of wedding photos I have compiled. I actually kind of like it though. So, if any of you haven’t seen my new Distinctphoto.com site, go check it out- it has all my favorite landscapes on there too which I’m pretty proud of. Once wedding season finally calms in the next few weeks I’ll finally be able to go back and start posting all the blog entries of the exciting weddings I’ve shot [see above]. I’ve got probably a good 25 entries in the works with some amazing brides to flaunt! | | |
| Originally published at Wedding Photography Blog by Los Angeles Photographer Ian Grant. Please leave any comments there. 
I like to drool over camera gear, and I’m lucky to be able to call my expensive hobby my job. With that said, whenever a new camera comes out I kind of get giddy even if they’re not practical at all for me. Such is the case with the new Canon 1D Mark IV. My main camera is currently the Canon 5D Mark II which is really almost overkill in a way for what I do, but it makes me happy. As much as I like them, the 1 series are what I call wrist busters. When you combine the heavy L lenses with an already heavy camera you come home from weddings with a busted wrist from lifting them around all the time. I already have a hard enough time with my 5DMII, I come home from weddings and slap Icy Hot all over my arms- adding another few pounds on top of my already heavy camera is straight out of my nightmares. So anyway, new Canon 1 series, very cool, drop $5k and go pre-order yourself a new camera! | | |
|
Ian's Green Journal
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
doisneau's journal
