Megan, Hiram & Sarah

We had a great time photographing Megan, Hiram and their beautiful daughter Sarah at one of our favorite spots: Orcutt Ranch in West Hills. As soon as we met Sarah, we knew we wanted to focus on those beautiful blue eyes! Aren't they gorgeous? And when we saw Mommy had brought along a flowery summer hat for Sarah, we made sure to take a few shots of Sarah in her cute hat! We loved capturing the sweet quiet moments as well as the hilarious ones (when Sarah decided to grab Daddy's nose and wouldn't let go!). We finished the shoot with a walk through one of the last-standing orange groves in the San Fernando Valley. Can you smell the oranges? It was a picture-perfect day. Here's a little sneak peek ...

Bowling in the Morning

This morning I was prepping my equipment for a photo shoot. And what better test model than my son? I've been slow with the blog lately. I hope to catch up over the next few weeks.

Ladies of Softball

Last Thursday I shot some new portraits of the CSUN softball team. I try to only give direction during a shoot when it is absolutely necessary. I think that when a photographer gives too much direction, the photos end up looking a bit contrived. Of course, there are times when a little gentle prodding helps a person loosen up in front of the camera, but my goal is to let their personality come out on its own.

I think you can tell a lot about a team during a shoot. I've been through some shoots where it was obvious that the team members were not really close, but that doesn't appear to be a problem with the softball team. This year's team was fun to photograph -- and I think the photos reflect that. The athletes interacted with each other without much prodding from me. They were a funny bunch, which made my job fun. How many people can say that about their job nowadays?

Here are a few of my favorite shots.





You can see the full shoot here.

--Braden

A Beautiful Day for a Swim

As I was shooting a swim meet at Cal State Northridge last week, I was thinking about some of the similarities between sports photography and wedding photography -- dealing with colorful personalities and moments that only happen once.

A wedding is full of details and moments that make that particular wedding unique and special. I love the challenge of finding those moments and capturing them. Likewise, sports are filled with moments that happen only once. You can’t ask a player to go back and make that 28-foot, game-winning three-pointer again. The moment passes and it’s gone. You either got it -- or you missed it. There’s nothing in between.

Here are some shots from the swim meet. By the way, one of the great things about living in Southern California is that you can watch an outdoor swim meet in the middle of January while wearing shorts and basking in 85-degree heat. Enjoy the weather. --Braden

New and Improved!

Hello, faithful readers! I have very exciting news. Dynamo Creative Photography is (finally) re-launching a snazzy, new website. The address is the same: www.dynamocreative.com. Check it out and let us know what you think. We'd love the feedback. Also, stay tuned for details about how you can win a free photo shoot, courtesy of Dynamo Creative Photography! 

A Tribute to Tia Leslie

Don't worry. My favorite (only) sister is alive and well. She's also always complaining that there are no photos of her and her favorite (only) nephew! So the sole purpose of this entry is to prove her wrong. See exhibits A through I. There is more evidence, but these are my faves!

Tia Leslie: There are many "aunties," but there is only one Tia Les. (We love ya, too, Tia Miriam. See exhibit B.) Thank you for helping Grandma and Grandpa babysit Boo the other night so we could (finally!) have a Date Night. BTW, the Lakers won that night, so Daddio was a happy man. (And we got free tacos! Woo hoo!!) We sat way up in the "nosebleed" section, but, hey, the tickets were free, so I'm not complaining ... too loudly. I was dizzy, though! Have you sat in the nosebleed section at Staples? Anyhow, I digress. Enjoy your tribute, Tia Les. (No more complaining!)