Many Thanks

This year has been so amazing for me professionally. From taking pictures of President-Elect Barack Obama, to shooting at some of the best wedding venues in the state, to venturing into California and Washington for a few weddings, Becerra Photography has really grown over the last 12 months. However there have been a few people who have been helping behind the scenes and I just wanted to give a little shout out to those who have helped bring you some pretty amazing pictures this year.

First, thank you Steve Wagner! I met Steve after shooting a few weddings that his wife Nicole had done makeup for. Steve and I hit it off right away. We both have a passion for photography which is only surpassed by our passion for buying the latest photographic equipment. =) Steve worked with me on quite a few weddings in 2008 and I hope to have him shoot with me a lot in 2009!


Thank you Tino Zapien! Tino is currently one of my photography students and he shot his first wedding with me this year. I have been so impressed with his work both in wedding photography and in the classroom. He is constantly pushing the creative envelope and teaching me new things. He has a bright photographic future. But just so you know, when he becomes a famous photographer some day, remember that you read about him here first!


Thank you Lydia Shute! Lydia is a former student of mine who is majoring in graphic design. She currently designs my wedding albums and does a much better job than I am capable of doing. She really understands how to put my pictures together to tell the story of the wedding day. Hiring Lydia has been such a blessing because it has freed up a lot of my time so I can focus more on making great photographs.

Thank you Carlos Becerra (Dad) What can I say about my dad? Not only has he shot many weddings with me this year, my dad is always encouraging me to "Go for it!". Whenever I need a boost of confidence I can always count on my dad to point me in the right direction.

Well there you have it. I don't always have the opportunity to give these people the credit they deserve but I just wanted to say thanks for helping to make 2008 such an amazing year!

Luke and Jodie's Wedding in Harlan Oregon

What you've never heard of Harlan Oregon? Well let me tell you, you've been missing out. Harlan is a small former logging community tucked behind beautiful rolling coastal hills about half way between Corvallis and Newport. I shot Dani and Shane's wedding there about 2 years ago, so when Shane's mom called me up to tell me that her son Luke was getting married I was very excited to go back!

Harlan really is a peaceful place. I pulled up to the little community church early in the morning, got out of my car and just listened to the silence for a few minutes. Now Corvallis isn't a large town, but being out in Harlan everything was so still. There were no cars, no humming of electricity, just the silence of the wind blowing over the hills. It was breathtaking. I walked around a bit and took this shot of the sun coming up over the hill and melting the frost on a blade of grass.



So we started with the getting ready. I grabbed the wedding dress for a few classic back lit shots. To be honest this I didn't mean to over expose this one, but I liked the angelic look so I kept it.


All things being equal I had to include the guys too.


Speaking of the guys...they were kind of tired. Luke and his cousins rolled in a couple of hours after the girls but still needed some sleep.


I love the soft window light in this one and Jodie's calm expression.


There were a ton of cute kids running around, and I just loved this shot of the little girl getting her hair curled like a big girl, but still needing to sit on a box.

As Luke got ready with his cousins, they kept cracking each other up.

More of Luke getting ready...


I am really digging silhouettes lately. They can be over used but I think this one really works with the shirt in the background and looks goatee forming a distinct outline to his face.


Back to the girls.


I LOVE this shot. I didn't pose it at all. I shot a few more at different exposures but like I said before I'm really digging silhouettes right now.

Jodie just looks happy!

Most ceremonies are pretty much the same, but you gotta love the expression on the officiant's face!


More cute kids...

There is nothing compositionally exceptional about this picture, but the expressions on their faces are so genuine I had to include it.

As the sun started to go over the hill it turned into prime time lighting. It was actually a little chilly so all the girls had to hold their breath so you couldn't see it in the photo!


Like three angels.


The expression on their faces is priceless...the lighting is pretty good too =)

Sometimes the moment right before the moment or after the moment is the most telling. Here Luke and Jodie were about to kiss and I just loved the expression of their faces and how happy they looked.


Silhouettes. No matter how many times I type that word I still have spell check it!

Filling the frame with just their faces eliminates everything but their expressions.

Talking

My wife teases me about this, but I have a habit of adapting my speech to sound like the person I'm talking to. For example, whenever I talk to my friend Tanner, Kara always says I put on this "Arizona Cool" accent.

I always tell Kara that I'm not trying sound cool, it's just that I think I subconsciously am just trying to communicate better with the different people I interact with. This can come in especially handy for a wedding photographer.

As I reflect back on this year in wedding photography I have had the opportunity to meet so many great diverse people that I never would have known before. 3 weddings really stick out in my mind with how different they were from each other, and how I had to adapt to each couple's style.


Sean and Amanda's wedding was so great and different. They put their own style on just about everything, from the 3 day wedding festivities to the belly dancer at their reception, their wedding was something I'll never forget.

Soon after Sean and Amanda's wedding I shot Bailie and Tyler's wedding in Bonanza. They're wedding had their own style too. A style totally different from Sean and Amanda's. Some of my favorite memories were the wedding party jumping on the tractor to go take pictures and Tyler wearing a gas mask to remove Bailie's garter.

A little later I shot Calvin and Lisa's wedding. Their traditional Vietnamese wedding was an amazing marathon. All the details of all the different dresses and the importance of tradition were two impressions that I took away from this wedding.

The one thing that these three diverse couples have in common of course is that they hired me to be their photographer. Looking back on my interactions with each couple, I had to adapt to their own distinct wishes and desires. It's a part of my job that I truly love. Every couple is so unique and getting to interact with each one is fun for different reasons. So yes, I guess Kara is right, I do talk differently with the people I interact with. Thinking about that now, it's something that I'm proud of.

Getting Married? Try Monroe Oregon!

A few weeks ago I had a chance to take some shots at a new wedding venue in Monroe Oregon. Paradise Springs looks like it will become a favorite among Oregon Brides. The facilities are just fabulous. Here are a few sample shots!

Mandy and Mike's Engagment Session in Corvallis

Hey Photo fans. Instead of a slideshow I thought I'd post a few of my favorites from Mandy and Mike's chilly but fun engagement session and comment on what I like about them...here goes!


Who ever said, "Save the best for last" ? I'm all for putting your best shot first. This is my favorite shot from the session. I love the strong vertical lines in this picture. I feel like my eye starts with the couple and then gets pulled up through the entire frame. This almost reminds me of that famous picture of a sailor kissing a woman in the street of New York City at the end of WWII. I intentionally put the subjects a little lower in the frame to emphasize those lines. I also really like how their black jackets pop against the lighter background.




I love this shot because it is so natural. Great pictures are about capturing real moments, and that is sometimes hard to do in an engagement session. For this shot I started inside the building and had Mandy and Mike just sit and chat. I eventually went outside and behind them to give them a little more space. Pretty soon they were cracking each other up about who knows what, and I caught this frame of Mandy laughing. Like I said,a real moment, a real connection between the couple and it doesn't even matter that you can't really see their faces.



This is probably my second favorite shot. ( I know another kissing one...) I laid down on my stomach in the leaves for this one so that I could include some of the leaves in the foreground to help frame the couple, and to emphasize the strong vertical lines of the trees behind them. Again I really like how my eye starts with the couple and gets pulled by the line of trees all the way through the photograph. I think this could be a postcard, or a movie poster or something....Something along the lines of Sleepless in Seattle.




This is kind of becoming a trademark engagement shot. EVERY bride I meet loves her ring and wants to show it off a little. The thing I particularly like about this shot is that you look at the ring first and then you can see their smiling faces behind. It's almost as if they just got engaged.



You gotta love backlight, and the expression on their faces.




I turned this one black and white because I wanted to emphasize all of the lines in the photo, by leaving the couple out of focus it emphasizes the lines even more, and it is almost like a surprise when you see Mike and Mandy in the background.


Here is a version in color and with the focus on the couple.

Ok..well I blabbed a little more than I intended to...so what do you prefer, slideshow or commentary, or maybe a little of both?

Looking into the future, and the past

Last night my dad sent me this picture of us when I was about 6 months old. It's crazy because I see how much I look like my dad, but also how much Gabe looks like my baby picture. I'm really grateful that my dad was a photography nerd and took tons of pictures growing up. Take pictures of your kids!

Eric and Katie's Engagement Session in Corvallis

When it rains it pours. Fortunately for Eric and Katie we had a break in the rain this week and were able to squeeze their engagement session in between a whole lot of wet. Eric and Katie are actually friends of Rachel and Brad, and Peter and Meredith. I can't wait until their wedding so that I can shoot a picture with all three couples together!
Eric and Katie are another OSU match made in heaven and spent a lot of their dating time in the piano room of the Wetherford(spelling?) building. I love the shots in their from their engagement session. Every time I shoot at OSU Campus it is a unique experience.

She's growing up

My baby turned three today. I am so grateful for the joy that Sofia has brought into my life. She has brought Kara and I closer. Her smile is infectious and she truly has a kind heart. I love you Sofia!

Mondisa and Luis' Engagement Session at Willamette Valley Vineyards

Can you do an engagement session in November? Mondisa Luis and I pulled it off at the gorgeous grounds of Willamette Valley Vineyards in Salem this weekend. There were some great colors there as the leaves are turning yellow, and they have a beautiful view from up on the hill. Mondisa and Luis are actually getting married at a different location, but I'd love to shoot wedding at this vineyard sometime...

Pete and Meredith's Wedding in Beaverton Oregon

Last Saturday I shot Pete and Meredith's wedding at the Southwest Bible Church in Beaverton. What really impressed me about this wedding was what a great community the church had. Everyone pitched in to help with setting up and cleaning up. The message during the ceremony was really touching and it was fun to hear the stories of "Becket Court Gang" growing up. I actually met Pete and Meredith and Rachel and Brad's wedding and when Pete saw the slideshow I put up at the reception, he decided to come and talk about wedding photography.

Nicole and Ben's Wedding at Zenith Vineyard in Salem Oregon

On October 18th I had a blast shooting Nicole and Ben's wedding up at Zenith Vineyard! Nicole and Ben searched up and down the west coast for the perfect wedding location even going as far south as Napa Valley before finding Zenith. I don't think they we were disappointed! It was a beautiful sunny Saturday and the vineyard was just about to be harvested so we got some great shots with the leaves turning different colors. The happy couple came all the way from Alaska for their perfect weekend and now they are headed off to Tahiti...or was it Fiji...hmmm I can't remember....

ps Ryan Hein , DJ extraordinaire kept the party going, while Jamesjoy Videography was a pleasure to work with as well!

Annie and Jason's Engagement Session in Corvallis

Long time no post! I was so excited to shoot Annie and Jason's engagement session, in part because I have had a little down time and have just been wanting to get back in the swing of things. Anyway, Annie and Jason drove down from Washington to watch the Beavers-Washington State game (if you can call 66-13 a game!) so we shot their engagement session before at Bald Hill. Right away they were so expressive and happy and funny. Even though I've shot at Bald Hill a few times, I really tried to do stretch myself creatively and look for light that would be flattering and then using backgrounds and foregrounds that brought your attention to Annie and Jason.

Ian's Senior Portrait Session in Corvallis

Ian and I had a pretty good time shooting his senior portraits last Saturday. Of course his silly sister came along and could make Ian bust into a smile with her Star Wars C3P0 impersonations! It was a good time and there was some gorgeous light to work with. I guess Corvallis does have some nice sunsets...you just have to know where to look...