Drew B Photograhy

I took these yesterday while getting set up for Baby Cameron’s newborn pictures and they make me happy.  I hope they put a smile on your face too!  Happy Saturday!

I know.  I know.  I’ve been a total blog slacker this week.  I don’t know if it’s the heat or if I’m just catching up on the time I lost being away this past weekend.  But, I will be blogging my awesome Idaho wedding and an awesome e session soon!  I promise!  For now, here’s a picture of one of the reasons I’ve gotten no work done this week.  Brayden has decided he doesn’t need his afternoon nap anymore.  I disagree.

I will be out of the office shooting Matt and Rachel’s wedding in Boise this weekend.  I’ll return all phone calls and emails on Monday.  

Have a great weekend!

DrewB

This is a little late, but one of my gifts to my husband yesterday was to stay off of my computer

I wanted to wish a very happy Father’s Day to my AMAZING husband!  I knew he was going to be a great dad, but there’s no way I ever could have imagined that he would be this dedicated and in love with his baby boy.  The way that these two look at each other and the fun that they have together is so incredible to watch.  Brayden loves his Daddy.  His eyes light up when Chuck walks in the room.  I always thought I wanted a girl, because I wanted a little mini me, but having a little mini Chuck is so much better.

Chuck promised me that if I carried Brayden for 9 months that he would do all the work once he was out and he has totally held up his end of the bargain.  He changes diapers, does the late night feedings, gets him out of the house when I’ve had a long day with him, and he still manages to find time for me.  Chuck knows that while I love Brayden, I love photography too and that it’s what make me feel like me.  And he’s doing everything he can to give me the time I need to continue my career and to grow as a photographer.

Chuck, thank you for being such an amazing dad to our son.  That little guy already loves you more than you could ever imagine.  For someone who didn’t even know how to put on a diaper 4 months ago you have really come a long way.  Thank you for allowing me to continue my dream and for giving me “Drew time” when I need it.  I didn’t know I could love you more than I already did, but seeing you with our son has made my love for you grow.  143, Tuck.

And also happy Father’s Day to my Dad as well!  This is the man who I got my love of photography from.  It was his camera that I stole for my high school photography class.  He was the one who would look at my blog long before I had any other readers.  He has been my number one fan from the beginning.  I get a lot of my good (and some of my not so good) qualities from my Dad.  I got my determination from him as well as my stubborness (which I think is a good quality, but my Mom and husband would probably disagree!).  And it was probably because we are so alike that caused a lot of conflict during my teenage years, but I couldn’t be happier to be like him now.  He does SO much for our family and makes sure we are all taken care of.  He’s been through a lot the last couple of years and doesn’t get told thank you very often.  So, I would like to say thank you to my Dad for all the little and big things he does for our family and for being the best Papa G to Brayden and Hauggy.  No matter how old I get I will always need my Dad.  I love you, Daddy!

I get a few emails from fellow photographers every week so I decided to compile a FAQ that I can point them to. So, if you’re not a photographer this might be boring to you or you just might learn something new

The number one question I get asked is actually not photography related. Everyone wants to know what song is on my website! It’s “Chocolate” by Snow Patrol. Isn’t it great! I have really wanted to change it to “Love Today” by Mika, but it’s a totally different vibe. What do you think? Change it or leave it?

The next most often question I get asked is how I get vivid color in my pictures. Let me first say that I can’t even express to you what a huge compliment that is! That other photographers like my work enough to ask ME for advice! It means so much to me! I by no means think that I’m an expert, but I have been working really hard the last couple of years to get my pictures to look the way they do and to develop my own style.

There are 4 components to how I get bright color in my images:

1) Everything you see on my blog was shot in Jpeg. For engagement shoots and portrait sessions I shoot solely in Jpeg. But, for weddings I shoot in RAW and Jpeg. It’s easier to color correct 1000 images in RAW. But, it’s easier to edit the pictures for the slideshow and my blog in Jpeg. Plus I like the color that comes out of Jpeg much better than RAW. It’s much more bright.

2) I use prime lenses primarily. My current favorite is the Canon 85 1.8 (the one I got in a car accident at 37 weeks pregnant to get!). I shot with the 24-70 L lens for a long time thinking that it was a superior lens because it is really expensive and it’s an L series lens, but once i started shooting with prime lenses my pictures were much more crisp. And they are cheap(er) lenses! I also like the 28 1.8 and I think I’ll eventually hop on the bandwagon and get the 50 1.2. I’ve rented the 50 a few times and didn’t LOVE it. So, we’ll see.

3) This is pretty obvious, but correct exposure and good lighting helps! I think most people think that if a picture is under or over exposed they can just fix it in photoshop after the fact (especially with RAW), but once you can nail the exposure in camera your pictures start to pop! This takes practice, practice, practice!

4) I use Totally Rad Actions. The Oh, Snap! and the Pro Retouch are my favorite. TRA are by far my favorite actions. They just came out with a new set. I’m not sure if I’m going to buy them yet, because I really like the first set, but we’ll see.

This is something I’ve never done before. Here’s a before and after shot from a recent engagement session:

Straight out of camera:

Edited with TRA’s Oh! Snap and Contrast Luma

And here’s another SOTC

And after with Oh! Snap, Pro Retouch, and a Curves Adjustment

I hope this helps a little!  I feel that consistency in your images is super important.  So find what works best for you and stick with it!

By the way, I have the best “blog stalkers”! I get the nicest emails and comments from you all and it really means the world to me. I think the best compliment I can get is from another photographer so thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to write me. You all rock!

Have a radtastic weekend!

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I’m trying to get caught up before my wedding season really begins. I just got a nasty text message from my BFF, Christy, yelling at me for not updating my blog. Can we say demanding???

This weekend I have Jackie and Stephen’s wedding at Arroyo Trabuco, which I’m really excited for. Excited because I get to see one of my BFF’s, Liza who is the maid of honor. And also, because I’ve known Jackie for forever. It will be so much fun to be a part of her wedding day! And then next weekend I go to Idaho for Rachel and Matt’s wedding. SO excited for Idaho! I’ve never been there! And then the following weekend is Chelsea and Sean’s wedding. Well, everyone should know why I’m excited for their wedding. You remember this shoot at the Viceroy, right? Yeah. That’s why I’m excited!

And today Nikki and Jeff’s wedding is featured on The Bride’s Cafe! So exciting! I read a few (okay, a lot) of blogs everyday. I think I’m up to 103 now on my bloglines account. Some of these are other photographers blogs, some are wedding blogs, and some are random blogs that have nothing to do with weddings. I feel that it is my “job” to stay on top of everything that has to do with weddings and wedding photography. One of my favorite wedding blogs is The Bride’s Cafe. So you can imagine how excited I was when Janie agreed to feature Nikki and Jeff’s wedding! Janie is such a sweetheart and is an amazing florist in Virginia. I wish she was closer because she seems like a really cool girl. So, be sure to check out parts one and two of Nikki and Jeff’s wedding over there!

Lastly, do any of you moms out there have any tips on how to teach Brayden Bittel how to roll over from his stomach to his back? The kid is driving me crazy! He will roll over from his back to his stomach and then he starts crying so I put him back on his back and then two seconds later he’s on his stomach again crying! It was easier to teach Hauggy how to roll over! That dog will do anything for a treat. Right now Brayden fell asleep on his stomach, which I know is a no no, but I’m watching him closely making sure he is breathing. He’s too cute!

And this cute quilt that he’s laying on was made by my BFF Christy’s (yeah, the one who sent me the nasty text message) very talented mom, Tina.  I love it and obviously Brayden does too!  It’s my most favorite baby gift that I’ve received.  I love hand made gifts.  They are the best presents!  Thank you very much, Tina!  

1 year ago today I found out this was growing inside of me.

What a difference a year makes. I’m so lucky.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi Friends,

It’s 5:25 am and we’re getting ready to head up to San Francisco.  I’m shooting two radtastic engagement sessions and we thought this might be a good first trip for Brayden.  Yes, we’re driving all the way to San Francisco with a 3 month old.  Are we crazy?  Maybe.  I’ll let you know in 6 - 8 hours.  Or, if you’re really interested, you can get the up to the minute scoop on my twitter

Have an awesome Memorial Day weekend!

DrewB