Harley Bonham; Photographic Artist and Musician

Last blog update; switching to Facebook

2010-05-28T14:47:00.003-07:00

After much deliberation I've decided to consolidate my workflow and use Facebook as my blog from now on. Managing both has truly become a little confusing and I'm too busy shooting to be distracted by what to post where. Plus, Facebook is much easier! I can upload 100s of images at once if I want instead of 5 max and it is easier to work with when it comes to writing out a story.

So, please click on the fan box to the right and that will take you to the Harley Bonham Photography page. It is public so you don't have to sign up for anything unless you want to. Please become a fan!
Thanks for reading!!

the Georgia aquarium is amazing!

2010-05-22T11:27:00.002-07:00

I was shooting an event in Atlanta last week and had some free time to go to the aquarium. As soon as I walked in I was really sad that Reagan and Julie couldn't be there so I decided to shoot some video and stills with my new Nikon D300s. I played around with the clips and this is my first venture into playing around with video. No plans on becoming a videographer, though; it takes way too much time in post production!

Engagement sessions!

2010-04-28T10:39:00.006-07:00

Ever since February I've been swamped with either weddings, engagement sessions or big corporate events. Here are a few favorites from the engagement sign-in books created from the sessions. Spring has been incredible for shooting outside!

Event shoot in Orlando turns into family vacation!

2010-03-28T12:53:00.009-07:00

With all the events, weddings and portrait sessions I've been shooting, I get so far behind updating the blog but wanted to show off a few of my favorite shots from our Orlando trip a couple of weeks ago. I was hired to shoot for the Academy of Osseointegration's annual conference (has something to do with dental implants) which took place at the Disney Dolphin hotel. I actually work for the event management folks who run several conferences like this one; they are the same people who brought me to Miami Beach last November for another event. I brought Julie and Reagan along and stayed a few extra days; mom drove out from Mississippi to meet us and see her little grand-daughter.

We stayed at the Dolphin which was next door to the "Swan" hotel but I noticed something unusual: While the Swan hotel had huge swan sculptures everywhere, the "Dolphin" had sculptures but they were FISH! You'll see in the following photo.

Why no dolphins? Did the building contractor order dolphin sculptures but get fish by mistake? Did he not notice the difference until it was too late? OR, did they order FISH sculptures, install them, then decide that "Disney Fish Hotel" didn't sound marketable? "Hello and welcome to the Disney Carp; please pardon the smell..." They should have consulted the focus groups sooner...or a marine biologist.

Anyway, after all the work was done we moved to a timeshare and took reagan on her first journey to Disney World! Julie dressed her appropriately and daddy took pictures; had great lighting on the condo's patio.

Then it was off to Disney World, (or in Snoop Dogg-speak: The Dizzle Wizzle)

My favorite part was the fireworks at the end of the day; Reagan got to see some a couple of nights earlier during a client event at Epcot and LOVED them! When we told her that we were going to see fireworks again she started saying "boom boom come out!"

I have never seen her so excited; she kept yelling "more! more!" and giggling. I actually got all choked up at how much fun she was having; Julie thought it was cute. I thought I was a dork.

Another favorite place was Downtown Disney and we discovered LegoLand; Reagan loves playing with Legos. She kept saying "so tall....sooooooo tall!"

It was all fun and games until it was time to go.

Hot fudge sundae works every time!

Fun pics from the place behind our timeshare:

Wedding updates!

2010-01-02T08:56:00.011-07:00

Wow, 2009 really flew by! Now that we've closed out an amazingly successful year I thought I would show off one of my favorite weddings from the latter part of this year. Looking back I see that we achieved our goal of an even mix of wedding, portrait and event/commercial work! I love the diversity because it allows me to try so many different techniques that eventually apply to other areas of my photography work. For example, I've done a lot of food and product photography which gave me new insight to shooting a wedding cake and small details such as rings. Portrait lighting gave me ideas on how to shoot events with a 2nd or even 3rd light on a stand which makes an ordinary shot of people networking really "pop."

Here are Mike and Andrea Laborin, photographed at Nardini Manor. I met them over a year ago at the bridal expo and I was amazed at how meticulous they were in planning their wedding down to the last detail!

First, the late afternoon sun was pouring through this frosted window where the girls were getting ready; the light was gorgeous and allowed me to create a dreamy look to some of these images.

The outdoor garden was another breathtaking spot for their formal portraits.

The ceremony took place in another garden area with an amazing elevated gazebo.

Chris Burkett from Birkett Entertainment was the DJ and it was a blast working with him again. He has a unique talent for getting the bridal party involved in entertaining the crowd during a Grease-themed skit and it was a hit! He also had a cool lighting effect which created a starry sky on the white tent ceiling. I use a special multiple-flash/exposure technique to get this "first dance" shot to work. You can't just set the camera to "auto" and expect everything to come together (that is a common "newbie" mistake now that everyone has a camera and calls themselves a photographer.) In fact, many of these shots benefit from the multi-light setup; it is a little more effort but the results are worth it. It also works well with my double exposures.

Finally, this combination of b/w and color tends to get overdone so I don't use it very often BUT loved the idea of the guys drinking their Dos Equis and having a toast.

Interview!

2009-11-23T19:36:00.003-07:00

A few months ago I joined Meeting Professionals International since I do so much event photography; one of the members, Debbie Raposa, wanted to interview me for their newsletter and wrote a very nice article so I thought I would post a link.
Here is the story.

Shooting in Miami Beach

2009-11-07T09:37:00.004-07:00

I'm currently in Miami Beach shooting the annual conference for the College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology; I arrived Thursday evening and decided to walk around and do some night shooting with my Nikon. The client booked me into the Fontainbleau Resort and the place is gorgeous...I would have been happy in a Days Inn.

Here are some of the night shots. One of my favorites was of the hotel bar; it reminded me of something out of a sci-fi movie for some reason. I was approached by a waitress who told me they don't allow photography; that made no sense but as soon as she turned her back I snapped a few shots because I'm such a rebel :-)

Miami Beach has a lot of the old art deco architecture and I hope I can make some time to get down to South Beach for a sunset shot.

Here is the view from my room.

I love my travel gigs!!

Reagan the Bellydancer?

2009-10-20T10:48:00.004-07:00

Julie has this Turkish coinskirt that her sister brought back from a trip to Istanbul last year; Reagan got hold of it and started playing dress-up and dancing around. The jingling was cracking her up and I couldn't let this pass without a few shots!

Norma and Josh wedding

2009-10-17T13:49:00.005-07:00

This was a really fun wedding that happened in early September. I was referred by Heidi's Events and Catering for about the 7th time this year. Heidi is an amazing event planner and caterer and really is one of the best in the valley; I appreciate that she keeps referring her clients to me when they need photography so I try to return the favor every chance I get. I try to send her clients plus any time she needs photography done for her business I am happy to volunteer to say "thank you." Heidi has a great space the she has made available for weddings and events that will hold up to about 80 people; she calls it "La Petite Maison." That is where I shot Norma and Josh's wedding and really had fun. Both of them have such personality and make a really cute couple.

I really thought her body art was amazing; I've never photographed a bride that had so much cool work done and it made for some really amazing non-traditional shots.

Last-minute event gig.

2009-10-13T22:22:00.005-07:00

I got a call from a great photographer I know, Gordon Murray, with a last-minute crisis: a big catering company had a photographer cancel at the last minute for an important event at the Convention Center and needed someone almost immediately but he was already booked. Fortunately I managed to re-arrange my schedule and cover the event. It turned out it was for Aventura, a very prominent catering and event company. I met briefly with the coordinator, Michael Stavros, about what he needed: "capture everything!" I started with the people shots of everyone having fun and networking, including their chef who had a lot of personality.

The food at this event was amazing; I brought my portable light rig and got some great food and detail shots. I was thrilled at the feedback because they were really happy with how everything turned out; especially for shooting on the fly with no preparation. I love challenges like that!

Specialty Graphic and Imaging Expo in New Orleans

2009-10-12T21:52:00.011-07:00

This was the fifth year I've worked with SGIA ever since they came to Phoenix in 2005. It was great to be back in New Orleans and they were really excited because they were supposed to be here in '05 but it was two weeks after Katrina hit. They threw together a smaller expo in two months and came to Phoenix and that was when I first got to work with them. Their whole staff is a wonderful group of people and I love seeing what they do with my images. Since they are graphics/visual media oriented they are really picky so I feel very fortunate that they keep calling back every year to cover the expo. Next year is Las Vegas!

I really have a lot of fun with this event because there is so much to see and l always learn something new about printing technology. It is amazing what they are coming out with every year. Some of these printers are the size of an SUV and cost about $500,000. My job is simply to capture all of the demonstrations, networking and technology throughout the show.

This next shot was just for me. I was above the convention floor headed for the catwalk so I could get some overhead shots. As I walked through this dark area I could see the light coming through the translucent floor and it really caught my eye. It reminded me of a lava pit and had this really erie glow.

Here is one of the shots I went up there for.

Another cool thing is that SGIA recycles a ton of the material used at the show: paper, foamcore, signs, etc. There were 8-foot stacks of this stuff waiting to be picked up by the recycling company.

Tina and Mike engagement session

2009-10-07T06:37:00.008-07:00

This was a fun engagement session we shot before leaving for New Orleans. Im shooting Mike their wedding in January and they wanted a good pic for their invitations so I took them to Papago Park for the sunset. We started at a ramada and worked our way through the park and wound up getting some amazing shots even without a dramatic, fiery sunset. This one was cloudless and boring as sunsets go but under-exposing the background really helped make it more dramatic. I used a slower shutter speed so some of the shots even look like they are in front of a fake backdrop.

Visiting Mom and Dad in Mississippi

2009-10-06T13:50:00.004-07:00

I have a photo shoot for a big event in New Orleans this week so we decided to squeeze in a trip over to Mom and Dad's in Diamondhead, MS. Reagan LOVES playing with grandma and grandpa! Mom has a bunch of Mardi Gras stuff around so we decided to make a cute photo op out of it. I guess this is Reagan's official 17-month portrait.

Dad wasn't feeling so hot so he and mom stayed home one night to watch Reagan so Julie and I could go out. There isn't a whole lot to do in Diamondhead (about an hour from New Orleans and half an hour from Gulfport/Biloxi) but they told us about a cool roadhouse in Kiln, where Bret Favre grew up. It's called the Broke Spoke and boy does it have character! Derek was the bartender and he is the cousin of Favre's wife. The bar was decorated for the Packers the first 16 years of his career but last year they became Jets fans and now they all pull for the Vikings. However, the Packers decor is still everywhere and there is one big Vikings flag hanging below one of the tvs. I guess it would be a pain to change everything completely; what if Favre goes back to the Packers for his final year???

This was one cool place and Derek was a great guy; he gave us all the inside scoop on the whole Favre saga. We wish we could have stayed to watch the Monday night game but we had to be in New Orleans to meet with my clients that night. I'm shooting the Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association's annual expo for the 5th straight year. Since we have to be in New Orleans the rest of the week Mom and Dad insisted on keeping Reagan for a few days so Julie and I could have some alone time and go out on the town after my work day is finished.

Anyway, here is a look at the "Broke Spoke."

Building demolition.....Cool!

2009-09-28T23:09:00.002-07:00

This past Sunday I was at my favorite coffee shop, Lux, on Central. I'm there frequently, especially when Julie works and I have Reagan all day; she flirts with everyone and always makes people smile. Anyway, I heard someone talking about the building demolition that was going to happen and 10am and I knew exactly what they were talking about because I'd seen this building a thousand times on 3rd st just north of Thomas. Crews have been salvaging what they could over the last few years and I guess there was nothing left to do but blow it down and I just had to see it; hopefully Reagan would be cooperative and she was. I ran home, grabbed my Nikon and Flip video with a stand to put it on in case I found a good vantage point. I fired off 40 frames with the Nikon and the video came out great; you could feel the blast and it looks like it shook the camera.

Jeez, sometimes I'm such a guy!!

PTA National Convention, Ft Lauderdale

2009-07-20T10:38:00.007-07:00

Right now I'm in Las Vegas shooting The National Veteran Small Business Conference for the second year; since I have a little downtime I figured it was a good time to update my blog with the event from a couple of weeks ago. Convention work is always fun and a great opportunity to shoot in a different style between weddings; the variety is a great way to keep things fresh.

This year was a huge deal because of the induction of the PTA's first-ever male president, Chuck Saylors (1st pic below.) He's from South Carolina and one of the nicest southern gentleman you could ever meet, plus he's hysterical.

This was my 4th year working with PTA since they came to Phoenix in 2006. Last year was San Diego, this year Ft Lauderdale. It rained heavily every day and we saw very little sun but I actually loved it. The convention always brings in entertainment from the local schools at every convention; that is often my favorite part. Here are shots from a local high school jazz band.

PTA has a couple of new ambassadors now, too. Dara Torres, olympic gold medalist for swimming was one; she was really funny and very down-to-earth.

My favorite, however, was R&B singer CeCe Peniston; she has an amazing voice. I got to talk to her and her husband Frank quite a bit and they were really cool people. Turns out they live in Glendale and wanted to know when I'll be performing at The Shout House so I'll probably see them again soon.

Next year we're going to Memphis! I'll bring Julie and Reagan again; Julie's birthday is the same as Elvis and she is a big fan.

Ft Lauderdale photo job/family vacation

2009-07-09T15:57:00.010-07:00

We recently returned from a great gig in Florida where I was hired by the National PTA to cover their national convention. This was the 4th straight year I've worked with them and they are a really fun client. We went a few days early to have a little family vacation time since we had a timeshare to take advantage of. My mom and dad drove out from Mississippi and we had a great time despite the heavy rain every single day.

One day Julie and I went snorkeling. I didn't want to bring my camera and she asked if one of those disposable underwater cameras would be good. I've used them before and thought they were a total waste of money so I told her "you'll get better results if I just draw you a picture." So I did:

I don't want to brag but that is WAY better!

We also went on an airboat ride through the everglades; another occasion when I didn't want to bring my good camera gear since it was so rainy. I shot these with our little Canon.

Finally, these are my favorites, I really wanted a beach shot of Mom and Dad as well as a good family shot. I lugged my gear down to the beach along with an extra flash on a stand so I could have a nice two-light setup. It was hard keeping the sand off of everything.

Harley Bonham Photography
www.harleybonham.com

Reagan on July 4th weekend

2009-07-09T14:43:00.004-07:00

Julie was working all weekend so I had some daddy-daughter time with Reagan. I took her to PV mall's play area and she loved running around. I took a few other shots of her around the house, too. She's a fun little angel!

Busy wedding season!

2009-06-10T10:48:00.014-07:00

Now that things have slowed down a little I can finally put up another post and think about delegating a few things so I can spend more time with my beautiful wife Julie and 13-month old daughter Reagan. It is really easy to get caught up in my "to-do" list but I'm thrilled to be getting busier even in a down economy! I'm also performing 2-3 nights a week at The Shout House dueling piano bar in Glendale. While photography has taken over my schedule for the past two years I can't imagine not performing, especially when a gig is this much fun!

Anyway, I was fortunate to photograph some wonderful couples at some absolutely beautiful weddings this spring. Here is a long-overdue post of some of my favorite shots. Next I'll post some portrait and event sessions.

Liz and JR, April 21, Pinnacle Peak Patio

Brany and Mike, February 14, The Castle at Ashley Manor

Anthony and Kristen, Boojum Tree, February 26

Rachel and Joel, April 5, The Waterfront

Seeking senior spokesmodels!

2009-02-06T00:26:00.006-07:00

While I love any opportunity to photograph anything, whether it is a landscape, bride, infant, tree or even a beer bottle, some of the most fun sessions have been high school seniors. One of my objectives this year is to do more work making seniors look 'hip.' (is 'hip' the right word for seniors??? could it be 'rad' or 'smokin?' It seems like 'off the hook' is sooooo 90s)

Scroll down for more info.

One of the programs I'm working on is having what you might call a 'spokesmodel.' Since my photography business has grown almost exclusively through word-of-mouth, I think it is only appropriate that I find a few qualified seniors to give a free session in return for referrals. I'm putting together an awesome incentive program and there is nothing I like better than a win-win arrangement.

I am looking for 2 guys and 2 girls. If you know of any seniors who would like details on how to get a FREE session contact me immediately at 602-254-1711 or by email at harley@harleybonham.com. Some of the incentives are free albums, both hard- and soft-cover. It is not unlikely that a few lucky seniors could get as much as 800.00 worth of FREE stuff to show off to all their friends!

Finally found time for another post!

2009-01-27T13:36:00.009-07:00

I didn't realize that starting a blog would be such a commitment! I've always got new images to post but November, December and most of January have been absolutely swamped. We just went to New Orleans and Missiissippi for a little R&R. Mom and Dad live across the way in Mississippi and we finally got to put work aside.

We visited an old plantation and I thought it was a perfect setting for Reagan's 9-month portrait. This chair had perfect accent colors to match her dress. Julie is off-camera making sure she doesn't fall over while my mom and dad are on the left and right acting as human light stands while I shoot.

The plantation had peacocks all over the place; I wish they would have opened up their feathers for me. Here they are lined up on a fence; perfect photo op.

They kept looking back and forth at each other making noises; probably some form of morning chitchat: "Mornin' Bob." "Mornin' Steve." "How's the family?"

Biloxi has an old lighthouse my mom wanted a picture of; we got there about 3 minutes before the sun went down so I had to shoot quickly.
Biloxi and Gulfport have definitely bounced back after Katrina although there are still quite a few empty lots. (see my very first blog post, Dec 07)

I just bought a new lens called a Lensbaby. It tilts to create a surreal blur except where I want to focus. Very artsy. Here are some shots from the Biloxi coast and around the French Qtr. in New Orleans.

Finally, the highlight of the trip was seeing about 12 of my images displayed on Canal Street! One of my photo clients, Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association, asked me if I would donate images to The Canal Street Initiative that they sponsor. Since a lot of the windows are still covered with plywood, SGIA prints large images and covers them up. Mine were displayed at the corner of Canal and Rampart; that was a very proud moment!

My little Reagan at 6 months!

2008-11-07T14:42:00.002-07:00

The last six months have flown by!
Julie put together an angel outfit and I set up my lights. An angel; how appropriate!

After that we took her to My Gym where they were having a costume party for all the little ones.

Very cool catering event

2008-10-07T20:20:00.009-07:00

I recently was able to shoot an event for Heidi's Events and Catering. Heidi is probably one of the top caterers in town and I met some really cool vendors. In particular was Kevin Kossman who owns Piece of Cake Desserts. I tried the two samples he had and was blown away; I get a kick out of meeting other great wedding vendors so I can recommend them to the brides I shoot for. It also doesn't hurt that Kevin is an avid golfer like me. Well, I used to be an avid golfer until little Reagan came along. Now I just play St. Andrews in my head while changing diapers :-) At least I never slice anymore.

Newborn shoot!

2008-09-08T21:55:00.003-07:00

These are some of my favorites from a shoot for Mike, Shandi and their newborn, Zayden. I brought my lights and black backdrop to their house in Ahwatukee and got some really nice images. I added a charcoal sketch effect to one image and the composite was fun to put together.

Reagan at 3 months!

2008-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Julie and I shot this session Saturday night around 9pm; Reagan was squealing away like an angel and really seemed to be having a good time! The last picture is one that I converted to a charcoal sketch in Photoshop.

More Reagan, Julie and Me

2008-07-30T18:02:00.003-07:00

We shot these back on Mother's Day!
Reagan was oblivious, of course, but daddy took very good care of mommy.
What mom wouldn't love a gift card for a day at the spa?

I really wanted to shoot some dramatic shots of my two girls. I'm designing a photo book of Reagan's first few weeks for my Mom's birthday and these were the last shots I needed to complete the series. This is the same type of book I create for my portrait clients but it's even more fun when it's your own!
I decided to keep it simple and just use my 2 Nikon flash units; one through a white diffusion umbrella and the other with a mini-softbox as an accent light. We were amazed at the results; I converted them to b/w using Adobe Lightroom.

Here is Julie and Reagan on the couch lit only by the umbrella from the right and slightly behind. I thought about setting up a reflector to bounce light back from the front but we usually have a very small window of cooperation from the little princess.

Here are two that I really love! This one is the dramatic look I was going for; umbrella about 24 inches away on the left and the other light above and behind on the right. I love the dramatic shadows and you can still see the detail in them.

Right after that shot Reagan got fussy again; we've learned to bounce her up and down for about 30 seconds then we have about 10 seconds to get the shot. Julie is sitting on a chair in our dining rooom and I'm shooting from the kitchen; I took this shot when she brought Reagan over for more bouncy-bouncy from daddy (yes, I said bouncy-bouncy.) Julie calls me the "baby whisperer" because, apparently, Reagan likes my bouncing better because she almost always calms down; I never would have envisioned that two years ago! Anyway, the lights were in the same spot and we loved that bright, blown-out background effect; she's also lit from the front by the kithcen light.

Ten little piggies! I can't believe I'm actually talking like this; somebody shoot me! :-)

Finally it's my turn to be in some shots. Julie is a natural with the camera; she doesn't quite know how the equipment works yet but she's got an eye for design and fashion. One day I'll give her some basic lessons and she'll probably surpass my skills in a hurry.

These are my favorite shots to date. In fact, the flash units were off and we're lit only by the dining room lights; I added a little b/w effect in Photoshop and I think we have a winner!

Back to the lighting as before; Julie chose a great moment to capture this one.

Daddy's little angel!

4th of July party in Oak Creek Canyon

2008-07-09T16:24:00.005-07:00

On Saturday Julie, Reagan and I drove up to the canyon to join my guitar player, Al, for a two-band jam in a neighborhood near the top of the canyon. His brother has a cabin in Pine Flats and the neighbors throw a huge party every year. Al's brother has a band called Young Country and we didn't really have a name so we went with The Dagwoods. We figured out our set list on the fly and did some classic rock and r&b tunes while they did country and some rock, too. It was the most fun I've ever had on a 4th of July. I decided to leave the camera in the car but one of Al's friends had just bought a Nikon D300 just like mine and didn't know how to use it. I couldn't resist and showed her a few cool features like how it shoots so well without flash; I took these just using stage lights. Sure was a lot of blue!

After that I showed her how to "drag the shutter." It's a cool trick using the flash with a camera setting called "rear curtain sync." I set the camera to manual on a 1 full second shutter speed which will make a really blurry image. Then the flash fires just before the shutter closes which lights the subject and "freezes" them so they are sharper among these blurry lines. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't; takes some practice to get the technique right. I forgot to show her double exposures but I'll show some in the next blog from my Las Vegas job I'm on.

Heaven on Earth!

2008-07-01T16:39:00.005-07:00

Once I was done shooting for the PTA convention it was vacation time! We hung around San Diego's Gaslamp District for most of Tuesday. The next day we drove north to Temecula and wine country; it was awesome! We visited more wineries than we can remember and brought home 7 bottles of reds and whites; I think I'm turning into a wine snob! That wouldn't be a stretch because I'm already beer snob :-)

First stop was Hart Winery; their Sauvignon Blanc was fantastic so we brought home a bottle. This is Bandit, their mascot.

I've never seen the bottling process before, either.

After visiting a few others we stopped at South Coast Winery and Spa and found they had one room left so we took it. Turned out they upgraded us to a suite but at the discounted rate. Our patio was surrounded by grape vines; it was the most amazing place we've ever stayed in.

We brought home 3 bottles of their wine; the Zinfandel was the best I've ever had.

Flowers were everywhere and their vineyard was huge. I would give anything to shoot a wedding here.

Busy three months!!!

2008-06-30T14:39:00.006-07:00

I've finally gotten enough time to back off and breathe a little bit. April, May and June were busier than I could have imagined with weddings, my first bridal expo, portrait sessions, charity photo sessions and corporate events; often for several days in a row. Add all of that to being a new dad and you get a significant lack of sleep! It's time to catch up the blog so I'm going to try and get several posts up in the next few days.

Julie, Reagan and I just returned from San Diego where I shot for the National PTA again; this is my third year in a row working for them at their national convention and it is one of my favorite event jobs I've ever had (last year was St. Louis.) We had a few very well-known speakers this year, too. Carol Channing was hysterical and had everyone rolling on the floor.

Later I was assigned to shoot Dr. Maya Angelou being interviewed by Dr. Sanjay Gupta for CNN's new broadcast later that morning. After that they both gave very inspiring keynote speeches during the convention.

My favorite part is where the kids perform. PTA has a big contest every year for kids to submit music, dance, literature, art etc and the winners are showcased at the convention. I was totally blown away at the talent these kids have; especially at a young age.

I really love working with this group; their commitment to helping kids is contagious.

The best part was being able to bring Julie and Reagan along!

Next, we're off to wine country in Temecula for a few days!

More baby photography!

2008-05-28T10:38:00.008-07:00

Julie had her first Mother's Day!
Reagan was oblivious, of course, but daddy took very good care of mommy.
What mom wouldn't love a gift card for a day at the spa?

Last night, though, I really wanted to shoot some dramatic shots of my two girls. I'm designing a photo book of Reagan's first few weeks for my Mom's birthday and these were the last shots I needed to complete the series. This is the same type of book I create for my portrait clients but it's even more fun when it's your own!
I decided to keep it simple and just use my 2 Nikon flash units; one through a white diffusion umbrella and the other with a mini-softbox as an accent light. We were amazed at the results; I converted them to b/w using Adobe Lightroom.

Here is Julie and Reagan on the couch lit only by the umbrella from the right and slightly behind. I thought about setting up a reflector to bounce light back from the front but we usually have a very small window of cooperation from the little princess.

Here are two that I really love! This one is the dramatic look I was going for; umbrella about 24 inches away on the left and the other light above and behind on the right. I love the dramatic shadows and you can still see the detail in them.

Right after that shot Reagan got fussy again; we've learned to bounce her up and down for about 30 seconds then we have about 10 seconds to get the shot. Julie is sitting on a chair in our dining rooom and I'm shooting from the kitchen; I took this shot when she brought Reagan over for more bouncy-bouncy from daddy (yes, I said bouncy-bouncy.) Julie calls me the "baby whisperer" because, apparently, Reagan likes my bouncing better because she almost always calms down; I never would have envisioned that two years ago! Anyway, the lights were in the same spot and we loved that bright, blown-out background effect; she's also lit from the front by the kithcen light.

Ten little piggies! I can't believe I'm actually talking like this; somebody shoot me! :-)

Finally it's my turn to be in some shots. Julie is a natural with the camera; she doesn't quite know how the equipment works yet but she's got an eye for design and fashion. One day I'll give her some basic lessons and she'll probably surpass my skills in a hurry.

These are my favorite shots to date. In fact, the flash units were off and we're lit only by the dining room lights; I added a little b/w effect in Photoshop and I think we have a winner!

Back to the lighting as before; Julie chose a great moment to capture this one.

Daddy's little angel!

Trying out the new camera gear in Flagstaff

2008-05-12T01:08:00.007-07:00

On Wednesday afternoon I took Rico for a walk around downtown Flag while Julie took a nap with Reagan; I needed sleep, too, but really wanted to play with my new lens. I just bought Nikon's 70-200mm f 2.8 and was blown away. I played photojournalist and just captured a few shots of daily life around downtown. The lens focused super fast on these people playing hacky sack.

The afternoon lighting was perfect and the lens really captured the detail on this little dachsund, too. Black dogs don't usually photograph very well but the D300 and new lens really nailed it.

Later, while Julie got ready for dinner I walked around at dusk to see how good the D300 would perform hand-held in low light; I was blown away by these shots of the Monte Vista where we were staying. This lens was the 17-55 f2.8; over the last several months I've really seen the value in spending the money on high-end lenses. The difference in image quality as well as shooting options is unbelievable. I'm able to get shots I could never get before.

Just before I met Julie for sushi I waited at the train station for this shot; now I'm using the tripod. I wanted to wait for the Amtrak but it was an hour away and we were hungry!

Cool night shots on the way back to the hotel; all handheld.

First road trip with the little princess!!

2008-05-07T17:37:00.001-07:00

After 3 weeks of parenting practice, we decided it was time for a road trip. I was a little overwhelmed with work projects so I put everything on a brief hold and we left for Sedona on Monday. Our first stop was Alcanterra Winery near Cottonwood; their wines are outstanding and we bought a bottle of Viongier.

Julie's dream is to own a winery one day. From talking to the winemakers, though, the reality is that it is a money pit and you'd better not quit your day job. Later in the summer, though, this winery will be harvesting and they invite (beg) their friends and patrons to come help pick grapes. We're going to join in the fun; I guess that could be the next best thing to owning a winery. I'll photograph the whole event, of course.

After we checked in to the condo we went to Oak Creek Brewery for dinner and microbrew or two.

Next day we went to the Javelina Leap winery near Page Springs. Very cute tasting room and I really liked their red Zinfandel so I bought a bottle.

On to Flagstaff; Sedona got boring pretty fast. Everything shuts down around 9pm; Flagstaff has a lot more action and even cooler climate. We stayed at the historic Monte Vista downtown; pet friendly for Rico!

I have another new lens for my camera so I'm going to walk around downtown while my girls take a much-needed nap. More pics to come!

Introducing Reagan Elizabeth Bonham!!!

2008-04-20T23:34:00.013-07:00

Well, here she is! I had no idea how incredible it is to be a dad; I certainly waited long enough. If anyone had told me a little over a year ago that I'd wind up getting married AND having a baby I would have laughed. However, after dating Julie for only a couple of months those big decisions came easier than I could have imagined! Funny how one's perspective can change in such a short period of time. Anyway, Reagan was born on Monday, April 14, at 10:40pm in Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa. Mom and baby are doing just fine; dad has learned to change diapers and take over ALL household chores. These are pictures, in no particular order, of her first week starting at 1 minute after her birth.

She looked a little confused when she first came into the world.

First bath at home

Laughing it up in the hospital

Sleeping like a, well, you know....

Rico contemplates life with his new little sister

WOW!!! Fatherhood rocks!

Motherhood too, of course

Window light is perfect for portraits!

Graduating Senior portrait session

2008-03-28T09:47:00.008-07:00

On Tuesday I met Linsey and her dad for her senior session; she was a little nervious in front of the camera at first but warmed up quickly. I find that I like to do the generic shots first before getting to the creative stuff; that gets the subject used to being photographed and they loosen up a little. I rarely use the initial shots but they are a great warm-up. Playing music they like helps a lot, too...John Mayer is almost always a good choice! I'm learning some of his songs for my music gigs.

I have been studying a lot lately to learn more about lighting and portrait techniques and it really paid off today. I almost always try to work with natural light first and then add flash only if needed. Most of these were shot with only sunlight and a reflector.

This was the last shot of the session and I love how it turned out. I suggested that she bring along something unique to her to use as a prop. As it turns out, she loves to work with stained glass. I had her dad hold the piece behind her and I zoomed in tight; I put the sun behind her and held the reflector with one hand while shooting with my right...a little awkward but, hey, whatever it takes to get the shot!

Danielle and Michael's Wedding Day

2008-03-11T08:47:00.013-07:00

This was the most fun I've ever had shooting a wedding; I also provided DJ services and had an assistant handle music during the times I was shooting important parts. The wireless lapel mic comes in very handy when I'm announcing their grand entrance AND shooting it at the same time. They got married on Feb. 29; does that mean they only have an anniversary every 4 years?

New Camera!!!

2008-02-21T13:30:00.008-07:00

I picked the new Nikon D300 yesterday and brought it along for some test shots on our hike through Papago park. I LOVE what I'm seeing so far; one of its great features is the ability to produce sharp, vivid images in low light situations without looking grainy or noisy. I shot all of these through my 80-400 lens at 6400 ISO around 5:30 on an overcast day and the picture quality is incredible; no noise anywhere! I have 9 weddings coming up and can't wait to bring it along with my D200. Wait until you see the sunset below!

The overcast day would up creating an amazing sunset; when I was shooting slide film I didn't think digital would ever equal the color saturation that the film gave me. That is no longer the case. These images are unedited; exactly as the camera captured them. I think I shot these at ISO 400 or 800. Wow!

Rico, the tormented chihuahua

2008-02-15T17:07:00.006-07:00

Poor Rico...apparently too many cats in our neighborhood run wild and walk along the walls around our yard. Rico HATES it and freaks out when he sees them. He even barks when they are nowhere to be found; the poor guy is obsessed. He sits and looks out the windows just waiting for his opportunity to pounce.

He is a great subject for photographs, though, and I made a Valentine's day card for Julie using one of his pictures.

After I made that I found another cute picture of him lying on the floor where the sun comes through and I was wondering what he might be thinking about......my apologies to any cat lovers out there; these are HIS thoughts, not mine!
click on the pic to enlarge.

Maternity Shoot

2008-02-15T14:35:00.012-07:00

Introducing my beautiful wife, Julie; we are expecting our first child in early April. I recently studied some new lighting methods and she is such a cooperative, supportive and easy subject to photograph. I used natural window light with one strobe on low power through a softbox behind her; the softbox created a nice rim light on her left arm which created some separation from the background. I also applied some neat photoshop effects to some of these.

The on-camera timer comes in handy.

Silhouette, window light only

The rest we shot in another room without using the strobe. This is window light only with a reflector out of the frame on the left to kick some light back for a little bit of fill; I just love this look!

We're going to try this again in another month and compare the difference!

Ali and Jay engagement shoot

2008-02-06T11:51:00.001-07:00

I'm shooting Ali and Jay's wedding on May 10 and they wanted a good portrait for their announcements. We shot this on Sunday before the Super Bowl. We had an overcast day which provided some nice lighting but I also used a White Lightning strobe with a 3ftx4ft soft box for the main light. I just picked up a portable power supply so I can shoot on location without electricity nearby; it came in very handy and I can power several lights with it
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After we were done I packed up my gear and noticed they had a flat tire; good thing I had a working jack in my car. I've just added Roadside Rescue to my list of services!

More kids!

2008-01-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Monday was another photo shoot for Kiera and Marco Reckling; this time we got an early start in the morning. I first photographed Kiera when she was nine days old; she's about 8 weeks now. I had such a blast; I can't wait to have one of my own!

I've learned that you don't really want to set a time limit when photographing children; just be flexible and take advantage of the opportunities as they come up.

I was in the kitchen when I noticed the morning sun streaming onto the patio. I brought Katherine and Marco out and used a reflector to bounce the sunlight back onto them; I love the way the sun provides the backlighting.

Rock Star Photo Shoot

2008-01-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Robert "Mudd" Mazzullo, is an amazing guitar builder. He has built me 4 bass guitars and they are beautiful works of art and sound better than anything I've ever played. His wife, Rachel, is a cellist and he has built her an electric and acoustic cello along with several other guitars and instruments. This year he decided to start marketing his work so here are some promo shots I did for ad pieces and the upcoming NAMM show (Nat. Assoc. of Music Merchants.)
Presenting Mudd Guitars...

This is Ginger; amazingly photogenic and graceful.

This is Michael Thomas; he is the most hi-profile player and has played with Guns n Roses, Bang Tango and quite a few other heavy rock bands.

Fun Convention Shoot!

2008-01-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just spent a couple of days working for the Sports Turf Manager's Association. I shoot for a lot of trade show and event clients and I'm always amazed at what I learn about different industries. These members are in charge of maintaining sports playing surfaces of all kinds and it gets pretty involved.

Their founder is referred to as the "Sod God." You might not know George Toma but you know his work; he maintains the playing field for a little event called the Super Bowl (all 42 of them!) They also call him the "Marquis de Sod." That must be a challenging job; I can't even mow grass in a straight line.

Their keynote speaker was pretty amazing with his ESP skills. He had four random members come up with details about a particular car of their choice, then he pulled a sealed envelope from his pocket on which he apparently had written those exact details on his flight to Phoenix that morning! He pulled off some amazing stuff!

Kate and Jeff's wedding

2008-01-12T08:28:00.001-07:00

They chose an incredible location for their wedding. This was in a friend's back yard in Paradise Valley and the setting was perfect in the late afternoon. We did most of the portrait shooting before the wedding so they wouldn't have to wait too long to hit the reception.

I loved the interior staircase for the portrait session; I was able to shoot this using natural light only then I converted some of the images to black and white. I love that classic look of an old-school black and white portrait.

Phoenix Children's Chorus photo shoot

2008-01-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I shot the annual group portraits for the PCC; getting 200 kids to stand still is a huge undertaking. Even harder is getting all their eyes open in the same shot. Good thing I have Photoshop!

During some of the breaks the directors loosen up and have some fun.

Now.......jazz-hands everyone!

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

A couple of months ago I DJ'd a wedding at the Cedars in N. Phoenix; the manager asked if I was free for New Year's Eve to DJ for a huge party they were having. Nice change of pace from performing and singing all night; had a blast and they were a really fun group. Of course, I had to play photojournalist, too.

Newborn photo shoot

2007-12-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, Mark and Katherine, just had a baby. I think that, since Julie and I have one on the way, I was even more excited to photograph her. I'm also asking lots of advice on what to do once we have ours!
This is Kiera...

Their son, Marco, had to put his two cents in:

I think being a Dad is gonna be fun!!!

Christmas Pet Shoot

2007-12-28T11:18:00.001-07:00

I spent a few hours photographing dogs on a Saturday before Christmas at PAWS salon in old town Scottsdale; what a blast! The owner, Tracy, brought in Santa and I photographed 17 people's dogs with him after they were groomed. I did a photo shoot for Tracy and her dogs in October and I'm framing a couple of prints for her store walls. I used two White Lightning strobes bounced into umbrellas and the pictures came out perfect; many happy dog owners! I love working with dogs except when one almost used my camera bag for a fire hydrant! Moved it just in time; I'll be more careful next time!

Working with dogs has its own unique challenges. For example, this guy was more interested in playing with Santa's hat than posing; he finally settled down. The key with dogs is shooting at high speed so you catch those fleeting moments.

Katrina two years later

2007-12-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Since I hadn't been back since before the storm I wanted to see what the coast looked like and it was heartbreaking. Mom and Dad took us through Waveland and Bay St. Louis and, although they are cleaned up, many buildings and homes haven't been restored.

Fortunately Dad built their house on high ground a little farther inland and suffered minimal damage. My sister Karen and husband Jeff weren't so lucky; their apartment was about a mile from the beach. They live in Las Vegas now and at least they have a happy ending. I didn't see any people out that day but captured a few images of what I saw; it was very emotional. Everyone hears about New Orleans; Mississippi got hit pretty hard, too.

I think what hit me hardest was seeing "stairs to nowhere" and knowing that someone's home used to be there.

Christmas on the Gulf Coast

2007-12-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

My first blog post, ever!! My wife Julie and I just flew back from New Orleans where we spent Christmas with my parents in Diamondhead, on the Mississippi gulf coast. The first day there we drove an hour into N.O. because I wanted to see the French Quarter again; it was my first time back since before Katrina and I was very glad to see a lot of activity. Lots of people shopping and musicians playing in the street. I had my Canon "point-and-shoot" in case I saw anything interesting; don't always feel like carrying the "real" camera and lenses. I am very impressed with the quality this little thing puts out!

These two were playing some old-school bluesy stuff on the corner of Royal Street and Toulouse. That grey thing she's wearing is a washboard; very common in Louisiana for percussion or for when your washing machine breaks.

After that we saw a smokin' zydeco band on Bourbon Street; I love that style of music. It is very upbeat and has a celebratory vibe to it! Another washboard in this band, too, plus the drummer, keyboard player and guy on accordion. No bass player; the keyboard player covered bass with his left hand. They were fantastic, all we needed were some boiled crawfish!

More fun shots of the quarter: