February 28, 2009
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Another LIFE update...
So, living alone is pretty weird. I now know how to make a pretty darn good grilled cheese sandwich. And I'm quickly learning other things!
Fortunately, I live just a couple minute's drive away from my parent's house, (or a ~10 minute bike ride) ...So I can return home often and be with my ~19 year old cat who misses me a lot. (Joy is seriously allergic)
Unfortunately, my car blew a head gasket on the freeway the other day and is completely RIP. Would cost more to fully repair than a new (used) car of the same vintage. Sooooo, needless to say this has put a damper on things that have already been quite dampened by a very precise, tightrope walk of a pre-wedding financial situation. Joy and I are considering what to do. At this point it looks like we will be staying home from our Caribbean honeymoon in favor of another new (used) vehicle that we can own long-term, instead of trying to get away with a cheap "for now" car. Joy and I are both sorta okay with this, but I'm not sure the reality of it has settled in 100% either. We shall see. The reality of being married and living together is already getting larger than life... And we need to pray and read together more; we have been quite casual / negligent in our *spiritual* relationship for a while now....
Nikon D300, Nikon 17-55, on-camera pop-up flash commanding off-camera SB800, fired in manual mode probably...
Here is my crowning moment from that Santa Barbara wedding a few weekends ago. This shot was taken on EXTREME time constraint so the pose is a little simple, but I'm at least happy that I seem to have perfected the art of using infra-red wireless flash in crazy lighting conditions, while everybody else is bent on using pocket wizards / radiopoppers etc. I REALLY need to go on eBay and pick up 2-3 more SB800's though, so I can add fill & kicker etc. lights to portraits like these.
BTW, if ANY photographer out there is brave enough to go out with Joy & I to try and make some wedding photos like THIS on a day-after session after our wedding, I've decided that we REALLY would like to do so. Scott Robert? Skunkabilly? Maybe Joe McNally or Chase Jarvis will be in town? Hahaha... I guess I should talk to my OFFICIAL photographer first and see if he's into the whole off-camera flash stuff...
The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this townYou're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhereYou thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for graceIt's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get awayYou're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imaginationYou love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over youIt's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful dayTouch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless caseSee the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came outIt was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful dayTouch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless caseWhat you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful dayTake care,
=Matt=
Comments (20)
Aww, I'm sorry about your car and having to put the honeymoon off. That's a bummer. It sounds like you guys will end up making a wise decision though, and if you chose to put off your trip, maybe you can save up and go somewhere else nice down the road!
I really like how the photo shows her dress so well. I saw a lot of pictures from the wedding, but I've never noticed how lovely her dress was until this photo. I guess it was the lighting or something? I'm sure there is a technical term for it :-p
That's a beautiful shot, Matt -- simple poses are often the best!
Beautiful photo and beautiful song.
I am sorry about your car and honeymoon
Let me know if I can do anything to help!
sorry to hear all that, but i have faith that you two will pull through and everything will work out. it's hard not knowing what the future is going to be like, or how you will reach the stages in life, but that's what makes it an adventure right? as long as you got what is most important, your golden
word on the street is you got the best of xanga to shoot your wedding for ya. will there be some risque pictures afterwards? haha if so, i am looking forward to it! lol jk. sorry to hear about your car man
Wow! blown head gasket!! that must hurt! sorry to hear about that and the reallocation of funds!
Mr. Matt:
You have lifetime to go on vacation with your beautiful bride, a trip only lasts a short time, where as your marriage is blessed forever. God new your car would go poop-poop and that what has happened is preparing you for other life challenges. You two are wise to put off a trip, a car is needed for so much more. Just thank GOD it was the car that died on that freeway and not you.
We see things only one way, GOD knows and see's everything. We see disappointment, GOD see's opportunity. We feel cheated about loosing a honeymoon, GOD has something better in store for the two of you.
Blessings "Its a beautiful day"
Gorgeous shot as usual. :) I'm sorry to hear about your car. Seems theres a lot of that going around right now. I vote for buying a used dependable car first before the honeymoon. I know, even though I'm a girl, all the girls are going to kill me. Jim, my husband, and I only had one night for our honeymoon because 1. money 2. he had to be back at work on Monday. But we've been married 22 years and are happier than ever now. Yes honeymoons are great. But the excitement of moving into together and the fact you're married is a high all its own. You can take a nice trip in a year for your anniversary and still get your car that you have to have. And money problems are the number one reason for divorce. You don't want to start your new life in the hole. Wish I could be there to shoot after your wedding. That would be so fun!
I really hope you get my bug... would be TOO cool
You lit her up quite nicely. The only bad part is now the background looks fake.
Photoshopped in, ya know?
nice photo, and too bad about the car. if you get a used (fairly new...two to three years old) honda or toyota car, the car will last another ten years. they're reliable and don't "drink" gas like it's water. you can wait for your first anniversary to go on a honeymoon/vacation. by then, you'll have saved up enough money for it after spending a lot of money on the wedding/reception and car.
by the way, excellent choice of album and band to listen to.
very nice shot of the bride and dress but i'll have to agree with bluehair7 that the bg looks like a studio backdrop (albeit a nice one). do you think a longer exposure would help or some light on her immediate surroundings to connect her with the background.
i love your work though. i'would like to try some of the shots you've done, especially those oceanside dawn and sunset ones. i also have been wanting to try some low-light long exposures. maybe some day you could show me some of your favorite places.
congratulations on getting your own place. i imagine it will be tough in such an expensive area. but being out on your own shouldn't mean "going it" on your own. you have lots of friends and family that want to see you make it. don't be too proud to let them help. good luck.
brian
@Bluehair7 - @briantammy -
Yeah, that's the problem with adding lighting to a beautiful scene- I OFTEN get the comment that it looks too good to be true. I have a hunch though, and I think that the "fix" will be to better illuminate the transition from foreground / subject to middle ground and background. The fact that it goes from properly lit subject, to pitch black middle ground, and then properly illuminated background... That can't be helping the photo appear realistic... And again- I need MORE flashes!
Thanks for the comments though! The fact that it looks photoshopped but isn't can only be taken as a compliment at this point....
=Matt=
Bummer about your car. Where do we send money to you to help you get a new one?
@Borelfoto - I was going to mention my paypal email, but other people thought it was kinda cheesy to flat-out ask for money / start a donation... I should post my B&H wishlist though, haha...
Thank you very much for the good will!
=Matt=
sorry about your car, but i can relate to living alone...it was pb n j and cup o noodles for half a year
Wow you are so amazing with leveraging landscape in your imagery so crisp so beautiful!.. Everything happens for a reason i guess:) All the best ! This is one of my favorite song... If you look check out my photo lounge ..it is the music on my slideshow http://www.marielyssa.com
..I play it often in the mornings when i need to get energized about my day
ML
Ahh.. Marriage is wonderful! I know you are used to only seeing the first day of one, but get ready for an exciting ride. Like I told my brother when he got married, marriage is great 94% of the time, Amazing 3% of the time, not so wonderful 2% of the time, and awful 1% of the time. So when you are going through those rough patches, just remember that other 97% of the time that you just can't ever see yourself without.
Congratulations! Sorry to hear about your car... enjoy a trip when you are able! You are an amazing photographer!
Matt,
I'd be honored to shoot you. Let me know when you do it.
Skunk