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Hey there! My name is Becker and I am a wedding photographer from Orange County, California who specializes in capturing relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments for the coolest brides and grooms on the planet.
This blog follows both my personal and professional life, and features images from the weddings I shoot, the places I travel and the friends and family members that mean so much to me. It's basically like my own personal photo album combined with an information source for my current and potential clients and a source of inspiration and education for other photographers. This site is a little more informal and I just want to give everyone a sense of who I am, and what I am all about. Thanks for visiting.
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check out the top voted images click to enlarge
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| Brunch with Grace Ormonde |
12.15.2009 |
Today I went to the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica to attend a brunch in honor of Grace Ormonde's new book launch. Grace is the publisher of Wedding Style magazine, and she has spent the last year or so pouring through thousands upon thousands of photographs to include her favorites in this new inspirational book.
I got a sneak peek this afternoon and it truly is amazing. As most of you know, I collect fine photo coffee table book about weddings and other styles photography, and this tome will fit right into my collection and will be proudly displayed in my gallery.
The Viceroy is just such a cool, funky hotel: |
| Here's a proof of the book, the real deal is still in production: |
| Full color spreads, nice paper. I'd guess the book is about 11x14 inches. |
| Jasmine Star found a photo of her husband JD included in the book & got a little excited. (Mike Colon took the shot of JD during a shoot for the magazine) |
| I was filmed for a behind the scenes video about the book. They wanted to capture our thoughts and impressions. As you can see, I finally got a haircut: |
| Here I am with the one and only Grace Ormonde: |
| Special thanks to Lawrence Chan from Tofurious for the invitation to this event. Lawrence has been hired by Grace Ormonde's company to help them with SEO as well as other web related projects. Lawrence Chan is the man! Thank again bud! |
| Guess who's back |
12.14.2009 |
Ok, I am back to blogging after resting and catching up for the last 4 weeks. I've only posted once in that time when I was bored to tears while serving at jury duty. I gotta say, I really needed that break. I've had a crazy year and it was nice to just lay low for a little bit, but to be honest... I really miss blogging. There's been a lot going on in my life and I'll be sharing again on a regular basis. I love blogging. If for no other reason than it serves as a public & photographic journal of my life. I love going back through my blog and seeing the timeline of my adventures complete with photos & video. I've been working on this years video Christmas card that I'll be sharing next week and it was so fun to see the whirlwind that was my 2009.
Over the last few weeks I've been tying up loose ends, organizing my home and office, making plans for 2010, catching up on Tivo, playing a little more poker, shooting family portraits, sleeping in, working out (gotta get a head start on the new years resolutions). I've also been to a few Christmas parties and I am looking forward to a couple more in the next week or so. I haven't even started my Christmas shopping. There's still plenty of time.
Anyway, let me tell you about the awesome day I had yesterday. About a week and a half or so ago, Mike Hanline, the co-owner of WHCC, which is the lab I've been using for the last 3 years or so invited me to a "business meeting" down in Texas at one of their satellite locations in Mesquite. They started by giving me a tour of the facility and it was amazing. I worked at a photo lab for 7 years right out of high school, so I knew a little bit about the lab business, but the lab I worked at would have fit inside of the employee break room at this facility (which is less than half the size of there main office in Eagan, Minnesota). The place is just incredible... so organized, so efficient. The amount of prints and press printed products they move through there on a giving day is mind boggling, and the accuracy and speed they do it with is almost unbelievable.
I also got to catch up with my good friend Troy Widner from PickPic, which is the online shopping cart solutions I've been using for over 5 years now. He gave me a little preview of what he's got coming out next month and my jaw hit the floor. I can't say to much and what I will say will be shared inside of the [ b ] School, but let me just say, once again, they are raising the bar and all of their competitors are going to be playing catch up.
Ok, so the real reason for the trip was to attend the Cowboys vs. Chargers game at their brand new stadium, which is something to marvel. It's like the 8th wonder of the world. Way more impressive than any pyramids or a big long fence in China. The place is massive, and well thought out. No detail was overlooked and no expense was spared. The place is plush. |
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| From left to right: Troy, Chris Hanline (Mike's son), Mike, and yours truly: |
| The first thing you notice when walking into the stadium is the super impressive scoreboard/video screen. 140 feet of high definition beauty. |
| The view from our seats. 11th row, 47 yard line, padded leather chair... insane! We'd usually watch the play live, then just look up to watch the replay on the big screen. I could see for those who were sitting in the upper levels, they may be tempted to just watch the game on the screen since it's right at eye level. |
| The ride home was the best part of the day. No long lines at DFW, no security checkpoint, no walking forever through the terminal to your gate. Just park the car, walk 50 feet, hop on the plane, shut the door and then we were off. We had a wonderful conversation on the ride home to John Wayne airport and I am so stoked to be associated with these fine people. |
| I need some napkins with the [ b ] logo on them. Or better yet, I need a private jet with the [ b ] logo on it. |
| It was my first time flying in a private jet and it was awesome. I am a little spoiled and I now have a new goal for my business. ;-) |
Even though the Cowboys lost to the weaksauce Chargers, it was still an incredible day that I will not soon forget.
Once again Mike, Thank you so much for your wonderful generosity! You are the best!
*All of the images were shot with the Panasonic Lumix LX3 that I borrowed from Jessica Claire and I am strongly considering purchasing for myself as a Christmas gift. |
| Your fate could be in my hands |
11.25.2009 |
Ok, so I am serving time at jury duty today. I haven't been in years. I've gone several times in the past, and I've never been seated on a jury. I do think it would be fun and interesting to be on a trial, but who has that kind of time? If I hated my job, or worked for the man, i.e. Corporate America, I think jury duty would be a fun vacation from work and a nice change of pace.
But as a self employed business owner, I really don't have time to serve on any trial longer than a few days and I also resent wasting an entire day when I know there's no chance they are going to put a person like me on a jury. I am too opinionated and passionate about my core beliefs and I guarantee one of the attorney's will be using a pre-emptive challenge on me. When I retire, I'll probably volunteer for jury duty just for fun and to make up the fact that i won't ever be on a trial in the near future.
Seriously folks, if you were on trial for your life, your freedom, or involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit, could you image that your fate could reside in this face? I didn't shower, I have awesome product-free bedhead going on and I think I may have acci-purposely forgotten to use deodorant this morning.
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But I promise you this, if I ever do get on a jury I promise you I'll be the foreman! OJ would have been convicted if I was on that jury. The key word is reasonable doubt. The glove not fitting is not reasonable doubt... it doesn't have to fit perfectly to wield a knife. Oh well, karma caught up to the Juice!
Please don't read too much into any political statements I may or may not be making. I am just trying to entertain myself while waiting in the Juror Assembly Room at the OC courthouse here in Santa Ana. I am thankful that we do have a pretty awesome justice system compared to the rest of the world and I am happy to serve.
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| A long winter's nap |
11.16.2009 |
I'm home. It feels good to be home knowing I don't have to repack my suitcase anytime soon. No more airplanes in 2009. No more hotel rooms or rental cars for a while. I'm home for the year and I'm looking forward to some down time to relax and enjoy the holidays with my friends and family.
It's been a crazy year jam packed with lots of travel, lots of shooting, lots of teaching & speaking, lots of poker and NOT a lot of sleep.
In 2009, I've been to: Toronto, New York City, Boston, Rhode Island, Miami, San Francisco, Napa, Carmel, Calgary, Omaha, Arkansas, Istanbul, Stockholm, Gotherburg, Denver, Burning Man, Seattle, the San Juan Islands, Phoenix, Atlantic City, Connecticut & Colombia. Not to mention 6 or 7 trips to Las Vegas (I lost count). I feel like that Johnny Cash song "I've been everywhere".
I've had a blast and I'm so thankful for all of my couples who've flown me in to shoot their weddings and also thankful to all of the photographers who came out to hear me share and I'm looking forward to more of it in 2010, but for now...
I'm tired. I need a break. I need to rest & rejuvenate. I need to relax & recharge... so I am going into hibernation mode for the rest of the year. I won't be blogging much and I'll be also working on conquering my Facebook & Twitter addictions. ;-) <-- I doubt I'll go cold turkey though.
I'm also going to be taking some time to myself to get grounded and really focus on my goals and priorities for 2010. I have big plans for next year. I have some great weddings lined up and I'm still looking to book s'more. I'll also be traveling a lot to share with and inspire other photographers.
Of course, I'll still be available to my clients as well as prospective clients. My staff & I are, and always will be, dedicated to providing excellent customer service and an outstanding experience.
I'll also be spending a lot of time in and on the [ b ] School as I am committed to continuing to build an awesome community of photographers, so I'll still be around, just not so much blogging, Twittering & Facebooking. Try not to miss me too much! ;-)
Contact Becker. View Wedding Portfolio |
| Bellagio wedding |
11.11.2009 |
Last weekend I shot a wedding at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with my friend Joe Photo. It was a nice change of pace to be a second shooter. Joe challenged me to shoot less than a thousand photos. I failed, but only by a little bit.
Here are a few of my favorite relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments: |
| Joe was pleased with what he was getting from the bride: |
| The details were awesome!: |
| The confetti got in the way of my shot: |
| This guy was a great Elvis. |
| Miscellaneous monday 73 |
11.09.2009 |
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Well, it's miscellaneous Tuesday this week. I had a busy day yesterday.
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I am excited that the Cowboys beat the Eagles for first place in the NFC East on Sunday. I know the season is only half way done, and there's a lot of football to be played, but I am stoked they won Sunday night. I also don't see them losing any of their next 3 games against the Packers, the Redskins or the Raiders, but I don't want to jinx it so I'll move on.
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I had fun in Vegas over the weekend shooting with my friend Joe Photo. I'll be blogging a few from the wedding tomorrow, but every time I go to Vegas I get pumped for WPPI. I am looking froward to going next March. In case you weren't aware, it's now open for registration.
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From the Best of Craigslist: Astronaut needed. I'd apply except I'm over 5'10" and not "relatively trim".
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I saw The Men Who Stare at Goats the other night at midnight. It was ok, but I didn't love it how I thought I would. I think a lot of how much one enjoys a movie is based on expectations. I was really looking forward to this one and ended up being a bit disappointed. If you go in with lessor expectations you might enjoy it more. Take Tropic Thunder for example... that movie looked so lame, but I ended up laughing so much and being quite entertained. Anyway, back to the Goat movie... I saw it when I was really tired and I just wanted to go home and go to bed, so that may have had some influence on what I thought of the film. There were certainly some funny parts, but overall, it kinda drags along and didn't have much of a point.
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I have 1 more trip this weekend, then I am home for the year!
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WSOP final table airs tonight at 6PM on ESPN. I think it'll be good television if you are into poker. There were some exciting hands that played out.
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The South OC Poker league starts at my house on Thursday. Not too late to sign up.
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Yes, I know I've been talking about poker a lot lately. As wedding season winds down, poker season heats up.
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I'm not usually a big fan of contests, but this one has me thinking I might participate. $100,000 in 140 seconds.
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Tweet of the Week
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Speaking of Twitter, I have always had a thing about using all 140 characters when I tweet. It started becoming a bit of a problem, sometimes I'd spend several minutes composing my tweets. I know, I'm a bit touched in the head. Anywho... I'm trying to break that habit. Baby Steps.
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iPhone shot of the week:
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Shout out of the week: Joe Photo. He's the best. Thanks for the trip to Vegas bro!
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T-shirt of the week:
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| The WSOP Final Table |
11.08.2009 |
***SPOILER ALERT***
IF YOU DON"T WANT TO KNOW THE RESULTS OF THE WSOP BEFORE IT AIRS ON ESPN THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH @ 6PM, STOP READING!
After shooting a wedding at the Bellagio yesterday with my good friend Joe Photo, I trekked over to the Rio to watch some of the final table action of the World Series of Poker. Just like last year, once the Main Event got down to it's final 9 players in July, they adjourned for a few months (to allow for the TV production schedule... it's a long story) and play resumed last night for the final table with the "November 9".
Phil Ivey, arguably the best poker player in the world, was among the final 9 along with a few other professionals and a handful of amateurs. I, along with most of the poker community, was rooting for Phil to win his 8th WSOP bracelet and his first Main Event title. During the wedding, I kept up with the action on Twitter, reading how the first two player were eliminated. One of the hands your see on ESPN Tuesday night was all in preflop pocket kings against pocket aces. Not only did a king come on the flop, but one also came on the turn giving one of the players quads, and the other an 8th place finish.
****AGAIN, SPOILER ALERT>>> STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED****
By the time I got to the Rio, it was down to 7 players, and Phil Ivey was one of the short stacks. He shoved all in several times and no one called. Finally, the first hand back shortly after a break just after midnight, he moved all in with AK and got called by Darvin Moon, the guy who was in first place when the day started... he held AQ. Phil was like a 70% favorite to win the hand. But disaster struck when a queen ht the flop. Phil needed one of the 3 remaining kings and it never came. The crowd booed loudly and most of the people in the Penn & Teller theater headed for the door... including myself.
Phil Ivey is wearing the white hat on the left side of the table below: |
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After Phil was out, I was kind of bummed and then I also realized I could make the 1am tourney at Caesar's Palace, so I hopped in a cab. It was a smaller tournament, only 30 players, but I managed to make the final table and was doing really good until I tried to be sneaky and it ended up biting me in the arse and I got knocked out in 5th, just two away from the money. It was about 3am, and I was just going to walk back to the Bellagio, but after checking Twitter, I saw they were down to five players and the drama was thick. I figured I happened to be in town during the final table I may as well go witness what happens, so I headed back to the Rio.
The action was pretty intense, although it's pretty boring watching poker when you don't know what the hole cards are. When you watch the broadcast, they only show a fraction of the hands that are played, and also, the edit each hand for time. It's boring television to watch some guy stare at another guys stoic poker face for 5-6 minutes at a time. I swear there was one hand which lasted about 15-20 minutes, I actually fell asleep in my chair twice during the same hand only to wake up when people cheered. You'll see it on ESPN... it'll probably play out in 2 minutes and it's the one with the flop of 2s 10h 3c
Eric Buchman (pictured on the plasma below) who at one point late in the action was a chip leader, lost a huge pot when his AQ ran into the AK of Antoine Saout. It was the largest pot of the tournament and it crippled Buchman who was out just a few hands later. |
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It looked like the Darvin & Saout would be heads up when Joe Cada shoved with 22 into Saout's QQ, but a 2 on the flop gave Joe a set and the chip leaded. Shortly there after Saout went all in with 88 and Cada called with AK, the flop and turn were safe, but the K on the river ended the night and knocked Saout out in 3rd place (for $3.5 million). You've never seen someone so unhappy after winning 3 and a half million dollars.
As it turns out, Darvin Moon who started the day as the chip leader, roughly has the same number of chips that he started with, and Joe Cada collected the rest of them. At one point Joe was down to less than 3 million chips now he has a 135.95 million to Moon's 58.85 million, a better than 2-1 lead. The action resumes Monday night at 10, then ESPN will be cutting in the final hands into the broadcast for 6pm Tuesday. If you are a poker fan, you have to watch it.
By the way, check out what first place gets... $8.5 millions dollars, a bracelet and the title of world champion. 2nd place gets about 5 million which ain't so bad either. Each of those brick are 50 large!: |
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