R.J.Conner Photography, Collecting Photons…

Just playing catch-up...

2010-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the next installment of evidence of children. I hope you enjoy :)

I know I'm a little behind...

2010-05-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

Who knew...all you need to do was start 52 project and then you would get super busy. I had taken photos for the last three weeks but have failed to post anything.....sorry. here is one and I'll get the other two up soon.

enjoy this weeks Evidence of childen.

Evidence of children...

2010-05-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try and do it....all over people are doing these wonderful 52 or 365 projects. In the case of photographers they would make it a point to take at least one photograph a week for 52 weeks or one a day for 365 days. The point is to push oneself, to be more creative and increase their knowledge base and in the process maybe learn something about oneself. So I am going to commit myself to blogging at least one photograph a week for 52 weeks... my focus... my children.
I intend to capture evidence of children be it good, or not so good. wish me luck :)

I find rocks all over the house...in clothes, in the bathroom and in my laptop case :)

Once upon a time...

2010-05-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Love is awesome! But true love is a blessing.
I had the absolute pleasure of shooting Aaron and Jennifer's wedding last night. let me tell you something these two are in "LOVE". The venue was at the Stone bridge manor in mesa....Beautiful! the whole day was like a Fairytale. here is just a taste for you to enjoy, but if you'll excuse me for now I have a ton of images still to process. till next time...

Club Kid.

2010-04-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post on Ryan. Ryan is a senior who wants to go to school to be a crime scene investigator. That is Awesome????

Ryan likes to spend his time going to raves and hangong out with his friends. I love to shoot pictures of club kids! It really gives you a chance to strut the edgy feeling on your shots ;)

I hope you enjoy.

More to come soon...

Jim and Amy have left the building...

2010-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

    Very good friends are rare....friends from school who become family are often are unheard of. This little princess is the daughter of such a friend. I look at this photo of this little flower girl from our wedding (ahem...14 years ago) and I can't believe how time has just motored by. Well it did just that...
Now that little girl with the imaginary friends Jim and Amy, is getting ready to graduate from high school and is NAU bound with aspirations of being a child psychologist. Which is strange to me because I can't help but still see the little girl when I see her. How can she possibly be going to college? There is no way I'm that old. My wife and I are quite proud of her.
      But the cool part is, I was afforded the absolute honor of taking her Senior portraits and people, she has grown into beautiful young lady. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself....

Happy Easter Everybody...

2010-04-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Everything about Wednesday morning was perfect for taking Easter Photos of the kiddos...
The air was crisp and fresh, the sky was blue, the grass was green and my kids cooperated :)

What is it Wednesday??? January, 27th installment.

2010-01-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

We are giving away another Engagement session this week....last week was so much fun we just had to do it again :)
The rules are as follows.

-Bride and Groom must be Arizona residents (Travel expenses outside Arizona are additional).

    -Email us your answer at rjconnerstudios@gmail.com

    -Include the happy couples contact information.

    -You must be a R.J.Conner photography fan on facebook.

    -Be willing to have fun.

Here is this week Photo....

Good Luck Everyone :)

And the winner is....

2010-01-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Leslie Graham for correctly guessing the "What is it Wednesday" photo. Leslie Correctly guessed that it was a cocktail drink umbrella...YAY! Leslie you have won the free Engagement session contact us for further details and we will get you scheduled :) Stay tuned for todays "What is it Wednesday!"

Best of the best...

2010-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

    Going through the previous years shots and trying to pick your favorite photographs is hard. Going through the previous years shots and trying to pick just one photograph to showcase as the best, is impossible : /
Do I pick this one? But this one of my son is so good too... Errrrrr.
    It's kind of like trying to figure out which family photo is going to make this years Christmas cards.
    But I committed myself to pick just one photograph....
One photograph to sum up the entire year...
One photograph to express emotion...
One photograph that I love above all...
    I had all but given up. It was just too hard to do. I'll just post the top ten fav's of 2009 and call it good.
    Then it happened....
While I was cataloging 2009, there it was. A photograph I had snickered at the first pass through of a wedding session and didn't have the heart to relinquish it to the emptiness of the recycle bin. I saved it to process later. You know... the fun thing you put on the backburner and never seem to find the time to get to?
This shot has everything I want out of a Photograph. It has movement. It has that moment in time you never get back. It has something that ties it to the time period. It has something to throw you back into your own memories. It has....A Good exposure :)

I call it "Strike a Pose". Because being a superhero requires that you pose :)

What is it Wednesday???

2010-01-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

We are starting something new and fun. What is it Wednesday is where we will take a random image from everyday items and you tell us what it is. Sometimes it will be one item, other days it can be three, your job is to tell us what the items within the images are. I can promise you I will not make it easy, easy is not fun :)
So to start things off we are offering a giveaway.. yay!!!
One free engagement session will go to the couple who can correctly identify what the item in the photo is.

The rules are as follows.

Bride and Groom must be Arizona residents (Travel expenses outside Arizona are additional).
Email us your answer at rjconnerstudios@gmail.com
Include the happy couples contact information.
You must be a R.J.Conner photography fan on facebook.
Be willing to have fun.

Tell your friends to play or take a guess for yourself. It would be a nice gift to give to a cute couple you know... The lucky winner will be announced on the R.J.Conner Photography fan page next Wednesday.
Soooooo.... with out further delay, here is the first image. Good Luck!

Perfect!

2009-10-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

What else is more perfect, pictorially speaking than a wedding at sunset? Plus in Phoenix in the fall.........? Nothing I tell you!

I had an awesome opportunity to second shoot for the talented Kara Layne (http://www.karalayne.com/) So you bet yer booty I took it. ~Respect~

It was a fabulously unique and gorgeous wedding! Picture this... outdoors...cool breeze...sunset...asian themed.....Panda Express catered....and an after ceremony spin in a boat on the community lake! It was awesome! There are weddings you take photographs of, then there are weddings that are the most unique opportunity that you do not pass up :)

Just a touch of class.

2009-09-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

In an effort to give my clients the very best of myself, I am delivering my session packages to them in a fun and crafty way. My Momma always said go with your strengths. I want my clients to feel like they are opening something very special, just for them. just like opening a Christmas present, but with something that says I will always go the extra mile to make sure my clients know how special they are. love is in the details folks, love is always in the details...

Yehawww!

2009-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

OK, I just had to post this.

I have been messing around with this key chain puzzle off and on for like a year and a half.... Just this morning I finally solved it. YES!!! I bought this Puzzle in a little shop just off the beach in Tel Aviv, Israel. There were lots of cool hand made puzzle boxes and wooden toys. Which is why I stopped in, in the first place. I wanted to pick up a couple of toys for my kids before heading home. The owner of the little shop was messing with one similar. She sighed and then tossed it to the counter to declare she had had enough. I had then asked her if the puzzle was a particularly difficult one? She looked at me cross-eyed and said if I could solve it I could have anything I wanted in the store. I took the challenge. I stood there leaning against the counter for what seemed an hour. People coming in, people leaving, things going on in my peripheral vision....needless to say I didn't get it solved and to top it off I bought one :)

I see now the great marketing idea it was. How many, like myself walk into that store and leave with one of those key chains. Genius. But now it is solved as you can see. And what I thought would have been a great sense of accomplishment is .... I'm not gonna say empty because that's not what it is. I think I'll just go with - Whats next?....

Labor day weekend.

2009-09-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

AHHH Labor day……I love any excuse to do a little Grillin’. This year we had our friends, the Browne’s over for some garlic, cheddar, bacon, guacamole and Hatch chili burgers. You have no idea how good they were?! Then to top it off Mr. Browne grilled up some seasoned shrimp that they had brought over…much to my wife’s satisfaction. To me there is nothing better than the Kiddos splashing in the pool, my beautiful wife by my side, some good friends and an ice cold beer in hand. These are the American Freedoms and the moments of my life that I cherish so much.

After an awesome dinner, if I do say so myself, I set the movie screen up in the backyard. We had a double feature tonight. Ghostbusters followed by Ghostrider. The adults sat back in some comfortable chairs with frosty beverages in hand, while the kids soaked their toes poolside.

I love my life. I have been so blessed and I thank God for every moment he gives me J
Have fun and be safe this weekend… :)

Shylah Rae is Six Months Old :)

2009-08-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Wow do the babies get big fast!

It seems like I just uploaded her infant photographs yesterday?!?!?!?

This baby is the most smiliest, laughing-est baby I have ever seen. I had an extremely easy time getting her mommy to coax the little smiles outta her. Her laughs were abundant let me tell you.

So cute!

Also, her big brother was in town on a break from the military. He's a Marine people! And he has my utmost respect! As do they all.... (God bless them.)

So we made sure to take some shots of him with his baby sister that he can take with him when he heads back to work. Later, we went to my home to do a little studio work as Phoenix, Arizona gets a little hot pretty darn quick. So... click, click, click and a frosty beverage later we have achieved awesomeness...

Perseid Meteor Shower. Ahhhhhh Nope!

2009-08-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

Well last night we had a thunder storm.....The weather guy got one right :).
Soooo... no meteor shower photographs, but I did get a couple of lighting strikes. Those are always cool!

Maybe I'll have better luck later...

Perseid Meteor Shower 2009

2009-08-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well.... you pack your equipment up, ice down some cold drinks, charge up the Ipod and head out to capture one of the universes wondrous marvels. But Mother Nature had a different idea. :)

I had hoped to get some long exposure shots. You know, the kind that shows the stars moving in circular patterns and that one streak moving perpendicular right through the image like a comet? Nope... the clouds moved in. Just figures, hardly any weather all monsoon season and on the peak day of the Perseid event, the clouds roll on in. Oh well, on the lemonade making front I did capture some images of the clouds moving past the waining gibbous moon. No meteor shower but I must say I still had a pretty good time.

The forecast for tonight...Thunder storms. I'm debating whether or not I want to try again for the meteor shower? Maybe...

Cody's a Senior! Class of 2010.

2009-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Senior portraits are always fun. It is a chance to break the mold... bend the rules a bit if you will. Teens are always more open to fun places, edgy contrasts and thick colors...

Cody is a cool guy with aspirations of being a physical trainer. He'd like to be the guy that works with the professional athletes. Pfft... who wouldn't, huh? And if you couldn't tell, he likes the Atlanta Falcons.....I'll hold my comments to myself ;) But when he asked if I ever worked with models... I think he is now thinking of being a photographer. LOL. Cody is an Athlete, he likes to work out and runs on track. I was extremely happy to capture this senior moment. Senior year is very exciting and moves very fast. It is good idea to capture who you are now, before you become who you are going to be. I know I'm not the same :) ...

Time Marches on....

2009-08-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe my friend's little baby girl is one year old!
Living in Az. means a birthday party involving water in one form or another from time to time. It was so fun to shoot this party! Children slipping down the slip -n- slide, toddlers toddling around a sprinkler and babies discovering water. These are the types of things I like to capture...Life as it's happening.
Obviously I miss out on some things, sneaking around stealthily with a largish block box and matching largish black flashy thingy, trying to get photos of people laughing, telling a very important story, or a baby smiling. But that is alright, it's my job. It brings me joy and I love it!

The Kidwell Kids

2009-06-15T18:35:00.001-07:00

I had the awesome pleasure of getting the chance to shoot these lovely little darlings. Both Chloe Ann and Rindy Lee had these deep dark eyes that looked right through you and both were so expressive. Like most kids they were a little bit hesitant of the bald guy. But they always come around. How could you not at this goofy guy. I think the trick to shooting kids is you really need to let them get comfortable with you. A strange person with a big black camera making kissy noises is enough to make even the most outgoing child a little defensive...

how much fun was this!!!

2009-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

I went out on a photo shoot with a photography practice group that a buddy of mine (Andy Andrews) organizes for photographers of all levels. Anyway, it was at this mountain preserve and we were working on sunsets and the like. I had to leave when the group was done to meet some old friends that had come into town, but some of the group that decided to stay were asking if I wanted to go to this tunnel in the park to do some further shooting.... "Naw man I can't. I gotta go." "Are you sure?" they said. "It shouldn't be too much longer and it should be pretty cool." "Naw" I said, "I really gotta go." Besides, it's a tunnel. Woo hoo! Right? Well...........I should have stayed! The shots they were getting were way cool. So I talked to Andy later telling him that I was going to have to go back there and get some shots. So he got a model arranged and I met him out there. Here is some of the stuff we captured. I hope you like it. I sure do.

Little Shyla Rae

2009-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Shayla Rae. Shayla's Mommy told me "good luck" as Shayla wouldn't sit still for anybody especially on her tummy. But to everyones pleasant surprise, she hung in there like a champ. Just a few wipes of drool and we were on our way. Such a pleasure to photograph such a beautiful baby. Funny thing was, on her tummy she didn't move at all, but when we put here on her butt to get some feet pictures, that was when she got a little nervous and just kicked and kicked. Sweet thing.

Gotta Love Them Babies.

2009-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

I get alot joy from taking photos. But nothing brings greater joy than being able to capture little baby moments. So when a dear friend called me and asked if I would mind taking her little ones photo, I jumped at the chance. Like most children sessions, the kids always look at me... then MKom and want to know who the heck the bald guy with the camera is and why does he keep making faces at me? And what the heck is with the falsetto voice? But after a half hour or so they always come around and start to relax. Let this be a lesson to all of us photog's....always allow a half hour or so to allow the little ones a chance to get comfortable around you. They will relax and you can snap away at magic. So I present to you little Teagan. While I was there I shot a few frames of her big sister Brielle.

2009-04-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

My children decided not to cooperate with me on Easter. Then again they never do when I'm trying to take their pictures. So, we tried again this Saturday. This time we brought along their cousins Lauren and her two baby sisters Tatem and Riley. I have come to the conclusion that I am just unable to take my own children's photos. Not that I do not have the patience nor do I lack the ability to use my equipment. But my children just look at me like I'm from another planet. Seriously! Most kids crack a smile at this goofy guy. I mean how could they not? Random bald guy... sticking his tongue out at you from behind a camera? That's just good clean fun. Nope! My kids just stare at me like if they were to smile it would be breaking some unforgivable childhood law.

The cousins went fine, snap snap snap a few gigs and 15 minuets later we have cute chubby success. soooooooo i did what any Photog worth his Photons would do... i bribed them with candy and took 8 gigs worth of photos to get only 8 usable photos ;) better luck next time.

Finally

2009-04-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

...At long last I can finally post pictures from the wedding I did at the end of January. I did not feel comfortable posting them until I got the final okay on the proofs and wedding book. This project took longer than usual I am certain. But since the wedding, my father had passed away, I had vacation scheduled since October and some understandable delays from the client, not to mention it was my first wedding. ;)

I have decided to post some pages from the book instead of individual photos. I feel this will accomplish two things. One, you can see some of the pictures and two, it will showcase some of the layout work I did for the book. Please keep in mind I have designed all of the pages. No canned templates for me mister. So if you like them I'm responsible....if you hate them it's my wife's fault. Just kidding sweetie!

Sooooo. Without further delay...

2009-03-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Under way...... Well here it is in all its glory. My new blog. Here I will attempt to dazzle you with my Photon Collecting prowess.

But first a little background - I have been taking pictures since high school and have mainly worked in a darkroom until the birth of my first son Aidan. My wife brought home a little digital camera and I was appalled at the idea. Kinda like the guys who just won't give up vinyl. Well, time ticked along and I haven't stepped foot in a real darkroom in 7 years. :)

The last three years, my with my wife's encouragement, I am making the move to full time Photography. Soooooo... where does that leave us?
We shall see my friends, we shall see.

A few things from a downtown Phoenix Engagement/ Wedding Shoot. A Fellow Photog friend, the talented Kara Layne, set this event up with some other talented Photographers. It was a very windy day, but we got alot of good stuff regardless....