shine pet photos | modern pet photography

I went to rent a 50mm f/1.2 lens today, only to found out they were out. The rental guy asked if I wanted to try the 50mm f/1.0 instead and first reaction was “Uhm WHAAT!?”

Yeah, silly me didn’t realize Canon had a 50mm f/1.0 lens. It’s discontinued, which is why I didn’t know. Heck YEAH I wanted to rent it!

So as soon as I got home, I had to take some test shots. Wowee, what a nice lens. I love the color, contrast and sharpness. It’s way heavy, but wow. Zoey’s photo is taken at f/1.0; Maeby’s is at f/1.4. But I have to say, I still love my 50mm f/1.4. I feel like the quality is almost just as good BUT that thing is as light as a feather compared to this behemoth lens. Apparently, the 50mm f/1.0 is has become quite the collectors item, and can go for as much as $3K if you can find one. Yikes!

For all you non-photographers, sorry for all the geek talk. ; )

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And now I’m off to stuff my piehole with delicious hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean food. (The best kind there is!) Happy weekend.

These very happy cats wish you all a very happy, relaxing Labor day weekend!

I have quite a busy, exciting weekend ahead of me. Can’t wait to show you what I think will be some really amazing photos next week. Stay tuned.

And by the way, both kitties were really sweet. It’s just funny the types of expressions you can capture in 1/300th of a second.

This has been a long time coming, but I finally got around to photographing some of the products I offer my clients in my Shine Pet Photos Product Catalog.

First up: The 8×8 Soft Cover Coffee Table Book

Since it’s a soft cover, this book looks and feels a bit more casual. But just because it’s a softie doesn’t mean it’s not high end — the print quality is absolutely STUNNING and it comes with a slipcover for protection. These are not your cheap Apple/Shutterfly/Insert-drugstore-brand here photo books. The minute you look at one, you’ll see why.

Next up: The 10×10 Hard Cover Coffee Table Book

When I took this book out of the packaging, I swear I got a little tear in my eye. The beauty of this book is beyond description and these photos just don’t do it justice! The Hard Cover Book comes in a hard protective cover with a custom line stamped on the front. The book itself comes wrapped in a beautiful slipcover, and the same design is included on the naked book too. I offer these books with customized text inside. If you’re looking for something that’ll take your breath away, this is THE book to have on your coffee table.

The first photo shows the book with the slipcover on; the second shows it without.

By the way, all my coffee table books are completely custom designed using professional layout software. (IE: I don’t use templates for my layouts!) Each of my client’s photo sessions are so different and unique — I think their photo books should be too.

Lastly: 5×7 Greeting Cards

Beautiful, press-printed greeting cards. What’s press-printed mean? The cards are printed on actual printers, not on photographic paper. These cards look and feel more like something you’d get from a card store, and nothing like the cards you can get from online photo sites.

Oh yeah, and the corners are rounded. How cute is that?

Stay tuned for more!

…and Yelp loves me back.

Guess who is Number 3 on Yelp’s “Best of Los Angeles Photographers” list?

Well I’m glad the feeling is mutual because I freakin’ love Yelp and use it for EVERYTHING. All the restaurants I eat at. My car mechanic. I even found my new accountant through it. I used to even do a lot of reviewing on the site, back when I had a lot more time. My time for reviews on the site might have waned, but my love for Yelp has not.

God, Yelp me.

Ok sorry. Excuse the bad pun. : )

By the way, my blog hit 10,000 visitors today. Not bad for 6 months of blogging. A giant thank you to all those that read this thing. I appreciate all your visits and comments. Thanks for stopping by!

Normally, I’m not a huge lover of dogs shot in studio on a plain white sweep. I think there’s definitely something very modern, simple, and beautiful about that style. But I really love seeing dogs in their natural environment to help tell a photographic story about them.

But this photographer named Gandee Vasan is freaking incredlble. Wow. There’s just something about his lighting set up and the way he does his post processing that makes every last detail pop off the page. And I also adore how conceptual his photos are. He has a book available for sale that’s a STEAL at only $16.

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Visit his website for way more of his beautiful photography.