Steph Lloyd » Photography

Learning to Shoot, Part Two

Steph — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:20:51 +0000

Henry let me tag along on another engagement session recently. I’m extremely grateful because I’ve learned so much just by watching him do what he does. That and being able to ask him questions after the shoot has taught me so much. Since I’m assisting, I try to stay in the background as much as possible, but I was able to snap a few shots. They were taken in Chinatown, on Olvera Street and some random place under a bridge downtown.

Downtown LA

Steph — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:51:26 +0000

I love this place.

I Remember Tonle Sap

Steph — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:56:08 +0000

There was this one time… when we went to Cambodia… and hopped on a boat… that went across Tonle Sap… to check out a Vietnamese floating village. Yeah, that was cool.

Surreal and beautiful.

I miss traveling and realized today that I NEED to find a way to do more of it. It’s not something I like to do to be cool… I really truly love traveling. New experiences keep me going. If I was in a position to live out of hotels/guesthouses around the world and to just keep moving, I would. Well, I’m sure there are a dozen ways to do it, but I’m not sure how.

Anyway, I was thinking about the fun things Matt and I have done together and felt truly blessed. I’m proud and feel lucky… and I’m so, so, sooooo ready for more!

Buy a Donkey

Steph — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:32:02 +0000

Christine Meintjes, my favorite wedding photographer, came to the States for a few weeks and I got to meet her last night! I’ve been following her blog for months and months and have never seen a picture I didn’t like. I love her style, personality, framing, processing… everything! She’s given me lots of good advice in the past and is so encouraging. It doesn’t hurt that she’s from beautiful South Africa!

Her and her boyfriend, Iaan, had been hanging out with Henry Chen and his girlfriend, Nancy, and Edmund Prietos. Matt and I met up with them at Henry’s studio in Long Beach (hoping to “borrow” the pic from Christine!) and drove down to Las Brisas in Laguna Beach for dinner.

It feels like the market is saturated with photographers and, honestly, not all photographers seem unique to me. There are days that I’m gung ho on working towards being professional but there are other days where I feel like I’ll be lucky to ever book anything! I was saying last night that I’d like to go pro and ended with a shrug of my shoulders. One of them said, “A lot can happen in a year. You look back and can’t believe all that’s happened.” They are doing it and were encouraging me to press on. It was wonderful! I’m grateful for them and can’t wait to continue learning more about the biz!

Regarding the title of this post… we had a long conversation about languages and were told that ‘thank you very much’ in Afrikaans sounds like an American saying ‘buy a donkey’. Hah!

A Beachless Weekend

Steph — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:07:59 +0000

We didn’t make it out of the house this weekend because I got sick. I knew something was coming on on Thursday night but I went to the Staples Center on on Friday anyway because I had a bunch of people I needed to talk to. I paid for not resting by being knocked out in bed all weekend. It was awful!

In lieu of a beach trip this weekend, I went through some beach pictures from Seal Beach.

I can’t get enough of the ocean.

Love my shoes. Haha.

I always take pictures of fences. It’s just what I do.

My love looking all cute under the pier.

Hoping for some time at the beach next weekend!

Black and White

Steph — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:07:34 +0000

Isn’t this grandpa cute? I love how perfectly content he was, sitting there reading his paper. I love it when people are in their own little world and don’t notice the camera.

This guy, though, he noticed. At first I thought he was radioing for help to remove me and my camera… but nothing ever happened. After I snapped this, I walked past and realized he wasn’t talking to anyone… I think he was posing. Haha! Love it.

Both pictures taken at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA.

Learning to Shoot

Steph — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:03:18 +0000

The other day I noticed that Christine Meintjes (my favorite wedding photographer) had re-tweeted Henry Chen’s request for an assistant at an engagement session in LA. I totally freaked out because not two months ago I told Matt that I really wanted to start shadowing/assisting some professional photographers but I really didn’t know how to go about doing it. Rather than just reading about the photography biz, I wanted to experience it and learn from someone. I quickly sent a reply and was pumped when I heard back. We were to meet at Union Station in LA and then come back out to Pasadena (where I live). Sa-weet!

I took the afternoon off work (if you know me, you’ll understand how badly I wanted to do this!) and met Henry downtown. He is such a cool guy… very laid back and encouraging! My task for the afternoon was simple, carry his bag ‘o lenses and help swap them out when he needed a different one. He said I could take as many pictures as I wanted as long as I stayed in the background. I’m so glad I grabbed my camera at the last second!

Here’s Henry working his magic. I’ve got to say, the couple was a good looking couple! They are getting married in a couple of months and it was fun watching them giggle with each other in front of the camera.

I love this shot… sexy, sexy!

This shot was off to the side but it works for me. I never think to get silhouette’s (that’s Matt’s department) but thought it fun trying it out.

The couple teased each other a lot…

This one was taken on Suicide Bridge in Pasadena… I’m enamored with sunsets. I can’t get enough of them… it’s kind of ridiculous really.

Another favorite of mine… I love couples who love each other. It makes me all warm and fuzzy!

Working with Henry was great. It gave me a lot to think about and also highlighted areas where I’m lacking (um, hello, I still don’t shoot manually). I can’t wait to work on a few things, assist again, work on a few more things and keep on assisting.

Let me know which photographs you like… and why… and, please, I welcome constructive criticism!

Surf’s Up

Steph — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:33:19 +0000

Not all who surf are young, hot hard bodies. This may come as a surprise to you, as it did me, but it’s the truth. There are all types out there. I’ve seen grandpas, large bodies, even Santa Claus. Of course, I’ve seen my share of hotties, both male and female, but most everyone seems to be fairly normal. It’s neat… and makes me feel kind of dumb for taking Hollywood seriously. Haha.

Watching people surf is a lot of fun. I haven’t seen any sweet rides (??) yet but I suppose I haven’t been hanging out where the sweet waves are either. There seems to be a lot of waiting involved, which I never thought about. I told Matt that I could sit out there on my board, chatting and paddling around all day. He laughed. He’s cool like that. I’m not sure that I’ll ever want to actually surf though. It seems fun but I’m not the best swimmer and I’m not the most coordinated, two things that seem key.

I guess you never know… maybe after watching for awhile I’ll get the bug to try it. But for now, I watch. Gladly.

A Rainbow in the Sky

Steph — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:49:58 +0000

Matt and I were out walking the other day and came around the corner to find thousands of small flags strung overhead. It’s a temporary art installation by a French artist at One Colorado (until tomorrow!). I kinda wish they’d leave them up all year! Walking under them reminded me a bit of walking under all the lanterns for Buddha’s birthday in Korea (pictures). Okay, that was way cooler, but I was still loving the flags in the courtyard!

Paloma Street

Steph — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:21:21 +0000

There are so many textures and colors in my neighborhood. I love these pictures. I really oughtta get out of the house more often and enjoy them in person.