kris hearts blogging

impressions of life: a diana camera story

2010-06-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

I posted before about the toy camera work shop I attended back in March with Laura Burlton and Warren Harold.

I used my Diana and a 35mm back. If you've never shot with a toy camera, it's really fun! With a 120 film, you can pretty much guesstimate the field of view you see through your viewfinder versus the field of view you actually capture. But with a 35mm back, it is SO hard to figure out which part of the image will actually be exposed onto the negative. It's like shooting blind! (...Which is fun for me...) Hip shooting, the art of taking photos without putting your eyes to the viewfinder, used to be my thing. While it was fun not knowing what your shots looked like in the end, it's now just something I do occasionally. And with a 35mm film, so it doesn't hurt the pocket as much as rolls of 120s.

how to prepare for a boudoir session

2010-06-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Boudoir photography can be so empowering, but the days before your session can be filled with anxiety if you, like so many of us, are not familiar with this type of shoot. But please don't fret - here's a list of tips to help you prepare for your fabulous day!

Tips for your Boudoir session:

• Please bring a valid photo ID since age verification is required.
• Be careful trying a new skin product, facial peel or getting a tan days before your shoot. Take proper care of your skin so that you don't have tan lines or new imperfections from chemical peeling. Moisturizing during the week will also help make your skin look soft and healthy.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Aside from moisturizing, you should drink lots of water during the days leading up to your shoot. Water helps your complexion glow!
• Ensure you have a good night's rest. When you're tired, it shows. Don't fret about your shoot; you're in good hands. Instead, try to relax the night before and have a good night's sleep.
• Wear loose and unrestrictive clothing to your shoot. You want to avoid leaving marks on your skin.
• Don't be late for your session. Again, you don't want to arrive stressed out, so make sure you leave plenty of time for traffic, specially if you are getting your hair and make-up done.
• Hair and Make-up: boudoir usually looks best with dramatic eyes. False eyelashes are recommended to help achieve this look. Good, streak free foundation on your face will go a long way to ensure your skin looks great in the photos, while a bit of volume in your hair will also help to emphasize that "undone" look. We recommend that you get your hair and make-up done before you come to your session if you opt for a studio shoot, so you don't get anxious as you wait for the make-up artist or stylist to be finished. But please do bring some make-up for light touch-ups during your session.

Remember: the appearance of your skin is very important, so being stubble-free and wearing clear deodorant should be part of your skin-care regime.

If you like, you can check out photos and poses that appeal to you. Try them out in front of the mirror, specially facial expressions. This way you have an idea of what to expect during your session.

Postscript: Thank you to Ed Verosky's ebook, "10 Ways to Improve Your Boudoir Photography Now," for providing us the foundation for these helpful tips!

Syl Arena's Speedliting Workshop (Houston) Review

2010-06-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

These days it seems like every photographer is offering a workshop. If it's not about SEO, it's about sales or marketing, or tips on how to be a "better" photographer. It's becoming a learning jungle out there, and finding one that will prove satisfying for your money can become quite expensive.

I found Syl Arena's name from a photographer's glowing review of the Paso Robles workshop he taught with Joe McNally. As a Canon shooter, one of the main problems we face is decoding our SPEEDLITES. It's great that you know what exposure means and that you have befriended natural light. But making your own light can be problematic if you can't figure out what the little gewgaws on your 430EX or 580EX do (or whatever speedlite you currently own).

My 580EX was my greatest "frienemy." I love using flash in my Westcott 28" umbrella soft box. However, there are times when it seems like it has its own mind and I'm stumped at the strange way it seems to be acting. When I learned that Syl was going to be touring the country and giving seminars - and that he was going to be in Houston - I jumped at the opportunity.

(Caveat: the following is my attempt to show you the gist of the day. In no way am I giving an actual time-line of events in the sequence each occurred. My story-telling generally tend to go to and fro, whichever event comes to my mind first.)

It was held at the Holiday Inn near the IAH on Saturday, June 5th. (If you missed it, don't worry, there will be one in Austin this fall!) Unlike the crazy herd present at Joe McNally's workshop here late last year, Syl's seminar was less crowded and more intimate. In fact, there was probably less than 20 people who attended, which was terribly surprising but not unwelcome. As someone coming from NYC public schools (and who witnessed the masses at the McNally workshop), I am thankful for classes with a small teacher to student ratio. In fact, I walked away from that day feeling like all my questions had been answered, and that Syl was able to give each of us individual attention whenever we asked a question.

After introducing ourselves, Syl immediately launched into the anatomy of a speedlite: what the icons meant, what they did and how the zoom button also gave you more options than just zoom. There were times when he showed us photo examples, specially during the discussion on High Speed Sync.

Here, Syl shows us the effect of differing Exposure Values (EV) on an image using his "high tech pointing device."

A lot of basic knowledge was covered for the new or amateur photographer in the beginning of the class as well, like the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO, and how introducing a light source affected exposure; as well as Flash Exposure Compensation and how it worked independently of Canon camera's Exposure Compensation.

Volunteers (and other persons gently and teasingly volun-told) helped show dynamics of speedliting ratios using different light diffusers.

Lunch time had come all too quickly, and we had opted to go as a group to the diner connected to the Holiday Inn. Even there, Syl was tirelessly imparting knowledge as he answered questions and talked about his experiences, leaving him barely enough time for his own Patty Melt.

Back at the seminar room, Syl shows us lighting effects when using this extra small "soft box," one of the diffusers used for Off Camera Lighting techniques.

I can't encompass everything we learned in a single post, and frankly, I won't :) There are still seminars by Syl Arena that you can attend. For a list of dates and events, visit Speedliting Events.

I am so impressed by his breadth of knowledge and engaging way of teaching that I am urging you - if you are a Canon shooter and want to spend your money on a "workshop," spend it on something from which you will definitely learn and get your money's worth. And did I mention that you also get Syl Arena's "Speedliter's Intensive Workbook?" This ~70 page workbook is a sneak peak of his book, which will come out sometime in the future.

But just to give you an idea, here's a list of topics covered straight from SPEEDLIGHTING.COM:

Topics of the Seminar
Speedliter’s Vision
* Learning to truly see
* Understanding how your camera sees differently than you do
* Seeing light’s many personalities
* De-coding the color of light
* Deciding whether the light you see is the light you want

Speedlite Controls
* Deciding between manual and E-TTL flash control
* Putting Flash Exposure Compensation to use
* Learning all the Syncs: High-speed, 1st-curtain, 2nd-curtain, Slow-speed
* Custom functions: Optimizing your Speedlites

Light Modifiers
* Using your Speedlite’s bounce and zoom as a light modifier
* On-flash modifiers: grids, snoots, diffusers, ringlights, etc.
* Off-flash modifiers: umbrellas, softboxes, diffusion panels, reflectors, beauty dish, etc.

Off-Camera: Wired & Wireless
* The best uses for on- and off-camera Speedlites
* Corded solutions for moving your Speedlite off-camera
* Sorting out radio triggers: dumb vs. intelligent
* Setting up the 580EX/EXII as a wireless Master
* Setting up the 580EX/EXII and 430EX/EXII as wireless Slaves
* Organizing multiple Speedlites with Groups and Channels

High-Speed Sync
* The mechanics of High-Speed Sync
* Turning noon to night
* Freezing action while Speedliting

Gels: The When, Why, & How:
* Why Hollywood invented gels
* Gels for color correction
* Gels for creative effect

Speedliting Gear:
* Grip gear for Speedlites: from ultra-portable to ultra-sturdy
* Battery charging and storage
* One-, two-, three-Speedlite kits (and beyond!)

So, onwards, my fellow Canonites!

Meet Rachel Perry

2010-06-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I met Rachel at a networking opportunity for Houston photographers. She's sassy and funny - needless to say, we got along swimmingly. So a couple of weeks ago, she and I decided to have fun and just shoot each other. It was a tad sweltering outside, but that didn't deter us from packing up our epiphanie and jill-e bags, and traipsing down Jackson Hill. One minute of stepping out into the heat and we were glistening beatifically. It was glorious.

I can't wait to see how the photos of me turned out (there was some kind of acrobatic leap in front of a garage, and enough "Bend and Snap" to make Legally Blonde proud). But here's our favorites of the photos I took of her.

Meet Rachel.

Rachel photographs weddings, portraits, seniors, and many other things. You can find out more about her and see her fabulous work at Rachel Perry Photography.

a touch of pink: some favorites

2010-04-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Dear readers: I apologize for not being a more prolific blogger. Currently, I am getting ready to pack for my trip to NYC on Wednesday - about which I'm SUPER (feels-like-I've-had-too-much-caffeine) EXCITED - and had just enough time to process this set.

Not a lot of story telling here. I just wanted to post a few of my favorites from the weekend I second shot for David of D. Jones Photography, who's absolutely amazing in action. I remember the groom say to me, "I don't know what happened: it went so fast - it was awesome," when talking about David taking the formals before the ceremony while I was shooting some candids. So if you'd like to see more of the photos from this wedding, and David's photographs (with a couple of photos from yours truly), you can find them here on his blog post.

This photo of the bride's shoes on the left was sheer stroke of genius, in my totally unbiased opinion. Two days before the wedding, I told Adam that I needed a key chain. A very specific one: the kind that had a latch on one end. Little did I know I was going to use it as a shoe chain! You can't see it on the photo, but the shoes' heels are attached into the chain right next to my car keys. The latch I then hooked onto some kind of chicken coop wire thingy. Genius, I tell you.

This is the groom pinning the buttonniere on his dad's lapel. I really need to learn how to do that; it's a handy skill. Specially these days :)

That's all for now! Right now I've got NYC on my mind. It's been years, way too long since I've been back home.

Laura Burlton and Warren Harold's toy camera workshop

2010-03-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 21st, 2PM. We congregated at the Havens Center at West Alabama St, where Laura and Warren are hosting their toy camera exhibition. (You really ought to see that if you're ever in the neighborhood. These wonderful black and white photographs strike a cord inside you; nostalgic and mysterious.)

We began by identifying different toy cameras, looked at color and black and white prints from the dark room, and learned about how to use our very own camera. I opted for the workshop-only session, so I had to bring my own Diana; you could have paid a bit more and opted to have a Holga and 5 films given to you during the workshop. Anyway, I was the only uncool one without 120 film - my 35mm back made me feel conspicuous - though honestly, I doubt anybody else cared. But for me it felt like coming to class with a black pen while everyone had blue. Really, though, who cares, right?

I do get caught up on the silliest things sometimes.

So moving on. After about two hours, the gaggle of us girls (and Warren) walked out of the Center and trekked down Westheimer. I never realized how awesome just walking down Westheimer actually is. Lots of textures, antique shops, funky stores. I hip shot a lot (hip shooting is putting the camera at hip level - or somewhere not on your eye, really - and shooting on the sly) because I'm too timid to have to ask people for their photos. Plus you can get some pretty cool shots this way.

Here Warren is showing us the camera he built out of his kid's diaper boxes. The CAMERA HE BUILT OUT OF DIAPER BOXES. I mean, come on! The coolness factor of this cannot be put into mere words!

I can't wait to finish the roll of film I used. The other thing I like about 120 film is you only get 12-16 frames. I have 36 shots to get through before I could get my 35mm film developed. I want my images now NOW NOW! But that's why I have a digital camera, right?

mission of love

2010-03-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Kelly Niemann didn't prepare me for how crazy this gig was going to be. Crazy FUN, that is. When she asked me to be her second shooter, I thought about the 9 hours of driving from Houston to Mission, TX. I thought about Mexico being a few miles away. I thought about the Bebe outlet mall. "Excited" would have been an understatement. But all that paled beside the sheer awesomeness of the wedding day.

I met Amanda during her Bridal Session with Kelly late last year. I didn't think she could look more beautiful than during that shoot, but there's just that *something* about one's wedding that brings a radiance to one's face. You're probably thinking, um, dur, that something is LOVE. And I totally agree!

Their priest was teasing Troy so badly. It was terribly cute.

These guys were party animals! I don't know if you can tell, but the reception was quite frenetic. I LOVED it! I kept thinking, now this is my kind of parrrrty!

Believe it or not, I processed all but the last two of these images within the week we got back to Houston from Mission. I just waited to post the photos. Hope you like em :)

PS. Yes, we dipped into Mexico. And all I brought back is a bottle of Coke.

annie cat rules

2010-03-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Some people have the audacity to be both terribly good looking and super talented. You know the type? Yeah. But they have to compound the situation by also being exceptionally nice. You can't help but love em, and you can't help but love Annie.

Have I said how talented this woman is? I asked her to take some portraits of my mean mug so I can have something decent for my profile. I hate getting photos of me taken. Hate hate hate. My place is behind the lens, and getting in front of it sets my teeth on edge. I don't know what to do! So I started playing around, telling myself I didn't care if I smiled this way and that one tooth poked out behind my bottom lip. (The bane of my adult life.) We joined the myriad photographers, models, and baby models at Mercer Arboretum last Saturday. When Annie said, "Look that way," I flashed my eyes that way; when she said, "Okay, seductive smile now," I burst out laughing. Click. And you know what? That's perfect. There was true joy in that laugh. I wish more people would take themselves less seriously and just let go a good guffaw. Annie called me a natural (I giggled) but it made me feel comfortable in front of the lens.

And while she was snapping away in front of me, I managed to quickly shoot a few photos of her and the arboretum as I posed.

Below is my favorite of the photos from Annie: this image of a half woman-half camera. It encompasses how I see myself, perhaps better than a self-portrait could, where I could brood for days and not take a single picture. Not to mention it makes me look pretty darn good, in my totally unbiased opinion.

Now off you go to her website. You'll see what I mean with my well deserved effusive praise of her skills :)

I {heart} pretty things

2010-03-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned how I love pretty things? I do. I really do.

I was walking down River Oaks in Houston, enjoying my new pair of shoes, when the window of Paula Fridkin Designs caught my wandering attention. Chic purses of iridescent colors mingled with tastefully bronzed jewelry. They called my name and my feet answered by making a crisp 90 degree turn that would have made my naval drill instructor proud.

There was too much to take in, but luckily, Paula herself came to my assistance. I took home a white snake-skin textured tote that glimmered in the light, and the prettiest enameled koi charm I have ever seen.

Trust me; this place is a treasure trove of shabby chic goodness.

These shoes are made for taking photos!

2010-03-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

One of the things most often overlooked is the comfort of our feet. As a photographer, I'm sometimes standing for 8-10 hours (maybe more). Add the pounds and pounds of camera equipment strapped onto various parts of my anatomy, and I'm usually achy at the end of the day.

When I was in the Navy, steel-toed boots were mandatory, and it took me months of grueling boot camp work to break them in. Not just getting used to the leather and soles, but the added weight of the steel as well. These days, I'm usually sporting flats, but my wide feet struggle for comfort on the sides and the heel.

Enter All About Feet. Thanks to Jesus Tirso, a fellow photographer, for answering my facebook status. I was actually on my way to buy some more Dr. Scholl's inserts for my Puma ballerina flats, when he responded to my status update with, "Don't waste your money on Dr. Scholl's. Head over to [All About Feet] and let them accurately check your feet on their computer and recommend the right thing. Best thing you'll ever do."

So two hours later, I went on a shopping spree and came home with a pair of MBT's, a pair of Earth ballet flats, and various assortments of foot fix-its and socks. I take care of my equipment, after all. And happy feet ensure that the future of my photography is a happy one as well.

Meet Jackie. Without her invaluable assistance, I would probably still be pondering which pairs are right for me.

The MBT's on the left versus my favorite pair of sandals. I decided to change shoes right then and there. MBT's are really strange, since the heel is lower than the rest of the sole, and the thickest part of the sole is the middle (so you make a rocking motion as you walk). Trust me, you feel them excercising your legs. So comfy, though!

I figured since I'll be wearing them for event photography, I wanted to be a little rebellious and wear something colorful inside. Shhh, our secret.

I'm so glad I remembered my SD card for my Canon G11 this time (this week has been so full of fail on that) and I was able to take photos of this lovely place as I took the MBT's for a test drive...err, walk.

Sure, the day was gray, but I was having so much fun just walking around it might as well be sunny. I'd missed that: taking a stroll and enjoying your surrounding. And now that my feet are happier, I can fully enjoy the feeling!

This is how I MOO

2010-03-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

My business cards, that is. Thanks to MOO.com for sassifying my boudoir and portrait mini cards! Sassify is not really a word; I just totally made that up.

I love them so much that this is my third boxed set! They're so versatile and my clients love having their photos displayed on these trendy cards. The attractive soft satin finish makes them a bit tricky to photograph on the fly though. I took 20 minutes just fluffing them on the floor just so, but I had to quickly ninja the shots before my 3 month old kitten, Lucy (short for Lucylawless), could pounce and chew on them. Apparently, moo cards are tasty too!

houston bridal showcase: wedding expo 2010

2010-02-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

I got two tickets to the Houston bridal show at the George Brown Convention Center earlier today (thanks to Laurie Perez!), and I must say - what an experience!

No, I didn't have a photography booth of my own; I actually came to sight-see and to connect with both vendors and photographers alike, and it was kind of crazy hearing "Bride to be? Bride to be?" at every corner. But what fun for a boudoir photographer like me! I had my handy dandy Canon G11 and snapped off some photos of some of the booths that caught my eye.

The Laurie Perez Booth looking very busy.

I walked around a little.

The Princess Bridal Booth. This dress below made me see stars. And beads.

Rebekah at the Dream Bouquet Booth. After a beautiful gown, nothing makes me stop and stare more than a beautiful flower arrangement.

Tom at the Monarch Limousines Booth

vows, beads and happiness: a new orleans wedding

2010-02-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

As a Houston portrait and boudoir photographer, I don't get to travel outside too often. So when Jessica Vallecorsa of JVallecorsa Photography asked me to come second shoot in New Orleans for her beautiful couple late last year, a quick slideshow of happy memories in the French Quarter from my sailor days sparked brightly in my mind's eye. I, of course, speedily said yes. It was actually more like, "YES! YES yes yes YES!"

So the two of us packed our bags into her souped up red mini cooper and trekked eastward. What a little tart her mini cooper was, with its sparkling chrome accents and painted rear-view mirrors! The truckers couldn't help but honk at this beauty. Repeatedly. I'm hoping one year I'll be so good, Santa would bring me a mini cooper for Christmas.

And even though we met some traffic on the way there, it wasn't enough to dampen our spirits. We were rearing to go, batteries charged and energized both literally and metaphorically, when we met Lisa and Jay the next day in their separate hotel rooms. Actually, Jay was already dressed to the nines in his military uniform before I got there, anxiously waiting with his best man for Lisa to get ready. So I didn't get any of his "getting ready" shots, but that's alright. Here are some of my favorites:

Our first view of Oak Alley Plantation, where the ceremony was to be held, was breath-taking. The first thing that came to mind was Gone With the Wind's Tara, Scarlett O'Hara's majestic home. The ceremony was held under the trailing branches of these oak trees, presided over by Marie, our Justice of the Peace.

The tears came.

And didn't stop coming.

When the ceremony finished, we toured the grounds and got some amazing "Mr. and Mrs." photos. We kept it fun and romantic.

*So* Gone With the Wind!

I searched back into my early high school days for some inspiration for this next shot: I remembered reading a romance novel with something similar on the cover. You like?

Back into the limo and on our way to the French Quarter. I couldn't help but notice that they were not messing around with cutting the cake! That knife meant business.

Walking down Bourbon Street, we met all sorts of fabulous characters.

The couple specifically wanted some gris-gris from Madame Laveau's House of Voodoo. For good luck!

Honestly, it was so much fun being there, being a part of Lisa and Jay's life as it unfolded in the most special day of their lives. Thank you Jess for asking me to shoot with you. I will definitely always remember this non-traditional New Orleans wedding.

Facebook us - here's why!

2010-02-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

Kris Fulk Photography| Houston Lifestyle Portrait and Boudoir Photographer

Houston, we have some awesome portrait photography opportunities for you! This weekend, our Facebook page reached 200 fans, and we've decided to host the "200+ Fans Strong, March Contest!"

While you have to be a Kris Fulk Photography Facebook fan to qualify, there's no reason why I can't spread the word here. So, you ask, what exactly is this contest about?

It's a really good one, at least in my opinion :)

In exactly 140 characters, use the words photos, windy and thirty to tell a "story".

That's characters, mind you, not words. The most creative story will receive a free session and some goodies. The deadline to submit entries is March 7th, 8PM. But if you want to know more, mosey on to our facebook note.

Can't wait to read your entries!

pretty little things

2010-02-14T11:28:00.001-08:00

This week I finalize almost all of the orders from S Factor Houston. We did a boudoir / glamour session on-location back in January for some of their students. I love how it's turning out. I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to give these to the girls!

Pretty little things brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography.

"I Posed for (Very) Sexy Photos" - a REDBOOK magazine february article

2010-02-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Reading through the wonderful articles in Richmond Bridal Boudoir Examiner, Soraya Duke's post about this month's REDBOOK magazine was too good not to repost.

"I Posed for (Very) Sexy Photos."

By getting naked for the camera, no-nonsense mom Kimberly Ford rediscovered a part of herself she thought she'd lost forever. By Kimberly Ford

It answers how boudoir photographs helped two very different women, but more importantly, how it gave Kimberly Ford her confidence in herself back.

Read it for yourself - just click on the title link below and let me know what you think.

"I Posed for (Very) Sexy Photos" By Kimberly Ford

Redbook magazine article on boudoir photography.
"I Posed for (Very) Sexy Photos" By Kimberly Ford.
Photo Credit: Teresa Nora Trobbe/Teresanora.com

Kris Fulk Photography

Laughter and kisses

2010-02-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Last month, Laurie asked me if I wanted to second shoot for her wedding this past weekend. I said, "Are you crazy? Of course!" Well, okay, I guess that's what I said in my head. But what came out of my mouth was a more sedate, "Sure, let me check my calendar."

If you've been following my blog, you'd understand how I treasure every opportunity to shoot a wedding. I love love LOVE portraits and boudoir, but there's something about weddings that keep you on edge. Keeps you on your toes. Makes sure you stay sharp. And for some reason... I crave that. (See masochism.)

I remember when I walked into the room where Austin was getting ready at the Doubletree hotel in downtown Houston, he was jittery and pale, and not even the youtube video on the laptop was enough to get him to tie his bow tie correctly. "Do you know how to do this?" he asked me. Me, the despair of womanhood, who can't cook for my life but who can braid and solder wires like a champ. Luckily, his friends came to the rescue, fetched one of the bridesmaids who then ironed out the situ really quickly. We even had time to go to Sam Houston Park (where the ceremony was held) before the ceremony started and get some one-on-one with the groomsmen.

Watching Austin transform when Sally came down the aisle, it reminded me so much of what I love about weddings. While everyone looks at the bride, I look at the groom. The sweetness in the grooms' faces really gives me that "Awwww" moment. Austin was smiling joyfully, and Sally was both beautiful and graceful, with that look in her eyes that was specially for the man she loved. Their ceremony slipped from the traditional when their minister called on their friends and asked some questions to tease the couple with. There was so much laughter, and I felt so privileged to have been there. Thanks, Laurie!

The reception was held at Cordua: Artista just a few blocks away from Sam Houston Park. The decor was beautiful and the food absolutely deliscious. You've never had tres leches as good. Trust me.

And then just for fun, the faces behind Laurie Perez Photography, Laurie and her husband Felix. Looking smokin' hot, if I may say so myself. It should be illegal to look this good while working.

Laughter and kisses brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography

My Wednesday

2010-02-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Wednesday is one of those days that people neither like nor dislike. It's just...one of those days. It's the middle of the week. It's neither Monday nor Friday nor Sunday. But I love Wednesdays. Here's why:

I met Mark Meeker of Christine Meeker Studios once again at our spot at Minuti's. Christine was there earlier too but I wasn't able to sneak a snap.

Mark was saying, "I'm so used to being the one behind the camera, I don't know what to do!" But before he could even finish that sentence I was like, SNAP! Ninja'd a photograph.

Even in my coffee cups: I was the short one.

Minuti in Sugarland. It's next to an Arby's, in case you get REALLY hungry.

Pretty posh inside, right? Don't forget to ask for your croissant heated; they're awesome about that.

I drove around after breakfast. On my way home, I realized that coffee was not enough. Letting my stomach lead the way ended us up here at Tinto's Spanish restaurant at River Oaks. Isidro was awesome and helped me figure out what's what in the lunch menu.

"The creme brulee," he said, "is the best."

Am I the only one who scopes out the dessert before the entrée??

It was some kind of yummy steak brisket sammich. Really good, really messy :) It was impossible to eat and read at the same time, that's for sure! It didn't help that I was using a highlighter. Super nerd alert!

I had good company, good coffee, good lunch and made friends with the excellent wait staff at Tinto's. How could I not love my Wednesday?

My Wednesday brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography

First Thursdays

2010-01-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

Something magical happens in Houston during the first Thursday of every month. Photographers from miles around gather at Christine Tremoulet's studio in Studewood and we talk and we have fun. There's some dancing involved every now and then, but for the most part, we celebrate this brother and sisterhood that we're building.

The non-competition. The sharing of ideas that will help our businesses grow. This is the community that is springing up in H-Town, and I'm proud to be spreading the word.

If you look really closely, you'll spot Kelly Niemann, Jessica Vallecorsa, Jonathan Golden, Deji Osinulu, Laura Burlton - to name a few. Not to mention our awesome hostess, Christine. And if you stay till the end, you might even snatch a quick look of yours truly.

First Thursdays brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography

a quiet christmas

2009-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

The best gift I could ever have is for Adam and I to spend Christmas together. Adam was in Norway fixing oil rigs, and we weren't sure if he'd make it back home. He didn't know till a week before the 25th, actually. When I read his email saying he'd be home on the afternoon of the 24th, I almost cried.

See, we've been married 7 and some odd years. But after our tours in the Navy, and after he took the job that consequently moved us to Houston, I could count with a few fingers how many times we actually spent holidays together. That includes birthdays. And anniversaries. Specially anniversaries.

So when I read that email, I almost cried. I was so excited that I went to two grocery stores to get food. I'm not a good cook - I do try, but I like baking better. There's a Whole Foods Market about 15 minutes away and I managed to squeeze between the lines and come away with three dishes. I made rice. Rice always completes a meal for me. It's my comfort food. You should see my rice cooker. It's the most tricked out rice cooker Adam's ever seen.

Adam got home tired. We ate before he conked out for ten hours. Poor guy was traveling from Norway, after all. And looking at him sleeping peacefully on the couch - he wouldn't move to the bed till I was ready to sleep - I was thankful that he was safe. If I didn't get any other present than the sight of him sleeping on the couch with his hands tucked under his head I would have been happy. It would have made my year.

But of course, I've been a good girl too! So I got an awesome blender/food processor from my parents, and Adam's family sent a cacophony of stocking stuffers, a snuggie from Brookstone - trust me, if you've ever felt heaven, it would be in the sleeves of a NAP snuggie; and a "Save the Murlocs" T-shirt from Ginger, my awesome sister-in-love. Adam got me a fancy leatherette trench coat with grommets on the lapels. I was totally channeling Trinity from the Matrix in it. I make a fantastic Trinity, if I may say so myself. Not to mention the Canon G11 on the way from Amazon. Even Maxie and Aries, our kitties, got gifts: a laser toy in the shape of plastic tabby and two mini costumes - a reindeer outfit and an elf outfit. There was no way in heck Maxie was going to wear one, but Aries was perfectly happy to be "voluntold." By which I mean he was perfectly miserable in his reindeer costume.

Poor guy. The first thing he did was run around like a maniac trying to dislodge the antlers. He went under the sofa. When he came back out, the antlers hung under his chin like a sad beard. Cats are definitely not dogs.

So I spent Christmas working on the images from Jay and Lisa's wedding in New Orleans, and alternately looking at Adam on the sofa and petting Aries, who scrambled onto my chair to sit like a furry, bearded log behind my back. And you know what? Life was good.

PS. Mad props to the Parkers for inviting us over, but the last time Adam passed out on them was one embarrassing moment too many lol! Here's to getting together when he's not jet lagged, guys :)

Visit my website at Kris Fulk Photography

Jay and Lisa: before and after teaser

2009-12-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

I came home at 2AM last night from a ~6 hour trip from New Orleans with Jessica. Yesterday was a big day for us. It was also the first time I met Jay and Lisa, the lovely couple you will be meeting shortly after I'm done culling and processing their non-traditional wedding.

Don't miss it. Just imagine: a ceremony in Oak Alley plantation, then a 4 hour jaunt in the French Quarter with Janelle and Bryan, their maid-of-honor and best man. It's coming, I promise :)

Needless to say, instead of doing the cleaning I can't put off, and wrapping Christmas presents for Adam (yeah, Christmas, which is in two days!), I am instead putting these things off so I could have a wonderful time looking at Jay and Lisa's photos. Can't blame a girl for going gaga over a wedding, can you? I love weddings. I adore weddings. It's just such a magical time. Ok, I don't want to get teary eyed again (you'll see what I mean later), so here's a little something for you. A before and after teaser. I'm going to start posting these from now on.

Before

After

Totally RAD Actions
boutwell magic glass 28%
warm it up kris 64%
green with envy, to taste 100%
pro retouch, to taste 67%
a better web sharpen

To see more photos, please visit Kris Fulk Photography

Joan: a boudoir episode

2009-12-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

I learned two things this past Saturday. One: a gripped 5d2 with an on-camera 580EX and a 24-70L gives a better work out than push-ups alone. Two: I really need to work out more so a 3 hour event doesn't hurt the next day. Trust me, I felt it in places I didn't think I would.

(Note to self: allot twenty minutes every day for lifting the camera up and down.)

It was a really busy day. I had gotten up at 6:45AM to get ready for an early Christmas Party event I was covering at one of the beautiful houses in the Westchase area, and right after that was done at 1PM, I went by Laurie Perez's studio to be an extra "voice activated reflector arm" during her boudoir shoot scheduled at 2pm. But because she's Laurie, who is wonderful, she told me to pick up my camera every now and then.

Meet Joan. She's a few inches short of 5 foot tall, petite and cute as a doll. I want to add her to the things I want to clone and put in my pocket. It's actually a calendar shoot and each outfit represented different months. It was a lot of fun! Joanna's sister, being a MUA, did her hair and make-up and stayed about 4 hours (the shoot lasted 6, I think) through the different outfit changes.

Here is the January outfit. We set her up on a stool next to a piano and opened the garage door on the side of Laurie's studio to let in some natural light. These were the only photos I took, by the way, since we were on a tight schedule.

A candid shot on the left. The expression on her face makes this my absolute fave!

And here's the set-up. Laurie with the camera and Sally, Joanna's sister, to her right.

Image quality is not as good on blogger, so I'm sorry it doesn't pop. I can't figure out how to make it a better resolution even though I'm linking it off my smugmug gallery, where the photos look fantastic.

Oh, I did learn a third thing that day: I need to start booking boudoir :)

Joan: a boudoir episode is brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography

"the best camera is the one in your bag" and mental pictures and stuff

2009-12-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

The day was sunny. The weather chill. 9AM at Minuti Coffee next to Arby's at Sugarland. I came to meet Mark Meeker (of Christine Meeker Studios) to talk shop and enjoy the warm ambiance of Minuti.

He said something that really lodged itself in my head. "So," he prefaced, "do you carry a camera in your bag?"

I looked at the brown leatherette (read: pleather) fringed hobo bag next to me, oversized and happily spilling over as it reclined. "Why, yes," I said, pulling my blue Diana toy camera out of my bag.

"It's not digital?"

I shook my head and flipped him the back of the camera. "Film. See?"

"Isn't it funny," he said, "that neither one of us have a digital camera and we're both in the photography business?"

I pondered this: "Why?"

"Chase Jarvis was asked what the best camera is for photographers. And you know what he said? He said that the best camera is the one in your bag." Mark didn't even own a camera phone. Neither did I.

Huh. Another reason why I should chuck my blackberry. It's great for what it is, but I really would like a phone with a slick LCD to show off my photos and one that can take awesome pics so I could just snap away for tweeting or blogging or what have you.

But wait. I'm being unfair to my Diana. I love my Diana. I hated developing film and being in the darkroom in college. Hey, it's not my fault that the darkroom gave me the heebeejeebies. But I shoot 35mm films on my Diana, send it to Walgreens or Target or somewhere to get developed and then scan the negatives to my computer. I know that seems like a lot more work than just uploading a digital file from a digital camera, but there's something about carrying this one camera that makes me feel better. Sometimes I forget to advance the film and I end up with multiple exposures. Sometimes I forget to put the setting out of pinhole and end up with a completely black roll. Most of the time I get the field of view wrong and get a whole bunch of headless shots. That sounds awful, you're probably thinking. But for me it's an adventure. I never know what I'm going to get when the film gets developed.

After Mark left (who promised to bring his dslr wherever he goes ever after), I really, really wanted to take a picture of Minuti for this post. Just to say that I was there at this particular day on this particular time. But since it would mean waiting for me to finish my current roll of film (it's on frame number 2-ish), I decided to take a mental picture instead.

So here it is after said mental picture was processed:

Clearly you can see that this type of processing may result in some details being lost, while others were re-imagined :)

"the best camera is the one in your bag" and mental pictures and stuff is brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography

when you want a broken camera, you get one that's not (a diana camera story)

2009-12-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I know,why would anyone want a broken camera, right? Well, let me explain. Diana cameras are toy cameras, flimsy plastic ones known for having defects that affect film in cool ways. They were manufactured a few decades ago, and were considered so terrible that they were practically free.

And do you know how much they are worth now?? New Dianas, made to be replicas of the old plastic ones from China, cost around $100ish, and that's without the "accessories." (!!!) Detachable lenses cost upward from around $40, and film adapters (the original uses 120 film, so if you want to use 35mm film, you need to buy an adapter) cost as much as the camera. FYI, 120 film is a pain in the butt to get developed and real expensive to boot. I find it easier to use a 35mm, get it developed, then scan the negatives now that I finally un-dumbed myself on how to use my film adapter unit on my scanner.

And because I'm a sadist, let me take a moment to burn your retinas:

(Photo courtesy of Laurie Perez's camera phone.) Yes, that's the Diana camera. Yes, unfortunately, that is also my scared/smiley?/constipated-looking face next to it. Luckily twitpic thumbs are small, so if you want to preserve what little sight you have left fromt he initial shock, don't click on it. Just look at the Diana camera.

It's a beauty, isn't it? Looks really retro. In a sad twist of fate, I seem to have the only Diana in history that works perfectly. Well, maybe, that's an exaggeration. Maybe it's like 1 of the 5 Dianas that work(ed) perfectly.

So I used PS to make them look weathered. Don't judge me. I only added some grain and color shifts, mmk?

And without further ado, I give you these shots taken from the Art Crawl a few weeks back here in Houston:

Double exposure, what?

And something random:

And another one. Remember this, Sam?

You might notice that most of those look like boob shots...well they're not intended to be :( The film adapter narrows your field of view by however much, and you don't see that in your viewfinder. So for next time, I just need to step way way WAY back. And no matter how much I fudge up taking the shots due to user error, there *will* be a next time. Because I'm also a masochist. Apparently.

when you want a broken camera, you get one that's not (a diana camera story) brought to you by Kris Fulk Photography