cool film

if i feature other photographers on my blog, it is because i respect and admire what they are doing. in this line of work, you have to continue to be inspired, and push yourself to improve as an artist. my passion is photography, since i picked up my parents' 110mm viewfinder at 12 years old. so, even if i was not in the business, i was still be experimenting with my photography, learning techniques, and striving to do better.

below is a cool film shot entirely with a camera, by Engaged Films. the new digital SLR cameras are coming out with high quality video. so it's an exciting time for photography. i thought i'd share with you a cool concept for an engagement session. i thought the idea was inspiring. not to mention the setting and couple are very sexy...oh, by the way, the song, "show you my love" was written and performed by our wedding videographer, Mike Schmid, who has moved on to bigger and better things, like playing on tour with Miley Cyrus and producing his own albums. you can find more of his tunes on iTunes! i love his music and i'm so proud to say that i "knew him when."

arcadia arboretum of los angeles engagement portrait: ronald + kathy

ronald was the strong, silent type. kathy had a special power...she was the one who made him laugh. apparently, the only one who could make him crack a smile at work. another special power kathy had was persistence. she pursued ronald for about a year and a half, after he succumbed to her charm, and they officially became a couple.

one warm afternoon, taking a break from their walk through Arcadia's beautiful Arboretum, kathy checked her text messages. it said, "Babes. Will you?" she mumbled to him, "Will you, what? You didn't finish your sentence." she looked up, and saw ronald, on one knee, ring box in hand. in true ronald style, he had wooed her without a spoken word.

we had a laughter-filled day with kathy and ron. we planned their shoot at the site ronald proposed. they were such good sports. when they said they cleared their schedule for us, they were in big trouble. i like to shoot--- a lot! the more i shoot, the more inspired i get. the more game the subject, the more i get in the "zone." so as for the slideshow, i had a lot of faves to choose from. we love couples that are totally game, and just go with the flow during our sessions.

with our Designer Engagement Session, we include lunch, and later, shoot a different type of session. all our couples fill out a survey with questions about them, individually and as a couple, to get to know them before we shoot their session. we brainstorm ideas with the couple, and design a shoot that expresses who they are. no stuffy studio pictures here! so we went bowling with them, since they were avid bowlers while they were dating. intimidated by their pro gear, and fancy bags and bowling shoes, j. and i thought it best to split the teams, boys vs. girls. j.'s bowling nickname is "black thunder." (you'll just have to watch him bowl to see why). oh, and also, make sure you stand behind a shield when j. bowls. the ball seems to slip from his hands.

here are some faves from the shoot. see more here on their slideshow!

for more information about our Designer Engagement Session, contact us!

thank you, ron and kathy, for the laughs and the strikes. looking forward to seeing you again (hopefully for karaoke...johnny's practicing "endless love" in the shower now!).

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

arboretum of los angeles

301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007-2697
(626) 821-3222

Roy & Germeen, & the Boys: Slideshow

engagement/family portrait session

roy & germeen: live.laugh.love.

roy and germeen are getting married in nov. last sat., we met up for an engagement session. they asked if we could turn our engagement session to a family portrait session, so they could include their cute boys, sam and anthony. of course! the more, the merrier! 

we met in arcadia park, a very nice shady park with a cool fountain on the corner. my plan was to take pictures by the fountain, have the family sit on the fountain, and possibly have the kids entranced by the water (all kids love fountains) but when we got there, i didn't realize that this particular fountain was really high. so that idea didn't go over well. i also had an idea to do this very walk through of downtown arcadia. their small shops make it feel like a small-town. i wanted to do this editorial, suburban shoot.  i didn't get to do that either. 

but i tend to think blessings come in disguises. all the pictures of that shoot came out perfect.

we used a couple locations around the park. luckily this park wasn't too crowded. the park was green, equipped with cool park benches, and trees w/ interesting tree trunks. the kids warmed up to me quickly, and i didn't prompt them to pose or smile for the camera. they were doing their thing, and i was their personal photographer. 

roy and germeen are the picture perfect couple. who would think this hot couple are parents of 2 small boys. they were so easy to work with, and went with the flow. they were relaxed (at least on the outside, hahahaha), when most parents would be distracted and tense when their children are around. their pictures look romantic and beautiful. too many favorites. hard to pick for this blog. 

the best pictures, well, at least in my opinion, my faves are the family portraits when they're laughing and interacting with each other. being a family. my goal, as a photographer, is to capture genuine personalities of my subjects. and i think i accomplished it this afternoon. 

we enjoyed our sat. afternoon with roy, germeen, sam, and anthony. we look forward to shooting their wedding in nov. i know that day is going to be so full of love. 

if you want to check out more pix, check out their slideshow! www.gjspillerphotography.com/DuplessisShow

Photo Book (shhhh)

Working on a photo book for a couple we did portraits for awhile ago. It's supposed to be a surprise gift for his wife...so shhhhh...To view the pages, click here!

denise & eric: couple portraits

young love...ahhhh...i remember like it was yesterday. just being young, in general. i find myself saying "the kids today..." more often, finally feeling the age gap between me and pop culture. maybe that's why i love photographing children, and couples. it rejuvenates my spirit and inspires me to enjoy life, right now.

my husband and i worked on this shoot together. he did more than the usual "carry my equipment" job description. he gave his input and gave some great ideas. we laughed...and had a great time. and at the end of it all, he said he was so excited and proud of me for taking some great shots. compliments to the wife:priceless. i love him for that...

eric and denise, are newly wed couple. they're young and in love. it's a beautiful thing. we took their portraits because they told us that they didn't have any wedding pictures since they got married abruptly, because eric went into the military. they were the owners of our precious, chihuahua, popo, and graciously gave him to us last christmas eve (exactly 1 year ago). we wanted to give them something so they can later remember how young and in love they were.

and by the way, youth and the "in love" feeling will fade, but if you stick with it, marriage can make you stronger. our priest that married us, (also my uncle) says that married people are guaranteed heaven because it is the ultimate sacrifice. so hang in there.

thank you for letting us take your pictures. they're gorgeous!

if you want to see more pix from their shoot, click here!