Allison and Matt's Wedding 7.13.12

This was a wedding I shot about a year ago. So cute! I love how much thought was put into all the details. 

The bride's dress was SO beautiful! 

I love the polka dots!

That cake topper! Ha! :)

WPPI: On the Road 2013

This week, I attended my first photo conference, On the Road 2013. It completely inspired me, and gave me the confidence and motivation I need to work my butt off on what I love to do! 

WPPI is a wedding photographer organization. At the conference, there were hundreds of other photographers just like me! I spent a lot of time talking to people and getting to know them. I loved being in that environment because everyone is SO friendly! I would sit at a table by myself and within minutes, people would come and start talking to me. I made a lot of great contacts. 

One of my next steps is to transition to a professional printing company for my albums. I don't want to say where I used to get my albums printed, but it was a CHEAP company, and not suitable for professional work. I have not made a decision on who I am going to use yet, but I am pretty sure I know where I am going. :)

I am also getting my website up and running. It's also a process, as I am doing it myself. Yes, I know I can hire a graphic designer to make it look pretty, but that's too easy (and expensive). I have the basic layout done, now I need to do some fine tuning and decide what images I want up. 

At the photo conference, I also heard many wonderful "Photo Masters" speak at seminars. I walked into this place not knowing who any of these people were. But I listened to what they had to say, and left with a notebook full of tips and advice on my passion. Now I have a big list of photographers I look up to. 

Another thing I want to do is start updating this blog more. I realize I don't need to write an essay every time I make a blog post. (But here I am anyway.) Sometimes I will just post images to keep things fresh.  

So, here is a fun photo I took in Palm Desert.

I have decided to make these into a fun little photo series. See, I collect these cheap, colorful sunglasses. I have about a dozen or so now. I want to photograph each one in a setting I feel that best represents their personality. Don't judge, I'm an artist. :) 

Completion of one, beginning of another

I have always wanted to go to a prestigious photography school. How cool would it be to study at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara or the Academy of Art University in

beautiful San Francisco? But every semester, I am reminded of why I have chosen to stay in Los Angeles. Santa Monica College has such an amazing photography program, and I don't have to move anywhere! Of course, who knows what the future holds, but I am happy with my education experience here so far. I couldn't ask for a better faculty... what other professors would email me back long winded solutions to my problems within a half an hour- not to mention on a weekend!

I just completed a Digital Printing class, and WOW! I never thought I would be interested in different types of printing (and image developing) methods. I am so happy I learned how to CORRECTLY process my files... all this time, I thought I knew what I was doing. I hope to grow and change more and more as my journey continues. Here are a couple samples from this semester's work...

I printed this colorful photo on a metallic glossy paper, and I think it's my favorite printed photo of the semester. When you look at the print from different angles, the shimmer in the eyeshadow REALLY shimmers a bit. I printed this in 13x19 inches, so I have a pretty big print to hang beside my vanity!

This is the ever-so-adorable Eli Dayan. He loves modeling for me and I love photographing him. I chose to print this on a smooth fine art paper- also in 13x19. As much as I would love to have this giant baby staring at me when I wake up in the morning, I'm going to give the print to Mommy Dayan.

I would love to take this short break as an opportunity to shoot more. Hopefully I will have lots to show for it... if not, I've got a Studio Lighting class coming up in a couple weeks. I am super excited!

I also have a few potential weddings lined up for the year, so wish me luck!

Until next time~

Kreshek Princesses

I had a lovely shoot with the Kreshek kids at Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills. Mama Suzanne had a WONDERFUL array of awesome Disney Princess costumes for the girls, and I had a hard time picking my favorites because they are all so darn cute :) I love that she saved the Pocahontas and Mulan ones, those aren't easy to come by.

What cuties! Another reminder of why I love photography!

Here we go...

So, I officially have the worst luck with blogs. Maybe it is just the way I attempt to write them, but I really haven't gotten the hang of this. A few weeks ago, I began working on a MONSTER blog post- one to sum up the past year of photography (since I have been bad about updating this). I got through 3 different subjects, and worked on it for about 5 hours... and then it just... disappeared. Poof!

So here I am again, taking another stab at blogging. I know I can do it!

I am focusing this summer on my photography and building a reputation for myself. I have been taking pictures for a while, but I need to establish my business. I just completed a Business of Photography course, and have recently been watching many videos on business and marketing. They all (well, most of them, anyway) agree on one thing: Social Media is where it's at. So my plans are to expand myself online.

So far, my Facebook has the most attention, because it's easiest for me to update and keep track of. Check it out!

Let's see where we can go from here...

Making it short for now :)

Booking Events

Hey everyone- I'm starting to book events for summer, so shoot me an email if you want details and information on pricing-> alexandra.brandl@gmail.com

Lets see, updates, updates....

I shot a great preprom event about a week ago. Very hectic, but lots of fun! Here are a few snippets:

If you haven't already, check out my Facebook page! Alexandra Brandl Photography on Facebook

Getting it together

Hey there~

Sitting here with a plate of Pillsbury Easter sugar cookies (yes, I know I'm late to the party) and a big bottle of Iced Tea, I'm going to crack down and get this organized. I've been experimenting with different types of photography, and seeing what I like the best.

MODELS

I love to get creative and come up with fun photoshoots.

This is the lovely Mychal. We have been friends through some of our best and worst times in high school. I love shooting with her because she always knows exactly what to do and how to have a good time.

PETS

They love to pose for the camera, too.

Ava, my three year old Black Labrador, and Icarus, my 7 month old Sun Conure, have been some of my favorite subjects to shoot. I love taking photos of animals because they have such great expressions that I can't resist capturing.

TRAVEL

I love to experience new places and share my perspective with the world.

From Venice, Italy, to Venice Beach, California, capturing the scenery around me is something I cannot pass up. I always have my camera by my side, especially when I go somewhere new, to create a lasting impression of everything around me.