Kevin Meyers Photography Blog

A while back, one of my clients asked where a photo of Seattle's cityscape could be purchased. Of course my answer was "well, you can get one from me!" :)

Hang with me while I geek out for a second...

So, one day I rented a Hasselblad X-Pan which is a really cool camera that shoots panoramic shots on regular 35mm film. For those of you who don't remember, film is this really cool stuff that you can get super high quality photos with. ;) These photos below were not edited or retouched other than taking out some light trails left by a plane during takeoff. I used Tungsten film which is meant to cool down any really yellow light and it gives an awesome color cast to late night city scenes.

The funny part of my urban excursion was that I didn't have a light meter other than the one in the camera that only works to a certain point, which I was well beyond in the dark night. I was bumming exposure info of this really friendly photographer who was also there. You need to check out the work of Lauren Hartman. She's got a lot of great work and she's just all around a friendly person. :)

Anyway, my favorite shot is posted below in color and black and white. I may have to print one up for myself!

Dave and Meghan were recently married on Mt. Hood. They had a rehearsal the night before and served dinner in Silcox Hut which can only be reached by snowcat. You can read up on it's history by following the link above, but I'll just say calling it a "hut" couldn't be further from the truth.

The next day, the guys hung out at the pool and hottub. Many family members and guests were visiting from Denmark where Dave is originally from. I'm guessing the pool and hottub alongside snow and cold temperatures made them feel right at home. :) My assistant, Mark Galligan grabbed this sweet shot of them doing flips (the group shot right after is also thanks to him).

Meghan had attended Willamette University at the same time I was there for graduate school. It was fun to see a bunch of familiar faces.

Every time I shoot a wedding, I'm left in awe after watching two families come together in the presence of so many friends. There's always so much excitement, happiness and hope in everyone's faces. Most everyone sees it, but seeing it through a lens that blocks out all other distraction makes it so much more impactful. I love it! :)

I met Kevin and Anna a while back after work one evening. They're both very busy finishing up their studies at OHSU. In fact, Kevin is already done and on his way to Virginia for a year of further training.

Kevin and Anna, I'm glad we were able to get out for this shoot before Kevin's "extended vacation." You guys were awesome! Can't wait to do it again at your wedding. :)

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I had the opportunity to help out a great friend of mine, Ray Santana. The wedding was on Fisher Island, an escape off the Southern tip of South Beach, FL where the world's most particular luxury seekers relax. You really should check out the website if you want to peek into another world.

I also had the pleasure if meeting one of Ray's good friends and a fellow photographer, Antonio Sanzari. We made daily trips to Starbucks followed by a stroll down the beach to "take in the scenery". ;) Tony...let me know when we're going back. lol

The families were wonderful to work with. That's one thing I love about weddings. You have the priviledge of spending time with people on one of their happiest days. Glenn, Tiffin and their families were fun to be around, and it all went so well that it was hugs goodbye at the end of the night.

The majority of my recent trip through Florida was spent in Orlando at Garrett & Joy Nudd's workshop. We had attended Mike Colon's workshop together a little over a year ago and it's been amazing to watch the progress of those who attended back then. Garrett & Joy have come so far since then, I just had to go visit the workshop to see what they've been putting in the water they drink. :) Workshops are so fun for me. Not only do you have the chance to learn from those speaking, but also from everyone else attending. I had the chance to help others learn a few tricks too which is always a good thing. The collaborative spirit of those few days was priceless.

We had the priviledge of hearing from Gene Higa and Ann Hamilton, two incredibly successful and friendly photographers based in San Fransisco. Gene really has destination weddings figured out so anyone needing inspiration for destination work, he's definitely one to look to.

Andrew and Rachel Neisen of Lacour were also with us. I had met them very briefly on a recent trip to Vegas so it was great to spend more time around them. For any photographers who need help managing office work, you MUST check out Lacour's new solution called ShootQ.

It's hard to sum up something like this for those who weren't there. But think back to college when you slept four hours a night because hanging out conversing was much better than going to bed. Okay, so maybe in college we got more than four hours of sleep...but that's because we slept in till noon. Not an option at a workshop, so four hours it was! The images seen here are some shots I took during our shootout in which attendees paired up and took turns with a bunch of models that helped us out.

Remember my absentminded ironing under the thermostat? I've done one better. On Tuedsay, I returned home from a trip to Florida, during which I slept about four hours a night. The last two nights I only had two hours...and one of those nights was spent on the floor of the Denver airport. Good times, yeah?! :)

After fifteen hours of sleep I woke up and decided it was high time for a cup of my favorite Stumptown coffee...with two shots of espresso added for maximum effect. Mmmm. I couldn't find my wallet anywhere, even after covering every possibility five times. I remembered leaving my wallet on the passenger seat of my car after paying the parking bill at the airport. So off to my car I went! I was too tired for my own good when I parked. The window left halfway down was all the proof I needed. My wallet had been stolen.

I spent my entire morning at two different banks...worse yet...I didn't get my coffee! But it was worth the trouble knowing my accounts were safe.

Later that day I decided to do all the laundry from the trip. Hey, if I can't be out spending money I might as well be productive at home. Right?

Another bit of advice: If you ever think your wallet was stolen, don't forget to look in the laundry basket! :|

A few weeks back, these two visited Portland as they headed toward the coast to shoot a wedding. I met them in Vegas at the WPPI trade show and was instantly impressed by them. We had the rare opportunity to hang out and chat for six hours!

We walked around the Pearl District, hitting up Henry's for lunch, Powell's, and Fenouille for dessert (you MUST try the Begnets!). While at Powell's Michael bought me this really cool book that a photographer put together of shots of the earth from above. Talk about a whole new perspective! You all should see it. It's pictured below so you know what to look for.

Any of you photographers interested in networking and getting to know people who are passionate about art AND running a great business definitely need to meet Michael & Anna. Fujifilm knows it too, as they recently have been sponsored. Congrats!

A couple of Fridays ago, I headed to the Oregon Coast around Cannon Beach. Lauren and Mark are two people I had booked over the phone and thru email so it was great to finally meet them. We bummed around the beach and, thanks to their laid back personalities, we had the most relaxing shoot I think I've ever had.

They both love great food so we made ourselves quite hungry talking about all of Portland's gourmet restaurants. I'm looking forward to some great food soon you guys! Thanks again for a great day!

I'm heading out this evening for a wedding vendor dinner and presentation. So I've ironed up a nice shirt. I just finished and took a short stroll around my place to discover it's abosulety freezing! Don't get me wrong, air conditioning is great, but this?! This is unbearable. So I asked myself..."Self, what the heck is going on?" Self looked around and found that he'd been ironing right below the thermostat. So now you can finally see where the title of this post comes into play. ;)

You think this is stupid? Wait till you hear the one about my stolen wallet!

The last few weeks has been incredible. And incredibly busy. I have a lot of things to post about from weddings, engagement shoots, workshop news and some very exciting business news. I'll get back on top of it soon, but for now here's a favorite image from Garrett Nudd's, ELEVATE Orlando workshop which I highly recommend.

I've also been blessed to meet a bunch of incredible people. Of course, they have incredible blogs to match their personalities so keep an eye out for links to fun reading!