james christianson - the blog

Hannah & Malcolm - Wedding

a couple of weeks ago on a whirlwind tour of California i had the opportunity to travel to the Napa Valley and photograph the wedding of Hannah and Malcolm.  they were both such warm and welcoming people and easy to photograph.  the setting for their wedding was straight from a story book.  in the gardens of a  private residence, with lanterns hanging in the tress and spanning the garden.  their families had such a genuine love that truly made this wedding feel complete.  thank you for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of this day.  here are some of my favorites.

Hannah was such a beatiful and graceful bride...even while applying the make-up.

little girls...so cute.

moments before the ceremony.

we only had about 15 minutes to take portraits of this gorgeous couple.  i had prearranged to use a local vineyard, but when we drove there the vineyard keeper had locked the place down and disappeared.  the light was so beatiful though, this quiet road served our purposed just fine.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL SLIDESHOW

Christen & Todd - engaged???

i wish that i could say that i will be shooting Christen and Todd's wedding later this year, but they were married SEVEN years ago and they didn't know me then.  so they hired me to photograph them seven years later and i'm so glad they did.  what a fun couple they are.  as a matter of fact, they were so fun i spent the entire shoot trying to get them to move to Colorado (i'm sure they will be moving here soon).  i loved the energy and comfort that they had together, it made for such a fun shoot.  here are a few of my favorties.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW

Lindsey & Kirk - wedding

it was a warm and sunny  California afternoon as i drove up to Lindsey's house to see her just getting back from the spa where she was having her hair done.  she greeted me with a relaxed "Hey Coach," (i was her high school volleyball coach and she can't break the habit of calling me coach).  Lindsey was so relaxed and  just radiated happy energy...i knew it would be a good day. 

i found Kirk tossing his hair at the Mission Inn Hotel.  he stopped, looked up at me in the mirror and this great boyish grin broke out on his face...i knew it would be a good day.

i always love my job.  photographing amazing people in amazing places is great, but it is even more gratifying when i can sense the connection between the bride and groom.  i don't know how to describe it, but watching a couple through the lens of a camera provides a very intimate view into a couples relationship...and Lindsey and Kirk have this very tangible love and I am so happy for them.  Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your incredible day.  you have no idea how special it was for me.  blessings on your marriage. 

a lot of my favorites below.

Lindsey getting ready.

Kirk's dad helps with the cuff links

Lindsey has such great style.

the girls were all so close.  i love this shot of them from above.

i literally fell to my knees in my rush to capture this shot of Lindsey and her Mom walking down the hall.   

Lindsey shares a moment with her Dad right before the ceremony.

the St. Francis Chapel located at the Mission Inn Hotel is incredibly beautiful...but sooo dark to photograph in...i think we did okay.

i love this shot of them jumping on the bed in the honey moon suite.

they had the "presidential lounge" at the hotel and i thought it would be a perfect spot for all the guys.

sexy.

i photographed them all the way until they left to go to their room, but they wouldn't let me on the elevator!  : )

thanks again for such an amazing day!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW OF THEIR WEDDING.

mourning the loss of a friend

in January 2001 i purchased (or rather it was a gift from some incredible people) a top of the line Apple titanium Power Book G4 15" laptop computer.  for seven years i have toted it around to different shoots all over the country.  it has been my constant companion.  it is not unusual to see the three of us (me, my wife and my computer) cuddled up on the coach watching a movie.  this computer has been incredible.  even loading all of my latest applications on it hasn't slowed it down...a total workhorse for seven years, which is like 110 in human years.  about two months ago, my computer was sitting on the counter in the kitchen with my dog napping underneath.  a loud noise startled my dog who scampered away with the cord of my computer caught in her paw.  smash went the computer on the tile floor, a fall of nearly four feet.  the screen hinge was snapped in half.  this incident marked the slow demise of my trusted friend.  yesterday, while in california, i opened the computer to check emails and the screen completely broke off the hinge disconnecting the power for the light source.  i had to rip the back off the computer and shine a flashlight through it in order to read emails and get a little work done (see photos below).  so this is  goodbye.  i will be on my way this week to get my new laptop which i hope will be as faithful and trustworthy as the last. 

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu,  APPLE of my eye...goodbye.

UPDATE:  i just went downstairs just to see if there was any life left and what do you know...my screen sprang to life...bright and vibrant...#122498715a34  wants to live!  How should i lay #122498715a34 to rest, i am open for suggestions.

by the way, i have four shoots to share from this weekend so check back soon. 

James

Ian rolls over and his dad (that's me) is too excited!

okay, let me just warn you before you watch this that i squeal like a little girl in this video.  i was excited that i finally got Ian rolling over on video.  i'm still excited!  just don't laugh at me too much. : )

it's nearly 1:00 am and i am grateful

yes, it's nearly 1:00 am and i have my usual insomnia, only worse because i took an 1.5 hour nap today.  i just fell asleep on the floor of my living room.  i guess having a newborn can really take it out of you.  so i am up thinking about how lucky i am.  in our world of corporate jobs and climbing up the ladder. of going to work just to make ends meet i feel so privileged to be doing what i absolutely love.  this small tool and the amazing people i get to have as clients make for an incredible experience that i can hardly call "work".  so tonight i am grateful to God for giving me the ability, my wife and family for providing the support and my clients for just being you and allowing me to capture it. i can't wait to go to work in the morning! : )

through their eyes africa

David Hessemer is doing a blogathon TODAY for his "Through Their Eyes" Africa project. He is going to be taking a team to Africa next year to areas where all the adults have died and the children are more or less on their own with little aid. In addition to helping the people living there, Jessica Claire and David Jay will also be teaching them to take photographs, in the hope of giving them a skill as well as to be able to see the world the way they see it. The photographs they take will be formed into a traveling exhibit all over the country.

It's really a fantastic project, however, it needs funding to make it happen! Today and tomorrow they are running a blogathon to make that happen. The link where you go to donate and learn more about the project is:

                CLICK HERE FOR THROUGH THEIR EYES - AFRICA

the Keszler & Cutts families

Jeni and Robbie have been emailing me for almost a year and a half trying to connect and find a time to do some portraits in California.  well we finally were able to make it happen and all i can say is wow!  we actually did to separate shoots in one weekend.  Robbie wanted to have his grandparents photographed and i realized what an amazing experience this was.  i shoot so many portraits of kids but i honestly believe that grandparents are equally important to photograph.  we spent the afternoon with Robbie's grandparents and it was so fun.  Grandma and Grandpa couldn't believe how many photos I was taking of them and they just kept laughing and laughing about it...they were really working it for the camera.

two days later Jeni's parents met us up in Napa, Ca for a portrait session.  they were such good sports climbing up into an old train station, crossing busy streets and walking through the dirt at a vineyard.  they are such a close knit family and i think that really comes through in the photographs.  Jeni and Robbie, thank you for being so patient with me, you guys are the best.  looking forward to a long friendship.  here are a quite a few of my favorites from the day.
Robbie, Jeni, Grandpa and Grandma

everyone should have this kind of passion and fun in their marriage.  so cute.

Robbie's Grandpa is a farmer (orchards and vineyards) and i wanted to photograph his hands because they are such a huge part of his life.  this series turned out to be one of my absolute favorites from the day.

we also shot some photos on the lot of Jeni and Robbie's new home.  this is a the view from their future front porch...not bad eh?

Our 2nd F-Stop Workshop

after an amazing sold-out response to the first-ever F-Stop Workshop held in Denver this past April, we have received many requests to hold another F-Stop Workshop this year...so we listened to you all - and are planning for the best one yet this September 17th & 18th in Denver!

I am so excited to be partnering with Jenna Walker of Jenna Walker Photography for this second workshop.  We have a new two-day format that is going to be great.  Jenna is incredible in so many ways, you don't want to miss the opportunity to meet and learn from her. 

New and exciting to the F-Stop Workshop - we will also be joined by California photographer Chris Humphreys.  We are beyond thrilled that Chris will be contributing as a guest speaker and that he is willing to join us to share his time and expertise to help other photographers grow.

Click Here for a Trailer of the Workshop

fun in the park with the T family

here is another photo shoot from california.  it was so fun to photograph this family, they were so much fun.  i seem to photograph a lot of kids that are quite young and they can always run around very fast!  this shoot kept me on the move.  we climbed in the trees, swung on a pole, ran to the playground and played on the swings.  i love capturing kids in their environment where they are just happy to be kids.  this  shoot was the perfect example of what i call  "lifestyle portraits"  here are  a few photos from the day.

i love this series of the them racing through the grass.