I am Mandy Made!
Hi everyone! I really good buddy of mine, Mandy, has been selling these amazingly fun, handcrafted cards for a while now. She makes each set one card at a time, putting all her attention and energy into each and every card, wow! I recently took a few photos for her website and wanted to share them with you. The detail and overall vibe from her cards are so much more engaging than the store-bought cards. I encourage you to check out her site and hit her up if you have any needs. She does scrapbooks, weddings, special occasions, business events, or just if you need one or two cards. Mandy even did all the invites, announcements, and table cards for my wedding! I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Cars and Coffee #2
I headed over to Cars and Coffee for my second round last weekend, pretty hard not to like this event with such a diverse showing of autos. This time around it seemed to have more classic cars, although I did get close and personal with a flaming orange Lamborghini Ventador! I love cars, so here is my tribute for this particular week’s showing. I think this may be a recurring theme throughout the blog as I go forward!
Senior. Portraits.
I had the pleasure of photographing this lovely young lady a couple of weeks ago. These are not her official senior portraits, but they are portraits…and she is a senior…so…. yeah. Anyways, it was a blast and I am happy to share some with you.
Favorites?
Want to save some money and look at something pretty?
Sounds like a pretty good proposition, right?! To kick off 2013 with a bang, I am offering 10% off any item or print from my portfolio, www.andybucknerphotography.com! Just use coupon code: ABP2013. It is good for all of January.
Prints, showcase prints, apparel, specialty items (key chains, coasters, cards, etc.) are some of the available options. All prints are from a high quality, professional printer so you will not be disappointed! Just navigate to the picture you like and you will see options on the right-hand side of the page. Expand it to see all of your options. Worldwide shipping is available, too.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this blog, it means a lot! Whatever you decide to do, always feel free to drop me a line here, on Facebook or Google+!
A few samples of some of my popular images:
Now Offering Portrait Sessions!
I am happy to offer the following portrait services in time for this holiday season!
- 90 minute session at a location of your choice*.
- You, family, friends, or pets are welcome!
- Package includes 3 edited photos. All other photos from session will be provided and these are yours to keep, too!
- You may request additional photos to be touched up for an additional charge.
- All photos will be provided digitally and in full resolution (on a disc). This keeps the fees lower and allows for more edited photos to be provided! You can print at the vendor of your choice and have as quickly as you like!
Package cost: $150
Visit the “Contact” page for contact details.
*Orange County, CA areas. Further distances will be considered, but may add to cost.
Laguna Beach Valentines Day
This last weekend, me and my wife officially “celebrated” Valentines day. We put the dogs in day care and went out and spent the weekend in Laguna Beach. It was a great weekend and we had a ton of fun. On Saturday we went for a little stroll down the coastline. I had to bring my camera for those ‘just in case’ moments. It was relatively uneventful, photographically speaking, but I did manage to get the two photos below that I appreciated.
Mounted Marbles
While walking the dogs the other day I cam across a playground in a local park. There was this piece of the play structure that just had a bunch glass bulbs (like big marbles). During the right time of the day, the sunlight shines through these balls and I thought it was pretty cool. Here is a close up shot; it was dusk and the natural light was on the other side.
Just another California morning
A typical morning here in Southern California where it is beach weather year-round. Beautiful.
Click for a larger image
That will do!
I was driving around the other day looking for anything interesting to shoot (I had just rented the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Lens!). I knew these massive hangars were near by and thought it would be cool to shoot, but they are on an old military base which is closed off to the public. I decided to look for a random vantage point, not having much hope since I know the general area pretty well… But wait, whats this!? A road I was not familiar with which led towards one of the hangars, nice! Not only did the road lead to a great view of one of these things, but it just so happened that a blimp had just been pulled out (for what purpose, I do not know)! To add a cherry on top of my find, there was a small section of the fence that had been cut away, a perfect peep-hole for my lens 
.
I chose to edit this way because the whole feel of the image felt older, from another time. In my mind, this is how I saw this moment.
Click for larger view
10 Year Anniversary Gift
I am kicking off 2012 with a few shots from a recent session I did with my brother and sister-in-law. I offered to take photos of them as a gift for their anniversary and the happily accepted. This was my first attempt at a “session” like this with a couple. I definitely learned a few things by making mistakes, but overall it was a great experience and I look forward to next time. I love these guys below!
Have a great 2012!
They are not afraid to let loose and just be silly – I felt this picture captured that silliness
Having Fun!
This time, it’s for real…
This last week I was honored when a good friend asked if I would photograph his family portrait. Of course I said YES, that was a no brainer. But, with that answer, this was no longer a fun hobby to take “meaningless” pictures…I had to deliver for a family’s memories! So, needless to say, nervousness set in. I was pretty calm until the day of the shoot – the importance of not screwing up really set in!
However, this family is one of the nicest you could ever meet and made me feel like one of them. The atmosphere was very casual, calm, and playful as you can see in the photos. The time of day in these shots was a little later than preferred, making the light a bit harsh, but I think they turned out good considering that fact. After the “official” family shots, we all kinda just hung out on the beach during that beautiful CA morning. This gave way to the kids playing and the other family members getting involved. I was able to capture a few candid shots of a family just enjoying each other. It was awesome.
I think the family thought I was doing them a favor, but in reality they were doing me a favor by helping me to really focus on delivering something worthwhile. And for that, I say “Thank You!” Below is a sample of some of the shots. Click for bigger versions.
A murder of Crows
No, crows were not murdered in the creation of this post… in case you don’t know, that is what a group of 2 or more crows is called – A “murder of crows.” Such a strange expression, but I relish the opportunity to use it for the same reason!
It’s a rare stormy day here in Southern CA and I happened to notice these three crows keeping watch on a empty construction site across the street. It seemed somehow perfect on such a gloomy day, like something from an Edgar Allan Poe poem. After I took the picture, I thought I would try my hand at using textures in Photoshop. I have never used textures before, but for some reason thought that the right texture would bring out the mood I was feeling when looking at this scene. For my first attempt, I was pleased.!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday
It was worth it…
This last Friday it rained most of the day. As the rain stopped and the clouds began to clear, my wife and I decided to take the dogs out for a brief walk. Now I live on the 3rd floor of my building so when I went outside I was able to see that the ensuing sunset would probably be awesome (I could only see enough sky to be teased at what might be)! So, at that moment I decided that I had to see what the full sunset turned out looking like – I went back for my camera and car keys and decided to bolt up to a high ground I know to see if there was a view. I invited my wife and dogs, but they wanted to stay and pee on things (primarily the dogs, that is).
After I was at the spot for about 15 minutes, shooting pics, it hit me that on my dash out of the apartment I locked the door because I fully expected my wife to join me! Mind you it was pretty chilly this time of day and my wife, who needs a blanket when it is 75 outside, was in a T-Shirt and pajama pants with the dogs… and now locked outside. So after it finally hit me that my wife was locked out, probably freezing and without a phone, I [took a few more photos] bolted back home. When I arrived it had been about 30 minutes since I left and she was out on the sidewalk giving me a look that seemed to say “well, what do you have to say for yourself?” I just rolled the window down and said “SORRY”… Turns out she was very understanding and didn’t care. Whew!
I reached my spot and had a pretty nice view for such short notice. The sunset/sky/clouds were amazing. The natural grandeur of a “simple” sunset after a rain is breathtaking. I wish I could have spent a bit longer out there, but I was happy with what I was able to see and the few photos I shot.
Sign out where I was shooting
