April & Renard | Santa Clarita Wedding Photographer | TPC Valencia Wedding Photographer

The day started out like any other. The difference though was that on this day, I was going to be photographing a wedding at the very same venue that I had my wedding almost 3 years ago! The sun was bright and beating, April was in the bridal sweet with her bridemaid prepping for her special day and she looked absolutely stunning. In his dapper fashion, Renard arrived a bit later for the first look of the day in a sharp deep blue suit, the kind you see when you are deep at sea.

Cameron & Yuko | Mentryville Engagement Photographer

Planning Cameron and Yuko's engagement sessions wasn't easy. You see, Yuko lives in Japan currently and is coming to the United States for their wedding in June! While she was out to visit for the holidays, we were able to schedule a quick engagement session at Mentryville and Placerita Canyon Nature center! This was my first time meeting Yuko and what a personality! There is no question about what drew Cameron to Yuko when he was living and teaching out in Japan. We had a blast getting to know each other better and capturing some amazing personalities while we were at it! have a look for yourself!

Bob & Joelyn Caprine | Santa Clarita Wedding Photographer

Absolutely stunning Catholic wedding photography in Santa Clarita at Saint Kateri Catholic Church with a reception that followed in the church hall.

Bella Barre Valencia Grand Opening Party | Santa Clarita Photographer

Everybody wants to look good for their photographs. Often times we lack the motivation to go to the gym and the discipline necessary to get us to our desired look or hit that desired weight. My wife recently discovered Barre through Laura, our birthing class teacher. Ultimately this style of workout is designed using pulsing, repetition, and body strength to shape and form your body. Dancers use this method of working out to stay in shape or to rehabilitate an injury. The end result? The body of a dancer! What woman wouldn't want that?

Santa Clarita High School Senior Photography | Sarah Greenland | Canyon High School

As we gear up our new home studio and start building up our portfolio for our portrait business, I thought it would be neat to give you a sneak peak of what we have been working on! We are and always have been big on showcasing personality at its best. Sarah Greenland, a senior at Canyon High School, and a FANTASTIC Libero for Canyon’s Varsity Volleyball team just so happens to be my sister in law. I have been wanting to take her senior photos for a while and the date finally came! We shot her senior photos in 3 different locations: the studio, Placerita Canyon Nature Center, and Mentryville. The results were simply stunning. But then again, she kind of made it easy to capture with her sharp features.

Lauren & Geo Castro | Strathearn Park Wedding Photographer | Simi Valley Wedding Photographer

Stunning country style wedding at Strathearn Park in Simi Valley. This is a beautiful venue to tie the knot at!

When I got the email from Lauren wanting to set up a meeting, my ears perked up at her name. When we met I found out that I knew her through an old girlfriend of mine as they were best friends growing up! It really is a small world. Talk about a perfect match. Geo and Lauren really were made for each other. Geo’s mild tempered personality and Lauren’s type A personality really balance each other so beautifully.

Karianne and Brandon Parr | Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer | Santa Barbara Courthouse Wedding

See a beautiful wedding at the Santa Barbara courthouse with a rooftop wedding reception following at the Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara.

I have known Karianne for years since high school. I got to know her even better through our good mutual friend Bree Scurti (who’s wedding I also photographed!) and the way the story goes, Karianne knew that she wanted to work with Shed Light Photography after seeing how we photographed Bree’s wedding because the locations were the same! I was introduced to Karianne’s fiancé at the time through Bree as well, because he was their mechanic and I was in search of a new one. Needless to say, I take my car and my wife’s car to Brandon for everything.

5 Things I Learned In 2014

With the year 2014 coming to a close, I always find it interesting to do a little self reflection and see the different ways that I have grown both personally and professionally. For example, my discovery of Cafe Rio was a huge growth marker for me getting out of my Chipotle phase! :) There are always things that I find I have learned, things that I could have done better as well as things I felt I did well. 2014 marked a big milestone in that I became a father. It has been one heck of a ride so far, but I wouldn't trade that for anything. I am extremely blessed in my life to be able to have the blessings that I have. With all that being said, through my reflection, I found 5 things that I learned in 2014 that I want to take with me to make 2015 the best year yet. As I strive to become the best version of myself, as Matthew Kelly puts it, in all areas of my life, I have no doubt that these items will play a huge part in that goal.

New Horizons in 2015!

There is something awesome about setting goals and changing things around in your life with the dawn of a new year. Resolutions are made, memories are rekindled, and we set our sights on new accomplishments and horizons. I have done quite a bit of self reflection towards the end of 2014, and was able to uncover a lot.

I took a deep look at my strengths and weaknesses and it wasn't that there were necessarily surprises that I uncovered, but there definitely were items that made me think, "what are you doing about this Josh? You know this to be true and you are letting it sit there." I saw that some of my strengths were working with people and coincidentally one of my weaknesses was taking the time to build up my relationships. One of my strengths was serving people, but one of my weaknesses was going above and beyond to serve someone. As I reflected, I realized the sad depravity of our generation. We have lost our drive. We have become complacent. We have accepted that doing the minimum amount required is satisfactory, and what's worse, we are OK with that.

Choosing Memory Cards – Photography 101

The answer to this question really is a simple one. What type of memory cards does your camera take? That really is going to dictate what type of memory card that you are going to get. Whether that is CF or whether that is SD, it doesn’t really matter. They both serve the same purpose. Now depending on the limits of your camera in terms of FPS (frames per second) in conjunction with the style of photography that you are shooting, you may want to consider the speed of your memory card.