Okay, I want to preface this by saying that I don’t think that I’m some know-it-all photography guru. I just know what I know and hope that you find either a) interesting or b) informative   I’ve chosen just a sampling of the questions that I got. A lot of them were similar (great minds think alike!)

What made you decide to become a photographer?
Ooookay, let’s go ahead and start with my least favorite question. haha. The short answer? I didn’t. I never had a moment where I went, “Gosh, I am going to be a professional photographer!” I didn’t even consider becoming a photographer when I was a child or teenager (I thought it was one of those abstract careers, like a painter, where you never saw success until you were dead or if you were the most amazing DaVinci of your craft). I simply had camera and photo envy. I got my first DSLR on December 26th, 2007. I remember the day because it was the day after Christmas (Christmas money, whoo hoo!) and the day before I found out I was pregnant with Reid. Prior to that, I had a $90 point and shoot that was the bane of my existence. It was slow. It was grainy. It constantly produced blurry, out of focus photos. I just wanted something that WORKED. I knew a wonderful commercial/real estate/architectural photographer by the name of John Christy who said that anyone interested in taking better photos would benefit by purchasing a Canon Rebel XTi. He said it by name. Guess what I bought? What can I say? I didn’t feel like doing the research! It took me about a year, but I became fascinated with REALLY learning how to use it outside of manual mode. I wanted the beautiful, creamy backgrounds, the crisp, perfect focus and the vibrant, real colors. Auto mode couldn’t do that for me. So I read. And I read and I read and I read. I am self taught, which is actually not 100% the truth because I had great people along the way giving me tips and answering my silly questions. Finally, I got decent enough that friends started asking me to take their photos. And then, I was offered money to take photos! Then, I found an amazing group of photographers online who basically told me that I sucked, so I learned some more and am definitely still learning every time I pick up my camera or get behind the computer. Now, I feel confident enough in my abilities to shoot just about anything and it is helping to support my family. I love everything about it. I love it when people ask me to do their photos. I love walking away from a session thinking, “Wow, that was work?” I love being my own boss. I love having a flexible, interesting schedule. I love being a part of magical, once in a lifetime moments. I love falling in love with other people’s images, and I love that I am doing something that was totally unexpected.

Okay, you’re bored now, I get it. I’ll move on to a more cut and dry question/answer!

What kind of camera and lens do you use?
My main camera is a Canon 5D. It is full frame (meaning it does not have a crop sensor) and handles higher ISO’s (meaning that I get more light and grain when I shoot in dark situations) than my first camera, the Canon Rebel XTi. I also have a Canon 20D as a back-up. Another great camera. I shoot most portrait sessions with the 50mm f/1.4. The 1.4 number essentially allows me to get that creamy, blurry background that I love. It’s a great lens. I also have a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 that is a good all around lens. It’s good for portraits but it’s also versatile enough to use for weddings. When I take my camera out for personal use, this is the lens that I usually bring. Last but not least, my FAVORITE lens is the 70-200mm 2.8L IS. This is my “wedding/paparazzi” lens. It’s the big daddy weighing in at 4lbs and stretching almost a foot long. I think I literally start to swoon when I talk about this lens, so I will end it here.

There are a couple dozen more questions that I got that I want to answer, but this is already much longer than I expected, so I will save them for next week! Thank you again for everyone who sent in questions. I had a blast reading them and my fingers just flew along the keyboard as I was answering them. Never be afraid to ask me questions!

This is another fabulous wedding that I was asked to 2nd shoot with Charleton Churchill on July 17th. The ceremony took place at the St. Martin Catholic Church in Sunnyvale and the reception was held at the GORGEOUS Los Altos History Museum. As Lena got ready in her hotel room, droves of family and friends filtered through, each gasping at how beautiful she looked in her fitted, modern wedding dress. As Lena walked down the aisle towards Phil, Phil could not help but to smile with joy as his fiance (for the last few moments) approached flanked by her proud mother and brother. Later in the evening, the reception was MC’ed by friends of the couple and jokes were plentiful. We learned of Phil’s first car, how Lena and Phil met (both working at Lockheed Martin), and a funny, yet heartwarming story of how Phil had Lena pick him up before his friends forced him to go to a strip club. Ever the gentleman, Charleton later approached Phil, shook his hand, and assured him that it was a sign of his character and committment to his now wife.

This wedding, I tried to take a few photos of Charleton in action. I am very grateful for the opportunities that he has afforded me and I love working with him as a 2nd photographer. He makes each wedding day a fun and lighthearted event, even going as far as saying “yes” when asked to take a snapshot with a guest’s pink camera!  

Enjoy, and make sure to check out even more fabulous photos from this wedding on Charleton’s blog!

^ Silly Charleton….don’t ask me to hold your fisheye and expect me not to use it!

Today I want to do something fun. Kind of like those fun little surveys that we used to pass around on Myspace (remember that place?) back in the day.

Ask me. Anything. You can ask me about my style, my equipment, my history of how I got into photography, editing, or just about me in general. I will choose some of the questions and share the answers on my blog. Don’t be shy….my feelings will be hurt if I hear crickets in my inbox haha

Email them to me!
bre@brethurston.com

I have been in Riverside for nearly 3 weeks now, and while still very busy, not actually shooting much. I’ve been behind the computer editing wedding photos, a couple of portrait sessions and designing albums. We really only know one family down here and bless their hearts, they’ve been doing a great job of entertaining us! So, when my photography itch got especially bad, I emailed my friend and asked to do a few photos of her 2 year old daughter, Cambria. We went to Irvine Park in Orange and Amy insisted that I bring my son (who, while adorable, is a hindrance to my photo taking. haha) I felt bad keeping Reid away from a zoo and park, so I brought him with me. It was a hot day, the kids were hungry and only interested in playing on the jungle gym. I managed to pull Cambria aside for a few moments and snagged these shots. I’m not kidding, I had her for maybe 3 minutes before it was back to the playground and we called it a day. I was pleasantly surprised with what I came up with in such a short time, and of course, major kudos to Cambria for being a willing subject! Talk about a successful “mini session”!