- PLEASE VOTE! -

These images are from the engagement session that Heidi and I did with this year’s winning couple, Katrina & Lee.  We did a combination of in-studio and on-location on The U campus to highlight our breadth of style (sadly Logan was shooting a wedding in Wyoming on the only day that we could schedule them, but she was there in spirit).

Enjoy, and then be sure to head on over to the Ultimate Utah Wedding site to vote for us (and whichever invitation design you like).  Voting ends on Friday, July 22nd at Noon, so please don’t delay.  Tell you friends!  And as always, thank you all for your support!

Triple threat (writer/director/actor) Jason Falasco approached us about shooting his production company’s (Trilogy Productions) short film ‘Soft Focus’ in our studios over a weekend this past December, with the ultimate goal of presenting it for funding into a full feature.  I have a bit of background in film, so I wasn’t really keen on the idea of turning the studio over to a film crew (filmmakers are all savages…SAVAGES I TELL YOU!).  But after much cajoling, flattery and plain old American bribery, we finally relented.  Jason and his team shot this behind the scenes vignette as a kind of thank you card to us.  Enjoy!

One note:  ’Soft Focus’ is about a disgruntled wedding photographer finding love and renewed passion.  While we acknowledge the similarities between life and art here, we would like to assure our clients and friends that we are definitely gruntled with our wedding photography!  So gruntled it hurts.

Thanks to Jason, Mario, Moises, Brian, Rachel and the whole crew!

P.S. – Rachel, you know where to find me.

The 28th Annual Bridal Showcase at the Salt Palace Convention center.
Friday, January 7th: 3pm – 8pm
Saturday, January 8th: 11am – 7pm

• Come meet the photographers, look over some of our award-winning albums, and generally have a good time.

• We have FREE tickets available here at our über-cool® studio for you to pick up (email quinn@zumaphoto.com to arrange).

• As an added bonus, we are giving a MASSIVE 30×54 inch canvas gallery wrap print to any client who books at the show.

That’s a $1200 value, yo!

See you there!

This art show will highlight young Utah artists who are striving to share their talent while supporting a great cause. Please join us for live music, refreshments, an unique art available at very affordable prices. All proceeds will go to the construction and repair work of three classrooms in Kiamuri, Kenya this summer. We are asking for a suggested $1 donation at the door. Donors of $2 or more will receive a Kenya themed bracelet.

Brought to you by the local non-profit YouthLinc organization.

We hope you have a few minutes to stop by, see some spectacular designs, try the delicious food, and check out some amazing wedding and bridesmaids dresses from NYC Bridal Fashion Week 2010! All of our friends will be on hand to answer any questions you may have or help you iron out any details for your wedding day!  

We are excited to share with you and hope to see you and a friend on Tuesday the 23rd! We will be there from 3-7pm that evening – please RSVP as we will be limiting the event to just 50 brides and their guests. This is a complementary event, no cover charge to get in. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Dream Team friends that will be there:

Anna K Style – Makeup & Hair
C-3 Event Design
Carrie’s Wedding Cakes
Culinary Crafts
David Perry Films
FotoCabina Photo Booths
La Caille Restaurant
Pepper Nix Photography
Sax Romney Floral Design
White Couture Bridal & Tuxedo
ZumaPhoto

We’ll be there with some hip new albums check out, the Foto Cabina photo booth to play in, and we’ll have something new to announce…

We have a few free tickets left to give out so contact us at the studio if you’d like to grab your pair.

Hope to see you there!

~ Star F*ing Hipsters ~

Stza!

First an impression of a bunny, and then a knock-knock joke. It was a variety show!

Quick jump outside to visit the culture between sets.

~ Citizen Fish ~

This is Max. He flew in from Quebec City for this. He seems happy.

The Guantanamo School of Medicine’s axes lie in wait. They seem so peaceful…

Nick (M.I.A.) talks shop with Phil (Citizen Fish) while clearing the stage for Jello.

Because there’s always room for Jello.

~ Jello Biafra & the Guantanamo School of Medicine ~

The many faces of Jello Biafra…

Jello is a great motivational speaker.

Reach out and touch someone.

Here’s the crowd participation part of the show.

Surveillance photo of friend Skøt enjoying the beautiful chaos.

Members of Citizen Fish enjoy from the sidelines.

And then it was over…

UNTIL, M.I.A. returned to the stage to back Jello in some Dead Kennedy’s classics.

They were well received indeed.

Even Pete smiled on the proceedings.

Happy Birthday, Alternative Tentacles.

]]> http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/11/alternative-tentacles-30th-anniversary-show-part-2/feed/ 4 http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/11/alternative-tentacles-30th-anniversary-incest-a-thon-part-1-m-i-a/ http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/11/alternative-tentacles-30th-anniversary-incest-a-thon-part-1-m-i-a/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:20:02 +0000 Mitch http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/11/10/alternative-tentacles-30th-anniversary-incest-a-thon-part-1-m-i-a/ Continue reading →]]> So here’s a bit of a diversion from the usual…
Back in 1979 American punk bands had just a pickle of a time getting records made and distributed. One of the most active, influential and notorious of these plucky groups was The Dead Kennedys – true pioneers of hardcore. In the true spirit of the punk DIY ethic, they started their own label, Alternative Tentacles, which rapidly grew to be the home of dozens of varied acts with an eventual catalog of hundreds of ground breaking, important albums. The DKs and many of the other bands that Alternative Tentacles carried were a huge part of my early life and the memories are so vivid that they seem like yesterday…. Well, they weren’t! They were exactly 30 years ago! To celebrate, Alternative Tentacles invited a representative cross-section of acts from throughout its history. My buddy (and amazing photographer in his own right) Nick Adams is the guitarist for one of those invited bands, M.I.A. Nick was kind enough to invite me out for the show!  Part 2 is here.

Pre-show anticipation and culture.

Paul noted that punk love is the truest love there is.  So true. Paul is wise.  He’s like an owl.

This is the back of Jello Biafra’s favorite stage manager, Pete. The man was a machine during the show!

Nick and his lovely and talented wife Signe enjoy a bit of cool air while waiting for drummer Larry to arrive.

Larry experienced some of the inexplicable delays for which SFO airport is so well known and adored and there were a few tense moments
as to whether M.I.A. would get to their soundcheck.

I was under instructions to photographically shame Larry upon his arrival, but he’s so good-natured that he wasn’t buying in.

I include this because once the house-lights go down you can’t get an appreciation of this historic theater.

And then its a waiting game. Here Nick practices his soulful look.

Nick, Larry and one of the members of Houston’s Molotov Compromise (in the mirror) hang out in the dressing room.

Todd (vocals) gets a shot of Paul (bass) during his method-influenced, pre-gig ritual.
It really worked! I actually believed he was a bass player and he never broke character once all night!

Finally, the call to arms…

Punk and thrash bands are particularly tough to shoot because they never stop moving!
While not technically great, I thought this shot conveyed M.I.A.’s kineticism

Todd…so angry.

Yeah, so the focus on this is off, but I really love the expression that Nick makes during heavy string bending!

Jesse at work.

Paul triumphant!

What can I say – these guys still kick out the jams! M.I.A. is available for weddings and bar mitvahs.

Now go check out Star F*cking Hipsters, Citizen Fish & Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine in part two!

They’re a really big deal in the western U.S. where there are large Latino communities, but despite my hopping between California and Utah, this was the first quinceañera I’ve ever shot. It totally rocked!

We started by doing  a casual session with Heather hanging out with her two BFFs.
I was TOTALLY nervous.
I mean, I’ve shot hundreds of brides, some of them really pretty stressed out, and it doesn’t phase me in the slightest. But three 15-year old girls?

I remembered myself as a 15-year old….and I was afraid…because I would probably strangle 15-year old me.

And I would enjoy it.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about – they were awsome!
They jumped between goofy and cool without much effort and generally were far more sophisticated that I was at their age.

OK, so maybe more sophisticated than I am now.

Anyway it was fun, is my main thesis.

‘phistocated.   And then they totally broke up laughing.

One of Heather’s favorites.

~/~

A few days later, I met up with Heather in her dress to do some more formal portraits.

Heather’s party was going to have a Carnival theme, so she brought along her mask and we did a few with that.

Putting that mask on brought out a whole ‘nuther level of her personality!

~/~

With so many great shots to use, Heather decided to have us put together one of our custom guestbooks.

Here’s a few shots of what it looked like after Heather’s friends got ahold of it.

Heather, you are a beautiful, intelligent, and confident young woman. Big things lie ahead!

Thank you so much for making me a part of your special day.

Some shots of Heather’s over-the-top party in a few days!

]]> http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/11/utah-quinceanera-heather-friends-zumaphoto/feed/ 2 http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/10/get-kissed-salt-lake-city-kiss-wedding-books/ http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/10/get-kissed-salt-lake-city-kiss-wedding-books/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:37:46 +0000 Mitch http://utah-wedding-photographer.com/blog/2009/10/03/get-kissed-salt-lake-city-kiss-wedding-books/ Continue reading →]]> HEY PHOTOGRAPHERS! Did you know that one of the world’s premier wedding album manufacturers has its albums produced RIGHT HERE in Salt Lake City?  IT’S TRUE!
KISS Wedding Books – ‘the world’s simplest book company” - has enjoyed such success that they’ve had to expand their production facilities earlier this year and chose our own back yard as their new production home! Want a tour? YOU GOT IT!

On October 14th Shaun Austin & Kevin Swan bring their Get Simple Tour to Salt Lake City with special guest speaker, Utah’s own Pepper Nix….and a tour of the plant is included! All for a measly $100.

Why, you probably spend more on lint rollers every month…

Shaun and Kevin will speak about how to “wow” your clients, branding, and positioning. We’ll also just chat and answer whatever questions you have!

Then, we’ll go on the tour! Woot!

Shaun Austin & Kevin Swan

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Kevin Swan:
International Wedding Photographer: www.KevinSwan.com & www.RetroYourDay.com
Owner: KISS Wedding Books: www.KissWeddingBooks.com
Owner: f22 Branding: www.f22Branding.com

Kevin helps develop CS and LightRoom for Adobe. He is a long-time advertising man (the former creative director of an advertising agency) and enjoys teaching photographers the things he picked up in marketing. He regularly sells more than $100,000 of albums to his wedding clients and loves teaching photographers how to do the same. He lives in Indiana with his wife, Rachelle, and his 4 kid

-/-/-

Shaun Austin:
Owner / International Wedding Photographer: www.RetroYourDay.com
Owner: www.KissWeddingBooks.com

Shaun’s been involved in the photography industry for over 10 years. He’s worn many hats in that time, including photographer, studio owner, photo-lab owner, retail camera store owner, and now part owner of KISS Wedding Books. He lives and works in California, with his wife, Jamie, and his (soon to be!) 3 kids.

-/-/-

Pepper Nix:
International Wedding Photographer: www.PepperNix.com
Owner: www.Sprout-Photo.com

International wedding photographer Pepper Nix has tremendous passion for the evocative power of the photographic image and it shows in her powerfully emotional images. Her work has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, KTVX TV’s Good Things Utah, and has been featured in numerous publications, both bridal and photographic. She has received multiple awards in international print competition. Pepper resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and is a two-time winner of Best of State. She shoots across the U.S. and abroad for celebrities, politicians, dignitaries or anyone who just wants to be treated like one. Pepper Nix Photography maintains offices in Salt Lake City, UT and Orange County, CA, though she travels extensively to meet her clients’ needs.