Adina Noel Photography

"2011 Favorites"

2012-02-07T13:49:00.000+01:00

The Chinese had it right, celebrating the new year later on gives you just enough time to get all the parties, resolutions, and other projects out of the way before sitting down and reflecting on what the last 12 months have meant and the cause and effect of it all. I decided that I would take the Chinese new year as the opportunity to share with you a couple thoughts, and some of my favorite photos from 2011.

I always see the new year as a great opportunity to look back at what I've been doing in the past 12 months, analyze, and realize where I went right and where I went wrong. It's the time for a new beginning, daring challenges, and excitement for where those will lead me. As a photographer it is also a great opportunity for me to see where my vision has carried me, sometimes as far as crossing borders, and meeting new people. All of these photos mean something to me, they are a moment of my life. An experience. A new friendship. A life lesson. All part of who I have become in the past 12 months. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did taking them.

All the best in this beautiful 2012! God bless. :)

Friday Findings::: Let It Snow!!!

2012-02-03T12:59:00.002+01:00

It snowed. Typically when people think of Spain the mental image they get is quickly one of people with olive skin sun bathing at the beach, sitting on a terrace in the middle of a plaza drinking Sangria, or otherwise enjoying the sun and warm weather. Now let me break it down to you: it's a lie. And you know why? Because I live on the north coast, where the weather is probably more similar to what one might expect on any given day in London. And since as recently as 5 days ago I happened to actually be in London... yeah, don't debate me on this! ;)

On Wednesday a 5 year old boy told me it was going to snow on Thursday. I smiled and half laughed it off and made some comment about how the snow will only be on the mountains. As always. Then on Thursday I woke up to white flakes flying around everywhere. I couldn't believe it, and gave kudos to the boy for being right. In any case, as much as I hate cold weather I've always kind of given snow "an out" since it's so rare, fun, and pretty. So as you can see, I was obviously inspired to write about it this week, share the nerdiest picture of all time, and the most adorable snow video I've seen in my life... in honor of the snow!

Happy Friday!! (don't forget to bundle up!)

Clara Sofia: Newborn

2012-01-30T12:16:00.000+01:00

What can I say about this newborn shoot? I loved it. I had been impatiently waiting for months to finally get to meet Lena & Ionut's firstborn. I had an amazing time doing their very-last-minute maternity shoot 3 weeks ago. So logically I moved my schedule around a bit to be able to squeeze this shoot in just a couple hours before my trip to London last week. Clara Sofia made it clear from the very start that she is planning on running the household. As the one calling the shots, the first decision she made was that she didn't want to wake up from her nap and have pictures taken (but seriously, not like any adult would ever want photos taken first thing in the morning, right? and so the first thing she did was flash me that classic "no photos" pose!

Then she threatened me with some Kung-Fu...

But after that she finally relaxed and looked gorgeous the rest of the time! :)

It was only a matter of time before we all got along, and I'm glad I finally got to meet her and take her beautiful picture. It's gonna be fun watching her grow!

Lena::: Maternity

2012-01-24T00:34:00.000+01:00

Three years ago I met the cutest couple ever. Lena and Ionut, an adorable couple from Romania, started attending our church regularly. I found myself confiding in them right away, and hanging out during any church activity. I had noticed during church activities that they tend to carry their point-and-shoot camera (complete with gorilla pod) with them and they are always taking really cute pictures of whatever they do. It was then that we started talking about doing a photo shoot at some point in the future. But you know how it is... put something off until "tomorrow" and it never gets done.

When a couple months ago they announced that they were expecting their first child, it just seemed like the most natural and fun thing to do. After months of talking about doing a maternity shoot, we were all pretty excited when the day finally came around. We ignored the light rain and walked around the mountainside to really capture the place they call home. So here's some of my favorite images, to match some of my favorite people.

Congratulations Lena&Ionut. I can't wait to meet her!

"MIA"

2012-01-22T12:23:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to write a little note and apologize for the lack of posts lately. I guess life took over. It's kind of funny because it's not like I haven't been pretty busy all along, but these past couple of months have involved a lot of emotional stress along with just general business. Ive been sick, planning a destination wedding, mourning the loss of a friend, in desperate need of more Jesus-time, songwriting at home and at the studio, meeting with clients, and working my day job the usual 6 days a week. It's not an excuse, it's just a little insight into my day-to-day life.

I do really want to blog more, I want to be consistent and I want to throw in some more personal posts along with more posts dedicated to the photography/photographer side of things. I want to thank you for sticking around to see what this crazy girl from Spain has to say or show week in and week out. I write these for you, and without you then... there would just be a bunch of words thrown out into the void. For nothing.

And because every blog post is better with a photo, here's one. This one is from earlier this month. Here you have all the medication I was on after an upper and lower respiratory infection, and a double ear infection, sent me to the emergency room!

Friday Findings::: Siriclaus!!

2012-01-06T15:44:00.004+01:00

One of the perks of living in Spain is that we still have a whole week worth of Christmas break. You see, in Spanish tradition the three wise men visit and bring the children toys on the night of January 5th. There's a big parade when they march in and they throw hard candy at the children. It's kind of a big deal. You can see photos of that parade here.

I always feel a little bad for those children because, clearly, Santa is better? One of the many reasons is because by visiting on the 24th, you actually have time to play with your new toys before going back to school. It's like someone didn't think it through. Another weird thing is that in the Spanish translation the three wise men are neither old or wise. Instead they are both kings and wizards. It's like a mashup of The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. Which actually sounds kind of awesome now that I think about it.

Well, still in the holiday spirit I ran into this on Alex Beadon's facebook profile. These kids are hilarious, and I am pretty sure their parents are going on 2012's naughty list.

I need to use this on my friend's kids next year! ;)

Behind The Scenes::: Give me some video!!

2012-01-02T12:30:00.005+01:00

Last week I posted about all the behind the scenes work that often goes unnoticed when people view a photo. I had a huge amount of positive feedback from that specific post, both by other photographers than by other people. I figured it might be a little fun if today I posted a behind the scenes video. This is behind the scenes at this an Anytime shoot I did in Anaheim, California, for gorgeous Amber. Click here to see the original post.

One of the things I would like to do this new year is to focus my posts a little more on the photography side of things, maybe even do some Q&A's, guest blog posts, basic advice on how to take better photos, and other fun things like that. Shake things up a bit! I am really looking forward to this, so I hope you will be too!

Friday Findings: Goodbye 2011!!

2011-12-30T12:31:00.003+01:00

Well, the year is ending and it seems inevitable to look back and wonder what these past 12 months have contributed to each of our lives. I wish I could say that I had accomplished everything that I'd set out to do, or that I finally found the man of my dreams, but I can't. But where 2011 has fallen short, it has also exceeded many of my expectations. I am still sitting in disbelief that I am in the midst of recording some of my songs professionally. Even more in disbelief that one of my songs is for sale on iTunes. But most of all, this year that showed me who I can and who I can't count on. It's been a learning process, it's been painful, but as I am now a quarter of a century old... it's nice to see that I continue to learn and shape myself to be the woman who I hope my friends and family would be proud of.

Sorry, the new year always gets me in deep thought.

I want to end this by saying that I hope that this past year has treated you well. I hope you're happy, healthy, and well on your way to achieving your wildest dreams.

And to end this on the ridiculous note that Friday's seem to bring out of me... here's a little end of the year review I found, brought to you as only the guys at Jibjab could.

Happy Friday!! (and Happy New year too! ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-25T09:29:00.001+01:00

So it's Christmas morning, and I am sitting in bed waiting for everyone to be ready to open up the presents. I have to admit that this year has been a crazy one to get everything planned. Las night after all the presents had been bought and wrapped and the delicious dinner had been made and eaten, I suddenly realized that I had spent so much time this year preparing that I hadn't found the time to spend time celebrating. I needed to focus on what was important. I also knew that throughout the planning there had been a lot of time spent on Facebook. So in the end I figured I would share this quirky video I saw a couple days ago. I feel like the nativity story has already been told a million times, and without wanting to take away from that, I thought that this was an interesting way of narrating it. Let's not forget to remember the reason for the season! ;)

Merry Christmas!! (Hope you spend it with the ones you love)

Friday Findings::: Christmas Prank!

2011-12-23T10:12:00.002+01:00

You've probably noticed by now that I appreciate a good prank. Nothing too embarrassing, and nothing mean, just a good surprise or something obvious being overlooked. I ran into this video today and I have to admit that these guys have waaaaaay too much time on their hands!

Happy Friday!! (And Merry Christmas!)

"Photography Behind The Scenes"

2011-12-19T14:24:00.009+01:00

Photography doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen. If you're a photographer you know how often someone takes one quick look at your camera and says "Wow, no wonder your pictures look great!" This week I guess I am rebelling against that thought. I am friends with many many photographers, and I have to admit that we are special creatures. When you would find most people enjoying themselves on a weekend night, chilling on their couch, or hanging out with friends... the photographer is often staying home catching up on some editing, or out shooting. Sometimes we even shoot just for practice. Why? Because the camera takes the picture, but the photographer has to create it first. So in honor of all of that hard work that is often overlooked, I just wanted to share a few behind the scenes photos from the past. Just to get it out of my system! ;)

Thanks to Peio, Montana, Chris, Josh, Anna, Lydia, Ghill, and Amber. For all the fun we've had rocking out behind the scenes! Even if we're all just a little bit misunderstood. ;)

"Buy Me For 0.99 cents!!"

2011-12-12T15:45:00.009+01:00

I don't even know where to start. I am happily a member of an amazing community called The Showiteers. We are all united under having our websites being hosted by the amazing Showit, and there is a Facebook group that we are all super active on. We are always giving advice, sharing resources, and just making friends and building connections all over the world!

One of the Showiteers is Jim Davis-Hicks. He also started a wonderful little thing called Thirst Relief. Their mission is to provide clean drinking water to the thousands upon thousands of people around the world who don't have access to something as simple as that. Thousands of lives are changed for the better. Thousands of diseases prevented. And what does this cost? About $5 to save a life, to save a town.

So what does this have to do with anything?

Well, about 3 weeks ago one happy Showiteer (can't remember who) had the amazing idea to get all of us musicians to record Christmas songs for a CD to sell and give the profit to Thirst Relief and they then use it to bring more clean water to the desperately thirsty. As soon as I read it I was totally in to help out in whatever way possible. Soon enough, someone had the idea that we should have an original song in there. Someone else asked who in the Showiteers was a songwriter. I came home one day to people tagging my name in there. What-the-what?!

I have never even thought about writing a Christmas song, but I couldn't give up without trying! To make everything more challenging, I was given about 5 days from writing, to recording, to everything being fully mixed and mastered! What-the-what: The Sequel!!

I partnered up with a lyricist and we wrote the lyrics 50-50% (dare to guess who tells Rudolph to go take a hike?) and with the help of my amazing music producer, James Morgan at Magicbox Musika, we managed to rock it out in the 5 days!

So now what?

Well, now you can happily go on iTunes and buy an album full of photographers singing!! Don't be stingy and just buy my song, buy the whole thing, because you're gonna spend more than $7 on coffee anyway, and it's for a good cause. And if you can't afford it... then at least buy my song for the 0.99 and help make a huge difference to a small town in the world. There's also a digital booklet full of fun facts abut the artists, hilarious Christmas photos, and more information on how Thirst Relief and you can work together to change the world!

Check out our super fun official website!

Click here to purchase on iTunes!

One more thing: I really want to point out that cranking out this project from idea to finish in just 3 weeks is SUCH an accomplishment and that I am so super happy of all of my Showiteers who helped pitch in on all of this!! It was an obstacle-ridden path but we finally made it! Mental high-fives everyone! :)

Friday Findings::: Christmas = Mission Impossible!!

2011-12-09T12:27:00.004+01:00

We got the tree out of the box, spread out the plastic branches, got the christmas decoration boxes out... and even managed to untangle the christmas lights. Set them carefully on the tree. Then was when we found out two of the three sets of lights were out. Of course, now I know to test the lights before putting them on the tree. Still, I couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated but mostly sorry for the sad little tree.

Sometimes getting ready for Christmas is super fun, especially as a kid, but as the years go by it seems to get increasingly difficult until you go home to the tangled-twinkly-light mess one day and suddenly you feel like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. While I wait until the shops open up for business again, I sit here cozy in a blanket enjoying seeing this little guy have an ever more challenging christmas than I am. Shame on me.

Happy Friday!! (BTW, you can buy that costume on amazon here)

Blues'N'Breakers::: Concert

2011-12-05T14:12:00.000+01:00

While other people were trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, or attending horror-themed parties, I met up with my brother and friends and spent Halloween night at an Irish Tavern. We were there to watch the Blues'N'Breakers play through the night. I have to admit that I've never been much of a blues fan, it's just not my cup of tea. I also have to admit that these guys were amazing! I brought my camera in case I felt like taking a couple shots, and you can bet your bucket-full-of-candy that I did.

This guy actually walked out halfway through the show and left the rest of the band playing because "I didn't get a chance to have a drink and a cigarette..." Crazy man!

Friday Findings::: Christmas Countdown!!

2011-12-02T12:36:00.007+01:00

December is finally here, and that always gives me two things to smile about. First off, my birthday! I will be turning 25 years old (for the first time) tomorrow, and I am excited to see how as the years go by I will start to continuously turn 25 again and again! HA! On the other hand, there's Christmas. I love pretty much everything about it. Traditions, decorations, having an excuse to go out and spend a ton of money on pretty things the take people smile. Even though every year I promise to start buying presents in late October, I never do. I think deep down I love the crazy hectic thrill of going out on the last few days and trying to find something good. I've always liked a good challenge! :P

Anyway, I figured this month I would devote entirely to Christmas. Why? Because I can't get away with playing Christmas carols the rest of the year. Well... I couldn't until I got an iPod! ;)

Happy Friday!! (You might want to start shopping soon...)

Anytime::: Ninja!!

2011-11-28T12:38:00.010+01:00

At some point in the mid summer I decided to go out and do some fun shots with my new lighting set up. It's always a good idea to go out, not on assignment, and just practice different ways of lighting a scene. I was actually expecting this practice shoot to be quite boring. I am a photojournalist and I love taking photos of things as they happen... here I am stuck in a scene with nothing actually happening. Go figure.

So I brought my handy-dandy adorable-lovable little miss assistant Anna. She also happens to be my little sister.

We were abandoned at the scene for about 3 hours, and what started out as a simple portrait session turned into what is now known as "The Ninja Shoot!"

Brace yourself.

Friday Findings::: Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-25T14:59:00.004+01:00

Living in Spain, every year I find myself having to explain the story of the first thanksgiving to many people. The questions come from all people of all ages,often wanting to know why we are so obsessed with eating turkey. It's especially funny because here you can only buy sliced turkey, (like the kind you eat in sandwiches), and if you want a whole turkey you have to special order it and people look at you like you're nuts.

Yesterday, in good yearly tradition, I found myself explaining the story once more.

It's always a bit odd being in Spain when everyone else is celebrating thanksgiving. Having to go to work when everyone else is eating delicious snacks and watching football or the Macy's parade. I miss it.

Even just getting to prepare for the season by watching some preschool thanksgiving day play sounds like fun. Especially if it's half as entertaining or inaccurate as this one! I seriously can't wait until I can celebrate some thanksgivings of my own, make a disastrous turkey and end up eating turkey&cheese sandwiches.

Happy Thanksgiving!! (I hope you survive black friday)

Event::: EuskalGym 2011

2011-11-21T14:50:00.000+01:00

I walked up the last of the steps in a hurry. My VIP pass was swinging back and forth and constantly beating against my chest, which in a competitive way counteracted by having my heart beat back. A million steps. When I finally made it to the top, I followed the crowd. I was excited. I walked around the building to meet a very long line. Arriving to one of the alternate entrances I innocently asked one of the guards where I had to enter. He took one quick look at my pass and said "VIP's can enter through their favorite door!" and made a gesture for me to walk in. I have to admit that it was a great feeling to bypass the giant crowd. Now I just had to find a good vantage point and get to work!

I was invited to shoot the EuskalGym, an international gymnastics exhibition. The previous days had gone by quickly through a series of phone calls, quick plan changes, and anticipation. I had even gone to the airport with David, Alejandro, and Urtzi, to shoot some video footage of some of the international gymnasts arriving in Bilbao. My first time shooting video for a professional event, or anything else for that matter. It was quite the creative stretch, but I think we got some good shooting in and am now impatiently waiting to see the results.

After doing some brief translations, and more last-minute plans, we were on our way. Everything was really fast paced, and everything was leading to this event. And I was there.

The 3 hour exhibition went by way too fast. Every move, choreography, and seemingly impossible stretch was remarkably impressive, and while I had a great time getting these shots, my mom (holding on to my extra VIP pass) had an even better time watching all the flips, the loops, and the dances.

Hard to believe that this is the same girl that I picked up from the airport the day before...

Experimenting with long exposures...

The most memorable part of the evening came when Almudena Cid, made a special performance. Almudena is now a retired spanish gymnast and is best known for being the only gymnast in history to ever compete in 4 Olympic Game finals. Her performance was a collaboration with "Protect" who help fight against children sexual exploitation in Cambodia. The performance made the crowd go wild.

Traslation: "@adinanoel: It's beautiful!! I love it! Even though it looks bad for me to say so myself..."

It is fair to say that her tweet about this photo made my day! :)

Special thanks to David at MotionThinks, videographer Alejandro Negeruela, and photographer Urtzi Mardarás, for making me a part of the team. I look forward to doing more projects together soon.

Friday Findings::: Who Wants Kicks?

2011-11-18T14:38:00.001+01:00

I love kicks. I do. They are super comfortable, I love the colors, and more importantly how they can match anything just by the "stick it to the man" edge they can add to any outfit. I am not sure who Chuck Taylor actually was, but I think we would have gotten along just fine.

One of the things I like the most about them is that they seem to inspire creativity, in a way. All the creative people I know (musicians, artists, actors, photographers, etc) own at least one pair. You will occasionally see me posting pictures of my feet on the sand of the beach or standing on the edge of a bridge, but I am always wearing mine. They make me feel good and extra creative.

Unfortunately this week I have found that there is such a thing as too much creativity. I ran into this video, and while I find it original and may giggle through it... every time it ends I still catch myself thinking "what the heck was that..!?" See for yourself!

Happy Friday!! (Go kick some... well, you get the idea...)

Maternity::: Ink baby!!

2011-11-11T21:48:00.007+01:00

"The tattooed people" That's what we called them, the couple who own Clockwork Tattoo Studio just down my street. I spent many years just waving and smiling when I walked by. I even got to be their server a couple times through my fantastic time as a local waitress. Yet, I still called them "The Tattooed People". A couple weeks ago I went with one of my former co-workers into the shop. She was going to get inked and was freaking out about it.

I fail to see the point of accompanying someone to get a tattoo and then just sitting in the waiting room, but I went ahead and did it anyway.

(By the way, I sat in the coolest couch covered in zebra print. So cool.)

Anyway, so after going to the shop on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the same week, them sharing their wifi password, and several compliments on their zebra couch, we got a little conversation going. We talked about travel, about creativity, and shared many funny anecdotes that, of course, took place in international airports.

Finally I had an idea...

I've been wanting to expand my maternity portfolio. I'd been looking for a tattooed pregnant lovely lady to take a couple of fun shots with. As it turns out out, Esther happens to be pregnant. I shared my idea with them and they were totally on board with it. By my book that could really only mean one thing: "Let the fun begin!"

Thanks Esther&Dani for being such good sports.

(Oh, just fyi, I'm totally going to use your names now! ;)

Friday Findings::: "Happy Chinchilla Day!"

2011-11-11T21:42:00.001+01:00

I had every intention of blogging this Friday. I was going to fight the exhaustion, the frustration, and the need to break my Friday routine and just bloggity-blog my heart out. Unfortunately, I woke up to find that today was the day that my people celebrate "Revolucion De Chinchilla" so it was my cultural obligation to take the day off and go to Las Vegas to spend a weekend celebrating our triumph.

Happy Friday!! (Go celebrate with your people)

Friday Findings::: "Happy Chinchilla Day!"

2011-11-11T18:41:00.003+01:00

Happy Friday!! (Go celebrate with your people)

Travel::: Barcelona!!

2011-11-07T20:34:00.001+01:00

Murphy's Law states that if something could possibly go wrong, it will. I try to stay away from being overly pessimistic, but I have to admit that this principle has proved to be true many times in my life. One of those times was through my weekend trip to Barcelona a couple weeks ago. The "festival of wrongness" started when I had to wait for 3 hours for my friend's flight to land. Nothing like standing in baggage claim with nothing but unbelievable thirst, a soda machine, and no change. Then came not having directions to the hotel, the person getting robbed in the train next to us, and the pouring rain. It's all good though. I always remember how when I was little my mom used to say "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" and ever since, I have made it one of my goals in life to become an excellent lemonade maker. So I won't let a little delay and an unfortunate train ride rain on my parade.

The series of unfortunate events continued, and by the next day I was locked out of my hotel room. I won't go into details, but let's just say that there was a miscommunication between my friend and the receptionist and I learned the hard way that apparently I wasn't registered in the hotel. Therefore, the receptionist couldn't let me into my room with all my stuff in it. Passport, money, change of clothes. Did I mention my lighting gear that I needed for my rooftop photoshoot was locked there too? Yup. But I just went on my way and figured out a different use of the available light, and rocked what I had. At the very least we had fun and managed to get some great shots out of it. When the shoot was done I crossed Barcelona in the metro and went straight to meet with my friend Rachel and go clubbing. Clubbing? Me? Yup! Weird, huh? Most of you will know that I am in no way a party animal, but let's just say that I took being locked out as a good opportunity to dance all night and have a blast with my friend, and make some new friends along the way. Taking train rides at 4 am and hitting the most ridiculous street concert I have seen in my life. It's all part of the adventure. And even though I didn't get to go sightseeing as much as I had wanted, I'd like to think that I got to experience a little more of "the real Barcelona" instead of the "touristy Barcelona" everyone is used to.

So here's a couple photos to commemorate one of the most disastrous weekends of my life. As for me, I'm gonna just think of it as being "memorable" and enjoy myself with a happy glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade! :)

People throw their earphones on top of the bus stop!

Plaza Cataluña.

Friday Findings::: Right Brain, Left Brain.

2011-11-03T16:42:00.007+01:00

Fun? OK, now watch this video. It will only take a minute.

If you're a conspiracy theorist like me, you had to actually skip back to the original clip and make sure that what they said really happened. Even then, you basically just laugh at not being able to notice it from the get-go.

I know I can't even try to ignore it now!

Special thanks to my friend Chris from C Squared Photography for sharing this on Facebook.

Be sure to check out his blog and maybe even stalk his facebook page a little.

Happy Friday!

Julie::: Anytime

2011-10-31T13:33:00.002+01:00

It was a gorgeous day and I just knew the clouds would add the little extra "umph!" I wanted in my images. My friend Julie and I set out to get her a "Facebook profile picture" and have a little fun with off camera flash. We had a few laughs, I was as pathetic as always in trying to speak French, and I think the flash almost blinded us both in more than one occasion. All in a day's work! But when it was all said and done we turned out with a nice set of photos that made us both go "tres bien, oh la la!"

Mon amie Julie, merci! ;)

Friday Findings::: Halloween!!!

2011-10-28T12:04:00.002+02:00

In the spirit of Halloween and of people getting dressed up and looking ridiculous, I decided that I needed to give a few basic photo tips, and share a beastly video. Lucky for me, I found both of these things in this monsterlicious camera add. Pay attention because they're pretty good basic guidelines. I mean, if they can make a zombie look good, they can make anyone look good!

Happy Friday!! Have a scarily good Halloween!! :D

Music::: Ed Tulipa, Barcelona Rooftop Shoot!

2011-10-23T02:03:00.023+02:00

We had a quick rendezvous at the Sants bus stop in Barcelona. My friend Amanda and I had very limited time to visit Barcelona, and I was excited to finally meet him. Sergi and I had spent the last couple of weeks talking through Facebook and on the phone about doing some projects together. We had a quick lunch full of fun anecdotes, and then we parted ways. It was at about that time that I told him that next time I was in town we'd have to book a little promo shoot.

Fast forward two years.

Ed Tulipa (both his stage name and alter ego) is standing on a rooftop overlooking downtown Barcelona. The temperature is perfect to work with, and a few of his close friends are there assisting and helping keep everything fun. This photo shoot was challenging on both a professional and personal level, but it was very much worth it. I'm so excited to see how even just a quick 2 weeks later, one of my photos has already been published online along with an interview about his upcoming album. Check it out here.

When it was all said and done, this is what we got ourselves into...

His amazing John Lennon Limited Edition guitar... -sigh-

Be sure to check out Ed Tulipa on myspace and facebook!

Sergi, thank you for the opportunity to shoot in your beautiful city.

I wish you all the very best in your music career!

Friday Findings::: "Have No Fear, Underdog Is Here!"

2011-10-21T13:23:00.001+02:00

You know in comic books how there's all those times when the press is trying to catch Spiderman in action? Maybe the real press should be looking out for Underdog, since I am pretty sure he was caught on camera a while back.

Special thanks to my good friend Bobby for sharing this video with me earlier this week. I have to admit that I was truly floored when I saw this. I just wish more people would go about life with the same attitude as this dog. There's really not much else for me to say that can't be summarized in "Have No Fear, Underdog is here!" Check it out!

Happy Friday!! Help someone out today! :)

PhotoWalk::: Bilbao!

2011-10-17T12:34:00.009+02:00

Lately I've been thinking that I am always posting photos of my travels, and never of the place I call home. Not to take away from Las Vegas, Chicago, or Amsterdam, but I wanted to showcase a little bit of this land. Most people know Bilbao because of it's famous Guggenheim museum, but that's just one piece of the puzzle. It's a pretty calm place. The city is just big enough to have everything you need, but not big enough that it seems chaotic or dangerous. This summer my friend Sara came to visit for a weekend and I got to show her around town a little bit. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to show you guys what this place is all about! :)

There's also some pretty weird people in Bilbao (that's my friend Sara! ;)

So if you're ever in Spain, come check out the northern coast. You'll love it.

Friday Findings::: Missiles&Pranks!!

2011-10-14T12:05:00.000+02:00

It's the weekend, and that means it's time to relax. Live a little. Enjoy some time with friends, and maybe even pull off a prank or two. Creativity is key, none of those toilet-papering someone's car/house or an easy prank call. Predictable. Where's the fun in that?

For example, the above picture. Helium balloons? Genius! I would love to drive a car that looks like it's being chased by missiles. The state trooper on the other hand, might not love it so much. But anyway, whereas many times I feel like pranks can be hurtful, humiliating, or lack good taste... I have to admit this one video pretty much left me speechless. I guess the only thing left to do is ask, how would you react?

Happy Friday!!

Baby::: Laida

2011-10-09T13:39:00.000+02:00

I was excited to go back and finally meet the little one. It had been a couple weeks until I met with Raquel&Ibon for their maternity shoot. As soon as I laid eyes on her I knew I loved her gorgeous blue eyes and adorable blonde hair. We quickly got to it and spent a fun little evening trying to get Laida to smile over and over again. She wasn't feeling really up to it for a while, but eventually she flashed us with a million dollar smile

and made it all worth while.

Congratulations little family! I can't wait to watch her grow! :)

Friday Findings::: An Apple A Day Helps Keep The Doctor Away!

2011-10-07T12:09:00.003+02:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard by now that Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple inc, internationally acclaimed technology innovator, and otherwise creative genius, passed away earlier this week.

I have long been a fan of his work and his positive attitude, and I couldn't think of a better thing to post about this week than about the wonderful company he created, whose products I have quickly found myself (along with millions of other creatives out there) completely addicted to.

It's a special group of us, mac users. It's easy for us to get picked on for being different, but I like to think that we're like those kids that sit at the nerd table at the cafeteria, and then end up being everyone else's bosses 10 years down the line! Just give us some time. ;)

Anyway, from one nerd to the next... here's a little glimpse into the amazing subculture brought to us by a lovely company named after a common fruit.

And what would Apple be without their commercials? This one is actually a spoof, but it really made me laugh.

Happy Friday!

Personal::: Remembering Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T03:14:00.007+02:00

OK, so I realize that I must be a true nerd to be up at 3:14 am blogging on Steve Jobs. To make matters worse, I just realized that I said 3:14 am. Not 3:10, not 3:15... but 3:14. -sigh-

Steve Jobs... where do I even start?! I kid you not when I say that as soon as I read the news about his death I was unable to contain myself from crying out "NO!" and my heart immediately sunk. I sadly followed a link to www.apple.com only to find the company confirm of his passing. I opened up twitter and EVERY single post by EVERY single person I follow was talking about Steve Jobs. Wow!

Forget about Raymond, everybody loves STEVE!!

I guess all I really want to say is... I'm sad to see him go. I will admit that it feels funny to be sad about someone that I never met, but then again... didn't we all know him a little bit?Weren't we always looking forward to his keynote presentations? Googly-eyed and hungry to find out how much smaller, faster, and prettier he could make what already seemed like unbeatable products? Yes, the anticipation of some of us crazy photographers over what new magic tricks Steve was going to pull out of his sleeve was akin to that of a child on Christmas morning! And if you don't agree with me on this, then at least give me this much: Nobody could rock a black turtleneck like Steve could. Not even close.

And now he is gone, and it just doesn't feel right. At least to me it doesn't.

In case you couldn't tell, Steve Jobs was one of my heroes, and it certainly had nothing to do with this popularity or tremendous success. No. The thing about Steve is that he was what I call "A Creative". To me he represented a hard worker, a genius. An entrepreneur. An innovator. Perseverance at it's finest.

But the most important thing, to me, is that he was a dreamer. Being able to see what this one man, this one life, has been capable of doing is unbelievable to me. Witnessing how he changed so many lives, and influenced so many industries... well, it has somehow allowed me to dream too. For that I am thankful.

And here's some inspiration he left behind:

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

So here's to the dreamer and here's to living the dream.

God bless you Steve, you are certainly missed.

The Off-Camera-Flash Monster::: Personal Challenge

2011-10-03T15:27:00.002+02:00

My latest challenge as a photographer is to learn to control light better. Now that I've had plenty of experience with natural light I think I am ready to take the plunge and stare at the off-camera-flash monster right in the eye. I love how creativity can just bloom by simply having different lighting set ups. That being said, the whole concept is, to be honest, quite overwhelming. There's so many new concepts and gadgets to master. It's quite humbling. But after having my attitude set in place by my awesome photographer friend Tim King (seriously, if you're in the San Diego area check him out!) I decided to get my rear into gear and start out. After all I am always the one to say "if you don't do it now, then when?" to all my friends.

I went on amazon and bought three books on different aspects of lighting, dug out my camera and flash manuals and my copy of Bob Davis' "Lights, Camera, Capture!" that I got on the Showit Tour giveaway, and am on my way! I have decided that will be my big challenge for the year, and am hoping to take a couple big steps in that area this fall.

I am now thinking of it as an "Only one can survive" scenario, and I will not be beat by a little bright light. So, hopefully I will be able to look back at this post some time from now and smile at my accomplishment.

Encouragement (and accountability) might be needed along the way, so comments are always appreciated.

For now I am finding inspiration with the amazing use of light in this Yves Saint Lauren add. By the way, If you're interested in taking this challenge with me, lets get in touch!

Friday Findings::: Danceoff!!

2011-09-30T17:59:00.005+02:00

If we were on the dance floor, and I were a stereotype, I would definitely be "white chick dancing." (No offense)

Whereas in life I may be many things, one of the things I am NOT is very well coordinated, and half of my dance moves are an intentional joke. Have you seen that scene in the movie "Hitch" where Kevin James teaches Will Smith how do dance? Yeah, I could have been the choreographer. Even at weddings I have a tradition to dance, because the fact that I look ridiculous doesn't mean that it's not fun. It's some of the most fun I have at a wedding!

In fact, it always makes me think back to Alex&Danielle's wedding. Click here and scroll down to read about my most ridiculous wedding dancing experience. I still laugh every time I think about it.

And while I would love to one day be a fantastic dancer, I have to admit that I don't really spend much time practicing. I like the idea of dance to be fun and spontaneous, not rehearsed.

So when I do break out a few dance moves (like this crazy dance I did in between editing over a year ago) it ends up looking a little something like this.

And I will leave you with what I would one day love to look like on the dance floor.

My good friend Josh Newton shared this on Facebook earlier this week, and I had to pass it on.

Happy Friday! (Don't forget to dance the night away! ;)

Mariana&Bruno::: Engagement

2011-09-24T02:40:00.008+02:00

I met Bruno&Mariana about three years ago. They were dating, and were both studying fine cuisine. I was just starting to get more serious about photography. Fast forward to two months ago, and they are working at the famous restaurant "El Bulli" with world-reknown chef Ferran Adriá. I was knee-deep in the photography season craziness.

Mariana came to church with her mom one day, and while having a conversation with her mom I mentioned that I was a photographer. I showed her a couple photos on my iPhone, and she quickly called her bride-to-be daughter to come see some of the photos. They both were really taken with my work, but had unfortunately just finished booking the photographer for their Brazil wedding. A real shame, since I would have loved to go to Brazil! ;) They were both bummed that there was nothing they could do about it, and then we started talking and decided to do an engagement session! So we met soon afterwards and walked around some of Bilbao's most popular places, including the Guggenheim museum and the the narrow stone-paved streets downtown. We had a fantastic time, and I like to think we got some pretty fun photos too!

Congratulations guys! I think I will dance a little samba in your honor! ;)

Friday Findings::: BIRDS!!

2011-09-23T14:23:00.006+02:00

Every time I run into someone who is admittedly afraid of birds, I laugh a little on the inside. In my mind they are usually placed in the same category as those people who don't like ice cream because it's too cold. I can understand being afraid of dogs that can bite you, or animals that can trample on you, but birds don't even let you come close to them! I really don't think an imminent bird attack is something to be worried about.

In fact, I am not sure what Alfred Hitchcock was thinking when he decided to make a scary movie about birds, because I personally think they are hilarious. And to further prove my point, I did a little research, and here's what the internet had to show for it.

Happy Friday! Don't let the weekend fly on by! (Oh, the pun...)

Celebrating 2 Amazing Years Together!!

2011-09-19T12:04:00.002+02:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I live my life by a well thought-out series of ideas. I try to run my business in the same way. One of these ideas, both on the personal and professional level, is that I really believe in investing in people. Time and time again I have seen how each time that I have gone out on a limb and taken a chance with someone, usually in situations where it would have been easier to just say no, it has come back and helped me out in the long run.

But it's not some kind of a business strategy, I don't do in hopes that it will have a boomerang effect and come back to benefit me in some way. No, in my heart it's as simple as this: when I was starting out people invested in me. People answered my questions, took the time to explain, and were always encouraging. To this day I still have a set of more experienced photographers that are still investing in me in that way, and it only makes sense that I would fall right into place and do the same for those that are starting out and in need of a mentor.

I am happy to email, iChat, or have Skype hangouts with anyone wanting a little encouragement or guidance. I allow aspiring photographers to assist me during shoots, edit together, or brainstorm with me. Coffe in hand? Even better!

I've been thinking about all of this lately, and it's at a perfect time too! September marks the second anniversary of Adina Noel Photography, and I am super excited to see where these first years have taken me and where the next will continue to lead me! If someone had told me two years ago that I would be traveling internationally, spending a whole summer living solely off of my skill, and meeting some of the nicest most fun people along the way, I would have thought they were crazy!

So in the spirit of celebrating, in the spirit of thankfulness, and of investing in people... I want to take a moment and thank every person that took the time to invest in a quirky little photographer from Spain.

First and foremost, a big thanks goes out to Jake Preedin. He gave me my first big break by letting me be his second shooter at a wedding in Aberdeen, Scotland. Other than introducing me to the happy world of wedding photography (which I quickly fell in love with, and is now the focus of my business) he also taught me how much having an upbeat fun attitude towards everything can influence a photo shoot.

Second in line would be the one, the amazing, the super tall, Josh Newton! I can NOT think of his full name without my brain going ".com!" at the end, but I will always be thankful for the shooting opportunities, the hang outs, and for the excuse to visit sunny California. More importantly, Josh taught me what confidence looks like and how it affects your wedding day. Great lesson!

Every time I think "Josh" the next thing that pops into my mind is "Montana". Clearly, Josh doesn't live in Montana, but his best friend/former roommate is called Montana. He is also the master of everything creative. From him I learned to always exercise my creativity, to see light, shadow, and everything around me differently. Every time I take a pinhole shot, I remember Montana. Also every time I see an awesome beard. Just sayin'...

Richelle Dante, a.k.a. "The Baby Whisperer", thanks for an awesome visit, for teaching me to always smile through a shoot (especially when everything goes wrong), introducing me to the magic of The Magic Kindgom, and making sure I got the "Californian Food Experience". You also helped me to learn to value my time, my skill, and put a price on it. One of the hardest things to do in this industry! And I am still jealous of your lovely red chandelier!

Axier Martinez, was my instructor during a short photography course I took when starting out. This man deserves a medal for being able to get me to understand image resolution and for letting me test drive the 24-70 2.8 before making my decision to buy. "Eskerrik Asko!" ;)

Andrew Smith: helpful from day one, he has always been a good friend to me, has helped me get out of a mess or two, and I owe him big time. The importance of friendship and networking continues to show itself through this friendship. Andrew, there is a check in the mail for a "Gajillion Dollars" worth of consulting fees, I swear...

To Tyler Gould and Sid Ceaser, for the many many conversations it took to get me to understand and dare to start using Off Camera Flash. You guys are rockstars! :)

Charity Klicka, thank you for letting me be a mentor to you. For letting me give back, helping me grow and learn more about this crazy crazy thing that is the study of light. Also, my stomach thanks you for the lovely Mac'N'Cheese care package! :)

Tim King, Jason Kirby, and Ryan Lum: Thanks for taking me on some of the most intense, hilarious, and memorable 24 hours of my life. You guys inspire me to continue to live life to the fullest, take exceptional photos, and to never EVER let a "hiccup" get in the way of having a great time!

Cassie Jones: I can not tell you how blessed my life has been in the past couple of months, just to be able to count on you for prayer, encouragement, and a good laugh or two. You taught me to have faith in me. Priceless.

To my amazing Showiteers, for being a second family to me. For helping me out with the technical, the creative, and letting me vent from time to time. I am so glad to have "found" you, and can not wait to move to San Diego and start hanging out!

To my second shooters Ghill and Amber, for your hard work and dedication. I have loved rocking out weddings with you!

To my lovely assistants, Peio, Karis, and Anna. For helping me carry stuff around, being mobile light stands, and mostly for keeping me sane in every situation. You are worth your weight in gold!

To my models and clients: You guys are amazing! Seriously, I can not thank you enough for always allowing my creativity to go wild, trusting me with the results, and being an absolute pleasure to be around. You all make me look good.

Family and friends: You know who you are. God has blessed me with each and every single one of you. You inspire me, encourage me, let me use you as guinea pigs, and always keep me grounded. I love you guys!

And last but not least, I'd like to thank all the airlines for unknowingly letting me sneak all my exceedingly-over-the-carry-on-weight-limit gear on board! Got home safe and sound!

It might seem that I am thanking everyone, but seriously, it has been a team effort to get to this day. So YAY for us!! Can't wait to be celebrating a couple more years together! :D

Personal::: Back to School, Being Selfish, & Moonlighting as Spiderman!

2011-09-17T02:16:00.008+02:00

It is 2:16am. I am tired. I am not getting anything productive done. Why am I still up?

Lately I've been thinking that perhaps I am pushing myself too hard. I have a day job, and it does not involve a single click of a camera. Nope. For any of you who didn't know, I am an English teacher during the day and your friendly neighborhood spiderman at night. Oh, wait... substitute the word "spiderman" for "photographer".

Clearly, I need more sleep.

As I am finishing up the wedding season, I can see how for a while now the three words that send shivers down the spines of the young and old equally have already started to sound increasingly loud, until inevitably becoming quite deafening. "Back. To. School."

I think I hated the idea as a child, and I will admit that I probably hate it even more as an adult.

Kinda bad when you're the teacher, huh? The issue for me right now is that all of my work, my busiest two times of the year, are happening at the exact same time. It's a little bit hectic. And I'm starting to think that it might be a little too much. Which is quite a statement to come from a potential workaholic.

Of course, this has been a particularly stressful week for me, both in my business and personal life..

I won't go into details, but instead say that a situation came up this week where I was challenged both as an entrepreneur and on a personal level. I do not like confrontation. I find that the older I get the less I am interested in drama. It's funny to me how many times we all tend to make small situations into something huge. We overreact, we are hurt, and sometimes we even cause the hurt... and without even necessarily knowing it at the time, it seems like more often than not it's all pretty much just for the sake of drama. Well, none for me thankyaverymuch!

Through this situation I found that even though I wanted to crawl under my desk and hide, it was instead time for me to stand out into the open and put my foot down for what I believed was the right thing to do. Not just for me, but I believe in everyone's best interest as being the solution to many of life's problems. If I hate it when people act selfishly, I should probably at least do my part and make sure that I am not doing the exact same thing myself.

In taking care of this situation I found that I was learning how to say no. I have spent so much time trying to keep everybody happy that I forgot one of the very first words that I ever learned how to say! Isn't that ridiculous?

So if you are going to leave today and take any of these middle-of-the-night-ramblings with you... hold on to this: Pace yourself. Act lovingly. Don't be a drama queen. Put other people first. But every once in a while do remember to decide when you need to put your foot down. What is really going to make a difference? What are you really not willing to compromise? Then, put yourself first. Choose to say no. Because sometimes on the journey towards learning to love others, you find that you also need to first learn to love yourself. If you would tell a friend to take a break, you need to allow yourself to do the same. You can't keep going if you're passed out from exhaustion.

Take a minute, breathe... you'll be much better because of it. And who knows? You might even sleep better at night!

Well, I really just felt like writing a little tonight. I hope some of this actually made sense.

If it doesn't, well... I blame it on Spiderman. I probably should have stopped right then and there!

Good night.

Friday Findings::: Harry Potter!!

2011-09-16T11:52:00.009+02:00

Earlier this week I found myself having to do a lot of editing one evening. Sometimes I just feel the need to be in complete silence, other times I actually need noise. I need music or a good movie to carry me through. I found my sister watching Harry Potter and decided to join her while I edit. I like Harry Potter. It's funny, and the special effects are usually interesting and unusual things. Different from the mental picture I had of things, that's for sure. It isn't the first time I have edited to Harry Potter. In fact, last summer I watched Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix while editing Julie&Ryan's wedding. Now, please don't ask me what happened in the movie because I got pr-etty into my editing and by the time I looked up the credits were rolling... I'm not even kidding.

Anyway, in honor of that, and of the Harry Potter movie marathon I've claimed for three years that I am going to have (to catch up on the last 3 movies) I decided to that what this week's Friday Findings needed was for me to bring a little Potter love!

And you know when there's a blockbuster out there, there's always a few people who take it a little too far.

And when there's a few people who take it too far, there's also another small amount of people who force other's to also take it too far!

Have yourselves a magical Friday! ;)

Baptism:: Kevin&Chabeli

2011-09-12T12:03:00.016+02:00

I got my gear and went out to brave the heat. This must have been the hottest day of the year so far. The chapel was only a few blocks away from my house, so the most logical thing would be for me to walk there. As soon as I found the street and noticed the number I knew it would be quite a walk to get there. Also, it was all entirely uphill. As I slowly made it up the hill I saw the large crowd gathered in front of the building. I knew I was in the right place. The display of colors and patterns made me smile. I immediately felt like Cameroon must be a beautiful country to photograph. I was there to shoot a brother and sister, Kevin and Chabeli, as they were going to be baptized. Everyone was happy and high-fiving them.

As the ceremony came to an end and I was starting to mingle with the guests and take pictures, was when I realized just how short I am. It really didn't help that all the women there were wearing gorgeous dresses and equally amazing shoes. There I am, wearing dress pants and flats, sweating, and did I mention feeling short? Yeah. Feeling very very short.

The reception included african food, singing, and dancing. Several friends poked fun at me for thinking food was way too spicy, and I was given a ride back home by my client's bodyguards!
All in all, it was definitely a very memorable night! :)

Congrats Kevin&Chabeli!
(Don't do anything "photo-girl" wouldn't do! ;)

Friday Findings::: Photographers Gone Wild!!

2011-09-09T12:57:00.001+02:00

If there is something that us photographers are guilty of being addicted to, other than taking photos, is gear. We strive to have every lens, camera bag, and accessory imaginable to man. We dream of having an unlimited amount of money to spend at B&H and of the gorgeous results that we could get by using every possible angle and the proper use of all of those super fun new toys. And the danger of this is that we if ever did reach out dream, we would end up looking like this:

I had a hard time picking just a few photos for this post because there were simply too many photos to choose from. Fortunately I found this video to go along with this post. You can laugh or you can be embarrassed know you've put yourself and your camera in situations like these before. Whatever you do, may it all be in good fun.

Have a picture perfect friday!

Fun::: Euskal Encounter!

2011-09-05T12:34:00.001+02:00

I had a plan. I was going to spend 4 hours there. I had visited a few times, but I'd actually never participated. I was hesitant when I walked through the doors, with my MacBook Pro safely in my backpack, comfy sweatshirt, and a bottle of water. "In and out" was what I muttered under my breath. I spent 3 days there.

A couple days earlier I got a call from my older brother, Nick. He had planned on going to the annual Euskal Encounter (basically a computer freak convention) and just found out that he wouldn't be able make it because of his work schedule. He hated the idea of wasting the whole ticket away, so he wanted to know if I would like to go hang out for a bit and take advantage of the crazy fast internet speed. "Since you are always clogging up our internet at home by uploading those HUGE photos of yours, I thought you could get them all up into your online galleries in minutes!" It sounded like a good idea, so I picked up a few things and was on my way.

A long story short, it took me roughly 1 hour to figure out how to get on the internet, 4 hours to get on the events download server, and about 30 seconds upload time for each 20MB image. I walked around with my camera in between spells of frustration and took pictures of the sights. Some of these people were worthy of being on The Big Bang Theory. (At the very least, most of them were admittedly fans of the show). I met a small group of Mac guys among a sea of PC-filled stations and they helped me out a so much! All in all I spent 3 days getting all kinds of work done, hanging out, writing up blogs, and learning a lot about computers. But the environment is what kills me. They don't sleep, they survive on energy drinks, pizza, and snacks. Their skin is subtly tinted by the light bouncing off from their gigantic display, as their eyes squint from focusing on whatever quest, mission, or layer they are currently working on. I could go on and on about these intriguing new "species" but I figure what better than a few photos

to give you an idea of what it's like...

In case there's a carpal tunnel emergency?

So nice to see Grey's Anatomy on a screen, instead of anime, youtube, sci-fi...

I'm going back next year, but I am bringing more supplies!! ;)

Friday Findings::: The Importance Of Eyebrows!!

2011-09-02T12:09:00.000+02:00

A couple weeks ago I dedicated my weekly Friday Findings post to fingernails. It's funny how such a small part of one's appearance can make such a statement at times. I was just now thinking about it and you know what's worse than bad nails? Bad eyebrows!!

C'mon, we've all seen it at some point. People who pluck too much, those who don't pluck at all, and by golly I will never understand those who pluck their eyebrows and then draw them on!! DRAW!! Like, I'm not trying to make anyone upset, but... everyone can tell that you drew those on. I always wonder what happens when they wash their face in the morning/night. They must look really surprised! Haha. Oh, and then you have those people that are so extreme that they tattoo their eyebrows on! Oooookay... I guess it saves them time in the long run. I made a google search for funny eyebrows, but I didn't feel comfortable just posting random people's faces on my blog, it seems so mean. So instead here's the Groucho Marx kitty-kat, this website, and I definitely couldn't blog eyebrows without mentioning the Grey's Anatomy's great "Mama took my eyebrows!"

Full clip here. (It doesn't count as mean if 20 million people see it and it was intended for humor.)

And what is a Friday Findings without a crazy video?! Not fun at all! I thought about naming it "Friday FUNdings" but that would have an entirely different meaning altogether.

More importantly, if you are to take anything from this post to heart, let it be this: when you're getting ready to go out tonight... pluck responsibly. Happy Friday!!

Concert::: Coti!

2011-08-29T12:15:00.001+02:00

He hit the first chord progression and my mind immediately went back to 4 years ago. I was driving my tiny blue '94 Ford Escort wagon. I was going down some country road, 10 miles faster than the posted speed limit. The wind was blatantly roaring on it's way in through the window. And I was singing along to one of my favorite singer songwriters: Coti.

This summer Coti was playing a free show, as part of the scheduled festivities for my town's holiday week. I wasn't entirely sure if I would be going to the show or not, I hadn't listened to his music in a while. It seemed to speak to me a lot more when I was living in Virginia. I was homesick, I knew, and these things brought me a tiny bit closer to home. When I moved back I soon realized that I didn't have the need to listen to all the same music anymore. Some of it was eventually removed off of my iTunes library... but not Coti. He stayed.

I was sitting in my living room, across the street from where they were playing the live show. I was editing something on my computer, and suddenly the music took me back to that place. That road. That window. That song. I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and quickly going down to the show.

I was planning on being really nice and smart about it. Only going as far as I possibly could before people got really pushy. I wasn't going to be shoved around with my camera on me. So I just politely went in between the pockets of space between people, stopped, and took pictures. Then something unexpected happened: people directly in front of me started noticing the giant lens right next to their shoulder. They would then turn around, see me, apologize, and insist on letting me go by. I was a bit confused at first, until I realized that seeing the size of my camera they were all assuming that I was part of the press, trying to get a decent photo for a local newspaper or something. Of course, I knew that if that were the case I should have had a press pass, but they didn't and were still insisting that I go in front of them. I simply smiled, said thank you, and walked on by. I never once asked to go in front of anyone. This kept happening over and over, and before I knew it... I was in the front row! Such a great night. I loved the light show. Such an improvement from all the other shows I'd ever shot. The experience overall was amazing, and I really liked the images I was able to get, so here's a few! :)

Friday Findings::: Bean, The Sequel!

2011-08-25T12:59:00.007+02:00

It's going to seem like I have a recent obsession with beans, but I couldnt help it. A while back I was watching tv with my family when my mom and little sister decided to watch Mr Bean's Holiday. This scene from the movie seriously got the best of me. As soon as I finished watching it, I knew I wanted to post it!

When I started writing this blog post today I wanted to find a funny picture related to the video. One google image search away and I found that there's a lot of people having way too much fun photoshopping Mr Bean's face on to things. Too funny to keep to myself. So here are some of my favorites!

Happy Friday!!

Adventures in San Sebastian::: Beach Time!!

2011-08-22T12:45:00.000+02:00

After running with the bulls we were on the move again! We were pretty much over the slimy, drunk-infested streets of Pamplona. Everything was way overpriced, and you could feel it in the air that the holiday was quickly coming to an end. It was, after all, the second-to-last day. We went back to the hotel and quickly gathered our things, and set out to catch a bus to San Sebastian.

We were all exhausted, and as we started boarding the bus I immediately felt like we weren't the only ones. It's funny to get on a bus full of exhausted collage-aged guys, their blood shot eyes, 3 day stubble, and messy hair all telling the story of the great time they've had in the past x-number of hours. At last, I thought it would be a smooth ride all the way to the beautiful coastline. And just as quickly, I lost all hope of getting any sleep. There were two teenagers on the bus, completely drunk, yelling and singing nonesense about 2 rows behind us. I really don't know how they didn't just get kicked out of the bus. They were even drinking AND smoking in the bus! They were making fun of the foreigners around, and I admit to wanting to start a revolution. I was about to stand up and ask (in English) who wanted to shut them up. I was sure that about half of the bus would stand up, and the kids seeing that their faces were about to be "internationally stamped" would sit down and be quiet. But alas, I actually just stayed in my seat and saw as people who had managed to fall asleep suddenly jumped up at the sound of them screaming. This went on for the whole 1 hour bus ride. No sleep. Not happy. As we invading the aisle to leave the bus, one of them spotted my camera and said "Hey camera girl! Take my picture!!" I very slowly and calmly looked him straight and the eye and said "No" and have to admit to having a light feeling of satisfaction in doing so. We were all still annoyed and terribly exhausted, but we decided that we were in San Sebastian and wouldn't let that get in between us and having

a great time!

As I left my bad attitude behind and started walking towards the Hotel, I quickly realized that even though I use Google Maps quite frequently and I recognize is as being an amazing tool for people that were born without a sense of direction (pretty sure when they were handing it out, I got lost on the way) it is missing one feature: elevation. We walked for a mile in crazy elevation and intense heat. Not to mention, the hotel was nearly impossible to find. Pretty much hiding behind a group of private properties with signs on the gates to keep out. We asked a couple friendly locals, and sure enough we managed to find it. In the words of Dora The Explorer "We did it!" Yes, I just went there. I blame the heat.

We left our things at the hotel and caught a bus to the beach. There is something to be said about just laying in the sand, listening to the waves crashing, feeling the sun gently kissing your face... without a care in the world or a place to go. There was small talk, walking around downtown, grabbing a bite to eat, and then sooner than I would have liked, catching a bus back home.

Thanks guys for such an amazing time!

(Be sure to check out Ryan's blog post here.)

Friday Findings::: Bars, Beans, and Flower Pots!!

2011-08-19T13:00:00.000+02:00

Have you ever seen one of those movies that have 5-10 different characters, with different stories, and somehow all connect at the end of the movie? Think "Love Actually". Well this blog post is going to be a little bit like that. On the one hand you have the bar I live right across the street from, on the other a flower pot, and on a foot (since I'm all out of hands) a bean.

I have to admit that I am not exactly what one would call a morning person. In fact, I hate morning. I think part of the reason is because I have problems going to sleep, therefore morning always come uninvited and far too early. But I'm not merely using this blog post to complain, my pathetic ability to sleep is no one's fault. Except during the weekend. In comes the bar across the street. Said bar closes at about 5 am every Friday and Saturday "night" and out come the temporarily hearing impaired, euphoric, and completely intoxicated people... yelling, singing, and otherwise being obnoxious. This of course wakes me up. In comes the flower pot.

Why? Simply because my first instinct is always a deep desire to go out to the balcony and start throwing flower pots at them until they run for their life.

What does any of this have to do with a bean? I guess it would seem safe to assume that I am growing some type of beans in those airborne flower pots. Wrong. Instead it tracks back to a video that I saw a couple years ago. So this Friday Findings is glad to present "Killer Bean". Beautifully crafted, quite funny, and easily something that people can relate to at one point or another. In a fantasy world, on a random sleepless Saturday night, I would be this bean.

So now you know... when you're out partying tonight and leave the bar, don't forget to look up every once in a while, God-forbid there might be a flower pot flying your way! (Haha. OK, so I am totally exaggerating a bit, but do remember to drink responsibly and to try to be respectful of other people in the area.)

Happy Friday!!

Adventures in Pamplona::: Running Of The Bulls!

2011-08-15T12:49:00.001+02:00

I had never been to San Fermin. To be honest, I had never had much of an interest in going. To me the internationally known holiday, just an hour drive away, had always depicted an image of drunkenness and bravery dashed with a hint of stupidity. I had been somewhat intrigued by it since starting photography, but I always assumed that being only an hour and a half drive away I could always find time to go. I guess it's like those people who live in Paris but have never been up the Eiffel tower. It wasn't until Tim King and a few of his friends told me they were planning a trip to Pamplona this year that I decided to be on my way.

Their trip pretty much started all wrong. They flew into Madrid and after just one day of exploring they woke up the next day to discover that someone had broken into their locker at the hostal and stolen thousands of dollars worth of their belongings. Professional cameras, lenses, laptops, wallets, even a passport. Talk about a nightmare. I found out about this "hiccup" just a few hours before I was bound to catch my bus to meet them. They said they would try to make it to the train to Pamplona on time but weren't sure about how long they would be stuck at the American embassy, trying to get a new passport. Did I mention they stole their cell phone?

Yeah, no way of communicating...

To make matters worse, if I got to Pamplona and they were nowhere to be found I would have to spend the night wandering the streets by myself, surrounded by drunks, and with my heavy camera bag on me. Still, somehow I found myself actually boarding the bus, unaware if I was about to set myself up for a really long potentially dangerous night. I don't know what got me thinking that Pamplona was only a one hour bus ride away, but it's actually 1:45, and I was running more than an hour late of when I told them I would be there to find them. I quickly hailed a cab to the train station and hoped and prayed they would be there. The cab driver said there was no train that arrived at the time they had specified. Perfect.

Getting anxious by the minute, I decided to stick around the train station to see if they managed to board the last train. Hundreds of people filled platform one, and I stood on my tiptoes hoping to spot them. "Any minute now, please God?" and when the train was about 3/4ths my eye went straight to the Showit brown t-shirt from last year’s tour, and I knew Tim would be the one sporting it. Awesome!

Our adventure involved a lot of walking and using Google maps to find where to go next, but we made it to the hotel on time and I managed to get a whole ONE hour of sleep before getting up at 5:30am to be on our way to the running of the bulls. We revved up our engines with granola bars, and we passed the area smelling of all-things-unpleasant , with partygoers still in full swing, as we happily sipped on the straws of our juice boxes. It kinda figures that upon planning a daytrip with 3 guys my motherly instincts would kick in and make me pack a breakfast to go! When we finished up our coffe, we found a good spot for me to sit behind the fence and have a good vantage point from which to attempt to get a shot of the guys running with the bulls.

The hotel's sleeping arrangement for four...

What?! You didn't actually think I would run, did you? I gotta save something for next year! ;) After that we ate a quick lunch and were on our way to spend the rest of the day in San Sebastian.

Visit Tim and Ryan's blog to see their side of the story! :)

Friday Findings::: Nine Inch Nails!!

2011-08-12T12:27:00.000+02:00

I was casually riding the metro back home a couple days ago, when my sister directed my attention to another passenger. More specifically to her nails. They were several inches long, and I felt tempted to think that she wouldn't be allowed through airport security. It was then that I started thinking about how funny it seems to me for people to put so much thought and care into their nails. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I guess it's just not my thing. See, growing up I was a tomboy, and later on in life I didn't hesitate to take up playing guitar, drums, and even some violin. None of these skills are known for tolerating long fingernails, and you can forget about having your nail polish staying on and looking perfect. Throw in biting my nails when I'm nervous to the mix... and you get the idea. Still, I appreciate the creativity some girls throw into getting their nails done. Even if I am still scratching my head over Legally Blonde's Elle Woods character saying that what always makes her feel better is a good

I totally understand someone getting this...

Click here to see more funny nail photos

I feel like this is what would happen to me if I ever went to the nail salon...

Happy Friday, celebrate with a mani-pedi?!! :)

Friday Findings::: Bring On The Beer!

2011-08-05T13:09:00.002+02:00

Who doesn't like beer? Well, I don't... so stop judging me! Haha. You surely won't find me Tim King-ing it, and drinking a cold one on a video blog while talking about my photography business. Even though I appreciate his boldness and authenticity, I personally feel that beer tastes pretty close to what I can only imagine as being the flavor of chilled devil's pee. But beer lovers all around, don't hate me just yet! While I obviously think that beer is tremendously overrated, I do enjoy a good beer add. Why? Because even though I may not completely agree with the message that is being sent out in a lot of beer adds, I also think that most beer commercials are simply original and quite funny. And who couldn't finish off their week with an extra dose of laughter?

Happy Friday! Drink responsibly. ;)

Raquel::: Maternity

2011-08-01T12:00:00.002+02:00

They were glowing as they opened the door to their home. Raquel&Ibon were going to be parents for the first time and they couldn't be happier to have a little photo shoot to remember this moment by. A little bit camera shy at first, they quickly got comfortable while we had small talk and a short coffee break during the shoot. He is a great guitar player and I thought it was super sweet when he suggested playing some music for her and the baby. Sweet and happy people, caffeine, and great music. What more could I ask for?

I can't wait to meet the little one! :)

Friday Findings::: Come Fly With Me, Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away!

2011-07-29T12:06:00.003+02:00

I've never really understood people who are scared of flying. If you go as far as to look at the statistics, you would think that people would be far more inclined to be afraid of driving, leaving their home, or playing competitive sports. Still, flying must seem overwhelming to some people. But here's the thing, you know what's overwhelming? Looking over your shoulder while rapidly going down the runway and finding out then and there that your older sister is terrified of flying. On a route known for its turbulence. On a 3 hour flight.

Anyway, back to my point... some people don't like flying, and it's probably a good thing that at the time my sister Amber had never seen this picture.

Or this video, taken during a storm, of a plane landing at our local airport...

But for other people flying is FUN! We take delight in finding that no matter where we are in the world we can always feel right at home by finding a Starbucks immediately adjacent to a bookstore, peeking out through the plane's window for a breathtaking view, or secretly hating those passengers that get to be chauffeured around in a golf cart. We enjoy creativity within the airport walls...

...and the creative ideas we could come up with if we were stuck in an airport all night. Of course, provided that the security cameras were magically turned off! :P

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HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Baby Diego

2011-07-25T12:02:00.000+02:00

He was perfect. That was my first impression when I saw my honorary nephew, Diego. I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Madrid to shoot the cutest little bundle of awesomeness. Just getting there on time and relying on confusing public transportation was an adventure in itself. But when I saw my life-long friend open the door and the huge smile on her face as she showed me her precious baby boy, I knew it was definitely worth it.

He has the funniest expressions...

"It Wasn't Me"

"Doing trigonometry in my head..."

"The Flamenco Dancer"

"The Thinker"

Not to mention, he has so many people who love him to the moon and back. :)

Congratulations Veronica and Victor!

Friday Findings::: Photography-Gone-Wild!

2011-07-22T12:36:00.001+02:00

I love photography. I love photographers. I love the techy, the experienced, the people who know the know-how's behind every question I've been dying to know the answer to. I was talking to a friend recently and surprised her when talking about batteries I casually worded out "Nickel-Metal-Hydride" instead of "NiMH." That's when I realized maybe I'm turning a bit geeky myself. This all got me thinking that there were probably others out there who had been walking the walk way longer than I have. It is clear to me that I must be a simple Padawan in a universe full of Master Jedi's. And yes, I know that last comment just turned me into even more of a geek. My point is: Inside every photographer there is a geek. If you don't agree, I challenge you to find a photographer out there who doesn't think either of these is awesome.

If you'd been wondering what the Canon 5D mkiii would feature, here is a photo that Canon just released.

If you find yourself sitting in your studio with some time on your hands and not knowing what you do... try recreating THIS!

HAPPY FRIDAY!! :)

Travel::: Weekend With Alex

2011-07-18T12:58:00.001+02:00

The rain wouldn't stop us from having a ridiculously good time driving around rural Spain and seeing castles, having coffee in small town cafe's, and exploring an abandoned train station. My sister Alameth and I packed our bags and set off for a wonderful weekend getaway with our friend Alex. He is one of those guys who knows a little bit about everything and can make any outing an interesting learning experience. Our car ride involved the widest variety of amazing music, great conversations, and quizzes on Emergency Pediatrics. I guess that's what you get when you have three EMT's in the car! As it happened to be, one of those EMT's is also a hopelessly addicted photographer, so you know what comes next... ;)

Alex being Rapunzel with Alameth's hair...

Castle before they restored it

No Alex, I will not jump...

Alameth and I were both cold. Alex made a bet that we could both fit in his windbreaker. He barely won. I haven't been this close to my sister in my life! LOL

Then we decided to risk our lives by exploring an abandoned train station...

Thanks for an awesome time Alex! Let's do it again sometime!

Friday Findings::: Horsing Around

2011-07-15T12:00:00.000+02:00

I love to take pictures of emotions, reactions, and candid shots. I especially love funny photos, and this week I've been noticing a lot of hilarious animals all over the internet. Furthermore, I also really love my mom, and when I was growing up she always encouraged me to share. ;)