california bridals

why oh why does the beach have to be so far away from my house? i'm here in california this week to shoot a wedding in LA and take these bridal shots for gorgeous kandace. i loooooved the combination of this location with her dress and style- stunning!

NiKON 17-55 f/2.8 FOR SALE. $950

UPDATE: SOLD

well ya'll, i'm sorry to say that i'm selling my 17-55mm f/2.8 lens! it's been my go to lens ever since i bought it from b and h photo last year. the only reason i'm selling it is because it's not really meant for my full frame d700. boo.

the lens is in awesome condition and a little over a year old. i feel like i should disclose that it was once dropped and the outer plastic rim was damaged. it was repaired by NIKON USA via PICTURELINE though so there is absolutely zero remaining damage. the glass was never damaged whatsoever and is in perfect shape!

if you're interested, please send me an e-mail or call me!

jesslkettle@yahoo.com 435.770.8966

oh yea, the technical mumbo jumbo. >> Utah Birth Photographer

i couple of you have e-mailed or commented about lighting for the birth story, thanks for reminding me! i was going to write about it but forgot. =)

lens wise, i used my 50 mm f/1.4 the WHOLE TIME. didn't switch once. i also upgraded to the NIKON D700 about 6 weeks ago and let me tell you, there is NO.WAY. i could have shot this on my D300 and ended up with the same results. i actually brought the D300 and put the 17-55 lens on it so i could shoot with two cameras, and it was pointless because my ISO just couln't hack it on that camera.

straight up, the lighting was a little tricky. one, it was D A R K. like, really dark. we were going for quiet and relaxing, so all the lights were off except for one small fluorescent light over the sink on one side of the room. the labor shots were all shot at about f/2.2-2.8, 1/50 sec. and ISO 4000. I dropped as low as 3200 ISO and went up to 5000 on a few. told ya it was dark! haha!

once the actual delivery started, we turned on the light in the bathroom and opened the door which helped with the ambient light, plus they turned on this spotlight thing that shined right on (well, you know). so it was still quite dark in the room and then there was a VERY bright light right on the baby. those shots and most of the subsequent shots were taken at 1/250, f/2.5 and ISO 2000. I definitely had some hot spots though, but it was sortof the best middle ground.

i did not and would probably never use flash or artificial lighting of any kind. it seems as if it would be very intrusive and there is no way i would have gotten all the shots of baby with his eyes open... like these ones. haha! =)

birth story: baby abram. >> Utah Birth Photographer

this has been one of the most remarkable things i have experienced as a photographer, i was so honored to be invited to this special event! celeste decided to go AU NATURAL and did so much preparation in order to be ready for it. her first baby was born with a epidural etc. and she just felt like they were all a little loopy and disconnected. so this time around she was determined to have a natural, spiritual, and emotionally connected birth experience and attended a local HYPNOBIRTHING class. both she and matt did so much research and preparation to be sure that this was achieved. i remember a few weeks prior to her due date, celeste was relaying some of her excitement about having a natural birth. she told me she could not wait to experience it all and that she knew that the birth would be hard, but that it would be the closest and most connected she would ever feel to God, her husband, and her new baby. she wanted and expected a beautiful, loving, spiritual birth, and i think that's exactly what she got. i think the fact that they also went through a year and a half of trying to conceive and two miscarriages to get this little man here made it that much more amazing. celeste told me that despite all of the waiting and the pain, she knew this little guy was meant to come at the time he did.

celeste's water broke at 1pm on wednesday, so I thought for sure she would deliver before midnight! but the going was slow and at 11:30 she was still at a 6. i waited a while and finally whent to bed when i was informed that she wasn't really progressing. at 3 am i got the call that things were turning around and she was at a 7! i hopped in the car and when i arrived at mckaydee hospital, the lights were low, soft music was playing, celeste was SO calm and in control and matt was right there helping her physically and mentally the entire time. i was SO impressed by the teamwork that went into this birth- celeste was absolutely AMAZING, but matt was an incredible birth coach!!

{i am so proud to share my first ever birth story- i hope you enjoy it! please be forewarned that although we aren't showing any - you know, PARTS - this is birth photography after all so if you're bothered by that, maybe skip this post. though if you do, i think you're crazy!}

it was slow going for a couple of hours, but finally around 5 she transitioned and it went FAST from there! i couldn't believe how calm she remained through the hard labor.

-the pushing starts-

HERE. HE. COMES!! celeste had requested to lift the baby onto her chest herself and have an extended amount of skin to skin time before cutting the cord and cleaning up. the rest truly speaks for itself...

in case you were wondering, 9 POUNDS 8 OUNCES, 22 and 1/2 inches.

NO PAIN KILLERS.

at this point we moved to the postpartum rooms and got a little rest before grandma and grandpa brought big sister sawyer to visit...

baby abram...

thank you again matt and celeste for allowing me to be a part of this incredible experience, i could not be more honored to witness the birth of this perfect baby boy! love you all.

new.

ok, so i didn't hit a post every day. but i think i have a preeeeetty good excuse! one of my very best friends went into labor wednesday night and i essentially pulled an all nighter and photographed BIRTH for the first time Thursday morning. It was one of the most incredible, beautiful things i have ever experienced- personally and professionally. i felt so honored to be able to be there, let alone photograph it! i can't wait to share more when everything has been pre-approved by the couple, but here are just a couple of favorites. i about died when i saw this first one, taken just seconds after the baby was placed on mama's chest. one of my all time favorite photos.

jalene + lincoln, engaged.

well folks, meet jalene [she has quite the darling blog] and lincoln, one of my 2010 couples! these two are so stinking adorable and their shoot was soooo fun. j is an aspiring photographer herself so we have had so much fun coming up with plans for her photography! i can't wait for her wedding in june- but for now enjoy the engagement shots!

in case you're keeping score, i am actually making my third post of the WEEK. woot woot!