Baby Olivia - "Newborn Photography"

Guess who is having a baby.....?

My wife Michele and I are extremely happy to announce we are expecting our first little one in the near future. Michele is at 14 weeks and we have both been to a handful of doctors appointments and everything is looking good. Our first 4D ultrasound is booked for this week so we may find out the gender which will be exciting. Whether it be a girl or boy we are both looking forward to being a Mom & Dad to our first baby Canexican (Canadian/Mexican).

"We treasure this first glimpse of you, the amazing miracle of life is true. So small, yet awesome in what you’ll become. Grow strong and healthy, our little one. We are here, dreaming and waiting, wishing, preparing, anticipating, Each day is a step closer to life anew, each day a touch closer to holding you".

The ultrasound image was captured at 8 weeks.

San Diego Zoo - Photography Tips

Spent the day with some family at the San Diego Zoo and of course I had to bring the camera along. We all had a great time and got some cool photos as well.
Photographing in an environment like the San Diego Zoo you definitely have plenty of beautiful options to photograph. But, you need to do a little bit of walking and have a little patience as well. With so many people wanting to see and photograph the exact same animal you just need to find a way to get the shot. In this first image of the orangutan there were at least 20+ people standing in front of the glass all looking down him. I got down to eye level with the orangutan and squeezed between two ladies on my knees and just waited for him to turn his head my way. Took me a few images to capture the one you see which is definitely my favorite shot of the day.
90% of the animals are behind either glass or rope which is obviously understandable, but it does affect your images if you let it.
Again, using the orangutan as an example, almost everyone with a camera was using a flash. Firing off a flash into glass is going to reflect mostly all of it and scare off the animal. Most cameras these days give you an ISO option which can be changed in the cameras settings. Boosting your cameras ISO may give you the capability to not have to fire off your flash, reducing the glare in the glass. For those not entirely familiar with their cameras settings get out your manual and try some new settings.

The Price is Right Show Update

Well.., this is where I have to burst everyone's bubble on Facebook that my younger brother Jordan and I did not make it on stage at The Price is Right Show. Pretty realistic photo though.. This photo was taken prior to the show on a green screen and they let you decide which background you want. We both decided to do a group photo in front of the wheel and sport the dual "Shooter McGavin" pose. As soon as we got a copy of the photo back I took a photo of it on my cell phone and uploaded it to Facebook to joke with my wife Michele. Of course I fooled her, but, I also got a lot of classic comments and messages from friends & family thinking we really made it up on stage. So, Jordan and I both decided why ruin the fun for the day...
I could literally write pages of the overall experience from yesterday, but, I will spare you all the details. Go and experience the daytime adventure for yourself and you will know exactly what we went through. Here is the link for anyone really interested. The Price is Right - Tickets

All in all I had a good time and it was cool to hang out with the younger brother for the day. In all honesty the photo was the best part of the day for me. In years to come this will definitely be an awesome photo to look back on.
Our Price is Right episode is going to air 4.5.2011.

Don's 65th Birthday Party

Photographed my father-in-law's 65th Birthday over the weekend, which was held at Templar's Hall next to the Hamburger Factory in Poway. This was a surprise birthday, so everyone had to show up early to make sure Don didn't see anyone out front. He thought he was going to a fundraiser, but little did he know he had family & friends waiting to celebrate his birthday with him. (His actual birthday is this weekend) The party had a 50's theme to it and quite a few folks dressed the part which was classic. Must say the roller-skating girl who was hired by the event company took the prize for the night for best costume, she did an awesome job I must say.
The surprise went over very well and looks as though everyone had a great time. Below are a few of the images from the event.

New Years with Family in Lake Arrowhead

Haven't posted for a few weeks now due to the holidays and ramping up for 2011. So, I thought I would start off the first post of 2011 with a trip my family and I took up to Lake Arrowhead, California for New Years. It was honestly quite nice to get out of dodge for a few days and enjoy some time with the family. Michele and I were not able to get the whole family up there this year, but, it was cool to have my folks, oldest brother and his wife & kids come along.
This trip brought back a lot of memories of my childhood growing up in Canada and I wished my other brothers could have been there to enjoy it as well.
To me Christmas isn't Christmas without the snow, that's just me though. I suppose it is just a "tad" nicer to be able to drive home to the San Diego weather versus living in the snow..
The little ones definitely had a great time considering this was their first trip to the snow. Overall I think everyone had a great time and it was a nice get away with the family. Truly wished we had a few extra days to stay up there.
Below are a few of the images taken on the trip.

Marissa, Cory & Cayson Family Photo Shoot

Photographed little Cayson with his Mom & Dad (Marissa & Cory) just hanging out on a Saturday morning. It honestly seems like just yesterday photographing Marissa for her maternity photos.
Cayson was just way to cool and I think he really enjoyed my photography equipment. From the tri-pod to the camera, he was quite intrigued and had to check everything out. Especially liked his bib that says, "gotta love me", and his jeans that he kept on tripping over. Again, he was just way to much fun to hang with.
Michele and I are still keeping our fingers crossed on little boys... Michele really can't wait until there are little versions of me running around, I can't wait.

Natalie, Chad & Maddie Family Photo Shoot

Spent a few hours photographing Natalie, Chad & Maddie at Natalie's beautiful home in Rancho Sante Fe the other day. Pulling into the driveway I knew right away we had to do some shots on the bench out front. We picked out a few other spots to take some other photos and away we went. Natalie was just looking for a few family shots and a couple maternity shots of her before #2 comes along. Chad & Natalie are expecting their new little one in the next few weeks which they are thrilled about. I'm really looking forward to photographing the new addition to their family in the weeks to come.
Below are just a few of the images from the photo session.