www.Kylevalencia.com

Soccer Individual Pictures

2012-02-08T19:52:00.012-05:00

I took some team and individual Soccer pictures the other day at Northview High School and decided I would tell you a little about my set up. As you can see by the first photo - I had four lights. You might be thinking, "Four lights?! I only see three!" In photography, always assume your number one light is the SUN. I was standing/shooting at the bottom left corner of the image above. The two lights facing the chalk lines making "X" were my fill flashes. the light in the back was my rim light. The fill flashes were at 1/4 power and the rim light was at full power. Here is a test shot I took of myself before I started taking shots of the players. you can see the rim light was used to put light on my back and make me "pop" out of the image by "rimming" me out.
Settings. ISO 200, Aperature 7.1. Shutter 1/100. White Balance was set to "flash"
Here are some more pictures of the players I took that day.

Unfortunatley the wind and clouds were not in my favor during the middle of the shoot. The sky opened and created TOO much rim light on the back creating sun bursts in my lens.

So I moved my lights and location and got a few more good shots.

Hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial on individual soccer pictures. Post comments, questions, or other topics you want me to cover!

Place mats as a background

2012-01-23T12:15:00.004-05:00

This is going to be a quick note. I just wanted every to see how I took this picture of Lincoln today. I wanted to get a close up of his face in natural light. He has some huge and cute eyes!

I didnt want to use a generic black or white backdrop, so I took our dining table's place mats and placed them on the ground next to our sliding glass door in the kitchen.

I put a reflector by his feet to reflect the light coming in through the window back onto his face. like this:

This allowed me to get this shot in complete natural light. Use a white sheet draped over a chair if you don't have a reflector - it will work pretty well to refelct back onto your subject.

Hope you found this helpful.
Shot in manual. ISO 640. Shutter 1/80. Aperature 2.8 (Lens Canon 24-70L 2.8)

Content is Key

2012-01-10T07:39:00.003-05:00

I recently attended a wedding in Birmingham for a friend that has been in our lives (myself and my wife) for a very long time. We have had wonderful memories with Adam and his wonderful family! It is always refreshing to (1) see friends get married and (2) not have to worry about photographing the entire wedding.

I titled this "Content is Key" becuase I wanted to talk to you about making sure that whenever you take pictures you are always thinking about the content in that image. Shutter speeds, ISO's, and aperature's are all very important things. They are crucial in order to get a good image. One might argue that it is the most important part of getting a good image. I would disagree. Content is either as important or more important. You can shoot an image of anything and it be perfectly exposed, but if it doesn't excite people or create emotions in them, then it is not a good image. Good art moves people.

Take the image above. I was playing around with my camera as Adam and Meredith were dancing. I didn't use a flash, I had my ISO bumped up to 2500, shutter at 1/160 and my aperature at 2.8. The images came out a little blurry. But those images, in my opinion :), are great becuase of the content. They show love. They show excitement. I wasn't working the wedding so I didn't use my time to get the greatest exposure - I used it to capture content.

Go out and create images that move.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

What if you saw a cow doing a backflip?

2012-01-02T21:25:00.008-05:00

The title of this note is only a portion of what I want to talk about. It is one of MANY questions we ask our boys (& clients) in order to get their attention. Asking weird and intriguing questions to your subjects is one of the best ways to (1) get their attention and (2) get a real reaction and expression. They are caught off guard and will give real results.

"What if you saw a monkey on your swing outside?" "What if backhoe knocked on your bedroom door and asked you to play?" "What if a trash truck said, "ooooooooooooh yeah!!! ?" "I think YOU smell like a trash truck!"
Here are a few results.

The more important thing I wanted to talk to about (IMO) is the more technical part of the photo shoot. I was eating breakfast with my boys and wife when I realized the rising sun was reflecting off a window of a neighbors house, through our kitchen window, and onto our kitchen floor. WOW! What an opportunity. This a FREE opportunity. I say free because there was NO need for flashes or strobes. The sun was doing all the work. All I needed to do was use it.
I shot all these at F1.8, 1/125 and an ISO at 400.. It is all natural light.

You can see in this next photo what I am talking about. There is just a little room where there was "good" light. This allowed me to light my subject and keep the background dark and "mysterious" thus giving me a great image!

By using natural light I was able to (1) NOT have to use expensive equipment such as strobes, flashes, pocket wizard’s, and other triggers as well as (2) be creative in my manual settings in my camera and get THIS SHOT

He's such a cutie.

Give me your thoughts, questions, and insights!

Baby Photography: Minimal Materials, Large Results

2012-01-01T14:06:00.010-05:00

I have a new born baby, actually he is already three months (!), and today I decided I really need to get some images of him before he gets all chunked up like my other children did (if you know my other children, you know what I mean)

Lincoln is the perfect subject - always smiling!

First off, I took this photo in our guest bedroom on the bed. I took a white tablecloth and draped it on the bed. I then used a white blanket for Linc to lay on. (this adds texture to the photo)
There was natural light coming in from two windows from camera left and I used a flash on manual @ 1/8 power pointed to the ceiling.

After setting up my camera, ISO at 300, Shutter at 1/200, and at F 2.8 (I also used a 50mm at 1.8), I started shooting away. I probably took only 100 shots and came out with about 5-7 that I really liked. (see more below). The key with baby photography is to have more than one person. I had my wife, Jessica, making Linc smile and position him. It would not have worked if I had tried to position him, make him smile, AND take his picture.

Hugh Williams asked me to do this next part. He wanted to see some of the outtakes in a photo shoot. Below are just a few of the outtakes from this photo shoot. There were lighting issues, posing issues, weird facial expressions, and bad angles.

Below are a few of my favorites. I LOVED that the tie matched Lincoln's eyes! Take some time in the next week and try to do a photo shoot. Use lamps and plug in lights if you don't have any strobes or speedlights. The main thing is to get creative, try using manual modes, and actually press the shutter button!

Product Photography: Strawberries and Martini's

2012-01-01T14:02:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken at F4.5 and 1/200 for the shutter.. I was bored one day and decided I wanted to shoot strawberries in a martini glass. I simply placed a white backdrop (you could use a table clothe) in the back of my pick up truck. I place a strobe light in the top right at 1/8 power and had a speed light on camera at 1/8 for a little fill. I simply dropped the strawberries from a foot above the glass and pressed the shutter down (and held it down) as soon as the berries entered the glass.

HERE IS THE KEY. Keep your lens at Manual. I put a pencil in the middle of the glass and focused the lens on the pencil. This way my lens will fire quickly and not have to "search" around while I am dropping the strawberries AND Will keep my subject, the strawberries, in constant focus.

This was a fun project and I enjoyed playing around with my lights, lenses, and camera. I probably took around 100 photos and only kept this one... Keep on Shooting!

Senior Shoot for Lambert High School

2011-10-28T15:17:00.003-04:00

I had a need for some High School Senior Representatives for Lambert High School. The White family came right to my mind. I have known their family for over 10 years now and I know that they currently have two girls at Lambert. Macy invited her friend Taylor to come to the shoot. Below are a few shots I took during the session last week. We first went to an open field of Ga 20. It is an abandoned paintball facility. It has great "big" shots and has perfect lighting while the sun is fading away after a long day. We then proceeded to shoot at downtown Cumming.
All of the "field shots" were taken with my 70-200 2.8L Canon lens. I shot them with my 40D at 2.8 and 1/200 of a second. I have an on camera flash set to 1/8 power as well as an off camera speed light set to 1/4 power.

Kayla's Senior Session

2011-10-08T22:02:00.003-04:00

Check out our latest High School Senior Session.
Kayla shoot was very fun! We went to Pooles MIll Park in Cumming. There is a million places to shoot around this park. Cascading waterfalls, covered bridges, and a wonderful riverbank.
It is never too late to book a session.
77.365.1738
www.KyleValencia.com

Triplets!

2011-03-24T13:43:00.004-04:00

Wow - I thought photographing single babies could get hard! Although this was a difficult photoshoot, it was also extremely fun! These three precious babies were very photogenic and actually slept for 1/3 of the shoot.
Enjoy!

Photos in a Dungeon

2011-02-14T13:43:00.004-05:00

Let me tell you something - When I was ask to shoot at "The Ice" in forsyth, I was excited for the challenge. I have always head that taking pictures on the ice is a very difficult task. And it was. I had to bump up the ISO to 500 when using the flash (Individual hockey player). 1600 when using no flash (the boy and the father picture). This was a "try out" for me to be able to shoot their team and individual pictures during their hockey season. Guess I passed, I will be shooting them in March.

Bianca and Tristen

2011-02-10T16:56:00.004-05:00

It is always fun taking pictures of engaged couples. It is even more fun to take them of family you have never met before. Bianca is my Aunts husbands daughter. Bianca and Tristen lived out in California up until recently and I had the privilege to meet them and shoot their engagement session all in the same day.

They are a really fun and trendy couple - so taking these pictures was exciting and entertaining.

These were shot on a road off James Burgess near Settles Bridge. I regularly go here to fly fish and have alway knew it would be a perfect place to shoot engagement sessions.

Covenant Christian Basketball

2011-01-21T11:46:00.004-05:00

Took the Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball teams and individuals at Covenant Christian Academy this week. I had three off camera lights. An Alien bee at 1/4 power pointed at the basketball goal and the side of the player at camera right. I also had two speedlights with an umbrella and a softbox on either side of the player at 1/8 power. This created the effect I wanted to have the player "pop" out of the photograph with the hoop/net in the background illuminated just a little.

goofy shot with the guys

Flying High!

2011-01-21T11:43:00.002-05:00

We went to North Carolina this year right after Christmas. It was a great time to hang out with the extended family and play on the beach with the boys. Here are a few shots we took during an amazing sunset!

Snow Day!

2011-01-21T11:41:00.001-05:00

It never snows in Georgia.... But last week was the "Blizzard of 2011". I think the last time it snowed like this in Georgia was 10 or so years ago. I know my boys both really enjoyed playing and sledding in it though!

Matt and Taylor Levinson

2010-10-16T08:34:00.002-04:00

A wonderful and fun couple and a gorgeous wedding!

Covenant Christian Varsity Soccer

2010-09-27T11:08:00.002-04:00

In order to better control the light, I used a 8x8 tent canopy to shade the players. It was well worth the ability to light the players in the way I wanted.

I had two speedlights firing. One was slightly behind the players right shoulder and the other was on their front left.

It is always a pleasure taking Covenant pictures!

Covenant Christian Volleyball

2010-09-27T11:01:00.002-04:00

Covenant Christian is an amazing school. The students are so respectful, talented, and great to work with. Here are a few shots I got taking their Varsity Volleyball team.

Senior Portraits

2010-09-01T20:30:00.003-04:00

Miss your opportunity this summer for your senior portrait? Book with Valencia photography today. Session are only $69!

Funk Session

2010-08-20T22:18:00.002-04:00

The Funk's are dear friends of mine and it was so much fun doing this session. Their three girls are so beautiful and then fourth new addition, Macy, is full of energy and fun!

Christian

2010-08-19T10:51:00.005-04:00

Christian and I had a awesome session yesterday. He is an aspiring photographer and had a lot of great ideas and vision for what he wanted for his senior shots. Here is just a taste.

I was so eager to sift through my shots I already posted all his pictures on my site. You can view them all here:
http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/valenciaphotography/albums/high_school_senior/102742

Its been awhile

2010-08-12T14:46:00.004-04:00

I feel like I am just throwing up on my blog by putting up so many pictures. It has been a summer that has just flown by. Here are a few shots that I have taken over the last few months.

It is an understatement to say that Julia was a pleasure to photograph. People in theater/drama are so easy to shoot.

Piney Grove Football Team and Individuals

Voss Wedding

2010-08-12T14:42:00.003-04:00

Roswell River Landing is truly one of the most gorgeous places to shoot a wedding in roswell! Nick and Nicole's wedding was amazing to shoot. it was full of great great scenery, perfect light, and beautiful people!

Gilmore Wedding

2010-08-12T14:09:00.006-04:00

Wow - this was a fun wedding in so many ways. One it was with some of my co-workers at a local school. Two - the beautiful bride getting marreid was my high school math teacher. Check out some shots of this amazing wedding!

2010-07-24T11:43:00.004-04:00

Maddox Isaiah Valencia 1.28.2010

2010-01-28T12:00:00.007-05:00

Our little baby Maddox. 5lb. 7oz.
We just found out that he will be staying at least 7-10 days. We will be leaving today (1/30) and visiting him everyday until he comes home! Cant wait to have him and Peyton hanging out!!

It has been a great experience here at Northside Forsyth. So glad we decided to come here. The NICU nurses and doctors are really attentive and Jessie and I feel comforter knowing he is getting very good care!

Here are a few (of MANY) pictures I have taken over the past 48 hours or so.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR?!

2010-01-28T11:15:00.000-05:00

2010-01-20T08:19:00.008-05:00

WinterJAM 2010

2010-01-17T22:08:00.005-05:00

2009-10-19T13:17:00.003-04:00

Myrtle Beach 2009

2009-08-31T13:51:00.001-04:00

It was yet another great time at Myrtle Beach. Every year at the end of the summer we go to Myrtle Beach. It is such a perfect time to go. The summer is always so crazy for us! So a week long beach trip is always appreciated at the end of the summer.

Pman!

Peyton Loved to Surf!

Summer 2009

2009-08-31T13:46:00.003-04:00

Took this on my vacation to Myrtle Beach. The rainbow looked like this for just a few moments.

Took these pictures below at Panama City, Panama

This boy is a native. He lives in a Thatched roof hut and bathes in the creek. All the kids were very cute!

Panama Canal!

Wedding in July

2009-08-31T12:28:00.003-04:00

Right before the kiss

Great railroad tracks right next to the reception hall

Wow - It has been such a long time since I updated my blog. I have been so busy! This summer was Crazy.. I had photography, Grace Fellowship, sold stuff off craigs list, did design for jobhunter, aggressive advertisement, and did a few other odd jobs!

Here are a few pics of a wedding I did back in July. It was probably the best and more fun wedding I have ever shot! Meredith and Scott were both really cool, funny, and fun people!

Flore Photoshoot

2009-05-31T22:50:00.002-04:00

Had a photoshoot with the Flore family again. They have proven themselves to be one of my best clients! This is the biggest family portrait I am ever done (well, not really, done bigger at weddings) - I shot these with my 40D and Alien Bee 800. Most were F6-11 250

Drops of water

2009-05-31T22:39:00.002-04:00

I was bored one night, So I decided to take some pictures of water droplets...

Biggest Trout Yet!

2009-05-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

Dicks creek up in north Ga is now my favorite place to fish. Bryan and I spent two nights here and spent 90% of our time fishing and cooking trout. The average size trout we were catching were between 8-9 inches. The entire time we were there we probably caught about 45 trout and cooked probably 20 of those.

Here is the exception of that 8-9 inch trout. This beauty was the prize of the weekend. he is 21.5 inches and was caught in a pool no more than 10 feet across and 5-6 feet deep. I played him for just a few seconds and then swung him on the bank because I only had 2lb line on. it snapped off right when it was getting onto the bank.

Here is some context to the size trout we were catching and the monster I caught

the two filets on the fire...... I put toasted almond on my side. MMmmm

First nights catch

Peyton 8 Months

2009-05-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

The Nator Gator

I got my new Alien Bee AB800 light the other day so I decided to play with it. It was fun to use Pman as my subject. The backdrop is actually our bedsheet draped on 2 chairs.

His hair looks red in certain lighting! Don't know exactly where he got that.

More Fishing - Grand Cascades

2009-04-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

This is the biggest catfish I have ever caught. I threw out a piece of a hotdog and caught this monster in about 5 mins! It took me about 5 mins to get him in because I was using an ultralight rod with 4LB test line. I think he was easily 5BL

A pic when I got home. My neighbor, John, wanted to take some catfish home to filet and eat - MMmmmm it was GOOD!

They also have bass at the Grand Cascades. I caught this guy in about 2 feet of water about 3 feet away from me.

Phone Pics

2009-04-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

Peyton is in love with the spokes woman for Chita Banana.

Pman is starting early with his studies!!

Elyse and Daniel Engagement Pictures

2009-04-22T08:57:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures I took of Elyse and Daniel for their engagement. It was a lot of fun to take their pictures. There were so many that I liked - but here are a few of my favorite.

This one is probably my favorite picture I took. I love how the outer brick frames the entire picture.

Also another favorite. This gazebo gives a lot of opportunities for pictures.

Elyse needed a few Senior pictures - here is one I liked because it shows her real laugh. It is definitely an "Elyse" look.

This was a funny location to shoot. There is a door to their left that had graffiti on it that said, "Trespassers will be molested (twice)". I decided to crop that out of the picture. :)

Senior Portrait

2009-04-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

I took some senior portraits in downtown Alpharetta yesterday and they really turned out. I love shooting in Alpharetta because there are a TON of opportunities. There are stairways, alleys, brick, stone, flowers, everything.

Here is a sample senior announcement that I made for the client. I try to make them before they even express any interest in having them. They usually see it and then want to buy it.

FRONT

BACK

This was actually taken towards the end of the shoot. She got more and more confortable with posing right next to Highway 9. I would say, "just try to ignore all the honks and stares"

Off camera light to her left.

Had to move a tone of stuff for this shot. There were four garbage cans and a grill in the way of all these flowers!

I rigged up my 430EX flash to sync up with my camera. So it is really cool to shoot on sunny days because it is like I am shooting with three lights (on camera, off camera, and sun)

Our House

2009-04-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

We have lived in our house now for 8 months or so. It has been so great getting to know neighbors, taking care of everything (lawn, garage, household projects), and just having a place of our own that we can call home!

Here is a little panoramic view of our downstairs in our new house. I didn't have time to mend the seams of the panoramic. But like stated before - this is only a blog. :)

I took this on Easter. This is 7 vertical pictures put together. It should give you pretty good view into where we spend most of our time.

Here is the entrance to our house. I love the downstairs because EVERYTHING is so open and light. Maybe in the near future I will go all out and do the outside, backyard, and upstairs. *dont hold your breathe though.

Watching Sophie

2009-04-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

We watched Sophie the other day while Dustin and Jen were out running errands. It is a lot of fun having family so close! Took these on the floor of our upstairs. They were about to take a bath. I still want to take that power socket out of the picture... but hey, this is just a blog...

So cute! (on camera flash/manual - simple)

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

Easter 2009 was Peyton's first Easter. He loved it. He got to go to church and see all his family at the same time. He did miss seeing Mandy though :(

Not sure why I like this picture so much. It is not in focus - but I just like it.

These tulips were planted by a landscaper in our church who came over and planted them for free to honor/encourage my mom when she was going through chemo. A great and wonderful gift of love!!

Sophie and Peyotn love each other so much. They are going to be best friends!

Abuela YAY!

valencia sleepover

2009-04-15T09:10:00.000-04:00

It was so much fun to have the whole family hang out all night at my parents. We played games, ate dinner, and then had breakfast and lunch the next day. Very relaxed!

Here are a few shots I took of the festivities.

Dustin and Peyton

Jessie and Peyton in his "Be Cute; Don't Pollute" Tshirt.

A total Pman stoic stare!

On and Off camera lighting. She is such a great subject!

London U.K. Finally

2009-03-26T11:48:00.000-04:00

I finally got around (FOUND!) the London footage. We went to London in the fall (2007). It was all expense paid (except my food) because it was a "business trip" through Spinvox (Jessie's old employer).

There was not too much footage. Not nearly as much as Italy - I guess Jessie got it all out of her system...

Good Times...

"He' going to be a BASEBALL PLAYER!"

2009-03-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

This one is my favorite. You can tell me again and again that all I take pictures of are close ups of his face... It is just just so hard not too!

He absolutely loves his mom!! He throws his hands up in the air and just smiles! She also can get him to cuddle. He doesn't cuddle with me - he just gets super hyper and excited. I think I need to start being a little more mellow with him.

I used to hate going to braves games almost as much as I hated going to Stone Mountain. But now I am can go to a game, hang out, and have fun. I am not going crazy here - I still wont watch the game. I can just hold on conversations better, take pictures, and just chill now. All that to say - Peyton does look good in a baseball cap - Maybe he;s going to be a BASEBALL PLAYER?!

Pman Video

2009-03-19T09:15:00.000-04:00

Here is yet another random video from the Valencia Home. You would think that having no cable would be unbearable in the time and age that we live in. I have actually found it refreshing. Refreshing in the sense that I don't (or cant) run to the T.V. every time I get "bored" or am waiting on Jessie to get ready. Instead I will do some work, play or take pictures of Peyton, or make video's like the one below! Anyways, Peyton loves to take pictures... He likes to drool, roll over, and play. Sounds like a dog, but I promise he acts like a human!

When T.V. is not an option...

2009-03-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

And yet another video which proves that you don't need TV to have fun!!

For the Peyton Fans: Sorry - he was asleep

Peyton 2.16.09

2009-02-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Peyton and I were on our way to take a shower (I wore my swimsuit) when Jessie had a great idea to take a picture of me holding him. I posed him and myself next to a wall and shot a flash against the wall (to blow out everything except us).

Here are a few of the shots that were taken

This is my favorite. I think he is just so cute! Jessie thinks he has the "cutest tooshers ever"

Baby Portrait 2009

2009-02-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Here is a two week old I had the opportunity to photograph this week.

Here is an example of a Baby announcement I made for this family. They can buy in increments of 25 at a relatively cheap cost.

this chair was in a back room not being used in the regular house. It was perfect for this shoot!

Simply asked them if they had a bowl that she could fit in. She was a bit fussy with the bowl. Actually a little fussy then entire shoot - but not too bad.

One of the first captures I go.

Superbowl - off camera flash

2009-02-06T10:38:00.001-05:00

EXAMPLE OF OFF CAMERA FLASH.

The superbowl party was a blast! We had a ton of students, their friends, as well as some siblings and parents. It was probably close to 75 people at the house. I brought my ghetto rigged off camera flash equipment to play around with during the night. Here are a few pictures using he equipment.

Here i put the flash directly behind Zach. I bounced it against the wall.

My off camera light it directly behind them on this shot. It gives a sense of 3 dimension to get the outline of them lit up.

Here is just an example of the off camera flash. I put i on the chest and pointed it straight up. It allowed me to use my on camera flash as fill.

Senior pictures

2009-01-31T18:59:00.000-05:00

I cant tell you enough how much fun it was taking these pictures of Amanda and Nicole. They are two seniors who are in my youth group. They are fun loving, best friends, and very photogenic!

I took them to an abandoned shack/house/barn. Still not sure which one it was. It made for great pictures though.

I am totally loving this new location I found. it has lakes, gazeboes, picnic tables, flowers (in the summer and spring of course), and a ton of greenery!
Here is a wide shot of the gazebo.
Some more in the gazeebo. I had to blow out the background becuase the sun was BEATING down on her from behind. I think it worked out though.
This is the front of the neighborhood (pond, waterfall, and greenery!)

Peyton Valencia 22 weeks

2009-01-31T18:47:00.000-05:00

First of all I want to tell you how excited I am that I figured out how to do some off camera flash using my 430EX flash. It took some "ghetto riggin" - but I did it. I had to cut some cords, splice some wires, and add a 1/4 stereo jack to one end in order to have the receiver be plugged into the 430EX. Anyways - here are some PMAN pics.

This is just to show you my off camera flash (also had an ON camera flash). I also made a small softbox out of an old folgers can, a tshirt, and some gaffers tape (seen in this picture - well, sort of)

The Peytonator is smiling all the time now. He loves to hang out with Jessie. He also loves it when I am super energetic with him. He is such a great baby.

More smiles.

A TYPICAL Peyton look. This is his "whats going on over there" look.

He sucks on his fingers constantly!

NOTE to family: You can save any of these pictures to your computer! Simply right click on the picture and pick "SAVE AS"

Peyton is getting old!

2009-01-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

My little boy is getting so old. (And Big!) He has recently been dealing with a pretty nasty cough and ear ache. The Doctor said that his neck muscles need to be stretched out (he likes to favor his left side) - SO - jessie and I have been stretching his neck and just making it easier for him to straighten out his little head. He is in the 50-75% for his weight (i believe he is like 16lbs) and the doctor said you cant even tell that he was a month early. We call him Biggen, Funk Master P, Peytonator (our Fav!), Mr. P, P-man, P.I. (isaac), Little Man, and Chunkers. Who would have thought we would have so many names for such a little boy!

Peyton loves sticking out his tongue. When he laughs, smiles, and just because - he sticks it out! He is grabbing things more and more each day, will hold your finger, giggles, laughs, and is definitely aware of his surroundings.

Jessie loves staying home with him and taking care of him. He is a little mommy's-boy. We will have to change that later. :)

**MOBILE UPLOAD**

Here is Peytons Christmas present to mom. I painted a large canvas grey (with black) and then splatter painted it, and then had the Nator (another name for him :)) walk on it and put his hands on it with orange paint.

Random Picture: Kevin, Matthew, Jessie, and I all wen tot the elevation concert a few weeks back. Elevation is a great band and put on a great show. Here we are taking a picture with the drummer (Stephen Bailey: Great friend from high school) - Jessie and I had Stephen over for dinner two days before the concert - it was a great time!

Recent Album Layouts

2009-01-21T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my recent albums I have created for two brides. They both got a 10X10 zookbook (between 24-30 pages). Imagine an open book - that's what these layouts are - a 10X20 picture. Zookbooks lay flat.

I love the picture on the left. I saw this old barn behind the church and knew that this would be a great photo op. Of course - Kristen and Will made it really easy to capture some great shots.

The Flint House in Roswell is a perfect place to get married. It is beautiful inside and out.

Bricks always give a great background. Here Staci is just hanging out and having fun before the ceremony.

Downtown Cumming Ga - Ceremony Country Club of the South - Reception

Hiking the Rim Trail

2009-01-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

My friend Bryan and I went hiking last weekend. It has been a long time since I have actually been on a "real" hike. ("real" - more than one night). We went to North Carolina to hike the Rim Trail. This is the trail 8-9 years ago we went on. Short Recap: lost water, 100 degree weather, 14 miles in, dehydrated, delirious - miraculously found water at 5,200 feet spewing out of the mountain. here are a few pictures of the trip. It was heard to take anything worth while using my old digital rebel (only works 30% of the time - especially in the cold!)

I was so proud that my tacoma made it to the top! It was a very rough, muddy, and snowy "road" (if you even want ot call it that!)

This one was taken right at our campsite (5,800 feet) at dusk. It is probably in my top 3 best campsites ever! (which is amazing because it is in the southeast - the other two are in the Adorondacks (NY) and in Colorado.

First campsite - It was FREEZING! Got int he low teens at night. The last night I got an ember in my thermarest (basically a mini 1" air matress) and had to sleep on the snow. Worst night yet outside!

on the trail - we had to wear the orange hats because it is hunting season.

Trout Fishing

2008-12-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today I caught the biggest trout I have ever caught! It was a beast! I saw him chilling at the bottom of the river net to some trees. I tried flies, spinners, joe flies, and a ton of other stuff.. It wasnt until I put on a CHEAPO WHITE WALMART rooster tail when he took! It was awesome!

Here he is! Big as can be!

Another angle as I take him up

My lure

Sorry for the CAMERA PHONE quality.

Here is another fish I caught that day. Not as big, but still a good size. This guy put upa good fight and did a cool JUMP twice out of the water.

I LOVE LIVING NEXT TO BUFORD DAM!

Flores Photoshoot

2008-12-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Once again I have done this familiy's portrait shots. They use Valencia Photography probably every few months becuase their grandma loves shots of their birthdays, Christmas time, etc... Here is a shot of Rosita with her favorite blanket! (INFO: Strobe on her left - floor level. slaved to my canon 430ex on camera)

(INFO: Strobe on his left slightly taller than him - half power - slaved to my 430ex on camera flash)

she is such a cute girl! She has done this so many times she really doesn't need me to tell her what to do - I caught this when she wasn't paying attention...

Photoshoot 12.16.08

2008-12-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

A little 3 week old baby boy and his older sister

Dad holding his baby

Peyton - I still live with my parents

2008-12-21T13:54:00.000-05:00

Peyton is smiling more and more each and every day. Jessie loves to dress him up in shirts that say, "I still live with my parents", "Older chicks dig me", as well as monster trucks, outdoors stuff, and trendy cloths (I love his converse) anyways - here are a few I took today while waiting for a family to show up at my house for a "real" photoshoot.

He is so cute!

Peyton 14.5 weeks!!!

2008-12-10T22:40:00.001-05:00

Was playing around with some off camera lights... Couldnt get them to "sync" up with my camera (no pocket wizards or sync cords yet - Christmas!) - but I did use the modeling light to provide some nice fill.

Jessie and Peyton - He loves hanging out with her!!

Peytonator and me chillin on the couch...

Peyton can't wait to be old enough to watch the tube!

Jessie helping him out!

Great Portrait Session!

2008-12-06T14:29:00.003-05:00

One of my favorites - This was taken right next to a basketball court - he was being really good - it was very cold outside!

His GQ look

Portrait Session

2008-12-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been doing a lot of family portrait sessions. It has been a lot of fun and very interesting. The Buford Dam is a great location!

These kids were great sports - it was 9am and FREEZING!

This family was fun - They were very photogenic!

Peytonator

2008-11-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

Peyton is 11 weeks old already! Oh my! He is getting so big!! We call him "biggen" Peytonator" "Mr. P." " Magnum P.I." "Funk Master P." and so many more! He will stand for as long as you will let him (obviously with us keeping his balance). I love to throw him up and watch how he reacts. I cant wait until he starts talking... I have a little while till that!

He lifts his head up all the time now!

Fall Retreat Athens Y Camp 2008

2008-11-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

What a Great Weekend! We went to the Athens Y Camp with the youth group. I taught 4 sessions on how to be "crazy" in love with Christ. The students responded so well! We did games, ropes course, and just had a great time!

Took this on the porch of the lodge - 50mm 1.8

High Ropes Course

Location of the BONFIRE

It was so great to have Bethany Roach leading worship!!

Rohde Wedding

2008-11-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

Some pictures i took the other weekend. It was a phenomenal venue (The Flint House; Roswell, Ga)

A Great "barn" was in the back of the house - cool photo-ops.

Almost missed this - that is why there is a slight blur - but I think it works.

Again, a Great Venue!

Kristen was such an easy bride! Thanks!

Grandma's waiting for the ceremony.

Flores

2008-11-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

Took these yesterday near buford dam. They are such a beautiful family!! Very fun and photogenic!

Christopher was loving taking pictures

Peyton on Halloween - 9 weeks old

2008-11-03T14:04:00.000-05:00

Peyton and Jessie - So Cute!

By the pumpkins - we bought one for each of us. Peyton is the small one :)

Together in front of our new house.

If you don't know what he was - Peyton is giving you a hint (he is Growling)

Hiking on Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

I went hiking with a bunch of guys and their boys on Thurs-Fri. We went to High Shoals in the N. Georgia mountains. It was a lot of fun! Hiking, fishing, and hanging out! I definitely missed Jessie and Peyton though - First night from Peyton...

Group Shot

Falls at High Shoals (no tripod - slight camera shake)

Peyton 8 Weeks

2008-11-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

Peyton is 8 weeks old. I can't believe it! Here are a few pictures I took the other day...

Jessie and Peyton - He is standing up SO MUCH now!

He loves to sleep and yawn!

Elyse's Homecoming

2008-10-20T14:53:00.000-04:00

A Few pictures of Elyse's homecoming.

Group Shot after the "walk"

Mom and Elyse

New Trout Catch

2008-10-20T14:49:00.000-04:00

Living one and a half miles from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee river is Awesome. Bryan and i caught 10-15 trout a piece

Cooked a few - butter, Caribbean jerk seasoning and some lemon. MMmm.

Peachtree Road Race

2008-10-17T10:18:00.000-04:00

Once again - I didn't take this - But I was looking around my files and found this picture of Jessie and I running the peachtree roadrace. We ran it in July (Jessie was 6 months pregnant - that is what we are pointing at) We ran 4 miles and walked 2.

Wake Surfing

2008-10-17T10:15:00.000-04:00

Obviously I didn't take this - It was Steve Salzazar (www.technosteve.com) - I just found it today and thought I would share. Wake surfing is a ton of fun. When you get good enough you can eventually drop the line and just surf the wake w/o help.

Fishing

2008-10-16T10:20:00.000-04:00

Since we live literally 2 miles away from the Chattahoochee River I am starting to get back into fishing. All these were taken with a camera phone (not that great of resolution/composition)

11'' Rainbow trout - last cast of the day!

Big 'ol Bass I caught the other day

MMMMmmmm... Trout for lunch!

Central Football

2008-10-16T10:13:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics I took at the Central Vs. Woodstock football game (freshman). I went to see a student in my youth group (Ben: #53). It was a lot of fun and Peyton's first football game.

This was an interception.

5 Central players vs 1 woodstock - He didnt have a chance.

Soph's Birthday

2008-10-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

Sophie's ONE!! Here she is enjoying her cupcake. It was a great party. Tons of food, a lot of Dustin and Jen's friends, family, and lots of Topher time!

Elyse's Headshot

2008-10-11T22:11:00.001-04:00

Took these pictures of Elyse today. She needed them for her homecoming court photo. For all who don't know - She made homecoming court and is nominated for QUEEN. we find out on friday. Cant wait for the game!

This is definitely one of my favorite. it is such an Elyse smile!

Engagement session

2008-10-06T14:09:00.000-04:00

I am going to photograph this couples wedding in May. They were super easy to photograph mainly because Aaron would make Jessica laugh and would try new poses w/o me even saying anything.

LOCATION: Pooles Mill Park

Peyton @ 4 weeks

2008-10-06T14:06:00.000-04:00

A cool looking blanket my Aunt Pam got Peyton. He is getting so big! Jessie just went to the doctor for his one month visit and came back with great news. He was born at 5lb and now is 8lb 5oz!

Peyton on the couch

2008-09-25T13:32:00.001-04:00

He was just too cute to pass up! He is still sleeping a lot during the day and just started to sleep more during the night. We are moving tomorrow. It is going to be an interesting weekend.

I would be lying if I told you that he did this by himself. He had a little help from me.

Baby Portraits

2008-09-24T22:53:00.000-04:00

Took these this afternoon. This baby was very corporative and cute! Mom and dad were so proud!

Tried to use as much available light as possible (next to the window)

Bird

2008-09-22T19:46:00.000-04:00

Took this pic a little while ago. It is a huge falcon of some sort that is hanging around the house. speaking of the house. Jessie and I did our walk through today for our new house. We are excited to move (especially into a new house) next Saturday!

Sophie: What a Cutie!

2008-09-22T19:42:00.000-04:00

It is not hard to make Sophie look cute.

Chris and Dori

2008-09-22T15:47:00.000-04:00

A spread I made for Chris and Dori's album. I shot this wedding in early August in Stockbridge.

Daniel and Elyse

2008-09-22T11:13:00.000-04:00

Always a pleasure taking pictures of this good looking couple! :)

David and Laura's Wedding

2008-09-22T11:07:00.000-04:00

Wedding I shot last weekend. It was a small wedding, but very nice and intimate. The church was located in North Atlanta about 20 mins away.

A great looking couple - and church!

Will and Kristen

2008-09-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

A VERY easy couple to photograph. I am excited for their wedding in November!

Took these pictures at Grand Cascades. It is a great place because of the gazebo's, bridges, and outdoor walking trails.

Bryan and Staci's Wedding

2008-09-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

This look familiar? :) I saw this crossing and thought it might look "beatleish"

It was raining, windy, and just nasty outside. I am so glad that the bride finally agreed to going outside for some shots on the golf course. The sky looks cool.

Some pictures of a wedding i did a few weeks back. It was a great wedding!

2008 Christmas Pictures

2008-09-20T17:00:00.000-04:00

Just thought I would share my "tentative" 2008 Christmas/holiday promotion for photography. If you need portraits, you know where to go!

www.kylevalencia.com

Jessie Pregnancy Pic

2008-09-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that I took this just one week before Peyton was born. This is one of my favorites of Jessie's Pregnancy pictures. We (Jessie, Peyton, and I) just got back from Home Depot where we bought fans and blinds for the new house. We are now about to go to the Vrieze's to watch the Georgia game. I would say "GO DAWGS", but I really dont care all that much.

Peyton Isaac

2008-09-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

Peyton Isaac

This is my favorite pictures of me and Peyton (my little boy) thus far. Great Shot Jessie :) I am sitting here substitute teaching and I thought I would start a blog. I am not much of a blogger, but I guess since I have never done it I cant make such a statement. I will be posting pictures of current weddings, portrait shoots, as well as things I am doing in life.

Visit my website at: www.kylevalencia.com