TriCoast Photography

Wedding = Baytown Texas

2008-11-20T02:29:00.004-06:00

A while back Cody and I had a WONDERFUL wedding from a young lady which found us almost 3 years before her wedding date. Normally only booking a wedding no more than 1 year in advance we actually accepted this amazing client a little before that and well we are both glad we did.

Here are a few from our special day with our amazing client and her family!

Wendy's Wedding Gown

The Day's events

Wendy walking down the isle not for her wedding but for a first look with her father. You see Wendy's father had not seen his daughter in her wedding gown and well lets just say it was a very special moment of many happy tears when he finally did.

The something blue" aspect of Wendy's wedding day was a piece of her mother's actual wedding dress, a blue wedding dress, cut and placed inside Wendy's dress.

The couple at the alter

The Kiss

On Table goodies from the reception - did I mention I love on table chocolate goodies :)

A couple of the couple on their bubble exit!

Thanks again guys for allowing us to be a part of your special day, you two are amazing people with amazing families!

Baby Fairy Sighting...

2008-11-18T20:48:00.003-06:00

Well tonight we had a great little baby in our studio, and we got to play with our little "Nest Egg" and "Mushroom" props. Truly a fun evening with a great couple and their little fairy angel! Here is one from our session designed as the front of a Christmas Card!

An old friend and his special day

2008-11-17T01:59:00.005-06:00

Many of you know that I (Mike) for approximately 15 years was in law enforcement here in the State of Texas. While most of those police years were spent on Crime Scene Investigation the beginning year or two...well lets just say I payed my dues by working in the jail division. During the time of massive over crowding of State Prisons I found myself guarding murders and rapists and just about every other type of hard core criminal you could think of, which of course were shoved into tiny cells with way too many inmates in them. It was at this time I meet David and over that year or so we gained each others trust and well saved each others lives on several occasions during the events of what goes on in a jailhouse.

Well as time goes on, we both have gotten older, somewhat fatter (especially me) and found new loves in our lives. Jessica was a beautiful bride and well David was a great groom, even though he is still as goofy as he always has been. Married in one of the State of Texas oldest churches still standing and in use (5th I think) in a little town of East Columbia, Suzy and I had the great honor of capturing one of my oldest and closest friends. A simple event, no bells or whistles just a simple couple, confessing their love for one another in front of just a few people, in other words a pretty good day!

Here are a few portraits from the day and once again thank you David and Jessica it was an honor to be a part of it!

Driving and shooting all the way to Mobile, AL

2008-11-16T12:22:00.003-06:00

Well this week was extremely busy, both Jordan and I (Mike) had sessions at the start of the week then drove approximately 10 hours to Denny Mfg in Mobile, AL to capture a few images for their new 2009 catalog coming out very soon. So without making you read usless text I will give you a few new backdrops from Denny's. Yeah these are fresh off the presses, well ok fresh off the Photoshop Darkroom!

Shooting on Denny's SuperCloth backdrops, we really never knew what to expect when the drop... well dropped. Needing just simple headshots we did our best to work with the models, using the new drops and of course using lights we were not quite used too. All in all we had a blast, were VERY tired after three days of shooting only to be thanked by having to drive 10 hours back home, get 2-3 hours of sleep, shoot a Saturday wedding during the morning and afternoon then a family session in the late evening at the studio. Yeah to much photography makes MyKey a tired little boy!

Always look on the bright side of life...

2008-11-11T10:45:00.002-06:00

Late last night I was up working on finishing up a Deanna's Senior session from Sunday which Suzy and I shot together in downtown Houston. (See the below post on our blog for her portraits) Getting done around 5am this morning I finally laid my head down for a good "night's" sleep.

The day had been one of those fall days where it simply rained all day long, sometimes hard and sometimes just barely a sprinkle but yet still rain, so much so our dog, Honey, did not like to go outside and get wet to use the restroom. Of course we tried several times to get her to go but the old stubborn lady in her simply said no way to us.

So this morning bright and early at 8am I get a phone call. Waking me up, I thought to myself, this better be damn good, I have only been to sleep for 3 hours.

Answering the phone, alright good reason, business and it needed to be done pretty quickly. Laying there in bed just hanging up the phone with Cody I thought to myself and realized

THERE IS ALWAYS A BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE and this morning it was a very bright thing indeed.

You see sometime during those three hours Honey our lovely pet, our family member dog, decided enough was enough with her colon and blessed me with a nice little piece of dog poo in our bed. Yep our stubborn old lady just could not hold it anymore and laid out a dirt dragon right beside me in bed. You might be asking yourself about this time, what in the hell could be bright about a dog of any kind or anywhere dropping a piece of poo-poo in bed with you.

Well actually there are two things:

(Click the link for as Paul Harvey would say "and now you know the rest of the story"

1) Cody called to get me up early so I would not be rolling around in bed with it

2) (my favorite) IT WAS HARD!!!

So there is your wonderful thought for the day, I hope your day starts off slightly better than mine, and either way remember to ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!!!

~ Mike

Deanna - A Senior

2008-11-11T08:55:00.003-06:00

Well as you would know it, Suzy and I (Mike) headed up to our local High School to talk to the yearbook teacher. Suzy had not meet her yet and I wanted to introduce the two ladies together. Two hours later Suzy and I had talked to the almost a 100 kids, got to know the teacher better, and meet some amazing young men and ladies in the process. Deanna was one of the seniors in the yearbook class that day, beautiful with a great smile we had a blast in and around downtown Houston playing in the dirty of dirty places to capture these images.

Deanna's Slideshow

A Bridal Session

2008-11-11T08:44:00.003-06:00

I meet this young bride, Lynsey years ago through a good friend of mine she was dating at the time. Well as the years went by we photographed her older sister's weddings, became good friends with her family, and well now photographing her upcoming wedding, which by the way is not to the old friend of mine :)

Beautiful young lady with an amazing sense of humor which clearly runs in the family since both her older sister and mother are lovable smart a$$es as well. (Love you guys) Captured at Heathers Glen in Conroe Texas we had a great day with beautiful weather playing around the grounds. Here are just a few more from the day since I do not want to ruin the big surprise for the groom in December on their wedding day.

The Learning Circle - A Daycare Session

2008-11-08T21:35:00.004-06:00

For 5 to 6 years my daughter was "raised" by The Learning Circle Daycare here in our little home town of Lake Jackson, so for me to be able to go in and capture the children of this learning center was truly an honor.

Suzy and I captured 50 beautiful children throughout the day from newborns to 5 year old. While some loved us and well some not so much loved us, we enjoyed every second of the event. Here are a few more from the day and once again THANK YOU The Learning Circle for allowing TriCoast to capture the children at your daycare. We captured several portraits of each child and had several set ups for the certain child's age (thanks to Denny's Mfg). All in all the day worked out well!

TriCoast and Miller's Our New Ad

2008-11-07T23:35:00.006-06:00

Today was the day - the first time we (TriCoast) saw the new ad from Miller's in Studio Photography Magazine!

You know over the last year I really have gotten to love Studio Photography Magazine. Its full of educational information, amazing photographs and well the best part it is FREE for anyone wanting to advance their knowledge in this amazing art form. So for our new ad for Miller's Lab to come out in this magazine we are truly excited and honored to say the least.

So check out the add on Miller's Website along with more information on the products we use through them and of course check out Studio Photography "The Business Behind the Image" and get your FREE magazine subscription.

Thank you Both for continuing to educate and help the professional photographers as well as smucks like us...

Claire - A Graveyard Senior...

2008-11-04T12:41:00.005-06:00

Claire came into our studio with one thought on her mind - to have her senior portraits show she is edgy, yet sophisticated city girl that is one of a kind original.
Starting off in our studio and ending up in an old graveyard and a classy hotel we had a blast capturing Claire. Here are a few from the session.

Claire's Slideshow

Football and a Senior - A Great Mixture...

2008-10-31T10:48:00.007-05:00

Travis came into our studio with one thought on his mind - To look athletic in his portraits.

As one of the silent auction winners at Brazoswood High School Booster Club events for their football team TriCoast wanted to make sure they got their money's worth in supporting a great group of kids which love to have fun on the football field. Travis is one of the young men playing Iron Man football in the two roughest spots on the field - Runningback and Linebacker.

A great young man who really was easy for us to photograph, of course we made fun of him but with someone with enough medals to make Michael Phelps look like a punk, well I think he could take it!

And my personal favorite from the session

Travis' 6 sided TriFold Graduation Invitations

So hopefully the nerd of taking Senior Portraits was made cool enough for Travis, and if you take the time to read this blog make sure you leave some love for Travis will ya!

Finally a slideshow of Travis with the portraits above and a few others:

~Mike

Derek & Alaina's e-Session

2008-10-28T15:11:00.003-05:00

Last week I got to to shoot a fun couple on the north east side of Houston. I did get lost getting there, but eventually the search party found me. It was a beautiful day for a our shoot and everything worked out well.

Click below for a few more photos!

Sneak Peek down in Savannah Georiga!

2008-10-19T01:37:00.003-05:00

To make a great wedding you need a fun groom, family and friends who are helpful and polite and a wonderful venue. Sometimes when all of this comes together and you add an amazing young photographer as the stunning bride, well it sure makes our job a lot more fun and a whole lot easier!

Last week Cody and I had the honor to photograph Allison and Rich's wedding in Savannah Georgia and while the weather was wet and rainy all weekend the bride and groom as well as their family could not have been more perfect! Here is a sneak peek of the wedding and the day after event with LOTS more photos to come of the wedding day itself!

Bride and Groom before the wedding hanging out allowing us to capture some images of them.

Day after session at the Savannah Rail Road Museum. Allison and Rich are doing their best "Whooooo whoooooo" impression of a train! Yeah it was stupid fun!

Inside an old street car at the Museum, we were simply escaping the rain and decided to shoot a little inside the car. This one was captured with natural light only.

As with the second image, the couple was hanging out before the wedding. Natural light on Allison's face, with wireless flash as a rim light on Allison and main light on Rich!

Again more coming very soon but I simply could not wait to share some of these fun images with a great couple!

Leave them some love will ya please :)

Heroes of Hurricane Ike - A Photo & Video Shoot...

2008-10-18T21:13:00.005-05:00

Well sometimes out of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Ike good things develop. Amazing people and stories come out of no where to ... well just make you feel good.

Today was one of those days. Besides having to get up at the crack of the day to get everything packed up and ready to go, I had the honor to be the official photographer in capturing a few of these "heroes" of Hurricane Ike.

I showed up at the location and set up my studio gear:

* Alien Bee lights as well as Denny's Mfg. new Zebra Lights which so far I have been VERY pleased with.

* Gels (yep you read that right) the advertising company which is completing this project wanted an overall colorful background to match the shirt or tones of the heroes shirts.

* Medium Toned Gray paper backdrop which I bought two days ago at Houston Camera Exchange (in order to gel a nice color with decent dark tones on)

* Larson 4x6' softbox for main and a small strip with louvers for hairlight, 2 large Larson reflectors for fill.

Now the video crew which were AMAZING guys, out of Austin Texas found themselves short on a few items so I let them borrow some of my items which turned out worked great. Denny's Mfg. makes some new foldable soft boxes and I had a couple with me (since I did not know what size of space we were shooting in) and they used the 3x4' Zebra Box as well as a strip box all which sets up in like 10 seconds.

Below are a few pullbacks of the video guys in order with my gear thrown around in the tiny room of two of the heroes. We changed the background color out a lot, sadly these two heroes both are on red which does not show the changes.

Again nothing major in this post, just wanted to share today was a very refreshing and cool day being a part of an event which I found was very inspiring to say the least!

Light Check with one of the video crew guys. You can also see that new soft box from Denny's I was talking about which they shot video light through to soften up the light.

Another Hero being filmed

Shot from the other side of things to show you the tiny room we worked in but how it worked out pretty well in the end. You can also see one of my Larson Reflectors being used as a fill by the video crew.

Almost going to jail in Vegas....What?!!?

2008-10-07T12:45:00.003-05:00

So two weekends ago I did something I had only done one other time in my 15+ years of shooting weddings, I second shot for another photographer. The first time I shot second for a photographer just happened to be for the same photographer and well it did not go over so well. I mean it was my fault, I just was not used to not being in control of a wedding, and I tried to take over, change shots that were missed and adjust things to suit my style and not the main photographers style.

So after a promise with threat of taking my life if I did not keep that promise, I tried shooting as a second photographer one more time. The promise, well the promise is I could ONLY SAY the following:

"yes dear"
"whatever you want or need honey"
"Suzy you are always right"

Yep that's right I had the honor to head to Las Vegas to second shoot for my better half - Suzy Min and her amazing couple and wedding.

So covering the boys and not having to worry about anything but shooting a little and having fun with the guys in the process we got started shooting outside, but with the still 100 degree weather we choose to keep it inside for the rest of the shoot. That is when the best man said: "Hey we are in Vegas, lets go shoot INSIDE the Casino"

Of course everyone thought it was a great idea, but knew we might have some problems. So I had to quickly leave my camera gear in the hallway of a busy casino, run in with one camera, one lens, one tiny light stand with a flash on top of it and a Master flash unit on my camera body. Attached were a set of Radio Popper Units as well.

So we got permission from one of the pit boss' there to shoot on dead tables which there was a group of 6 (3 on each side) I got permission to stand and shoot inside the row of dead tables, and received 1 minute to capture the portrait.

Yeah one minute you read that right! So I took a snapshot to make sure my flash units were working, and a general light check and exposure check. Made a very quick adjustment, and took another shot. At this time "rent a cop" security hit me up and ordered me to leave the casino, which I kindly told him we had permission from the pit boss, which the pit boss standing there gave the thumbs up so the uniformed security left us alone. The Pit Boss said 15 more seconds and you guys have to leave. So I adjusted my camera settings, took 2 more quick portraits of the groom throwing up 100 bills and then we had to leave.

On the way out the casino we were met by the Suits of Security and the Gaming Commission of Nevada which clearly were not happy. After saying we had permission from the pit boss and directed the suits in his direction, well I think the best man said it best by "I knew we were in trouble when the pit boss turned and walked away" Needless to say they were calling over a patrol unit to take me to jail for photographing inside the casino. While the groom was talking to the Gaming Commission I was in the process of taking out my memory cards and trying to hide them or give them to one of the groomsmen to get to Suzy while I sat in the "Old Brick House".

Now having worked in Law Enforcement and Corrections for the majority of my life I was not worried about going to jail, in fact I thought it was quite funny to be honest. No disrespect to the Police, but I mean can't you just see what the other Criminals in the holding tank would think when asked what I was in jail for........

So after the groom explained to the Gaming Commission and Suits of Security from the Casino just how much money he was spending to have the wedding at this location, they finally choose not to arrest me and take my camera gear and whatever else.

So all ends well and we got a great story out of it and a pretty cool picture. I mean it is nothing out of this world but with the story and the speed it was captured I was happy at the results.

The "Almost going to jail photo" from Suzy's Wedding

And for more amazing photos from Suzy and her wedding check out her blog. I did have to wait till she posted on her blog before I could post this, so of course I said "Yes dear whatever you want my love" Remember to leave her some love if you do!

SUZY'S BLOG

Rebecca's Bridal at Hermann Park and super secret Pool Hall

2008-10-04T02:45:00.003-05:00

What's a bridal without harsh sun, 30lbs wedding dress, lots of pebbles in your sandals and some guy on a horse. Well, we didn't have the guy with a horse, but we did get a statue of a guy on a horse. Does that count?

Hermann Park was one of the most popular spots for wedding and quinceañera photography. But because of vandalism and un-professionalism, the part now requires a permit to photograph there. You can see the scarred bamboo trees in the background.

The location, however, was beautiful. All you need is a pretty bride. That's were Rebecca comes in. Of course around noon time, it gets hot. So we went indoors for some pool shots and air conditioning. As for the location, it's super secret only because I don't remember where it is and will never be able to find it again.

Two of my favorite shots of Rebecca. I can still remember her mom telling her to put her shoes on. I kinda like it without :)

By the time we got to this area, we had been photographed, You Tube'd, cat called, and I think proposed to. Yep...15 mins into the portrait session. Gotta love it! Unfortunately, I'm taken and had to turn them all down.

This was a super fun day. Rebecca and Dalton's wedding is coming up in 2 weeks, then they are off to Belize. I'm jealous. I want to go to Belize...

Big thanks to Rebecca's Mom and Cousin for coming to help out. We couldn't have done it without you two!!!

- Jordan

TriCoast shenanigans at a Bridal session

2008-10-02T23:23:00.005-05:00

Ok, some pull backs. This is the kind of crazy shenanigans that goes on behind a TriCoast Bridal session. Mike had already put these images together so that makes it easy for me :)

Spot the weirdo!

Outtake #1 - Our little lighting assistant for the day - one of the bride's friends daughter - By the way this is a pullback of Image #5

Outtake #2 - not sure what I was doing here but it looks like I was caught doing something I should not had been doing

Outtake #3 - Jordan tapes everything up when he works and I MEAN EVERYTHING.......

Outtake #4 - Ahhh how cute, Jordan bonds so well with our clients!!!

Outtake #5 - Give me more ALCOHOL DANG IT !!!!

So much fun :)

Til' next time!

- Jordan

Bridal at Heather's Glen - Part II

2008-10-02T21:55:00.002-05:00

Break time! I guess it's time to put up a couple more portraits of Ann from last week. In case you missed it, here's the link.

We had just hand delivered a small portrait to Heather's Glen, so it should be a nice surprise for Ann on Saturday. (In case you're reading Ann, you'll have to wait till Saturday to see which one we picked out.) Here are a few of our favorites.

Which one is your favorite? There's always a witty remark for these images, but I'll save it for some pull back shots of the shoot. Of course, you'll have to wait for those as well. :)

Break time's over!

- Jordan

Bridal at Heather's Glen

2008-09-28T00:07:00.003-05:00

I can honestly say Heather's Glen is going to be one of my favorite wedding venues. Not only because the the place is cool, but the staff rocks! Click below for a little teaser preview of a bridal shot there this past week.

This is Ann. Beautiful dress. Beautiful location. Beautiful Bride. Absolutely fun to hang out with. A+++++ on the eBay scale.

I'll be out all day tomorrow. But I'll post couple more in a day or two.

Enjoy!

- Jordan

TriCoast at Java Jazz

2008-09-26T13:27:00.006-05:00

Couple days ago, I took a 2 hour drive in the mad Houston streets down to Lake Jackson to update some shots of TriCoast. Yep. We got in front of the camera instead of behind it.

I think only loved ones would say these two belong in front of the camera. But who knows, we might get a hit if I submit these to America's Next Top Model. These shots were for something that one of our awesome sponsors, Miller's Lab, needed for something I have no clue about. Mike explained it to me at one point. But post-hurricane Ike stress induced a Rockband marathon. In other words, I didn't hear a word Mike said. Deadline was short only because Lake Jackson still does not have power as of now. Internet access is still sparse. Mosquitoes, however, are in an overwhelming abundance. So no power, means no studio set up. Mosquitoes means no outdoor shots. Well, there goes our favorite elements to shoot in.

This is where Java Jazz comes in for the save. One of the ONLY coffee shops in Lake Jackson, City of Enchantment, that is fully functional WITH internet. Not to mention the Hawaiian Grog as one of their house specials. Nothing wrong with a cup of kona with toasted coconut blended in for that small touch of flavor. Just what I need before a shoot.(All you brides and seniors take note.)

Although we typically travel light, we brought every piece of mobile gear we had. I think I would have been happy shooting with my camera phone by the time we hauled everything in. I will say thought, this is not the norm for us. We travel light. Mainly because we are overweight and camera equipment gets heavy after a while.

I think the owner best summed it up when he said something along the line of"...look like musicians but don't know how to play a thing..." Which sadly, is very true. But we can play Rockband!

Before we packed everything up, the girls jumped in for their 15 mins of fame with the rocktars. (Rockstars on the xBox 360 that is...)

While we packed up, the owners of Java Jazz hopped up on stage to survey the damage. You know how crazy those rock musicians get after all. The banjo is not a show piece. He actually plucked out a tune and sounds awesome. I wonder if they will include the banjo in Rockband 3...

- Jordan

TriCoast Workshop in the Frog Capital of the World

2008-09-11T10:36:00.009-05:00

We spent this past weekend with some awesome photographers in Rayne, LA. Frog Capital of the World. I'm not sure how that title came about since I only saw one frog there the whole time.

No...this isn't the frog...

The workshop was hosted by Colin Burnum Photography. Colin's studio was large enough to have a shooting room, a studio and a reception area. With lots of...er...adult beverages...

This is the studio area. Small section of the studio area. Colin is putting up our brand new backdrop we just received from Denny's. Link to backdrop.

As nice as the studio was, fully equipped with a very, very capable air-conditioning unit, we took the class outside. Who says you don't have to suffer for your art?

As usual, before the class goes out to shoot, Cody does a demo shoot. After that, we break out for the hands on session.

Couldn't ask for a better day to shoot. Full sun and blue skies. Add a bit of some hurricane clouds and everything is perfect. Except for the mosquitoes...

So, this is what we see straight out of the camera. Sun peaking out just behind the clouds :)

And this is after Lightroom. Fun stuff :)

We took a short walk into town where the walls are covered in graffitti. I mean...murals. Again, playing with the spot light/snoot effect.

Jay getting down and dirty in the streets of Rayne. No frogs were harmed.

If you're not sure about coming out to one of our workshops, just ask these two. They fully approve.

And, you might even get to ride an airplane.

I'll post more images later on. Again, super fun group at this workshop. HUGE THANKS to Colin Burnum for everything, from breakfast, lunch, dinner and the after hours reception.

- Jordan

Denny's and TriCoast Photography...We Made Their Catalog

2008-09-05T20:50:00.004-05:00

Well I just found out TriCoast made Denny's Mfg new Fall/Winter Supplement Catalog for their company. If you do not know about Denny's check them out, truly their products have changed our business for the better.

For years TriCoast has believed in the quality and products of Denny's Mfg. We have purchased everything from large props and backdrops for over 10 years now. Their products have simply changed our business for the better, without changing a thing, using their backdrops in our senior business and their props in our baby settings has simply made TriCoast look better. So for us to be in their new Fall/Winter Supplement Catalog has truly humbled us and is a great honor.

CHECK OUT THE SUPPLEMENT

Wedding down home...

2008-08-29T01:16:00.005-05:00

We had the pleasure of having a local wedding in our home town, something that only happens maybe once every year or two.

Tanith and Paul were truly an amazing couple, high school sweethearts. Tanith's best friend is Paul's sister so these two have known each other almost their entire life.

Tanith is from South Africa and has the most amazing family. We truly fell in love with her mother and Aunt and Cousin. Paul is truly a Texan if I ever meet one and loves many of the same things I personally do and between him and his friends they really knew how to drink and well sing. OK so the singing they did was only good if you were drunk but as a sober photographer covering the event they were fun and interesting to cover. Here is a slideshow from the day.

Tanith and Paul - it was truly an honor covering your wedding day!

And if you look closely you might notice Cody of TriCoast and Suzy of SuzyMinPhotography getting down with a couple wedding guest including the bride!!!

Blogging through my email

2008-08-23T02:44:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to see how it works.

--
Jordan Chan
TriCoast Photography

Jorden the Senior

2008-08-23T02:13:00.004-05:00

Not Jordan the photographer. I know you're disappointed. But that's life. You might recalled that I mentioned a bit about her in Aaron's blog post.

One of TriCoast's Senior Rep.

Usually, I would try to put something witty here. But instead, I will plagiarize straight out her MySpace page. And because it's 2am and I'm on allergy meds, so the creative wittiness is just not here.

My names Jorden Shelby

I'm the pimp with a limp. ahahaha.

I'm a senior at sweeny.

I'm the captain of the varsity cheer squad.

I love my family and friends!

Hannah Montana IS my idol! haha NOT

Aaron has my heart.. but so does chocolate =] and sweet tea

I love watching lifetime, oxygen, and HGTV

My cat Lily is crazy but she's my hero

Thats about it.

There is a correction. Hannah Montana IS her IDOL! During the shoot she raved all about her. For reals. She also mention that she is a big fan of Kim Possible.

- Jordan
(The Photographer...not the senior)