I’m Thinking of a Challenge…
- February 29, 2008 -
Pretty much everyone and their mother has a camera nowadays, by it a D3, an XT, a simple P&S, or even a camera phone. At a wedding, about 75% of the people there will have some sort of camera (no factual evidence for that statistic). And I think it’s a great thing. I feel like so many people, though, are not letting themselves really use this tool to get a deeper glimpse in the world around them, which is one of the things that I love about photography. As I walk down the street, I immediately see a massive picture with great details, be it signpost, a colored door, or a distant statue. And many times, as we walk through the day consumed with the concerns of ourselves, we walk right past the beauty that’s around us.
So I was thinking of possibly doing some sort of “Monthly Challenge” thing, basically in an effort for people to take more pictures and get creative; to experience the beauty and ‘reality’ of the world they live in and share it with the rest of us. There would be a simple topic/theme to cover, and then for the month you would go and ‘search’ for it., take LOADS of pictures, and e-mail them to me. I’ll combine them all and post the different perspective that we all have on the same idea. What do you think? Here’s an example scenario to show you want I mean…
Theme: Color
And people would submit (these images are from a free stock photo site):
It’d be very interesting to see how different people perceive the same direction. Even though we’re all looking at the ‘same thing’, we will all have different aspects of it that jump out at us. And recognizing the differences in people’s perceptions will inevitably open up our eyes. So…do you want to play?
This will only work if we have a decent number of people participating, so let me know (leave comments!) and if we get a good response I’ll post the first theme. Maybe I’ll even pick my favorite one (totally subjective :) ) and that person can win a special prize. So…let me know! Happy shooting people, open your eyes and keep it real…
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | 
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[02.25.08] Monday Night Recap
- February 25, 2008 -
- [Blogging] So I’ve only been posting MNRs recently, and I’m sorry! I’ve been spending a lot of time working on the business-side of things, but don’t worry…I’ll get back on track before you know it! Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see here…I’m always open to ideas!
- [Manoj&Jaime] Two weeks ago, I shot the engagement ceremony of Manoj and Jaime. Manoj is from Dallas and since the wedding is out in Texas, they had a ceremony up here in Chicago at the beautiful Abbington Banquets in Glen Ellyn. By request, their gallery is protected, so if you know them, you can contact them for the login and password. Thanks again, guys, for allowing me to take part in your special day! Here’s a little tease of details:
- [DanceCrew] Have you guys seen this show on MTV? I must say, my whole life I desired to have skills in the creative arts. I tried drawing, singing, acting, and even dancing in various capacities (…as well as graphic design, web design, and now photography…I think I finally found my creative talent!). These guys are just SICK! A small part of me wishes I didn’t ‘retire’ from dancing (of course…I’ve retired from like 100 things in my life, so maybe I’ll come out of retirement someday…doubtful). My votes are going for Kaba Modern and the JabbaWockeeZ…that’s straight talent.
- [Bulls] Finally a trade. I’m fine with getting rid of Big Ben, but I wish we didn’t have to drop Joe Smith. We’ll see Gooden plays out…in the weak East, we still have a chance for the playoffs…here’s to hoping.
- [GoldenBirthday] My (soon-to-be) brother-in-law is celebrating his golden birthday no Wednesday, so on Sunday we had a ‘surprise’ celebration for him: laser tag at Eskape and dinner at TGIFridays. I hadn’t gotten laser tagging in years (we’ve moved up to paint balling), but it was still fun. We played the old guys (21+) versus the young guys, and we crushed them both rounds! What can I say…we might be slower, but for now we’re still wiser with strategy :)
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal, [MNR], engagement No Comments | add a comment
[02.18.08] Monday Night Recap
- February 18, 2008 -
- [Slam Dunk] He was robbed last year, and I called it again for this year- Dwight Howard is a beast! When the man requests to raise the rim to 12 feet, you know there’s no contest. Did you see his superman dunk? It makes me wonder what the exact definition of a dunk is…anyone know?
- [AllStar] I missed the all star game, but even still, it is my favorite all star event of all the sports. Football players don’t really play because it’s the off-season and they fear getting hurt. Baseball isn’t as fast-paced during actual gameplay (though I still watch it). The NBA has both excitement, entertainment, and competition. What else could you ask for? (Hockey isn’t a sport, for those of you who were wondering…)
- [Engagement] I was busy Saturday morning with an engagement shoot Saturday morning…it was a blast shooting for Jaime and Manoj. Did I tell you I love my job? Although they stated the hate photographs, they are both very photogenic…I’ll post more about them later on this week.
- [AfterParty] It just so happened a couple friends of mine got engaged that morning as well, but I missed the ceremony do to the other engagement. I did make it out to their after party, and that was some fun times. It such a blessing to see two friends get together and chase God…I’m praying your ministry guys! I decided to take a few ‘ambient light’ [high ISO, low shutter, no flash] shots throughout the night (I was a bit tired after the morning), so here are a handful of the headshots and such:
- [KnightRider] Did anyone see the premiere of the new Knight Rider? I missed it, but heard some bad reviews? Anyone got any comments?
- [MyDadsBetter] I just got the tale end of “My Dads Better Than Your Dad,” a new show on NBC. Ummm…is this seriously the type of mentality that this next generation is being taught? I’m not a fan of the concept.
- [Canvas] My girlfriend came home this weekend, and I gave her this as a gift:
I love canvases! I’m going to get some bigger ones once we get our own place. I knew those years of Trading Spaces in college would be of benefit…I have a much better eye for design.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal, [MNR], engagement[02.11.08] Monday Night Recap
- February 11, 2008 -
- [UIUC] I posted yesterday about my festivities at U of I. It’s always so fun to go and visit, but my time feels so short (even though I take Friday off of work to visit!). No matter how much time I have, I still can’t find time to meet with everyone I’d like to. Sorry people- next time we’ll create a list with 1.5 hour slots…will that work? Keep in touch even if I don’t visit! E-mail, IM…whatever!
- [TheKingdom] On night #1, we watched The Kingdom…I thought it was very well made. There’s something about these movies that get to me…keeps me interested. It always attempts to show the humanity of both sides. Opens up minds to perspective.
- [CFC] It’s great going ‘home’. I post this every time, but whenever I go back there’s always a handful of people not just saying ‘welcome back’ but ‘welcome home.’ I spent 4 and a half years being raised/trained there, and while many have left (including myself), we still have a bond that transcends location. A bit of teaching that hit me:
- at every single moment, we are seeking maximum pleasure
- past events don’t determine our current choices, though they do influence them
- Repentance is more “God Help Me” than “God Forgive Me”
- [Disappointed] My girlfriend and I had an early Valentine’s celebration since she’s away at school. We were searching for things to do and stumbled upon an event called “Covered in Chocolate” held in Monticello, IL. There were many different events, and we got tickets to go to a live jazz show with a chocolate buffet. And let me tell you, we were a bit disappointed. The jazz band was nice (though I guess we’re not that cultured to love it), but the buffet was said. It seriously seemed like a small table with 3 different chocolate items that they just purchased from Meijer. We made the most of the night and had a blast, but we expected more…I’m just saying. Maybe it’ll get better over time.
- [Allerton] The event was held at Allerton Park in Monticello. It was late at night when we were driving, and the place is not lit at all…no real street signs or lamp posts. We found our way by the occasional “Allerton Park -> ” signs. I’ve heard the grounds are amazing there, but the outdoor area is not lit at all to notice at night…so sad. We were inside one of the buildings for the jazz event, and it is a rather beautiful place. Anyone having a wedding in the Champaign area, I recommend booking the place (and book me too!), because you can get some great photos there. We did wander around a bit and took our share of photos in there, but my girlfriend’s bit shy, so I won’t post (all of) them.
- [SelfPortraits] People have always asked what who we’re going to hire for our wedding. I always tell them that I’m going to do it…I mean, I’m going to have the best view right up front. I’ll also set up a few cameras on tripod with a wireless remote in my pocket for different angles. Everyone thinks I’m joking…I don’t know what to tell them. But here’s proof of what’s possible! This was one camera, no tripod, no flash, no nothing! It might take us like 8 hours to do an e-session having to set everything up, but it’s possible! What do you think?
*I’m getting into a habit of pulling over on the side of the road when I drive. The banner picture is from one of those stops on my drive back from Champaign. Here is the full picture…
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
Quick Post – UIUC
- February 10, 2008 -
I just got back from Urbana, and boy did I have a blast. It was a rather busy weekend with the regular church events, meeting up with current undergrads, birthday celebrations, as well as spending quality time with the girlfriend. All in all, I had a blast. I didn’t get an opportunity to pull out the camera too much because of the busy-ness and such, but I did take a few quick grabs on Saturday. Here’s a quick recap first:
- Got in Friday morning, met up with two of my ‘children’, then got lunch with 2 seniors.
- Picked up girlfriend from law school, went bowling (redeemed my poor 64 from earlier this week with a 158), then went to starbucks and hung out.
- Afterwards, caught dinner with her and two of her law school friends, followed by CFC large group. The night ended watching The Kingdom.
- Saturday morning, met with a few more ‘children’, where my ‘kid’ and the ‘neighbor’s kid’ made me a pancake breakfast (they love their alumn!) and chilled/caught up.
- Lunch was at Ruby Tuesday’s for my ‘youngest daughter’s’ birthday with a crowd.
- Then I went and showered/changed, rested, went back to starbucks (it was a high coffee weekend for me), and had an early valentine’s day celebration at Allerton Park with the girlfriend.
- At Allerton was a [unexciting] Jazz Festival / Chocolate Buffet which had about 3 different chocolate snacks that could have been purchased from Meijer. But the place is beautiful and we had a blast wandering the grounds.
- Sunday morning was church, followed by the mandatory “Lunch at Za’s with the Alumn”…then a bit more chilling with the girlfriend before heading home.
Very brief, not much excitement in the text, but I truly had a blast! The play-by-play doesn’t begin to scratch the surface. Maybe I’ll provide more details tomorrow with the MNR, but for now, here’s a few pics of the kids making me breakfast, and the birthday lunch:
***The reason for all the single quotes ( ‘…’ ) is because I don’t really have any biological or legal children, but there have been a handful that I’ve taken on as ‘my own’ due to the fact that they go to U of I (and I practically raised them :) ). Don’t get it twisted…just go with it…
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal No Comments | add a comment
The Beauty Within – 01
- February 6, 2008 -
Earlier, I stated that I was going to start on a personal project outside of the project100′s (100 different images of the same type of subject). And this one is called “The Beauty Within”. What I love about photography is it captures the essence of life. It looks deeper than we did at a single moment, and allows a clearer reflection of our lives. With that in mind, I realize that there’s so much around us that we overlook so quickly. We might ‘experience’ it everyday, but from our general point of view, it looks very bland and doesn’t catch our attention. But from a different angle, everything can look simply stunning. This project is for me to capture 50 different objects within my house from an angle that I just might not totally look at it. Here’s image number 1:
Sometimes, you need to look at things from a different angle to see the beauty in it. A change in perspective can open up your eyes and your mind to new ideas and a greater vision. Do not let yourself be limited my consistency…work outside of the box, step a few feet back, and open yourself to a greater potential. Much love.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
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DWF Bowling
- February 6, 2008 -
As promised, here are all the pics from bowling with the Chicagoland photographers from the Digital Wedding Forum at Lucky Strikes Lanes last night. Let me tell you, it’s very difficult to take photographs in a dark place like a bowling alley…but that didn’t stop us! Here’s the best I could do. I’ll give a shout-out to the photogs soon enough…for now it’s late, so NOW.
The biggest shout-out goes to the creator of it all, Jason Kaczorowski. There were two trophy winners with the highest score going to Cindy Fandl, and the lowest score to Yola (though she did strike in the 10th). Honorable mentions to everyone else! We had quite a showing with Kenny Nakai, Mr Stacey, Andy Schneider, Christian Muntean, Jay Crihfield, John Patrick, Emily DeWan, Bradley Floden, John Burdick and Jeff Lee. We also had a few fans who didn’t bowl: Vida Perez, Roger Beck, Russ Lowe, Abigail Harenberg and
Melissa Downham. It was great meeting all of you guys (hopefully I didn’t miss anyone!).
Here are just the pics for now(pardon the grain, these were shot at 3200):
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern Events, Personal No Comments | add a comment
[02.04.08] Monday Night Recap
- February 5, 2008 -
Got home kinda late, but still getting the MNR up…look how dedicated I am!
- [SuperBowl] I’ll repeat what everyone else said: Boring 3 and a half quarters, and then an amazing finish! I did call it though. I said the 4th quarter would be amazing, I said Brady and the Patriots score too quickly, I said Manning was Grossman with better luck (he lofted quite a few at the end), and I called the last drive completely being Brady to Moss. I like the sound of 18-1…though I’m not a fan of of the Giants at all. Fun time watching though.
- [SuperAds] I wasn’t too impressed with any of the superbowl ads this year. I guess I was just expecting more. But this one I thought was greatly written and executed. It’s the one from Matt Hasselback…hilarious, in my eyes.
- [Lent] I barely eat enough as it is (and I get in trouble all the time for it), so sacrificing food doesn’t do much for me. But what I’m trying to do is sacrifice a bit of sleep. Hopefully this will become a habit…I’m waking trying to wake up between 6 and 6:30 everyday so I won’t be as rushed in the mornings, and do my quiet times at home instead of on the train. Wish me luck!
- [PottyTraining] Alexis was over this weekend, and she’s in the process of being potty trained…and is doing a great job (or so I’m told). It’s entertaining, because when she has to go, she stops what she’s doing and runs to the bathroom and says, ‘I’ve go that feeling.’
- [Fog] It’s crazy…I could barely see anything driving tonight. I practically got lost going to Lucky Strikes for bowling.
- [LuckyStrike] A bunch of photographers from the Chicgoland area got together tonight and went bowling at the Lucky Strike Lanes out in Lombard. It was some fun times. Mad props (yes, Mad ones..I don’t give those out all the time) go out to Jason Kazcorowski for setting this all up. You haven’t really bowled until you’ve walked towards the lane with 5 cameras pointed at you, and 3 flashes when you’re releasing the ball! People must have thought we were crazy. Sadly, I bowled one of the worst games in my life (64), and we only bowled one game. So I definitely will find some time next weekend to bowl…I don’t care if it’s by myself. I’m going to prove that I still have my 150 average…I promise! I’ll post more pics tomorrow, but here’s a glimpse:
And quite possibly my favorite shot:
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern Events, Personal, [MNR]First Snow…
- February 1, 2008 -
Well, maybe not the first snow of the winter, but the first time I pulled my camera out. Last night the snow was coming down gradually, but consistently…and it took me about one hour to get from the train station to my house (normally about a 15 minute drive). So we pulled out the snowblower and cleared off the driveway. This morning I arose to find the snow had kept falling…I love the look, but hate the travel in it. Luckily I parked in the garage so I didn’t have to clean off my car. But I left for work, I pulled the camera to get a few quick shots…it’s been awhile, right?
And as you can see, I got a bunch of trees for my Project100. I can’t wait until spring…trees are beautiful then! Oh, and keep an eye out…I’m planning on another type of personal project aside from the Project100′s…and they’ll be quicker to finish so I’ll be able to post them more often.
Super Bowl Sunday coming up…My mind says Patriots, but my heart says not the Patriots (but I don’t really care for the Giants at all…meaning another Super Bowl to simply watch the commercials). Stay warm!
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
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