Archive for June, 2008

[06.30.08] Monday Night Recap
- June 30, 2008 -

• [Photo Challenge] As today is June 30th, get your submissions in NOW for the June Photo Challenge! I’ll post the next challenge later on this week (…oh, and if you have any ideas/suggestions for challenges, feel free to leave them in the comments).
• [Cubbies] After sweeping the Sox last week at Wrigley, they repaid the favor be sweeping us in the Cell this weekend. I’ll give them credit…it’s not like they’re a bad team, they’re leading the AL Central. What do you think…too soon to call a Cubs-Sox World Series?!?!

  |ETQ| The Cubs OWNED the Giants tonight in San Fran 9-2! DeRosa had 2 home runs (a grand slam in the 8th after they walked 3 straight batters to load the bases) and 6 RBIs…now that’s how you swing it back in the right direction!

• [Summer League] I can’t believe its almost here! The second annual Summer League is starting this coming Sunday (draft on Friday), and I am OUT OF SHAPE! I tried ballin’ with guys last week and was winded after 1 game. We played again today and I at least had better endurance…maybe playing indoors well bring me back to true form…maybe?!?!
• [Abigail] On Saturday I did a shoot of baby Abigail. Im not sure of what I’m supposed to call her…she’s my Dad’s-uncle’s-wife’s-brother’s-son’s-daughter. In any event, she’s family. Here’s a glimpse:



• [Jiju and Soumy] While I was there, I did a fun little portrait session of Abigail’s parents, Jiju and Soumy. They’ve been married for over a year, but had their wedding out in India and didn’t really have many relaxed portraits of just the two of them, so we made sure to get some there. Another glimpse:



• [Busy Schedule] I thought June was a busy time for me, but July is even busier! I’ve still got to get some dedicated posts up about Dianna and Joe’s wedding, Alexis’ Birthday, and now baby Abigail and Jiju and Soumy’s session. And looking ahead, I’ve got an engagement ceremony this Saturday, a wedding the week after [more details to come], a basketball tournament the week after that, and then my sister’s wedding on the last weekend! (I’m standing in that one, but maybe I can pull off a few snaps without getting in the pro’s way :) ) I’ll be hard at work so please be patient if it’s a little quiet on the bloggin’ front or responding to e-mails/comments- I’m definitely reading everything and planning on getting back to all of you soon! Back to work!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: [MNR]

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Cleaning and Reminiscing
- June 25, 2008 -

As my sister’s wedding draws closer (July 26th), my dad seems to be finding more and more home improvement projects to do. I thought the big thing was painting our family room…boy was that a silly thought. I believe his main thing is cleaning out our basement. He’s been wanting to finish the basement completely for awhile, but we’ve never got around to it. Although we probably don’t have time to do it now, he t least wants to clean out all the junk and what not that’s been piling up over the years.
The last time I remember being down there with people was after my oldest sister’s engagement party…like 7 years ago. Since then, I basically only went down there to store boxes or whatnot…which is what everyone in the family did. But now, we must clean. So I went down there today to start organizing things a bit to make it easier to sort through, as well as do a quick grab of my stuff. There’s so much more to go…

Here’s a small corner of the basement…

The evolution of phones. I found a couple more (including a few cell phones) as I started to unpack boxes. And yes, that is a rotary phone. I believe it still works, too.

A vintage vinyl record player. We have no more records; the needle is broke. Yet we kept this thing for years.

And you obviously need some speakers to go with. I actually brought these to U of I during my senior year and we hooked up our TV to it for some quality sound during movie nights (or when were bored and wanted loud noise).

As my parents seem to keep many unnecessary items for years, I think it’s made its way into my genes on the tech side. here are a couple printers and a scanner (mind you I currently have an inkjet printer and a printer/scanner/copier in my room).

And here are 3 monitors. Note: During the last week of school, make your rounds to the apartment buildings around campus…many people throw away perfectly good stuff as they are moving out because they don’t want to pack it all up. I think we picked up 3 monitors from there. And that has helped me to have, between my room and the basement, 4 CRT monitors, 1 LCD monitor, 3 PC towers, and my Macbook Pro. I really need to figure out what to do with this stuff…I just can’t let go!

And you might think you know religious people, but look at here. These are ‘extra’ bibles in our basement. Personally, I think I have another 6 bibles on my shelf in my room (not counting my regular use one). And that doesn’t include what the rest of the family has scattered around. Is it just me, or is it really hard to get rid of a bible?

As I unpacked some boxes I started to stumble upon some old stuff of mine, which got me into a reminiscent mode. To start:

This was my first digital camera. In 2002, I bought this HP Photosmart digital camera off ebay, and people quickly got annoyed of me (that was the beginning of my photographic life).

Yep…you are reading these things right. That’s a 2.1MP camera with a 4x digital zoom. Man I thought I was cool. I had the only camera around. And I tortured it a lot, as you can tell. I can’t count how many times this thing had been dropped.

One of the goals on my 28 in 2008 list was to organize my card collection. When I went off to college I moved all of this from my room to the basement, and I wanted to go back and get it all back together. I started collecting around 1990 (if my memory served me correctly) and only did it for a few years. But I was hardcore then, constantly checking the value of the cards in Beckett. I haven’t taken great care of these,a s you can tell, but I wonder how much all of this is worth now. I guess step 1 in the process is bringing this all out of the basement.

Another thing that I collected very briefly was newspapers. There were a couple papers that I thought ‘In the future I’m going to look back on these and be glad I kept them.’ And I look at them now and think the same thing…it’s a small thing right now, but looking 20+ years down the line, this will be fun to reflect on.

[Thursday, April 25, 1996] Bulls 4th Championship run (I also have the papers from the 1st, 3rd, and 6th titles)

[Friday, February 27, 1998] Harry Caray’s passing

[Monday, March 12, 2001] Illini’s first major run in the NCAA Tournament (my junior year of high school)

[Wednesday, September 12, 2001] September 11th

That last one hit me a bit. Almost 7 years ago. The big tagline during that time was “We will never forget.” Sure, I think we all remember it. But does it impact our daily lives? Life is short. Ultimately, our time on earth is out of our hands and has already been decided for us. Are we making the most of it? Are we living purposefully able to be ‘satisfied’ with this day being our last?

I don’t recommend you guys keeping clutter and stuff for years, but if you already do it…take some time and go through it all. It might be a good thing to help bring you back for a bit and put current situations in perspective again. It’s interesting just thinking of how far I’ve come even in the past 5 years…

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Personal

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[06.23.08] Monday Night Recap
- June 23, 2008 -

• [Photo Challenge] 1 more week for this month! Remember, this challenge is about composition, and giving your keeping your subject OUT of the center of the frame.
• [Cubbies] We had tough break getting swept by Tampa last week, but we just owned the AL Central leading White Sox in the crosstown series! (For the record, I’m not a White Sox hater…but am a MUCH bigger Cubs fan). Surprisingly enough, I was busy enough that I didn’t get to see any of the games…how sad is that!? Ah well…
• [ABDC] I was very disappointed in America’s Best Dance Crew last wek…the people who killed it the season premiere dropped the ball, and the average dancers really put on a show. One thing, though…I don’t like there are these “Best…” shows that do not bring back previous competitors. It would have been better if you had like that top 3 from last year come back and defend…I mean, seriously. JabbaWockees, Kaba Modern and Status Quo should have to prove themselves year in and year out (of course, they’d obviously own the competition…but it’d still be fun). Just a thought…
• [Ben & Anee] On Saturday, another set of friends got married…yep, it happens A LOT in my community. I think this is the 3rd set this year where both the bride and groom were from my home church! I’ve known both of them for awhile and have served alongside them over the past year. It’s so exciting to see two people get together with such a great vision for the future.
  Showing up as a guest, I let the paid photog’s do all the work :). But here are a few I grabbed…

Ben walked his mother down the aisle…






Anee taking a breath before beginning her walk…






This cute little girl had her doll with her in this exact same position every time I saw her…






The details! The cake (v1)…






And here’s version 2…






In lieu of wedding favors, Ben and Anee made a donation to the Binil Samuel Memorial Fund on behalf of each guest…






For the past few years this used to be me – I was a part of the ‘wedding dance’ crew who would dance at many receptions. It seems like the guys get older and broken down much faster than the girls do, because my generation of guys seemed to all have retired. We used to dance with these girls…and now they just got the new crew of males to step up…I think we should battle one day :)








• [Alexis' Birthday Party] Happy 3rd Birthday Alexis!! Wow…my niece is now 3! Today is her official birthday, but yesterday we had a Luau party for her and her friends at the house…my goodness all these kids are growing up so fast! I’m actually able to have a bit of dialog with them, which makes them more entertaining for me (I mean, they’re cool when they’re younger, but this is the age I like). Here’s a glimpse of the party, with a recap to be posted later:






• [Reflections] On my train ride to work, I was listening to a podcast by Ravi Zacharias entitled ‘The Lostness of Man”. Here are a few quotes that really hit me that I felt like sharing:
• The fact of the matter is that man carries on this game of pretense into many, many arenas of his life. He is attempting to build civilizations when he does not know what it means to be civilized. He is trying to be a philosopher when he does not know who the master philosopher is. He is portraying his artistic perceptions, he does not know the master artist. He moralizes on life, but he does not know the moral law giver.
• (quoting Dr. John R.W. Stott) Many of the happenings of civilized society would not exist if it were not for human sin. A promise is not enough, we need a contract. Doors are not enough, we have to lock and bolt them…Law and order are not enough, we need police to enforce them. All these things and many others to which we have grown accustomed that we have taken them for granted are due to our sin. We cannot trust each other, we need protection from one another; it is a sorry state of affairs.
• …until [we] understand the heart of man, [we] will never understand the justification by faith.

So there’s a glimpse into what I contemplate during my days…enjoy! Happy Monday everybody!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Modern Events, [MNR]

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Lenie & Namratha’s E-Session
- June 20, 2008 -

I knew Lenie and his family growing up, but then awhile back they moved out to Atlanta. After graduation, he found a job as a Math teacher in the Chicago Public School which brought him back around, and we re-connected since I came back from U of I. Lenie and Namratha met while they were in college, and have been doing the distance thing for a bit as she is still out in Georgia, but she was able to come down for a recent weekend so we made sure we got a session in for them. We took a stroll around downtown Chicago in some great weather (though the weatherman told us we’d experience rain…silly weathermen). The wedding is going to be out in Atlanta on July 12th, so it’s right around the corner!

Now I don’t do many images with textures, but I knew I had to with this one right when I snapped the picture…

And I love this set…It’s great when my clients are willing to stand in the middle of the road just before a truck comes at them…

Lenie and Namratha, I had a blast with you guys and wish you all the best on your wedding day and married life to come. See you guys back in Chicago in the fall!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Couples Lifestyle Sessions

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Baby Seylah
- June 20, 2008 -

Baby Seylah was born a little bit ago, and I had gone to take a few portraits of her for the birth announcement. Normally it’s a bit tough to take these portraits because the kids can get a bit fussy over tme, but she seriously did not mind the pictures AT ALL! Here’s a few more from the session:

Big brother Jaden…

And this one’s to show that he really does like her :)

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Modern Portraits

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[06.16.08] Monday Night Recap
- June 16, 2008 -

• [Photo Challenge] Yep…June’s challenge is right here.
• [Summer League] WOW. Within the first 7 days, we maxed our capacity for Summer League! Last year was the first season, and we had about 70 players…this year we boosted it to 90 and already maxed out! A waiting list is open for another week or so in case people drop for some reason, but regardless its time to get hype! Summer League is taking over Sunday nights!
• [Cubbies] 45-25. That’s right…best record in baseball, 20 games over .500. PLEASE! Somebody take me to a (couple) game(s)!!!!!!!
• [NBA] The playoffs should be over. I mean, the past two games, the Lakers were up by at least 19 points, and blew the lead. They somehow were able to pull it out in the last game, but I really don’t think they can survive too more games…do you?
  
• [Painting] Some of you know that my sister is getting married in July. And it’s bit of a tradition in our community (I don’t know where the tradition started or why) that when someone gets married a part of the house gets remodeled in some way, shape or form (yeah…the tradition doesn’t make sense, I know). I think for my oldest sister we redid our bathrooms. This time I around, we repainted our family room, so the weekend was spent setting it up and paiting it all…looks good, though. Once the paint dries we’ll be good to go!
• [Picture] And so I don’t have a post without a picture, here’s one from a set I’m currently working on…

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: [MNR]

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Boda Bag Review
- June 14, 2008 -

So there were a few questions/interest in the Boda Bag that I just got, so i wanted to throw a little review. Mind you this is the original Boda, and they’ve come out with the Boda Dry and the Boda Dry Jr. (both look very interesting), but here’s my take on it. Oh, and if you haven’t noticed before, my room is not the most perfect choice for product photography, so for a better look, check out the website!

I’ve been in a hunt to find a shooting bag, because its just not feasible to carry around all your gear, and I don’t like having to constantly go back to my bag whenever I need to switch lenses or something. When I second shot for Kenny earlier in the year, he had his Boda with him and let me do the wedding with it, and I knew this is what I needed. There’s nothing extremely fancy about it, but it gets the job done, which is exactly what I needed.
So, generally, this is what I’ll be carrying with me when i do my shoots (obviously this isn’t all the gear (ie. no camera body!), but this gives you an idea:

(1) 70-200 2.8 IS L
(2) 24-70 2.8
(3) 430EX Flash
(4) Notebook and Writing Utensil
(5) Extra AA Batteries for Flashes
(6) Extra Batteries for Body
(7) Extra CF Cards
(8) Cell Phone
(9) Business Cards
(10) Snacks (you always need some extra energy)
(11) 17-35 2.8-4

The first image was shot with the 17-35, which is why it wasn’t included in the main layout.

So generally, that’s what I carry. When I pack it all up in the Boda, this is what I get:

PERFECT! I just sling my camera on one shoulder and the Boda over the other, and I’m good to go! It’s got flap top as well as a zippered top to easily get to the lenses, which makes changing them MUCH more efficient for me. And it was so fun when I was going through the bag, because every time I thought something like “OK, where should put the camera batteries?”, I opened a flap and there was a special spot just for it! I still have a few empty pockets and such that will still need to be filled, but I’m not trying to pack this thng with as much as I can because then it’s just added weight to slow me down. So for now, I’ve got all I need.
Like I said, I use this bag while on shoots for easy access to my gear and other necessities, but I do have another bag/case for traveling and storage.

So there you have it. I can’t really comment on the other shooting bags on the market, but I do know that this one was well worth it for me. Not only is it functional, but oh so stylish!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Personal

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CMTC Metropolitan Reception
- June 14, 2008 -

My home church (Chicago Mar Thoma Church) is a part of a much larger diocese which spans North America and Europe (and I believe Australia). It’s really amazing to think back of the rich history and tradition that my church holds, as we trace our beginnings to 52AD, when the Apostle Thomas made his way into India (don’t worry…I won’t go through the entire lineage!)
Due to the size and growth of our community in recent years, we officially have three churches in the Chicagoland area to accommodate, and every now and then we are able to hold events to bring all of them together. A few weeks back, we had two of the bishops from within our diocese visit us, and so we were able to bring all the churches together at Evanston High School for a service.

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Modern Events

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Ajoy’s 30th Birthday
- June 14, 2008 -

His sister asked him what he wanted he wanted for his birthday, and he said appetizers and drinks at Bin36 with his close friends. So she set it all up, but then along the way he decided he didn’t want that anymore. That didn’t stop her from setting it up, but if his request for no party wasn’t enough, the week of the party he called up Bin to check if there were reservations made!
Many people know how difficult it is to plan a surprise, but somehow this one still worked out. Ravita and Anu were able to throw a great surprise 30th birthday party for their brother at Bin36 in downtown Chicago with all his friends. And even through his attempts to ruin the surprise, they still pulled it off nicely.

I had a blast shooting your party, and another Happy 30th, Aj!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Modern Events

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NMP Challenge Submissions: May-Movie|Music Titles
- June 13, 2008 -

OK. I know this is LONG overdue, so here we go. These submissions were by Taffy and Leena T, so enjoy! (June’s challenge of ‘Rule of 3rds’ can be found here…)

[Taffy]
Philadelphia

[Leena]
Chicago

Blue Skies – Point of Grace

Life is a Highway – Rascall Flatts

End of the Road – Boyz II Men

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Personal

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[06.09.08] Monday Night Recap
- June 9, 2008 -

I know it’s past midnight, but I just got back from a fun dinner with the Bebbs and some others (I’ll update with links to their sites/blogs when I have a bit more time).

• [Photo Challenge] I know I’ve been very delayed on the last results (apologies), but remember: the new one is already posted!
  
• [Summer League] Last year we had an amazing time at the first annual Summer Basketball League, and since it was met with such great enthusiasm, we’re doing it again! Get the word out because registration ends June 30th and the season starts on Sunday, July 6th. We can only take a maximum of 90 players, and we’re a third of the way there (in only about 2 days), so hurry up! (side note: for anyone who registered this weekend prior to 10am this morning, you need to re-register as our system went down and we lost your info…sorry guys!)
  
• [Things To Come] You’ve probably noticed a few changes going on here, most obviously with my new imge brand. It’s just the beginning, as I have some changes coming up hopefully at the end of the month. Keep an eye out…here’s a blurry teaser…
  


• [Boda Bag] I ordered the original Boda Bag and I got it in the mail this past Friday, just in time for an e-session and wedding. I borrowed Kenny‘s when I second shot with him and I knew I needed it…I’m happy!
  
• [Lenie & Namrita] On Saturday morning I shot an e-session for Lenie and Namrita in Chicago, who are getting married in Atlanta July 12th. Here’s a quick favorite:
  


• [Dianna & Jeff] After the e-session, I had a quick break before heading over to shoot the wedding of Dianna and Joe. Of course, I’ll do a more thorough recap later, for now I’ll let a few picture talk:
  





• [ABDCv2] Anybody watch the live casting of the second season of America’s Best Dance Crew? I’m impressed with a couple groups, but a little upset with a few of the crews that advanced. What do you think? I’m thinking its Supreme Soul will take it all…quote it here.
  
• [The Bebbs] The Bebbs were in town all the way from Vancouver, Canada for their Bebbinar Seminar this week, so a bunch of the photogs got together for a dinner at Weber Grill downtown. It’s always a blast hanging out with everyone. Sadly, regardless of how late I get in…I still need to wake up early. Ah well, so is life. Goodnight everyone!
  

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Couples Lifestyle Sessions, [MNR]

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NMP Photo Challenge: June
- June 3, 2008 -

Theme: Rule of Thirds

I figured that in addition to people getting creative, that I could use the challenges to teach different rules/techniques/etc. to help you shoot better.

One of the standard rules of composition in photography is the “Rule of Thirds.” Ultimately, when you look through your camera’s viewfinder, imagine there is a 3×3 grid across the screen (some cameras actually can do this for you). The rule of thirds states that you should try to place the main point of interest in your image along those lines/intersections. They don’t necessarily need to be directly at the intersection points or whatnot, but close enough to make a difference. Here’s a look at the above image with the grid in place:

I used a lot of ‘space’ in the image to bring out the subject, but as you see the primary focus is in the upper-left. Technically, you can re-crop the image in post-production, but I recommend trying to get it right in camera first.

So go out there and before snapping a picture…re-compose it! Give it a bit more impact. The one thing I’d like to steer you away from is keeping the subject in the dead center of the frame…

(A little bit more detail on my composition above: since the ‘baller’ was facing towards the bottom, that’s where I placed the majority of the open space. It gives sense of direction leading the viewer into where the subject is heading. Let the subject lead the viewer into the image…)

All submissions should be sent to challenge@nmathaiphotography.com, and be sized to around 500px on the longest side. Looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Personal

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[06.02.08] Monday Night Recap
- June 2, 2008 -

• [Photo Challenge] As always, I’m providing a bit of a grace period for last month’s challenge. Keep sending it in until I post the submissions. I’ll hopefully have the next challenge up sometime tomorrow…keep an eye out!
• [Cubbies] How could you miss it? They went 7-0 on this past 7-game homestand! I LOVE IT! #1 in the majors (oh, and the White Sox are #1 in the AL Central working off a 3-game losing streak…well done to you as well). We’ve been coming from behind and proving ourselves, so I’m pretty happy. Tonight we’ve got Zambrano on the mound looking for his 8th win…I’m feeling good!
• [Bulls] Looks like its almost official we got ourselves a new head coach…good ol’ Doug Collins. Not sure how it’ll look from a win/loss outlook, but it will definitely be a nostalgic time with Collins back in charge (…I know I was like 4 when he coached, but still…I know history!).
• [Youth Chaplain] This past Saturday, my home church held a special program to meet our new youth chaplain, a pastor who will be dedicated to the youth and young adults of our church. It started with a short discussion time with everyone, and followed with a rousing game of softball! I like shooting things like this for fun at times, because it lets me have some fun with the processing…what do you think?






















• [Baby Seylah] On Saturday, I visited my to-be sister-in-law, and took a bunch of portraits of their newest addition. She seriously didn’t have a care in the world during the shoot…got to love it. I think this one is my favorite…I think…



• [Facebook Friends] Are you desperate for friends on facebook? This seems to be a great way to meet new people and get new friends! What do you think…would you ever purchase/where this?



(oh, and if you aren’t my friend on facebook yet, you can find my profile here :) )

be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.

natemathai | filed under: Modern Portraits, Personal, [MNR]

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