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I could write a whole lot about how fun this shoot was…how I found some great vintage WWII clothing and incorporated it…or how Sallie was so much fun to work with.  But I think the photos speak for themselves!

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“Mun ouy laing leah, mun ouy prort preah.”

The beauty of being a wedding photographer is the fact that no two weddings are alike.  I had this epiphany yesterday while crouched in Sallies’ parents living room, surrounded by a hundred of their family members, shooting through a cloud of incense.  And, while I could not understand the language, the look on everyone’s face – that which transcends the barrier – conveyed the beauty of the moment.  It was a truly remarkable wedding where I was able to learn a lot, be creative, and smile with strangers.

Scott

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OK, I admit….when a bride gives me “the line” (that little, invisible line on her dress which anything below it goes, but above must remain clean) I take it not as a directive, but as a mission.  A mission for her to see the potential in just saying “screw it” and having fun – just what a good trash the dress session is all about.  Thankfully, Kristi had this epiphany and we had a great time trashing her beautiful silk dress in Oneonta Gorge.  Kristi, Cliff and I braved a massive population of people seeking the slot canyon’s cool air and chilly mountain streams.  In the end, we had a wonderful time and I love how these images convey Kristi + Cliff’s love for the outdoors.  Enjoy!

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It was an awesome morning drive down the Columbia Gorge and over the Bridge of the Gods. Turning left up Wind Mountain, I was soon at the venue Kristi + Cliff had raved about with me – Wind Mountain Ranch. The weather was perfect and the vibe was awesome. Everyone was having a blast. From the girls chilling in the ranch to the guys tossing the football, I could tell this was going to be an awesome wedding.  Kristi +Cliff did not disappoint!

Check out some sneak peek shots here and a few more over on Facebook.

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I found the PERFECT track for Lisa + Josh’s wedding slideshow!  Check it out…

Lisa + Josh from Scott McNamara on Vimeo.

Music licensed through animoto.com.

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Tonight I had the chance to cruise along Oregon Highway 26 with Sallie + Sophorn, wedding clients of mine.  I wanted to shoot along this popular corridor, as it offers a great mix of rural, agricultural, and forested areas.  We had a great time exploring side roads and creeks of Oregon.  Plus, any opportunity for me to shop around for vintage magazines is a plus!

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A Professional Photographer’s Review of a Smartphone

I know my blog is a special place for me to share images from recent shoots and the myriad of cool new things I stumble on around the interwebs.  But I really feel compelled to share with my readers the reasons I recently abandoned the iPhone ship – and swam out on my own to join the flotilla of Android users.

How it Started
I was one of the people in a line outside a small AT&T store in Honolulu a couple of years ago, very excited to buy the hottest cell phone on the market.  In my opinion, at that moment there was no other phone that held a candle to the capabilities the iPhone platform offered.

A little over two years later, I pondered and researched to see if I wanted to stay married to the iPhone ecosystem – and AT&T – for another LTR.  The result of my time and effort?  Absolutely NOT.

Pretty early on in my research, my hardware options boiled down to the HTC Evo 4G and the iPhone4.   These two phones are very powerful and, I consider them to be the top contenders in the “smartphone” space (save for the Droid family, as I have never even held one).  My efforts were now to identify how each of these phones would make my personal and photography lives easier, and more connected.

Early Impressions of the iPhone4
I’ll admit – I was really put off by the early reports of antenna issues with the new phone.  Although it could have simply been media hype, it was certainly something believable with a device that was leading the industry with a new antenna design.  I was also growing tired of the same old iPhone interface and the feeling of freedom now being able to do such mundane things like adding wallpaper and folders.  Shouldn’t we have been able to do these things all along?  Lastly, I was tired of AT&T.  Like any long term relationship, after a couple of years sometimes you just need a new start and a chance to see other people.

Early Impressions of the EVO
So, once they were in stock I wandered into my local Sprint store.  I held the Evo and sensed its commanding mass – a massive screen, solid density, great screen and some interesting new features (like a kickstand).  Android was totally new to me, but after messing with the phone for 3-5 minutes, I had the OS pretty much nailed.  I was very impressed.  The only potential downside for me was the plastic construction.  Although the screen is glass, I wondered how the device would hold up after 2 years of wedding photography road warriordom.  I remembered how well my iPhone 3G’s white plastic backside held up and soon dismissed the concern.

As you can tell, I was heavily leaning toward Sprint and the Evo.  I went to my local Apple store and fondled an iPhone4 for a bit and left generally unexcited, due to a lack of major improvements.  Is $299 worth a nicer display, iBooks, and camera but the same storage and ecosystem?

What sold me on the Evo

From the 30,000 foot view, the phones are pretty close contenders.  Both phones have great cameras, shoot 720p video, feature up to 32GB of memory, and place calls.

The following were the features that put the Evo ahead for me:

• Price:  The Evo is $199 with an 8GB Micro SDHC card.  That will hold me until I upgrade to a 32GB card once the price drops. A hundred bucks is a good bit of savings.

• Plan:  Sprint’s plan is far better than AT&T’s with unlimited texts, data (truly, actually unlimited), mobile to mobile (even outside Sprint’s network), and tons of mobile-landline minutes.  I am saving between $20-$30 per month and getting more for my money.

• Hardware:  The Evo is bigger than the iPhone with a better keyboard and a very snappy processor.  I feel like I can truly leave the Macbook Pro at home and survive solely on this device when I need to.  The iPhone felt like a suitable device for critical situations, but was not ideal.

• Speed:  3G on Sprint is AMAZING.  It blew my mind how much faster this phone’s internet and data really is just on 3G.  But, Sprint also offers 4G speed and it was even more awesome! Sites load up like a camera flash in your face.

• Android:  I really like having the ability to be free with my device.  HTC has layered their OS flavor called HTC Sense on top of Android.  It is pretty damn sexy.  And, if for people like my wife don’t care to fully mod their device, they can enjoy widgets and tools and have a simple experience like with the iPhone.  Those who like to dive deep in and play around with a device can easily do that.  There are a million features that you can fit to your lifestyle and business to make things even easier.

There are a few minor cons with Android.  While the OS is polished, it seems to lack in a few areas.  For starters, the glitches.  The first night we had the phone I set my alarm for work the next day.  I used the phone’s nightstand setting and propped it open on the kickstand.  A dim digital clock appeared and it was really a nice feature.  However, in that mode the phone is silent and my alarm did not sound.  Wouldn’t you want a bedside clock to NOT be silent!?  Audible notifications disrupt any audio (music, games) which is mildly annoying and the audio player app could certainly use some shine and polish.

• User Replaceable Elements:  I really like being able to purchase additional batteries and replace them as needed.  I also really like having the ability to swap memory cards.

• Multitasking:  One of the most striking differences between this and the iPhone is true multitasking.  I can easily toggle between music, phone, web and texts with no discernible interruption.  Very cool.

• Social Networking Integration: As a small business owner, I like keeping in touch with my clients, friends, and my family.  This phone links your contacts’ social networking streams with their on-phone address book entry.  All my contacts’ pictures are pulled from their Facebook profile and I can easily see notifications when their content is updated in real time.

• Tethering:  If I am going to pay an additional $30 to tether, it better be with 4G.

A bunch of cool, smaller details:
•    Flash on my phone kicks ass.
•    The camera interface on this phone is stunning.
•    Kickstand is a surprisingly awesome feature (initially I thought it was gimmicky).

What Tempted me to consider the iPhone
Aside from departing from the cult-like excitement of holding a new Apple product, some items did make me consider the iPhone longer than I expected:

• Apps and Music:  I was afraid all the money I spent on apps and music would be wasted.  While I do have iPods and can make use of it all, I am not as worried about this anymore as I have found comparable apps for free on Android Market.  We’ll see if I revert to my dumbphone days and carry two devices.  Probably not.

• Facetime:  It would be cool if I joined the 300 Billion or so other people with iPhones.  Many of them would be my friends and we could all use Facetime.  However, as it is limited to Wi-Fi, I don’t see any real benefit over using my MacBook Pro and built-in iSight camera over iChat.

• Build:  I was very impressed with the Gorilla Glass and Stainless build of the new iPhone.  It is a very solid device and I would never question its ability to stand up to many years of life on the road.

• Evo Battery:  This is a real bummer.  The Evo’s battery is perhaps one of the worst I have used in a phone.  But, since batteries are easily swapped I could always buy an extra one for those long flights.

After my first two weeks
I know it is stupid to say you “love” a device.  Like a horny 7th grader, I feel like I used to say that about any cool, new toy in my hands.  Maybe I am maturing, maybe I am just more aware of the delta between hype and truly solid specs.  Bottom line?  I love the Evo.  I feel like I could run my business off it and never even need to crack a laptop (save, of course for editing wedding images!).

But more importantly, I feel free.  Free from a monster network and a bloated phone bill.  Free from a tightly controlled and regulated App store (Ok, so the naked lady apps in Android are annoying). Free from an OS that for years would not even let you change a wallpaper.

I have left the flock behind me and will not be turning back.

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Last night I teamed up with Gina Emerson on a very cool engagement session.  Joann + Matt were a wicked cool couple and we had a blast!  Starting in a great field of wildflowers at Oaks Bottom Refuge and ending up at the AMF Pro 300 bowling lanes off Powell, we certainly covered the spectrum. It was great that they could care less about being around other people and, you know, making out in a bowling alley, doing jump shots, and all that fun stuff.  Thanks Joann and Matt for a GREAT shoot!

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Hello Everyone!

Tonight I am excited to announce three new wedding packages that take the place of my previous flat rate approach.  I have heard from many brides that they would like to see more variety, and more options in terms of choosing albums, books, and other goodies.

So, check out my website for more details, but here is a quick rundown:

• Element A: This is the minimalist package that resembles (somewhat) my flat rate.  Best for smaller, more intimate weddings that don’t need all day coverage and as a base to design a custom package.

• Element B: This package is a great balance of shooting time (with a free session thrown in) and also comes with an amazing Italian-made album and DVD slide show.

• Element C: The big mamma-jamma.  This package has a massive canvas wrap, two parent albums, a huge Italian album, and a really cool coffee table style book.  There are TWO free sessions included as well as a whopping 10 hours of coverage.  Bragging to your friends is also free of charge.

Again, check out the site for prices and specifics.

Now….to the really cool part!  I have a little something for everyone.

For clients of mine that are already commissioned under the flat rate: If you wish to upgrade to one of these other packages, I will offer you a 5% discount off the difference in price!  So, if you paid $2250 for the original rate and want Element C (at $4500), the diff is $2250.  You would save about $115 on the upgrade.  Plus, the additional cost is not payable until two weeks before the wedding.

For brides and grooms that have not yet contracted:  The “old” rate of $2250 ($3150 for destinations) was a good deal.  I will grandfather you in for that package if you still want it – but hurry!  I will honor the original package (full day coverage, slide show, 1 year of Flickr Pro, etc etc) until July 15th, 2010.  After that, it is gone!

Let’s face it - it’s Friday and it’s hella late. This is a lot of information and math sucks (I kid, I kid) so if you have any questions, give me a call or shoot me an email and we can plow through some elementary arithmetic and talk about photography!

Ciao!

Scott

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When I decided to move to Portland, one of the key reasons was that I enjoyed a particular vibe about the people here.  It was a combination of rabid self-reliance, beautiful creativity, great taste, confidence, and overall happiness.  I couldn’t really put my finger on just how to describe it. until yesterday.  Lisa + Josh (and their friends and family) embodied that spirit to the fullest, and proved to me that Portland is the place where I want to be.  They had a humble wedding at their beautiful home in SE Portland in their backyard.  The design was stunning in a minimalist/crafty feeling and the execution of the DIY spirit was perfect.  There was no stress, even for her sister that made ALL the food for the event – who had a constant smile on her face the whole time.  Lisa + Josh, thank you for allowing me the privilege of being a part of your beautiful day.

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