Dennis the Menace

I had a great day today shooting a friend's


daughter over in Dennis the Menace park. It was a great place to shoot a three year old. The park was a great place to put her at ease and let her run around while I chased her with a camera. She (let's call her A) warmed up to me the moment I stepped out of my truck. A has the warmest personality for such a little person. We strolled the park hand in hand and had a great time while I shot her climbing and sliding and running all over the place. Soon the attention and cravings turned to ice cream. A was on a mission for ice cream. Perfect I thought, a little leverage. I am quickly learning that with the kids it's all about what you have to offer them. Well, I was the ticket to ice cream. I finally got some very sincere cooperation out of her and had her sit in a little tree and give me some smiles and even a little pout. I found that showing her the pictures on the back of the camera really peaked her interest as well. I had so much fun and for being my first session with a small child I think the results were good. Her mom called me later and said she loved the shots and that A had a good time. It's great to have a happy mom.

My new baby

Today in the mail I finally received my first Canon L lens. A beautiful 24-70mm f/2.8L. I have quickly grown to love this lens. There is a nice review of it here on photo.net.
The Canon L series lenses are a thing of beauty to a photographer. First and most important they are of the utmost quality. The optical quality of the glass is generally superb as well as the overall construction. The 24-70mm f/2.8L and many other L's are weather sealed which helps to keep out dust and moisture. The build is very substantial and is quite a hefty lens. The zoom is smooth and the auto focus is fast. This lens lives on my camera now. It is a great day to day lens as well as a great portrait/wedding lens. It will be great on my next upgrade, the soon to be released Canon 5D MkII. This highly anticipated camera is amazing. More about it later. Preliminary review here. The next lens I would like is the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. More to come I hope.

Pebble Beach Wedding

This Saturday I worked as a second shooter for Mike Steelman for a wedding at the Church in the Forest in Pebble Beach. It was a great wedding and the couple and really the whole wedding party were so much fun. The lighting was a little tricky at times under the forest canopy but there were some great shots. I learned constantly watching Mike work and it was a wonderful experience. The reception was at Tarpy's on Hwy 68 which is a fantastic location. The DJ was amazing and they partied late into the night. I shot 1200 frames through the whole evening and I think there are even a few keepers. Next time I need to be a bit more selective and narrow that down a bit. All in all a wonderful time and experience and I look forward to working with Mike again soon.
Thanks Mike.

Pebble wedding

So stoked to be shooting tomorrow with Steelman in Pebble Beach. We
just checked out the church and rehearsal. They are a great couple and
seem like a lot of fun. Thanks again Mike.

Second

I'm excited to be having to opportunity to work as a second shooter for Mike Steelman this Saturday. Today we sit to talk logistics. Thanks Mike for the opportunity and all you continue to give back. I can't wait.

Let's get this party started!

After waiting way too long the time has come to start blogging about a long time passion. I can't wait to watch this grow and keep family and friends up to date on my latest pursuit.

I've been an avid photographer since 1994 when I bought my first film SLR on my way into the Navy. I spent four years documenting my travels, friends, parties and whatever else I could capture. I later fell in love with capturing amazing landscapes and recently I've begun my journey capturing the fleeting moments of the lives of the people around me. I have started Mark Sweeney Photography with the goal of shooting fine art weddings, portraits, and events. I like to shoot in a documentary style, capturing the true moments in life. I don't particularly care for poses, but of course I'm willing to if it means those in the front of the lens are happy. I like real, I like genuine, and I like natural. Life doesn't have rewind and to capture a spontaneous moment of life going by is a beautiful thing. This is what I hope to capture as I further develop my own unique style through my own unique eye.

This is my favorite shot from my very first ever engagement session. This was one of a few very natural spontaneous frames. I love this picture and it looks great as a large print.