The Sweetest Bride I know - my little sis, Kat!

I ran across this folder of my sister Kat's wedding pics, and wanted to post a few, even though her wedding was several years ago. I didn't have a blog then, there was no Facebook, websites were tedious to update... and not many places to post pics so easily, so I'm making up for lost time :-) Enjoy!

These were all taken with film using different techniques, including Infrared, cross processed and 3200 speed BW film.  I'm happy to say that Kat and Steve LOVED their pics! They are especially precious because since their marriage, Steve was diagnosed with MS and is in a wheelchair a good bit of the time. Isn't photography wonderful - they have these wonderful memories of walking hand in hand on their wedding day.

A Strip-tease Valentine's for your sweetheart!

Announcing our new Valentine's Special for 2010 - "Strip Tease Valentine's Day"! You get an hour session at our studio, props and fabrics are provided, bring a friend if you like, and show off your best strip tease for your honey. In return, you will get your retouched digital files on a digital photo frame, add your favorite music, and we will have it ready for gift giving. We could also create a poster or template for you if you prefer that instead of the digital photo frame.

The cost is only $425 and does include everything!!  You will be able to view your previews right after your session and choose your favs for your gift.  Let us know if you have your own ideas - we are happy to try out something new! Call now for your time - we are booking up fast!!  $150 down holds your date and time.  We take all major credit cards, checks and cash.  Guys- surprise your sweetie with a "dudeoir" strip tease she'll never forget!!  Couples-set up your time to come and have fun being photographed together for a very special Valentine's you will cherish forever!
Call Diana Miller Photography @916-729-5520 or email us dianamillerphoto@gmail.com

The Delta King Fall '09 Bridal Show

I finally had some time to upload some pics from the Delta King Bridal Show.  Here are a few, and I have the whole album on Facebook, which you can see here! 

One of the bittersweet aspects of my job...

I am completing a very sad photo order today - one of my clients called this week needing some prints made for her daughter's funeral today.  I photographed the Francis family back in September at their home.  Mom, Lee Ann, explained that their daughter, Alyssa, has been suffering with brain cancer for about the past 6 years, was now blind and did not have much longer to live.  I was honored and humbled to be able to provide a lasting memory for this precious family.  I am appreciative of my background as a RN, but I feel being a photographer is extremely important as well, because we can preserve the sweet memories of our loved ones. Click here to read more about Alyssa.

Sarah and AJ's Rehersal Dinner

Sarah and AJ are such an awesome couple and their rehersal dinner was just as fun as they are!  The tables were decorated with a western theme and they even had a country western dancing DJ!  Great food, great company and a great couple.  Thanks AJ and Sarah!

Fun with Slamson!

We had a surprise visitor at my last wedding at the Viaggio - Slamson the King's Mascot showed up! Slamson is a good friend of the bride and groom and made a point of stopping by after an event in Stockton the same night. Here you can see him posing for the camera.  He's just a big 'ol pussycat!!

Lincoln Palm Lake Retreat!

Here are some photos I took with my cell phone (yep!) at the marriage of Rick and Diane. They held an open house to Sacramento area wedding vendors to come check out their place, Lincoln Palm Lake Retreat, during their wedding! It was already pretty dark by the time the ceremony ended, and since I do not have a flash on my phone, I stuck with taking some pics of site rather than people. The place is pretty unique with a lake, boating, a guest house with pool, sandy beach, volleyball net and helicopter pad! It is about 20 mins east of Lincoln, CA.  At night it totally reminded me of being in Hawaii, with the tiki torches, sand and island theme.  Here is the link to the bride and groom's site. Another vendor I ran into was Lora Ward, from a Day to Remember, Martha from Blooms by Martha Andrews did the gorgeous flowers, and the beautiful invitation was by Stephanie J Designs,

My First post with the Wedding Chicks!

I just did my first posting with the Wedding Chicks, a super cool site for brides or anyone that loves weddings. Click on the chicks below to check it out and leave some love on their blog as well. Thanks!

Look what you missed today at our Holiday Family Portrait Sessions!

Today was a beautiful day to photograph families outside for their holiday portraits and that's just what we did!  Here is a sneak peek at a few just taken today:

Mayor Kevin Johnson - Town Hall Meeting

I had the pleasure of photographing Mayor Kevin Johnson again last week at the George Sims Community Center in South Sacramento. Mayor Johnson spent a good hour answering questions from local citizens. He had the chief of police with him, Rick Braziel, as well as some other deputies, officials from City Hall, the assistant city manager on hand, and others staff members to help tackle issues the people brought before him. One lady had documents with her and said she had been trying to get help with a local problem, and after asking her some specifics, the Mayor had her go into another room with the assistant city manager so they could work on a plan together and then come back to him with their solution. An 8th grade student stood up and asked him what could be done about Granite Skate Park, because the BMX bikers were ruining the area for skaters. Kevin said, "Well, you're in luck - we have the Chief of police right here!" Chief Braziel said they would be patrolling the area more regularly and other ideas were discussed as well as alerting Parks and Rec. I liked his hands-on approach and how he assigned different staffers with him to help solve the problems there, not just saying the usual politician's phrase, "we'll look into that and get back to you" :-D

The 7 Circles of Love

I have always loved this tune by Peter Himmelman. There's something about it that draws me in every time and I never get tired of hearing it. I made this slide show a while ago, but decided it was time to update it with some new images. What do you think?

Recommeded Blog: Sugar Lime Designs Blog

The BEST Black Friday Template Sale is here…and early! « Sugar Lime Designs Blog


November 16, 2009

This was such a huge success last year, and I’ve had many people asking if I would do anything like it again. Well, here you go!


I will be offering ALL of my templates, papers and actions(except Remembering Nate, see below) to the first 150 people for only $50. Thats $50 for ALL of them, they are a $782 value! I’m really excited about this sale! Be sure to pass this along to everyone you know! This sale won’t come along for a year!


All of my templates are fully layered photoshop files, with clipping masks. The templates will be zipped into 3 folders for super easy downloading(only 3 clicks!). You will receive a link to download your templates within 24 hours or less of purchase.


You can purchase the set here: Black Friday Template Sale

The ONLY template set not included in the sale is the Remembering Nate set. All proceeds from the sale of that go to the Nathen Stone Memorial Fund so that we may purchase a bench and some other decorations for his grave site.


During this sale, I’m going to also be offering half off all of my premade logo designs also! Premade Logos are normally ready to you within 24 hours, but due to this sale, it may take up to 48 hours. Please include with your purchase your business name and colors you’d like in the logo.

You can also read her about her son, Nate, who had overcome so much in his life before h1n1 took him.
http://sugarlimedesigns.com/blog/?p=171

Let's support our fellow photographers!

The Sarkissian Family!

This is a little Animoto video I did to add to my new webpage "Watch me Grow", which details my children's album plan. Check it out on my website: www.dianamiller.com and click on "Watch me Grow"

It's time for your Holiday Portraits!

Oh my, where did this year go? It's already November but it's not too
late to update your family portrait and get your Holiday Cards ordered.
Our 2009 Holiday Special includes our classic portrait session AND a choice
of 24 custom-made folded holiday cards(images are retouched and envelopes
are included of course!) Or, you might want four 5x7 portraits (of the
same pose and fully retouched) for only $189! These are great for gift
last minute gifts - and inexpensive to mail to loved ones far away :- )

Appointments are going fast. Call Diana Miller Photography today!
916-729-5520

Click here to view a larger pic  http://www.dianamiller.com/Promotions/tabid/120/Default.aspx

The Delta King Fall Bridal Open House is today!

I will be at the Delta King Fall Bridal Open House today from 11am to 3pm. Come say hi, do some wine and cake tasting, check out the preferred vendors, and even enter their contest to win an overnight stay on the Delta King!

It's not too late for your Holiday Family Portrait !!

Click here to view a larger pic  http://www.dianamiller.com/Promotions/tabid/120/Default.aspx

Sarah and AJ's Wedding, Part deux!

We certainly didn't forget about our handsome groom, AJ, and here he is being photographed with both dads and groomsmen at The Grange restaurant and bar in the Citizen Hotel. More to come!

Sneak Peek: Gorgeous Sarah on her Wedding Day!

We had SO much fun photographing Sarah at the Citizen Hotel! Stay tuned for more to come!

Shelly and Dion's Engagment Album!

Aren't they just the most adorable couple?!? The day wedding is almost here, November 7th at the spectacular Viaggio Winery in Lodi. Stay posted for the wedding pics!!

Check it out:: The World’s Greatest Wedding Photographer

Don't read this if you easily offended. I came across Derek Pye's website which had me laughing out loud at his crazy articles and outrageous sarcasm. Don't miss the Cathedral dome flash diffuser!

DWF » Blog Archive » The World’s Greatest Wedding Photographer

Do’s and Don’ts of Photoshop Retouching | Webdesigner Depot

A photograph of a stunning model is sitting before you that has serious potential but several flaws.

The shade of the female model’s hair is dull, her eye color just isn’t doing it for you, and she has several pimples across her otherwise flawless face.

What do you do? Touch up the photo using Photoshop, of course!

The number of options available for enhancement are now sky high, but what’s the best way to clean the photo up?

To simplify the retouching process, we have highlighted the best and worst ways to create a clean, professional-looking photo in Photoshop.

To read the whole article, click here

AJ and Sarah

A.J. and Sarah-what a cute couple! I photographed their country-western rehersal dinner party tonite and tomorrow is their wedding day at Wilson's Vineyards!

For all of you Collin Raye Fans!

The big event for last night of the Jack in the Box Conference at Harrah's Lake Tahoe was...(drumroll please!) a PRIVATE Collin Raye CONCERT just for the attendees!  It was my first time seeing Collin Raye and I was very impressed and loved the concert.  How fun it was being able to go where ever we wanted and take as many pics as we wanted! The guests were also able to get up and dance on the dance floor during the concert.  Collin was on the stage of world famous South Shore Room at Harrahs, and after the concert we were taken backstage to the VIP area to get some one on one pics for the VIP's.  Collin was such a gentleman and took a genuine interest in each person he met and was photographed with.  It was a pleasure working with Collin Raye and his band. 

Abe Alizadeh presents Collin with a platter of Jack in the Box burgers, fries, tacos and more!

Ian and Kevin backstage

 

Me, Kevin and Ian doing the fish-lips for the fisheye lens!

Ian and Colllin

 

 Me and Matthew Stevens, Collin's manager
and drummer extraordinaire!!





And look what everyone had waiting in their rooms after the show...how sweet!!
P.S. It's a great CD - buy it!

Jack in the Box Conference at Harrah's Lake Tahoe

I realized I never blogged about the fantastic Jack in the Box conference I photographed this summer...with the help of two great friends and awesome photographers, Kevin Graft and Ian Russell.  Here are some of the highlights of the event:

Day 1 - Golf Tournament

Me, Kev and Ian at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course

Ryan from Black Tie Video

 

Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club

 Me and Kev

















End of Day 1 - Welcome Reception on the roof of Harvey's Hotel, Lake Tahoe

Happy Jack Peeps

Clear Blue 22: This band ROCKED!!

 

What a bunch of dorks we are (Ok, I am... lol)

 Jack in the Box arrives with the mini cowboys!

The Gala Night at Harrah's Lake Tahoe

Ian and Kev being silly

                                                                               Love the Hat!

 
Abe Alizadeh during the awards

The Mini Buffalo Chicken dance!

DMP photographs Secretary of Education with Mayor Johnson, Gov. Schwarzenegger, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Speaker Karen Bass

Wow...what a day! I photographed the meetings at the Capitol, the Education rally at the Guild Theater and the town hall meeting at the Library Galleria, downtown Sacramento on Sept. 3, 2009. There were only 2 or 3 other photographers besides myself allowed in the capitol offices of Sen. Steinberg and Speaker Bass. and backstage at the theatre.

After the capitol, I drove to the Guild Theatre for the Education Rally with Gov. Schwarzenegger, the Mayor and Secretary. It was great. They also took many questions from the students and spent quite a bit time talking with them.

Lastly I went to the Tskapolous Library Galleria for the Town Hall Meeting with Mayor Johnson and Secretary Arne Duncan. It was fun and interesting and I had a great time playing "press photographer" for the day. I also want to thank my assistant and wonderful photographer, Ian Russell, for joining me at the Town Hall to help out. He got some amazing shots...as usual!!

Oh yes!... it was also my birthday that day so my plans of a day off doing a "spa thingy" went out the window. But how often are you asked to photograph something like this? I figured the massage and pedi could wait.
:- D

Sacramento Press / U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan to Boost School Reform in Sacramento Thursday

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The Sterling Hotel Sacramento celebrates it's 1st Anniversary!!

The wonderful staff at the Sterling Hotel Sacramento hosted a rockin' party which was open to the public. There was free food tastings from Chanterelle, free wine tastings, music, dancing, and a Harley motorcycle on hand that folks could have their photo taken on. Check them out here:

To see them all go here: http://www.photodepository.com/view/DMP.html
Enjoy!!

The Photo Divas have arrived!

Due to popular demand, I am reposting this from my blog last year. Here you go ladies - enjoy!

These fun fotos were taken at my place during our monthly "ladies photography group" gathering in June. Everyone shares freely with one another and we always have fun. Thanks to all for the yummy food and to Kristen and Michelle for the tasty lemon drops!

Don't miss our End of the Summer Fine Art Infrared Portrait Special!

Come join us for this quick and fun session and have your portrait created with our digital infrared camera. I have always been a huge fan of infrared photography and went through more than my share of infrared film back in the day. Going over to digital photography was a bit sad for me since I couldn't create the same beautiful images...until now! Thanks to digital camera conversions, I can now again offer beautiful infrared portraits and scenics to my clients. Here are a few examples:

Soon the leaves will be changing and rain will be coming, and Infrared is best during sunny days and with lots of greenery.  The blue skies turn almost black and the foilage turns white.  It's awesome!

The special will run from Monday, August 31 - Saturday, September 20, 2009.  The cost is only $49 for the session and any prints you order will be discounted 30% off of our regular portrait pricing.   We expect this special to sell out quickly, so get 'em while they're hot! Call us at 916-729-5520 or email us at diana@dianamiller.com to schedule your appointment.

Want to learn more about Infrared photography?  Click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_photography

Photos from the Down Syndrome National Conference

We had a great time on August 1st at the Hyatt Hotel Sacramento photographing people from the conference. Click below to view and order your photographs!

From Seattle Bride Magazine - Why you should hire a Professional Photographer

Issue Date: Fall/Winter 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY
By Cody Ellerd
I consider myself a pretty good amateur photographer. I’ve taken a couple of classes, I have a nice Nikon D60 and, as a professional travel writer, I’ve even had a few of my shots make magazine covers and pages. If you didn’t budget for a professional photographer at your wedding, I’m the friend you might call to take pictures.

So when Seattle Bride sent me to the late-winter wedding of Vicky Wu and Chris Nicoll to shoot alongside Joey Hong of John & Joseph Photography, a local award-winning team of two brothers who have been shooting commercial, fashion and wedding photography for more than eight years, I was curious to see how well I could keep up with a seasoned pro.

From the moment we started shooting in the bride and groom’s hotel room, I was floored. “Vicky, look down at your shoulders…put a gentle smile on your lips. Chris, look straight at my lens—no, smile. Relax your forehead.” Joey’s attention to such minute detail went way beyond “Say cheese” and brought out the couple’s absolute best. He knew how to manipulate the room’s light and reflective surfaces in ways I never would have dreamed of, transforming what I thought was an unremarkable setting into a photo studio with endless possibilities.

Joey commanded family portraits with a gentle control and confidence that only comes from years of experience. He had the right flashes and steadiness of hand for getting great dance photos, while I snapped shot after blurry shot in a mild panic that my precious memory space was quickly dwindling. I was giving it my best, and in a few instances it showed: an inside shot of Vicky simply glowing in the window’s natural light; a close-up kiss in the sunlight where the couple wore the sweetest smiles. But when those spontaneous moments that are here and gone in the blink of an eye happened, Joey caught them with lightning speed, while I lost many of them to improper focus or exposure.

I now disagree more than ever with the digital-age adage that “now everyone is a photographer.” Tens of thousands of dollars in education, equipment and experience separate me from the pros. Professional photographers, like any other artists or business owners, need to spend money to make money. When you hire them, you’re helping them pay for their investments.

“Photography is a very equipment-intensive business, and the equipment is expensive,” says Scott Squire of NonFiction Weddings, a Seattle-based photography team with 10 years of experience. To each wedding, he and his partner bring six or seven top-drawer lenses, a handful of strobes, three camera bodies, one backup and innumerable accessories. (In contrast, if my equipment had failed, my backup would have been my camera phone.)

Staying on top of new technology in the digital age is its own challenge, one that takes a professional commitment and expense. “The rate of change [in digital media] can be stupefying,” laughs longtime Seattle-based wedding photographer Sharlane Chase. She keeps up with the flow of information at annual weeklong workshops and seminars, and it shows in her final product.

On a side note, like all of you reading this magazine, I also happen to be planning my own wedding. My fiancé and I are on a tight budget and had planned to take a gamble and hire an amateur photographer friend. Now? We’re determined to find a way to get a pro.

Vicky and Chris would have been pretty disappointed if I had been their only photographer. If anyone ever does ask me to take pictures at their wedding, I’ll be happy to show up with my Nikon, and I may even take the best disposable-camera shots of the whole night. I just hope someone like Joey is there, too.




“This was such a cute moment, totally unscripted,” Ellerd remembers. “They bumped fists and it was clear it was a little habit of theirs, one that conveyed their friendship. Joey was right there to catch it while I was fumbling with my focus ring.”



“This image is so painfully inferior,” says our rogue photographer Cody Ellerd about her image. “My angle is bland while Joey’s is creative. His is crisp and perfectly exposed, while mine is washed out and grainy. Joey knew exactly how to take advantage of the sense of motion created by this cool backdrop.”



“The couple was getting a little photo fatigued,” Ellerd says, “but Joey turned it into a beautiful and intimate shot. I thought there was enough light, but without using a flash and spoiling the cool light bouncing off the building behind them, I couldn’t get my hand quite steady enough.”



For this “exit shot,” the clarity and color of Joey’s shot versus Ellerd’s is evident. “Notice the white car in front of Chris and Vicky,” Ellerd says. “Joey magically made it disappear—I’m not even gonna try.”