Women are beautiful!

There is something so amazing about watching a woman as she becomes comfortable with her beauty. It’s this incredible transformation that occurs and capturing it on film during a boudoir shoot is the very best part of my job. As a female living in Santa Barbara, where there is never a lack of gorgeous young girls around, I totally understand the pressures that are out there to avoid aging, stay thin, and look fabulous all the time. Thankfully, I have also lived long enough (no I won’t tell you how long) to understand that these expectations are not the realities of life. Something that is a reality, every woman truly is beautiful and she deserves to feel that way. I know we don’t all feel that way everyday, but we should. My journey as a boudoir photographer has taught me that as we mature and begin to understand what sexy really means, we discover how to use it to our advantage. Every woman is beautiful and my goal as a boudoir photographer is to help you discover that beauty. This might just be the most amazing gift you ever give to that special someone in your life. That someone might even be yourself.

xxx,

Kandie

Pacific Islands Media offers award winning wedding and boudoir photography in Santa Barbara, CA

Kandie Boudoir

We’re not just wedding photography at Pacific Islands Media. Kandie Boudoir is part of the Pacific Islands Media family and offers the same award winning service but there is a very distinct difference between the two. At Kandie Boudoir I work with an all female staff to make sure that you are totally comfortable. Sorry Dustin, I love photographing weddings with you but this is just for the ladies. My assistant photographer, set designer, hair and make up artiest, and my editor are all women and have all had their own boudoir images taken so we understand what its like to be behind the camera and in front of it.

Boudoir images are one of the most amazing gifts a bride can give to her groom on their wedding day. They also make awesome Birthday, Valentines Day, and Christmas gifts. Boudoir images don’t just have to be for that special someone in your life. This may just be the greatest gift you have ever given yourself. Shooting your boudoir images is an honor and something I am very passionate about. I hope to share this incredible journey with you.

XOXO,

Kandie

Pacific Islands Media offers award winning wedding and boudoir photography in Santa Barbara, CA

Wedding Weather

Santa Barbara is a beautiful location for a wedding thanks to our long sandy beaches, amazing architecture, and stunning weather; well we have stunning weather most of the time. This past Saturday we woke up to the sound of pouring rain (no not the Skid Row song), actual rain. They say it never rains in Southern California…As the day continued on so did the rain. I have to admit I was a little worried about Sunday’s wedding. Though the ceremony itself was to be inside the beautiful historic Presidio, most of the photos where going to take place outside and the whole building is surrounded by dirt. We quickly started working on a Plan B just in case all the dirt had become mud. One of the elements that the bride was super excited about was how all the guest would be walking from the Presidio to the reception which was being held at Santa Barbara’s famous El Paseo Restaurant. Parking downtown is limited at best and the two locations are only about a block apart but would people want to walk in their wedding attire in the rain? By Saturday night it was still raining but it had become a lite drizzle and I was feeling hopeful. On Sunday morning I opened my eyes to a bright and delightfully sunny day. It was such a relief to walk outside and feel the warm spring weather hit me. All the worry of the day before melted away in the fresh warm spring day. Everything about the wedding turned out amazing. The bride looked so beautiful and her natural smile lite up her face. The groom looked amazing and could not take his eyes off of his bride. Thank you Dan and Laura for allowing us to share in your beautiful day. Thank you Santa Barbara weather for so much lovely warmth and sunshine.

Pacific Islands Media is a wedding photographer in Santa Barbara, CA

Tell Me a Story

Every image should tell a story. When we photograph a wedding our primary objective is to capture those moments throughout the day that will tell the story of your wedding. Every detail of your wedding is important and it’s through the images that those details live on. Years after the food has been eaten, the band has stopped playing, and the dress has been packed away, your wedding images will remain on display in your hall and on your coffee table. Your kids will inquire about how you met and what your wedding day was like. As you tell them the story you’ll sit with your wedding album on your lap reliving that amazing day from so many years before. Your kids will live it through your photos and your memories. Every image should tell a story.

Pacific Islands Media is a wedding photographer in Santa Barbara, CA

Why should I hire a professional photographer to photograph my wedding when I can have a family member or friend do it for free?

Dustin and I were recently at a BBQ at my parent’s house, my mom loves to entertain, where a friend of my mom’s was asking about our work. She wanted to know what some of the biggest challenges in this new economy have been. I told her that one of the things we run into most often is the fact that these days everyone knows someone with a digital camera and a copy of Photoshop who is willing to photograph their wedding for little to no money. It will be their wedding gift. At this point my mom’s friend smiled a melancholy smile and replied, “Let me tell you a story. My husband and I have been married for over 25 years and we had a beautiful wedding. Like most people we we’re on a budget. My husband’s boss was an am photographer and as his gift to us, he offered to photograph our wedding for free. We did not want to hurt his feelings and lets face it, free sounded really good. When we saw the photos for the first time, I was heart broken. They weren’t horrible but they also weren’t great. I didn’t like any of them enough to put out but it wasn’t until after we had children that I realized just how important those photos should have been. Looking back now I only have one or two images worth passing on to my children and my grandchildren. It’s been 25 years and I still regret the decision not to hire a professional. In fact it’s the other thing about our wedding that I would change.” She looked at me again and added, “Please share my story with couples considering having a friend or family member photograph their wedding. Unless that person does it for a living, changes are they will be extremely disappointed and its not something you can go back and recreate at a later date.”

Weddings are tricky. There is so much emotion involved and knowing when and how to capture it truly is an art. If you have a family member that is a professional wedding photographer, awesome! Save the money and hire them. But if what you have is someone who takes photos as a hobby, maybe they have even taken a class or two, you may want to consider my mom’s friend. After all your wedding day should be one of the most special days of your life and you can never go back and re-stage it. Don’t you want to be able to share that day with generations to come?

New Year - New Funky Project:

Ok so my Holga project was really fun but a total disaster. These funky little cameras are cheap plastic with no automatic loading and no indicators to tell you when are where your film should begin so all of my photos came out half on one frame and half on the next. It was an interesting experiment and a great learning experience. I had to take my Holga into Sammy's and have them show me how to properly load it. How's that for a Brooks educated photographer. Talking about humble pie. Anyway my little Holga will continue to be a source of fun and funk for me but I am really excited about me newest crazy funky camera. It's a Fuji Instax mini and I love it. The quality of the photos is a poor as you remember original Polaroid's being but it is so much fun to snap away and get the instant gratification that comes with the film spitting out right then and there. Plus because its the mini version its super cute and fits easily in most handbags. When I first saw it in the shops I thought, "wow, that would be an awesome little camera to take photos of wine labels with for my wine journal." Wine labels do not come off easily. So I decided to purchase it for this use. Once I got it home and out of the box I could not help but find some many other subjects. It's just that fun. My poor little cat runs now when he sees it because he knows I'll want him to pose and he has much better things to do with his time then sit for more silly photos. So to wrap up, if you have a bit of extra money around and want a really fun blast from the past, I highly suggest you pick up a Fuji Instax. As long as you don't expect high quality from those adorable little images that pop out, you will have so much fun going around town and annoying everyone with your requests for smiles to capture with your new camera. Happy shooting.

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a beautiful Christmas and that the new years brings all that you wish for.

I will be taking this week off from blogging but am looking forward to all of next year's weddings and all of the amazing photographs I will have the honor to capture.

Happy New Year Everyone!

xoxo,

Kandie

Pacific Islands Media is a wedding photographer in Santa Barbara, CA