Need a Photographer in Torrance Ca or the Los Angeles area? Then check out Erik R. Soto Photography. Los Angeles, California (Torrance and Redondo Beach) photographer serving all of your wedding, event, portrait & head shot needs.
Here you will find new session and event photos. Photography is my passion and I want to share it with you. So please take a look around.
We serve all of Los Angeles, Orange, Inland Empire, Santa Barbara, and San Diego counties.
Photo-journalistic, formal and traditional styles.
Call today for more information! 310.594.7974
Erik R. Soto Photography
21143 Hawthorne Blvd #346 Torrance, Ca 90503
www.eriksoto.com
Monday, June 30, 2008
New Wedding Website
We have launched our new wedding website. Please be sure to stop by and see the new page.
http://www.eriksoto.com/weddings/html/index.html
Sunday, June 22, 2008
New Proofing Website
Many customers have asked for an online proofing website. After searching for the perfect website, we have found one. http://ErikRSotoPhotography.instaproofs.com
Proofing will be available for events, weddings, family reunions, family portraits, and much much more. be sure to stop by and view a few of the events we have hosted currently. More will be coming shortly.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
As many of you know, June is our busiest month. Missing a crucial day due to illness is completely out of the question. In the last week both my assistant and I contracted the stomach flu. Poor Kristine happened to get sick during a wedding reception. Terrible how it is going around. BUT the good news is we have found a food that really settled well. Here in Torrance there is a fantastic little cafe and catering company called Lisa's Bon Appetit. There they have a great Chinese Chicken Salad. It was light, refreshing and simply delicious. I recommend everyone take a quick stop by and pick one up any time.
Lisa's Bon Appetit
3511 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Torrance, CA 90505
Tel. (310) 784-1070
Fax (310) 784-1075
http://www.lisasbonappetit.com/
Lisa's Bon Appetit
3511 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Torrance, CA 90505
Tel. (310) 784-1070
Fax (310) 784-1075
http://www.lisasbonappetit.com/
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Engagement Sessions
$250 session includes:
Meet at a preselected location in in the beautiful South Bay of Los Angeles for one hour photo session.
Standard Resolution Photo CD
(4”x6”@ 150 ppi)
Two 8x10 prints in oversized
mat for your guests to sign at your reception.
Since we pride ourselves on quality, your photos are "The Real Thing." Your photos will be printed using the latest digital technology and will be produced on Fuji Crystal Archive photographic paper, not ink-jet or dye sublimation papers. Every photo is printed with a slightly textured matte/luster finish. The result is a traditional photographic print that will truly last for your lifetime, and beyond!
Meet at a preselected location in in the beautiful South Bay of Los Angeles for one hour photo session.
Standard Resolution Photo CD
(4”x6”@ 150 ppi)
Two 8x10 prints in oversized
mat for your guests to sign at your reception.
Since we pride ourselves on quality, your photos are "The Real Thing." Your photos will be printed using the latest digital technology and will be produced on Fuji Crystal Archive photographic paper, not ink-jet or dye sublimation papers. Every photo is printed with a slightly textured matte/luster finish. The result is a traditional photographic print that will truly last for your lifetime, and beyond!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Families, Kids & Couples - Oh My!!
Slideshow containing portraits from family, children and couples sessions. Most of these are within the Los Angeles area.
The couples photos are mostly engagement sessions before the wedding.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Anna and her daughter Hayleigh
Here are few of my favorite shots from last weeks portrait session. Hayleigh is so adorable, I had a hard time picking for this blog.
(click on photos for a larger view)
(click on photos for a larger view)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
10 Tips For Better Wedding Photos
10 Tips For Better Wedding Photos
As a confidant bride-to-be, you can be thankful for the importance of great photographs to preserve your wedding memories for decades to come. As this is the only thing people hang onto long after the wedding day. We’ve compiled ten priceless tips and bits of advice to make your entire photography experience the most excellent.
#1: Interview photographers early in your planning: At least 8-12 months prior to your big day. Many times photographer schedule fill quickly. Especially if your wedding is on a Saturday. This is the most popular day for weddings during that hectic wedding season. Many photographers only shoot a set number of wedding per year, so this leaves a limited number of dates your photographer will have.
#2: Specifics. What do all those fancy photography words mean? What exactly do you need to know when speaking with a photographer. Once you start shopping around for a photographer you will be being to hear things like 35mm vs medium format. The main thing you need to understand is what will you do with your photos? Will you want prints larger than 16x20? If so go with a photographer that shoots medium format. Otherwise, 35mm produces fantastic images for wall portraits (8x10, 11x14, 12x18, 16x20)
PP vs DPI. The term DPI refers to the resolution of the printing device, where PPI refers to the resolution of the image itself. How can you remember this? Monitors display pixels, and printers produce dots.
#3: Should I use film or digital? These days, more and more photographers have switched to shooting digital. This can have great advantages. Some include the instantaneous ability to review photos for the photographer. This often helps if needing to reshoot a scene due to poor lighting. Also, the capability of the photographer to take more photos. This obviously saves you the bride/groom A LOT of cost. The basic idea, however, is ‘Do I like this photographers work?’ What is more important to you, a bad photographer with a great digital camera, or a great photographer with a film camera?
#4: Do I get to keep my negatives? In today’s digital era, it’s important to consider this option. Many photographers offer the negatives or digital negatives for purchase. This may be useful if you plan to do your own archiving, or simply making your own photo gifts. Ask the photographer if they sell the high resolution images. Or ask if you will have the option to buy them at a later date.
#5: Be sure to allow enough time for formal portraits. Much too often people do not allow enough time for their wedding day portraits. You may not get all the images and you won’t be able to go back in time and reshoot them. Allow at least 45 minutes for family portraits and a full hour for bride/groom images. If you are restricted on time, consider shooting all of your bridal photos with your bridesmaids before the ceremony. Have the photographer arrive 1 ½-2 hours before the ceremony to allow for these shots. This will greatly help save time between the ceremony and reception.
#6: The day’s schedule – when to take the formal portraits? It can be quite convenient for your guests if you take ALL of the formal shots before the wedding, so that the guests can go directly to the reception after the ceremony, without having to find a way to kill a few free hours. You may also find that it makes your day less upsetting if you and your groom can see each other before the ceremony, and spend a few quiet minutes together. Of course, many couples want that exciting moment when the groom sees his bride – in full regalia – for the first time as she starts down aisle towards him. So take the time to plan your schedule efficiently, and be sure to leave enough time for any posed photos. Your photographer can help you with this.
#7: Assign a friend or family member to help with the formal photos. While taking the formal posed portraits, it speeds the process along tremendously if you can assign someone the job of rounding up the right people for the next photo. It can be quite time-consuming, and frustrating, to stand around waiting while the search for the best man continues. It helps if the person to whom you assign this task is familiar with most of the people in both families and the wedding party.
#8: Be aware of any photo restrictions. Some ceremony sites have restrictions on photography, such as limitations on where the photographer can be during the ceremony, or limitations on flash photography. Check with your officiant and/or ceremony site manager to see if there are ANY photo restrictions you should be aware of, and if there are, be sure to share these with your photographer ahead of time.
#9: Capture the details. Be sure to specify on your photos list any special and unique touches you’ve included in your wedding, so the photographer can capture those details on film. Whether it’s an embellished guest book, a custom pillow for the ring bearer, an embroidered handkerchief passed down from your Grandmother or a beautiful pair of shoes on the bride… you’ll want to have lasting memories of the beautiful details that made your wedding unique and personal.
#10: Meet with your photographer a few weeks before the wedding. This will allow you time to go over your days schedule, ask any final questions you may have, and visit your venue. It is extremely important to do a walk through with your wedding photographer prior to your big day. This allows the photographer to see exactly where you will have things set up. It will give them a chance to check lighting, understand the limitations of the location (if any) and get an idea of what you are looking for. Be sure to take a few hours of time for this meeting. Photographers often need this time to really go over the details of your big day. If you both cannot make time in your schedule, ask your wedding coordinator to help with this. You can never be too prepared.
As a confidant bride-to-be, you can be thankful for the importance of great photographs to preserve your wedding memories for decades to come. As this is the only thing people hang onto long after the wedding day. We’ve compiled ten priceless tips and bits of advice to make your entire photography experience the most excellent.
#1: Interview photographers early in your planning: At least 8-12 months prior to your big day. Many times photographer schedule fill quickly. Especially if your wedding is on a Saturday. This is the most popular day for weddings during that hectic wedding season. Many photographers only shoot a set number of wedding per year, so this leaves a limited number of dates your photographer will have.
#2: Specifics. What do all those fancy photography words mean? What exactly do you need to know when speaking with a photographer. Once you start shopping around for a photographer you will be being to hear things like 35mm vs medium format. The main thing you need to understand is what will you do with your photos? Will you want prints larger than 16x20? If so go with a photographer that shoots medium format. Otherwise, 35mm produces fantastic images for wall portraits (8x10, 11x14, 12x18, 16x20)
PP vs DPI. The term DPI refers to the resolution of the printing device, where PPI refers to the resolution of the image itself. How can you remember this? Monitors display pixels, and printers produce dots.
#3: Should I use film or digital? These days, more and more photographers have switched to shooting digital. This can have great advantages. Some include the instantaneous ability to review photos for the photographer. This often helps if needing to reshoot a scene due to poor lighting. Also, the capability of the photographer to take more photos. This obviously saves you the bride/groom A LOT of cost. The basic idea, however, is ‘Do I like this photographers work?’ What is more important to you, a bad photographer with a great digital camera, or a great photographer with a film camera?
#4: Do I get to keep my negatives? In today’s digital era, it’s important to consider this option. Many photographers offer the negatives or digital negatives for purchase. This may be useful if you plan to do your own archiving, or simply making your own photo gifts. Ask the photographer if they sell the high resolution images. Or ask if you will have the option to buy them at a later date.
#5: Be sure to allow enough time for formal portraits. Much too often people do not allow enough time for their wedding day portraits. You may not get all the images and you won’t be able to go back in time and reshoot them. Allow at least 45 minutes for family portraits and a full hour for bride/groom images. If you are restricted on time, consider shooting all of your bridal photos with your bridesmaids before the ceremony. Have the photographer arrive 1 ½-2 hours before the ceremony to allow for these shots. This will greatly help save time between the ceremony and reception.
#6: The day’s schedule – when to take the formal portraits? It can be quite convenient for your guests if you take ALL of the formal shots before the wedding, so that the guests can go directly to the reception after the ceremony, without having to find a way to kill a few free hours. You may also find that it makes your day less upsetting if you and your groom can see each other before the ceremony, and spend a few quiet minutes together. Of course, many couples want that exciting moment when the groom sees his bride – in full regalia – for the first time as she starts down aisle towards him. So take the time to plan your schedule efficiently, and be sure to leave enough time for any posed photos. Your photographer can help you with this.
#7: Assign a friend or family member to help with the formal photos. While taking the formal posed portraits, it speeds the process along tremendously if you can assign someone the job of rounding up the right people for the next photo. It can be quite time-consuming, and frustrating, to stand around waiting while the search for the best man continues. It helps if the person to whom you assign this task is familiar with most of the people in both families and the wedding party.
#8: Be aware of any photo restrictions. Some ceremony sites have restrictions on photography, such as limitations on where the photographer can be during the ceremony, or limitations on flash photography. Check with your officiant and/or ceremony site manager to see if there are ANY photo restrictions you should be aware of, and if there are, be sure to share these with your photographer ahead of time.
#9: Capture the details. Be sure to specify on your photos list any special and unique touches you’ve included in your wedding, so the photographer can capture those details on film. Whether it’s an embellished guest book, a custom pillow for the ring bearer, an embroidered handkerchief passed down from your Grandmother or a beautiful pair of shoes on the bride… you’ll want to have lasting memories of the beautiful details that made your wedding unique and personal.
#10: Meet with your photographer a few weeks before the wedding. This will allow you time to go over your days schedule, ask any final questions you may have, and visit your venue. It is extremely important to do a walk through with your wedding photographer prior to your big day. This allows the photographer to see exactly where you will have things set up. It will give them a chance to check lighting, understand the limitations of the location (if any) and get an idea of what you are looking for. Be sure to take a few hours of time for this meeting. Photographers often need this time to really go over the details of your big day. If you both cannot make time in your schedule, ask your wedding coordinator to help with this. You can never be too prepared.
MMMmmm Food!
Here are the latest additions to my product and food photography portfolio.
(Click photos for larger view)
(Click photos for larger view)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Don't skimp on your wedding photography
Wedding photography is not really "expensive" at all. Consider that you pay more for those throw away frills than you do for something that you will hopefully keep for a lifetime: a memory!
Wedding photographers, true bona fide photographers and not those that pick up a camera and learn the rudimentary mechanics and call themselves "professional" and "photographer" in the same breath... but a REAL wedding photographer is lending you more than his/her camera gear but the know-how to get maximum detail, and that comes from years of experience, training and being up-to-date with today's technology and modern methods and techniques, and having the equipment (which ain't cheap) to perform the required work.
What is the difference? Suppose a member of the wedding party has a rather long nose that she's conscious of, the true-blue photographer will pose everyone in such a way as to minimize physical faults (double chin, lazy eye, take emphasis away from the rather tall girl and the very short and fat man...) by using posing and lighting techniques and will know how to control the guests that the bride and groom want photographed, will avoid excessive glare from someone's eye-glasses, etc.
Not only that, you will also get someone who is professional enough to CARE about his/her craft and you will be sure to get the BEST possible images. Consider this, once the moment is gone, it is GONE forever... who would you entrust to that memory as important as your wedding, an amateur or someone who makes a living doing this?
There is a reason why a professional is called a professional. Yes, some amateurs are talented and can capture an occasional good photo... but the professional has the experience to know when to press the shutter button, as opposed to just machine-gunning the shutter button in hopes of catching a few good photos... and then, there's the importance of cropping and setting the image in the frame of the camera... do you REALLY think that person who has spent so many years honing his skills and talents shouldn't be paid what he feels he/she is worth? If you don't think so, just buy a point and shoot camera and give it to one of your friends and tell that friend to do your wedding...
You don't skimp on the caterer or the florist or the decorations but you want to skimp on something that will last a lot longer... the memory of your most important day of your life? You don't haggle with the caterer, the florist or the reception site management or the limo driver... but you would question a person who is going to provide you with images that will be in the family for decades to come...? Think about that one...
Wedding photographers, true bona fide photographers and not those that pick up a camera and learn the rudimentary mechanics and call themselves "professional" and "photographer" in the same breath... but a REAL wedding photographer is lending you more than his/her camera gear but the know-how to get maximum detail, and that comes from years of experience, training and being up-to-date with today's technology and modern methods and techniques, and having the equipment (which ain't cheap) to perform the required work.
What is the difference? Suppose a member of the wedding party has a rather long nose that she's conscious of, the true-blue photographer will pose everyone in such a way as to minimize physical faults (double chin, lazy eye, take emphasis away from the rather tall girl and the very short and fat man...) by using posing and lighting techniques and will know how to control the guests that the bride and groom want photographed, will avoid excessive glare from someone's eye-glasses, etc.
Not only that, you will also get someone who is professional enough to CARE about his/her craft and you will be sure to get the BEST possible images. Consider this, once the moment is gone, it is GONE forever... who would you entrust to that memory as important as your wedding, an amateur or someone who makes a living doing this?
There is a reason why a professional is called a professional. Yes, some amateurs are talented and can capture an occasional good photo... but the professional has the experience to know when to press the shutter button, as opposed to just machine-gunning the shutter button in hopes of catching a few good photos... and then, there's the importance of cropping and setting the image in the frame of the camera... do you REALLY think that person who has spent so many years honing his skills and talents shouldn't be paid what he feels he/she is worth? If you don't think so, just buy a point and shoot camera and give it to one of your friends and tell that friend to do your wedding...
You don't skimp on the caterer or the florist or the decorations but you want to skimp on something that will last a lot longer... the memory of your most important day of your life? You don't haggle with the caterer, the florist or the reception site management or the limo driver... but you would question a person who is going to provide you with images that will be in the family for decades to come...? Think about that one...
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