I have sad news to say that I am retiring THIS blog! But the good and exciting news is that I will blogging on my NEW blog at: http://www.jasmineleephotography.com/blog/. Please check it out! I’m so excited for my new blog!

To all my wonderful subscribers, there is a new “Subscribe” box on my new blog. If you are still interested in following my work, PLEASE subscribe again!

Thank you all who has supported me on this blog. You all are so wonderful!!!

Now, please click on http://www.jasmineleephotography.com/blog/ to check out my new blog posts!

Have a great day!!

Yours truly,

Jasmine

And because every blog looks better with a picture, here’s a picture of me attempting to fly a kit.

Photo By: Stephanie Mahinan

I’m so excited to announce that this photo was chosen to be featured on the front and back cover of the book, The Adventures of Connecticut: Connecticut’s Journey to Grand Central Station by Shelley Awad and Kristi Mason.  I’d like to thank David Tierney from Borealis Press for finding my photo and giving me this huge opportunity!

The story is about a teenage boy named Connecticut who is adopted by a family that lives in an apartment in Grand Central Station. This action adventure book is targeted to young readers ages 9- 12.

The book was released June 2011 and here it is!

The photo has been cropped serving as a backdrop on the front cover:

And here is the full picture featured on the back cover. It really made for nice framing of the words!

Spine:

My name featured on the back cover. It says “Front and back cover New York City, Grand Central Station’s Ceiling [photograph] September 6, 2010, Jasmine Lee”

Please visit The Greenhouse Kids for more information!

Just a side note: Speaking of Grand Central Station and New York City, may those on the East Coast stay safe from Hurricane Irene!! Please be careful…

Love was truly evident on the day of Dino and Vincenza’s wedding. The way they looked at each other, the way they held and kissed each other, the way they whispered into each others ears… Love was present. Dino and Vincenza tied the knot on the beautiful coast of Monterey, California at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. Despite the weather warming to only a high of 60 degrees with overcast skies, the day was filled with romance, laughter, tears, and love. Dino and Vincenza had a very intimate wedding with their closest family and friends.

I’d like to thank my co-shooters Stephanie Mahinan and Alex Zyuzikov for helping to document Dino and Vincenza’s beautiful wedding. Some of their photos are included in this blog post.

Dino and Vincenza, you two are one incredible couple. I am truly blessed to have helped document one of the most important days of your lives. I’m very fortunate to have met your families and to feel as if I were an extension of your family. Thank you! I wish you two a life full of happiness, adventure, and love!

Handmade by Dino’s mother, Vincenza’s bouquet is one of the most unique and beautiful bouquets I’ve ever seen!

A heart detailed on the back of the bouquet .

Vincenza was no where shy of being nervous on her big day. Instead, her undeniably sweet and charming personality was one to never forget. She was always laughing, smiling, screaming in joy, and excited! She couldn’t wait to marry the man that she loves.

Vincenza seriously has the most amazing eyes. Thank you, Alex for capturing this moment.

Vincenza, you are one incredibly, gorgeous bride …

When it was time for the ceremony to begin, the overcast sky departed and welcomed a beautiful blue sky with clouds.

Vincenza is one of the most fearless brides I’ve ever met. Not thinking twice, she did the “bride slide” where she slid down the handrail in her dress! and look carefully… She slid with NO HANDS!!! You go, girl!!

I love the intricate details that went into the wedding. Vincenza hand wrote every single program!

Guess who caught the garter????

Sweet, little Owen did!

Thank you to the vendors who have helped made this wedding possible:

Venue: Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa

Wedding Coordinator: Alexis Davis

Hair Stylist: Kathryn Smith

MC & DJ: Dna Entertainement – John Gregoria

Second Shooters: Stephanie Mahinan & Alex Zyuzikov

This blog is a continuation from my U.S. Air Force Media Flight – Travis Air Force Base … PART I blog posted on August 7th. And by the way, I am seriously still amazed that my post made it to WordPress.com Freshly Press last Friday. I am so grateful for all of you that have passed by my blog to read, look at my photos, comment, subscribe, and “like” my post. Thank you all so much!

After going on one of the most amazing opportunities of my life shooting aerial refueling of the USAF Thunderbirds, which was also my FIRST time shooting any type of aviation, I had to come back on the weekend to take more photos of airplanes. I guess I couldn’t get enough of it! I made my way back to Travis AFB from San Francisco. This time, the lot was filled with a ton of people and cars. I knew this was going to be a spectacular show.

Once entering the grounds, you were checked by the Air Force. I was lucky enough to have that special media pass because I was able bypass the long line getting in and getting checked .

I honestly couldn’t believe how windy it was at Travis. 30 MPH winds were gusting through the booths and flags, not to mention my hair was blowing all over my face!!! It was rough battling the crazy wind

Doesn’t this remind you of a shark’s mouth?

A view overlooking the people entering the grounds.

Before the air show started, we were entertained by the amazing and super talented Chicago Honey Bear Dancers. I loved the way they danced. I believe they were dancing mostly lyrical. Extremely graceful ladies . Check out their flexibility!

Then the opening ceremony began.

The air show began with many small airplanes doing acrobatics in the air. I was amazed by how many twists and turns they can do in the air!

The plane below was trying to cut the ribbon by flying upside down.  The photo below was one of the first attempts. (Failed).

Then, the ribbon was cut in this photo! Yay!!! Check out how close the airplane is to the people and ground!

Wow, I’ve never seen this before!!

By noon time, I couldn’t handle the gusty winds any longer. I have an allergic reaction to the cold weather and my skin starts to break out in hives. I’m pretty lame but I had to walk back to my car to warm up again. While walking out, the lines to get in were even longer!

Once I warmed back up in my car, I made my way back to the media platform and took more shots of the planes doing acrobats. The photo below is a female pilot named Julie Clark. I love the pink and purple smoke coming from her plane.

Julie Clark’s show ended with some pretty cool fireworks. I’ve never seen fireworks during mid-day! Have you?

The air show also had a military dog demonstration. It was quite entertaining and shocking to watch these vicious/cute dogs… Take a look for yourself .

Are you saying… “OMG!” yet?!?! I know I am…. OMG!!!!

I couldn’t believe how well trained those dogs were. Wow…

Next up, we had the USAFA Wings of Blue do parachute team demonstrations.

Next up, the Thunderbirds!!!! Yay!!! Don’t they look hot?!

While shooting the Thunderbirds, (actually shooting any subject), I always tend to look for the best, compelling composition. To me, I love being able to compose my images of the Thunderbirds coming from a corner going diagonal into my photo. This caused my body to do a bunch of twisting and turning to GET that particular look I was aiming for. I must have looked silly being up on the media stage, but I honestly think any photographer would go above and beyond to “get the shot.”

I love how the four Thunderbirds are in the background.

Wow, kudos to the pilot that did the swirls here. I’d probably be throwing up being in that plane!

This experience and opportunity is one that I will NEVER forget. I had a blast shooting the airplanes… You just never know what results you are going to get.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope you enjoyed Part II of the Thunderbirds. This sadly concludes my Thunderbirds/airplane posts but hopefully I will have more in the future!

Until next time…. a wedding blog will be out soon! Stayed tuned!

In the meantime, don’t forget to…

Visit My official website: http://www.jasmineleephotography.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jasmineleephoto

Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jasmine-Lee-Photography/222291357817187

On August 2nd, I was invited by my dear friend Evelyn to attend Martini Madness which is hosted by Duncan Reyes, a wonderful wedding planner. Martini Madness is a social event where many of Duncan’s friends who are wedding vendors come out to meet each other. There are, of course, photographers, caterers, bloggers, florists, MC & DJ’s, bands, wedding planners, event planners, and more that come from all over the Bay Area and beyond. Martini Madness was held at Vessel in San Francisco, a very trendy and hip lounge. I had a great time meeting new people and taking a few photos at the event!

Adios M.F. Cocktail

These cupcakes were made by Jen’s Cakes in San Jose. Super cute and VERY DELICIOUS!

A yummy coffee/chocolate cupcake!

Jen’s red velvet cakes are the BEST red velvet cupcakes I had EVER tasted!!! Seriously, not too sweet, not bland, just a perfect perfection! The cream cheese frosting was a perfect balance between the moist cake. OMG, this cupcake is to die for!!!

Below is a photo of Duncan and DJ DJ Jason Mitchell. This Martini Madness was a special edition because we were also celebrating his birthday!

Jim Vetter was the official photographer for Martini Madness. He is such a nice guy!!!

Carl is a MC/DJ. A really fun guy to be around!

Here’s a photo of my friend Evelyn and her son, Manuel.

Duncan had a surprise for his birthday…. Marilyn! She was quite entertaining!

Dave was the official videographer for Martini Madness. It was really cool watching him film the event.

It was a great night of mingling and meeting new people. Thank you Duncan for hosting this awesome event and I hope to return to many more! Happy birthday, Duncan!!!

Also, thank you to Evelyn for introducing me to Duncan and Martini Madness!

Thank you to the vendors of Martini Madness:

Vessel – Gordon Weiss, Andrej Oslica, & Joe Lopez

Duncan Reyes events by design

DJ Jason Mitchell

Jim Vetter – Jim Vetter Photography

David Ethridge – AVR Films

Jen & Anthony Kwapinski – Jen’s Cakes

I have exciting announcements!

My first announcement is that on August 12, 2011, for the first time, one of my blogs made it to WordPress.com Freshly Pressed in the number ONE spot! :O!! Omg, wow! Really?!?! I never saw this day coming and I am so honored to share my blog with the world. What means the most to me is that my goal for this blog was to create awareness for Travis Air Force Base and their contribution to national defense and the Air Expo. I definitely  feel like I’ve accomplished this. Thank you SO much to WordPress.com for selecting my blog to showcase in the Freshly Pressed. Seriously, it means a TON! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! And a HUGE thank you to ALL OF YOU that has left me a comment, shared your personal experiences, “liked” my blog, and subscribed. I’ve enjoyed reading them and have read every single comment. Words cannot express how thankful I am .

Second Announcement is I am now on Facebook and Twitter!! (It took me long enough, right?!) Feel free to follow me on Twitter and “Like” me on Facebook. (Btw, I need 25 likes in order to get my own Facebook URL, lol! Help! )

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jasmine-Lee-Photography/222291357817187

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasmineleephoto

Thank you all very much for your support and visits! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Here’s another sneak peak at the Air Expo last month . STAY TUNED! (I’m still working on editing all of the photos so PLEASE bare with me! )

A huge THANK YOU to all the men and women protecting our country every single day!!!

This blog post is incredibly special to me because it documents one of the most exciting and extreme once in a lifetime opportunities of my life!! On July 28th, I along with other photographers got to fly on a KC-10 Extender to photograph aerial refueling of the US Air Force Thunderbirds! This flight’s purpose was to promote the Travis Air Force Base Air Expo that was on July 30-31, 2011, as well as to inform the American Public about Travis Air Force Base’s contribution to national defense. The photographers that got to participate on this flight were mainstream television and print media photographers, aviation specialty photographers, as well as non-media photographers. Six other non-media photographers and myself were selected by LtCol Robert Couse-Baker to participate in this special event.

Our day began by meeting at 7AM at Travis Air Force Base. Since I was traveling from San Francisco, I left my house at 5:45AM to the base.

Once we were all together, we made our way to the Travis Passenger Terminal.

Here is a photo of my special media pass for the air expo. This special pass gave access to the media platform that was center stage of the air expo!

While waiting for our 10AM flight on the KC-10, we hung out in the waiting room and took some photographs. Here’s a picture of me! :p (Don’t mind the bed head, I had to wake up early ).

When it was time to head out to the airplane, we took a bus to our destination!

Everyone was in “awe” just seeing how big the planes were. Knowing all us photographers, we just have to shoot all the time! Even if it’s out the window

Below is the KC-10 Extender that we got to fly in. Before boarding, we got to take photographs of the exterior.

The photo below is the window of where the aerial fueling station is. This window gave all us photographers the opportunity to witness aerial refueling in front of our very own eyes! You’ll soon see in the upcoming photos .

Our refueling track was a 3 hour flight over Neveda and Utah.

This is inside the KC-10 passenger area. There’s definitely nothing glamorous about this plane but all the ruggedness just added to the experience.

When the plane took off, we were backing up. I typically get motion sickness from simulator rides and since this plane didn’t have any windows (where we sat), I felt like I was sitting in a HUGE simulator box just shaking me around. I was scared that I would be sick for the next 3 hours but thank goodness the flight was pleasant enough to where I didn’t get sick .

In the photo below, Dave (on the left side) is the boom operator (he controls the boom “a long extendable metal arm that connects two aircraft for fuel transfer”).

The flight was pretty loud so I wore ear plugs the entire flight.

When it was time to head down to the refueling station, we had to walk across the empty cargo area which looks like this:

During our flight, we go to refuel Thunderbirds and C-17‘s. By the time it was my turn to go take photographs of the C-17, the refueling was already done … But I did get a sneak peak of what it looks like to sit in the belly of the plane and look out the window! We had to climb down these steep stairs that felt like basement stairs.

And once you made down the stairs, you get to see Dave. Hi Dave! Dave seriously has the coolest job ever. Well, maybe second. Photography is definitely the best job!

Seeing this made me speechless… Actually, I wasn’t really speechless. It made me want to scream in joy that I was on a KC-10, in the belly of the plane, looking out the most incredible window, ever!!!! Ahh!!!

Once I got back to my seat, one of the Air Force soldier’s gave all of us a big box of food! Whoa, hello?! FREE lunch??? Holler!!!

We got a TON of food… Way more than I can expect. Water, soda, chips, fruit, sandwich, fruit bar, and a bag of M&M’s… I think I love the Air Force ;D.

Once lunch time was over, we all got to go into the cockpit!!!! Where on earth can you go into a cockpit during mid-flight?!?! The doors were ALWAYS open to the cockpit. So essentially you can go in whenever there wasn’t another photographer in there.. But wow… the cockpit……….

There were so many buttons in the cockpit that I probably wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I was a pilot .

Finally, it was time to refuel the Thunderbirds!! We refueled a total of 8 Thunderbirds and the refueling went pretty fast… So getting about 20 photographers down into the refueling station was a bit chaotic. We had to snap FAST and you only get about 2 minutes to shoot this. So during this time, I shot as much as I could and filmed a video (see at the bottom of blog).

Looking out the window in the cargo area, you got to see the Thunderbird’s fly right next to us!! WOW!!

As you can see, all of us photographers were trying to shoot at every window!

By the time we landed and got off the plane, the Thunderbirds were doing a few practice runs for the upcoming air expo.

Below is a C-17 about to make its landing.

Canon’s RULE?!?!

After our flight, we had the opportunity to go up close and personal to the Thunderbirds. We even got to talk to a few pilots!

So, I just have to point out that Pilot #5 of the Thunderbirds, Maj. Aaron Jelinek, Lead Solo (photo on the left, below), is totally cute! Haha. He has a great smile and he even came up to talk to me… I felt like I met a celebrity!! LOL.

Notice that Maj. Aaron Jelinek’s number 5 is upside down. The reason for this is that he flies upside down in the Thunderbird majority of the time. So when he flies upside down, the numbers align perfectly with the other Thunderbird’s by his side.

This is the Pitot tube on the front of the Thunderbird. It’s used to measure the air speed of the plane.

About to touch down is a Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane. This plane was designed to fly 15,000 feet higher than any other airplane. It is one of the most difficult planes to land in the entire U.S. Military.

It has one main landing gear, in the middle of the plane. It has to land exactly straight, like landing a bicycle. The chase cars help the pilot know how far off the runway the U-2 is. Notice the white chase car in the photo below helping the U2 plane to land. (Source: James Huggin’s).

The plane landed safely .

This experience is one to remember for the rest of my life. I hope you enjoyed my experience on this special media flight! Stay tuned for PART II of the Travis Air Expo photos!!

Here is a sneak peak:

See the video of the aerial refueling I shot, here!

If the video above does not work, head over to YouTube to see the video.

I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to LtCol Robert Couse-Baker for inviting me to this event. You gave me the opportunity of a lifetime and I am truly thankful for it! THANK YOU!!!

Don’t forget to….

Check out my official website: www.jasmineleephotography.com

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasmineleephoto

Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jasmine-Lee-Photography/222291357817187

Isn’t she the most adorable flower girl, ever?!

I absolutely love the beautiful details that went into the henna design, as well as Malini’s gorgeous Sari!!!

This is the amazing white horse that Garrett rode on to make a grand entrance into the ceremony. Apparently, the horse was a little hungry before the ceremony started

In a traditional Hindu wedding, the groom enters in on an elephant (or horse) alongside with his family members. The family members cheer as the groom enters the ceremony.

I think Garrett and the horse made a special bond. Once Garrett dismounted the horse, the horse gave him a big kiss on the face!

Malini looked absolutely stunning while she was escorted down to the ceremony by her father and brother.

To kick off the dance party, Malini and Garrett did a special dance skit that led into one of the most fun and heart pounding Bollywood dances!!

The DJ did an excellent job playing the music. The beats from the music just made me want to get up and dance!

The photo below was to demonstrate motion. To achieve this, I stood on top of a chair with a fisheye attached to my camera. I put my camera on top of my head to act as a stabilizer for the camera since I was shooting at a low shutter speed. So, to all you photographers reading this, utilize your surroundings to capture a creative shot! If you don’t have a tripod, use a chair, table, or even your head to balance your camera.

Congratulations to both Malini and Garrett. It was a pleasure helping to shoot your wedding. I wish you both the very best!

Today, I had the most AMAZING opportunity flying on a US Air Force KC-10 Tanker, all thanks to LtCol Robert Couse-Baker (Thank you, Bob!!) A group of us photographers got to take photos from the KC-10 tanker fueling the USAF Thunderbird’s! Wow! Wow! Wow!! This is just a sneak peak from today and I will blog about this super cool experience soon.

I am copying the info. from Bob’s flickr but THERE IS A FREE EXPO SHOW THIS WEEKEND AT TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE!!!

The free open house featuring the USAF Thunderbirds, Air Force Academy Wings of Blue Parachute Team and other exciting aerial and ground attractions. Admission is free. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31. See more information here.

I hope you guys can make it!! It’s going to be an AWESOME SHOW!!! Stay tuned for more photos soon!!!

When I see the news headlines on the front page of Yahoo.com, I often see sports photos displayed. I tend to click on the photos because the shallow depth of field draws my attention. Just looking at the professional sports photos always made me want to get great close up shots of the players. My “wish” came true when I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco’s Giants game on June 10th, 2011. Throughout the game, I got to sit in three breathtaking locations: 1) Three rows behind the opponent’s dugout at first base, 2) The Luxury Suite, and 3) Larry Baer seats.

I only brought two lenses with me and that was the 70-200 f/2.8, and 17-40 f/4 lens.

The first set of photos were from sitting at first base.

Unfortunately, this was the game where Freddy Sanchez, #21 injured his wrist when he dove for a ground ball during 5th inning. During this time I had JUST switched to my wide angle lens, so I missed the action… But I put back my zoom lens as the coaches escorted him off the field. Get well, Freddy!!!

This was my view from my seat when I stood up.

Sometime during the 6th inning, I made my way up to the Luxury Suite. The view was awesome, but it was hard to see the players from far away. It was my first time being so high up in a baseball game.

During the 8th inning, I made my way to Larry Baer’s seats which were right next to the Giant’s Dugout. Holler! I couldn’t believe how close I was to the players. I didn’t even have to zoom in at 200mm to get a close up shot. Actually, when shooting at home plate at 200mm, the feet on the players would get cut off. It was amazing how close the seats were to everything! I am truly fortunately to have sat where I was that night.

It was awesome to see Lou Seal up close. He even stopped to pose for me! He was down enough to take a photo with me. The security guard even offered to helped to take our photo since he saw me trying to take a “self portrait” with Lou Seal.

I don’t know if where I was sitting was a “bad” spot for Lou Seal because he jumped off the dugout and actually attempted to CROSS OVER my legs. I watch his big feet while he was trying to cross over my legs. While crossing, I saw his big ol’ feet trip on my feet, forcing him to fall on my lap. What a weirdo. I think at one point I heard the guy talking inside his mascot uniform, too, lol.

So even though Lou Seal was cool to pose and take a photo with me,  what I didn’t like was that he kept messing with me. While trying to snap a photo of Brian Wilson, he put his shirt in front of my lens, and these were the results:

Psssh…. That could have been a great shot. Anyhow, I did get my series of photos of Brian Wilson .

The Giant’s scored a home run during the 9th inning that led to their winning of 3-2. Yay! Go Giants!! It was fun to watch the team as they raced their way across the field to celebrate.

I was so close to the interview with Nate Schierholtz that took place after the victory win. The following photo was taken at 70mm as they stood inside the dugout.

To end of the night, fireworks lit up the sky. It was a nice touch that the Giant’s won to feel the glory. All photos were taken without a tripod… So, how did I take fireworks without a tripod? Simple! Just balance the camera on a ledge and hold steady while pressing the shutter button!

Taking photos of fireworks is definitely meant to be taken with a tripod. But when you don’t have the source available, make use of your surroundings to GET the shots you want .

I hope you enjoyed my long series of Giants photos. I know there was a TON, but I couldn’t help but share all of them because I was so lucky and fortunate to have watch the game from all three perspectives.

Thanks for visiting my blog!