The Biggest Wedding I've Ever Covered

August 06, 2011 - Nathan and Ina's Wedding
 
About a month ago, I had the opportunity to cover the biggest wedding I've ever experienced. Out of all the weddings I was hired or side shot for, this by far was the greatest. About a guest list of close to 400 people, I honestly admit that I started to think I agreed to do something more than I could ever handle.

In the beginning, I was already feeling the stress. I was having a hard time finding an assistant photographer. Everyone was busy or out of island that I knew could help me out, some just got scared of how many people were going to be there.

In the end, I was so blessed to find that an upcoming photographer and good friend of mine was willing to take on the huge task with me. She did such a great job and made the whole experience enjoyable. Though it was the first time we ever worked with each other, I was so impress with how well we got along.

You guys should definitely check her out; Krisha Conception Photography. She's such an inspirational young photographer with such superb skills in Fashion Photography. I can see her in the future, making a big name for herself, seeing her work in editorials, billboards and magazine stands. XD, I'm so excited to see her grow hehehe.

Bridal Prep:

I always love this part of the day. It's at the time where everything starts to kick in with everyone involved. The time when the bride starts to feel a roller coaster of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, stress, anxiety, they get so worried and happy all at the same time. Though they successfully give off such a calm vibe, relaxing all those jumpy nerves till the actual hour that she reaches the alter.










The Ceremony:

The actual moment, the best part of the day. The time when both husband and wife to be, finally see's each other and unite in front of the alter to become as one. During this time, the church was filled with love. So much support from everyone who came. Family and friends filled the room all to witness such a blessing for two special people they all care for.



At the end of the day, with aching joints and a memory card filled with hundreds of photos, I've got to experience once again how wonderful true love is.

Every ceremony is different and special in their own ways, but in the end all but one thing is celebrated...

Uniting the love of two people as one.  

^-^

I hope you guys enjoyed the photos, more recaps on past works coming soon!

Much love,

Nix

  Nathan & Ina's Wedding by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Newbies vs. Experienced Artists (All Kinds) - My Opinion

" There's always talk about newbies vs. experienced artists in any field, here's my opinion on the good and bad side of it..."

Just thought I'd write a little bit about this certain topic of Newbies vs. Pros that I've always ran into throughout my experience as an artist. In any field, there will always be competition. No matter if that field is in jobs or in life itself, there will always be levels of knowledge and skill, and how much you know and how much you can do, determines your position in all of it.

I always read about people expressing hate towards one another, a newbie against a pro, a pro against a newbie. The reasons are pretty clear, but sometimes these arguments lead into too much hate and becomes something very negative. There's a huge obvious difference between constructive and destructive criticism. There's also a huge difference between being confident and being cocky. These differences are usually the fuel to these arguments and I believe that there's a way to keep things civil.

Personally, I feel that, to be a successful artist is to be successful in positive expression. If we can take our negative energy and create amazing things, why not do the same when it comes to communicating.

The Reason Why There's So Much Competition & Conflict Between A Newbie & A Pro
I personally tried feeling threaten by another artist, I also tried feeling really annoyed by a new upcoming artist. The simple reason is, they're going to end up my competition one day, and in the world of creatives, competition is fierce. To keep a straight head on though, you have to learn to separate the real threats from those who are simply just wanting to learn and then those who are just in it for the fame.

I've seen a lot of these;

The Wannabe So Called Artist:
Someone who starts off expressing in the same or similar field you're in (be it traditional art, photography, digital art etc.) and acts like they're a seasoned pro, when in reality, they just started a month ago snapping pictures, tracing work, copy and pasting photos in Photoshop together without even knowing how to actually understand lighting and how to set up their camera, how to follow a drawing grid and how to use layers and the pen tool. These people would start up a Facebook Page, a blog or an online gallery, then promote themselves as if they know what they're doing and expect to grab clients and gets paid for it. They also tend to talk down on people who have actually been in the field for years or people who are also just starting.

The Upcoming Willing To Learn Artist:
Are usually those who were so inspired by another artist and gained so much interest in their field of art that they want to try it out and hopefully explore a new skill or master in a hidden talent that they've always had. They are usually pretty positive, sometimes easily affected by negative criticism. They spend a lot of time researching the field and invests in equipment. They don't promote themselves till they reach a certain goal, and even though they've succeeded in a certain level, they don't tend to be completely enthusiastic until they officially become a true artist.

The Seasoned Pro:
Someone who has gained the knowledge and skill of whatever art field they chose to master in. They continue to build on their progress, continue to practice their mastered skills and has successfully promoted themselves to be known to a certain audience. They're usually hired in the field they specialize in already or decided to be a freelancer. Many will offer to help upcoming artists or go against them. They may either be completely happy at the level they're in or is still striving to meet their ultimate goal.

The Expert:
The successful artist who may have gained a house hold name. They work in huge industries or own well known design firms. They're hired by top companies and they pretty much had many many years to gain and completely master their field of art. We hardly hear from them, though a few are those who becomes our teachers and hosts workshops. They usually share the best constructive criticism if their ego hasn't taken over them. Many may be against those below them only to be threatened by new competition.

Everyone of these types of Artists all contribute to the comparison and conversations of a newbie vs. an experienced artist. As someone being experienced in the field of art, it is our job to continue looking into reality and of course not give into negativity when it comes to opinions. I say, forget those who acts as if they know how it is to be in our field. They are really no competition, and they only contribute negativity into your workspace. If it's some artist completely higher then you, don't let them put you down. It goes 2 ways when they critic your work and that's either to put you down or bring you up higher. Also, for an upcoming artist, you shouldn't bother sharing ideas with those who only puts you down. If they criticize your work, you should be able to tell the difference on who is actually being helpful and who is just jealous of your skill.

Remember, that you'll end up being someone's competition one day, and those who feels threaten are just those people who are not confident about they're skill and the work they produce. But if you are a real hella newbie in the field, I advice not to jump into any higher levels without going through each one of them successfully. No one can build a skyscraper without understanding the basics of architecture. For everyone though, don't let the ego bubble grow in your head, it's what lowers you as a person and can greatly affect the skill you've been working on. As an artist, you should look into yourself and grow as an individual.
 Express what cannot be taught in art school, share what others may be seeking to help them feel accepted or create an outlet that you can share with others to help them be able to express what they hide in themselves. That's what an artist is, and it is not defined by the equipment you use, the school you went to, or how you learned and practiced to get to where you are now. You cannot teach another to imagine, but only be able to inspire them.

I personally enjoy more of the creative groups who comes together and helps each other succeed without completely turning a friendly competition into an all-out war. Remember, no matter what audience count you have, they're still your fans. Those who has been there from the start are the people who should continue to fuel your drive and motivate you to continue being the best in what you do.

So pretty much, what makes a newbie different from an experienced artist? What causes so much debate and how does it turn into pure hate? Simple, it depends on the type of person each artist is. Everyone has their own opinions, but remember, there is no such thing as being completely original from anybody else. The only thing the differs us from each other is the level of maturity and knowledge in skill that we've successfully accomplished.

-Nix

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A Day With A Real Life DC-2

Featuring Saipan's One and Only Finest Integra Type-R



Don't expect this post to be completely automotive literal, lol. I don't really know a lot about cars in and out so I'm not planning on trying to sound like I know what I'm saying when it comes to the specs on this custom ride. Though on the other hand, I can tell you about the first shoot for this very fine DC-2 and how it all went LOL. =D


Saipan, being as small and almost unknown to the world, doesn't usually have everything you'll see from the mainland. Most of the time we are fairly limited to many products available out there. When it comes to cars though, we aren't that much of a stranger. In it's earlier best years, Saipan had a booming car scene. We had shows open to the public which many of them I've personally attended when I was younger. Now a days, the same cars you've seen in those very shows are hidden. You'll be able to spot a few, but that many few are either converted back into daily drivers or are unable to completely run.

Then there are the rare few that, even when driven daily, are just jaw-droppers. They're pretty easy to spot because they stand out so much from everyone else. Even as clean as they come, if you have some knowledge about them, they're pretty legendary. A lot of these cars obtain major rep, either by who owns them or just how rare they are on island, and one of those rare ones is the car right here.



I was hella honored to be asked to shoot this car. James Fleming, its owner, is well known to the locals. He also leads one of the best car clubs here. With such a rep, truth is, I was pretty nervous when we first met. I'm still in practice level, but my love for cars drives me to do better and better. So when he asked me to do this shoot, I was just really really happy.


We decided to go to a favorite spot of mine that I've always been eying on for my personal import photo shoot, but since the only thing custom about my car is its headlights, I decided to have James's shoot here.

Lighting conditions wasn't that great. It was a clear day, but weather was being bipolar. We had a few rain fall before the shoot and just have the rain clouds linger with 4pm sun, giving me mixture of bright and dim lighting. But still, I tried my best to position the car where the light could hit it just enough to show its beauty.



I stayed calm and professional throughout the whole shoot but truth was, I was screaming inside with excitement. I only see cars this clean online through many popular auto blogs, but to actually see one in person was just one hell of a great experience.


This won't be the last time you'll see this car making it's presence on my blog and ports, we have a couple more shoots lined up so keep a look out for that.

Much Love!
Nixxie





  James Fleming's DC-2 by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Golden Hours

Wow, it's been way too long since I've updated my blog and I feel really bad that it's not getting the same love as my Facebook and Tumblr accounts. Soon soon soon, I shall have the same energy to keep this updated just like the rest of the accounts so that they're all leveled out. XD

So currently, I've just been taking on a month long break to get the business on it's own 2 feet so it can start sprinting instead of just strolling around. I haven't really taken on any client jobs as well so all the much needed time to mend my skills and finish up projects can't be disturbed. Hopefully, it will give me a smother sailing for the rest of the time I'll be doing business here.



On the meantime, the much more flexible free schedule is giving me such great focus and willingness to experiment without fear. Seems like there's still this bad habit of me forgetting that there is something called an undo option when it comes to projects XD. I wanna be able to be sure that I can freely play around with my images the way I got to with the current ones I posted on here. They were all taken on my free time and edited with no standard vision but just a freedom to try something new and to publish what I felt in my heart was pretty interesting.



I'm not going to stray away from the fact that colors excites me, and that turning a simple photograph into a more of an art form is my passion. I'm going to keep on growing with my work, and the more I open up my soul to it, the more you all will see more and more of what I have to offer. =D

Have a great week everyone!
For more up-to-date notifications about my recent projects, please visit my
Facebook account and 'Like' it.

Thank you and much love!
-Nikko




  Golden Hours by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Recap PT.2 ( Imagery: A day with EK9s)

This post should date back since last year LOL, but as you already notice, I haven't completely gotten the chance to be completely dedicated to blogging about my shoots since I usually schedule more than one on the same day.

December 11.2010

I'm sure it's pretty obvious how much I love cars and automotive photography by the past posts I've done about them. I'm totally hoping that by the time I move to Georgia, I can focus on this field of photography more often. There's just something about cars that gets me all excited, every time I see some sick looking ride, I get all giggly XD.

Anyways, the photos below were all taken on the same day. This was also the 2nd and 3rd automotive shoots I've taken with my DSLR. I'm completely new to automotive photography, but I'm super happy with the results and the compliments I've been getting about them.

The first shoot I did that day was of a blue 98 Honda Civic Hatch owned by my friend Lance. He owns one of the sickest looking hatches on island and it was a joy to shoot it. The weather was being lame though. He actually got it all cleaned up, when minutes before the shoot, it drizzled.On location was my trustee assistant/personal model Jacky, with her friend Ericka to accompany the sweet ride. They did a great job on helping complete the whole import look of the overall image.


The second half of the day was a duo shoot with my close friend Marv's and his car club's leader Chris's EK9s.
These two also own the only few Civic Hatches on island that deserve respect and it was awesome to shoot 'em as well.Again, completing my whole import vision was Jacky, Ericka and another personal model and good friend of mine, April. They did such a great job and a suggest you all click the photos to see more =D

Drive Safely :)
-Nix




  A Day With EK9s by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Vectors

I always loved digital arts, when I was introduced to it in high school, it was all I wanted to learn and do. I always took pictures, but I never called myself a photographer. Not because I didn't want to be one, but because my passion was more focused on a different field.

I got into graphic design in 07 all through the influence of Myspace. My first graphic works were just on my own photos, customizing and changing backgrounds, adding texts and special effects. Soon it became a mini job I had over the summer, and something I based my AP Art portfolio on. When I finally got used to all the basic techniques, I started trying to create bigger digital graphic based artworks. I did layout backgrounds, banners, cd covers and invitations, but by the time I got a job in a big corporate company, I started to learn the more difficult techniques to get a unique design.

Digital art and it's current stages are not common here on island. People who does it are either hiding or are only stuck to the basic simplicity of corporate design. I on the other hand wanted to change that. When I started designing for the company, I made sure it called out to their main and biggest customer base and what their products represented. I made sure I changed up how advertisements looked and feel.

After introducing my new designs and after a few tweaks here and there, I finally had a huge outlet to show off my work and skill and give a company an upgrade.
Because of the 3+ years I've been here doing graphics, I've earned some wonderful time to polish my skill and reach new levels. I made sure to research and study what techniques were gaining popularity and how to master them.

One of those techniques was vectors. It's were you use vectorized shapes to create a masterpiece, a whole different medium within digital arts.


In the beginning I got really frustrated because it took me some time to get used to how you had to create them, but I couldn't give up. It was one technique that would help me greatly especially because I do a lot of advertising work.

Now a days, creating vectors is easier for me. I'm still at simple stages, but I've really enjoyed seeing my progression. =D

Hope you guys liked this!
Stay creative ^-^
-Nix




  Aquatic Vectors by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Fight Scene During the Tastie Monkey Promo Shoot

"Flawless Victory!"

As you may have seen on the featured post slider above, I had a recent shoot for the rebirth of the clothing line I started way back in '07. The day of the shoot was really really fun and everything was going well. There was a lot of laughter and I truly believed I chose the perfect group to show off the silent promotion of the all new line with it's all new attitude.

That shoot though has to be saved for it's own post so look out for that =]. It's still in the lab, but once all the kinks are worked through, I'll be making sure the announcement makes it's way.

On another note, as thanks, I offered the group some personal photo sessions. This is where they could get more comfortable and have more fun with it to show off their personalities. My favorite throughout it was the fight scene I had them do. I saw these kinda shots on the net and thought about how awesome and creative they were. These were hella fun and it was just a blast to see them in action =D.

"FIGHT!"

"Round 1"

"Fatality!"

I'd like to send out a huge huge shout out to my models that day. RICH "MC RYOKU", EMILY, RO AND CHRISTINE, YAH'LL WERE BY FAR THE BEST MODELS I'VE EVER HAD AND MADE THAT SHOOT THE BEST ONE I'VE EVER DID SINCE I STARTED. I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT OF IT AND I HOPE YOU ALL DID AS WELL.

Also, "The Behind the Scenes/Making" time lapse video is in the works so make sure to look out for that =D

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!
-Nix



  Fight Scene by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Spring

This weekend was pretty amazing and I truly love every bit of it.
I had a successful promotional photo shoot for my soon to completely launch clothing line, had a pretty good time on Sunday's 3rd Saipan's Photographer's meet and had a beautiful Saturday morning photo walk with my parents.

These pictures were all taken during the photo walk on Saturday. It was a pretty gloomy day but a peek of the bright blue sky through the thick grey clouds became more visible throughout the morning.The gloomy-ness gave me a pretty good advantage though, it diffused the harsh light you usually get at this time.

Lately I've actually been experimenting with my photography and changing up how I usually process them after the shots. I also started making sure that each shot was much sharper than they actually are since I've noticed my photographs to be a bit too soft.

I also started playing with colors, and so far really loving the results. They're pretty much more vibrant and I noticed that they don't have the dull grey tint on them anymore. They're not too dark, which has been my problem even in traditional art. I believe that I can safely say that I'm slowly finding the balance I've always wanted.

The bird below has to be my most successful shot the whole morning. I always wanted to get a clear shot of a bird and this really made my day. It took me a few tries to chase it down, but I guess it got tired and said "Heck, I'll just let her take my picture. Anyways, I'll have something to show off to the other birds ;p "
LOL

I hope you guys enjoyed the photos and I wish you all a beautiful Spring time/break.

Much Love,
Nix



  Spring by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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A Look Back at The Salbahe' Brand & Vitamin Water Presents Swagg Session: 4Ever Young

Last year, Salbahe' Brand along with Bud Ice, hosted a killer event that was 100% successful. The club was packed, the energy was hyphy and everyone had a really really good time. This unforgettable event was Salbhe's first ever Swagg Session.

The success and talks of the event got so many people excited,that by popular demand, they just had to come out with another one.

Since the last Swagg Session was focused for the crowd of 21 and up, many of Salbahe's younger fan base were pretty sadden to have miss such a killer opportunity, so in response, Salbahe' came back with Swagg Session: 4Ever Young.

"Strictly for the Youth" 4ever Young was 110% huge success. The event presented by Salbahe' Brand and Vitamin Water had such a huge impact on all the youth of the island that you can literally feel the energy in the club.

Watch in HIGH QUALITY Here.The place was packed up, corner to corner. It was active from beginning to end, and you could clearly tell how much everyone was really enjoying themselves.
In company with Marie Sayson of Marie Sayson Photography, we successfully covered the whole event. It was an awesome opportunity and I can't wait for the next one.

Though I got pretty surprised with the new generation's ways of partying (LOL), I really enjoyed the killer energy that the whole room had. It's the only missing factor when us, 'the adults' party it up in the clubs down here.
And I can't forget the awesome performance by Fatal Hitz. Look out for these guys yah'll! They gonna be making it big in the near future.Oh oh oh, also the dance battle in the end was sick!! Hahahaha, seriously, it made me miss my bboying well bgirling days hahaha.

Pretty much, it just made me miss highschool all over again =p
-Nix



4Ever Young Coverage by Myrene Nikko Evangelista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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