We are proud to be a member of the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers). It is one of best and most respected on-line directory of wedding photographers. And we are also very excited to announce that we placed in the Top 10 for the Winter 2009 Photo Contest!! It’s such an honor to be on the list with such amazing photographers from all over the world. There is some crazy talent there and it’s so cool to see our name along with them. Here are our images that placed! Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible!

Placed #2 in “Bridal Portrait” Category

#2 in “Framing the Subject” Category

#7 in “First Dance” Category

#11 in “Venue or Location” Category

I’m happy to share that Shanel and David’s wedding that we photographed last year at the Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook was chosen as one of the featured weddings in The Knot’s current issue for Spring/Summer 2010. It was such a great wedding for a great couple and they had it all. Awesome details, the infamous Scrablle cake and some amazing friends and family that kept the party rocking all night! Check out their original blog post. Here is what it looked like in print. Check it out at your local magazine source! Page 90 :)

Note: We did not photograph the cover image.

…on our Facebook Fan Page! To celebrate our passing of 500 fans, we wanted to do something to all the facebookers out there. We’re giving away one $50 iTunes Gift Certificate to the lucky winner. Go to our fan page, and post a comment on our giveaway photo and you will be entered. More details on the fan page:

NOTE: Comments here on the blog does not count as an entry, sorry. Please go to the fan page.

We’re a bit late to the game, but it’s definitely better late than never. We finally got a Facebook Fan Page! If you are on Facebook, check it out. All the blog posts are on there, but in addition to those, we will be also posting a lot of little cool things. Here are some of the that we will be posting ONLY on the Fan Page:

1. Favorites – We will be giving some insight on some of our favorite photos. Why we like them, some settings (where applicable) and what was going on in the scene at the time. Hopefully this will help both photographers and clients get some ideas of what goes on in a photo.
2. Photo Tips – I’ll be putting tips that I’ve kind of accumulated thoughout the years. Not just pro tips, but general tips for all photographers whether you are using an SLR, point and shoot or your cellphone. Everybody takes photos, so I’ll try and help make the world a prettier place w/ less ugly pics out there :)
3. Wedding Tips – We will be giving some wedding tips for all with upcoming nuptials. Not only photo specific tips, but tips that we believe will lead to a better wedding experience for all! We’ve seen a thing or two over the last few years, so we definitely want to share the info.
4. Giveaways/Contests – We will be doing the occasional contest or giveaway for Facebook Fans. From gadgets, gift cards, portrait sessions, etc. It should be fun! Since our business anniversary is coming up, we have some cool things lined up. We’ll have general giveaways that apply to anyone (blog and twitter followers), but some will be Fan page specific only.

So check us out and be a fan! Jan Garcia Photography Fan Page

A while back, we decided to enter some photos in our first ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) photo contest. We never really got into contests for a few reasons. Tey always thought that judging photos was such a objective thing. While I still think she is right, seeing what your peers can come up with in comparison is also a great reason to take part in the whole experience.

And the other big reason we never got into contests is that choosing which photos to submit can be so difficult. You can never tell what the judges are gonna look for. Also, many times, we both fall in love with certain images that it’s really difficult to subject them to judging. Who wants their favorite images shot down?! :) But there were some brilliant images in the contest and it really is one of those cases where merely participating (while stressfull!) is a really great experience.

In the end, we are proud that we placed 4 images in the Summer contest. Considering submissions were in the hundreds…not too shabby :) Now, we know what do for next time! Here they are:

Category: Decisive Moment
Place: 2nd

Category: Decisive Moment
Place: 10th

Category: Framing the Subject
Place: 10th

Category: All About Light
Place: 6th