Page 24 – Sipper Photography

Weekly Wednesday Blog-Rules of Travel | Orange County Photographers

Hey everyone!

So, in just a couple of days from now, Dana and I will be heading off to New Orleans for 6 days of relaxing, eating great food, having a few cocktails, and checking out the sights. This will be our 4th trip together there, and my 5th trip to New Orleans, overall. Every time we go, we find something new we had not seen before.

Over the years, I’ve developed a sort of code to live by when traveling. It started with my sister, years ago. It was mainly just a couple rules, partly to get you out of the day to day rut most of us are in, and to keep track of how many places you’ve been. I asked on FaceBook and Twitter for other people’s rules. Some were pretty good. Here are mine:

1. No Chain Restaurants-I can eat at a McDonalds, or a Denny’s anywhere in the US. That’s pretty boring. Get out and try truck stops, diners, hole in the wall joints. Ask the locals where they eat… and then go there! That leads into the second rule…

2. Eat and Drink like a local-If I’m in New Orleans, I’m not drinking a Budweiser. I’m reaching for an Abita Turbo Dog. Mainly because I can’t get it here, easily, and it’s brewed locally in Lousiana. When we were in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, I had a Bells beer. It was pretty good… and local! If there is a local specialty food on the menu, try it. If you aren’t sure what to get, trust the waiter!

3. Don’t be that guy at Airport Security– You know who I’m talking about. The guy that complains the entire way thru the security line. Listen… we’re all in the same line, and YES, airport security sucks. You have no choice… deal with it.

4. States count as 1 point, Countries count as 2-I think my sister is beating me overall. She has a few more countries than I do, but I have about 22 states plus Mexico!

4a. If you don’t leave the airport, that state DOES NOT count.

5. Be a Traveler, not a Tourist– This might be my most important rule. Do a little research before you go somewhere. Check out what the locals are into. Blend in. Believe me, if you look and act like you belong, you might just to see things the tourists aren’t seeing! In short, act like you’ve been there!

So there a go… Anyone else have any rules they live by while traveling? Let us know… maybe we can add them to our list!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (Jeff)(Dana) to see what we are up to, and to see some camera phone pics while on the trip! See ya in about a week!

J+D

Weekly Wednesday Blog-Rules of Travel | Orange County Photographerssipperphoto2009-10-14T13:03:09-07:00

It’s business time, Business Portraits, Orange County, CA

It’s Monday and it’s business time! As most of you know Jeff and I are a very easy-going and casual couple who likes to have fun. As you scroll through our website and blog at Sipper Photography you will see a more relaxed lifestyle portrait when it comes to engagement and family portrait sessions. We have carried this style through to our business portraits as well, so your profile photos are more relaxed, fun and show the real you.

Recently, we put together this collage of some individual portraits that have been used for both personal and business use. Most of these were shot for various business people in Orange County to promote their business. Some wanted a nice casual shot as well for use on many of their social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It seems like it is so important these days to put a face to a name. I know in the photography business it is great for your clients to see a photo of you while they are looking at your website or blog. It allows for more of a personal experience and it makes them feel like they already know you when they actually meet you. I don’t know how many times people have mentioned the shot of Jeff and I against the brick wall, you can see it here. They always remember that was Sipper Photography, J+D. We have learned a great profile photo is a very important part of your branding and what you want to represent as an individual or company.

We have worked with many great people and have had our photos in various magazines, brochures and online for websites, blogs and social media sites. We love what we do and it is a fabulous feeling knowing that we are helping to make others successful. If you are in need of a new or updated profile photo for business or personal use, visit us at Sipper Photography. Have a great week, J+D!

1st Row: Andrea, Business Owner and OC Blogger
2nd Row: Brandon, Smart Levels Media
3rd Row: Joey, Smart Levels Media
4th Row: Kaylene, OC Accounting Services
5th Row: Charlie and Aimee, Broughton Hospitality
6th Row: Stephen, Broughton Hospitality

It’s business time, Business Portraits, Orange County, CADana Sipper2009-10-12T14:53:58-07:00

Weekly Wednesday-Minnesota Trip Roundup! | Orange County Wedding Photographer

Hey Kids!

We’ve been super busy lately, and have totally forgot to drop some Weekly Wednesday action for ya! This week, we decided to wrap up our Minnesota trip with a few pics we shot for fun while walking around downtown Minneapolis, and a few random places along the way. For those of you who don’t follow us on Twitter, or Facebook, you missed out on seeing all the details as they happened, including a ridiculously long layover in the lovely Dallas-Ft. Worth airport. There was a pretty gnarly lightning storm around Dallas, and kept us up in the air an extra hour. Once we landed, we grabbed something to eat, and waited around for our flight to board. About 30 minutes later we hear over the loudspeaker that they have closed to the airport, and they would let us know when they would reopen. Great. Well, the airport opened and closed about 4 more times before we actually boarded the plane. We should have arrived at the airport here at around 10:30. Instead, we didn’t land until after 1am, and by the time we got our bags, got our car, and drove home, it was nearly 2am. Bah! But we made it home safely, and that’s all that really matters.

We are going to take our chances in a couple weeks as we fly out to New Orleans for some MUCH needed relaxing. If any of you are in New Orleans, and wanna hook up for a drink, or some pics, hit us up. We don’t have any definite plans, as usual, and will most likely be spending our time walking around and taking pictures, eating killer food, and enjoying a cocktail, or three!

Here come the pics…

I just love this woman’s red hair. This was my view for a few hours on the flight out!

View of the Stone Arch Bridge, and Minneapolis in the background.

And, last, but not least… a few handheld self portraits. Clockwise from the top left: Us after the wedding, enjoying a drink, and some Pizza; Having a Dark and Stormy at the Sample Room; On the Stone Arch Bridge, overlooking the Mississippi River; In front of the Mall of America!

Oh, and since I didn’t write in there who took which pics, we’ll open it up to guesses! The person with the most correct gets 500 points! GO! 🙂

J+D

Weekly Wednesday-Minnesota Trip Roundup! | Orange County Wedding Photographersipperphoto2009-10-08T11:19:41-07:00

Hyland Ski Resort, Minneapolis Wedding | Tony + Annie=Married

Today we share with you the fabulous wedding of Tony + Annie. As some of you may know, we recently traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for this wonderful wedding. A few months ago, we spoke with David Esquire of Esquire Photography about his brother’s upcoming wedding. Oh what to do when you are a wedding photographer, and have a wedding to be in. David was asked to be his brother Tony’s Best Man, and rightfully so, the two are inseparable and so much fun to be around. As a fellow photographer, I can understand that you always want the best when it comes time for your own family to be photographed. It is sometimes hard to give up the role of what you know best, and let someone take the reigns. After a few phone conversations we hit it off with the two and were asked to take those reigns. Jeff and I were honored and so we headed out to Minnesota to meet this beautiful couple and share their day with them and their family.

Tony and Annie are a spectacular couple! The two met about 5 years ago in Chicago where on their first date they walked the streets of Chicago until 5am just talking, laughing and getting to know one another. They got engaged one winter in the snow after playing frisbee. Both of them love the outdoors, especially snowboarding! This love led them to the idea of having their wedding reception at the Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington, MN. These two genuinely enjoy spending time together and really wanted the day to be about their love and the things they love. They expressed how they wanted to be caught up in the moments and their love for the day. We enjoyed our time with them immensely as we were able to capture many beautiful moments. Speaking, of things they love, Tony is very involved with the Subaru Club in Minnesota and so we did some fun shots with his car. This was about them and all of these photos show the fun, love and moments of Tony and Annie’s wedding day.

We truly wish them the best in their new life together and want to thank them for having us visit Minnesota and shoot their wedding. It was so great to be a part of their lives on such an important day and be able to share all of these happy moments with them. We truly love what we do!

A great big “Thank You” to David and his wife Katherine for sharing your family with us, we are honored and will never forget it. Much love and happiness to all of you!

And so we give you the newly married couple…Tony + Annie! Enjoy the moments, J+D

Annie and Tony

Great wedding party, we loved meeting all of you!

Annie is just a beautiful bride, just a fun-loving girl…love her!

Our Groom… need we say more! This shot says it all…he ROCKS!

Tony with his Best Man and Brother, David Esquire… you guys look awesome!

What a view at the top of the Mountain as the two sit in the Ski Lift!

Tony checking out his new wife!

Such an amazing moment for these two!

Love this moment, one of my favorites!

A special thanks to all of the coordinator’s:

Martha, Group Services Coordinator at Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area

Kristina + Sarah, ForevermoreWeddingDesign@live.com

J+D

Hyland Ski Resort, Minneapolis Wedding | Tony + Annie=MarriedDana Sipper2011-08-07T20:31:35-07:00

Holiday Portraits, Orange County Family Photography

Tis the Season for your family portrait session by Sipper Photography. The holidays are just around the corner and photos make a great gift for those you love as well as a great holiday card idea. We just love to photograph family moments and have several locations to suggest to capture them.

Dates are booking quickly so call or email us with any questions that you may have or to book your session today!

We can’t wait to share your family memories this holiday season! Happy Holiday, J+D

Flyer Designed by: Tanya Ahedo of Design Action Studios

Holiday Portraits, Orange County Family PhotographyDana Sipper2010-11-28T21:08:11-08:00

Hyland Ski Resort, Minneapolis Wedding | Tony + Annie=Sneak-Peek

Well hello there, Happy Wednesday to all of you! What a fabulous week it has been since we departed on Thursday for our Minnesota trip. The weather was beautiful for Tony + Annie’s wedding on Saturday…we had such a fantastic time shooting their wedding. They were such a great couple, both of them just enjoyed the day and each other with their family and friends. That really is what your wedding should be about, it goes by so fast! It was so nice to see them both just have fun.

We have so many images to go through from the wedding as well as a little photo excursion we took on Sunday in Downtown Minnesota. We took an extra day to explore the city because neither one of us ever visited Minneapolis before and I am so glad we did. The weather got a little cooler after the wedding, I almost wished the air was a little crisp in Minnesota, I kinda miss the change of seasons sometimes! It was still around 70 degrees, but made for a great day at the Stone Arch Bridge…photos to come!

Here is a little sneak peek from Tony + Annie’s wedding, with more to come shortly. Have a great rest of your week! J+D

Tony and Annie in a moment at the Hyland Ski Resort where they had their reception.

Hyland Ski Resort, Minneapolis Wedding | Tony + Annie=Sneak-PeekDana Sipper2011-08-07T20:32:31-07:00

Orange Street Fair, Urban Portraits Orange County, CA

Happy Wednesday to all of our peeps! I am sure by now everyone is adjusting back to the work week after a fabulous Labor Day Holiday weekend! We had a fun-filled weekend packed with the Orange International Street Fair, a great family session in Point Loma and a bbq with friends. Check back with us because the family session from the Point Loma Lighthouse will be posted soon! So beautiful!

I can’t believe it is already September. Summer is on its way out and the fall and holiday season is just around the corner. Yikes! We are very excited for the season because we get to do holiday family portraits. Yep, it is that time, so you better start thinking about it if you want to get a holiday card out this year.

Jeff and I enjoyed a great afternoon on Saturday at the Orange Street Fair. It seems we are always so busy, so it was nice to walk around, eat, drink and be merry… oh and take some photos just for fun! I love spending time together where we can just relax and hang out. We have several images to share as the day turned into night, starting with our first stop a must have for Jeff… Aebleskiver’s! Jeff just loves those things little Danish pancakes, you can read about his first meeting of the Aebleskiver here.

Jeff snapped this as they prepared our snack!

They are pretty tasty with powdered sugar and strawberry sauce!

We came across a new restaurant in Downtown Orange. As we walked around, we both received Twitter follows from the Haven Gastropub, a pub in Downtown Orange. We may just have a new place to hang out! So, as dinner approached we made a stop in to check it out. It turns out their Grand Opening was that day, so they started serving a few menu items just in time for the street fair with more to come. We shared a burger that was fabulous and snacked on these homemade potato chips with herbs. They were so good! Very light and tasty. You must try them out!

I shot this in the ladies restroom. It was painted on the wall! The Haven Gastropub is a very inviting place with great food & drinks! We’ll go back!

Here are a few more image as Jeff and I wandered Downtown Orange and the Street Fair…we hope you enjoy them. Have a great rest of your week! J+D

Shot by: Jeff, Bike in Alley of Downtown Orange

Shot by: Dana, Orange Alley

Portrait of Jeff

I am known for my fabulous self portraits… smile Jeff! He just loves these!

It is a plastic cup party! A captain & coke for me and a Guinness for Jeff.

Shot by: Dana, Sunset in Alley

Shot by: Jeff, Aussie Potatoe & Ice Cream Stand

Shot by: Jeff, Italian Street

Portrait of Dana

Shot by: Jeff, Hot Dogs on American Street

Orange Street Fair, Urban Portraits Orange County, CAsipperphoto2009-09-09T16:50:29-07:00

Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, CA Orange County Children & Event Photography

Jeff and I were recently invited to Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, CA for one of their Pre-Grand Opening events. It was a great evening of networking, food & cocktails as well as a chance to check out this great new venue in Orange County. The official grand opening is this Sunday, August 30th, so all of you will be able to visit very soon! Pretend City is a fabulous place to take your kids, Jeff and I were in awe at all the fun stuff for your children to experience. We thought maybe it was a good time to start a family just so we can bring our kids here! 🙂 In the meantime, I guess we can borrow some of our family+friends kids and spoil them for a day at Pretend City, then send them home all amped up on sugar and fun! LOL.

Seriously, if you are a parent looking for a new adventure to take your kids on, Pretend City is the place. With over 15,000 square feet of space, Pretend City offers many interactive exhibits for your children to learn new things as well as just have fun. But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there! Pretend City also offers event space for various occasions in both your family and business life…from parties to conferences they have got it covered. If you have an event coming up, contact Kelly Mitchell the Special Events Coordinator…she is super sweet! We hope to share many of your events celebrated at Pretend City, as Sipper Photography is one of their preferred photographer vendors.

You must make a visit to Pretend City Children’s Museum and check it out, but until it opens here are a few shots we took…Welcome to Pretend City! J+D

Front Entrance

Lobby Entrance at Pretend City Hall

Park Bench in the Lobby

Gift Shop

Tops found in the gift shop

Gateway to Pretend City

Orange Plaza with its own little Circle of Orange…just love it!

Art Studio full of fun crafts for your children!

The Beach was our favorite spot…you have to touch the “Moon Sand” it was the most amazing thing!

Another Beach area shot!

A great place for parties and events!

One area designated for special events!

Pretend City is located in Irvine at:

29 Hubble, Irvine, CA 92618

Contact them at 949.428.3900 or visit their website at: www.pretendcity.org

Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, CA Orange County Children & Event PhotographyDana Sipper2009-08-27T14:56:11-07:00

J+D our 8th Wedding Anniversary!

Today Jeff and I are celebrating our 8th Wedding Anniversary…Go Sipper’s! I just want to wish my fabulous husband a Happy Anniversary! On this day at Lookout Point Park in Corona Del Mar we promised to love and take care of each other for the rest of our lives. We continue to have such fun + awesome moments in both our personal and professional lives and through it all we stay strong. Here are a few I thought I would share today!

Me and Jeff…thanks for the moments Capital Photo Booth!

Yesterday, my cousin Adrian and I were out and about taking some photos and we saw this tree on a Fullerton Trail. It made me think of Jeff and if he asked me to marry him again the answer would still be YES!

Here is a shot of us at Park Avenue restaurant from this weekend as we celebrated his dad’s retirement!

Looking Swanky as usual!

I want to thank him for always being by my side and I will love you today, tomorrow and forever! Happy Anniversary babe! Cheers, D

J+D our 8th Wedding Anniversary!Dana Sipper2009-08-25T13:27:24-07:00

Broughton Magazine Summer 2009, Orange County Commercial Portraits

The new issue of the Broughton Magazine is out and Sipper Photography is one of the contributing photographers this summer. This is our third issue that we have contributed to and we continue to meet some wonderful people and visit many areas where the Broughton properties are located.

Our first shoot was a profile shot of the artist Peggy Oki. I spoke with Peggy on the phone previously about the shot, and what I had in mind to feature her. She described the perfect spot in which we would shoot, and so we headed up the coast to the Carpinteria Bluffs. When we arrived at Peggy’s home, we chatted for a bit and got a chance to view the art on her walls. We needed to finalize her wardrobe for the portrait, so she wanted me to take a peek in her closet to see what she should wear. She explained that most of the time, she dressed accordingly in her shorts, a tank and flip flops whether she was off to paint or surf some waves, that was all a girl needed. So, I put my “stylist hat” on and I rooted through Peggy’s closet, during this time Jeff happened to look over and saw an autographed poster from the film Lords of Dogtown on the wall. It was at that moment that he realized she was one of the original Zephyr team riders. Peggy Oki was the only girl on the skateboarding team that eventually went pro. She starred in the documentary film Dogtown and Z-Boys. Later, she studied Biology & Art where her passion for sea life and painting came about. It truly was an honor to meet her and spend time photographing her.

We had a great time with Peggy, here is the feature shot that Broughton used in the article about Peggy Oki where my vision became reality.

The shoot was such a great success that I wanted to share a few more our favorite images. We hope that you will check out her online gallery and Origami Whales Project at Peggy-Oki.com.

A special thanks to Peggy, your passion is an inspiration!

Our next venture for the Broughton Magazine was a trip out to Palm Springs, where we had feature shots of a boutique store and a profile shot of the General Manager of the Andreas Hotel & Spa.

Oooh La La was Broughton’s featured boutique which is located in Downtown Palm Springs. I had walked by there on the morning of the Tour de Palm Springs back in February after seeing Jeff off to ride. I remembered taking a photo of the mannequins they had in the window. What a fun place, full of women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, baby items, pet stuff and gift ideas. It was great to go in and photograph all the little details of this boutique. We had several photos featured in this spread, here are just a few.

The Store Front

You can’t miss the dog outside and the mannequins in the window…stop in next time!

Finally, we met Charlie Robles, the General Manager of the Andrea Hotel and Spa. Broughton includes a spotlight section that features one of the employees in the company. They truly have some wonderful people working in the Broughton family. Charlie was a fun and witty guy and we enjoyed meeting him and visiting the Andreas property again. We actually stayed there last August and just loved it!

Thank you Charlie for your time, you rock!

We invite you to check out the entire issue of Broughton Magazine as well as Broughton Hospitality for your next getaway. Until next time! J+D

Broughton Magazine Summer 2009, Orange County Commercial PortraitsDana Sipper2009-08-18T08:41:56-07:00