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Sonialena Photography Blog bio picture

Welcome to the Sonialena Photography Blog!

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog!

This blog chronicles my adventures as a wedding and portrait photographer. I'm based in Southern California but will happily and gladly travel to other parts of the universe.

My blog is also a place for me to share some of the personal photography that I do, as well as sound off on various topics that are tangentially related to photography.

If you're inspired to write a comment or send an e-mail my way, I would love to hear from you!

Category Archives: general

To Kubota or Not to Kubota?

I recently received some promotional materials from AsukaBook, and included was some information about Kubota Image Tools. Of course the images look beautiful, and the website has many more examples – with before and after pictures – of various actions.
But all these action packs get me to thinking – how many do I need?...

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Master of Disaster

As in Photoshop Disasters. A must read!

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The African Presence in Mexico

I went to the California African American Museum on Sunday to view their exhibit, “The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present.” Definitely worth checking out because a) it’s free, and b) the topic is fascinating.
The exhibit is a mix of painting, photography, and sculpture; of course I was drawn to the...

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Filter Frenzy

I remember when I thought Photoshop was the be all, end all. I was ecstatic when I finally wrangled and finagled the money to buy it. At last! The promised land!
And then I discovered plug-ins.
A lot of plug-ins. Apparently Photoshop was not the be all, end all. It was just...

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Sigma 10-20mm

I love this lens. I’ve been wanting one for a long time but was not sure how practical it would be. It doesn’t stop down to 2.8. But then, it’s wider than the Nikon, Tokina, and Tamron zoom lenses in the same category.
So I decided to go with a wider lens that...

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To Lightroom or Not to Lightroom

I use Aperture to organize my photos. I bought the program when it first came out, so Lightroom was not on the scene. Now it is. And I’m debating whether to switch to Adobe’s photo management software or plunk down the money for Aperture 2.0.
I know that more people use Lightroom, but...

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Canon’s New Beast

I’m a Nikon person. Why? Because when I took my very first photography class, my professor used Nikon. She recommended that we use Nikon. So, I went out and bought a Nikon FM10 and a few lenses to go with it. When I bought my first digital SLR I contemplated...

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The Moment It Clicks

I’ve seen this book recommended in various places, so I finally picked up a copy. It’s definitely interesting; there are a lot of great images and, for most of them, McNally gives a brief rundown of how it was lit and shot.
But that’s just what makes this book a little intimidating. Some techniques...

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Play With Your Toys

I’m the first to admit that I often suffer from gear lust – I have a a mile-long list of all the lenses, lights, camera bodies, studio gear, and miscellaneous gadgetry that I know will make my photography infinitely better.
And I’m the first to admit that it’s a ridiculous theory.
People are quite capable of using...

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Back That Thang Up

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who . . . wait, scratch that.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who back up and those who will. I am sad to say that I had to learn...

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