Roman Photography

4th Street Zombie walk in Long Beach

2010-10-30T21:23:00.001-07:00

What a cool event. Sometimes I don't even know these things go on in our city until I have the pleasure to cover the events for a newspaper. Lots of store on 4th street had people who would paint you up like a zombie for free and then there was a big walk planned for later that evening. I wish I could have seen it but I had an early deadline. Here are some of the pics I got early in the event. (for a full gallery, go to www.presstelegram.com)

AVP Vollyball Photo shoot

2010-06-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to shoot at the AVP championships in Huntington Beach. It was a great day at the beach and the weather was perfect. My focus was Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh. They won their semi-finals but lost in the sudden death match of the championship game.

Pride Parade Long Beach

2010-05-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an event to cover. check out more pics at www.presstelegram.com This was my first year covering the pride parade and I think no words can describe the things you may see once some of the people there get drinking. So many people were just out there having a great time and that made it fun to photograph. Here are some of the images from the event.

2010-05-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

The news couldn't get any closer than if it dropped in my yard. First the bank robbery at F&M and now this. I was on my way out to lunch with Julio and saw cops racing by with sirens blazing. The thought always comes to mind, I wonder what's going on? While at lunch, a friend called to tell me she was walking home (she lives near me) and there were lots of cops with guns drawn. I then called my boss to see what was going on and she said she was on her way out there for an officer involved shooting but that was all the info she could offer. I tried to sit and enjoy lunch because I knew most of the PT photographers were out there but I couldn't help but want to be a part of the coverage myself. We jumped on the freeway headed home and it was packed. I got off at Atlantic and when we crossed back over I noticed that the southbound lane was bumper to bumper and the northbound lane was empty. I pulled over and grabbed my little camera (I always carry it now) and shot a photo from the overpass. Julio then dropped me off while he went to get the kids. Their school was not on lockdown. He then called me to see if I was ready to go to the boy scout outing I was suppose to go to and I was already out on the scene and didn't want to miss anything. I was on the outside perimeter but there wasn't a good view of anything. All I knew what there was a manhunt going on but we had no idea if any of the suspects were even in the area. I met a fellow photographer and we decided to walk back to Woodruff to see what view we had there. While taking the back streets I noticed a tv camera man talking to a woman at a corner house and heading to the back. I ran over and found out he was going to shoot from her backyard and I joined. We soon got word that they believed the suspect was in the brush near the off ramp and they were going to drop in tear gas. We watched the process and did catch a breath of tear gas, not too bad. The brush then caught on fire and we got some amazing shots. The suspect was flushed out and two more still remain at large. It was a very interesting day, I don't think I have seen that many swat officers so close to home along with a sniper, but it was so exciting to see how it all unfolded. I had one shot run in the LA Times and some other shots ran in the Press-Telegram. That was pretty cool for me because I do so much for the PT I never thought to call up the LA Times and see if they were interested. I saved a couple copies for my family who thinks its so cool. Let's just hope breaking news doesn't get any closer to home. (but If it does, I better keep my camera charged.)

Mr. V's Restaurant

2010-05-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

OMG. This Restaurant is sooooo good. Just look at the plates, and they are as good as they look. IF you are looking for a great date spot or nice place to take your family, check out Mr. V's in La Mirada. Featured in the Cheers section in the Press-Telegram Thursday, this place has quality food at an affordable price. They also have a great collection of Wines to go with your dinner.

Little Ruthie

2010-05-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Photographing little 7 week old Ruthie was so much fun. She didn't like to be placed on her stomach and actually stayed awake most of the time. I was waiting for her to fall asleep to get a shot of her on the scale all curled up but it didn't happen. We still managed to get a great picture though. I love the great props her mom brought to the shoot and I look forward to doing more kids shoots as my schedule with Little League opens up. Here are some of my favorite photos from today's shoot. for more images go to: www.traceyromanphotography.com

Wyant Family

2010-05-02T17:25:00.001-07:00

I love going out with the Wyant Family to do their family shoots. Two little girls with a lot of energy, so cute and just loving the beach. Ash, the dad is so tall and such a great Dad, his love for his girls really comes through in the photos.

2010-04-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

mmmm, I love shooting for the Cheers Dining insert of the Press-Telegram. Every week I get to visit a new restaurant and photograph their popular dishes. Tonight I am headed to Mr. V's in La Mirada. My most recent shoot is in todays paper and it was Cafe Sevilla on Pine. Such a cool Spanish atmosphere, nice date spot. Photographing food is fun because you have creative control. You really want a nice, sharp image that displays the food in the best possible light.

2010-04-18T19:58:00.001-07:00

UGh, I blinked for a second, or whatever my excuse, but didn't see the car hit the tires but still managed to snap quick enough to see the tires move. Indy Lights car #22 came around turn one and lost control, hitting the tires on the side and breaking up as it continued past.
The back wheel was completely demolished and parts of the car laid on the course.

Track crews worked quickly to get the driver out of the car safely and move the car from the track so the race can continue at full speed. They got it lifted on the tow truck and moved as Indy Lights cars speed by. What a heart-racing job for the crews.

Ah, turn one, if you attend the Grand Prix or know anything about it, you know that turn one is usually an exciting turn. I spent most of the morning there Sunday and the potential for a big crash was there but due to an excellent track crew, they were avoided. (Darn) In this shot the Indy Lights car 18 spun out and had to moved to avoid a collision and get back on track as other cars race right past it.

Toyota Grand Prix, Long Beach, April 17, 2010

2010-04-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, what can I say, he's hot. I spotted Patrick Dempsey in the crowd walking with his family. I say him pass by and thought, that's a good shot but I thought twice about running to get in front of him and look like paparazzi. To my luck, no one spotted him and he turned around for me, thanks Patrick. He actually turned around to make sure his family was keeping up and I had my camera ready. Definitely my favorite shot of the day.

Once I have shot all the cars at least once so I have the files, I love to play with the camera and try to get some good panning shots. I could only stop down to about 160 and I was at ISO 100 but this shot of the winning car in the LeMans race came out pretty good.

This is the first time I was scheduled to shoot the winners circle at the Grand Prix, ah what an experience. It was crowded and dragged on, or maybe for just this race. But I love the shots of the winners spraying each other with Champagne, nice.

I love natural light, there is nothing better. The Indy Lights crew were working on the cars preparing them for the big race tomorrow and I grabbed this shot as one of my features of the day.

In the Pro/Celebrity race at the Toyota Grand Prix I staked out my spot at turn nine. The turn was pretty quiet and may photographers left. I hung out and caught this important turning point of the race where Brian Austin Green takes the inside and passes the leader Adrian Brody giving him First place.

Check out more pics at www.traceyromanphotography.com

2010-04-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's Friday at the Grand Prix in Long Beach, though I started my day shooting the jog-a-thon at Gant Elementary. It has been a long day in the sun and I still have tonight's concert. I got here early so I decided to stake out my spot around turn nine and shoot the celebrity qualifying. On my way over I saw an Indy car that crashed previously being towed off the track, cool. It never fails that if I go to turn one, the crash is by nine and vice-versa. I was at nine and the crash was at one, of course. I watched Christian Slater and Tony Hawk race by, shot some pics for my family to check out their favorite celebs. My race was the World Challenge practice and sure enough the crash was at one. But I got to see a spin out at nine that could have potentially turned into a really bad crash but the cars made it around him. I know you shouldn't be wishing for a crash but come on, a lot of people don't come for the races, they come to see the crashes. Here are a couple shots from today.

Spring Break

2010-04-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

The beach had become my new hang out. I use to despise the beach, it's hot, sticky, and my skin just burns. Last year my son learned how to surf and now I find myself spending more and more time out in the sun. Over Spring Break our friends invited us to join them out at San Elijo, just south of Carlsbad and camp on the beach. What a great spot, my kids never wanted to leave. These are some shots I got of my youngest enjoying the ocean.

Shooting at high noon

2010-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Shooting pictures in bright sun is not the ideal lighting but sometimes you don't have a choice. You want to avoid harsh shadows on the face or subjects that are back-lit. Chasing kids around a playground, especially two year olds that can't sit still can make a challenging shoot in the bright sun. If you want to shoot outdoor photos, ideally you want early morning or late afternoon. But practicing in bright light is good to do in case that ends up being your only option for time of day. I tried to shoot with the sun behind the kids and pumping up the stop on my flash. I am also working with the back-focus button to see how well that works over the regular focus button. Here are a couple of pics taken, in bright sunlight.

UFC

2010-03-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Man, there is nothing like shooting UFC. The training these guys put in for these fights is crazy and there is so much talent. Shooting through the cage can be tricky but its a fun challenge with rewarding results. All of my camera settings are on manual and you can't use a flash. I go back and forth between manual focus and auto. Check out a few of my favorite shots from the last two years.

Photographing Logan

2010-03-01T17:07:00.001-08:00

Shooting photos of my niece was kind of a challenge. It's the age where she is clinging to her mom and she has a tendency to look down constantly. High noon didn't help either but you take what you can get. It's fun to use her to practice with because she doesn't sit still. If your looking to get some Spring time photos done just shoot me an email and we can set something up.

Dana Point and Crystal Cove

2010-02-18T08:49:00.001-08:00

Favorite Photos

2010-01-29T20:08:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you just get lucky, or that is what I always seem to think. I love taking photos, I think I have a camera permanently attached to my hand. I really love to shoot breaking news, nothing tops it for me. Here are some of my favorite pics that I have taken over the last few years.