Come On In and Stay A While

Welcome to the blog of Staja Studios. We are STAcey and JAson Thon, the dynamic duo (self proclaimed) behind Staja Studios! This blog serves as our way to keep in touch with everyone we know, like, and love. We thought it would be a fun way for people who know us to keep up with what is going on in our lives and studio, and a wonderful way for those of you who may have just met us to learn more about who we are.
We would like to bring together our professional and personal lives. You can expect to see pictures from our latest weddings, engagement shoots, portraits, etc. As well as some personal, fine art, family pics, and other projects. In addition, we will be sharing our "Cheers and Jeers", and other random ramblings about whatever strikes our fancy. In the future we are also looking for ways to make things more interactive, if you will. This may include voting for a particular marketing piece, contests, and various other activities.
Thank you all for stopping by, and don't forget to - Get Captured!
- Jason & Stacey Thon

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Photographers Resources

Hey Everyone,

We are looking forward to slowly starting a new section on the blog called photographers resources. Ideally this will eventually become a staple, but for now, will make an occasional appearance. There are so many great people out there who are willing to share and give insight, that we wanted to try and help do our part. In the line of some photographers who Stacey and I really look up to, like Mike Colon, [b]ecker, and Joe Photo. We will periodically be giving our thoughts, and some tips on what we find helpful in photography and in general. Please keep in mind that these are just things that we may find helpful, interesting, or thought provoking. By no means, do we claim they are the best way or the only way. Hopefully everyone may learn something. I am more amazed than ever at the things we use in our business that came from a much different experience than photography. We learned right away, that it is one thing to know how to take a picture, it is something entirely different to run a business.

With that in mind, our first recommendation is to get involved! Become active in your industry, community, whatever interests you. There are so many good people out there that are willing to help and share ideas, etc. You never what those new relationships will lead to in the future. I know there are a lot of people out there who like to operate on their own little island, scared that they may reveal the secret to their success. It is our belief that we can all help one another in some way, and elevate the entire industry in return.

Following with today's topic, here is a picture of me doing my first speech for some fellow photographers at our last PUG meeting.

(picture compliments of Paul Fletcher with PSF Photography)

After coming back so inspired from Mike Colon's Workshop, I wanted to share some of the under the radar things I learned. Some of which included stepping out of your shell, trying new things, taking risks, and building new relationships.

Take Care and Be Involved!

- Jason

Monday, July 23, 2007

Michelle & Doug's Engagement

We met Michelle and Doug for their engagement session at the Rose Gardens in Minneapolis last weekend. They had mentioned that they wanted something that felt like the outdoors. With the various gardens and the lake nearby we thought this would be a good spot. We started off with some more standard shots and then got into Staja's signature style, laid back and fun. Check out the air that they got!



After the shoot, we headed to Pizza Luce for a nice cold frosty and some pizza. This was a great opportunity to sit down and get to know Michelle and Doug better. Needless to say they are a great couple and we are looking forward to their wedding! We also wanted to say thanks to mutual friends, Kevin and Katie, for putting them in touch with us. Thanks Guys!

Be sure to check out the slideshow of the rest of the shoot.

- Jason

Sunday, July 22, 2007

The Peacock Project - A Preview

This is going to be a really short post, as I will be following up later on with additional pictures, but I couldn't resist posting a preview. One of our longest clients and friends, Mercy, was in Rocco Altobelli's fashion show today.

I will give more details later, but here is one picture I took outside the salon when she got done with her hair and make-up.



You got it, the concept for her outfit is a Peacock. Pretty Cool!

I hope you all had a good weekend.

- Jason

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Check Us Out

Hey Everyone,

Last month Stacey and I had the opportunity to shoot Minnesota Bride's "Best Of 2007" awards show. Some of the images will appear in the upcoming issue of Metro Magazine. If you get a chance, check it out.



In addition, Stacey and I would like to Congratulate all of the winners. Great job everyone.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

LIVE!!!!

Hey Everyone,

The new site is up and LIVE! If you have any problems viewing it, it may because you need Adobe Flash 8 or newer. and it is best viewed with a minimum screen resolution of 1024x768. One of the great new features is that when you go to our site, you have the option of accessing our main site, get captured slideshow, or blog from the same page. This means you don't have to try and remember multiple addresses. Type in www.stajastudios.com and you can go to any of those choices. Some people have already asked about the music. The current music is by Jehro and Carla Bruni. To view the information, just scroll over the frequency graphic on the upper left hand side of the site.

Over the course of the next month, we may be making minor tweaks, but it is currently fully functional. Be sure to check back semi-frequently because we have updated the functionality to make it much easier to add new content on a more regular basis. We hope you enjoy it and would love any comments!

Take Care

- Jason & Stacey

Thursday, July 12, 2007

My Week In The OC - A Review

As some of you may know, I recently had the opportunity (thanks to the encouragement of my lovely wife) to go to and study with one of the best wedding photographers out there, Mike Colon. My flight left Sunday morning June 17th. To start things off, I was lucky enough to have a 6+ hour layover in Pheonix. Lucky, you say. Yes, you read correctly. One of my great long-time friends, Roger, lives just outside of Phoenix. He picked me up at the airport, and I got to spend a few hours with him and his family.

A picture of Roger and the kidos!


From there, I flew into Orange County and quick grabbed a ride to the hotel. That night Mike had a dinner for all of the workshop students. It was a great way to meet everyone.

Ashley McCue, David Baxter, Nancy Hajjar, Justin Murphy, Lara Parent, Huy Phan, Jim Sisco, Matthew Wagner, Jeff Wendling

I won't be surprised if some of these folks will be giving their own workshops in the future. It was a great and talented group to be a part of.

Monday was the first day of studying and we had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot at Disneyland, which was an absolute blast.

Mike, spreading his knowledge!


Two of our lovely models and wonderful people - Brittany Leigh Gebler and Gavin Wade


This is one of Mike's clients - Diana and Josh. They were so much fun and full of life.




On Tuesday, Mike arranged for us to have some fun and relaxation at the beach, followed by a great bbq and discussion on marketing.

Jim catching a wave


Matthew getting up on a board for the first time


The lovely and talented Rosanna


I think we all enjoyed the fun and the sun.

On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to do another photo shoot at Balboa Beach. I would like to thank all of the great people and vendors for the time and items they donated for the shoot. Everything was gorgeous!

Brides - you have to check out the up and coming designer Marianne Lanting!


Thank you to Mon Amie Bridal for this beautiful gown!


Theron Chaney looking sharp in a tux from Friar Tux in Costa Mesa


A lovely up-do by Lindsay Shepherd


Check out the make-up job done on those eyes by Stephanie Friekin


And how could we forget this stylish and classic ring by Jewels by Justin


On Thursday, Mike concluded the workshop and hosted a great poker game (which I will post about later). In closing, I had such a good time and learned so much. For any photographers reading this, I strongly encourage you to look into Mike Colon's workshops. They are a great investment and you will meet some incredible people!

Information on all the people and vendors who helped make the photo shoots spectacular:

Assistant:
Kristin Renee
http://www.kristinrenee.com/blog

Female Models/Assistants:
Rosanna Stonesifer
www.rsphotography.net

Brittany Leigh Gebler
www.brittanyleighphotography.com

Male Models:
Gavin Wade
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=14516103

Theron Chaney

Hair:
Lindsay Shepherd
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=17028632

Make-up:
Stephanie Friekin
www.iheartcreative.com

Rosanna's Gown
Mon Amie Bridal
http://monamie.com

Brittany's Gowns (both days):
Marianne Lanting Couture
mariannelanting.com

Brittany and Gavin's Rings:
Jewels by Justin
www.jewelsbyjustin.com

Tuxes:
Friar Tux (in costa mesa)
714.556.5500

Sunday, July 01, 2007

The Princess Party

Hey Everyone,

Last weekend we had the opportunity to shoot Grace's birthday party. She turned 4 years old, and had a blast at her party. Grace's mom, Kim,(Route 29 Napa) had won the session in a silent auction, where we donated a lifestyle sitting to the Oak Hill Montessori school. Needless to say, we couldn't have had a better family win. They were all so fabulous!



We put together a little slideshow of the party. If you haven't heard of Elizabeth Mitchell, she is a wonderful children's musician. She has this song called "Car Car", which is so fitting since Grace got this awesome go-kart, dune buggy from her parents. She was racing it around and having a great time. We are totally jealous!! The kids all got to make their own pizza and decorate a cupcake. The pond out back was brimming with really hungry fish, and of course the giant, bouncy, princess castle was frosting on the cake. All in all, it was one super cool party!

Happy Birthday Grace!

- Jason & Stacey