steve bélinge photography

Olivia Jolie Belinge

2009-03-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

So here is a slide show from the hospital. I put it together in about 30 min so it's not all that polished but I know you all really want to see pictures of Olivia.
Stephanie doesn't like the first picture, it's of her. The best thing about that photo is I took it just before we left (at 2:30am) for the hospital and just after Steph's water broke. I was surprised at how calm that time was, as if we had all the time we needed to make sure we had everything in order before leaving for the hospital. Neither one of us was nervous just really excited at the prospect of meeting Olivia.
In short the birth was not what either of us had expected; the Epidural didn't work and Olivia's heart rate dropped quickly during labor and it became critical to deliver ASAP. Suffice to say there were more than a few medical staff in our room "just in case".
Everything worked out in the end and Olivia is in good health despite some extra medical attention.
We are so excited to have Olivia in our lives!
Check out this slide show.

2008-11-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Scott & Kimie

2007-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

So my wife and I have been loving our new home town, Portland. Thanks in part to our friends Scott and Kimie we now have a few new spots to enjoy. I offered Christmas card sessions for the first time this year. So for Scott & Kimie's session we headed up to The Pittock Mansion. WOW! This place is beautiful, it's an early 1900's stone mansion that overlooks Portland and the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge. I'm going to have to revisit it for some architectural photos. We walked around a bit and stopped for photos here and there. There are plenty of great locations to choose from so thankfully our schedule limited our time and options. After the session we headed down to the Pearl district for some drinks and food... and a couple more photos. Scott & Kimie were great tour guides. After some nice cocktails at Bluehour we headed over to Manzana's for food... and maybe a wee bit of football. Good times!

Sadly, this one didn't make it to the Christmas card. No that's not a real cigarette. It's actually a pen!

Hayden

2007-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

This is Hayden. We had a awesome session a few weeks ago. This kid has so much energy I think he almost exploded with excitement during the shoot! His mom Heather wanted some pics to celebrate Hayden's fifth birthday. It was w bit on the cold side for the session of course I don't think Hayden even noticed. He was great though and he was happy to sit and pose a bit. We all had a lot of fun.

Thanks Hayden... enjoy.

The Carolus gang at Joe's Place Farm

2007-11-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm now living in Portland, OR (pics and story to follow soon) and I had my first photo session in town. You might recognize these folks from a session I did for them last year. This time around we went to Joe's Farm to get some pumpkins and Christmas card photos. It was a great fall morning cool and overcast. We had a ton of fun playing in the hay bails, going for a ride on the tractor, and spending time with friends.

Debt Free by 30

2007-10-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

I think this is my first real post about something totally unrelated to my photography. Of course this being my photography blog I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this. This is worth it though.
Anyhow my good friend Melanie has come up with a great idea to help her squash the $150,000 of debt she has accumulated from college. The plan is rather simple but I can't really explain it very well so you should check it out for yourself, click here . She has her own blog set up for it and I'm totally looking forward to following her progress. Did I mention she is a damn fine photographer too...?

The Ellis Kids

2007-09-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some, maybe a lot of pics from a quick session I did with one of my sister's kids. It's actually one of the only times I've ever done a 'proper' session with them and it was pretty cool. Despite lack luster weather and a really short window for shooting I got some great shots. Enjoy!

I'm back!

2007-06-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've been gone for so long. I would love to say that I've been too busy making great photos all this time but I've had a few other things keeping me occupied as well. On the down side my Apple G5 went out in a sparkling blaze of liquid induced self destruction. As I have since learned the hard way, the fluid filled cooling system in G5s have a habit of springing terminal leaks. So I said goodbye to what was once my trusted workstation. Then hello to a nice shiny new Intel Mac Pro. There is no liquid cooling system in this baby!
I've been putting a lot of time into a project with my friend Melanie Hogan. All the details are still under wraps for a bit longer. I can say that we're working on a book and as we are both photographers, yes, it incorporates photography. Beyond that you'll just have to wait a bit longer. It will be worth the wait I promise. If anyone happens to know a thing or two about publishing let me know :-).
That's all I've got time for at the moment. I'll be posting more in the coming days so don't be shy...

Spring Time in Napa

2007-03-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law, Eli, is getting married this June. So what better reason to make a trip up to Napa for a photo session. Well that and some wine tasting too. The weekend turned out to be amazing, sunny and 70 degrees. The vines are still dormant but as you can see mustard is in full bloom. I'm not sure which is more beautiful grape vines or the yellow mustard spread out like carpet between the rows of vines. They really complement each other. I do know they don't let the mustard grow like that in Santa Ynez. Maybe Napa has some sort of copyright on that look, I don't know.
Needless to say we all thoroughly enjoyed our time up there. I was able to do three mini photo sessions in one. An engagement with Eli and Kim. A family session with Eli, Kim, and Kim's son Kiel. A portrait session with just Kiel. Not bad I have to say.

Mindy

2007-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

I had a fun quick little shoot with Mindy. She wanted something for her husband. She was great to work with and willing to take a bit of direction now and again. By the end of the shoot she was working it like a pro. We fit the session in while the kids went to the park to play. It all worked out perfectly and we got back just in time for lunch.

Road Trip'n

2007-03-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

I had the luxury of taking a few road trips recently and I look forward to the next one I take. I've always loved driving. My first car, a '75 BMW 2002, had no radio. In the ten years I owned that car I never once missed having a radio. All I need is the rhythmic purr of an engine, the hum of rubber rolling across asphalt, a steering wheel that talks to me, and an open road stretched out before me. Of course it's even better with my wife sitting in the seat next to me.
These few photos are from just such a trip. We travelled up to Heron, MT by way of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The roads cut through some of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen. Though I don't yet consider myself a landscape photographer I couldn't help but snap off a few shots of these barns and old trucks. Enjoy...

Kara's 1st Birthday

2007-02-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

Birthday parties are always fun. Whether it's one friend's 30th or another friend's 1st birthday. How can it not be fun to hang out with friends? And you get a piece of cake to boot! I had a great time following Kara around on her 1st birthday. I'm pretty sure all the parents got a kick out of watching the kids try to figure out the best way to eat a cupcake.
You can see more cupcake eating in this slide show, here

A Self Portrait

2007-02-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

It feels like I've been gone for ever! It's only been a long week and a half. I was on vacation (pics and info will be posted soon) for a bit. I was also in LA helping my sister with some home improvements.
Just before we left for vacation I got a bit bored and decided to shoot a new portrait of myself. So what do you think? It was totally snap shot quick. I can't explain all the green it's really not my favorite color but it just keeps showing up everywhere. Maybe I should take a hint and make it my favorite. Oh well. Now it's time for me to catch up on a few projects.

Tim & Robin

2007-01-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

These slide shows are a blast to put together. I got a program called ShowIt Web and it almost does everything for you. I think I'm addicted...
This wedding was at the Santa Barbara Zoo. I'd never been there before the wedding but it has a really nice hill top lawn, with an amazing view of Santa Barbara and the ocean, and a great little spot for the ceremony just below the lawn. Tim and Robin are great friends of my sister so it was an honor when they asked me to shoot their wedding. We had a fun time with them and their friends and family. We even got some time to run across the street to the beach for some photos. Check out the slide show

Gavin & DaNel

2007-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

I'm totally excited to be able start putting up slide shows.
So for the first one, a wedding I shot in Applegate, OR. The wedding was on a family Century Farm . In some of the most beautiful country I've seen. I look forward to going back to shoot some landscapes one day. I was up there for a few days before the wedding and had the chance to hang out with DaNel's and Gavin's families. It was so much fun and they were so nice. I really felt like a member of the family. So here is the show, enjoy: Here is the slide show for Gavin&DaNel

Santa Barbara PUG...

2007-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

I had a great time last night listening to some outstanding fellow photographers talk about blogging. As I've just started this blog I was really excited to hear about some of the ins and outs on the subject. Sara France, a San Diego based wedding photographer, Amelia Lyon from Orange County, and Tim Halberg from right here in Santa Barbara led a panel discussion and shared a ton of helpful information...
So you'll be seeing a few changes as my blog evolves thanks to these guys. If you have some time you should check out their blogs. They really are great people.

Tim Halberg Photography: Wedding photographers and blogging

Lauren

2007-01-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

I just realized that since I gave you a few pics of Lauren at almost 1 year old I should give you a few of her at about 1 month old...

The Carouls'

2007-01-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

Another family from my "Portland Sessions" (as I've taken to calling them).

Kids are always interested in the camera...

I think he's getting the model poses down pretty good.

Then came this one flying through the trees...

Peek-A-Boo...

2007-01-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a little bit from another session with one of the cutest little girls in the world. Well I'm a little biased because she (Lauren) is my niece. That's my twin sister Suzanne down there at the end with her husbend Ian.

We had been trying to put this shoot together for quite a while but we always seemed to be on different schedules. So when it finally worked out I was really excited to spend an hour or so just following Lauren and Suzanne around the house.

I had a blast, Lauren was cute, and Suzann & Ian wanted every picture I took... We'll have to edit that down to a nice little album...

Kara

2007-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

I had this session a while back but never posted it. This little girl is so cute I thought I'd better get them up here.
Her name is Kara and she was great to work with. Of course her parents are pretty fun too so it should be no surprise that Kara was nothing but smiles...

A last minute nap before we start?

2006-12-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

A Rainy Day for the Perry's?

2006-12-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

I had the great opportunity to photograph the Ken, Mindy, Tate, Aria, & Avery up in Portland,OR not too long ago. This is the second year in a row we've been able to hook up for some family photos.
We had planned the session well in advance. As I live in Santa Barbara I didn't think too much about weather. Of course Oregon is different. My wife, Stephanie, and I had planned a road trip swinging through Portland on our way back from Montana (Stephanie's home state). Well wouldn't you know it, the only day forecasted for rain is the day of the shoot. We find this out two days beforehand. Lucky for us it's only supposed to rain in the morning. So with a bit of last minute rescheduling of the nine shoots I had to do, we were able to spread out the one day session in to two days. I must say everyone involved was really flexible and it all worked out great! So here is a bit from the Perry's session...

Avery... the youngest

Tate and Aria. As soon as I brought out the camera Aria started to pose... Totally adorable

Aria has a smile and a voice that melts your heart

Ken & Aria... Daddy's little girl

2006-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

Well I've been thinking about starting this blog for a long time. It seems as though everyone else has some sort of online journal going on so I guess I should jump on the band wagon. Of course this is exactly why I didn't want to start one. But over the past months I'v seen the usefulness of them. I'll be addressing a website remodel early next year.
So here goes nothing...