Ben Briones Studios
Professional McAllen Photographer
Jackie Bush – Robert Vela High School Grad – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on July 13, 2020
You wouldn’t be able to from these photos that just about an hour before there was a crazy storm with flash flood warnings. We had even made the call to Jackie’s mom that we were going to have to reschedule the shoot but I am glad we didn’t! Really love how this photo shoot turned out. Sara took lead while I finished another shoot with our other grad client Caro that kind of overlapped with this shoot but the good thing was I was also shooting at the McAllen Convention Center too. Below you will see some of our favorite shots from this grad portrait session.
Photo Credit: Sara Yanez, Ben Briones 
If you are graduating high school and would like to take grad photos please fill out the form below.
Caro Sanchez – ENHS Grad – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on July 10, 2020
Being a Edinburg North High School graduate myself, it gave me great joy to photograph Ms. Caro’s graduation portraits. We decided to shoot these photos at at the McAllen Convention Center because of how much space it allows us to work with. Caro posed both in her cap and gown along with a beautiful dress but also took her look more causal with her cowgirl boots. Sara and I used a lot of natural light in this shoot and I really love how these photos came out and I hope you do too.
Photo Credit: Sara Yanez, Ben Briones 
If you are graduating high school and would like to take grad photos please fill out the form below.
Valeria Trevino – Harlingen High South Grad – Harlingen, Texas
Posted on June 2, 2020
This past weekend we photographed one our church friends. She recently graduated from Harlingen High School South. Valeria was fun to shoot. Sara and I really enjoyed photographing her cap & gown photos around the downtown Harlingen, Texas area. We started off at our favorite local coffee shop Girl of All Trades, then we made our way down the road using different spots and murals. Here are out favorite shots from this photo shoot.
Photo Credit: Sara Yanez, Ben Briones 
If you are graduating high school and would like to take grad photos please fill out the form below.
Arantza Quince Portraits – Mission, Texas – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on March 28, 2020
Another great photo session shot on our Fujifilm XT3 and XH1 for this young ladies quince. Shooting with a new camera is always challenging but with the experience I have it’s been fun learning a whole new system and it makes you feel great seeing results like these.
We shot these portraits at a private residents in Sharyland, Texas. The quince was great to work with, she was very open to our ideas and use of the home. We used a mix of ambient light and studio light. What I love about the my Fujifilm XH1 is I get to use my old school Canon FD and Nikon G lenses on the body with an adapter. Check out some of our favorite shots from this session.
Photo Credit: Sara Yanez, Ben Briones
If you’d like more info about on our quince packages please fill out the form below.
Tradiciones 2020 – Ballet Folklórico South Texas College
Posted on March 12, 2020
I have seen and photographed quite a few of these Folklórico events for the Ballet Folklórico South Texas College group and every year they keep getting better and better. This year’s was amazing to say the least. I enjoy having the photographer’s perspective at these events because we get to capture the behind the scenes along with the performances. In January we purchased new cameras; the Fujifilm XT-3 and Fujifilm XH1, which were the two cameras used to document this performance. Having new cameras made it a bit challenging but I embrace a good photography challenge. Here are a few shots I thought were very nice to share.
Photo Credit: Sara Yanez, Ben Briones 
If your dance organization is having an event and would like for us to photograph it please fill out the form below.
Harlingen, Texas Adventures
Posted on March 4, 2020
A few Sunday’s back Sara and I were invited to an event in Harlingen, Texas but we had a lot of time to kill and decided to explore and test out our new Fujifilm XT-3 along with shooting some 35mm film pictures, which can be viewed here. Since we got the new Fujifilm’s we have been exploring all its functions and figuring out the best way to edit the images as well because it’s sensor is produced differently from our previous Canon and Nikon cameras. I have even explored shooting only in JPEG but still debating that one. Check out these fun shots taken with the Fujifilm XT-3 and edited in a different styles. Enjoy! 
Hello Fujifilm! – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on January 13, 2020
Hello Fujifilm!
For the past eight years I have been photographing with a Canon 6D I purchased in 2012. That camera has been my workhorse for the majority of my work. I have also used a Nikon D600 and other Canon cameras, both digital and film, that I own. This January we decided it was time to purchase new cameras to use and abuse for another eight years. Say hello to the newest members of our arsenal; Fujifilm XT-3 and Fujifilm XH-1.
First Date
Months back we rented the Fujifilm XT-3 for 7-days and honestly, we fell in love with it. Sara and I tested it out on a few shoots. (seen below)
The Details
Shooting with a Fujifilm camera is a totally different experience than shooting with a standard DSLR. The Fuji’s are totally hands-on. If you have shot 35mm film photography, switching over to a fujifilm camera will be very familiar. I really fell in love with that aspect; creating a photo from technique and knowledge of your camera operation vs post production. I also love how much smaller they are than the standard DSLR cameras. Also since mirrorless is the “new way” for photography, that’s also a plus. Check out the difference between our 6D and our new Fuji bodies.
What to expect!
2020 looks promising for our studio especially with our new cameras. We already shot our first major wedding with them this past weekend and we are extremely excited to photograph all our upcoming events and photo shoots with the Fujifilm cameras. The cameras have these beautiful film simulations that help produce beautiful images straight out of camera.
We are looking to really utilize those film simulations to ease our workflow and become more efficient in image turnaround. I am really looking forward to carry less gear weight on me. If you have seen me shoot I am usually packed on with a lens belt and drag around a Pelican 1510 but with these smaller form factor bodies we will be hauling less weight, which is a plus for an aging photographer haha. Be on the lookout for our new work, which will mostly be done with our new Fujifilm cameras.
If you have questions about the Fujifilm cameras feel free to ask us!
Isreal Cavazos – Performer Portraits – McAllen, Texas
Posted on September 2, 2019
A while back we took these amazing artist portraits of my best friend Israel Cavazos at my home studio. Sara and I rented a Fujifilm XT-3 with a 18-55 kit lens for a week and we decided to test it out for this photo shoot!
My friend has always been into performing and entertaining so he wanted to take some photos with his new outfits and props! These are our favorite shots from this shoot! 
Fujifilm XT-3 – Architectural Photography Test – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on April 17, 2019
I recently rented the Fujifilm XT-3 because it’s a runner up on the list for my next camera purchase and I have been testing out all it’s features in different photography scenarios. I had already done studio photos with the camera, outdoor portraits and night photos so this time around I wanted to try architectural photography. Here are some shots from my test shoot around my work at South Texas College Pecan Campus in McAllen, Texas. 
If you are interested i commercial architecture photography for your business please fill out the contact form below.
Valentine’s Fujifilm XT-3 Photo Shoot – Sara Yanez – Edinburg City Hall
Posted on February 14, 2019
Yesterday we tested out the Fujifilm XT-3 in an evening outdoor setting and it did very well! We used a combination of ambient light, an eVOLV 200 with a beauty dish and an LED light. Here are my favorite shots from this camera test! Equipment used: Fujifilm XT-3 + 18-55mm 2.8 kit lens.
If you are looking into doing a personal photo shoot please fill out the form below.
Head shots- Sara Yanez – Ben Briones Studios
Posted on February 12, 2019
Sara and I rented the Fujifilm XT-3 to test it out because we are thinking of buying ourselves a pair. Our first test was with a one light setup with a beauty dish on a pink seamless. Everything was shot in JPEG and we did very minimal editing or none at all one some of the shots.
I had to adjust the camera setting a bit before we starting getting good results. I had to remove the eyepiece live view because I wasn’t able to see the shot because high aperture kept the view dark. I was also having trouble with the focus. I couldn’t tell if the shots were in focus so I setup the eye autofocus to help me. The the last thing I adjusted was the touch screen so I can zoom into the shot and check the sharpness. Those were the only 3 things that I had issues at first before figuring out how to fix them. Great camera for studio photography. 
If you want to donate to help me purchase this camera please fill out the form below.
