Hernandez Family – McAllen Convention Center – Ben Briones Studios

February 6, 2019February 4, 2019Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

Family is extremely important and the Hernandez family know that! I took the beautiful family photos of Sabrina and her family back in the day, when the McAllen Convention Center wasn’t such a hot spot for photo shoots. Since this family session this family has come to me for various milestones in their lives such as graduation photos, cotillion presentations to various event’s hosted by the Edinburg Boys & Girls Club, which Mrs. Sabrina was the officer for. For those who don’t know, the Edinburg Boys & Girls Club was one of my very firs jobs and I am very thankful for the opportunity to have served as part of this great organization and it’s all thanks to Mrs. Sabrina Hernandez-Walker. This family has always been part of the Ben Briones Studios family and I am always happy to show off their photos on my website. sabrina & family_print_bbp-14_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-19_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-23_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-25_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-27_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-33_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-34_web sabrina & family_print_bbp-40_web

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Amaya Hernandez – Cotillion 2019 – McAllen, Texas

January 21, 2019January 14, 2019Ben Briones Studios 1 Comment

I loved working on these photos because I saw Amaya grow up. When I was younger I use to volunteer and work at the Edinburg Boys & Girls Club, where Amaya’s mother is was the chief officer. She was always around along with her two sisters Destiny and Nadia, who I have had the pleasure of photographing as well for different events of their lives. Sabrina, Amaya’s mother, has trusted me with some most special milestones of her family’s lives and I am forever grateful!

As mentioned earlier I only edited the images but didn’t shoot them. A great photographer by the name of Audrey Barrera photographed these portraits for me because Sara and I had another event to shoot that same day. Here are my favorite shots Audrey took for our client.

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Location Scouting – Sara Yanez – McAllen Convention Center

January 6, 2019October 15, 2019Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

Here are some outtakes from a location scouting shoot. We had a photo shoot scheduled at the McAllen Convention Center for a quince that evening and I wanted to test the lighting, backdrops and angles so when our client showed up it would be super smooth.

I believe location scouting is an important part of a photographer’s job but sadly a lot of photographer don’t do it. It takes extra time to do but saves you a lot of time in the long run because it will make it a better experience for your client that you’re not having to guess where to to take your client and it will make your editing experience much easier. 04.13.17_PRINT_Sara Yanez_BBS-00005

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Nadia Hernandez Grad Photos – McAllen Convention Center – Ben Briones Studios

November 26, 2018December 5, 2018Ben Briones Studios 2 Comments

Graduation photos are important because they record a special period in your life where you achieve a level of education that no one can ever take away! Your gradation session doesn’t have to be indoor at a studio, it could be fun and outdoors. This grad session was shot at the famous McAllen Convention Center in Mcallen, Texas. We shot a total of three looks with Ms. Nadia. I encourage my clients to take photos in full regalia but also bring other outfits to have fun with. Enjoy my favorite photos from this graduation photo session. 2018-11-19_0053 2018-11-19_0054 2018-11-19_0055 2018-11-19_0056 2018-11-19_0057 2018-11-19_0058 2018-11-19_0059

If you are interested in getting grad photos please fill out the contact form below.

Eloise & Manny Engagements – McAllen, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

I love this engagement session because it’s the perfect example of how I like to model my engagement photo shoots. I always tell my couples to choose at least two photo shoot locations and two outfits. The first location should be a more fancy or more formal place they can dress up for formal shots. The second locations is a place where they can have fun and dress down like a park.

This lovely couple chose the McAllen Convention Center as their formal location and Robin Park, behind Trenton View Plaza, for their fun location. The outfits they chose matched the location perfectly. Here are my favorite shots from this photo shoot! 2018-11-19_0031 2018-11-19_0032 2018-11-19_0033 2018-11-19_0030 2018-11-19_0034 2018-11-19_0035 2018-11-19_0036

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Photography Lessons with Sara Yanez – McAllen Convention Center

August 25, 2018October 15, 2019Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

Understanding exposure is important when learning photography. A few weekends ago Sara and I went to the McAllen Convention Center so that she could practice photography. So that the lessons could be as accurate as possible we had the same camera setup; Canon 60D with the Canon EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens. We also used a Sekonic L-308s Lightmeter to try to get realistic exposures.

The lesson was to understand how Shutter Speed, f-Stop and ISO work together to take a picture. We went through how each one works and what it’s used for and then we began practicing in different areas around the Convention Center. On the photos below you can see the settings and a small description of what we were trying to achieve.

I have been giving photography lessons for over 4-years now but don’t really advertise it. I like to think that some of photographer’s I have hired and worked with learned from me but who knows haha. Currently I have 3 students this year who I meet with to give lessons to. Each student is a different level in their photography so I always try to provide unique lessons for what they seek to learn or improve on.

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Canon 60D – 1/160 sec at f/7.1, ISO 640 @ 100mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Cropped Shade Portrait

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Canon 60D – 1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100 @ 33mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Layered Low Angle Portrait

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Canon 60D – 1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO @ 47mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Low Depth of Filed Reflective Head Shot

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Canon 60D – 1/8 sec at f/4, ISO 100 @ 35mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM)- Slow Shutter Portrait

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Canon 60D – 1/1000 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200 at 28mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Foreground Low Depth of Field Portrait

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Canon 60D – 1/1000 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200 @ 35mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Low Depth of Field Layered Portrait

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Canon 60D – 1/1000 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200 @ 28mm (EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM) – Low Depth of Field Foreground Portrait

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Mattress Form Banquet – McAllen Convention Center – Ben Briones Studios

June 1, 2018October 18, 2019Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

The Mattress Firm Corpus Christi and RGV franchise have been one of my longest corporate clients. A while back they hired me to photograph their annual employee award ceremony and it was a lot of fun! Check out some of the most memorable moments from this event at the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. 03.12.16_HighRes_Mattress Firm Award Banquet_BBS-2910_WEB

If you are interested in photography for your corporate event please fill out the form below.

Karissa’s Quince Session – Mcallen Convention Center – Mcallen Texas

April 22, 2017October 18, 2019Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

Today we are joining this beautiful young lady in celebrating her fifteen birthday! Congratulations Karissa! Thank you for trusting us to capture these beautiful portraits of you to document this special milestone in your life. Sara and I had a lot of fun hanging out with you at the McAllen Convention Center and taking these great photos of you.

Photo Credit: Ben Briones

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If you are looking to take some unique quinceañera portraits and would like some more information about our packages please fill out the contact form below.

Martinez Family – McAllen, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

January 6, 2017January 21, 2018Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

#FlashbackFriday

Back in 2010 this awesome family hired me to photographer their family photos. This was when the McAllen Convention Center was a hot spot for photography. What I still love about these photos are how happy they look together. You can tell they have a beautiful family dynamic.

My favorite shots are the ones with the Chevrolet Camaro. I think he had just gotten it then. What a cool car to own. I wonder if he still has it. Although I have not seen this family around much I do know they were amazing clients and I wish them the best!

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If you would like to take some special family portraits please fill out the contact form.

Amanda Victoria Gonzalez – ENHS Grad – Mcallen, Texas

May 26, 2016October 17, 2019Ben Briones Studios 1 Comment

A true #throwbackthursday post right here!

In 2011 I was still attending The University of Texas at Austin finishing up my degree but that didn’t stop me from driving down to the Rio Grande Valley to serve my clients. Amanda and I went to school together at Edinburg North High School and when she asked me to photographer her graduation portraits I did not hesitate; even though I was 500 miles away.

Back then I was shooting the original Canon 5D and using one studio light on location with a octabox. Since then I have simplified my light setup but after seeing these beautiful images I may go back. Another thing I would do back then was try to shoot all my sessions between 1pm – 3pm to have explosive natural light and studio light. It nice to take a look at your older work and see how you have matured as a photographer.

The beautiful thing about this special person is that not only did I have the honor of photographing this milestone in her life, we also shot some head shots for her and most recently I helped document her wedding with Stephanie Rios Photography.

Photo Credit: Ale Moreno, Ben Briones 2011_06_02_Amanda Juarez Grad Session_PRINT-4_FB

If you are celebrating a graduation please fill out the contact form for session info.

Client Review

2015 Law Day Gala – Mcallen, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

May 15, 2015October 18, 2019Ben Briones Studios 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I attended the 2015 Law Day Gala hosted by the Hidalgo County Bar Association at the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. It was pretty exciting to be around so many professionals. What as more awesome was some of my past clients were in attendance as well. I always think God puts in me the right places at the right time.

I am very thank for the opportunity to provide photography and photo booth services for this special event. Just being around so many successful people has sparked something in me that I should continue my education and challenge myself to reach high standards of success in a professional field.

Photographers I urge to take on any job opportunity, even if it’s not of your niche because you never what might inspire you or who you will meet.

Special thanks to Miss Bernadette Perez and her partner in crime CJ Sanchez for working out the kinks of contracting me for this event. Thank you guys!

If you or your organization is having a special event and you are in need of photography, video or photo booth services please fill out the contact form below.

Client Review

Christmas Portraits – Alley & Ace – Mcallen, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

December 23, 2014January 21, 2018Ben Briones Studios Leave a comment

Another beautiful mother and son: Christmas portrait in the bag! This session was so much fun! Ace was such a sport and very energetic. Ms. Alley, you are raising a fine little gentleman.

My favorite part of the session was when Ace got to open his early Christmas gift mom got him specifically for this session. You know those cake smash pics kids do…well we took it up a notch to a gift smash session! I was just as excited as Ace to see what he was getting.

Alley told me something that moved my heart as a photographer. She told me that every year she tries to take pics with her son. That is something special and I wish every parent took the time to capture those precious moments of their kids as they grow. Alley, you are doing an excellent job with Mr. Ace and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.