omorrow morning, I will begin my journey overseas to Scotland with my grandmother. I am so excited! This is something I have looked forward to since early 2003 when she came to visit me while I was studying abroad in London. I am not sure I will be able to sleep tonight since I am so pumped. :-) Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that I will not have any internet access for an entire week. I will be back in the US on April 7 (late), and I will do my best to stop in the studio on the 8th to answer emails and phone calls. BUT... jet lag and I are not usually friends. So, if you need to talk to me ASAP, feel free to call me again on the 8th. Thanks so much for your patience in my reply time. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you once I get back. Until then... :-)
hris and I are back (for now). It was a crazy trip, and it ended with a bang at Jennie & Joe's wedding near Chris' hometown. So... CONGRATS to the newlyweds!!! Jennie & Joe are so obviously in love that you can't help but smile and laugh with them. I am sure you will notice in the images below, so without further ado, here is a preview (followed by a special surprise slideshow for the newlyweds and their fans). :-)
wow, i love this shot of Bethany, the maid of honor (and the woman responsible for us getting the opportunity to photograph this wedding!)
father of the bride...
the flower girl...
the bride! such a stunning profile!!
ha! I love this! Bethany was helping me with the reflector for Jennie's portrait and helping Jennie with her hair. What a great bridesmaid!
I love it when I get images like this... straight out of the camera. But also... love to wonder what Jennie was thinking on the ride to the ceremony.
Chris' shot when Bethany saw him. They go waaaaay back!
This moment was so touching... Jennie's mother passed away a few years ago, and they lit a candle in remembrance of her. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the room. I know mine weren't!
So dang cute, I can't even stand it.
Remind you of a shot at their engagement session? I couldn't help it.
Although, I really love this shot, too... it is more of a moment.
Standing on the edge of a parking lot, seriously... a great portrait has nothing to do with how pretty it is outside (overcast in a parking lot). :-) Love this one!
Chris grabbed this one at just about the same moment as mine.
The first dance.
Here is a special slideshow of my favorite 150 images! We are aiming to do this for every wedding, but after spending ALL day on it today, I'm not so sure I can make it happen. ;-)Â
ard to believe that we went to a PHOTOGRAPHY convention and didn't take a single photograph. ;-) Oh well.
Chris and I are just about recovered from our trip to Vegas and California (though we still aren't home in NY- still in Philadelphia awaiting Jennie & Joe's wedding this afternoon). We really had a wonderful time with family. As for our time in Vegas, the best way I can sum it up is... "information overload." We loved it! If you are a wedding and/or portrait photographer (even if you haven't been for long), you NEED to join the WPPI asap. Not only was their convention well worth every penny (and then some), but they have amazing resources available to members... such as companies that cater to photographers for that invaluable thing called insurance... or even accountants.
The main thing we walked away with was the knowledge that success is not bundled into a golden path that everyone must follow in order to win the prize (whatever that is). In fact, everyone we heard speak has very different styles of work and philosophies or systems of how to get the end product. Some take in hundreds of weddings a year, while others may only do 15. Many people work in digital, while a few still work in film. And the list continues... But, the bottom line is that the successful businesses all had two things in common:
1. They found their niche... what they are good at and what they love to do, and then they do it every time. And, they do not stray from it. Andrew & Rachel Niesen from LaCour Photography in Atlanta gave an amazing presentation on how they capture stories and remain consistent with their photojournalist style. They described what many of us do as "visual schizophrenia." Meaning... we show a little of this and a little of that and then change when the trends change.
2. They don't do EVERYTHING themselves... meaning they outsource. I admit that I have just begun this past year to do this. In the past (ie just last fall), I have worked 60 hour weeks, clutching to every aspect of the business and missing out on a precious thing called life. No matter how many hours you work a week IN your business, as long as you are doing it by yourself, you will never have enough time to work ON your business. Again, there isn't a set golden path to what business owners should outsource because we are all different in our strengths.
Anyway, this post is super long now, and we need to get geared up for the wedding today... but, I just had to share how much we enjoyed listening to all of the most successful people in the industry. Most of them are very humble and very willing to help, and we just loved that! We do have some goals in place (6-12 month and 5-10 years) after this convention, and we also have some immediate things we will be changing, though not many. So, if you are a current client, you will be hearing from us soon.
P.S. We were very reassured in our products that we offer. We saw EVERYTHING that is out there during the Expo, and our products are, by far, more superior in quality than anything else out there.
ow! Chris and I have been in Vegas since Friday, learning SO much at the WPPI Convention. It is just amazing to sit and learn from some of the best people in the business... even more amazing how different all of them are! Just goes to show that success is not about following someone else's path but creating your own trail. Anyway, we are just a little overwhelmed, especially at the Trade Show with the billions of options out there, but we are loving it!
Before we left California, I had an engagement session with Johanna & Eric at the old mission in San Juan Capistrano. I got the idea of this location directly from Jessica Claire; she took some casual pics of Chris and me about a year ago when we were last in California. I just loved the spot, and I was excited to shoot there in a completely different time of day so that I wouldn't be tempted to copy. :-)
Johanna & Eric were a blast! Eric is a writer for a very funny show, and Johanna is a model/actress. Together, they were unstoppable! I just can't wait for their October wedding in Saratoga Springs. Happy viewing!
Loving the flare!
I almost wanted to avoid this spot since Jessica took such an awesome shot of us in it, but I just couldn't... and Johanna & Eric just jumped right in! Charlie's Angels style.
I love this one!
Johanna is just gorgeous... couldn't take a bad picture of her.
Another natural, impromptu moment... just hanging out in the doorway. :-) They were so great!
I swear we do not have sunlight like this in New York. I know it is the same sun, but somehow it isn't quite this yummy and warm in tone.
Haha!
I had a hard time or narrowing down my favorites at this particular spot, but this was OUR mutual favorite.
Johanna & Eric are such cool kids. ;-)
Well... that's it for today. Chris and I are heading back out to more classes and expo time. We just can't wait to bring home all these new ideas and products! But... it will be another week before I am back in the studio. Thanks so much for your patience in my response time. We will be in Vegas through Wednesday morning... then back to California... then back to Philly on Thursday. I have a Senior portrait session on Friday and a Jennie & Joe's wedding on Saturday. So... still a little crazy. But... Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! (it is our half anniversary today also- appropriate since Chris is part Irish).
ust before Chris and I left the east coast for some California sun, I met up with Rachel & Justin in downtown Philadelphia for their engagement session. The weather was very threatening... out of our 7 hour drive down, it either snowed or rained (hard) for about 6.5 of those hours. Needless to say, our hopes for a session at a garden were squashed. Our plan B was the Flower Show... once I got there, I realized it was not only expensive, but PACKED with people trying to get out of the now drizzle. So... plan C... brave the sprinkle and meet in the city center. So, we did. And, the sky smiled upon us! It poured for about 5 minutes of the shoot (fortunately I had a huge white umbrella for them), but then it brightened up enough to shoot elsewhere. Anyway, all this to say that I just can't wait for Rachel & Justin's wedding in June in Baltimore!! They were so easy going... probably would've been fine with a plan D or F, for that matter. Glad we didn't have to go that far, though. So, happy viewing!
You'd never know it was pouring! (yes, I got wet)
Under shelter, while it poured. They were still all smiles!
i LOVE this one!
Justin was such a good sport. It had JUST stopped raining when I asked him to lean up against the WET giant domino.
Jury is still out on this image (Chris really likes it/I think it is okay)... reflections in the puddles.
I love how dramatic this one is... not to mention how sweet.
Love this one, too... They were walking, and I asked them to stop. Love how they are standing, love the random woman (okay, jury is also still out on that element), love the wet floor, love the arch... also... love that the giant banner is for the Flower Show (plan B) that didn't work out for us. :-)
Tomorrow, Chris and I are heading out to Vegas for the WPPI Convention. We will be there (maybe without internet) until Wednesday afternoon. We leave the West Coast on Thursday... just in time for Jennie & Joe's wedding on Saturday in Philadelphia. I will try to get Johanna & Eric's engagement pictures, taken on Tuesday in San Juan Capistrano, as soon as possible! Can't wait!!
