Results for category "Weddings"

Back to the blog…

I’ve been bad.

No… really bad.

I have neglected my blogging since July. Although my main excuse is that I’ve been very busy (you’ll read below why), that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be connecting with my fans more often… and better.

First, let me just tell you all that the holidays are going great. I had a nice Thanksgiving, and am looking forward to more holiday time with family and friends. My family is doing fine, and everyone is in relatively good health. The dogs are all fine, too. 🙂

We started working on a boudoir/modeling project about three months ago. We even hired a couple of models to do some work for us. The results are fantastic, but we need more samples of course. We’ll be working more on that in the coming months.

The second thing we’ve been working on is a new division called TLC Pro Executive Imaging. This will be a separate division in our company that just handles commercial photography. The objective is two-fold. First, while I love doing commercial photography, I’m so busy with portraits and weddings that I really cannot commit to the kind of schedule that is often needed in commercial work. As this is the case, we hired a new photographer who specializes in commercial photography. Her name is Kristi and she’s done some amazing work. You’ll see more from her in the next few weeks.

The third thing is our seminar and workshop series. Diana and I have created a series of workshops for intermediate to advanced photographers who need more information about getting into portraiture, seniors, babies and other areas of studio management. The entire series starts in January, and we’ll start taking registrations soon. Stay tuned for that, too. We are already so enthused about this, because I love teaching and Diana has so much to share.

Now, none of this takes away from our seniors, babies, families, or weddings. In fact, it will only draw more of MY time toward those things because I won’t have to do as much with commercial work (because that’s Kristi’s thing now), and I can focus deeply on my portrait work because I have to explain details to budding photographers and that makes my work only that much better.

I’ve included a few images of what we’re doing lately, just to give you something to look at.

I’ll be back again in a couple of days. 🙂






Engagement Session – Maria & Chris

What can I say? I’ll begin at the beginning.

Chris and Maria arrive and Chris goes immediately for a cup of coffee. Maria explains that he talks about the coffee here all the time. We do have good coffee… stop in for a cup and a chat. 🙂

So we go on to start taking photos in the camera room upstairs. It was too nice a day to take a bunch of indoor shots, so we quickly moved outdoors. And Chris could not stop picking on Maria. I would have felt sorry for her, but since she wouldn’t stop laughing at him, I couldn’t help myself.

Chris can talk… but it’s not just random chatter… he really asks intelligent questions and talks about stuff that has real meaning to people. Maria scoffs, playfully, but you can tell she cares. There’s an incredible connection between these two, and one I’m going to really enjoy capturing at their wedding in October.

Um… Chris… I won’t be bringing coffee with me in October. Sorry. 😉

Just Don’t Panic

I recently spent several days visiting my brother, who is vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He rents a house there each year for two weeks of rest and recharge.

On our first day there, I discovered boogie boarding. Now look… I’m 50. And I decided on my 50th birthday that I was not going to act the way I thought a 50-year old should act when I was 20… you know… old. So, taking turns with Diana, we taught ourselves how to ride the waves, waiting for the proper wave to break and somehow knowing that it was right. It didn’t take long to get the hang of it… and after a couple of hours, we quit and went back to the house to relax.

On our second day, we discovered that there were THREE more boogie boards in the house, so all four of us (me, Diana, my brother Jon, and his girlfriend Patty) had the opportunity to “play” at the same time. Jon got into the mood last, but he nevertheless enjoyed the adventure. Doing anything new often means that you want to keep doing it more… and bigger… and so on.

So as I was going a “little” further out, some by choice and some by being pushed out by the undertow, I quickly realized I was at about four feet of standing water and about seven feet of wave water. Another little push and I was at five feet of standing water and eight feet of wave water. I’m six foot two when I stand up straight, so I was in (pardon the expression) deep water. What struck me first was that I knew I was still being pushed (pulled?) further out.

So, I grabbed the board, which was about three feet long and 18 inches wide, tethered by a vinyl cord to my wrist via a velcro strap. I attempted to pull myself up on the board so I could paddle in… the board flipped (how annoying). When I fell back, I went completely submerged. And I felt that gentle tug of the undertow again. Seems every time my legs or feet fell closer to the ocean floor, I got tugged further out. This repeated twice more, but without becoming submerged.

Diana called to me, but all I heard was “too far.” I could have extrapolated a lot from that. But what I also realized at this point was that my position and my inability to get onto the board was going to be a bit of a challenge – one I’d never faced.

Only an hour before, I’d read a magnet hanging on the refrigerator in Jon’s rental home. One thing it said was “call for help by waving your hand.” The other was “don’t panic.” So, I called loudly for Diana, and then called loudly for help. I waved my hand in the direction of the lifeguard (who immediately bolted from the chair). I turned my head and saw Diana headed my way. I tried the board again, fell off, and went submerged.

This time, though, I pulled my legs up. I didn’t feel the undertow.

Hmm…

I pulled the board toward me, hearing Diana briefly over the waves and surf: “board is behind you.” I turned and so it was. I pushed myself up with my arms, somehow pretending I was a fish (I CAN swim, but swimming ABOVE the surface is often a challenge for me. :(…). Since I knew I wasn’t going any further out, then I reckoned that I was either going further in, or that the lifeguard or Diana would reach me before I got into real trouble.

Again I pulled the board toward me and somehow it flipped right directly in front if me, back of the board into my waist, and I pulled myself up so my belly was on the board. I felt myself move a good ten feet toward the shore. I wasn’t TRYING to ride, but I was riding the board.

I realized I was going to be okay. I waved off the lifeguard, and motioned to Diana I was going to be okay. I got an indication from someone on shore (my brother?) that the lifeguard needed an okay signal. I stood up in four feet of water and gave her the okay. She echoed that signal and moved back toward the really tall chair that they sit in.

Diana kept moving toward me, and the face I love was both worried and relieved at the same time. I smiled at her, and she seemed to relax a bit. We walked up to the tent that we had previously set up on the beach (umbrellas are for very small people), and Diana lay her head on my chest… it was beating rapidly. The whole experience was over, but it could have ended differently.

The entire thing took less than a minute, from the moment I realized I was out too far until the lifeguard turned around to go back to her chair. In that minute, I knew two things… that I need to learn more about how to use flotation devices on open water, and that I wasn’t going to be a statistic because I did something stupid.

I just kept telling myself “just don’t panic.” And I didn’t.

I told you that, to tell you this. The economy over the last couple of years has given us all cause to reflect on our expenses and our savings. Everyone has made some kind of adjustment to the way they plan their budgets. We have tried hard to work toward helping keep photography as part of your budget. And just briefly I want to remind you of some of those things:

1) Third Friday Free Portraits… 15-20 minute sessions for kids. Each month is a new theme… July is “Day at the beach” (appropriate!) where we’ll take pictures on the beach at our studio (yes, we have a real beach in our backyard).
2) NO price increases on weddings, dance, portrait sessions.
3) New LOWER pricing for senior portraits
4) We have maintained 2005 pricing for our special promotions… those prices will remain in effect throughout the remainder of 2009.
5) Senior portrait session discounts (50%) have been extended through July 31, AND the yearbook/cap & gown sessions are FREE.

What’s important to remember… just don’t panic.

See you soon.

Pretty Day

I went out this morning to let the dogs out, and it was actually a little cool. The day only got better from there. In the afternoon, Kevin came in for his senior portraits. Now here’s a kid who knows how to be the subject.

We started off with some pictures of Kevin and his girlfriend, Caitlin. I really liked working with them because he was kind of funny and she just laughed at everything. After a few studio shots, we went out to take pictures with his car. Kevin really played it up, wearing a dashing suit for these photos.

It wasn’t until we went into our backyard portrait park that he mentioned “you really have a lot of stuff here.” And he’s right, we really do. Let me recap what we have in the portrait park… most people say “I didn’t realize you had all this back here.” So, here goes…

– A double-sided aluminum wall (one side is distressed and rusted, the other side is clean)
– Tiki Bar/Pier area
– Beach, complete with sand, pylons, and a pier
– Large white gazebo (several areas are covered in flowers)
– Hanging porch swing
– Stone pathway under a white arch
– Hacienda with curved walk-up steps (with a look-through window and a closed window set)
– Barn set, with two doors, hay, barrel, saddle, two ladders, and a pitch fork. 🙂
– Waterfall/fountain (yes, the water really runs), with large rocks and scenic greenery
– Bamboo forest… really, a Panda’s heaven
– Foot bridge
– Boulder garden
– Grey & black rock wall with door and window openings
– Brown & tan rock wall with door and window openings
– Green garden area
– Park bench scene
– Garden gate set
– Rock gate scene

Not to mention the rock wall that backs the fountain, the greenery on the fence, the ivy wall, and we can’t forget the split rail fence.

If you want to take a look, come on by. We’ll be happy to give you a tour.

An Earthy Day

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A lot of times we get caught up in the daily minutia.

And days like today I’m reminded that there are more important things than tweaking this or fixing that. Today is Earth Day, and it is an opportunity for all of us to reflect and recognize our responsibility to our planet and to each other. Whatever your stance may be on global warming or issues that affect our environment, there’s one thing certain: We have ONE planet. And if estimates are accurate, there isn’t another habitable planet nearby that we can jump to if something happens to this one.

We have been trying to be responsible:

1. We have stopped using paper products, both at the house and at the studio. Paper, styrofoam, plastic… they all take years (and longer) to breakdown in the landfills. We use stoneware and ceramic plates and mugs, real flatware, and wash them for reuse the next day.

2. We recycle our plastic containers by refilling our bottled beverages with water and one of those single-serving drink mixes. At the end of the day, the bottle goes into the recycle bin. We recycle all of our glass, plastic and metals from the studio and from home.

3. We recycle items we don’t need anymore. We have recycled furniture, clothing, and much more through online groups like Precycle and Freecycle. We donate used clothing to Goodwill (which is also a tax write-off!). We even reuse items we cannot use elsewhere.

4. This year, we introduced the no-paper Senior Catalog. Last year, we sent out nearly 2,000 paper catalogs, using some 10,000 sheets of 11×17″ paper, as well as 2,000 9×12″ envelopes. This year, we designed the catalog for use online. And to add more incentive for people to download their own catalog and view it online or on their own computer, we offered a $50 coupon so that they didn’t have to print it out or have us print it.

5. We are reducing our paperwork in the studio by using fronts AND backs of paper to use all surfaces. The objective here is to stop wasting the back of the page. Now, law requires us to maintain paperwork for all transactions, so there’s little we can do to eliminate the use of paper. But at least we can utilize the paper we have a little more efficiently. We have even taken to emailing invoices and receipts to client’s email addresses in an effort to reduce that paper usage.

6. Finally, we are eating smarter. We buy very few pre-packaged foods… the packages that get thrown out and fill up the landfills. We buy fresh meats, fresh veggies and throw in our own spices and sauces. Each day for lunch we have a salad with chicken and fruit. Our dinners, many of which have been prepared in advance, are stored in reusable containers that we open up, empty and wash.

We need to take care of Earth. She’s going to be here long after we are gone. But it would be nice to leave it clean for the next person… ya know?

Here are some links we can all use:

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Sharing time…

Even with as much work as we do, it is not very often that we get a client as enthusiastic about their portraits as this one is. In 1997, we photographed Don and Katrina’s wedding. It was a lovely wedding with plenty of emotion and warmth.

Well, 12 years later Katrina called us and asked if we could enlarge a photo from her wedding. She had long wanted a large portrait from her wedding, but wasn’t ready to get it just yet.

When she visited to pick out the photo, I was delighted to meet two of her three children. It isn’t often that we get the opportunity to meet the children of our wedding clients.

We got to work on Katrina’s wedding selection and she also brought in the kids (all three: Ashley, Allison and Adam) for our Easter Portraits with a Lamb. It was great fun trying to take pictures of three young kids AND a live lamb. Well, that’s another story.

We delivered the large portrait from their wedding not long after the Easter photos. We had it sitting up on an easel in the reception area of our studio, and when she walked in it was right in front of her. She was very happy with it.

After she got it home and put it in place, she called. She was very grateful and wanted to thank us for the extra effort we put into the photo and the presentation. We were humbled, of course, because our biggest reward after delivering the photos is how people respond.

Well, tonight I got an email from her. Attached was the photo you see above. The text of her message follows:

“As I look at my wedding picture above my bed EVERY day (and several times at that:) I want to pick up the phone and thank you again. It’s the best! And I LOVE the picture of my kids you were able to capture for Easter- with ALL of them looking at the camera. We’ve had several compliments on both pictures I’ve mentioned. Did I tell you I took the wedding picture to work with me? They all LOVED it too:)

Thanks for making me smile several more times during the day as I look at these pictures.”

This gave us a big smile and a little tear to the eye.

So we had to share. 🙂

The weather…!

Like most of you, I’m enjoying this incredible weather we’ve had the last couple of days.

I spent a little time cleaning up some things in the backyard park today. Mostly leaves and branches that had fallen over the winter. All cleaned up now. There are probably a ton of leaves embedded into the rocks in our waterfall, though. So, next week I’m going to get out the blower and foof it all into a big ole pile.

But the reason I’m writing has everything to do with a morning dove that has taken up residence on the top of one of the lattice work fences in the back. It’s a tall green fence, so nobody would likely see the nest from the ground, but from our back porch it is literally less than four feet away. The first few times I went out the back door and she (mommy bird) flittered off, she was quite scolding. When I noticed that she stayed put when I went out more recently, I figured she was probably sitting on eggs.

So, I’m going to keep an eye on things. Assuming that a neighboring stray cat doesn’t cause too much havoc, we’ll be seeing dove babies soon! I’ll post a pic of her on the nest soon, too.

Let’s Get Excited

Commercial pastelsImage via Wikipedia

You know, it’s only a few days before Easter.

Chicks, bunnies, eggs, pastels, warm weather, cut grass smell, buds on the trees, daffodils in bloom… I’m a big fan of Spring.

Spring also means planning out the year’s approach to many things. Now, most of you know that we photograph only a handful of weddings each year. I love weddings… I really do. They are very time-consuming, though. The overall time we spend for a single wedding is upwards of 30-50 hours. I won’t bore you with the details, but the time spent is always well worth it, because there are so many great opportunities at weddings to do some great photo work, meet some amazing people, and have a lot of fun.

My primary focus this time of year goes to high school seniors. This part of our planning involves many, many hours of sitting in front of the computer, reviewing layouts for marketing and presentation, hiring and training new personnel, and instituting updated policies. I know, b-o-r-i-n-g! Well, the result is a phenomenal approach to high school seniors. This year, we are really revving up the engines here to prepare for what promises to be a wonderful spring and summer season.

So, what’s this post really about?

I’m excited! And besides, this is my blog. I’m taking a different approach to my blog this year, too. This year, I’m just going to post whatever, whenever… not just pictures. You need to hear my wisdom, I guess.

In a week or so, things will have greened up enough for me to show you some of our outdoor portrait park. It’s a gorgeous place… there’s even a beach!

Until then…

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Jacki’s Bridals

The great thing about bridal portrait sessions is there’s no pressure on the bride, and we can spend some quality time doing some fun and artistic poses.

Aimee’s Bridals

As part of most of our wedding packages, we offer a no-charge bridal portrait session. Aimee took advantage of hers on the same day that she also had a trial run done for her hair.