Networking Extreme...

A few weeks ago I shot a wedding down in Austin Texas with the beautiful and talented photographer Kim, of Kimberly Brooke Photographic. I met her through a mutual friend Armin Defiesta. Armin was unavailable to shoot with Kim that weekend as he was shooting a wedding that day already, but he forwarded my info to Kim, who I had never met before. After a couple phone calls and emails talking about a myriad of subjects, Kim had me fly down and second shoot with her in one of the nicest venues for one of the nicest couples I've ever met. Kelly and Brett just had so much love for each other, which showed up in every click of my camera (even when they weren't in the picture!). It was a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at Austin71 with a great view of the countryside as a backdrop to a perfectly lit (that always helps) afternoon ceremony, which led directly into some great music from the band "Radiostar" which played the best mix of top songs from the 80's that I'd ever heard. I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking, here's some of my fav's:


Have to add in some detail shots...


Beautiful bride makes the job REAL easy...












Talk about a get-away car!!!


I don't know whose got a goofier face, but at least she was tryin!


We got there kinda early, so Kim and I did a little impromtu photoshoot...even caught her chimpin' in the mirror while the girls were getting their makeup done!


I caught her dancing on the job too! LOL!

I had a blast, and would encourage any photographer reading this to network, network, network (check out [b]ecker's [b]school for example)! You'll never know who you meet, or what you'll learn. Every other photographer (whether they shoot weddings, sports, fashion, product,ect) I've ever talked to has taught me something, even if they weren't trying to! We should all try to help each other out to expand our ability to constantly move the bar up a notch to give our clients a consistent world-class experience!

Also keep a look out on Kim's blog for her post about the wedding!

Trespassing in Georgetown (Aly and Dustin's E-Shoot)

So we have a [unspoken] trespassing rule in photography... "It's better [read "easier"] to ask for forgiveness than to go and seek out permission..." this rule pertains to trespassing on people's property in areas like Alexandria, DC, Georgetown, Leesburg, well pretty much anywhere in which private property has WAY more character and 'cool-factor' than public places. This past weekend Erin and I had our engagement shoot for Alison and Dustin in Georgetown (therefor the tip-toe trespassing law holds true). We walked all over town on a near-cloudless Sunday afternoon/evening and found some great little alleys and doorsteps to intrude on (even a classic VW Beatle to use as a prop). I'm looking forward to their wedding that Erin and I are shooting for Armin Defiesta Photography in May, it sounds like it will be a blast! Check out Erin's post too! Here are some of my favorites from the day:






...more trespassing, unfortunately the gate had some pretty fresh paint on it...








...had to wait at those stairs for like 5 minutes waiting for people to stop getting in our shot...


...Alison grabbed a camera and chased after the celebrity [Dustin] outside Papa-Razi


...threw in some off-camera flash for a little fill as the Sun was dipping behind the buildings...

New view on the World (Wide Web)

Just got finished setting up my new 24" LCD. I REALLY wanted to get an S-IPS panel, but I really didn't want to pay 300% more for one. I calibrate all my monitors to prints that I've made on my Epson R1800 and prints I've received from the labs I order from, so if there's a little bit of visual color shift from different angles it doesn't matter to me. I just need it to be accurate from where I'm sitting, so I settled for a mid-range display. This replaces a 4 year old LG L1720P (TN type panel) that I had purchased two of when they first came out for $480 each...it's ridiculous to me how cheap good electronic gear is now.



Here's what my "office" looks like now...a bit like the matrix. (from left to right, 24" Samsung LCD,15.4" Macbook Pro, 17" LG LCD, 40" Samsung LCD) I'm so addicted...I'm even considering picking up a Mac Pro sometime next year after the Nehalm processor refresh and picking uo another 40" LCD to use as my primary system...I need to go to counseling or something!

It's all about the details...

One of the things I love to capture when shooting a wedding or any other sort of event is the little details and parts of what makes that event special. I find that these small components are what brings back more vivid memories. The only thing I love capturing more than details is pure unbridled enthusiasm (if you don't know the reference, then NO SOUP FOR YOU). Here are some of the details I found unique or interesting at a recent wedding along the North Shore of Maryland that I shot with Armin.


Bill was into his guitars and music...nothing says it better than custom made picks...


Even an ordinary chair bathed in a late afternoon glow from a setting Sun can tell you a little more about the day and how gorgeous the ceremony was...











The florist had set up these very unique candle holders to illuminate the post-ceremony celebration...

You see why I find little details so critical in telling the story of your special day? It's all about the things you may forget about years from now, but just like a familiar song or scent, it brings back such vivid memories of one of the happiest days in your life!