Dance like no one is watching

Last weekend I captured a wedding that grounded me on so many levels. I have learned so much from this couple and their story has truly touched my life. As I was processing some of the images I ran across this image that reminds me why I love wedding photography so much.

Planning a wedding takes so long, except for this one but more on that later. When the wedding day finally arrives it quickly becomes a blur from all the big important stuff having to fall into place to all of the people coming to witness the amazing union. The moment captured below is a great example of how we can still connect with the ones that mean so much to us in the midst of all the noise around us. It is as if they are dancing like no one is watching.

What are you doing this Christmas to connect on a deeper level with the people that mean so much to you?

Thankfulness

Because today is the day of giving thanks I wanted to say a big thanks to all of my clients who so generously give me the chance live out my passions and dreams. Without the encouragement you have given me I would not be the person I am today.

Today is also our little Ainsley’s first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving around our house the past five years has been loaded with family packed into our home. With nearly 15 people I quickly run out of room to stack them so most choose the floor to sleep on. With all of the noise, crowdedness, and lots of dishes I found myself enjoying those few days a year when everyone comes over to my house for food and fun.

This year nobody came over. It was a slow and quiet day with just the three of us. We did spend a few hours over at my brother-in-laws house but most of the day was spent with my new three-person family. It was a welcome change of pace and a day full of thanksgiving for me as I am surrounded by the two people that mean the world to me.

Here are a few shots of my little Thanksgiving.

The day started off by mom doing a little bit of “Pre-Black Friday” shopping. She got up at 4:30 to snag this cool noisemaker of a table for Ainsley at half price. By the time Ainsley woke up we had it set up for her to begin the play of a new toy.








Because this was Ainsley’s first Thanksgiving Sarah and I have been doing a lot of talking about traditions. Today we started our first Thanksgiving tradition of drawing turkeys by tracing our hands on construction paper. It was obviously difficult for a 6 ½ month old to hold her hand still but we made it through it. Once we finished coloring each of us wrote a few things we are thankful for this year. The goal is to do this every year and write down five things we are thankful for. We will move this to small index cards in the future. It will be fun to read through all of them and see how our kids change their priorities over the years.








Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Caroline's 6 Months: Part 2

Caroline and her family have become special to Sarah and I. We have been meeting up with them during Caroline’s first year of life to capture her continuous changes. Our sessions are always full of sharing stories and comparing notes as new parents. Being new parents ourselves we completely understand how fast changes occur.

This session we enjoyed the beautiful fall and took Caroline outside. As you can see sweet hats complement little girls like icing on an already perfect cake. I am so excited for Caroline’s parents and continue to be amazed at how fast our children grow.

Matt and Sarah by bobbiandmike.com

We are just bursting at the seams with excitement today! A few weeks back, we had a photo shoot with the amazing Indy photographers Bobbi and Mike. We have been planning this session for months, but finding out that we are pregnant made the session a bit more exciting. I must admit, mostly because Bobbi called me out on her blog, that I was a little bit nervous. Ok, a ton nervous. I totally know how my clients feel the days leading up to their photo shoot. Sarah and I took the session and turned it into a two day mid-week retreat. Sarah and I enjoyed the time together wandering around Indy just being together. It was awesome!

There is a lot more of our photo session with Bobbi and Mike on their website!!! Check them out by going to bobbiandmike.com/blog

Fast Track Photographer

I did it! I finished the book Fast Track Photographer by Dane Sanders. Anyone who knows me knows I have trouble finishing books. I have good intentions of finishing a book when I buy it. I love the thought of ending a long busy day with my feet up reading a book. However this typically ends up leading to falling asleep while reading. I have also tried reading first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. This too has been unsuccessful because I haven’t figured out a good way to hold a hot mug and hold open a book at the same time. I love both too much!

I have a bookshelf full of great books that came highly recommended. They each have their own bookmarks that stay in near the middle of the book. Today however, I finished Fast Track Photographer. This book is absolutely a must read for a photographer who is considering taking their photography to a business level. I learned through this book that if I want to grow a successful photography business I must learn who I am as a person. Without clear understanding of who I am as a person my photography business would be unfocused and misguided. It was a great book and I know there are a few others on my bookshelf that beg to be finished. I think I might finish up Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.

Get a copy of this amazing book at Amazon.com and get your photography moving!

We' ve Been Published!!!

I can’t begin to describe how excited we are about our recent coverage in Planning Your Wedding magazine. Our pictures have been chosen to be on the front cover as well as throughout the magazine. It is a great honor and an accomplishment that we are ecstatic about. This magazine can be purchased at the local Borders, or if you send me an email I would love to get a copy in your hands. I plan on handing this out as we meet with the new brides, but don’t worry if you have already met with us this last couple of weeks. We can get you a copy too when we meet again! :)

P.S. Every magazine includes an AMAZING coupon in the back on our photography services. Pick up your copy and give us a call!

City Barn and Updates

This weekend I enjoyed a visit to Chicago to meet up with my family. We toured the Lincoln Park Zoo downtown and I couldn't help but notice the contrasting scene of a barn among the tall buildings. I found it funny that we put the barn and the farm back in the big city that may have once, many years ago, been there.

On another note, the new website is nearing completion. It is looking like I may not make my Tuesday planned launch. There are some exciting new updates to Show It Sites that will be out early this week that I would love to incorporate into the new site. Keep checking back for the launch mid-week. Have a great Monday!

Random Monday

It has been a shameful three weeks since my last post. I must say we have been very busy catching up on some work. I am glad to see the progress and the great advancements we are making. Speaking of great things, I recently found out that one of our shots has made the front cover of Planning Your Wedding, a supplement magazine to Business People. This is a great honor and I can’t wait to see it in print. The issue comes out on October 7th and I promised I wouldn’t post the front cover before the issue comes out. If you do get your hands on a copy be sure to check out our coupon in the back for a very special treat. Also on October 7th I plan on launching our new website. We are now using this amazing software called Show It Sites that has made website building easier than ever. I am overwhelmed with joy and completely excited to see what the future holds for us. Stay tuned, it looks like it will be fun.

P.S. Since I can’t post the cover of the magazine I am posting a random shot during my stroll downtown a few weeks back. I can’t post without showing you a picture!

One Light DVD Coming Soon!

You might remember this post a little while back. I had a great time hanging out in Detroit back in April with fellow photographers as we learned off camera lighting techniques from Zack Arias. Zack’s personality is a one of a kind and he is not afraid to show it. He has rebuilt his business after putting the camera down for a couple of years to refocus his priorities in life. My absolute favorite thing about Zack is his strong belief in not wasting money on cheap gimmicks. The photography industry is so saturated with people offering products that they promise will make you a better photographer. (There is no such magic bullet!)

When Zack put together his business the second time he started with off with one camera body and lens, and one off camera flash. He now runs a successful business of shooting bands in Atlanta. When Zack is not shooting bands, he is traveling the country teaching his lighting techniques. Below is a preview of Zack’s first One Light Workshop DVD. I can’t wait for this amazing tool to come out! I believe in Zack’s vision and would love to support his role in making photographers better at their craft. Check out his blog for more tips, tricks, and techniques if you are interested in learning more about photography.