Hello world, it’s a bright, beautiful, sunshiny day! I love the spring and all it brings and all it stands for. This week we took some time to paint the studio and boy do I love it! I don’t know how we found the time, but my mother was in town, and nobody helps drive a project home better than mom. Our fall dates have really been booking up this year, with the summer months just as strong.

One of the things that we have really been working on this spring, is fine tuning our album offerings. Many of you may know, that we have an in house designer, whose work compliments our photography. We encourage our clients to follow through on their final presentation as soon after the wedding day as possible. As beautiful as final presentations can be, they do require a bit of time to choose just the right images, but the reward far out weighs the time spent. Images belong on a printed page in a book, or on a wall, a table or in a window expressing their beauty for the world to see (not in a proof book or on a CD shoved in a drawer). Through the use of our designer, we have created new pricing structures and new album samples that we are sure will please even the most discerning eye. We will also be offering our design services to other photographers who may not have the time to invest in creating a one of a kind unique album. Not only are albums available for final presentation, this year we are really going to push the other unique products available from our in house, large format printer. Such as, canvas gallery wraps, fabric wall clings, fabric window treatment, and light box presentations.

Below you will find a newly created unique layout from a wedding of the past to showcase the possibilities…

Tina and I were thrilled to have been a part of SOFA NEW YORK 2010, which is held at The Park Avenue Armory. For those of you who don’t already know, SOFA is one of the world’s premier art fairs, containing sculpture objects, and functional art. The SOFA show is held annually in three locations: New York, Santa Fe, and Chicago. By far, the best part of the show, is being surrounded by such beautiful artwork, ranging from large sculpture to fine jewelry, by the world’s premiere designers. Around each corner brings into view a new piece more remarkable than the last. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to arrive during setup to capture a few views prior to the VIP, invitation only, reception, enabling us to focus on the job at hand instead of being awestruck by the works of art. The works of art were not the only thing to catch my eye however, as the company attending also rated high honors. My favorite part, of course, would be the opportunity to meet world re-nound photographer Jay Maisel. Also, bumped into John Lithgow. Love watching him on Dexter! VIP lounge designed by David Ling.

We’ve had a very busy April. We traveled to both Florida and New York, for work, taking some time off to visit with family and friends in Florida. It was great to be able to jump-start our tan in Florida while waiting for spring to arrive here in the Midwest. While in Florida we stayed with our friends Heidi and Mike. They have a beautiful home, and one of the things, in my opinion, that makes their home so beautiful is that they have images of their wedding scattered throughout. We absolutely love to visit our client’s home and see our work hanging on their walls!

I have been friends with Heidi for over 30 years, and consider her to be like a sister to me. After college, I interned for a newspaper in Southwest Michigan, I was assigned to photograph every Friday night football game within a fifty-mile radius. Heidi would tag along, taking the player’s name and jersey number. Although her most important job was to act as my blocker, alerting me, as I held my lens to my eye trying to photograph “the play”, when the pack of players were coming dangerously close.

We photographed Heidi and Mike’s wedding in Santa Barbara, California. The ceremony was held at Maxwell Overlook, located on the campus of Santa Barbara Community College. The panoramic view of the ceremony was breathtaking to say the least. Stone pillars surround a large grassy area. The view stretches from downtown Santa Barbara to the Pacific Ocean, including the pier and harbor, mountains, and the Channel Islands. The reception was held at Rincon Beach Club in Carpinteria.

In this instance, our clients were also our friends, and one could even say family. So maintaining a relationship after the wedding was a given. This is the exception, not the rule. Since most of our clients come to us as complete strangers, maintaining a relationship after the wedding requires a bit more effort. We feel that we have spent so much time with our clients, their family and friends, that we have formed a bond built on trust and our opportunity to be a part of intimate moments of their life. We wish to continue our relationship with our clients long into the future. This is why we encourage them to allow us to photograph the next great moment in their lives.

Congratulations are in order to Heidi and Mike. They are expecting their first born, and we are looking forward to capturing the intimate moments surrounding the growth of their family.

Wedding cake provided by Christine Dahl Pastries
Bridal gown designed by Romona Kreveza