As I photographed Ken dancing with his mom, I couldn’t help but think back 5 years ago to those days we were all in the hospital after his dad’s aneurysm.  Kenny was such a great son to his mom, and really helped get her through one of the scariest times of her life.  He was her rock, and for the long months of recovery he was there for his parents, even taking a semester or two off from school to help them.  Now, four years and 11 months later, his dad sang at his wedding, and he was dancing with his mom.

I have never seen Kenny happier than he was on Saturday.  That might sound cliche, but it’s true, he was beaming.  Kenny is a hopeless romantic; to the point I used to tease him by calling him a woman.  :)  He has a huge heart, and I know he is going to worship the ground Michelle walks on for the rest of their lives.  She could not of found a better guy, and I know Ken has found a wonderful woman.

So, to Kenny and Michelle.  I know you are still on your honeymoon, but if you happen to read this, take this little bit of wisdom that I was given on my wedding day.  This time, especially this week, is going to be over before you know it.  Soak in this time.  Just stop what you are doing, look around, and breathe it in.  These next few days, weeks, and months as you are newly married are going to be some of the greatest of your lives, you will never be as free as you are right now ever again.  Take it all in, and remember every moment.  These moments can and will get you through the rough spots ahead.  Take advantage of your freedom and be spontaneous.  Before you know it, another kind of joy will enter your lives full of poop and giggles, and though there is greater joy there is less freedom.  So, just enjoy each other, live in the moment, and never rush through this time.

Okay, now for some of Kenny and Michelle’s wedding photos!

My beautiful daughter.  :)

My very cute little boy.  :)

This is Ken’s dad, and my father-in-law.  He is evidence miracles can and do happen.

Congrats again, Michelle and Kenny!  For more photos check out our Facebook page, and while your there, become a fan!  :)

Megan and Vince’s faith is very important and personal to them, so, the night before their wedding, they had an intimate communion/worship service to set the atmosphere of their wedding and marriage apart.

For lots more photos check out my facebook page at:  facebook.com/alifestudio.fb!  Congrats, Megan & Vince!

If I can help it, I don’t let anything out of my studio that isn’t perfect.  Even though this fix took over an hour, I didn’t charge extra for it, and I never do.  To me, my prints represent my business, so why wouldn’t I want every print to be perfect.  It’s pretty amazing what I can fix in Photoshop, though the real trick is to make sure there is nothing to fix in the first place.  Retouching like what I did above is something I do at the shoot, meaning, when I take a photo, I make sure it’s right the first time.  Sometimes things go through the cracks, or are just unavoidable, and that that is where Photoshop skills come in handy.  Let me know what you think!

I have more of their photos on my Facebook fan page!  Check them out and become a fan!  facebook.com/alifestudio.fb

Congrats Amanda and Billy!

Congrats, Kendra & Leo!

Congrats again, Kim and Mark!

The wind was blowing against the side of my house and created a buffer where the snow didn’t lay.  Luckily, it’s also the main door we use, so shoveling wasn’t needed.  On the other hand, it also burried one of our cars.

My neighbor’s truck.

Another example of how the wind created this buffer around our house.  My back yard is flat, but the snow made ‘waves’, kind of like sand dunes.  Some spots are crazy deep, while others are just deep.  :)

Example of our ’snow dunes’ shot from a second floor window.

More of the ‘Snow Sand’, but from a more artistic approach.  :) 

So, today I put my boy to work.  Sure he’s only four, but he’s got to start earning his keep.  No more of this eating and sleeping here for free thing.  :)  j/k!

And of course there is our little diva.

We’ve never had enough snow in a year to buy a sled, so we improvised and used a snow shovel.

It worked pretty well on our little hill.  :)

More of the diva, who is not very fond of the snow.  I wasn’t surprised.  That’s ok, though, because she is super cute.

She dropped her mitten.

Definitely a model in the making.

Here is another member of the family.  She is half beagle and half pig, yes, pig.  Her name is Piggle, or Pig for short.  :)

And last, but not least, I call this peice ‘Sibling Rivalry’, though I’m still considering ‘Clash of the Titans’.  :)

Choosing a photographer can be a daunting task.  To make matters worse, there are a lot of ‘photographers’ out there who think they have a “professional camera” and think, because of this, they can shoot weddings, or anything else professionally.  This is totally not true. That’s like saying, I have paint and a paint brush, that means I can paint like Da Vinci.  Well, I’m a terrible painter, and I would never try to pass myself off as one, nor would I try to book commissioned work.  A true professional photographer has worked for years perfecting their craft to be able to shoot your wedding.  Wedding photography has become a ‘buyer beware’ industry.  Below are tips to help you find the best photographers, and avoid disappointment or worse.

1.  Experience
Ask the photographer how long he/she has been shooting weddings. Ask how many weddings they have shot by themselves.  If they haven’t been shooting weddings for very long, or they don’t have at least 20 weddings under their belt as the main photographer, you should be very cautious.

2.  Their Work
Web sites are great.  The problem is photographers have had issues with people stealing their online images and posting them to their sites for years.  The good news is, those online images will not print very well, so you can validate a photographers work by looking at printed images.  Make sure you meet with your potential photographer and view full albums of weddings.  Two or three albums should give you a pretty good idea of their talent and skill.  Also, don’t be afraid to ask for access to a few online wedding proofs.  Keep in mind that those images are the photographer’s proofs, and not the final product.  In looking at the proofs, look to see if the images are properly exposed, that they are not too dark or too bright.  Also, check the color.  Does everyone look natural?  Light skinned subjects should not look orange or blue or “washed out”, and dark skinned subjects should not be too dark.  You should be able to see definition in the face. This might sound silly, but skin tone is one of the most challenging things to master in digital photography.  Another red flag that many people are not aware of is a lot of black and white images.  This could indicate that the photographer is trying to hide poor exposure or color.  It’s a trick we all use when we like an image, but something was off, like the flash didn’t fire or the camera didn’t focus properly.  This is fine with a hand full of images, but if you notice a very high percentage of images are black and white, be careful.

3.  Referrals
Ask all of your potential photographers for referrals.  If they hesitate, run.  A real professional photographer will be happy to give you referrals. Make sure it’s a good amount too, and don’t be afraid to ask to see their wedding photos.  I typically give 3-4 referrals when asked.

4.  Equipment
Equipment is very important.  While just having a great camera will not make you a great photographer, a great photographer with poor equipment is limited as to what they can capture.  A slow flash can miss split second moments.  And if the camera breaks during the wedding, even the best photographer is out of luck.  You should ask what equipment they have. The brand of the equipment isn’t important.  What you want to make sure of is the camera is pro rated by the brand they use.  For example, I shoot with Nikon. Nikon’s pro rated cameras are the D300, D300s, D700, D3, D3s, and D3x.  A Nikon pro should be shooting with one of these cameras.  Even more important are the lenses.  Lenses have what is called an f/stop number.  The lower that number the better the lens, and it will shoot in lower light, which is vitally important for weddings.  A pro should not have a lens that has an f/stop higher than 2.8.  If they are using lenses that have an f/stop of 3.5-5, they shouldn’t be shooting weddings.  I shoot with Nikon’s best lenses. The f/stop on my lenses range from 1.4 – 2.8.  A pro must have at least one back up camera as well.  Things happen, and all it takes is a drop.  Make sure your potential photographer has back up equipment!  For me this would be a deal breaker.  No real pro would only have one camera.

I hope these 4 points help you on your photographer search, and helps you avoid a very bad situation.  Your wedding photos will be some of your most cherished possessions, and your wedding album will be your first family heirloom.  Make sure you invest in the quality you and your wedding deserve.  One more thing, ask how the photographer will dress.  You would think this would be common sense, but I have heard of photographers showing up in jeans. I’ve seen videographers do the same.

When I started my business, one of my goals was to be able to help people in someway, and I have been amazed at the doors which have been opened for me to do that. My business, my photography, is more than my job, it’s more than my income, it’s who I am, it’s my calling. I am doing exactly what I feel I am supposed to be doing, and I have been greatly blessed. It is because of my gift and my business that I can give back in ways that I never would have been able to before. ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’

As I have watched and read the news, my heart has been broken for children of Haiti, and especially those now orphaned. While traveling there isn’t exactly practical for me, giving is. So, after much thought, I have decided that for every wedding booked this year, I will be donating $100 to an organization that is helping the orphans of Haiti. At this point $2,100 has been raised, and the potential is there to more than double that amount. In fact, if we do book 50+ wedding this year, I will double that donation to $200 a wedding, and give $10,000. I am still in the process of reaching organizations, so if you have any input into this, please let me know.

Aesthetic Life Studio will be at booth #10, and we will be giving out very cool packets with info about us, tips on finding the right photographer, tips on how to save money when hiring a photographer, and two very cool vouchers from us!  :)  If you’ve been thinking about hiring us for your wedding, you need to visit us at tomorrow’s show.  We will also be having our own drawing for a free engagement session!  Pass this along to everyone you know who is getting married.  At the bottom of this post is a link to share on Facebook, MySpace, etc, so share away!  :)

I hope to see you tomorrow!  :D