We decided to build instead of rent for a number of reasons.  1.  The overhead for rental space is not cheap.  Since we won’t have the higher costs of a downtown store front, we can price ourselves very competitively.  2.  Family.  I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to work where I live, to be here for my kids and watch them grow up while they are young.  Most dads don’t have this luxury, and I wasn’t about to give that up.  :)

We have several visions for the studio.  Including a more controlled environment for ad and commercial work, plus, studio rental opportunities for other area photographers, and marketing/ad firms.  We will also have some of the best photographic equipment to give our clients the best quality possible.

Having this space opens up huge opportunities for us to grow in business and in photography.  It also helps position us to become one of the areas most sought after visual artists.  We are still working out the exact specs, but I have a meeting with the contractor tomorrow to hopefully sort everything out, and we hope to have it open by late summer/early fall.

We are more than excited about this, and words cannot express how much we appreciate all of the support we have received from our family, friends, and especially our clients.  You, our clients make us.  I am ‘self-employed’.  This is totally wrong.  I am employed by everyone who has ever used our services or purchased our art.  I’m supposed to be my own boss, but in reality, I have well over 200 bosses and counting, and all of you are awesome.  Thank you for not only helping me achieve my dreams, but for helping me to support and provide for my family by doing what I love.  I hesitate to say ‘what I’m passionate about’, because, while I do love photography, it is not my ‘passion’.  God, my family, and my kids, are my passion; everything I do, I do for them.  I’m just fortunate enough to have a gift that allows me to see and then create beauty through photography, and I’m even more fortunate to have amazing clients who share my love for art and beauty.  Thank you.

The above photo is one of my favorites from the wedding, and I didn’t even take it.  (I hate when that happens.)  :)  It was taken by my assistant Jessica.  I love this photo.

The bride and groom had to move under the awning to stay out of the rain.  That’s why they are in the middle of everyone.  I just love the expressions on everyone’s faces in this photo.  There is just so much joy.

If you can’t tell, Matt was having a great time, and so was everyone else!  :)

Robin and Matt I wish you all the best and look forward to working with you over the next several months as we get your album together!

Oh, and if anyone wants to look up Stonewall Golf Club, they can be found here:

http://www.stonewallgolfclub.com

 On another note, we just missed our goal of 150 page fans on facebook by just a few people!  Since we are so close, we are going to extend the offer to give away a $25 gift card to a very popular coffee house until Monday.  If we have 150+ fans by the end of Monday, one of our fans will receive the gift card.  So look us up, become a fan, and suggest your friends!

http://facebook.com/alifestudio.fb