Hello, soon to be bride or groom!

God’s Softbox

October 25, 2011

Assuming that the photo is in focus and that one is taking a picture of something “interesting,” there is arguably no greater component to the photograph than lighting. Photographer Joe McNally refers to the “language of light” when discussing the way that lighting influences the mood and emotion of a photograph. I would go so far as to say lighting defines a photo.

When holding a camera in my hands (and often when not), I spend unhealthy amounts of time obsessing about the light, whether working with the available light or supplying my own. But every once in awhile, nature just hands it to you in perfect form. No assembly required. Just click and enjoy.

Sharlene and Zack, Engaged | at THE Ohio State University ;)

October 24, 2011

I met Sharlene and Zack at Starbucks … which is a great way for me to start any shoot. We talked for a few about their upcoming wedding, their engagement (while touring Greece!) and their vision for their pictures. While I first got to know Sharlene as a new member of the family (she is the daughter of my wife’s cousin), I hadn’t met Zack or gotten to know their relationship outside of a few Facebook posts. In the following couple of hours, I came to realize very quickly that they are very sweet, laid back and fun together. I assume they are these things individually as well, but I know for a fact that they are these things while together. You want proof? So glad you asked. Here are a few of my favorites from our engagement session at THE Ohio State University.

Congratulations on your engagement and I can’t wait for your wedding, which will be here before you know it! See you soon!

Rachel and Tommy, Married | Columbus Ohio Wedding Photography

October 8, 2011

Rachel and Tommy put on a simply beautiful wedding, marrying at the chapel at St. Charles with the reception following at the Franklin Park Conservatory. I must also say, I appreciated that they scheduled nearly an hour to take portraits afterward! Here are a quick few of my faves:

Thank you, Rachel and Tommy, for allowing me to share in your big day! A lifetime of love and happiness to you both!

Thank you also to Dina of Scarlet City Events for doing an amazing job of coordinating the day!

Check out their full galleries!

Abbey and Steve, Married | Dayton Ohio Wedding Photography

September 22, 2011

Abbey and Steve were married in Dayton … and they put on one AMAZING wedding. I wish I could put into words how much fun I had shooting with them and their family and friends. Here are a few of my faves:

Soooo … a little bit of back story on this one. They planned a really, really awesome first dance and surprised virtually everyone of their friends and family with it. They came out to a Colbie Callait song and then went into Footloose.

Even better, if that were possible. Abbey surprised EVERYONE with a song for Steve – her rendition of Heaven is a Place on Earth. I tried, but the pictures truly do not do these moments justice!

Thanks so much for sharing your wedding day with me! A lifetime of love and happiness to you both!!

And a big thanks to the uber talented and all-round awesome person, Shannon Sano for second shooting with me!

Like these? About 1100 more?

“How Much Does It Cost You Not to be an A-Hole?”

September 1, 2011

I’ve never met or so much as spoken personally with photographer Laurence Kim, but his blog is easily one of my favorite, repeat reads. The above quote is his, an admonition to fellow wedding photographers but really, just about any one who works in some kind of a service oriented industry. And at the end of the day, don’t we all?

Laurence was talking about making money (a primary goal of any business) and how there are so many ways to make money that cost little to nothing; goodwill being chief amongst them. And he’s exactly right. It astounds me the money that business will regularly throw at catchy advertising, focus groups, or redesigning a logo; and yet, the experience these endeavors seek to create is derailed when a prospective client walks into the store and is treated with rude indifference by an employee. It’s ruined when business talks “premium” products or provides a guarantee that they then refuse to stand behind. Worthwhile as all of those “marketing” endeavors may be, they are nothing next to the power of sincere, personal service. The golden rule, really – treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

It seems like we encounter examples of business that can’t, or won’t, put that simple concept into practice. Just last week: my family and I have long been a fan of Toyota, owing to their overall quality. Yet oddly, the handle to the rear hatch of our Sequoia has broken off not once, but twice now. A local Toyota dealership charged us $480 (!) to replace the handle the first time, and nearly two years later, it broke again. Would they warrant their work, we wanted to know, since it seems unreasonable that the door handle would break once, let alone twice, in the span of two years? I wonder how many tens of thousands that dealership spends on advertising; I’ll drive several hours to avoid spending a single dime there, ever again. (footnote: the dealership finally agreed to discount, by 75%, the repair cost … which was the exact same quote I had received from Aarrow Radiator, in Hilliard. I cannot recommend Aarrow enough for any of your car repair needs.)

And what about wedding photography? I regularly meet photographers who seem to go out of their way to alienate the people they gush all over themselves about “serving” on their website. My friend was married in Dayton last year and she enlisted one of the more prominent, higher cost photographers in town. While her pictures were very good – not perfect, but definitely just about everything they were hoping for – in the months following, the photographers were total jerks to her and her husband. They took weeks to return routine phone calls or emails with answers to basic questions. They did a half ass job with their (expensive) album. Will she ever refer these photographers to her newly engaged friends, despite that their actual photography was arguably upper echelon? Not a chance; in fact, she left them reviews detailing both the sour side of her experiences as well as the positive.

I take great pains to be exactly the kind of photographer I would like to work with; reliable, prompt, stress-free and in tune with you and your vision for your photography. But whether or not you work with me, I encourage you to spend time checking out the person or people you do choose to work with. Photography – and especially wedding photography – is much more than the photographs themselves. Life is truly too short to stress over a-holes.