SPOTLIGHTING: Engagement Sessions- What Defines You

www.PhotoplayNC.com

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/10/1681937/a-true-blessing.html

Kara and Mark featured online at the Charlotte Observer and Carolina Bride

Personalized Photo Skirts are one of those new products that instantly became a “must-have”. At a time when brides are reluctantly cutting back on a few things to save money, this is an affordable wow-factor to enhance your wedding. Photo Skirts provide photo-realistic, full color, custom imprinted, table-covers for 6-foot folding tables. Your engagement photo, or any favorite picture, along with your names and wedding date are

inserted into your favorite design to give it a custom feel.

The Keys having fun Uptown from Erik Smith on Vimeo.

I love working with Something Blue Productions. I have worked with them many times over the years and enjoy them and their work. Sara and Greg's wedding from The Beat's Wedding Giveaway was a great deal of fun.

Family Photos

I am currently working on a project to update the photos for a workshop that I teach. I want to say a special thank you to a very special family that allowed me access to their family yesterday.

I am fortunate enough to meet a lot of wonderful families but this little group just warmed my heart. I give a lot of credit to Renee and Tom for rearing such wonderful kids. What facinated me the most however was the way they allowed their children to be themselves. Their own little personalities shined through and they were encouraged and embraced in their differences. So a very special thank you to Renee and Tom but also to Cameron, Gavin, Lexie and little Arleigh!

The new acrylic or sheer covers are so elegant and beautiful I can do nothing but rave about them. The traditional bound leather books are still just as stunning as ever but I am really enjoying these custom covers. They do cost a bit more but are very contemporary and add a frsh element to your wedding photographs.

"The Story of Our Wedding" Gold Floral Binder from Zazzle.com

"The Story of Our Wedding" Gold Floral Binder from Zazzle.com

Free wedding planner for all new 2011 Contracts. Just say you read about it on the Blog and you will get your very own custom planner to organize all your vendors and wedding plans.

Black and White Spider Awards

Celebrating its sixth year, Black and White Spider Awards is the leading international award honoring black and white photography. This celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers in a prestigious annual competition and globally webcast event, reaching photo fans in over 154 countries.

This year I am honored to present my work side by side with some of the best photographers around the world. Take a moment to view some of the past submissions. They are breath taking.

http://www.thespiderawards.com/gallery.php

The Bride's Book Magazine Online

The Bride's Book Magazine now available online. We are so very excited for Amber and Brandon being selected again to be featured as a Real Wedding in the July issue. Check their story out starting on page 95.

http://charlotte.thebridesbook.com/e-zine.php

When Will I Get My Album

I have been quiet lately because I have been busy making images rather than writing about them but have broken my silence to discuss ALBUMS....not designing or creating them but waiting on them.

I think most families are completely surprised when they find out the turn around time on their album. Truthfully, for years I would pester and pester the album companies myself because I too could not understand the WAIT. Long after the wedding, long after we have done our job, we can still find ourselves at the mercy of album companies....waiting on albums.

It wasn't until one day while speaking with my company representative on the phone, that she told me the facts as she seen them. Her company represents thousands of wedding photographers across the country, so if each of them turned in only ten albums a year, I could surely understand the math on how quickly they could process orders. That is the same understanding of each of the companies I do business with so it is a very self serving understanding to be sure. Needless to say I have grown more patient through the years but for my couples, this is their one and only album.

Sometimes, long after their wedding, a couple will turn in their photos to have their album made. Some photographers will give couples a year to do their album but I don't have a timeline because I fully understand that life gets in the way of album designs. Most album companies however have price increases at the beginning of the year, so as long as a couple is willing to pay the cost difference for their album then it doesn't matter to me if its been a year or five years. (And yes...that has happened)

Once they have chosen their images, we can design the book which does not take long at all. After their final approval, the album is submitted for processing. It is sent on to production within their company and from that point on, it is a waiting game. Some album companies have faster turn around times then others of course. Some even offer two week services although I have not been as pleased with the quality of the construction from those who offer the extreme turn around times. The more common expectation can be as long as six months. I am fortunate most times that it takes my album companies about 16 weeks. I have heard many, many horror stories however, where the couple is still waiting on their book even after a year. I would not be doing business with that company for long. I think an average of 14-16 weeks is reasonable. But throw out everything I just wrote if you submit your book at the height of the wedding season or at Christmas. Then.....all bets are off.

So unfortunately, sometimes we have to wait. C'est la vie!

A special thanks to Kara and Mark for allowing me to share in their joy. I appreciate the kindness shown by both families who were absolutely wonderful. The day could not have gone better and their happiness shines through in all their images. Congratulations Kara and Mark!

Spring has sprung and isn't it grand? Not only is this my favorite time of year, I love macro work with flowers, bugs and raindrops. It is a relaxing hobby to compliment my work. I hope you enjoy these colors of the season.

Creating More Interesting Engagement Photos

Everyone interested in doing an engagement session should consider whether or not they want the typical, stand-by portraits that everyone does, or if they would prefer more dynamic and dramatic engagement pictures. There will always be a place for a traditional style of portrait but more and more I have requests from couples who do not want the same boring styles and uninteresting poses.

Its important that you express this to your photographer and to find a photographer that is willing to engage in a little bit of adventure. The most dynamic photos I have an opportunity to take involve a little planning and a lot of stepping out of a comfort zone. Instead of the local park or backyard, try climbing to the top of a hill or driving out of town and finding an open field. Instead of scheduling your appointment at 4:00 in the afternoon, try waiting till nearer to sunset. Instead of the comfortable sweater and jeans routine, try a fluttery dress or skinny jeans and a rocker tee.

Ultimately you want the engagement session portraits to express who you are as a couple. The pictures should capture your relationship but remember, those dynamic photos that you long to have, require a little creativity.

The Bride's Book Magazine Online

View online e-zine

http://charlotte.thebridesbook.com/e-zine.php

So Starts the Wedding Season

Having spent the last couple of weeks answering emails, working on albums and attending bridal shows, it is that time of year for meeting with perspective brides and grooms. Christmas and Valentine's Day are the two best times of year for engagements so shortly after both, there is a mad rush of meetings. This is my favorite time of my year. So many of my friendships took roots during one of these meetings. I get excited to see what new relationships will form and bond over the next couple of months to a year, as many that I meet will become life long friends.

This year as every year, I approach my job as a ministry. I am here to not only take beautiful pictures, but I am here to direct and guide where my opinion is asked. I am honest to a fault but I have found that is exactly what my clients want and need. When others say, "that's not in my job description" then I say, "I know they are not a wedding photographer." My service extends beyond all bounds when there is something I can do to eliminate stress from the face of my bride or expedite the picture taking by corralling groomsmen. In many cases, I am the one face looking directly back at the bride as the trouble hits. Her eyes lock with mine in a helpless gaze so I wouldn't be human to not reach out a hand to help if I can.

In the end, it is this kind of camaraderie that bonds me with my families that I serve. Its also that same dedication to those eyes looking back to me to capture their wedding memories, that make me the photographer I am. It is a sincere joy that my work brings to my life. I am grateful to be working so much and I am grateful to the new families that will put their trust in me this year.

Wall Expressions

I love these wall expressions. Not only do that add a beautiful accent to your reception site, if applied to an antiqued board, you can then save it and use it in your home. Biblical verses, song lyrics and romantic sayings are all available on line and can easily be applied to most surfaces. This one makes a beautiful vocal point in place of a traditional alter.

"Just Married" Signs

There are wonderful new products on the market that add such an element of interest to your wedding photographs. I love these vinyl clings that can adhere to signs, banners or even a wall at your reception. A "Just Married" sign is traditional but nowadays there are many other choices that can easily be ordered online or even purchased at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. You can make them unique to you by even creating graphics from your favorite song. I love these new ideas.

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Photoplay Photography has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ in their category of Wedding Photography! The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. Photoplay is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. The Wedding Wire extends gratitude and appreciation to all the newlyweds who participating in recognizing this year's winners. We extend a warm welcome and a hearty Congratulations to Photoplay Photography for their commitment to excellence and their extraordinary customer service.

Albums Going Green

Albums are a wonderful part of the work we do and I am always on the look out for new and interesting products. I am so excited about the new Couture Albums and their contemporary and green design.

These books utilize recycled materials and are really a work of art but best of all, they will donate to a charity that you choose when I order the album! Charities include the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, Oprah’s Leadership Academy Foundation, Room to Read, American Forests, Global Volunteers, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, or the National Wildlife Federation. Now that is just the way I work ...get something...give something!

Senior Portrait Time

Its that time of year again and we are in the process of scheduling and developing the concepts for our next batch of seniors. This is always a fun time of year because the seniors we shoot are adventurous and fearless and their excitement is contagious.

I get just as excited as they do when we finalize the details of their shoot. I ask each one to define themselves and to tell me in a three words how they would describe themselves. Those are the three key words we use to explore the ideas that will be the foundation of what and even where we will shoot. Its harder than you think. Last week I had a young lady tell me her three words...spunky, spontaneous and unpredictable. And there's the challenge. Each student that comes to me wants their senior portraits to be unique, to showcase their personalities and to capture who they are right now. Its my goal to capture the very best of who they are and to mark a time in their lives that is one of the very best. And each year I am always so happy to meet and to get to know so many wonderful young people.