Marissa and Matt, married in Princeton

We had so much fun with Marissa and Matt last weekend it was great! Their wedding took place in Princeton, New Jersey, and then the following day we headed back home with them to NYC for another session.

One of my favorite getting ready shots in a long time.


Her stunning Reem Acra gown




The groomsmen met and got ready at Matt's parents' house. These two were taken down in the basement against the plain white wall.




Matt with his wedding gift.


Just seconds before she walks down the aisle.






Just married!


Let's party!


On campus at Princeton University.




The reception took place at the Westin in Princeton, and nearby there was this little boutique make-up store. The walls and the decor were too fun to resist.








The first dance.


Marissa and her father.


Matt is quite a musician (check him out here). He and his new father-in-law sang to Marissa at the reception and it was beautiful! And then Matt followed it up with a solo piece that he had written.


The last dance.


Back in NYC the following day, Grand Central Station.


Matt's best man and band-mate, Robert, was our personal chauffeur all afternoon, which made getting around the city so much easier. THANKS ROBERT!




In the Meatpacking District with some of the most harsh light ever, but making it work to create a fantastic portrait of the bride.




Pier 17 in Manhattan.








Thanks so much, Marissa and Matt, for letting us be a part of your special weekend. The entire time we felt like we were guests instead of photographers. We had a blast working with you and we can't wait to hook up again next time we're in NYC or when you visit Chattanooga.

Also, and thanks to Matt and his father-in-law, we have a new favorite song...the one they sang to Marissa at the reception.

NYC, The Chasing Harry Winston tour, and a CONTEST for blog readers

On the heels of Marissa and Matt's beautiful wedding in Princeton, NJ, we've been having a fantastic time in NYC for the past couple days. We're staying at The W Hotel on 49th and Lexington and they have this great partnership with Acura, where they take you anywhere you want in the city for no fee whatsoever! Gotta love Acura...we've sure enjoyed ours the past few months.


Then we were on the subway yesterday heading down to SoHo and we saw this. Fortunately it was already on our calendar.


We were thrilled to be on hand this evening for the official kick-off of the Chasing Harry Winston tour. In case you didn't know, today, May 27, 2008, marked the official release of Lauren Weisberger's third novel, Chasing Harry Winston. Also to her credit are the wildly successful novels, The Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing.




Lauren and Mike were married in early April on the island of Anguilla in the West Indies, truly paradise on earth.

We were thrilled to be there to photograph their special weekend, and we've been even more thrilled to form such an instant connection. Of course it could be Mike's love for photography (he's an outstanding amateur photographer) or their quick wit and cynical humor, but whatever the case, they're great people and that's what matters most.

On Monday evening we were able to steal them away for a quiet dinner in Little Italy and a chance to relive their wedding weekend and talk about their amazing honeymoon to...everywhere! (The Maldives, Botswana, South Africa, Dubai, etc.)

(This is absolutely not a flattering picture of any of us, but it sure was a great concept...thanks Lauren. ;-) )

Tomorrow Lauren heads out for the rest of her tour. If you're a fan (come on, you know you are...), below are the dates and locations for the Chasing Harry Winston Tour. Go out and meet her, visit, talk about her new book, ask her about her wedding photographers (LOL...just kidding). Seriously though, she's great!

!!!!SPECIAL CONTEST for ALL BLOG READERS!!!!
Of course many of our blog readers may not live close to one of her tour stops. So to sweeten the deal, everyone who leaves a comment on this post will have their name included in a random drawing. The drawing will take place one week from today and the name that is selected will receive an autographed and personalized copy of Chasing Harry Winston. EDITED: Please leave your complete name and location to insure a fair selection process.

The Tour

Detroit, MI
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
12:00 PM
Women's World Luncheon
Congregation Shaarey-Zedek
Detroit, MI

Tampa, FL
Thursday, May 8, 2008
6:00 PM
United Way of Tampa
Pepin Hospitality Center
Tampa, FL

New York, NY
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
97 Warren Street (at Greenwich Street) in Tribeca
New York, NY
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Louisville, KY
Thursday, May 29, 2008
7:00 PM
Louisville Free Public Library
301 York Street
Louisville, KY
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning. Free tickets available online or by calling (505) 574-1644

Dallas, TX
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
7:00 PM
Borders Books & Music
10720 Preston Road, Suite 1018
Dallas, TX
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Austin, TX
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
7:00 PM
BookPeople
603 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Houston, TX
Thursday, June 5, 2008
7:00 PM
Blue Willow Books
14532 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

St. Louis, MO
Friday, June 6, 2008
7:00 PM
St. Louis County Library
1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard
St. Louis, MO
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Chicago, IL
Sunday, June 8, 2008
1:00 PM
Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Festival
Dearborn & Polk (More information to come)
Chicago, IL
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

San Diego, CA
Monday, June 9, 2008
7:30 PM
Warwicks
7812 Girard Avenue
La Jolla, CA
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Newport Beach, CA
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
7:00 PM
Newport Beach Public Library
1000 Avocado Avenue
Newport Beach, CA
Free & open to public. Make a reservation to guarantee a seat by email (info@nblibraryevents.com), by phone (949-644-3296) or in person to guarantee a seat.

Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
7:00
Book Soup
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Corte Madera, CA
Monday, June 16, 2008
7:00 PM
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard
Corte Madera, CA
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
6:00 PM
Commonwealth Club
595 Market Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA
Ticketed event. Tickets can be purchased here.

Philadelphia, PA
Monday, June 30, 2008
7:30 PM
Barnes & Noble
1805 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Washington DC/Virginia
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
7:30 PM
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Baileys Crossroads, VA
Free & open to the public: Conversation/Booksigning

Celebrating 22 years at Bowman Hills

This morning before we headed out of town, Joy and I were able to pop in on the last day of school program at Bowman Hills elementary. It always feels funny walking back into the school where I attended grade school. But today was especially different. It was my mother's last day of school...after 22 years of teaching. I believe I was in the third grade when she started at Bowman Hills, and over the years she has taught kindergarten and pre-first, fifth & six, third & fourth, and for the past several years, first & second.

First, a few shots from the classroom. The pre-program had already begun so we were just snooping at this point.










Now to the program. The children's choir was recognized for all their work and dedication throughout the year.


The students and teachers and several of the moms had designed some skits for her. This cute little girl sang a song about Hawaii because one of the options for her going away gift was a partial trip to Hawaii.


Then they did a skit and these two students pretended they were my parents eating out at a fancy restaurant. It was hilarious!


Twenty-two years is a lot of love.




They also presented her with a nice gift and a scrapbook the chronicles all her years of teaching. And then Mr. Robbins, the school principal, presented her with one final gift.


And finally, this poster, which someone had placed on the door to the first and second grade classroom.


My brothers and I spent a lot of time at the school growing up. Early in the morning, late in the afternoon, such is the life of a teacher's kid. We usually filled the time with sports or homework or something far from mischievous.

We may have complained a little bit at the time, but looking back, she did a fantastic job balancing family priorities and responsibilities at work.

Everyone says that teachers have it made because they only work nine months out of the year and have three months of vacation. Well, I'll be the first to say, that's far from the case. Over the past few years she has worked countless weekends, long days in the summer, continuing education, serving on boards, leading out in committees, and a whole lot more that I don't even know about. And not because she had to, but because she wanted to.

Now it's time to relax, celebrate and take it easy. Congratulations, Mom, we're proud!

The Goods: Professional Photographer magazine

We were honored to be featured in this month's Professional Photographer magazine in "The Goods" section.



What makes your workflow flow?
Outsourcing what we can such as photo editing and album design and focusing on mastering the images that make us most excited and further enhance our brand.


Little thing, big difference...
Confidence. It can be the difference between a mediocre shoot and a fantastic shoot.

What hot new product are you going out of your way to use?
ShootQ online studio management application (www.shootq.com)
This application is the only one we know of that does online booking, which we (and our clients) love!

Has a piece of equipment ever changed the way you approach your photography? If so, what was it?
The Canon 5D, with its low-light capabilities, allows us to create images with a style that we wanted for a long time, but weren’t able to get before.

What's your life-saver when working on location?
Our Think Tank Airport Security bags. They’re easy, durable, and they hold everything we need. They make schlepping through the airport so much more manageable.


What's the one piece of gear they'd have to pry from your cold, dead fingers?
My four-year-old Apple PowerBook G4 (with two missing keys!).

Tomorrow we leave for NYC and the fantastic wedding of Marissa and Matt in Princeton, NJ. Following their wedding we'll have a couple days of meetings and work in the city and before we pop in on some of our special friends as they kick off a great tour! Stay tuned...