Confession

I confess, I'm terribly impatient! I hated waiting for processing that got sent out, so I would often rely on one hour photo. Then I got impatient waiting for one hour photo, so I switched to digital so I could do my own developing. Then I got impatient waiting to give proofs to brides, so I switched to online proofing! And now that I can speed up the developing and proofing I'm just waiting on the brides & grooms to view their images... and I have no control over how long it takes them to get back from their honeymoon! And I would never wish to rush a honeymoon... so, I think I've finally hit a brick wall. :-)

I finished Jennie & Alan's wedding pictures a few days ago and now I'm just waiting for them to get back from their honeymoon! I think the pictures turned out great and I can't wait to see what they say! Since they are a very fun-loving couple, I decided to use the wide angle a lot more than normal to create a bit of a Disney effect and make things look almost cartoonish at times. I certainly wouldn't use this technique for everyone, but I think it worked well for this wedding. Here's one of the more fine art images from Jennie & Alan's wedding...


I also went to another wedding this Saturday for Jen & Kevin, who live in Washington but had their wedding close to their family in Michigan. They had their ceremony in a cute chapel and then the reception at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth. I wasn't the photographer for their wedding, so I tried to remain pretty low-key but still managed to get a few pictures in. ;-) Congratulations to Jen & Kevin- I hope they have a great time on their honeymoon in Jamaica!!


Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Alison & Dan for their engagement photos. Great couple! They requested a more "modern" look to their engagement photos, so I choose Cranbrook as an ideal backdrop with varying textures and landscaping features. Unfortunately the weather was VERY hot and humid, so much so that I couldn't wear my glasses without them fogging up and the couple needed to keep a towel near by to help with the sweat! In spite of the heat, I think we were able to get some great pictures. Dan liked the sculptures, so I tried to incorporate them in a few pictures, but mostly I just tried to keep us in the shade so we could stay cool. I did find myself hesitating to ask the couple to get close just because I knew how hot and sticky it was, but they were great about everything and I look forward to their wedding!! Alison loves red gerber daisies, which are amazingly difficult to find...

Amanda's Emergency Portfolio

I don't usually get calls for an "emergency" portfolio shoot, but in Amanda's case- she needed an updated comp card- and fast. She received short notice about a touring company auditioning in the area TOMORROW and needed to get some updated shots right away. We met this morning around 10 am and breezed through about four clothes changes and five different locations to create about 50 unique shots in just under 2 hours. Everything was shot in digital so that we could work on the comp card together after the shoot. We made a few edits and then finished the card in about 30 minutes and then sent it off to the printer before the lab closed. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but it was interesting trying to put everything together in such a short amount of time. The results were decent.. though not as good as if we had taken more time to prepare and get everything worked out ahead of time. In any case, she has a new comp card, and just in time for a last-minute audition.

Here's a sample of what the comp card looks like. (Obviously her last name and contact info have been changed.)

The Art of Greg Spalenka

Many of my favorite images are ones that require more than a simple glance to see the meaning or beauty of the whole. I thought this was an excellent example of something that appears to be one thing at a glance, but with closer observation becomes much more beautiful. Click here to see more work from Greg Spalenka.

June Desktop Images

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a recent photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.


The heavenly petals of a beautiful white peony from my backyard.


The first sign of summer- a baseball rests among a bed of old and new grass.