LOVE IT: MOO

MOO.com is one of the many flickr mash-ups that makes some of the FUNNEST things out of photos.. (click images to see full size)



Here are some fun things brides & grooms you can do with MOO:
- Give your guests a sticker to save your date on their calendar (I did this the hard way because MOO didn't have stickers back then!)
- Use the minicards as place cards
- Add flair to your thank you cards with photo stickers
- Use stickers or mini cards to put secret love messages in unexpected places

What I LOVE about MOO and what makes them unique is that while other companies restrict you to one image per product set, MOO will allow you to purchase a product set where each piece has a different image! I LOVE VARIETY and I love companies that allow me to have variety! You should SEE some of the cool things that people are doing with their MOO stuff. The products are also made with high quality materials that you'll notice as soon as you touch them. So, if you haven't heard of MOO yet, or you've heard of them, but haven't tried them - here's my official endorsement to give it a try! I love them!! They also just started offering greeting cards, which are just in time for the holidays!! (disclaimer: I'm not being paid by MOO or any of its affiliates to endorse their products... I just LOVE IT!)

Working.... Working.... Working.....

I know it may SEEM like I'm not working when I don't blog for a while, but that's usually when I'm working the MOST! I am very picky about my images and like to take time with them, which is why there are still projects lingering from last year. A lot of people comment about how natural my images look and how beautiful the color is, and while it may look effortless on the surface, I actually put quite a bit of time into making them that way. I spend the most time with wedding images. Wedding images are once in a lifetime moments that can never be restaged with any degree of authenticity. They are the first family heriloom and they may be passed on to future generations - I take that responsibility very seriously and since I only get one chance to get it right, I want to make sure it's the best. With that said, each image below represents a project that is currently in progress. These 10 images represent over 20,000 images behind the scenes. I am working quickly to take care of them all, but will not sacrifice quality for speed. (Note: these aren't in any particular order.)





















It took me 3 hours to put this post together (which could be spent working on 30 times the number of images in one project), so I hope this will soothe my blog addicts until my next post!! Worst part is, many of my blog stalkers are PHOTOGRAPHERS who just want to steal ideas!!! HAHAH!!! Just kidding - I love you guys and I'm equally inspired by your work. I mean that sincerely. Now go and post something on your blog for me to look at when I can't sleep tonight!! :-)

Engagement: Kathleen & Rich

Kathleen & Rich are so much fun!! I'm posting a lot of the funny images, but there were a lot of tender moments as well. I think it's a great sign when a couple has no problem being silly with each other - and it's even better when they can let go and relax like that in front of the camera!




We did half of our shoot at Meadow Brook Hall and the other half a the Oakland University parking garage (by the way, I love shooting in parking garages). It was such a c-c-c-cold day that Kathleen & Rich never really got to take their coats off! To top it off, the wind was blowing like crazy, which of course made it colder! As we were walking, I noticed how raindrops from the morning storm had perfectly beaded up on some of the leaves on the ground, so I asked Kathleen for her ring and basically laid on the wet ground to get this awesome ring shot. I love it!


I've been working on being able to give better "direction" when it comes to guiding people from behind the camera. The only problem is that I don't want to give too much direction because then it's too much of my personality and not enough of theirs. Well, for some reason I asked Kat & Rich to "frolic" and this was the first thing that came to mind... too funny! (Note to self - stupid word choice!)


I like lines and different angles, can you tell?




They both do a pretty mean Blue Steel impression...


Kathleen designed these awesome save-the-date magnets which she included in her holiday cards!! For printing, she used VistaPrint. They always have a sale of some kind going on, so you can usually score things for a pretty good price. Not to mention they have a pretty quick turnaround. Check out her crazy cool graphic design!!


Both of them can roll their tongues - now that's REAL talent! If they're THIS much fun during the engagement shoot, I can only imagine how much fun they'll be on the wedding day!! I can't wait!