Sunday Funnies!!!

One of my favorite things when I was a kid was getting to read the "funnies" (aka comics) in the Sunday newspapers. I don't read the newspaper much anymore because all the great stuff is online, but I still enjoy lots of funnies!!!

The first is an actual comic from What The Duck, which is entirely dedicated to photographers ;-)

I busted out laughing so hard when I read this!!! Mainly because this is how a lot of wedding photographers describe their work (yes, I'm one of them!), and what a lot of other photographers think of their work!!! Bwahaha!!

The second & third funnies come from a recent lunch meeting with some other Indiana photographers (they're going to kill me for this!!!) We're such a goofy bunch!!!

This video was inspired by The Long Awkward Pose, and the victim is Bobbi, of Photography By Bobbi. She can't help but be cute! Don't you just want to put her in your pocket and take her home with you?


.. and then I caught Amanda, of Turtle Pond Photography laughing at the pictures she took of Bobbi (which is why there was a red light flashing on Bobbi's face). You'll also see a very quick scan of the rest of the photographers at the table, including: Cindy Wagner, Matthew Gordon, David Takayoshi, J. Scott, Bobbi's husband Mike, and Amanda's husband Nate. ;-) I swear this woman is so photogenic - even when she's being a total goof she looks absolutely gorgeous!



In all fairness, the fourth funny is of me singing karaoke with a bunch of my husband's college students cheering me on, and my husband selling me out for practicing in advance! I think my husband should give all of them an "A+" for sharing the love!! (BTW.. I'm a classically trained singer, which means I SUCK at Karaoke!)


I saved the best, or perhaps the worst, for last!!! This HILARIOUS video is of an older man karaoke singing "P**** Control" by Prince! It was so hilarious that we all got up and started dancing to root him on!!!
PARENTAL ADVISORY: CONTAINS PROFANITY!

Wedding: Chantel & Paul

Chantel & Paul blew me away with how much of this wedding they did on their own! How they managed to do it all without being completely stressed out, mystifies me. I think I'll only be able to scratch the surface, but I tried to capture images of as much as I could. They were married at the beautiful and quaint Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church in Spring Arbor, MI.



The flower girls were simply adorable, even when they weren't at their happiest.


Chantel & Paul decided to see each other before the ceremony in order to get all of the posed images out of the way. They had a LOT of guests attending (300+?) and didn't want to make people wait after the ceremony too long before eating. I love that grooms get a chance to express themselves when they see the bride privately... maybe they feel more comfortable without everyone watching them. (Or maybe I'm just totally biased and would love it if everyone did this!!)


After we did the typical family portraits indoors, we headed outside for some more interesting shots with the bridal party and just the bride & groom. As we were walking, I heard this *chink*chink*chink*chink* and couldn't figure out what it was until I noticed that one of the groomsmen had spurs on. Later on he ditched the spurs and donned a cowboy hat instead. Niiiiiiiice.


Just in case there were any doubt that we were on the Spring Arbor campus, here's the landmark of proof!


I think the best moments happen when people think I'm done taking a picture! HA- these girls were so fun! Aren't their eyes gorgeous too?!


So, there are a lot of DIY brides out there who make their own invitations, arrange their own flowers, and maybe even make their own cake, but have you ever heard of someone growing and entire plot of sunflowers in the HOPE that they will bloom for their wedding day!? Well, that's what Chantel & Paul did. They planted their own seeds and grew their own little sunflower field. I'm still in awe.


The ceremony was beautiful, and very moving...

(some people are against taking pictures during prayer... if this is the case for you, please let me know in advance... otherwise, I see it as an opportunity for emotional moments like the one above)



One of the things that was really important to Chantel & Paul was a group picture of all 300 something guests. So, right after the ceremony, I BOLTED up to the sound booth in the balcony to get set for the huge group shot. We worked it out with the minister in advance that after the bridal party made their exit, he would ask the guests to remain in the sanctuary and move toward the center aisle for an entire group shot to be captured from the back of the church. I had the bridal party walk back in and stand in front of everyone so they were the most visible. This church had a nearly perfect set-up for this shot, especially with the wide open row in the middle! I took a few lighting test shots while everyone was getting into place, and then fired two rounds of continuous mode shots (just in case of blinks). I'm really impressed with the results- especially considering this entire room was illuminated with just one little on-camera flash with a lightsphere attached!!!

(click here to see what it looked like without the flash)

Note to all men: at some point you will need to hold a woman's purse. This may also be a cautionary reason why you might want to take an interest in the purses your girlfriend or wife may be purchasing... "Honey, should I go for the quilted pink paisley or the black leather?" Obviously this man chose to NOT offer his opinion... he he he... doesn't he sport it well though? I have to give him props for pimping it like it's his own man-bag!


Back to the DIY stuff... so, on top of GROWING their own sunflowers, they also SMOKED their own brisket!! I think they said they were smoking it the entire day before the wedding! With enough to feed 300+ people?! Wow. I'm not sure if the strawberry topping was homemade, but I loved that they had it to serve on top of the cake slices!! Too bad I didn't get to try any! It sure did look good though!!


I think the best man gave more of a Roast than a Toast! He told some great stories and had everyone rolling with laughter!


The first dance... with a little audience...


I think Paul will make a great daddy... just look at him with those girls! I think I know who he learned it from too...



When you know a lot of kids will be attending, you have to find things to keep them occupied. Dancing is one thing (if you don't mind playing a lot of songs that kids can participate in), coloring books are another (which Chantel & Paul had), or you can just pick a place like the Marshall Activity Center that has its own arcade!! How fun is that? However, it still couldn't keep one kid from getting caught red-handed in the cherry tomatoes!!! The look of guilt here just cracks me up!


There's always one guy who loves to steal the show on the dancefloor... and this was that guy!!


Name that tune!


I think it's someone's bedtime...


If you actually read all of this, CONGRATULATIONS (you must really like me)! Please take a moment to leave a comment about which image is YOUR favorite (and if you say why, that's fun to read too!) Chantel & Paul will receive a free gift enlargement (8x12) of the top pick!! (and if they don't like it, they can give it to someone who will!) The winner will be chosen next Friday- which means you have one week to vote and to get everyone you know to vote for your favorite! I can't wait to see how this turns out!!!

Thoughts: Blogs and Blogging

This is a follow up to my previous post: "Why Blog? Making the Most of Your Blog"

I recently created two video tutorials on blogging. The first one is of my own personal blog, created to help my clients find their way around and get the most out of the information I put here (may also give you some ideas on how to organize your own blog).


The second video is a tutorial on how to track and organize your favorite blogs using Bloglines. I use this service because I track over 100 blogs, and I like that it helps me stay organized without being overwhelmed.


Blogging isn't just valuable to your business, it's also valuable to your personal life. A single friend of mine wrote a blog post about his recent trip to Peru and actually met and went on a date with a girl who found and read his post!! How awesome is that?? His blog was able to attact and reach out to someone who was interested in similar things, so they already knew they had a lot to talk about on their first date!

A lot of people are worried about sharing personal information online, but the reality is that most everything you DON'T want people to know, is already out there (thanks, Patriot Act). When I share personal information, it tends to be about something I DID, and not something I PLAN on doing - unless I want people to know that I'll be gone or that they should expect something of me in the future.

Keeping a blog is also a great way to keep in touch with your family and friends who don't hear from you often, or who feel like you're too busy to talk on the phone. I wish more people kept a blog in my family so that I could stay better connected with them. But... that's also because I'm a computer person and less likely to pick up the phone and just give someone a call. Why am I that way?? I think it's because I like being able to go back and look at what I've said. I so easily forget how I may have stuck my foot in my mouth when I'm just talking on the phone, but I can easily search and track my communication with others when done through email and blogs! (EEK!) Maybe that will change when I have something I'll love using, like the iPhone (or it could just be wishful thinking on my family's part). ;-)