Where does the time go?

I've done it once again; I've managed to go like three months without posting anything. Sadly, I should be posting something every time we do something. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep up with that. Now, I am left to describe the past three months in a few words and pictures that definitely not do them justice.

Since my last post, we have shot baby portraits for several lovely families, a maternity shoot, done Christmas cards for a few families, had two engagement shoots, a bridal, shot a wedding, shot some senior portraits, and who knows what else. Oh yeah, I also shot a few maternity type shots for my pregnant wife. Yep, we're expecting a BABY! How crazy is that?

We've got a wedding coming up tomorrow, so I promise I will try to have a post just for that.

Rogers Bridal Show

Today was exhausting but awesome. Today, we had a booth at a bridal show in Rogers and got the chance to talk to tons of couples. It is always very exciting and fun to do this. The couples are so giddy and anxious for their big day it shows on their faces. I love that energy that they bring with them. I think that's why I enjoy weddings so much; it's unlike any other experience.

Besides meeting new people, I always end up seeing people I know. I saw several people I went to school with and family acquaintances. It gives me a chance to catch up and talk about weddings at the same time.

We did some different things with our booth this year. My father actually helped us make a fake wall to hang pictures, and we used a more open plan. It looked much better than last years setup.

Overall, I think it was a pretty successful time. I met photographers, brides, and saw old friends. I can't wait till the next one.

Babies, babies, and well...a two year old.

I'm getting to the age where everyone I know is having kids. I still find it really weird that so many people I went to high school with are now in charge of a child's life. They have a little version of themselves running around. Crazy.

I've been lucky enough to photograph two of these lovely children: Brooklynn and Zoey. They are both beautiful baby girls with parents who just love them to pieces.

We also got to shoot Gunner again for his 2nd birthday. Gunner is just a bundle of energy. He was constantly moving and going the entire time. If his mother hadn't been there to stop him, he probably would have disappeared off into the horizon.

Hanging out with these guys and gals makes me a little sad that I don't have a child yet. They are great children. All I know is that when I do have a child, there are going to be thousands of pictures taken!

New, new, new

It seems like I'm constantly trying to think of new ways to improve our services. It's always on my mind. Sometimes it even keeps me up at night. Well, recently we have changed quite a few things and I think it's a large improvement.

We have a new website. I got tired of the old one and really didn't have the energy or time to create a new one, so I went and got some help. Our new website is easily updated and changed, which will be very helpful for adding new pictures to the site. Before, it was a big ordeal to add any new images, so I usually did it once every 4 months. Not good.

We've also added a new product to our packages. We are now offering deluxe layflat leather albums. These babies are nice. They totally blow away our old album. Once you pick it up, you can tell it's quality. The album is solid, probably around 4 pounds. The neat thing about the albums is that there is no gap in the middle of the pages. On a normal magazine like page, the pages round out and you can't really see the middle part of the page. Not on these. The pages actually lay flat so you can see the whole page. This also allows us to have images that cover two pages. The covers have tons of options. You can have just one simple material, or you can mix two materials together, creating all types of possibilities.

The website is still being updated and changed. If you see any errors or have any ideas, please feel free to shoot me an email.

New DVD cases

Ashley and I have been really trying to improve our overall services this past year. One thing we have started doing is providing high quality, stylish cases for our customers. We've looked at a few different companies and options and found some we like. All the cases have two spots in them for DVD's because we usually provide at least two discs: bridal or engagement, wedding day, or a DVD slideshow. We will be including these cases with our packages now, and I think our customers will love them!

Finally an update...

Well, it has been quite awhile since I updated this thing, over a month actually. I think I have slacked on my duties mainly because I have been so busy with pictures. I finished editing the last of my sessions today, so now I feel a bit of freedom.

A lot of things have been going on in the past month. First, we shot several different weddings. That by itself has kept me extremely busy. We have also added a new area to our coverage: senior portraits. Through Ashley's connections, we got opportunity to work with Emily. Emily is going to be a senior at Har-ber High next year, and she was awesome. She put up with all the weird things we made her do (balancing on a train track, blowing bubbles...) and did it with a smile. I'm really hoping we expand in this area because it is very different than the other shoots we do. Senior portraits bring into account the personality and interests of our model, so this allows us to do all different types of things. In a few weeks, we will be shooting another senior that plays the drums. This just opens so many more possibilities. Next, I spent a good amount of time updating our website with new pictures from this year. I moved some things around and added lots of new pictures. I'm also in the middle of switching up our whole price/package system. I've been looking at upscale albums and it's very exciting that we will be soon offering such a great product to our customers.

Lots and lots of stuff, but now I am pretty much all caught up. Hopefully, in the next few days I will post items from each of the things I talked about so everyone can see the great people we've been dealing with.

Michelle and Josh's Wedding

Saturday Ashley and I had a blast shooting Michelle and Josh's wedding. Every wedding is fun and unique in it's own way, and this wedding was especially memorable.

The day started off with the girls and getting ready. The girls did their normal thing: hang out, talk, get excited. There were some great conversations and some drama; can one bad flower spoil the whole bouquet? I also learned that it's ok to have cookies for breakfast.

About noon I proceeded to meet the guys. One thing I always look forward to is finding out who the crazy people are at a wedding. Sometimes it's the girls who are outgoing and wild, other times it's the guys; at this wedding, I'm going to have to give the prize to the guys. Let's just say there was some alcohol, a groomsman practicing his wolfpack speech from "Hangover," and an Irish hat/wig.

The ceremony was Catholic, which for me is a new thing. I've only done one other Catholic wedding and this one was a little different. Growing up Baptist, I never really have experienced something like this. It was very emotional and the audience was involved throughout the whole process, repeating scripture, praying, and greeting each other with a hug.

After the ceremony is when the fun really began. We travelled to Dickson Street to the Garden Room. Everyone was excited and laughing and just hanging out. The music started and there was some crazy dancing going on. The night ended in climax with the classic pelting of the bride and groom with rice as they ran toward their getaway. The real excitement, though, was when Josh tried to back his truck out of a small space with a hundred of his closest friends and relatives all trying to give him directions at the same time. Luckily, he made it out safely and everyone cheered as he drove off.

Giving Back: Free Wedding

At church today, the message was about giving, and one thing that really stuck out in my mind was that often God will tell us to give and we will reason our way out of it. We'll think it wasn't really God talking to us, or there is no way we could give that.

Anyway, I felt that God told me to give. So I'm not going to really think about it or question it.

If you are in need of a wedding photographer this summer and you have a special need, please contact me.

Again, I'm not going to think too much about this. I'm just going to trust God with it. He can make amazing things happen.

Holland Wedding

A week ago we shot Allison's wedding in Fayetteville and it was a great time. I got to hang out with some of the goofiest (in a good way) girls and some laid back but funny guys. It was interesting to see how different the two groups were. The girls were bouncing off the walls and the guys were just calm and collected.
Part of the fun was the room the ladies got ready in. It was a nursery for the church, and it was loaded with interesting things. I was kind of jealous because I don't remember having such cool things when I was little. They had all of these plastic cars and boats they could ride in, so of course, we made the girls get on them. There was also this very detailed train track with animals. We always try to find a unique place to do ring shots; is there anything more unique than a giraffe popping out of a train?

To end the night, the boys ran off and totally destroyed the bride and groom's ride. They wrote all over it and wrapped the doors shut. That probably wasn't the nicest thing to do, but it sure was a blast to watch.

Allison and Eli made a beautiful exit with the lights of the town center illuminating their way and their closest friends and family cheering and blowing bubbles. It was a great end to a wonderful day.

Oh so busy...

I've been really swamped the last few weeks. First, we shot a wonderful wedding in Eureka Springs for Becky and Russell. What a great group of people we met. They were so much fun and kind. The best part of the wedding was the garter. Becky had a little surprise set up for Russell. When Russell reached in and removed
the garter, to his surprise, a pair of panties came with it. Let's just say he was shocked. The girls had shown me earlier how they tied the panties to the garter, so I was expecting it. Very funny.

The next day, we shot bridal portraits for our friend Jennifer. Unfortunately, I can't post any of these pictures until after June 5th. In my opinion, they are some of the best pictures we have taken.

Last Sunday, we took pictures of little Jenna. She was a fireball. She was flopping around and making silly faces. I was worried we weren't going to get any good pictures until my wife showed her superior doctor intellect. She started distracting Jenna by asking her questions: what's your favorite color, what number am I holding up...etc. This worked perfectly. Jenna stopped worrying about me and had some great expressions. Way to go Ashley.

It has been a fun two weeks. The shooting was great, now I just have to get to editing all of the pictures.

The most beautiful woman in the world

I was lucky enough a few weeks ago to get to shoot an awesome model, my wife.

After reading and watching tutorials, I always get an itch to shoot and try new things. Of course, I then try to shoot my in house model. Most of the time, though, Ashley tells me to stop. She listens a lot better than my dogs, so usually this leaves me with no one.

I finally got her to do some modeling. Hopefully after seeing these, she will be more likely to work with me.

This is a new technique I read about. It is a high key beauty shot. It creates a perfectly white background while illuminating the sides of the model's body and cheeks, almost like they are glowing.

I was instructed to say that Ashely is not topless. The shot works better with bare skin, so she just pulled the straps on her shirt out of view.

I'm going to be trying some new looks and techniques soon, so come back soon to see what's going on.

Wanna get in shape for your wedding?

There are many important events in your life, but one of the biggest will be your wedding. Especially for woman, you want to look good at the wedding. Brides always want to lose a few extra pounds so they will look good in their dress.

I know this is a photography blog, but I am also big into health. Because so many brides do want to lose weight, I thought I would share my advice on the subject.

I personally believe there is a program out there that can help anyone lose weight. If you watch a lot of infomercials, I'm sure you have seen it; of course I am talking about P90x.

I've gone through this program at least 2 times now, and it has gotten me in the best shape of my life. Whenever I stop doing the program and continue working out with another program, I notice that I start getting soft. There really is nothing like it.

About a year ago, a close friend of mine got engaged, and he wanted to lose some pounds. I told him about P90x. I think he ended up losing around 25 pounds, and that was without him being strict on his diet.

If you are interested in this program, I would suggest Googling it for reviews. You will hear nothing but rave reviews.

You can buy the program from Beachbody.com or now buy it locally at Your Total Fitness Shop. YTFS just got them, and they are selling quickly. The good thing about buying it from YTFS is that you get it that day and don't have to wait for shipping. You also get it cheaper because you don't have to pay for shipping.

Yes, it is a hard program. Yes, you will be sore and tired. But more importantly, yes, you will get in the best shape of your life for your wedding. As Tony always says, "Bring it."

Walker Maternity

It's really strange how I have progressed and changed throughout my photography life. I started off as a sports shooter, and that's all I did. In my mind, that's all there really was to shoot. When people asked me about weddings, my initial thought was no way. Ha, now look at me. I never shoot sports anymore and the only thing I can think about is weddings.

This last weekend we shot something we have never shot before: maternity.

We met with Amanda and Brandon and had tons of fun. I've known Amanda since 7th grade, so it was great to get to interact with her during this exciting time in her life.

We shot at three

different locations: Dickson Street, some woods near my house, and in my house. I feel that all three locations worked great for us, which taught me something. It's not so much the location that's important, it's the people involved and the emotions being expressed. We didn't have to go to some exotic location to get great shots; some of these were done on a street, some right by my house, and the others in my living room.

At my house, I was really excited about some lighting techniques I was able to try out. It kind of made me want to build a studio, but I'm pretty sure Ashley won't allow that.

Overall, it was a great day, and now I have something new to daydream about shooting.

Karen and Daniel Engagement Pictures

I think I enjoy engagement pictures the most out of any type of pictures we do. It is the first time we really meet the couple, so we learn all about them. We get to ask about their jobs, interests, and most importantly their dogs (Ashley and I love dogs). Another great thing is that we aren't rushed for time. We can walk, chat, and try new things. With Karen and Daniel, we explored the U of A campus and found a place we didn't now existed. Up by the bus area, there is a little cement pond with giant gold fish. When we saw them, we knew we wanted to get them in the picture. Unfortunately, the fish didn't like us. Whenever we moved toward them, they would swim to the other side. Good thing for us, Ashley is a genius. We positioned Karen and Daniel on one side, and Ashley ran to the other and clapped and shouted at the fish until they swam away from her and toward the couple. We timed it perfectly and got a pretty neat shot with a dozen or so fish.

In this shoot, I also tried out some new flash techniques I have been reading about. That's whats great about photography: you can always learn something new and try something different. I am constantly striving to learn new things or shoot something in a different way. It never really gets boring.