Engaged: Ashley + Joe
Posted on November 27, 2009
? Ashley and Joe were my last engagement session of the year (well as we stand now!) and will be my first wedding of the year!
? This couple moved AND did an engagement session in the same day. Not only is this a feat because moving is EXHAUSTING but they seem to be the only couple I’ve ever met that were still getting along – AND lovey dovey – after a full day of moving. I’m in awe. They are just that kind of awesome. I don’t know about you guys but my husband and I have had some interesting fights when moving!
? They also looked amazingly magazine perfect for moving all day as well!!!
? As you can tell, I’m impressed with anyone that can be this together and fabulous the day of moving!
? Instead of a change of clothes, Ashley brought a change of shoes. She is definitely a kindred spirit!
? Look for these guys back to the blog in January!
Did I mention the fabulous that Ashley’s necklace was? STUNNING! Oh yeah, this picture is also pretty awesome too. 
Ashley’s ring needed the spotlight for a moment!
Ashley loved a shot I took of Rosanna and Jared during their engagement shoot in Maui so we recreated it.
There is a lot I COULD say… but her eyes say it all for me.
Engaged: Chaz and Lauren
Posted on November 24, 2009
* This is a LITERAL engagement shoot – I got to shoot the BIG question!!!!
* Chaz proposed at the location of their first date, Alliance’s Silver Park.
* I hid in the trees.
* I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous for a shoot. I think I was more nervous than Chaz!!
* She didn’t see me or suspect the ring was coming!
* She said YES (whew).
* We did a mini-engagement session afterward and it was SO fun because they both had that giddy “OMG WE ARE GETTING MARRIED” emotions flowing.
* I hope to shoot more of these, SO MUCH FUN!
Going down on bended knee…
“Will you marry me?”
“YES!”
The start of the mini-engagement session!
The fall colors were still out in full beauty.
Corey Talks: Questions You Should Ask a Wedding Photographer #1
Posted on November 23, 2009
Between couples not knowing what to ask and the recent flare up of fraud photographers I thought this list may be helpful to the couples out there that are still looking for a photographer and don’t know what to ask or what they should be looking for! Below are just a few questions that you should ask your photographer when interviewing them. Do you have any suggestions? Let me know by commenting!!!
How long have you been a wedding photographer? With each year a photographer shoots, they gain not only more experience but also have worked in more situations when it comes to lighting, time lines and so forth. They more experience the photographer has, the more likely they are to be able to handle tough shooting situations. With experience comes price and the photographers that are typically value priced are priced as such for a reason and usually the main reason is lack of experience. This doesn’t mean that the pictures will be bad, but it is taking a risk.
How many weddings have you been the primary shooter? Make sure that you ask how many they have shot as a PRIMARY shooter here, as some photographers shoot as an associate or secondary shooter for many weddings/months/years before taking on their own work. Most photographers will agree that being a second shooter is nothing like being a primary shooter. Again, as with the above question, more weddings is more experience. Sometimes a photographer can be a photographer for many years but not take many weddings so make sure to ask.
What happens if you are sick/your child is sick/there is a death in the family? Any professional photographer should have a backup plan in case the worst case scenario happens.
Do you have backup equipment? Is it equal to the quality of your primary equipment? A professional photographer should have backups of not only the camera they shoot with (another professional body, not a point and shoot) but also back up lenses, flashes and other essential shooting equipment in case something goes wrong.
Do you have liability insurance? Equipment insurance is not so big of a deal, if a photographer chooses to get it that’s their own decision but what clients need to be worried about is liability insurance in case something happens. If I set up off camera lighting and someone knocks a light over and it hurts someone, that’s where liability insurance comes into play. Any pro should carry this.
Do you have a vendors license and do you have a business license with the State of Ohio (or applicable state)? Ask for proof. One thing that’s been a sticky subject locally is that there are photographers that have been operating without a vendors license and have been shut down because of it making their clients loose their photographer. In Ohio since Photographers sell products, we must have a license to do so. Any professional photographer should have a license and be able to prove it if need be.
Will you be shooting my wedding? Some photography companies have multiple photographers, if the person you are meeting with will NOT be your photographer, I highly recommend having a meeting with the person that will be before you sign a contract to ensure that you will enjoy being with that person for the entire wedding day.
What do you wear for a wedding? Sounds silly but there are photographers out there that show up in jeans and t-shirts and there are some that show up in tuxes! You need to know what to expect and if it’s not something you would prefer to address it before the big day.
Describe a typical wedding day from your perspective. It may seem trite but you have your wedding day in your mind already, you want someone that is going to go along with that vision you already have formed. It also helps you get an idea in mind of what happens and goes on – the less surprises the day of the wedding the better!!
How many pictures, on average, do you deliver after a wedding? This number is always variable per wedding, however a photographer should be able to give you a ballpark on what number of finished proofs to expect from a wedding. This not only gives you an idea of what to expect but prepares you so there are no surprises later. Some photographers will deliver a max of 500-600 images, some go upwards of 2000.
May I see an entire wedding from start to finish? Everyone can show a best-of album but you want to make sure that you will like the end result from a full day including all of the non-album images.
How long after the wedding will it take to see all of my pictures? Make sure that you know up front how long the process will take and make sure you clarify ALL of the pictures. Some photographers deliver a “favorites” slideshow of a select images but take months later to deliver all of the images, some have them up within a week and others are in between. There is no “right” way to do this but asking ahead of time gives you the opportunity to know what to expect and when to expect it.
What kind of images are on my disc? Every photographer has their own way of doing things when it comes to delivering the files on disc. You want to know two things, the file size and the edit style. The file size is either full resolution, high resolution, mid resolution and low resolution. The higher the resolution, the bigger the file which means the larger you can print the images. Make sure you know what you are getting as the mid and low resolution files either cannot be printed or can only be printed to a certain size. The edit style is also something you want to know. Typically you either see SOOC (straight out of camera), Color Correted and Fine Art files. SOOC files are exactly what the photographer took the day of the wedding, without any corrections or edits. Files may be overexposed or have color casts. Color Corrected is the next step up with typically all exposures corrected as well as color balanced so there is no color casting. Fine Art files are generally what you see on blogs and on websites. You want to make sure that the images you fall in love with are the type of images that you will receive.
How do you back up your files? This is one that should be asked more often! Many photographers dump on one drive and have no backups so if something happens, your wedding is gone. Almost once a week I read on photography forums that someone’s hard drive failed and they have lost a wedding and don’t know what to do. Sometimes data recovery works, but not always.
How long does it take to get —– product? Whatever your package includes, make sure you ask how long, on average, it takes to get the item.
Engaged: Kelli and Andrew
Posted on November 23, 2009
? I think I lost track of how many times we had to reschedule this shoot due to weather, scheduling issues and other miscellaneous things but I have to say, it was in the cards because the day we ended up shooting was GORGEOUS. Perfect temperatures, perfect light and the foliage was just at peak. Couldn’t have been any more perfect.
? The gorgeous location is one of my favorites in the area, Stan Hywet. I just adore this place and have since I was a kid.
? Random fact, my father redid most of the lighting in the 80’s at Stan Hywet (he was an electrician). I always think about him when I’m there because he’d come home and tell me about it and I always imagined it to be a big fairy castle in my mind – I found out later when seeing it for myself that I wasn’t too far off in my mind!
? Every season brings something new here and I have to say the fall was my favorite. I can’t wait until they finish up the renovations as the Japanese Gardens are my favorite!
? Kelli came to me via a referral from her beautiful cousin Rachel whom I had the pleasure of working with this past June.
? This couple will be back here in June 2010!
When at Stan Hywet it’s slim pickings to find areas that aren’t full of people wandering the gorgeous area surrounding the mansion. We lucked out though and didn’t have anyone in the English Garden while taking pictures so I took full advantage of having the reflection pool to ourselves!
I think this is my favorite shot of the day, it is hard to believe that this is in Ohio! I love all of the fall color!
While my favorite Allee at Stan Hywet is the Birch Tree Allee, the London Plane Tree Allee was also a great location for shooting.
There’s something though that pulls me back to the Birch Tree Allee, it’s just too picture perfect!!!
If I had to married in Ohio, I would have got married at the end of this path, it’s hard to imagine any aisle as beautiful as this.
This bridge and the colors are absolutely stunning… the couple on it is icing on this gorgeous cake!
I know that the day of their wedding is going to be amazing especially with images like this!
I am having a SALE!!!
Posted on November 18, 2009
I don’t know about you but I LOVE sales!!! The beautiful thing about being a business owner is I get to pay it forward with sales!! So if you are a client or a photographer, check out the post and see if anything sparks your fancy. If so, email me and see if we can make a deal!
For Clients:
? $50 Holiday Mini-Sessions are here!
? Each session is 30 minutes at the location of your choice and includes one digital file for your holiday needs.
? Quick turnaround time to get those cards out before the holidays!
? Discs of the entire session are available for $50 and prints are available through the online ordering system.
? Sale valid from 11/18 – 12/1. Sessions can be used at any time.
? Interested? Email me to set up an appointment!
For Photographers (or clients wanting some great camera stuff!):
? Nikon D200, body only $500 OBO. Purchased in 8/06, used until 12/07 for hobby and two weddings. In good condition.
? Nikon 24 2.8 D, $300 OBO. Purchased in 8/09 and used once.
? Nikon 18-200 VR DX, $450 OBO. My favorite landscape lens for the DX format, great travel lens!!! Purchased in 10/06 and used through 6/07 but just for travel and one wedding. Has a minor scratch on the glass but it doesn’t show up in images.
? Lensbaby Composer, $250 OBO. Purchased in 2/09. Used maybe twice just to play. Just didn’t work for how I shoot!
? Eye One Display 2 Monitor Calibation by X-Rite, $150 OBO. New in box, never opened. I got a Color Munki for free after purchasing this via Amazon Prime so I never used it and didn’t return it in time.
? Photoshop Plug-in Suite, $300 OBO. This is one that I won from a workshop but never used. It has 4 plug-ins: Genuine Fractals, Mask Pro, Photoframe Pro and Intellihance Pro. I want to say this is Suite #3 but the case doesn’t list it.
? Interested? Email me if you would like pictures, more info or to buy!
Married: Cathy & Brandon 10.17.09
Posted on November 17, 2009
? I’m behind on my blogging but I am finishing and catching up on all that was my crazy 2009 season. Lots of Proof Books and Albums are off to the printers though! WHEW!
? Ohio being Ohio, the weather changed just prior to their wedding date and up until the day before the weather people were calling for a chance of SNOW the day of their wedding. Luckily there was no snow but it was chilly.
? I absolutely ADORED the fall theme that Cathy created for their wedding. They even had my favorite, pumpkin pie, for dessert!!!
? iPhones are great things to carry on you the day of weddings. They help you get the “first dance” song when the DJ’s file is corrupted! Yay for technology and ? my iphone!
? The flower girl and ring bearer were so.precious!
? Did I mention they played in leaves? I was in photographer heaven.
? Thank you Cathy & Brandon for hiring me!!!!
Vendors:
Ceremony: East Canton Church of God
Reception/Catering: Foltz Community Center
I love when I get the chance to get the bride getting her makeup on, always makes for some of my favorite images of the day.
The other favorite image is the groom seeing the bride come down the aisle. Always such a lovely moment!
I really love bubble exits but this is the first time I have had a groom get a bubble in the eye! YOW!
All the ladies… don’t their dresses look lovely under the tree?
The gentleman!
Leaf Fight!
Love the shoe shot!
Ring Bling!
The First Dance courtesy of my iPhone + iTunes!
This flower girl LOVED the dollar dance (no shots for this one!) and kept going from one to the other line over and over again.
I LOVE it when my grooms dance!!!!
Happy Veterans Day!
Posted on November 11, 2009
? My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of those that are serving or have served to keep America free.
? A special thanks goes out to my family members that have served including both of my Grandfathers and my brother whom are all gone.
? Guess what today also is? My Grandmother Doyle’s birthday! She’s no longer with us but I still smile because the only way I used to remember her birthday as a kid was because it was Veterans Day and we had to make sure her card was in the mail before today b/c mail doesn’t go today!
? Give a soldier a hug or send a box of goodies overseas today. Because you can and because they do what they do. It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy I promise.
? Since a post isn’t a post without some pics, I leave you with two shots of my Grandfather Doyle during WWII.
My grandfather (tall guy carrying the box on the left) carrying the Nordan Sight for the Atomic Bomb to the plane. It may not be the brightest spot in American History but I am proud that my Grandfather was someone that had a part in ending WWII. He trained the bombadeers that would eventually drop the bomb.
My grandfather during WWII at an unnamed base. He looks so young!!!
Children: Miss Lana is Two!
Posted on November 2, 2009
? I have known Miss Lana since she was a wee peanut, even though she is still a peanut she has got a lot bigger since I first met her after she was born!
? These pics were taken a couple weeks ago at Kingsway Pumpkin Farm. Although we didn’t end up going into the farm because of the LONG wait (we’re talking 1 hour just to PAY!) it still looked like a lot of fun from the outside. They also have a corn maze that looks like tons of fun. Hopefully next year we’ll get INTO the farm and do some more pics. We ended up just sticking in the front area where you could purchase pumpkins.
? Lana’s 2nd birthday was technically the day before the shoot… but we’ll still call this her bday shoot!
? I’m jealous of people with October birthdays. Such great color and themes for parties and pictures!
She saw her grandparents coming up the walk and got really excited!
Favorite shot of the day, by far!