I recently had the privilege to witness and document the birth of Grace.  I absolutely love photographing births.  Being able to be trusted and invited into such an intimate event in a couples life and to provide a record of what the first day of a little ones live was is a responsibility I gladly accept.  Some births, however, are more challenging than others.  Danielle and Chris found out a few weeks prior to the due date they were going to have to have a planned c-section and I was not going to be allowed in the operating room.  That of course provides a challenge in me telling a birth story visually if I cannot be present for the actual birth.  Thankfully there was another wonderful story to be told.  When I got there that morning I was greeted by Danielle, Chris and their parents.  The soon to be grandparents had traveled from Georgia to be there to meet the first grandchild of the family.  I was stuck by how close Chris’ parents and Danielle’s were.  Turns out Chris and Danielle are high school sweethearts and both of their families pretty much grew up with each other in small town Georgia.  They spent the years going to sporting events together, having dinners and even taking trips together.  So it was a joy to be able to not only tell the story of the birth of Grace but also be able to show the dynamic of the two families.  The joy I witnessed was some of the most pure I have seen.

Getting ready to head into surgery.  Danielle said at the viewing she loves this … Read the rest

I have been thinking a lot about family lately.

Sadly my extended family lost both an Aunt and a cousin within one week of each other due to cancer.  While attending the funeral for the first I sat in the pew starring at the enlarged photo of my Aunt mesmerized by her smile and her eyes seemingly looking right at me.  Out in the lobby of the church was a table full of photos of  her grand kids, siblings, and friends enjoying her and life.  It was amazing how those photos brought smiles to faces, how they helped to dry tears and gave all of us something to grab onto in such a time of loss.  About 3 years ago I was fortunate enough to finally realize the true meaning in why I am a photographer.  Telling stories of people so generations of new people can see for themselves the story of family members that came before them is a resolve I take into each wedding I shoot.   It is not about making images of people looking perfect, or of things, but more about images of who people are in their true form.  Being able to see my Aunt in photos showing her true form brought me some comfort thus strengthening my resolve even more.  So in thinking about what to blog today I felt it appropriate to blog a wedding I shot last year that was very dear to me.

The chance to document family does not come along to often and when it does it is always meaningful.  So when my cousin Gretchen asked me to be the photographer for her wedding to … Read the rest

About six years ago I was given the chance to be a team leader at the Foundation Workshop in Texas teaching the ways of photojournalism to wedding photographers.  Little did I know how much it would not only teach me but more importantly change me and my life.

Huy Nguyen, the founder, started this workshop that is now known as the mother of all workshops for wedding photographers 11 years ago.  I was a student at Foundation 2 and have been on staff ever since.  Year after year this workshop is something I look forward to.  Not only because I get to see all of my photo family but it gives me great pleasure helping  photographers fine tune their craft.  However, this workshop is so much more than just a photography workshop.  It seriously changes lives and creates bonds few have ever experienced.  I would not be the photographer or the person I am today without the Foundation Workshop.  To many that have not experienced it they simply find it hard to understand how a photography workshop can change lives.  Let me tell it this one does.  This workshop gets to the foundation of what makes photojournalism work.  The human condition.  Photojournalism is all about life, people, reality and how all of those wonderful things work together to tell stories.  We teach the art of telling stories with pictures but more often than not students are found learning more about themselves than the photos they are making.  Being able to overcome a personal fear or roadblock allows these photographers to tap into their true potential as an artist.  I had the pleasure of leading … Read the rest

Honored and humbled are the only words that keep running through my head.

Last week it was officially announced that I was recently named one of American Photo Magazines Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World for 2013.  Not only to have been nominated, but to be awarded top 10 for the American Photo magazine annual award still blows my mind. There is nothing like this feeling. I do what I do for the love of the image, the moment, for telling stories visually and for the happiness of my clients. It is really nice to see others recognize that. Thank you so much for this amazing honor and a huge congratulations to the other 9 winners.  I am truly very lucky to have an opportunity to do something I am passionate about and lucky enough to have clients that I not only treasure but also give me the access and trust to do what I do best.   I would not be here if it was not for all of our amazing couples.   Finally a huge thank you goes out to my photo friends and photo family over at the Foundation Workshops.  They have all given me the support and more importantly education over the years allowing me to push myself and fine tune my craft.  Foundation and Fearless Photographers continue to change the face of wedding photography allowing a style such as ours to rise to the top of the industry.

Thank you so much for this honor and I hope to do my colleagues that nominated me, my clients, and my family proud for 2013 and beyond!

Tyler… Read the rest

Mia practicing her opening choreographed hip-hop routine back stage at Starlight Theater minutes before the start of her Bat Mitzvah celebration.

The Mardi Gras themed event, designed and coordinated by Ellyn Bold, transformed Starlight into a Bourbon Street fantasy land with food station floats, masks, and a band that kept both the kids and adults moving all night.

… Read the rest