Krista and Terry - The WebShow

Krista's & Terry's WebShow...

I am officially sorta late for their WebShow. It will be completed in 1-2 hours (but probably longer). I just had a very busy weekend with other shoots I had to go to, in addition to their wedding and, unfortunately had to sleep a little bit.

Check back this afternoon and it will be up and running. Once the WebShow is completed and posted I will begin work on their Album Showcase, which may take the rest of this week to complete,so check back for that, for sure. The individual pictures will be up in 7-10 days..SO GET YOUR CREDIT CARDS PAID OFF SO YOU CAN ORDER!!

Krista Turberville and Terry Archer...

Their WebShow is coming ... Be prepared ... be very, very prepared.

New Payment Options

If you need to make a payment for your wedding photography, now you can do it from the website.

From the homepage (above) click the "Make a Payment" text at the top of the screen. You will then see a page open that looks like this:

Enter your payment amount in the "Payment Amount" box (just ignore the 'Price' column that will always show '0.00') then enter the quantity "1", then click the "Add to Cart" button. Proceed to checkout.

NOTE: Your card is not charged until I verify everything, i.e. what you are paying for...

Please, please indicate what the payment is for, i.e. bride's name, etc. in the comments box when you check out.

This will save you from having to come into the office to swipe your card or mail a check. You can still do that, but this is just an easier way to take care of the payment.

Oh and don't forget to print out your receipt.

Don't Forget About Krista's and Terry's Wedding!!

This Saturday at the Oaks Plantation at 2:30pm...

I promise this is the correct time AND date.




(I love this picture. It is a 'light painting' and oil. Actually took a while to do. I can assure you this is NOT right-out-of-the-camera. I may need to get a sample printed on canvas).

"When I look into his eyes, it seems all the problems in the world go away and I am floating in mid-air."
-Unknown











(from the Kim Dodge and Trent Lambert engagement session)

Congratulations to Kim and Trent!

Kim Dodge and Trent Lambert are getting married on July 26, 2008, at Lake Martin.

We took engagement photos there yesterday, so I wanted to hurry and get, at least one up. You can click here to go view all the photos that will be posted online...more will follow.

Click here to order a gift certificate for them, they will love you!
(Conversly, if you don't...they won't...Fact of Life #761)

Congrats!!!

I want to congratulate Melissa Wright and Jonathan Hicks on their upcoming wedding, on September 13, 2008.

I am shamelessly proud to say they join a list of very, very smart couples, who have chosen me to photograph their wedding! What can I say?!

I will have more information about their wedding plans later when I shoot their engagement pictures.

Click here to order a gift certificate for them, they will love you!
(Conversly, if you don't...they won't...Fact of Life #761)

Choosing Your Photographer Lesson #5 (Repost)

Here are a few questions you may want to remember when you are shopping for a wedding photographer.

1. Does the price include everything, from engagement photos to reception coverage?
2. Do I get any free black & white photos for the newspaper announcements?
3. Are all photos retouched & enhanced before they are received by a customer?
4. Are ANY photos retouched & enhanced or straight out of the camera? (Let them know you can tell the difference - click here to see a samples post).
   
5. Are special effects included?
6. Is there a limit on the number of special effect photos I can get at no charge? If yes, how much are extras?
   
7. Is an engagement session, formal bridal, final fitting, bridal luncheon, etc., included or are those extra?
8. How many hours do I get?
9. Are those hours JUST wedding day coverage only?
10. Can I choose what items I want in my package/plan?
11. If no, why not?
12. I want a nice coffee-table album. Can I help design it?
13. Do you offer several options for albums or must I take what you have in your package?
14. If I want to do a silly engagement session...is that ok? Is that extra?
    
15. Do you do a slide show presentation at the reception?
16. Do you offer my friends and family the ability to view the slide show on your website...for FREE?
17. Do you offer my friends and family to view an online album of my wedding...for FREE?
    
18. Do you offer the ability to purchase the slide show on a DVD?
19. Do you offer Gift Certificates...online...so family and friends can help pay for my photography?
20. Are you set in the pictures you take, or can family and friends request photos at the wedding and reception?
21. How many hours will you invest in my wedding photography (that's pre & post production, etc)?

(I will try and think of more - email me if you have some to list)

WOW!!

It may be difficult to read but the day before yesterday, on March 17th I had almost 10,000 hits on my website. Geeeezzzuuuummmm.

Yesterday, the 18th it looks like maybe ONLY 7000-8000 hits. Must have been a slow day. The total numbers, so for, in 2008 are about 60,000 hits!

That is absolutely amazing...and yes, I cannot sleep so I lookup useless but interesting things when I can't sleep.

A Legend Is Gone...

Read the article.

I loved reading everything this man wrote about, when I was young. Just had to post.

They're Gettin' Married!!!

Just in case Krista's and Terry's family and friends forgot...they are getting married Saturday, March 29, 2008, at The Oaks Plantation, at ... ummm ... I think 2:30pm... I guess I better check, huh?

Oh well, see you there!

UPDATE: Okay...it is 2:30pm...heck...check your invitation just to be sure.

(Oh, in case you are wondering, yes, they really glow in real life, like the picture...they are in love...like duh!)

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

I have been busy this weekend shooting engagement pictures for 3 couples, all at Shakespeare. I am getting one of them completed. Just a few more special pictures to do then I will start on the other two.

Nothing like staying busy to keep out of trouble...or being bored!

Oil on Canvas...Choices!!

Now you can choose from two different versions of oil on canvas prints.

The first is a photograph that is painted electronically and printed on canvas.

The other is a real-honest-to-goodness oil painting on canvas by a real artist with real oil paint.

Both are impressive works of art. If you have a photograph you want to use that is fine too. It just depends what your spending level comfort is.

Call the studio for more information at (334) 265-6211.

Book Early!

I have received so many calls, last week and today, for weddings this year. All I can say is book early. It is never too early.

It appears most brides have waited until this year to even start looking. Don't get caught with settling for a photographer you don't really desire. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

Congratulations to Kim and Trent!!

I want to congratulate Kim Dodge and Trent Lambert on their upcoming wedding, July 26, 2008, at Lake Martin!

I also want to congratulate them on selecting me as their wedding photographer. It shows pure intelligence!

I will have more information and some engagement pictures a bit later. We are deciding on beach or Shakespeare...beach or Shakespeare... hmmm, so keep checking back.

Oh...almost forgot...click here to order a gift certificate for them, they will love you!

Expect More!

Your wedding photography should be better than you could ever imagine. So many brides just settle for mediocre.

Anyone can take snapshots of your wedding. If that is all you are looking for, save some money and have a relative snap some pictures for you.

It is so unfortunate, but all to often you will get the same results with some "photographers" as you would with a FREE relative! You need to really shop and compare...very carefully. So many photographers will settle for the "do-as-little-as-possible" mentality, just to get by.

There are a lot of photographers that will be more than happy to give you pictures straight out-of-the-camera and burn them onto a DVD. Your wedding is much more important to us than to provide such low service. If you have not seen a comparison of pictures straight out-of-the-camera and pictures that have been retouched and enhanced, you deserve to find out.

Many pretend photographers think that by providing you with snapshots right out of the camera, they are doing you a service. They are not. I have had brides bring me their images on a disc, from a photographer, to fix because they were so bad...(and I will not even go into the amateur posing of the subjects...yikes!).

There is nothing so disturbing than to have a new bride sit in my office and literally cry, while looking over my albums and WebShows, and realizing what she could have had.

The worse part is, she could have had much better quality for just a little more money. She was grossly overcharged for her little disc of 288 images. Yep, that's it, 288...total! I will take that many just in the engagement session or even before the wedding starts. Many times I will shoot well over 1000 images just on the wedding day.

Compare carefully and ask a lot of questions. I can assure you, getting your wedding photography done right the first time, is THE most important decision you can make. There are no re-shoots!

The bottom line here is, if a photographer is giving you the images on a disc for a very low price...RUN!

New Weddings and Inquiries!

I am getting a lot of calls and inquiries for weddings. If you have not booked your photographer for this year, it would be wise to do so. If I am getting a lot of calls, everyone else is too.

It would be a tragic event if you could not find a decent photographer...

It seems everyone has waited until this year to even start looking. I have had a few weddings that were booked last year, a year in advance. Toward the end of last year I did not get a single inquiry. Now that the new year is hear, calls are starting to pick up.

If you have waited to book a photographer, you better start narrowing your list down, very quickly. The good ones will book early...the bad ones you do not want to book...just compare. Why settle for mediocre? But you may have to if you wait.

There are a lot of average and mediocre photographers out there, but only a few that are substantially good. Don't wait.