Coffee Table Books on Sale!
Starting Friday, October 14, we're offering a 25% discount on press-printed coffee table books for one week only!
These are professionally printed, hardcover books with fully customized designs. Because the pages lay flat when opened, with no seam between the pages, these books are a great way to showcase your images. We can create books that would make great holiday gifts for the extra-special people in your life — parents, grandparents, spouses, kids, best friends and of course YOU yourself! And there are lots of interesting options for these books: glossy pages, matte pages, leather covers, cover images that wrap around the spine, etc. The discount works on pre-orders as well. Shoot me a message and I’d be happy to give you all the details: Elizabeth@sweetlifephoto.com.
Dads and Daughters
Alright, I admit it, I cry at weddings. What a cliche, right? But it's true. And typically the waterworks will start during the Father/Daughter dance. So in honor of Father's Day, I thought I'd pay tribute to all those dads out there who've given us beautiful brides to photograph over the years by highlighting some of my favorite shots from Father/Daughter dances. Here you go. Try not to tear up.
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(and I have to throw this one in as a counter-point to the sweet one above -- love the expression on Patricia's dad's face as he dances with her!)
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Quite often, the song that's played most frequently during the Father/Daughter dance is Heartland's "I Loved Her First." I always, always get chills when I watch a father dance with his daughter while this song plays in the background. I thought I'd share the lyrics. You can also hear the song on Youtube here.
Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first
How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first
Why I Am A Wedding Photographer
Wedding photography has been my full-time job since 2006. Before I was a wedding photographer, I specialized in portraits of babies, children and families. When asked if I photographed weddings, my answer was always an emphatic "No!" Too much pressure, too much stress…too important. I didn't think I was up to the monumental task of capturing all the things that a wedding photographer is tasked with: details, action, reaction, emotion and iconic moments in the life of a family. It was challenging enough getting a two-year old to stay still long enough to get a great shot. I knew if I really messed it up, I could re-shoot. But weddings?? A one-shot deal? No way, no how.
But then, something happened. My grandmother decided to remarry. And she asked me to photograph her wedding. I was terrified. But how do you say "no" to your grandmother? I couldn't.
So I read everything I could about wedding photography. I talked to photographers I knew who shot weddings, taking notes furiously. In the weeks leading up to my grandmother's wedding, I tested and re-tested my equipment. I practiced stopping motion. I played "what if?" long into the night. "What if" my camera broke? (I'd use my back-up.) What if the light in the church was horrible and I couldn't use my flash? (I'd make my camera as sensitive to light as I could with a high ISO…and pray.) What if I missed the kiss? (I couldn't even think about it.) What if my grandmother hated the pictures? (Was I crazy? She was my grandmother. She was going to love anything I did).
I don't remember much about the actual wedding, but I'll never forget my grandmother's face when I gave her the proofs. She cried. I cried. She told me I'd made her look beautiful. I told her she was beautiful, no matter what I did. And just like that, I was in love…with wedding photography.
It took quite a while (three years, actually) before I could make the leap to photographing weddings full-time. For the first year, with Frank's help, I worked like a madwoman. We shot 30 weddings our first year in business at ridiculously low prices. If I'd known then what I know now about the amount of time, energy and resources (of both the financial and emotional variety) it would take to shoot and fulfill those 30 weddings, I would have known to triple what I was asking for. I made next to no money that first year. But those 30 weddings reinforced what I suspected was true after shooting my grandmother's wedding: this is a deeply fulfilling job.
And one that is often really, really hard work.
Anyone reading this who thinks it must be fun to be a wedding photographer -- you're right. It is fun. It is also pressure-filled, emotional, stressful, often frustrating and at times, maddening. The actual "fun" part -- the act of photographing someone or something -- is only a small part of what I do each week. The rest is all business: marketing, accounting, record-keeping. Shipping. Answering emails. Over-seeing the production of albums and coffee-table books, prints and canvases. I do more "project management" now than when I was employed by an advertising agency as a Project Manager.
Wedding photography is also an expensive business. While the cost to hang out your shingle as a photographer is fairly low compared to, say, opening a restaurant, the costs to build and maintain a successful business are high. The hours are odd and long. Best time to photograph outdoors? Sunrise and sunset. And honestly, the next person who asks me if it's great to only have to work one day a week is going to get clocked. The cost of heirloom-quality products is high. I believe we've become a society that is satisfied with "good enough." We've become used to stuff wearing out, breaking down, going bad. When that happens, we throw it away and go get another one. I've chosen to be a part of an industry that places a high value on things that last. Things whose value increases with each passing year. Ken Luallen, a photographer I greatly admire, says that what he does is more than taking pretty pictures of a couples' "Big Day." Instead, he creates a tangible reminder of the day two people promised, come hell or high water and damn the divorce rate, that they would stay true to each other. He's giving them something that they can hold in their hands, show their children and say, "See this? This is the day we became a family."
That's an idea that really resonates for me. But. I'd be lying if I wrote that the pressure doesn't weigh me down like an anchor some days. It's my clients who bring me back up. Every little note, every email, every Facebook wall post that tells me I've done a good job is so sweet. Sweet as in precious. Highly desired, greatly appreciated.
Some weddings are easy. Some are not. Some weddings I have all the time I need to create the kind of photographs that have grace and beauty and will be valued, not just today or tomorrow, but in 50 years. Some days I barely have enough time to squeeze off a full-length portrait of the bride and groom before it's time to rush to the reception (guess which days are my favorites?). I feel such deep gratitude to and affection for the couples who grant us the privilege of documenting their weddings. With every anniversary, every new baby, I celebrate with you. It gives me such happiness to be able to look back at each wedding, remember and say, "See that? That's the day they became a family. And I got to photograph it."
Becky and John: Engaged!
For Becky and John's engagement session, we traveled to Wendell, the little town on the outskirts of the Triangle where Becky grew up. I love exploring and shooting in these small towns; you never know what you'll find! Becky and John were so fun and easy to photograph. Obviously, our cameras love them almost as much as they love each other. We're looking forward to Becky's bridal portrait session this week and the wedding in July. Here are just of few of the many images that made the "favorites" list.
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Guess what day they're getting married?
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Becky has the best smile. She just lights up when she's with John.
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I loved the color of Becky's dress. When I saw this teal-ish door, I knew I had to have a shot of them in front of it, loose bricks and all.
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May Madness
Goodness, but it's been a while since I posted! I'm blaming it all on May.
You've heard of March Madness, I know. Well, we in the wedding photography world have our own crazy month and it's May. More people get married in May now than in June. (I think that's because it's just too hot here by the time June rolls in.)
There are two months that I know for certain, year after year, will always be full-to-bursting with weddings. One is October (usually perfect weather in North Carolina); the other is May.
I love May. As I sit here writing this on a Friday night, I'm so excited about the wedding we'll photograph this weekend. And next weekend. And the weekend after that. And the weekend after THAT. By the time May 31 rolls around, I'm going to be exhausted and the real work will only be just getting going: editing images, creating slide shows, designing albums. It's a happy tired because nothing gives me more joy than photographing weddings.
So when things get busy, the blog gets the short end of the attention-stick. I've got lots of posts with the word DRAFT in big red letters beside them, just waiting for me to show them a little love. They're on their way, I promise. Until then, how about a sneak peek from Stephanie and Scott's April wedding. One of my all-time favorite recessional shots. I love it.
I love the pure emotion on their faces. I love that they're not paying any attention to me. I love that their happiness is just jumping right out of the image. This is why I love weddings. If you're getting married this month or have been honored with an invitation to a wedding, soak all that pure joy up. It's a rare thing.
Soon, there will be lots of new stuff on Pixel Dust, I promise. Happy May!
Wedding Album Traffic Jam!
I had such high hopes when the start of the winter downtime began. I was going to blog at least every other day and finally get caught up on showing off the amazing couples that we were so blessed to work with last year. The blog was going to be a fount of information with our "So We Were Just Thinking" series and yet I've only managed two entries. What in the world happened?
Albums. Albums happened.
I love wedding albums. The album is the first heirloom of the new family that is created when a couple speaks their vows on their wedding day. We are proud to partner with Pictage and Leather Craftsmen to deliver books that meet the "heirloom" standard. Each album is a one-of-a kind, custom-designed creation requiring many hours of work and meticulous attention to detail. I am notoriously picky about the wedding albums that leave the studio with "Sweet Life Photography" embossed on the inside. We have so many albums in production right now (12 to be exact) that I would swear somebody sent out a memo to my 2009 (and some 2008) clients that NOW was the time for everyone to get their album picture requests in. I honestly can't remember a year that album production hasn't been spread out more evenly. Was there a fax? A conference call I missed? Anybody?
I believe without a doubt that I have the best job in the world. And I've always been proud of the fact that we are a small boutique studio shooting a limited number of weddings each year so that we can maintain a high level of customer service. But right now, I'd give just about anything for a whole squadron of photo editors and assistants at my beck and call. We're going to get through this unexpected craziness with beautiful albums as the result.
So hang in there with me...soon there will be a new crop of weddings, engagements and portrait sessions to share and celebrate on the blog. Until then, my nose is to the grindstone.
And since no blog post is really a blog post without a photo, here's a little promise of Spring.
Elizabeth
