Great way to end the season

For me, weddings are a seasonal thing. I don't know if it's because I do a lot of beach weddings, but things quiet down this time of year. I finished up my last wedding of the season and it was one of the best. In fact, the past two were really exceptional events.
I thought that yesterday's wedding was going to be a washout, but the bride and groom really wanted photos in downtown Rehoboth. When we left the church it was raining pretty good, so someone ran out to CVS and got some black umbrellas! The rain wasn't too bad at the boardwalk, so we got some awesome photos with and without umbrellas.

Enjoying Louie's Pizza

Strolling down the boardwalk:
I love it when someone suggests this shot!

To see more of Meghan and Marc's wedding, click here.

Last weekend was awesome too, I just haven't had time to write about it. First, they were such a great couple! They had a great band, the Doug Segree Band. They play a lot at the Starboard and are the official Redskins band. Doug sang the National Anthem on Monday Night Football the Monday after the wedding. Not only did the band rock, but Allie's PARENTS rocked!

Allie's mom on the skins:

While her dad rocks out on guitar:

I should point out that both of these AWESOME weddings had their reception at Salero! It's such a great location, the food is incredible, the view is the best in Rehoboth, and the people are great to work with.

To see more of Allie and Matt's wedding, click here.

Next wedding- DECEMBER. I'm looking forward to a break. Of course, I'm still teaching, but I'll actually have some free time!

Best wedding kiss ever!

I met with Jeremy and Jenny a few weeks ago to finalize plans for their wedding and one thing I asked them is to make sure they give each other a GOOD kiss at the end of the ceremony. I joked with them that too many couples just give each other a little peck and it's hard to capture that. Well, they pulled through and gave the best wedding kiss I've ever documented! I fired off NINE photos before they separated. For more of their photos from the Golden Sands, click here.

Creativity

I haven't posted anything in a while...I've been too busy shooting and editing weddings. I have a couple venues where I am the preferred photographer and do several weddings there each year. Naturally, this is great for business, but sometimes we feel like our creativity is stifled because of the lack of variety in locations. To top it off, we do a lot of beach weddings and the scenery on the beach is the same no matter where you go in Delaware and Maryland. It's BEAUTIFUL on the beach and I LOVE it, but there's no trees, no shade, no variety. I got a great compliment via email the other day- a potential client said that she looked at a bunch of my work and loved how each wedding was unique. That's my goal, make every wedding special and unique.

I revel opportunities to do a wedding in a new environment and this past Sunday was one of those days. We were hired by Brooks and Lindsey to photograph their wedding at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Maryland. We hadn't shot there before so we really looked forward to it. We were getting ready to do the formals at the end of the ceremony and the coordinator tells us we have THIRTY MINUTES! Since it's the middle of the day and the sun is really bright with no clouds, we looked for some shade and did the standard wedding party photos. We like to get more creative when we do the bride and groom portraits, but time was short and the sun was harsh so we didn't feel satisfied when we were done.

The reception was great and was done about 5:30- just as the light was getting perfect outside. I asked the couple if they wanted to go out for more photos and they were happy to do so. It was perfect- no pressure, no time constraints, a beautiful and relaxed couple, beautiful light, and a beautiful golf course on the Chesapeake Bay. These became my favorite photos of the day and some of my favorites of the year. Below are my top picks, click here to see the rest of the preview.

Leslie wanted to do this all day, isn't she adorable?

This is why I'm glad to have Brandon working for me.

There is no more perfect love than on a wedding day.

Moonlight over Bethany

This is a shot I've been meaning to post. I took this while on my way home from a beach portrait session. I'm always looking for this type of moment. I love these moments of inspiration.

Ahhh, summer...gone too soon.

It had to happen eventually- the end of summer. It's been a great summer though, plenty of weddings and portraits, a trip to Maine, a trip to Key Largo, a camping trip, and a fair amount of beach time.
Today was a great end to the summer though. The wave report looked good, so I grabbed by bodyboard and my camera and went to the beach. I decided to shoot first but after an hour I had to go in. I'm no teenager anymore, so a few good poundings in the shorebreak and I was done. Here are a few photos from this mornings, plenty more are at www.samellis.com/surf. These guys were having some serious fun!

TRASH THE DRESS!!!

For those who aren't in the know, a recent bridal trend is to wear the wedding dress (after the wedding) in places your parents would NEVER dream of wearing it. It's called Trash The Dress and it's very cool to contrast the formality of a wedding dress with no-so-clean places.

Maggie was my first willing participant. We weren't able to schedule an engagement session for them, so we made up for it by doing a TTD session! We started off pretty slow, getting some shots we weren't able to get at the wedding due to time. Then we went to downtown Lewes, DE and got some interesting shots around town before getting a "little wet". Then it was off to the beach for the real deal. Below are some of the initial photos, There's more on my website and more will be uploaded soon!

Thanks Maggie! Anyone else want to give it a shot? Prom dresses are cool to do it to also :)

Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine

I finally went to Acadia National Park! I've wanted to go there since I started taking photography seriously, it's such a beautiful place! Below are just a few of the photos taken while up there, more will be posted in my online gallery soon. Most of my favorites are from the morning I went out to catch the sunrise and explore on my own. Nature photography is what got me hooked on photography to start with and weddings and portraits evolved from that love of pictures.

It was a great trip for the whole family. Ryan loved hiking the trails and climbing on the rocks, Gina loved the pool, Tara and I loved everything except the drive (15 hours to get home)! Ryan and Gina are now officially "Junior Rangers" after completing various tasks and being sworn in. They learned a lot from the various ranger-led programs we attended and booklets they completed. They were both great when we decided to take a loooong hike through the trails, parts of which were pretty challenging for kids.

The nice thing is that Bar Harbor (Bah Habah) is practically part of the park, so there's lots of options for dining and other things. We explored the sandbar that appears at low tide, went whale watching and saw humpback and finback whales, shopped, ate, and had lots of fun in town.

Sunrise on Bar Harbor

Sunrise on Sand Beach
Sunrise along the coast
Trail

What a fun job!

I've gotten several thank-you cards, emails, and comments lately about how happy people are with my work. This is one of the most satisfying "jobs" I've ever had. Not that teaching doesn't have it's moments.



One thing that people comment a lot on is that they can tell I enjoy what I'm doing. Weddings are such a fun time, how can I not enjoy myself? Even when doing the posed formal shots of the wedding party, I'm having fun. I think that by having fun myself, it helps the subjects to relax.



Then there's the group I worked with yesterday from Colorado. At one point, I had to stop taking pictures because I was laughing too hard! They referenced a comedy bit I heard on the Bob and Tom radio show about dolphins...I can't say anything more about it but it's FUNNY!



I love the creative energy I get at weddings. Sometimes there's some little thing that will spark an idea and lead to a great photo. Yesterday's couple had two surfboards standing in the sand as a backdrop for their ceremony. While we were moving around setting up a group photo, the bride's shadow silhouetted on one of the boards for a split second and it led me to create this shot:

After the storm

A pretty decent thunderstorm passed by today and as it was winding down, I looked out a west window and saw the most amazing colors in the sky. I grabbed the camera and the kids and drove to the end of our street. These photos are the result. Only in-camera exposure adjustments were made, no Photoshopping. Click on a photo for a larger view.





It reminds me of something Pastor Andy said last week. Nobody ever looks at something like this and says "look at how the molecules in the sky and the light, and the clouds just HAPPENED to come together to make that." No, they say look what God created! That's what Ryan, Gina, and I said tonight- Look at what God created.

Senior portrait time!

The class of 2008 is out the door, it's time for the class of 2009! It's time to start thinking about your senior portraits. Sam Ellis Photography is now offering senior portraits and is looking for senior ambassadors from Indian River, Sussex Tech, Cape Henlopen, Stephen Decatur, Worcester Prep, and other area schools!

So what's a senior portrait session going to cost me? $200 for starters. That gets you a studio sitting for the formal photo and some candids, and an outdoor candid sitting (beach, athletic field, golf course, or wherever you like). That doesn't mean you get one photo each, we'll take lots of variety and let you change outfits a couple times. Each sitting is for about an hour (an hour in the studio and an hour outside). You also get 100 wallets, 2 5x7s, and 1 8x10 (up to three different images). Additional prints may be purchased a-la-carte, but editing charges do apply for each additional photo you would like retouched.

So what does an ambassador get? Each school can have one male and one female ambassador who gets 50% off their initial package (listed above). You also get 16 additional wallets OR a 5x7 for each referral that books with us.

Interested? Send me an email at sam@samellis.com.

Rehoboth Beach Country Club wedding

This was definitely one of my favorite weddings ever! The weather created the perfect backdrop to a beautiful setting and a beautiful couple. Here are a few pictures, there are more here.

Beautiful Salero weddings!

Brandon and I have been lucky to have two weddings in two weeks at Salero in Rehoboth. Salero is definitely one of my FAVORITE places to shoot a beach wedding. The beach is off the beaten path, so there's not a lot of "extra guests" to worry about. After the ceremony, it's just a short elevator ride to the reception- no traffic, no limo, no hassles. Just go upstairs. When you get upstairs, the view of the beach is unlike anything else in coastal Delaware. You can see all the way to Cape May.

Since Salero is on top of the Henlopen Hotel, everyone can stay right there. Many people make it a whole wedding weekend- rehearsal on Friday, wedding on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. I haven't had brunch there yet, so I can't rave about it. Hmmmm, I think they need some professional photos of their brunch buffet, then I could tell people how wonderful it is!

Speaking of food, that's the real reason I love Salero. David is an AMAZING chef. I'll admit that one of the biggest perks about being a wedding photographer is the great meals we get to eat, and we always look forward to Salero. It doesn't matter if it's a plated dinner or buffet, it's all awesome. The new chop salad- phenomenal. Steaks, seafood, pasta, or chicken, I'll take anything they're serving plus any extra I can take home in a doggy bag...uh, for my wife.

If you're looking for a location for a beach wedding, go with Salero, you won't be disappointed.

Check out these photos from a recent Salero wedding:



That's Laslo, he's quite the cut-up!

The Fountains

There is a great venue in Salisbury, MD that's been around for a while, but I finally got a chance to do a wedding in recently. The Fountains, right on Rt. 50 on the east side of town is just an amazing place.
First, the staff is outstanding, especially Kim Heath. They are really there for the bride and groom, but also make it easy for the vendors. They have their own sound system for the dj, he loved not having to haul his big equipment there, just his laptops and mixing board. The space is very well thought out with a HUGE bridal suite and comfortable groom's suite. Sometimes the bride and her girls get ready in church Sunday School rooms or nurseries, this was an elegant switch! It was a well thought out space and very comfortable for any size wedding party.
They even have a dress form for the wedding dress. I think that was my favorite thing about the place. It made it easy to get great photos of the dress without having to figure out where to hang it and how to hide the ugly plastic hanger. To me, that tells me that they really care about the entire experience for their guests.
I can't end without mentioning the food- awesome! As it turns out, I know one of the chefs. She's a former student at the high school I teach at and her mother is one of our secretaries. I'll admit that one of the great things about being a wedding photographer is the great meals I get to have :) This was one of the best.
If you're shopping around for just the right location for a reception, or even the wedding, check out The Fountains. You won't be disappointed.

RADIO SPOT!

I've got an ad playing on KISS 105.5 FM! Roxi is the afternoon DJ there and I'm shooting her wedding this weekend. We did a trade-of-services for some radio spots for part of her wedding package. I never would have thought about doing radio ads before, but I figured it was a good opportunity to try it out. The spot will play for three weeks, this week and for two more when she comes back from her honeymoon.

Not only is Roxi a popular dj, but her fiance is Phil Ritchie! He was on Rock Star Supernova a few years back, kinda cool. It should be an interesting wedding!

Click play below to listen to it. Let me know if hear the ad!

Go ahead, Make My Day

I had a meeting in Milford today and made a point to stop in and see some friends of mine at Make My Day Events and More. These two are awesome wedding and party coordinators! I had the opportunity to see them in action last year when I was helping a friend of mine shoot a wedding. I've never seen more detail-oriented people, they had things scheduled to the minute, but weren't pushy about keeping on schedule.

I've had the opportunity to work with a few different wedding coordinators and I have to say that it makes a huge difference for the bride. If you are from out of town, it's even more critical. In this ever-increasingly busy world, it's a tough to plan a wedding. I hear ALL THE TIME from brides that it's more work than they thought. Make My Day has packages for "day of" coordination to handling every detail and you just show up. OK, maybe that's a stretch, but they can take care of MOST decisions for you.

Contact them for a FREE consultation. makemydayevents@yahoo.com, 302-422-9744, or toll free at 877-MKMYDAY.

Most memorable wedding moment

I was recently interviewed by Delaware Bride Magazine editor Kaytie Dowling for a short blurb on wedding photographers in Delaware. One of the questions was, "what was your most memorable moment at a wedding?" Now, I was talking to her from Disney World, so my mind wasn't focused on weddings at the time and I couldn't come up with anything that jumped out at me. Naturally, I came up with a few things AFTER I hung up the phone, so I thought I'd share them here.

1. I had a couple from Ireland hire me for their wedding in Ocean City. We emailed back and forth, talked on the phone, etc. but I hadn't met them until the day of the wedding. I was talking to some of their family members at the reception and found out they lived in California and Colorado. So I asked why they chose to have their wedding in OC since nobody was from here. I thought maybe they had met while working in OC as students or something romantic like that...nope, Maryland was a central location between Ireland and California! They figured if everyone had to travel, they might as well meet in the middle!

2. I photographed another wedding for a Kansas City couple who used to live near DC. They wanted to have their wedding in Ocean City since they spent a lot of time there. This was another couple I didn't meet until the week of their wedding, but we had spoken on the phone quite a bit and I had a very difficult time understanding their thick Ethiopian accents. They explained they were going to have a traditional Catholic wedding with Ethiopian customs interwoven into the ceremony. I didn't think anything of it, but when the ceremony started, not a word of it was in English! At the reception, I had to ask people what the DJ was announcing so I didn't miss anything. I REALLY felt bad for the videographer, I couldn't imagine trying to edit footage from two cameras and not be able to listen match the dialog from one tape to another.

That's it, the most interesting stories from the weddings I've done so far. Thankfully, there hasn't been anything too dramatic that's worthy of an episode of Bridezillas.

Delaware Bride

I had a photo from one of my favorite weddings posted in the most recent issue of Delaware Bride! Christi and Ryan were married back in September at the Indian River Lifesaving Station Museum and they were such a joy to work with. They had such great chemistry with each other that taking their photo was effortless.
Delaware Bride also did short interviews of several Delaware photographers, including yours truly. Look for it on newstands everywhere, but I did have a hard time finding it around Bethany Beach.
There's also a great article on wedding planning featuring my friends at Make My Day Events. If you're planning a wedding, Kacie and Leanne can help you keep your sanity!

2008 is off to a great start!

2007 was a fantastic year! I met some amazing couples, their families, and their friends. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be a wedding photographer, it's so much FUN! The business has grown tremendously this past year, more weddings, more equipment, and a full-time second photographer. Brandon works every wedding with me and is a huge help and provides extra coverage of the event.

This is shaping up to be an even better year. My goal was to do 25 weddings and I've booked 22 so far with four more in the works. I certainly don't mind going over my goal, but I am limiting how many I do so I don't spread myself too thin. I had some insane weekends last year with multiple weddings and it took me a while to get caught up on all the post-processing and album fulfillment.

There are still some fall dates open and I'm currently getting inquiries for winter and even 2009! If you are planning a wedding, don't wait to start securing your vendors, in some cases you may even save money by booking early before prices increase.