Education

As a teacher, I feel strongly in the value of education. Maybe that's why I spent five years in college...yeah, that's it. But it is why I went on to get my Master's degree in education and have sought out opportunities to further my education whenever I could.

My photography career has been no different. I joined the Delaware Professional Photographers Association and the national organization Professional Photographers of America. I have been to many workshops to broaden my knowledge and hone my skills. I am a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and will be attending the Photoshop World conference in a few weeks. I'm fortunate that my teaching career blends nicely with my photography career to allow me to attend (I teach graphic design/desktop publishing, and communication technology). I just wish I could attend more conferences.

The best thing lately has been my association with Photog Shootout. This is an infomal group of photographers who get together to do model shoots in simulated wedding circumstances, experiment with shooting techniques, share ideas, and teach each other about the business and craft of photography.

The latest was the Eastern Shore Photog Shootout conducted at Baywood in Millsboro/Rehoboth was a couple weeks ago. Check out the video put together by Refocus Studios. Many thanks to Rob Nicholson of Humbled Eyes Photography for coordinating what was meant to be a dinner with a few friends into a great learning experience with about 20 photographers! I also appreciate Joel Plotkin, owner of efotolab.com, for sponsoring the event. It was great to experiment with different lighting scenarios and test the limits of my camera equipment in low-light scenes without the pressure of a wedding.

I'm looking forward to more Photog Shootouts and hanging out with other great photographers and great vendors like Bayside Limousine.

Accolades

I love wedding photography- it's fun, exciting, stressful, and so rewarding. I got a card from a recent couple and had to share:

Dear Sam,

Thank you so much for the beautiful memories that you have given to us from our wedding day! You were able to capture so many moments for us- and now we have such wonderful pictures to always remember our special day! You were so easy to work with throughout the whole process, and so accommodating to our needs. We have had so many compliments to you on your creativity- we fell so lucky to have had you as our photographer!

Sincerely,

Meghan and Marc Perry

Snow at the beach!

We don't get a lot of snow in lower Delaware so I used the opportunity to get some photos around my neighborhood. It was a pretty dreary morning with heavy fog, but it was nice to shoot something different.

2009!

2008 was one of my greatest years since I started doing photography professionally. I worked with some truly amazing couples that were fun, beautiful, and so in love with each other. The two most important parts of that are FUN and in love. I have so much fun at weddings and I love wedding parties who joke around and laugh. I also love capturing the emotion of a wedding day, the love of a bride and groom. There is nothing more beautiful than a couple on their wedding day and I always think back to my wedding at every ceremony. I do this because I love what I do.

I also worked in some great locations like Salero, Nassau Valley Vineyards, the Indian River Lifesaving Station Museum, Golden Sands, Rehoboth Beach Country Club, Baywood, The Fountains, and the Cambridge Hyatt. I'm still looking for that destination wedding so I can work in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, or even the Florida Keys!

2009 is shaping up to be an even better year! I've got some new locations on the book, some really GREAT couples, a new camera and lens (I'm never satisfied, I just bought a new camera last Thanksgiving...two of them actually), and a renewed energy in what I'm doing. Each year things get better and better and as my work improves, the more I enjoy what I'm doing. My style is continually evolving and I love where it's going. It keeps things fresh and intersting rather than stagnant and boring.

If you're looking for a photographer for your wedding in 2009 or even 2010 (a destination wedding would be cool), take a look at my work. Shoot me an email or give me a call. I'd love to discuss your wedding with you.

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.