Erin and Bryan

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post these photos, but here goes! A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding with Kevin Keefer at the beautiful Pinnacle Golf and Country Club here in Grove City. Erin and Bryan were married in the outdoor wedding pavilion on an absolutely gorgeous day! Check out Kevin's brand new blog for a slide show and even more images of the day!

Sidenote: If you're a golfer, you should check out this review of the course at Pinnacle!

What????

Would someone please get this woman off my tv?

“Gee Willikers, Lady…you’ve got a point there. It’s perfectly clear to me now! I’m not losing money at the pump, I’m actually profiting from it! Let’s not stop at just four bucks a gallon…let’s see how high we can go!"

Seriously...

Lindsey's Maternity Shoot!

Earlier this week I had the honor of photographing a maternity session for my friend, Lindsey. Her baby boy is due in just a few short weeks and we couldn't be happier for their family! This shoot ended up being more than just a maternity session though. We ended up doing something of a family portrait session as well...and her daughter, Mia was a natural in front of the camera, so of course I couldn't help but snap a few of her too! This shoot was particularly fun because it was all shot at their home. When you think of family portraits, many people think of the marbled background, everyone standing in front of the lights and smiling right at the camera. When I photograph a family, I like to photograph them actually being a family... interacting with each other, and in this case right where they are a family, at home.

I love this one with Mia hanging out watching what was going on...

Mia in all her almost-4-year-old glory!

Gotta love baby shoes!

Lindsey's husband is a firefighter, so naturally the nursery is decked out in fire engines and dalmatians...how adorable!

A belly shot!

So happy...

While we were getting ready to start the portraits on the front porch, Mia started spinning around in circles so I caught this little series...

And here's the happy family...

Congratulations guys!

Free Ice Cream!

So yesterday I was out for a bike ride with the kids. As we rode past a school parking lot, we spotted a Grove City police officer. The kids waved, and he waved back. Then he started to follow us. "Oh no", I thought..."What did I do?" I definitely wasn't speeding, and I didn't fail to signal, so what was up? The officer pulled up alongside us and proceeded to give the kids vouchers for free ice cream at participating Dairy Queen locations just because he "caught" them with their bicycle helmets on! Turns out it's part of a bicycle safety campaign sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital, DQ and local law-enforcement. But it's not just in Grove City...it's all over central Ohio. So if you're out and about on your bike this summer, make sure the kids wear their helmets...they may get free ice cream for it! Oh, and grown-ups get a free blizzard for wearing theirs too!

Weekend Update, New Music and Other Stuff!

Wow! What a busy couple days! This weekend turned out to be one long birthday extravaganza for the little princess and because any child's birthday party is just as much an excuse for the grown-ups to get together as it is for the kids, we had a full house!

Here's Emma eyeing her cupcakes...

And here is a real sign of the times... When you have grandparents that live in Florida, they can't always make it to the birthday parties. With Webcam technology though, they could still sing to the birthday girl and watch her blow out her candles. We moved the party into the office temporarily and let Bop and Ahya (that's what the kid's call their grandparents...) in on the fun!




I know I missed New Music Monday yesterday, but it's for a good reason...there's just too much good stuff out there to narrow it down to a single post! So with that in mind, I'll give you the new releases and let you decide which is the best! Alanis Morissette just came out with a new one as did Aimee Mann (although nothing will ever compare with her That's Just What You Are, check out Great Beyond). My Morning Jacket hit the stores with their new one (download Librarian). Coldplay just came out with Viva La Vida (check out the title track) and finally, my new favorite...Black Kids. They're a band out of Jacksonville and they have a very Cure-Sounding I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You on their new album. Whew...that's a lot of music!

In other news, I've got some really cool stuff coming up including a Maternity session with a great couple and their 4-year old daughter! Check back soon for a sneak peak!

Miss Em Turns 4!

I couldn't let the day get away without wishing my daughter a Happy 4th Birthday! We spent the day strawberry picking at Circle S Farms, here in Grove City. More festivities will follow this weekend, but here are a few photos of what went on this morning!

Every wagon on the hayride has a different name (Tomato Truck, Green Bean Machine, etc.)

Just begging to be made into a pie!!

The Birthday Girl!

If you go berry picking, you better hurry, strawberry season ends on the 15th!

New Music Monday...Again!

While New Music Monday may have been on hiatus...I was not! May ended up being a particularly busy month for brides and grooms, so music took a backseat for a while! Now it's back, and just in time because the whole world is about to find out about this one!

They call themselves Gotan Project...and if you reverse the syllables in the word "gotan", you get "tango", which is just a part of what this group brings to the table. Yes, a lot of their music has a tango sound, but it's also got a bit of a French twist. No, I don't mean the hairstyle...I mean the sound. Think harmonicas, accordions and while their music is primarily instrumental there is the occasional lyric...in French (seriously, what lyric doesn't sound better when it's done in French?).

I first heard their Epoca on a movie soundtrack about a year ago and was immediately hooked! Just the other night I heard the same song in a commercial for Kitchen Aid appliances, so before long everyone will know how cool they are. And by the way, their music makes an awesome soundtrack for editing wedding photos! Creative, exotic, sultry...just to use a few adjectives!

Usually, I'll make a recommendation for a single song to download. For this one, go ahead and download the whole darn thing! The album is called La Revancha del Tango, and it is so worth it!

John and Tina

This past Saturday I had the honor of photographing a wonderful couple, John and Tina. The weather threatened to ruin our plans for taking photos at Inniswood Metro Park, but we were fortunate enough to miss the rain and got some beautiful photos of them and their super-fun wedding party! I also had the added benefit of having a second shooter with me for the day. Brittany, a sophomore in high school, has been studying photography and she came along for the fun!

Here's Tina putting on the last of her jewelry...

While we were outside getting some pictures of Tina's gorgeous bouquet, their dachshund Annie decided to pose for us!

By the rhododendrons at Inniswood (we had to get this one quick, before the Ranger caught us off the trail)!

Their first dance...

Here are just a few of my favorites that Brittany took! The girl may just have a future... :)

Congratulations, John and Tina!

Pomp and Circumstance

As another school year comes to an end, I can't help but think of what this time of year means to so many who are graduating this year. Whether it's High School, College or Law School...graduation is a wonderful time full of hope and expectations. It's a time to set goals and realize dreams. We think of the future, yet know that we have learned from the past and as we set out on our journeys and begin new chapters in our lives we know (pause for effect) that graduation day will be etched in our memories forever...

Congratulations Eddie, on the completion of your Kindergarten year!