There was an certain, unusual anticipation in the air. Like a brooding storm after a very long dry spell. A dry, parched ground desperate for just one single drop of rain. Even though it was over 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, it was still kind of like that. Desperate. One for the other. It has after all been a lifetime in the making. Summer and Daniel met in the 7th grade. At a time when boys will be boys and the girls will both love and loathe them for it. And they fell in love in a way that only adolescent kids can. Innocently, infatuated and grossly misinformed. Thankfully infatuation sometimes turns to admiration which turns to respect, which turns to a deep gratitude for the other. And even though they had their fair share of falling outs, Summer and Daniel eventually learned that love, like music is bound by a certain set of rules. A beautiful melody is created by the ability of one chord to harmoniously coincide with another chord. And though a few wrong notes may trip up the musician, the song will go on. And rarely do we remember the bad notes. 
In this same manner, Summer made her way over the the old, dusty piano. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Her friends and family had gathered from all over the country to be here. To hear this one song. She gently placed her hands on a mixture of black and ivory keys and after one final glance around the century old barn, she leaned in and begin to a play a melody so beautiful, so honest that it simply can not be described. Not even by me. Daniel picked up his guitar and joined her next to the piano and with just one small strum the two entirely different instruments, played by two entirely different people became one. The song was “peer pressure” by Jon Brion and was the theme song to their favorite movie (and mine), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The moment was genius. And unforgettable. And has ruined me. You see, it was in that moment that I realized that not every wedding is amazing. Of course from the business sense, a wedding photographer wants every client to believe that their day was special and unique and unforgettable. But I now know the truth. That not everyone who gets married should be married. And not everyone who is already married should stay that way. But these two, these two belong together. THIS was special. THIS was unique. THIS was unforgettable. The lump in my throat told me so. 
 

“We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing another.”

Today I got a hug from a complete stranger. And it made my day. Its been a long trip so far and when I came around the corner and onto Fisherman’s Wharf in downtown San Francisco I saw a high school kid no older than 16 holding a handmade sign advertising for Free Hugs. Genius. I once read that a hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if you exchange it. So I took a picture and then walked over and threw my arms around him and gave him a big old squeeze. It was awesome and made my soul smile. I didn’t bother asking why he was giving his hugs away for free. And to complete strangers of all things! It mattered not. All that matters is that I got one. So in honor of the free hug giveaway-er, I will be launching a new random blog series titled, well, “Free Hugs” where I too will be giving away free hugs to random person’s, places, or things that make me happy. Or maybe just needs a free hug.

My first “free hugs” go to some of the amazing vendors that I work with and who’s products or services have played a major role in building my business into all it has become. 

When designing my website I searched far and wide for just the right template which would allow me to customize my branding accordingly. Out of all the options I decided to go with a Bigfolio site and after a year with my website I definitely feel it was without a doubt the correct decision. Their customer service is amazing and so far all of my emails have been responded to within just a couple of hours. I couldn’t be more happy.

My branding is one of the most important factors in my business. And when a client or potential client visits my site, blog, or client gallery section I wanted the experience to be seamless from one to the other. With so many options and online hosts for client galleries I found it difficult to narrow down one that would allow me to customize more than just a logo and background color. When I stumbled across Redcart I knew I found the perfect client gallery solution. I am able to customize the smallest details as well as the client store. The best part though is beside the minimal hosting fee, 100% of the print profits are mine! With others it seemed that there was so much taken off the top and that never really sat right with me.  Please feel free to check out my Client Gallery, and then head over to Redcart to check out all that they have to offer.

So, I get on average anywhere from 10-30 client inquiries a week. A year ago my system of keeping track of inquires and contracts consisted of a pin board and post its. But now with so much traffic coming through my studio on any given day I knew I needed a major workhorse. Gladly I found that workhorse through Shoot Q,  and amazing photography studio management software. You can read HERE where I already featured Shoot-Q as a preferred vendor and see how it has become quite the asset to my growing business. Now inquiries are organized to perfection and contracts are easily signed and managed online. So easy.

If you have any questions at all about any of these vendors please feel free to contact them using the links provided. And for the record I receive zilch by referring their business. But I just like them so darn much I cant help but to brag about them!

There’s just something about a woman with wet hair. I read once that the time the average woman spends putting on make up and getting dressed works out at 3,276 hours over her lifetime. That works out to 136 days – enough time for an astronaut to fly to the moon and back 22 times. I can’t help but wonder how many of those hours were wasted on some jerk that stands her up, or even worse, takes her out and asks for separate checks. Who never calls her back because she didn’t invite him in on the first date. Or because she has a 3 year old son. Or because she is too old. Or too young. Too heavy, too thin. Too sensitive. Too human. How many days. How many weeks. But a woman with wet hair makes a statement. She is saying that she doesn’t care who sees her. That she knows that she is beautiful in her own right. I know its random but this was precisely my thought as the surging wave crashed over Ingrid somewhere on the Pacific coast. And with every wave she gained some of her life back. Empowered by the fact that the boy holding on to her loves her just like this. Running mascara and all. I was thinking that she just found those 30 minutes. And that it was as if I was never even born and that the entire beach was deserted. That it was just the two of them. Her and Billy, the last two people on earth. 

I kicked off my shoes and dug my toes into the sand as the cool Pacific wind pushed in a nice thick cloud cover producing the worlds largest soft box. The light…well, it was amazing. I remember thinking that this wasn’t my typical wedding. No vintage details, no flea market center pieces. Just this view. This endless sea of Goodness creating the most amazing prop one could hope for. There is just something nostalgic about the sound of the ocean. When I was 5 I remember racing from the safety of the shore into the bottomless blue, armed with nothing more than my rubber ducky  floaties and not a care in the world.  Today was kind of like that. No one was in a hurry. Families gathered and and told old stories. Mothers hugged mothers. Today I shot a wedding barefoot with my pant legs rolled up. Today was good day.

“The first thing a good lover does in hard times, is make us realize the insignificance of our unfortunate circumstances.”

In my very short two years of shooting I have had the honor of documenting couples in love all over the world. From Paris to California it has been an amazing journey. But today was my favorite wedding of all. Today I stood by my best friend, not as a groomsman, but as his photographer and gave him the very best gift I possibly could. Me. Congratulations buddy. I love you. 

“We just checked the Doppler” the event coordinator politely and ever so timidly informed Christina. “And it looks like the the bright red dot is moving right for us.” We looked up to the sky and the dark pillowy clouds were closing in on us. Here and there workers were frantically setting up the tables where the beautiful ceremony had just taken place while the florist worked her magic on some of the most stunning center pieces and yet the “red dot”  did not detour. I looked at Christina and she smiled. “It will pass she said matter of factly.” Obviously I was the worried one. We stood there for a few minute speaking generally. And then it happened. From somewhere up there in the stratosphere a single cloud  sprung a leak and released a single drop which fell and plummeted toward earth finding its home on my forehead. I looked up just as another followed the former. The coordinator approached us again, this time with an agenda. “Christina, we need to move the tables inside” she pleaded. Christina lifted a tiny mirror to her face to check her makeup. She ran her fingers through her hair, replacing a single strand to its rightful place. “No, it will pass. Trust me.”
The coordinator sighed and disappeared to pick bigger battles. The one drop had since turned to several and now a steady shower had fallen upon us. Christina continued to laugh and reminisce about the days events, she spoke of seeing Mitch for the first time. She was happy. Somewhere in the background I heard the bartender inform a co-worker that it was pouring down. And it was. And yet to look at the beautiful bride you would think that it was a sunny summer day and that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But there was. A very big, dark cloud. With a red dot that was obviously directly above us. And then just like that, no sooner than it had begun the sky broke and began to bleed its light of mercy down on us. The down pour turned to a few drops that turned to one and eventually stopped all together. One by one the guests stepped outside. The staff scrambled with towels wiping off the tables and chairs and somewhere out there a frazzled event coordinator took a deep breathe for the first time in half an hour. And I took a deep breathe too. ”I knew it would pass.” Christina whispered as she gathered her things and made her way into the new warm sunshine…

May this be a lesson to us all. That should the times get hard, the arguments get bitter, the financial burdens become heavy, the moments of intimacy become few. Just have faith and trust that  for those who believe,  in the grand scheme of things the looming storm that is upon you is really just a tiny red dot. And it too shall pass.