If you could ask a prospective photographer just one question…..

If you could ask only one question when interviewing a photographer what should it be?

“What mode do you usually use when photographing a wedding?”

The incorrect answer to this question is “P” or “Program” mode. If you hear this, run away as fast as you can. For this is telling you the photographer is trusting the camera to make all the decisions. In the other modes(Manual, Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority), the photographer is making a thoughtful (I hope), artistic choice on how the camera should perform. Depending on the camera, you might also hear “Portrait,” “Sunlight,” “Scenic,” or some other term to indicate the photographer is using some sort of program mode. Photographers who use the “P” mode most likely are not skilled enough to understand lighting and how to use their camera. Hence the reason you should continue your search for another photographer.

Two hours in Wal-Mart!

It has finally happened! Meghan is now concerned about making sure she has the coolest school supplies. So right after we picked the boys up from daycare, we headed over to Wal-Mart to get school supplies and then continue on with our regular shopping schedule. I thought we could breeze through all of the shopping. What I didn’t count on was all of the thought which went into every facet of her selections.

Princess is out. That’s for babies. So while it is ok for her family to know she still loves Cinderella, not a word to her school friends. Then there were several Hannah Montana backpacks to select from. Was the tote too big? Did the backpack have enough room. If that wasn’t enough we had to find supplies for Mathew. He was not as picky but was upset they didn’t have any Thomas merchandise. He wanted nothing to do with Batman, Spiderman or The Hulk. Surprisingly, he wanted Jonas Brother but alas, the store didn’t have that either. Finally, he settled for greens and blues.

As we were checking out with our school supplies and our household supplies I looked at the clock and noticed it was 2:15! No wonder my stomach was grumbling. It was time for lunch. Grocery shopping could wait.

Our Unexpected Visitors’ Photographs

Just after dinner this evening we had some visitors to our back yard. The whole family stopped what we were doing to watch there beautiful birds. They look like some type of hawk but we’re not sure. I think these three birds are from the same brood and are staying together for the time being. We didn’t see any adults around and these birds looked young. At one point a squirrel really took a gamble with its life as is scurried along on the wire directly beneath the hawk!

Personal Photograph
Personal Photograph

Lazy Summer Days

This heat is killing me. There is so much to do and it is hard to get motivated. We’re getting restarted on the renovation project. We’ve completed a great kitchen design. Now we’ve got to pack up everything upstairs so the renovations can restart. We’re on our final push. Hopefully we can be done by Halloween, if not then perhaps by Thanksgiving. It will be nearly 2 years of an upset house as we’ve gone through the complete process.

Meanwhile, I’ve been busy with the studio. Almost too busy. I’ve started to fall behind in the work that needs to get done. No sooner than I finish one thing, than another critical project arises. E-mail, well that’s a whole other story. It is relentless. I suppose it could be worse and I could have nothing to do.

A Wedding Without a Camera

This weekend I went to a wedding without a camera in hand. It was a strange experience being empty handed at the wedding. The wedding I’m talking about was for my brother Rick and his new wife Karen. They were married on July 5, 2008. It was a beautiful day. They said their vows under a grove of trees on Rick’s (and now Karen’s) property. Afterwards we all went over to the Glen Loch Mill for an afternoon outdoor reception on the shores of the creek. It was a lot of fun spending time with friends and family I hadn’t seen in a long time.

The day after the wedding, my cousin Lisa, hosted her annual picnic. She and her husband own a dairy farm. Every year right around July 4th, they host a picnic for all of their friends and neighbors. I’ve had a standing invitation but it is a little too far to travel. This year since I was in town for Rick’s wedding, I decided I had to be at the picnic. It was a lot of fun with hay rides, good food and most importantly family.