Wedding Season

It's January - one of the busiest times for wedding vendors of all sorts. The holidays seem to always bring out the romance, and needless to say, lots of engagements, as well. Shopping around for the perfect photographer, DJ, cake decorator, reception site, videographer, etc, etc, etc can be a daunting task. Before you start making tons of appointments, here's why I suggest to every bride and groom in the country when selecting their perfect photographer:

1. Shop around. Not every bride is perfect for every photographer. Think about what style you like, what personality you work best with, and what you expect from your photographs. Contact as many as you desire, but try to limit it to 2-3 before you schedule any meetings. You know what you want, so don't wear yourself down with someone you're not serious about. Then when you ARE ready to meet:

2. Come with questions! It's easy to get ga-ga over the photographs and forget all of the important information you need to get. Do they bring an assistant? How are you images protected? How long should you expect to wait for the final proofs? Come with notes if you have to and never be afraid to ask. This is an important day, so it's important no detail is left behind.

3. Bring your fiance and family, if you can. It's a busy world, so it might not be feasible to bring everyone along, but I assure you they will appreciate being a part of the process. Plus, when everyone meets before the wedding, it makes it so much easier to spend all day with your photographer on your wedding day.

4. Your photographer is your employee, but should also be your friend. I have always loved shooting weddings because of the relationships I gain. Your photographer just might be in with you when you're in your undies getting dressed, when you start to cry after you receive your wedding gift from your groom-to-be. . . and with you when you are panicking because you can't find your "something blue". You don't want to feel awkward, and the stronger the relationship you have BEFORE the wedding, the easier it will be for the two of you to work together and capture something truly memorable ON your wedding.

Best wishes and happy planning!

Christmas 2008

I took my camera to Grandma's Christmas Eve to get a few family shots so Grandma could have some good family memories to keep with her. It's always a unique experience to photograph family. . . YOUR family. . . but it's priceless to be able to capture everyone on film (Well. . . CF drive, really). We have couples, parents, kids, and of course the whole group! Merry Christmas Schaffer family!!

Shannon and Dan

This Christmas, Shannan and Dan wanted some professional pictures to give as gifts to their parents. So we met up at the White River Gardens for a quick shoot and left with some really great photographs! I think their family will love them. They were so great together and so much fun. . . I love Christmas!!!

Gregory Family Christmas!

On Thanksgiving I rounded up our 2 dogs, 1 rabbit and husband for our family Christmas picture. Let me tell you, they weren't as cooperative as they look!!! We tried to snuggle together, but the dogs just wouldn't have it. So Kitty came to take the picture later and with some help of the magic of Photoshop, we got it all together! Cierra, our new adopted tri-pawed, was very proud of her first family photograph! Enjoy one and all. . .

Baby Nathan Arrives!

On November 19th Jennifer gave birth [drug free, may I add] to a beautiful baby boy, Nathan Louis Ehlers. He is absolutely adorable! So far, Nathan has proved himself to be much more patient and tolerant than his older brother who, by the way, loves him to pieces! Here are a few pictures from the hospital and some more from later at home that I took to capture the moment.

Ashley and Josh's Wedding

This past Saturday I shot at Ashley and Josh's wedding on the south side of Indianapolis. They had a perfectly coordinated wedding - every detail was thought out, it was amazing. The wedding party was so much fun to be around, this couple is so lucky to have such a great group of friends as a support system! The guest list was big, so the reception lasted long into the night, and EVERYONE had a blast!

Stacey and Mark

I ran downtown for a quick 15 min shoot so Stacey and Mark would have some good engagement pictures to announce their engagement in the local newspapers. The weather was blisery and cold, so we snuck into the Arts Garden so we could still get some pictures with the buildings. Those two clean up good!