Weisure....

That's right, "Weisure".
Were work combines with leisure.
Sara France posted this on twitter late last
night and I happened to catch it this morning.

I have fallen victim to this myself in that I work
mostly from home.
I've been twittering for more than a year, I've even
twittered and uploaded images to Facebook between
ceremonies and receptions and I've also uploaded images
to both while at NACE functions, PUG meetings and
TCPPA programs, just to mention a few.

It's a way of letting folks know what I'm up to
whether it be professional or personal. And it's fun!
Gary doesn't get it (nor will he ever) and that's okay.
He does read my blog from time to time tho' and he's a fan.

I was told, once, that it's narcissistic to assume that people
care...hmmmm...well, when people respond to the things that I
post about I think that must mean that they, indeed, do.
Or at the very least have an opinion or comment they'd like to
share with me. Try it..go ahead, I dare you!

In this ever changing, fast paced world technology will
always be connecting us, informing us and educating us
and I, for one, think it's way more than a "good thing",
Martha, it's a great thing.

Enjoy the CNN article by clicking HERE

I have rescheduled an engagement shoot today due to the
wind and cold. Kate and Tom want to do some boat/water
shots and this is just NOT the day. :\

Enjoy your Saturday.

Kathryn's 1st Communion

I had the distinct honor of not only attending Kathryn's
1st Communion but photographing her that day as well.
Rather than putting a slide show together, I've decided
that the images would be best viewed individually.

Kathryn is a complete natural beauty, loves the camera
and, luckily, loves me too. Oh, and also pictured is their
new puppy Sam. Sam is a Cavalier King Charles/Bichon mix.

Happy Thursday!

Good Day to you all!
LOTS going on in the next several days.

And of course I can't leave out the fact that my brunch at
Interlachen Country Club yesterday for NACE was fabulous,
delicious and a nice break in the middle of the week.
And Kudos to Interlachen, 2009 marks their 100th anniversary!



I set up a table, an easel, set out all sorts of albums, guest
books, proof books, framed images etc...then I ran a 200+ image
slide show of some of my favorite images that I've shot for NACE
since I started on that fateful day that the 35W bridge collapsed
into the mighty Mississip nearly 2 years ago.

The slide show was a HUGE hit! Next time I'll bring my 24"
monitor! :) I just couldn't swing it yesterday. Everyone
gathered around and reminisced as it looped.
You see, each NACE meeting is really like a mini wedding
reception from decor to floral to signature drinks, not to
mention the venues! Really, a lot of fun.






Tonight I will head up to the Metropolitan to cover a MOFAS event.
Pregnant Pause, being held tonight, is their 4th annual awareness
event for expectant moms.


Tomorrow, I am photographing a fun wedding out at the
Como Park Conservatory.
Yep, another Friday wedding! :)

Saturday my niece, Amanda, has a dance recital that I wouldn't
miss for the world!

And Sunday is Mom's day, of course..ahhhhh.

Who's Better Than Me Today?

Today marks my 6th anniversary of not smoking!
Wow! QUIT NET has a great program for
anyone that you know who is quitting, struggling
with quitting or just wants to keep a tally of
their stats through the years....



Do something special for your heart today!

Kathryn G.

Today is a very special day.
My little friend, Kathryn, is being confirmed.
I've known Kathryn since before she was born!
She calls me "aunt sue" and I love it!
I've photographed her at every birthday and even
a party and dance here and there. :)






I will head over to Jim & Gerri's home around
2:45 to photograph this lovely girl in her
gorgeous confirmation gown. It'll be like
photographing a teeny, tiny bride, I can't wait!

Sun is out, should be 60+ today. YAY!

Personal.

Those of you who know me know that the organization
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep holds a very special
place in my heart and in my life.
I have been an active affiliate for 2 years and
a have coordinated our services for Minneapolis
Children's Hospital for the past year.

In doing so I have met some fabulous photographers,
worked with some of the greatest hospital staff,
grieved with many families, some that have experienced
multiple losses. I thank God everyday that he has
given me the talent, the tools and the strength to
approach every session so that I can share with these
photographers, educate hospital staff members and
start the healing process for these broken families.

At this time, I will continue to coordinate for
Minneapolis Children's and Methodist hospitals but I
will not be photographing anymore sessions.

God Bless.

Change & Hope.

Change & Hope...Hope & Change.
Can you do both simultaneously?
I have some change on the horizon and I
hope that folks will understand and
embrace it along with me.

Rainy Monday.

What better way to spend a rainy Monday than
attending a TCPPA board meeting! YAY!

I just received a request to photograph a Chef!
Pretty excited! I'm thinkin' maybe....oh, idk,
TRADE FOR FOOD!!! :p~~~~ (that's me drooling!)

Sandy (Sam) Puc (pronounced 'Putch'), of NILMDTS fame,
is going to be in town Wednesday holding a seminar at
the Ramada MOA. It'll be great to see her again.
This year her tour concentrates on "Tots 2 Teens".
Last year the theme was "Bellies & Babies".
Busy woman, that Sam!

Gary Comes Home/Jaxon Goes Home.

Gary's been away since Wednesday.
He and 3 other guys went back out to Oregon
to play golf at Bandon Dunes.

These same 4 ventured out there 3 years ago,
loved it so much they returned this year.
This is about 4 & half hours from Portland.







They've made this trip an annual thing and
have selected some mighty swanky spots to
chase the white ball. Bandon was a "must do"
again.

Where there were 3 courses: Bandon Dunes,
Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails, there are
now nearly 4. Old MacDonald is near completion
and the guys played the 10 hole that were
open on Friday making that a 28 hole day!

As you can tell from the # of recent posts,
I've been busy while he's been away.

No weddings this weekend but I did have the
honor of attending Jaxon's funeral yesterday.
Another NILMDTS family forever changed and
another friendship forged. God is good.



I am thankful that the rain came today instead
of yesterday. God is good.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

Renee & Shane.

Originally there was rain forecast for Renee &
Shane's wedding day but it held off until early
the following day. Prayer works!

This unique day started with the fact that they
had chosen the Chapel at Ft. Snelling in St. Paul
for the ceremony, they selected Ft. Snelling State
Park and Rice Park for their formals and finished
up at the very lovely St. Paul Hotel.

A group of only about 80 but enough faith, hope
& love to fill the new Twins stadium and enough
celebration to last a lifetime ;)

Congratulations Renee & Shane!

A sneak peak...

Alicia & Matt.

What a day this was!
Alicia padded the day with TONS of time
for me to capture all sorts of fun at several
spots...it's not common to have that luxury.

Congratulations Alicia and Matt!
I thank you for allowing me the privilege to
come along side you for the day.

(Oh, and p.s. slide.com is working on making
the images larger, I'm told, so I apologize
for the postage stamp sized images.)

Catch Up.

Between Easter, 3 weddings, 4 NILMDTS sessions,
taxes and a sick Boo, I've been a bit lax in the
blog department. I just needed to "catch up".
But do we really ever catch up? The faith that I
can keeps me going, anyway. :)

That said, on to a few weddings...first, JoAnn
and Rick from March 28th. A chilly day but the
sun was out and the venue (Murphy's Landing) was
the perfect backdrop for their period wedding.

Friday Weddings!

(random shots from other weddings)

I have my first Friday wedding of the season
today in St. Paul (Alicia & Matt).

Gary and I were married on a Friday about
10 & a half years ago. I like the idea of
a Friday wedding. In today's (and I hate to
say it) "eCONomy" brides are savvier than
ever, craftier than ever and now they are
more fiscally responsible than ever. nice move.

I have several Friday weddings on the books
this year and really, I mean, why not, right?
Typically, everything is less expensive on
a Friday so why not get more bang for the buck
and still have the whole weekend ahead of you
(not to mention the guests!).
Plus and a big plus at that, if you are having
a Catholic ceremony you don't get rushed out
of the Church on a Friday in order to make
it available for the evening service! ;)
(comments, questions, thoughts, concerns?)

Moving on, I have a wedding tomorrow as well.
Another St. Paul location. Ft. Snelling Chapel
and the St. Paul Hotel..LOVE the wedding season!
Photos to follow early next week.

It's going to be a GORgeous day today in Minneapolis.
75 and sunny! The envy of the country! Nothing's
really blooming yet but the blue sky and warmer
temps are welcome ANYTIME!!!

He is Risen!

Happy Easter everyone!

Hurricane Wilma Footage

Wow, just ran into this searching for something else.
Now, I don't really care too much for Coco Bongo but
the photos are pretty cool!



And to think that I shot a wedding in Playa del Carmen
5 weeks later is CRAZY to me!

Why are Professional Photographers so Expensive?

Okay, so I stole this off Facebook but I am giving credit to the author at the bottom.
Might I also add that I love the bit about hiring a professional hairdresser analogy as well...enjoy. Thank you, Robin, for finding this.

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 (actually more then what I charge) for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Author: Shawn Richter

Adam Lambert.

WOW.
I had to run out last night for a NILMDTS
session so I missed the last couple of
contestants on this week's American Idol.
Thank goodness for TiVo, right? WRONG!

Adam Lambert's performance got completely
cut, leaving me to wonder "What did he sing?"
"Did the judges love him...again?" "How did
he do?" "What did he where?" etc..

I was so disappointed when we rewound to
watch only to have TiVo end abruptly at 9pm.
GET IT RIGHT FOX!
We will set it to tape the news at 9 in the
future also so it doesn't happen again.

Today, I Googled and found THIS!

I have other favorites but this bastard
keeps knockin' it out!!!

The best season so far, in my opinion.
And I've seen them all. (my guilty pleasure)

Birthday Videos

Wanted to share my birthday lunch with y'all!





Thank you Nicki for the wonderful Lunch & Candle!
Thank you Anne for the Lovely flowers & the Cake!
Thank you Scott for filling in as buss boy! :)
And Mom, thanks for being there as well but most of all
thanks for having me! 3rd time's the charm, right!?

California Cat Sanctuary...

My sister sent this to me and I just
have to share it with you...

Cat House on the Kings

Today I Celebrate!

My sister will be here in about 30 minutes.
She and I are going to the gym to work out
together. We've started swapping gyms every
now and again and I have to say that having
a gym partner is sooo much better than goin'
it alone all of the time.
So, occasionally on a Monday or a Friday we
get together and kick it!
We've recently discovered that we can actually
sandwich an hour of weights with an hour of
cardio (30 minutes before and after).
It runs about 1000 calories and makes me
feel like I've conquered the world!
Anne and I actually made up a word for our
hour of cardio......"hourdio"! It's really
sad how such little things can bring such
joy as we get older! :|

Once we complete the workout portion of this
day, I will be visited by Owen and Reese.
Owen as made me a picture and wants to give
it to me today so they are stopping by.

Then Anne and I will head to Nicki's as she
is preparing lunch for me at her house.

Gary and I are going to dinner at Campiello's
here in Eden Prairie. I absoLUTely love
that restaurant! Their short ribs?? Heaven!

Well, Thanks for stopping by today...make
your day special too!